Stepping out : London dreams

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I realize that I can't think science in isolation from the world around, that is the society, to be precise. It has sometimes made me feel that maybe I'm not that good at science. In college, while I observed my peers continuously striving to talk about some difficult sum or concept, I felt poked inside what happens to the world and the people out there. I can never turn away from contextualizing everything I learn to things happening around me. It sometimes feels like an overwhelm not to be able to stick to just what I do as work. But then it is this exact thing that brings me happiness, that brings me joy. To be able to connect the dots which not many are connecting.

This weekend, I could have just gone out to eat or for a day trip. Read say a few papers in my research area, watch Netflix, cook and prepare for the week and go back to work on Monday like an obedient student.

But what I happened to do is travel to London to attend a panel discussion by the eminent historian Vijay Prasad and the revolutionary Che's daughter, physician Dr. Aleida Guevara along with student activists on the role of student movements in combating imperialism, promoting world peace for humanity through study and struggle, combining theory and practice. Attended a session on education budget that gave me a lot to think about the status of higher education in India, particularly how the marginalised are further being pushed away to the margins when it comes to basic learning outcomes. Entrenching inequality- something that needs to change. Then I paid a visit to the Natural History Museum, felt that the world is so big, but the next moment felt the exact opposite when stumbled upon two fellow scientist comrades there.

And thereafter summed up the thoughts as follows: if I could- I would combine the British Museum and the Natural History Museum in a same building. And make copies of it in every country of the world for people to visit.

Now since I've done all of these, I did miss out on reading "a few" papers of my research field; I read one instead while returning home on the bus.

Does that make me a lesser scientist/researcher? 

Some might say yes. Some might say no.

I stand for the latter. I mean, isn't this the whole point of academia - to liberate?


-Alakta 

09.02.2025

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