Rohini Nilekani (Chairperson of Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies and Board Member, Science Gallery Bengaluru), in her inaugural address at the exhibition launch of Sci560 – an exhibition that uncovers Bengaluru’s rich scientific legacy – speaks about the city’s impressive military-industrial-academic complex. She emphasises that in order to cultivate a robust scientific temper among citizens, there is a need to create platforms that foster meaningful engagement between the scientific community and the public.
Transcript
00:00.00 Emcee: Ms. Rohini Nilekani, the Chairperson of Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies and Board Member, Science Gallery Bengaluru, has been crucial in the ideation and creation of Sci560. The exhibition is a result of her vision for the public to engage with science in our city. I now invite Ms. Rohini Nilekani to deliver the inaugural address.
[Kannada]
00:00:47 Rohini Nilekani: My heartfelt gratitude, first of all, as Kiran (Mazumdar-Shaw) & as Dr. Jahnavi Phalkey also said, to the Government of Karnataka for its absolute vision to be a founder-patron of the Science Gallery Bengaluru, only one of six such galleries in the whole world. Thank you, Sir. Thank you to the continued patronage. They are giving us corpus money, they have been supporting the founding, they have made permissions possible, every kind of support, and we are truly, truly grateful on behalf of the whole city of Bengaluru. Thank you, Minister.
00:01:26: It’s not just that, actually. The state government across the last few decades has left no stone unturned to enable the making of Bangalore and its reputation as a science city. It has been an active partner in many academic and research institutions, nurtured public libraries, recent initiatives such as providing telescopes in schools and colleges, setting up science centers and planetariums in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities – Karnataka is not just Bengaluru. Conducting rural innovation summits and tech summits, they have been doing an amazing job to empower Kannadigas, our people, to make them active stakeholders in scientific progress. So Science Gallery Bengaluru…
[Kannada]
00:02:14: So, it is really very important for me, when Kiran asked me a couple of years, three years ago, to be part of the founding team.
[Kannada]
00:02:25: One is, it’s a fine example, as we just said, of a public-private partnership. And two, because I truly believe, and this is my message really, that the city’s elite, who have benefited so much from this city, need to step forward to create more and more public spaces for all citizens to engage in and to build the future of this very great metropolis. So let’s hear an applause to that. Let the city’s elite come forward.
00:02:52: You know, exactly 40 years ago, in 1984, Nandan and I came to this city first. I came as a young journalist, and while Nandan was busy setting up Infosys, I was reporting and writing on the city, learning rapidly about its people, its culture, its institutions, its politics. It rapidly became evident to me that this city has a rich history of innovation and inquiry.
00:03:16: This is a city of pioneers, risk-takers, leaders, thinkers, a city created by its very diverse public, that’s all of you, and who come not only from the corners of India, all corners but also many parts of the world, like our guests on the stage today. And I believe, I truly believe that it is this blending of diverse streams that makes this beloved Bengaluru of ours now spread way beyond the four pillars of Kempegowda to become the home to a constellation of institutions of theoretical sciences, astrophysics, engineering, biological sciences, design, aeronautics, mental health, neurosciences, nature conservation, you name it, and of course, the very many institutions of art and culture. Yet to me, it seems like many of these institutions are very far removed from the lives and aspirations of ordinary citizens.
00:04:06: If we want all Bangaloreans, the old Bangaloreans and the new Bangaloreans who come in every day, to take pride in this city, to contribute to this city, and to reimagine its future together, we must do something intentional to build a deeper connection to these institutions. As our minister said just yesterday, we need to spread a scientific temper among citizens. In this post-truth world of social media, igniting a passion for science, which of course remains true no matter how many opinions you circulate on WhatsApp University, imagine if we can unleash a revolution about our sense of wonder, our sense of possibility if we can restore our idealism and humanism through the study of science.
00:04:54: What could we unleash, we the citizens of this once and future city, if especially our youth were nurtured in a spirit of inquiry and curiosity, and especially if they had greater access to public open spaces to collaborate, to discover the workings of the mind, the brain, the marvelous world around us. Imagine what a city Bengaluru could be. These questions have actually been growing in my mind for several years. And I’ve been wanting to create a space where the citizens could come together with the scientific institutions of the city.
00:05:26: And finally my dream has come true, thanks to Science Gallery, thanks to Dr. Jahnavi Phalkey, and most of all, thanks to the collaboration of the many science institutions of this city. Last year we had an informal lunch and brainstormed, what can we do to bring science and the city closer together. What you’re going to see as you walk around the museum is a result of that marvelous brainstorming lunch.
00:05:48: The group enthusiastically signed in to the idea of collaborating, curating an exhibition like this, and they came up with the idea that they will bring one artifact each, which represents their institution and sparks more curiosity about what lies behind the walls of these amazing institutions of Bangalore. So fast forward to one year, and here we are at the opening of Vigynana 560. Very happy to see, very happy that Dr. Jahnavi Phalkey and team have put it together so quickly. I do hope you will all come together, spread the word. Many of you have heard me use the words Samaaj, Sarkaar, and Bazaar before. This exhibition and the gallery in which it is hosted, our beloved Science Gallery, is exactly what can happen when these three sectors come together. And at the end, I would really say…
[Kannada]
