In an interview, he speaks on Modi's science policy and on religion, intolerance and Mother Teresa's sainthood. Excerpts of the interview:
Q) Do you think Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a good vision for science?
A) He is definitely a man with vision, there is no question that he wants to do something, we hope he will not only use good advice and all the wonderful ideas he has. He is obviously a doer when you listen to him; there is nothing wrong in what he says. What he says is perfect. Except that, we have to do many of those things.
the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister is currently defunct? Do you think Prime Minister Narendra Modi is getting the right scientific advice?
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A) Well, I do hope our Prime Minister will find the right people for the right advice because no one person or no one ministry can handle the large problems of either science or society. Using science, we have to solve pressing problems of poverty while competing with rest of the world. One also has to do frontier blue-sky research. If all these things India has to do then PM Modi needs to know what the priorities are, how do we proceed what do we work on. I do hope he will get the right advice and get some kind of a group of people to advise him, I do hope and pray that he will do that.
A) Modi should help good institutions with minimum funds that will not denude them from the basic effort that is going on. Small amounts of funds Rs 10-20 crores were cut off in the past. Modi should also fund simple small science in a big way like for diseases, for new energy technologies and new advanced materials.
Selective but major funding is required. In my own life most of the good funding I had was from somewhere else where, not from India. It is very unfair that India has not done that.
embrace science?
A) Science is the foundation of all
societies,particularly India where we have so many problems to solve and so much to look forward too. I think without science and higher education as a base I do not see how India can become a leader in the world. India has to use science.
Q) You are a member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, there is this recent issue of Mother Teresa being made into a Saint, how do you justify miracles and science and what do you tell the Pope about it?
Q) Do you believe in miracles?
A) No, I do not believe in miracles. One in thing general I will tell you, in India there is confusion between religion, faith, superstition and science. Faith everybody should have one thing or the other, like if in science you must have faith in the laws of physics.
Faith is something everybody should have. If somebody has faith in philosophy or God, I have nothing against it; however, it should not give rise to superstition. Even Einstein said nobody could be without faith. Religion also you can have any religion, but do not mix it up with other things in life. Faith has nothing to do with believing in things that cannot happen against the laws of physics.
A) No, they should not be mixed up. India is study in contrasts, find your own balance, if you go to any extreme and become a radical and become against everything, they also [become] terribly intolerant. One needs a balance in dealing with these things.
Q) So do you think India is becoming intolerant?
A) No, India is not becoming intolerant. [Some] intolerance is there in society; fortunately, a majority of Indians are tolerant.