Democratic. Republic. Independent. Diverse.
The above are some of the many adjectives that can describe our country the best; but let's get down to the bare essentials. Despite all of this, our country still remains 'untouched' as far as many life-deciding aspects go.
Research is something that is required by almost every facet of life; speaking of research would naturally bring to one's mind, the whir of the centrifuge or the magnifying capacity of a microscope. This is a classic example of how far research in our country has actually reached the lay person. How many of us know that right now genetic recombination can also cause a phenomenon called 'shape-shifting'? How many of us know about something called 'Mitochondrial Eve' which can result in a person tracing origin all the way back to Adam and Eve, by just examining a certain set of genes? How many of us are still thinking Science didn't move after 'Dolly'?
The research scene in India has its own set of pros and cons, the latter ruling the kingdom. Well, you would have heard people say 'people in foreign countries are just exploiting the Indian brain and we are all falling into their trap', but looking at the scenario closer, you will realize that we are smart enough to realize that eventually 'exposure' is all that matters. If that wasn't clear enough, then let's look at what some of us mortals in the field of 'Life Sciences' have to say.
One question (How could you describe the current research scene in India) was just right for people to sulk, gulp and frown all at the same time. However, Immortal Professor Parag Sadhale had something entirely different to offer. 'Well, now that people really know what it takes for any research project to make it big, novelty is given prime importance. Moreover, I believe except for the premier institutes, getting admissions in the States is quite simpler than that in India, where most students aim at pursuing their Graduate education in the very few well-recognized institutes available. Alongside this, the magnitude of the admission process in India is set in such a way that it filters the 'most Indian' of minds (Indian: the right blend of analytical, theoretical and practical knowledge). During my time, there was not much scientific development hence people ended up squeezing their brains out for even the simplest of tasks; considering some of the technological developments incorporated in the States, one can seldom find a project which consumes a lot of brainstorming'. With that, he smiled and added: 'I blame my Graduation in the States, the reason for me being fat'.
I'm sure it won't do any justice to just ask a Principal Investigator/ Research scientist what 'Research feels like here'. In an attempt to get a closer perspective from people who are the actual 'present' of Research, I interviewed a few students in the laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Biology, IISc.
This is what Swati Deshpande, a student in her fifth year of Doctoral degree had to say: 'I don't know how people can manage to do the same kind of work every day. I have tried getting used to it, but sometimes it feels so 'claustrophobic'. Either way, looking at the current financial stability of many laboratories, I am sure we will eventually abandon the monotonous work that we're doing and go back to manual methodologies. For the few labs that receive quite a good sum, most of the money goes into expenditure for processes that have already been characterized extensively. People here don't risk spending money on novel ideas, in fear of 'their outcome'. Another important point that I couldn't stress more is the blatant display of hierarchy. Here, students are considered just 'students', which loosely translates to amateurs.'
Well, after hearing two extremely contradictory opinions, the thirst for figuring out what's exactly happening around made me proceed further. Ritu Gupta, a third year Doctoral degree student in the Indian Institute of Science had no idea about the kind of question that was in store for her. 'Ritu, what do you think of the research scene in India?'. 'I'm afraid I don't have anything positive to say about it', she paraphrased even before getting her fingers ready for counting the cons that she had to offer. She continued: 'The first thing that I would like to mention in this regard is the lack of co-ordination. Projects abroad thrive well primarily because of the sheer diversity in terms of exploring not just one, but rather several aspects. This, in itself, dictates perfect co-ordination among various arenas of Life Sciences. This is missing in India. Another point is that here in our country, it is only the PhD student who is expected to do everything right from cleaning spatulas to preparing stocks. This consumes quite a lot of time and henceforth, one's focus might get slightly deviated. Thirdly, looking at the purchasing front, by the time the chemicals one has ordered reaches the respective lab, the whole motivation behind the experiment vanishes. The crux behind any research is for it to be published in a highly successful journal. In contrast to the States where paper-work begins as and when even slightly significant results start to appear, here in our country, people tend to perform assays that add not science, but rather glamour, to the project.'
She also adds: 'In India, during the first two years of one's Doctoral degree, the candidate can almost completely rule out the possibility of a publication of any sort, because they are simply deemed 'amateurs'. Last but not the least, the topic given for research is very broad and is often 'vague' and the student starts understanding the essence only during his/her third year and this further adds to the length of the project.'
Just like what I would do for any other experiment, I grouped these three opinions into three columns and compared them point-by-point to see if I can arrive at a crisp conclusion. Surprisingly, at the end of the day, all the opinions only seemed to be focused upon 'Enhancing the current research status in India' but not running away from it. The pride that this gave me was only short-lived; it almost literally died, when I saw a salesperson enter my lab and offering people T-shirts that say 'Got Protein?' just to promote his delayed-deliveries.
Well, as they say, 'Old is Gold', but I wonder if they really meant it to depict age, or principles. If it were the latter, then I can openly challenge anyone who says that our country has indeed developed.
Here's to making 'Old' die.
The author, Shankar Chandrashekar is a final year student at Center of Biotechnology at Anna University in Chennai. He is currently occupied with his undergraduate dissertation program at Indian Institute of Sciences (IISC) Bangalore.
