Sixth All India Social Sciences Congress,
October 23-26th, 1981,   Indian Academy of Social Sciences,
Kanpur University, Kanpur

Science and Technology Community Quest:

As an example of Social Perspective in India.

By

K. L. Narayan, M. Inst. P. (Lond).

Shivaji University, Kolhapur – 416004

CONTENT OF THE PAPER

                   Human behavior and perspectives is constantly changing and  this change is gauzed usually by the development that has happened in the past. Therefore the comparative material from the past and present of the specific society of study and of other societies of the world are collected. The diversity of Indian Society and its culture has been since the outset has been recognized to have an important contribution to make by throwing light on the complex endeavour of the Indian mind showing  motives and conditioning factors in human responsiveness and behaviour. It is a society full of classes, races, religions  and even nationalities. The latter is particularly due to the age old association of the Indian Society with other nationalities of the world. It has become necessary therefore for the author to adopt special method of investigation for the collection of relevant social statistics and the compiling of ”issue-studies” of individuals and community-studies of larger groups. Dogmatic assertion that statistical approach to be more important than or the historical methods is waived off in my study. Only where there is a dire necessity the statistical method in the conventional sense has been adopted.  At the outset, since a few years ago of my exploration and investigations, I have posed myself with certain broad questions  to which I have sought answers, but with the clear option of  moulding the questions objective approach at times to meet the special occasions of testable hypotheses. Few examples. Relevant to the problem on hand, of the perquisitive and interrogatory querries are enumerated below:

1) What section of the Indian Society is not influenced by the scientific and technological development, where do they live? In how many different groups or categories do they exist divided into ?

2) What are the occupations of the major other than those whose involvement is with scientific and technological development ?

3) To what extent the scientific and technological development penetrated the depth of Indian Society ?

4) What are the psychological or other reasons of prejudice for a slow adoption to the impact of S & T ?

5). To what extent the social or cultural barriers broken down ? Do they still persist ?

6) What sections, are to what degree of extent the S & T had the impact for a social perspective aroused ?

7) What are the efforts of adjustments in perspectives in the  past, sector-wise, group-wise etc. of the Indian Society ?

8). Social perspective to what degree has been assimilated  By the family fold ? And by the Region communities ?

Next section presents some of the actual case-studies made, which could be successfully adopted in an attempt to get answers to the above questions.

Techniques of Research:

                 This problem required a special technique of study, because inherently an individual or groups of people needed to be watched  for their behavior in different strides and timings of the Scientific and Technological development. The social perspective  that they would gain, for a true of it, of a person, his attitude and his responsiveness, can rarely be assessed on the basis of one interview. Groups and individuals equally well behave differently at home at work or when they have to shoulder responsibility from when they are acting as subordinates. The accumulation of such observations and results of their social perspective of the subject over an extended period rather than could be obtained at any one instant of time. This technique in literature is known as “Cumulative interview” extensively used byA.H.Richmond.The only modification that I have adopted is to identify myself wherever and whenever possible as one of the subjects of interview and for  the case-studies. Myself as the founder of the Kolhapur-Chapter of the Indian Physics Association, as a member of the Marathi Vigyana Parishad, as a founder member of the Andhra-Marathi Association, as a free-lance Science writer, as a participant at various national forums of promoting Scientific and Technological progress in India, as a member of the Indian Science Congress and finally as a Member of Institute of Physics (London) gave me a lot of opportunity for a sustained and continued activity of interest to promote the Scientific and Technological development. The most significant  and important finding that I have found is that the social (Indira Gandhi, Teacher’s Day, Sept.6th 1981) through Scientific and Technological Impact.

                  Functional penetration was possible to me because of my background as a Scientist Physicist. Respondents did oblige me giving information of their perspective understanding of the ST progress. To get rid of however the difficulty of too much of an identification yet times the role I have been playing as a

Physicist to elicite information or observing behavioural attitudes, a switching over the role of a “common” in Indian context of civilization has been made. The latter did work to a remarkable advantage especially with groups that may be termed as below average citizen who are ignorant of the silent Soc T impact. It is indeed a stupendous task to train oneself to remember in detail the replies and responses of the subject, in its exact context and phrasing of what has been said during the interviews but accumulation of observations would yield lines of thought  that could be recorded with ease. The technique enabled the realistic perspective knowledge to be obtained from not just a person’s character and behavior at a particular period of time but from a period  of information extending over his or her life time. Personal  documents, accounts etc., tends to be observed and distorted but cross-checks of such information from other subjects accounts made it possible to avoid the limitations of this technique.

Studies of Social Perspective Understanding Projects:

             A short summary will now be given of some of the research projects undertaken. For the sake of availability of space, full  details are withhelds but in each project study described, the main content of the research is hopefully presented.

a). Ignorant Groups of S & T Impact:-

               There exists in India certain group or community sect of people to whom the concept of Social perspective does not exist and they may be dubbed as nilpotent SP groups(NSPG).An example of such a group in the sect of people engaged in sugarcane cutting and field work in the western state of Maharashtra. In spite of parliament laws, legal and social struggle for the abolition of bonded labour and slavery, the advent of giant machinery of sugar mills in the private co-operative sector, nurtured during the post-independent years a sect of people locally called “Nagarees”.  They are unemployed in the rain season of four months but are fed and maintained by Middle Brokers (MB’s). Factories recognize these MB’s and advance loans to the extent of few lakhs to them. In turn, the MB’s supply the essential labour force for cutting, transporting, cartage etc. of the sugar cane produce to the sugar mill crushing. The crushing season extends from Nov. to till May. Virtually MB’s few in number advancing loans to the labour at Rs.6 per Rs 100 per month) arrange their jobs on the fields Exploiting work from morning 8 O’clock to night 8 O’clock. The labour do not have time to bathe or do their dress properly as the entire essential commodities they need are supplied on quota system by the MB’s. (see Model NSPG). Not only as sugar cane cutters and crop transporters to the mills, such groups

Factory Managers

Regional Heads

Leaders Group   Group Leader            Group Leader

I II III                       IV V                        VI VII

Big Units                  Small Units

 NSPG Model:

                Nil potent social perspective groups towards the  Science and Technology development. I, II, III, ………etc are  the actual members of NSPG’s, while the group leaders are in  touch and with the regional heads, for their livelihood and employment. Factories advance money only to the Regional heads, who act as the middle brokers (MBS’), exist working for cotton mills, dockyards, in illicit traders, road building, dam construction works etc. For these groups perpetually since birth devoted and bonded to the MB’s the social perspective of S & T does not exist.

 

b). Economically backward and Tribal Population:-

                    Individual labourers, semi-skilled and skilled but very poor  tradesman, street & vegetable sellers, cobblers etc, do not continue To contribute a lot towards the cheap economic labour force of  country but one better off than the NSPG’s in the sense that they earn to feed their mouth themselves independently. But this group of people would also be struggling throughout their life for their dire necessities of living and not common a thing that some such families do collapse utterly to a low level due to natural calamities or accidental causes and end up as pavement or open street dwellers. It is surprising that these people with their utter poverty, yet times enjoy some of  the comforts of S & T such as visiting picture theaters, watching the window TV’s, indulging in the purchase of an occasional Nylon ware, use of scents etc. They do them more of fascination of living in a dreamy world but with remote hope of chieving any standard style of living. They continue to be  discriminated by their viable poverty of living and exploitation by the public whenever possible. Their living condition cannot improve as their skills are manifestly poor and much beyond the threshold of giving any training.To this group of people belong also those who help in  harvesting the food grains, and constitute the essential life  line of the village or the urban land.  Solace may be that those people or exposed to the S & T development, but unfortunately with no conscious realization of the social perspective by them. Equally well, they are gullibly guided, their professional earnings cleanly limited and governed by the village dadas (self-styled controllers) big traders, and the village and urban power groups.

c). Educated Laymen Ignorant of the Science and Technological  Impact:

                         A surprisingly large number of sufficiently well-educated people seem to be ignorant of the tremendous advances that have  been taking place in the Science and Technological strides of the nation, during the last few years. They are surprised and  marvel at when they meet at situations, which reflect clearly on their ignorance, often make futile attempt at concealing it. This section of attempts at following traditional, or ruthlessly selfish paths of a comfortable living made from trade,Commerce, commercial enterprises etc. Shri C. D. Deshmukh, a Financial wizard and the first UGC Chairman of India has pointed out at a convocation address delivered at Shivaji University, Kolhapur that a new class of corrigible and corrupt society of  people is rising up in the rural India who make the best use of the educational training. They receive to become more corrigible and cunningly corrupt. These people do not have a social perspective and it may look debatable whether we classify them as ignorant or as a willful society for personal profit. This class exists as different types, often not identifiable, At different levels of strata of Indian Society. For example, it is this class at an University/Educational Institution organization, who oppose vehemently, any compulsory Science and Technology training as a part of liberal education, at the primary college and school levels of education. They are not liable for national sample-survey studies as they would recoil inward when called upon for public exposure or discussions. They train their wards even for the best use of Scientific and technical skill exclusively for personal gains but must be clearly branched as the group of educated-laymen with lack of Scientific culture and social perspective. Their attitudes are occasionally and variedly reinforced by irrational thinking and ignorance, but are not removed by reason and education alone. The roots of their prejudice in emotional insecurity and anxiety of their family or cast or group or religious sect sustenance should be eradicated.

d) Intelligentsia Society and Their Social Perspective:

                         This group of society constitutes the biggest technical and Scientific man power, factually constitutes about the 3rd rank among the nations of the world. But they are just living with their skills unexploited by the nation to the maximum extent.Their social perspective and consequently their attitude and behavior for the developmental cause must be carefully analyzed. Half of them are engaged in some sort of direct national enterprize with the other half either in the private or in the autonomous bodies. They are more social of their potentialities but equally aware of the minimal limit to the extent they can exercise themselves at the national policy or even at the managerial institutional levels. They have adjusted themselves to a most important aspect of status and esteem in our society viz., the skill and ability shown by a person in his daily work or ever a set period of time such as three months or so. They prefer to associate themselves with a task of national importance. But the analysis of social perspective is difficult to assert among those people. Skill contributes to the adjustment or adjustment to skill is unknown.Any way their association (may be due to lack of opportunity abroad, or their traditional lethargy for dynamic leadership) is significant only from the point of view of its utility and ready availability for meeting with or to assist in the national task of the country. How best they be given an opportunity for a major role at the administrative and managerial level execution of planned development of India ? or are they a misfit for such a role due to their personalized skill ? Why they could not have got the power to exercise more powerfully in the Society? Is there a lack of political game capacity in them or are they have inculcated an inherent social perspective of a subordinate role at the national tasks.

III. Discussion:

                      Case studies (a), (b), (c) and (d) described in section II  are only representative and lack of space forbids enumeration of them exhaustively. The object of this discussion is to provide an enlightened view of the social perspective attitude of the Indian Society. The social perspective can be sought among the masses in a number of different ways, cultural, economic, etc., status of the public. It is generally expected that science and technology  succeed in enlarging the field of achievement of the human mind, victory over the poverty is achieved within a short period. But soon an individual adopts the position that S & T cannot provide us with a philosophy of life, nor the worldly wisdom with which he can identify himself as a personality. Optimistic adjustment by social groups or even by an individual is taking place in a radically, therefore an opposed approach, towards a static attitude of the humanistic training, based on the ethical values of the nation, philosophical and religious principles and historical ideas about the Hindu (Indian) view of life and living.

                   This approach dominantly asserted and promoted by persons who regard themselves as the dynamic, and privileged class of cultured individuals.

                   Humanistic training coupled with the Science and Technological development to get a social perspective of improved imagination, mental versatility and the ability to seek analogies between apparently diverse fields of human endeavour, is a notion beyond the compression of many an Indian. The broad attempt of an average Indian looks at only how to feed himself and his family daily or else better off of them look forward to a certain extent  “stable living conditions” and they both respectively in their own styles of living, strive for those goals. The actual population that are aware, recognize or consider the mobilization of S & T to support development continues to be comflouged by the persistenting hunger, malnutrition, avoidable endemics, ignorance and want of the masses. In this context where does the social perspective exists ?

 

                 Many French historians and American humanists regard that the area that is between the individual and state, called the “intermediate” is the social sphere where the impact of modern revolution can be found. Partly it is true in the Indian context.

                 The major changes of in mode of the living, that widened the social perceptiveness of the middle class society are

(1) Modern  method of cooking and kitchen ware

(2) Effective but low cost transport by cycle, light motor vehicles

(3) Radio

(4) Newspapers

(5) Political voting rights

(6) Cinema

(7) Sound and Music programmes

(8) Photography

(9) Marriage ceremonies

(10) Attendance to schooling

(11) Tractor use 

 (12) Hybrid varieties etc.

             Quick economic gain, saving through the post offices, urban bank loans for building low cost homes have etc., been accepted and being practiced with individual resources and wisdom. Social perspective in India in substantial degree is carried by  youth. Not infrequently, families have quarreled and exist divided on the issues of modern amenities by way of  S & T progress. Old tend to be cautious while the young are

fascinated jump at the marvels.

             Extreme dangers of this social perceptiveness is already pointed out in the case study (1) of section II. Special mention may however be made about the militancy and other political or violent attitudes. These are also on the increase with religious foundations of what is defined as morals and consequent vacuum of moral guidance to children. Social, moral and institutional changes recognition is again a part of this social perspective. But unlike the Luddite Movement of the early 19th century, when displaced agricultural and  Rural workers tried to smash the factories that displaced them, The social revolution in India is a peaceful one. But they do, especially young at the college and universities are, feeling The social harness tightening on their neck.Prolonged schooling, blessings of post industrial and Technetronics utopia, long shelves of books, treatises of them attest the interest of a below average student from rural India.

               Social perspective teaches them however to accept the inevitable in spite of the demands on their parents meager income or resources. There is definitely a failure on the part of intellectuals,the thinkers, the social reformers and the writers to  explain in a simple style the important developments of our times for a proper social perspective among the new generation of the world of Science and Technology.

              Observation of Amy Goldin (1975 Am.Rev) is worth quoting.“It is a flat denial of history to assert that cultures in which Technology has flourished have stifled the development of more personal and sensitive expressions of human nature.” Often the social perspective is misinterpreted as a counter culture, which is not true. With the step of “pride of personal use” in everyday life, Science and Technology have become a “moral force” and not exclusively towards a purely materialistic demand. The notions of Buddha, Hinduism, Gandhian thought etc. have been constantly reviewed by the public in the new social cultural order. Greatest impact of this is that this development gives an opportunity to a community or a socially backward group to claim consciously that also belong to the privileged class of intellectuals in India and the fact that of every man as an equal. Effort of reawakened masses towards the fundamental search for a practical ethic of equality may be found easily by an inquiry talk to their minds. This quest of personal identity but forms the one side of a coin that bears on its other side the need of community backing and within which his identity can be moulded to the desired form of exercise. It is leading hence to a new order of society but the kinship, regionalism, casteism and religion are holding a grip, which shows no sign of being extinguished. Extreme liberated elements of this hold are getting eliminated automatically. But  those who are able to synthesize and benefit from it are rising to new heights in the society.

               Instant mass communication yet times is helping to circulate the ideas to spread far and fast. Behavioural changes may also be found in the youth rather abruptly, even when deeply rooted in the traditional cultural, social or religious beliefs, which take place within a very few years. Institutional structures on a wide scale in the form of small scale industries, autonomous private institutions of learning, managerial and agricultural enterprises has their own impact for a new social perspective in India an outcome of modern concept of scientific society.

              It is not agreeable to state to be human under modern conditions of life, is an agony that the ancient man never  knew, nor that the modern man exists in an inferno of knowledge without wisdom. Value-seekers of the society exist who constantly guide the emerging quest for a S &T community living. A community with assets as energy, power and money etc. is that the individual looks for. Basic principles of modern science, found a synthesis with traditional viewpoint. The Einstein thought observations of matter as energy in action found an immediate analogy that Upanishads spoke of matter as Brahman or the wise men of India state that energy is a force of consciousness in action.

              New methods of parental care are being progressively self-evolved, to take care of their children and their psychology Towards the gadgetted comfortable life. Constant review by an Individual for an assessment of real and higher needs is being practiced. The consciousness of the mind to share the “want and have” with others in the community and enjoy mutually and appreciative of synthesis of the old with new values. In my

opinion is an increasingly energy force of the society, due to S & T development. Such an effort is not one of a balancing of the infra-rational, with the rational and the supra-national elements of the society but at each stage it is a gradual selfdevelopment for the ease of life the modern science provides.The leaders of such communities need not necessarily found to be the neither political leaders nor wizards of science and technology,but they are the more enlightened members of the community itself.

 

                The wise saying in India always twinkle as the brilliant stars in whose light the Indian Society moulds and faces the challenges of any modern developments.

                 A phenomenon on an unprecedented scale is taking place in India due to the modern industrialization viz., that the younger generations of the lower strata of society are moving into technical, educational and managerial positions that the intermediate and the upper strata “drop-outs” disdain. This is termed as “circulation of elites” and countries like England and Western Germany were no exception to it.The social perspective in India however is an outcome of gradual and the peaceful revolution that is taking place. The Upanishads and Vedas have taught the Indians a philosophy of essential denial of materialism and they regard that greatest sin is ignorance and thoughtlessness. They are taught now and then moral earnestness and the practice of spirit of enquiry and self-examination. In India religion and philosophy exist interwoven and inseparable. Subconsciously they are bound to lead a life of purity and life without passion.

            The S & T impact on their life therefore, is regarded only as a materialistic excitement with no true spiritual contribution. Most of it goes as a passing phase of their life. But the family hold, cultural heritage etc. prevail on an individual’s response whether he be poor or rich. In spite of the great opportunities that Industrialization offers and the fact that, many be the wife,the husband and the children are forced verily employed in different disciplines the family unit continues to exist. As much distance away they are separated, the modern science facilities are equally geared, to bridge this gap of communication among the family members, and thus only help to hold the family point.

             Extraordinarily significant fact about the Indian culture is that they are by way of their ancient scriptures, by way of living and with the Hindu View of Faith, are much conceptually trained civilized society, and a practicing nation unique, by itself. Chinese, Christianity, Jews and Islamic Faiths do not possess The conceptual scientific height that Indian Philosophy has set thousands of years ago. The fabulous Hindu mind is responsible for the generations of animate and inanimate fables, many epics like Mahabharata and Ramayana, which bespeak of society of “Advanced Technology and Scientific Power” that even today’s Science has a remote chance of visualization.

 

              Conceptually stride in S & T that the Hindu religion and philosophy teaches is completely embedded in the spirit of a community quest of living in a society with the eternal principles of Dharma. Doctrines of Dharma and Karman etc., are meant to lead a life with “Immense Materialistic Power”.

Not only the epics but also Shakuntala, Panchatantra, etc.works, the game of chess etc. have been, without the due acknowledgement, have been ruthlessly adopted and copied by the Arabians, English and Greek literature. “Positive Science Achievements of the Ancient Hindus”, may in this context be an interesting reading, from the books such as those by Sarkar, The Legacy of India, The Wisdom of India by Lin Yutang (Jaico Publishing House, 1955) etc. “A Scientific and Technological Community Quest” in the environment of developing science, modernization and industrialization of the Nation is a phenomenon of the Indian Cultural inbred in it. But renunciation of materialistic passion towards a spiritual enlightment is the theme of the Hindu family that continues to hold the family unit as the “basic and fundamental social Cell” of the community, whatever be the modernization, since conceptually it was already there existing.

Conclusions:

Only a few of the final results of my analysis would be outlined below for this National Symposium.

1) There is a constant background quest and pursuit in the minds of the people to identify the several images of the community living.

2) Personal values of contribution and degree of personal success and meretricious achievement in the context of modern Science and Technology are constantly under review by individuals whether male or female for a better amalgamation in society.

3) Ex-President and Professor of Philosophy Dr. S. Radhakrishnan conjecture and apprehensiveness of greatest threat to or collapsebility of the Hindu family unit existence due to the onslaught  and crash Industrial progress as an outcome of modern science and technological impact is not warranted to that much degree of

alarmness, as he envisaged.

4) It is not true that outgrowth of human needs and desires Kindling among the masses is towards a social perspective of a Uniform pattern (like a guided oriented missile) but its effect Is on the allowance of pluralism of functions, allurements and Loyalties in the lives of Indian people seeking a new state of Unprecedented much cultural diversity.
 

5) Perspective assertion of the age old faith of freedom, Individual philosophical autonomy, cultural cognizance and meaningful relationship of occupation, religions etc. are taking a new facet of “speed of living”, a life of fast living, momentous to the occupation in social life.

6) Coupled with the above there is an emerging typical  Indian recipient who is appreciative of spontaneous actions,  decision making and toward a cult of an auto-genetic  personality builds up.

REFERENCES

1. The Wisdom of India, Lin Yutang, Jaico Publishing House, 1956.
2. A. H. Richmond, Sociological Review Vol. XLII, No.8, 1950 and Occupational Psychology Vol. IXXV, No.3   (1951).
3. A. Schweitzer, books, “The social philosophers”, “Social Change and History”, Dept. of Humanities, Columbia University, New York.
4. A. Schweitzer, “Amer. Review”, Vol.18, No.3, Pges.13-21, 1974.
5. R. Nisbet, Amer. Review, Vol. 19, Pages.30-40, No.4, 1975
This is the (Paper No.98) in my list of Publications.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The author is greatly indebted to Prof K R Rao D.Sc. (Madras) D.Sc. (London) for his continued interest in him and for several of suggestions he made that were responsible to prepare the research article.