The Far Left Ideology of TIFR – a la Nambi Narayanan story

The administration at HBCE, TIFR was constantly on the lookout for reasons to shut down the JSO program and harass the coordinator for his independent thinking and approaches

The left-leaning ideology of education institutes like Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) and Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) is public knowledge. For the first time, PGurus gives you a peek into the politics at TIFR that acts, talks and walks like now infamous JNU, which is slowly coming to be recognised as a symbol of ‘congregation of breaking India forces.’

The TIFR story has been painstakingly researched from various documents and talking to multiple sources within the institute and outside faculty members of various universities and colleges, some of whom were closely linked to Science Olympiad, a global science competition. What has come out is that apart from its high-handed approach and discouraging treatment to faculty members who strive for bringing the best out of young science students, TIFR indulges in creating social activists rather than scientists and also promotes foreign nationals who criticise India’s nuclear technology.

Multiple organizations in the country can attend science sessions or events at HBSCE, TIFR and even when scores of left-leaning organisations were often encouraged at the institute

Institutions like TISS and TIFR fall under the Homi Bhabha National Institute that comes under Department of Atomic Energy, which in turn is directly looked after by the Prime Ministers Office (PMO). Yet, the dubious happenings in these institutions, activities of the ‘left’ leaning members largely go unnoticed by PMO. A questionnaire was sent to TIFR with a copy marked to the PMO but both did not respond. It is unlikely that the PMO, led by Narendra Modi, has a first-hand report of any of the vicious activities at TIFR. Read on…

An institute like TIFR is important as its key goal is to create many Nambi Narayanans by promoting equity and excellence in science and mathematics from primary school to undergraduate college level and encourage the growth of scientific literacy in the country. But is that really happening? Several incidents reveal TIFR was more interested in creating social activists and not scientists.

Senior members at Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE), the national institute of TIFR are planning to shut down Junior Science Olympiad (JSO), one of the most successful programs, which encouraged students below the age of 16 years to showcase their scientific knowledge, skills and talent on the international stage and compete with counterparts from other world countries.

K Subramaniam, the institute’s director, wrote to the other members declaring his intention of closing down JSO on recommendations of an expert committee in 2018. Neither the recommendations by the expert committee nor the emails of Subramaniam gave any specific reasons for the closure of JSO, which has been a feather in the cap for TIFR and could build India’s futures scientists. The program is supported by the board of research in nuclear science.

Discouraging India’s future Nambi Narayanans

One may recall how Nambi Narayanan, a senior Indian Space Research Organisation scientist, who was in charge of the most crucial cryogenic division and got a breakthrough in developing cryogenic engines in the early 1990s that could prepare India for higher space journey, was implicated under false charges of espionage by breaking India forces, mainly left-leaning administrative members and shunted out[1].

Like Narayanan, whose research was crucial to get India into the big league, Paresh K Joshi, a TIFR faculty whose role as the coordinator of JSO had put India on the world map for the achievement of TIFR students was shunted out on flimsy grounds, the source said.

The JSO event had the most successful stint between 2007 and 2018 under professor Joshi, who was its coordinator. Under him, JSO sent 75 students on the world stage and won 41 Gold, 33 Silver and 1 bronze medal. In the last 5 years, JSO saw an average of 5 Gold and 1 Silver medal. India ranked first in the medal tally on three occasions and managed to achieve a second place on other three occasions. The result was better than any other Olympiad handled by the institute.

Despite the stupendous success of India at the world stage, this flourishing coordinator was removed from his position for JSO after being declared ‘incompetent’ due to minor issues, multiple sources whom PGurus spoke to and who were involved with JSO said.

Simple mistakes in paper correction, which were not by Joshi but by his team members, were identified by senior few seniors in HBSCE, TIFR and he was replaced without giving any reason, the sources said.

What was it that went against Joshi? Faculty member associated with JSO told PGurus that there was a general unspoken rule in the institute that those linked to right-wing organisations should not be allowed to set their foot in the campus. There are talks that Joshi had once encouraged few students, who the senior institute members thought were linked to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), to participate in events. Senior Institute members had issued a closed-door warning to Joshi on the RSS subject but it was a common knowledge among many linked with JSO that Joshi was often targeted for his giving equal opportunities to all irrespective of their political leanings.

Multiple organizations in the country can attend science sessions or events at HBSCE, TIFR and even when scores of left-leaning organisations were often encouraged at the institute, but there is discrimination towards students who come from institutions with right-leaning ideology.

“The administration at HBCE, TIFR was constantly on the lookout for reasons to shut down the JSO program and harass the coordinator for his independent thinking and approaches. In absence of any complaints from any parent or teacher or students, issues were manufactured against Joshi, year after year, and even internal inquiry committees were set up against him. In 2018, some minor errors in the paper correction by Joshi’s team members were identified. Joshi was made to accept the moral responsibility for the fault of his team members and shunted out as JSO co-ordinator after being declared incompetent,” people part of the Olympiad movement said.

The new coordinator simply got back the entire team and kept Joshi out of JSO. The decision was simply declared as “administrative” in nature.

In a pure science institute, social workers and those with a strong connection to leftist trade unions, have been awarded the ‘Homi Bhabha Award in Science Education.’

Rewarding the left Eco-system

The fact that JSO is being shut in a non-transparent manner is evident by the procedures followed. None of the external members of the expert committee that was set-up for reviewing JSO had any exposure to Olympiad. As per sources, the information largely shared with the committee members as private instead of transparent public dissemination of data. Thus, resulting in a report and recommendations which suited only the ‘select few’. If one goes by the grading of the D.N.Sharma committee, the projects headed by the same ‘select few’ senior faculty, who were set up to judge JSO, got lower grades than most at TIFR.

PhD students with these select group of faculty have been around in the institute for more than 7 years, evenwhen most finish their PhD in 5 years in other research institutes in India. Most among these students do not get a good placement after their doctorates as they spend a good amount of their time in ‘social activism’ to the extent that one student has even participated in rally of a political party and has posted ‘anti’ national anthem on the youtube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTZYfTRPdGA) with background poster of Kanhaiya Kumar (who infamously shouted the Bharat Tere Tukade Honge at JNU campus),” the sources said. The youtube link can be checked.

There are rumors that in interviews and meetings the “senior faculty” tends to decide contrary to the majority vote/opinion, thus completely destroying democratic principles and transparency. It is also a known fact that the chairperson of such committees votes before other members thus influencing the decision in their favour. The practice is prevalent to the extent that an ultra left wing youngster rejected by most faculty was nearly admitted as a student despite stiff opposition against her induction.

The background for this instance is that the latest addition to faculty is a person who was arrested in the famous Rohith Vemula case at Hyderabad University and this student too was at Hyderabad University during her undergraduate studies.

Faculty members spent a lot of time criticizing government policies rather than science education. Many faculty are involved in pure social issues which have no connection to science education, the core mandate of TIFR. You can check at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2u8nRba13oA

Lot of them are also closely associated with a leftist activity called “curiosity circle” whose activities can be clearly seen in Curiosity Circle Blog Where people like Ram Puniyani are regular invitees.

The spiritual influence that Christianity had on Freire’s philosophy is no secret to the world. Currently, Haydock is a Senior Fellow, Indian Council of Social Science Research, TISS, Mumbai.

Awards to unionists

In a pure science institute, social workers and those with a strong connection to leftist trade unions, have been awarded the ‘Homi Bhabha Award in Science Education.’

In 2018 the award was given to Anil Sadagopal, who is known social activist for education, a member, presidium, All India Forum for Right to Education, and former dean-faculty of education Delhi University.

Sadagopal has been a known RSS basher and more of a social scientist and supporter of another ‘breaking India activist Medha Patkar.’ In 2016, TIFR awarded Vivek Monterio, who secretary for Center of India Trade Unions, which describes itself as indulging in bringing about fundamental ‘social and political change’ for establishing a ‘socialist society’ where people are more important than profits. Really? What has this got to do with science and invention? Is this not the TIFR creating pure social activists as role models to young students by awarding such people?

Compare this with TIFR’s 2006 award to Prof. Bakhtaver S. Mahajan, one of the global experts on genetic technology and one can know the real difference between a social activist and a pure scientist. Others awarded earlier by TIFR included people like professor V.G. Gambhir in 2008, who devoted his life to science education and was hugely popular amongst students/teachers.

In the year 2010 or 2011, a faculty member complained to internal vigilance department about a Professor (who was earlier forced to leave another premier institute on suspicious causes) of financial impropriety. Instead of investigating the matter, the director at that time wrote a letter to the complainant, stating why he should not write such complaints, with a copy to the alleged accused professor. It was a common gossip at the institute as to how this professor was manipulative in his affairs, especially finances.

The journal publications are very few in number and the ‘good quality’ journals are defined as the ones where HBCSE members publish more often.

When it comes to giving promotions to faculty members, people with very little academic research output are promoted but others are questioned for years before their cases are discussed. Even in the case of promotions of non-academic matters, people who take more leave (within legal limits) have their promotions delayed. Why should HBSCE, TIFR, which survives on public finances not undergo a complete audit by the government? Institutions like TIFR are have gone unchecked for long.

The foreign hand

Karen Haydock, originally a US national, who has served on many NGOs fighting social causes managed to get entry into TIFR as a faculty at the age of 58. She started objecting to an idol of “Maa Saraswati,” the Indian Goddess and a symbol of knowledge and education, that was installed at TIFR premises. She objected to Dussehra Puja being held in the institute. She also contributed to a book which was against the nuclear policy of India titled “Technology From Hell” and her contribution was glorified by TIFR in way of publishing it in the annual report of TIFR on page 255 of the year 2011 or 2012. Hope the PMO takes action as this is a serious matter when a foreign national enters India’s premium science institute and tries to degrade the country’s nuclear program.

“Is it legal to erect a religious idol in the premises of HBCSE? If so, can anyone do it for any religion? And what we do about a religion that does not believe in idols? Hydock wrote in an email to a senior member seeking the removal of Maa Saraswati idol.

In another email, where she was describing the required qualifications for TIFR director, to one Jayashree Ramadas, Haydock wrote:

“Someone who is not a Hindu fundamentalist – having been a professional (social or natural) scientist will be helpful. A social scientist may be preferred over a natural scientist. Someone who has a Freirean framework”

Haydock in her emails has even argued against allowing ‘Brahmins’ to set their foot, even to teach, as TIFR.

In Haydock’s view Maa Saraswati Idol in an educational institute is intolerable and a director, who is not a natural scientist but a “social activist” is more suitable.

Freirean Framework is a reference to the work of Brazilian educationalist who died in 1997. Marxism and Christianity are the key ideas that contributed to the development of Freire’s philosophy. The spiritual influence that Christianity had on Freire’s philosophy is no secret to the world. Currently, Haydock is a Senior Fellow, Indian Council of Social Science Research, TISS, Mumbai.

In Such a scenario the plight of pure science education and cancer of “Left ideology” that prevails in the country’s premium “science educational institutes” can be well understood.

References:

[1] CBI closure report on ISRO Spy case blames IB officials for spoiling the career of top scientists – Aug 30, 2016, PGurus.com

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