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BHARAT JAN
VIGYAN JATHA
(ACTIVITIES IN THE PAST YEAR -
2007) ==============================================================
Brief History of Past Activities :-- ------------------------------------ Bharat Jan Vigyan Jatha came into existence as a registered
organization, as a result of the felt need of a people-centric scientific organization,
emerging from a very large scale science campaign started in 1992 – with core
support from the National Council for Science and Technology Communication
(NCSTC) – to organize the Bharat Jan (Gyan) Vigyan Jatha, under the
Chairmanship of Prof. Yash Pal, with Shri Soumya Dutta and Shri R S RAghuvanshi
as National Organising Sectretaries, and six Regional Secretaries in six
different regions of India, and State committees in 26 states & UT’s. This pan-India
programme reached out to over 370 districts in 1992-1995, with tens of thousands of people oriented science programmes covering
the focus areas of (1) Environment (2)
Water, (3) Appropriate Technology, (4) Health, (5) Scientific Temperament, and
also (6) Literacy / education. This Jatha phase was followed by intensive regional and national workshops – 12 in all,
on the identified crucial issues. At that time, this was the largest ever
science campaign undertaken anywhere. Hundreds of grass-roots science groups
came into existence / were energized as a result of this country-wide people’s
science venture, from the BJVJ platform. A large no. of
science communication software – booklets, poster sets, slide sets, folk-forms,
dramatized presentations, scientific toy sets, scientific videos etc were
produced, distributed and widely used in over 50,000 programme locations. Training workshops on various
topics were also organized in over 300 districts of almost all states of
India, during 1992-1994. Two large
National Conventions were organized in 1993 (in Sewgram, Maharashtra) and 1994
(Delhi), on issues of science and society, where large nos. of people’s
science groups from all over India participated actively. In 1995 BJVJ
initiated the Lokshala Programme for Universalization of Elementary Education’, under the leadership of Prof. Anil Sadgopal, then National Convenor of
BJVJ. Lokshala envisages reconstruction
of school system including its curriculum, bringing in equity in the system,
bringing up school system to include knowledge and understanding of local
resources, local skills, traditional knowledge and local history in order to
make school curriculum relevant to child’s socio-economic and political
context. Many groups in various parts
of the country – inspired by Lokshala - are now working with this vision. BJVJ also was took a
leading role in forming and mobilizing an all India Public Study Group on CABE
Committees, after the Union MHRD re-constituted Central Advisory Board on
Education (CABE) and announced seven (7) national committees on different areas
of education policy. The Public Study Group, under the convenorship of Prof.
Anil Sadgopal (and coordinated by Shri Soumya Dutta). Under this initiative, several national & regional workshops,
conventions etc were organized in five states, field-level research conducted in nine states, education policy
data / commission reports were researched and support extended to the seven
CABE Committees of MHRD. A large group of academics, researchers and
activists – including several Vice Chancellors / ex VCs etc, many organizations
and teachers bodies, came to be closely associated with this education policy initiative. When
the National Children’s Science Congress programme was launched in 1993, many
BJVJ groups and activists got intensely
involved in the Children’s Science
Congress activity, and are now the mainstay of NCSC (which is supported by
NCSTC) for the last 15 years. Many
again were involved in the large scale activities of the “Year of Scientific
Awareness”. This has created a network
of science activists / small-groups in various states who are interested in
promotion of scientific temper and scientific inquiry among the school students,
as well as some local community groups. These activists can act as the nuclei
to motivate students, schools and community for conservation, management and
development of land, water and bio-diversity resources. They can help communities to address various
problems. Activities In The Last One Year (2007) :-- In the last
one year, BJVJ has also initiated /
participated in – “Reclaim Your Environment Campaigns”, organized intensive technical
workshop on these issues, held consultative meets & raised relevant issues
at various levels, in different states, including the crucially important issue
of Climate Change and its possible impact on various segments of Indian People.
Three state-level / regional presentations
on Global Warming & Climate Change were either organized or closely helped
by BJVJ in the last one year. BJVJ is bringing out a well received monthly
e-newsletter (limited copies of which are printed & mailed to
organizations) – highlighting different scientific and social issues, informing
about critical scientific issues of public interest etc. Two popular booklets were produced by BJVJ
activists – on Climate Change and on Water, which were published by the
NCSTC-Network, in June-August 2007. BJVJ has also organized two consultative meetings on emerging socio-scientific issues in the past year. Apart from these, BJVJ also took part & contributed to many Conventions, Symposiums etc on Climate Change, Measuring and evolving mitigation measures of Pollution Related Public Health, Education System & Policy etc – represented by its senior activists. BJVJ is also working on (1) documenting impacts of climate change on communities, (2) Evolving training modules on measurement, calculation and audit of Green House Gas emission, (3) Preparation of Risk-Hazard Mapping methods with communities etc. Proceedings
of Two - Day Interaction Meet, 20-21 January 2007, Patna ===========================================================
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