Anju Shalla “Anjlal”
anjlala@gmail.com
Let’s set the ball rolling by reiterating that women are the part & parcel of the scientific world without whom the success stories of discoveries & innovations since times immemorial are incomplete & to say the least —we are so very proud of this fact. But the world body UNESCO has a different tale to tell. It says only 30% Researchers worldwide are women leading to an imbalance rather a tilt of 70% towards men & when we talk of India, the condition is even worse—this despite the fact that half of the population worldwide is of women.
But why is it so? Let’s do some soul searching & ask some serious questions:-
1. Are we lacking in IQ?
Answer is NO.
2. Are women less hard working?
The Answer is NO.
3. Don’t they have dedication & passion?
They most definitely Do.
4. Are they children of somewhat lesser God?
Well that can be a point of discussion because opportunities provided to girls are definitely sparse & not the same as given to boys. The reasons may vary from gender discrimination to socio-economic conditions to rural-urban divide leading to a widening gap between haves & have nots creating this imbalance.
It was in this backdrop of skewed ratio and to put a focus & draw world’s attention towards this imbalance that UNESCO decided to celebrate 11th of Feb every year as “INTERNATIONAL DAY of WOMEN & GIRLS in SCIENCE”.
This is a day to recognize & appreciate the amazing contributions of women in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM). Also a time to acknowledge the obstacles & obstructions women encounter in the process; a time to narrow down at least, if not totally close down gender gap in these fields —-breaking the traditional stereotypes that limit the brilliant ideas just because these are coming from fairer sex.
What one might question is the vehement need of women scientists when the men in the field are innovating and discovering routinely. The answer to this lies in the fact that besides being natural justice of giving equal opportunities to 50% of our population, the diverse experiences & backgrounds together with a Midas touch, allows women to approach scientific problems in a unique way–since they are problem solvers at home as well. Let me cite an example—-
But for the grit, determination & sacrifices of Women scientists at Bharat Biotec—the Covid Vaccine–so quick, so efficacious—would not be a reality. It was a product that emerged as a combined result of women being more authentic, empathetic, inclusive & much more strategic.
Though there is no dearth of women of excellence in science who did a great service to mankind with their Research, yet would like to focus on few names known to every household even in India—–one is Madame Curie—the only woman to receive a Nobel Prize—both in physics and chemistry. Another is the Shakuntula Devi—known as Human Computer of India for her incredible mathematical abilities, not to forget Kalpana Chawla who was only 2nd Indian to go to International Space Station. Besides these high profile names, we can boast of having plethora of women scientists in almost all the fields of science i.e. Agriculture, Veterinary, Life Sciences with still more vast scope in upcoming fields like Artificial Intelligence, Robotics & Data Science.
Similarly, women scientists in the armed forces too have proved their mettle time and again. Who can forget contribution of Squadron Leader Minty Agarwal who guided India’s air defence as fighter controller, coordinating with Wing Commander Abhinandan when he chased away Pak F-16; similarly Kargil war veteran Gunjan Saxena, a STEM studied scientist proved as an invaluable asset to Indian Air Force during 1999 war.
Last but not the least a huge group of eminent women scientists spread across the UT of Jammu and Kashmir, working tirelessly for the benefit and upliftment of farmers— too have a tale of success to tell. But again, are all these achievements possible for every woman?
The answer again is NO.
We all know that GOI has created many opportunities for women to flourish in science at various stages mostly during & after college studies .These include schemes like KIRAN,BIO-CARE, WOS-A,B,C;CURIE etc. At school level there is VIGYAN JYOTI SCHEME. Then there are many awards also like Janaki Ammal National Award from S&T to inspire and encourage Women scientists.
But despite all these initiatives, schemes & scholarships meant for girls and women, the percentage of girls coming forward for science streams has not risen to the desired extent & with every passing day that gap seems to be bridging not very soon. While urban women do draw their lion’s share in science education, it is the Rural India, which has not been successful in attracting more and more girls towards science; where even today science is considered to be tough and out of bounds due to lack of infrastructure, labs & even non availability of science teachers in village schools but on top of all, it is the lack of motivation. Right from Kashmir Rurals like deep down Uri, upper areas of Kupwara, Doda district remote villages to higher reaches of Bani, Basohli to hilly mountains of Rajouri and Poonch—–girls still prefer to go for humanities.
So how can this scenario be changed— certainty by providing all the needed facilities & by creating Role Models for them— role models not seen on TV or in a newspaper –but by showing them women scientists in flesh— making them understand & believe how privileged it is to be a scientist & that can be done by holding AWARENESS camps in villages, reaching out to young girls with real role models—- those who are live & kicking. A Kalpana Chawala or a Minty Agarwal they can only imagine but a Dr Hema Tripathi (SKUAST-JAMMU) or a Dr Raihana Habib Kanth (SKUAST-KASHMIR) sitting with them, talking to them & sharing personal experiences can bring REAL INSPIRATION to these young and fresh minds. Mantra is and always should be to catch them young. My 30 years of experience serving in the villages has at least taught me this.
What needs to be done is to sow GIRL SCIENCE SAPLINGS in each and every corner of Rural India so that in coming years we can harvest maximum WOMEN SCIENTISTS from there & India is future ready with a battery of them leading from the front. I believe that’s the right & only way forward. So the present scenario can be concluded with these two lines—-
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