The document discusses the need for increased investment in blue sky research (BSR) or basic science in India to drive future technological progress and scientific breakthroughs. It provides examples throughout history where fundamental scientific concepts led to dramatic technological changes decades later, including electromagnetism, semiconductors, DNA and genetics. The document argues that while India has seen some success in areas like space and atomic energy, there have been no major new scientific ideas or paradigms developed within the country. It advocates for a 10-fold increase in government funding for basic research and reforming science education to help India become a global leader in science by 2047.

2. India 2047- A wish list
for/in
Blue Sky Research
G. Ravindra Kumar, TIFR, Mumbai
grk@tifr.res.in

3. Just 2 minutes from the Arabian sea !
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai

4. Blue Sky Research (BSR) - WHY?
Enables human progress in myriad ways, not
just technology
Five path-breaking examples follow …

5. Electromagnetism
Concepts: pre-1900s, technologies exploding only in the last 75 years.

6. The ‘Siliconization’ of life
(Semiconductor technology)
Concept in 1950,
Dramatic changes
in our lives
a few decades later

7. Life and the DNA Double Helix
Molecular Biology, Biotechnology, Genetics………………………….
Concepts in the 1950s. Genetic manipulation, Biotech, Vaccines…… decades later

8. What does Nuclear Magnetic resonance
have to with this? EVERYTHING!
(Also, Supercondcutivity)
Concepts in 1900s and 1950s, Technology in 1990s

9. This Web was
weaved by
particle
physicists

10. At CERN, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC)
could recreate conditions that last
prevailed when the universe was less
than a trillionth of a second old. Above
is one of the collider's massive particle
detectors, called the Compact Muon
Solenoid (CMS).
TIFR has contributed to these efforts.
Made for Science, spawns Huge Tech Leaps !

11. Indian Science Since 1947……
Well known and oft touted
successes in a few areas
Ex: Space, Atomic Energy……..
However,
no new ideas,
no novel paradigms,
no new directions
have come from within the country.
‘Miles to go before we can smile’

12. What do we want to see in 2047?
India in the top two/three nations in basic science (in a
ranking system)
3-5 Breakthroughs clearly identified with
work seeded and nurtured in India
At least one Nobel Prize in Science for work done in India
………………

13. The Indian Scene
Elite Institutions (very few) – TIFR, IISc, PRL ….
Operate at the cutting edge
Universities- Central (reasonable profile)
State (seriously eroded)
The “Third largest scientific and technological
manpower” MYTH !

14. Since 1947
Indian govt. has nurtured science to an extent, but not
commensurate with requirements.
(Pockets of some comfort (DAE, DOS, DBT…..) ,
large stretches of despair (universities)
Overall Govt. funding remains very low
(< 0.65 % of GDP)
Advanced Nations spend 2-3% of their GDP
(overall funding larger by a factor of 40-50!)
We need to ramp up massively, urgently!

18. Present Situation
Short sighted,
can lead to
Long Lasting problems

19. R&D (Indian scene) and BSR
How are they different?
R&D – Incremental
Limited in scope and vision
Short term
Limited in impact
Exists within a known domain (comfort zone)
BSR- Leaps in knowledge fuel leaps in technology
and life

20. Time
Tech.Progress
Scientific Leap
‘Usual‘ R&D
Technology Leap
Technology Leaps Ride on Scientific Breakthroughs

21. This is what we have to do
10-fold increase
in Government funding for basic research and education
Drastic reform in science education from school level
Good bye, rote learning!
Universalize problem solving, experiential/experimental methods
Erase the colonial hangover (‘also ran’ status), build self-confidence
Long term (‘decadal’, not ‘tomorrow’) vision for
science (Patience is a necessary virtue!)
Dramatically reduce bureaucracy in scientific research

22. A Personal Example
Extreme Science
(With Ulltrahigh Intensity, Femtosecond Lasers)
Futuristic applications in medical imaging,
cancer therapy, novel manufacturing and
material synthesis

23. The TIFR Tabletop 150 TW laser (25 fs, 3.75 Joule, 5 Hz)

24. Ions
Relativistic
Electrons
X-rays
ϒ-rays
THz
Relativistic
Electrons
keV-MeV
UV-Vis-IR
High temperature plasma
Tbulk = 10 – 100 eV
Ultrahigh current density
(>1012 A/cm2) Ultrahigh magnetic field
(>106 Gauss)
Our research at TIFR
Target housed
in high vacuum
‘Taare
Zameen Par’

25. No Tasty Technological Fruits
without Strong Scientific Roots
thank you !

30. Private Initiatives in BSR
Revolutionized the World

31. Wilson and Penzias with their historic
horned antenna at Crawford Hill, N.J.
3K above zero cosmic background microwave radiation

33. What we need to do for India to be world leader
Huge private initiatives in
(a) basic research (existing and new)
(b) basic education

34. So I urge huge private initiatives to
(a) Nurture the roots
(b) Protect the branches
(c) Support and strengthen weak links
and
finally …………………………

36. Blue Sky Research (Basic Science)
What and How?
“Any investigation that seeks to quantitatively
understand the natural world around us.”
• Attempts to build physical laws through experiments, observations,
modeling and theorizing.
•Driven purely by curiosity and enquiry
•No preset agenda
•Laws tested repeatedly and revisions/improvements are
the order of the day. Verifiability is a major criterion.
•Constant search for simplicity, symmetry, ………….
•Thrives on unfettered imagination
•No holds barred, no taboos, no direction untouched.
•Cross connections and fertilization (completely unpredictable
•by any previous thought process or knowledge base)