Abha Dev Habib
We all know that the current government is engaged in a war with History, as established facts are revoked by a combination of diktat and mob rule. A parallel war has received more sporadic attention, but its consequences for our country and our society are not less perilous. This is the war on Science, and on scientific temper and rationality. The two are closely related. In each case, there is a tightening of the purse strings, a rejection of established standards of evidence and facts, the advancement of the careers of those with little academic credibility but of the correct political persuasion, downplaying the achievements since Independence, and allotting supervisory roles to certain `cultural’ organisations. Now, in the case of History, the reasons for all of this are clear. An attempt to reshape the ethos of the country needs to legitimize itself by changing our self-image, and that must rest on changing our perceptions of our past, and of those who have studied it so far. Scientists, however, find themselves at a loss when they wake up every day to a fresh attack on their work and their institutions. Why should they suddenly find themselves denigrated and deprived of resources for their work?