Srinagar: Central University of Kashmir (CUK) Chancellor, Lt. Gen (Retd) Syed Atta Mohammad Hasnain, Wednesday, underscored the need for inculcating scientific temper and knowledge among the school, college and university students, for the overall growth and development of the country.
“Western countries including USA, UK, France, Germany and others have been extremely successful in the scientific advancements and Research and Development as they made it their thrust area and also imparted scientific knowledge and developed temperament in their youth from early age,” Lt. Gen (Rtd) Syed Atta Mohammad Hasnain said in his presidential address, during the inauguration of the two day “National Urdu Science Congress-2021,” organized by the Central University of Kashmir (CUK) in association with Vigyan Prasar, at Gandhi Bhawan, University of Kashmir here.
Lt. Gen (Rtd) Syed Atta Mohammad Hasnain said the research about earthquakes and climatic changes in Jammu and Kashmir were the need of the hour as it falls in the seismic zone. “Everybody remembers the September 2014 deluge and 2005 earthquake and the miseries confronted by the people after these natural calamities. Hence, it is imperative for the science students to undertake research about the same,” he remarked. He described Urdu as the 11th major language of the world having its reach across the length and breadth of the globe.
In his address, Vice Chancellor, Prof. Mehraj ud Din Mir, gave a detailed account about the CUK functioning and said the varsity, established with 15 other institutions in the year 2009, is marching ahead on the academic front. “The university is presently offering more than 35 programmes through nine Schools of studies and hundreds of students, are pursuing their education through it,” he said adding the university despite facing several constraints on account of infrastructure deficiencies, has adhered to the academic and examination calendar. Prof. Mehraj ud Din Mir congratulated the School of Media Studies for holding the mega Science Congress. “Translating the scientific research, not only in Urdu, but in other languages is need of the hour so that the youngsters living across the world, get acquainted with the scientific advancements,” he said.
Hundreds of delegates and eminent experts from Jammu and Kashmir, and other parts of the country attended the inaugural function of the Congress, organized under the theme “Science Communication, Popularization and Its Extension (Scope) In Urdu: The Road Ahead.”
Vice Chancellor University of Kashmir, Prof. Talat Ahmad, said the first try should be to impart scientific knowledge in Urdu at school and college level. “While writing in Urdu, the technical terms for understanding can be written in English as well,” he said that Kashmiri language, which is old, should also be used for scientific communication. He assured full support to Vigyan Prasar for its endeavour in disseminating the scientific knowledge in Kashmiri language.
Dr Nakul Prasad, Director Vigyan Prasad, said that after the inception of the organisation on October 11, 1989 the aim has been to make scientific knowledge available to masses. “The aim is to reach to common people with knowledge in their own language. We need to take this journey forward,” he said adding that they will also take an initiative at the Vigyan Prasad to make the scientific people available to Kashmiris in the Kashmiri. “We want to teach the importance of science to children and the future generations. We want to develop a scientific tempo among the young people,” he stressed adding that the initiatives needs cooperation of people.
Prof. Aslam Parvez, former Vice Chancellor of MANUU, while sharing his childhood struggles of learning Science in Urdu said that it has been possible with urge to take the initiative of studying and generating scientific literature in Urdu.
“We should be people who solve the problem. For more than four decades I am writing scientific literature in Urdu. I teach students in schools and colleges to develop scientific attitudes and question things,” Prof. Parvez said, adding, “developing scientific attitudes means going back to scriptures and finding evidences.”
