People's Science Movement in India
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Bryan Bishop
May 10, 2010, 2:08:23 PM5/10/10
to diybio, kan...@gmail.com
Anyone associated with this?
Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerala_Sasthra_Sahithya_Parishad
"""
Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad is a people’s science movement of
Kerala, India. At the time of its founding in 1962 it was a 40-member
group consisting of science writers and teachers with interest in
science from a social perspective. Over the past four decades it has
grown into a mass movement with a membership over 40,000, distributed
in more than two thousand units spread all over Kerala.
Introduction
The original objective at the time of the founding of Kerala Sasthra
Sahithya Parishad (KSSP) was limited to publishing scientific
literature in Malayalam, the local language, and popularizing science.
However it was soon realized that publication and giving lessons alone
were not enough to popularise science and extend its benefits to the
common people. KSSP held that a privileged minority was monopolising
the benefits of science and technology and it results for their own
profit at the expense of the majority. KSSP chose as its mission, the
challenge of arming the people with the tools of science and
technology so that they can reverse this process. Thus in 1972, KSSP
decided to become a People’s Science Movement and adopted “science for
social revolution” as its motto.
Over the past four decades it has grown into a massive people’s
science movement, with a membership of about 40,000 drawn from all
walks of life and distributed in about 2,000 units within the state of
Kerala. Over these years, it has also expanded its fields of interests
and activities to almost all fields of human endeavor. The KSSP is
involved, broadly in three types of activities: educative, agitate,
and constructive, in areas like environment, health, education,
energy, literacy, micro planning and development in general.
Presently Dr.Kavumbayi Balakrishnan is the president and V.Vinod is
the General Secretary. Intellectuals such as Prof. M.K.Prasad,
Dr.R.V.G.Menon, Dr. B. Ekbal,etc. had been past presidents of the
organization.
Goals
The KSSP aspires to:
* Popularise science and scientific outlook among the people.
* Develop a sense of optimism in them, instill in them a sense of
self -confidence that they can change the world and can build a better
tomorrow.
* Expose and oppose the abuse of scientific knowledge detrimental
to the interests of the majority.
* Expose and oppose the abuse of environment.
* Propose and help implement, alternative modes for development,
with emphasis on equity and sustainability.
* Carry out R&D work to transform lab technologies in to mass technologies
Research
KSSP through its activities for more than two decades understood the
need for a research centre. Hence, in 1987, it established Integrated
Rural Technology Centre IRTC at Mundur in Palakkad Dist. It develops
or modifies technologies developed elsewhere to suit the rural needs.
Presently it concentrates on Solid Waste Management, Watershed based
development projects, skill development training, soap making,
mushroom cultivation, ornamental fish culture, rabbit rearing, pottery
related activities, agriculture, water and soil testing, mechanical
engineering,etc.
""""
KSSP
http://www.kssp.in/
http://www.kssp.org/
Integrated Rural Technology Centre (IRTC)
http://www.irtc.org.in/
- Bryan
http://heybryan.org/
1 512 203 0507
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Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerala_Sasthra_Sahithya_Parishad
"""
Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad is a people’s science movement of
Kerala, India. At the time of its founding in 1962 it was a 40-member
group consisting of science writers and teachers with interest in
science from a social perspective. Over the past four decades it has
grown into a mass movement with a membership over 40,000, distributed
in more than two thousand units spread all over Kerala.
Introduction
The original objective at the time of the founding of Kerala Sasthra
Sahithya Parishad (KSSP) was limited to publishing scientific
literature in Malayalam, the local language, and popularizing science.
However it was soon realized that publication and giving lessons alone
were not enough to popularise science and extend its benefits to the
common people. KSSP held that a privileged minority was monopolising
the benefits of science and technology and it results for their own
profit at the expense of the majority. KSSP chose as its mission, the
challenge of arming the people with the tools of science and
technology so that they can reverse this process. Thus in 1972, KSSP
decided to become a People’s Science Movement and adopted “science for
social revolution” as its motto.
Over the past four decades it has grown into a massive people’s
science movement, with a membership of about 40,000 drawn from all
walks of life and distributed in about 2,000 units within the state of
Kerala. Over these years, it has also expanded its fields of interests
and activities to almost all fields of human endeavor. The KSSP is
involved, broadly in three types of activities: educative, agitate,
and constructive, in areas like environment, health, education,
energy, literacy, micro planning and development in general.
Presently Dr.Kavumbayi Balakrishnan is the president and V.Vinod is
the General Secretary. Intellectuals such as Prof. M.K.Prasad,
Dr.R.V.G.Menon, Dr. B. Ekbal,etc. had been past presidents of the
organization.
Goals
The KSSP aspires to:
* Popularise science and scientific outlook among the people.
* Develop a sense of optimism in them, instill in them a sense of
self -confidence that they can change the world and can build a better
tomorrow.
* Expose and oppose the abuse of scientific knowledge detrimental
to the interests of the majority.
* Expose and oppose the abuse of environment.
* Propose and help implement, alternative modes for development,
with emphasis on equity and sustainability.
* Carry out R&D work to transform lab technologies in to mass technologies
Research
KSSP through its activities for more than two decades understood the
need for a research centre. Hence, in 1987, it established Integrated
Rural Technology Centre IRTC at Mundur in Palakkad Dist. It develops
or modifies technologies developed elsewhere to suit the rural needs.
Presently it concentrates on Solid Waste Management, Watershed based
development projects, skill development training, soap making,
mushroom cultivation, ornamental fish culture, rabbit rearing, pottery
related activities, agriculture, water and soil testing, mechanical
engineering,etc.
""""
KSSP
http://www.kssp.in/
http://www.kssp.org/
Integrated Rural Technology Centre (IRTC)
http://www.irtc.org.in/
- Bryan
http://heybryan.org/
1 512 203 0507
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Muralidharan Enarth Maviton
May 11, 2010, 10:40:57 AM5/11/10
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Bryan,
I am located in Kerala and am familiar with the activities of KSSP. I also have friends who are active members of KSSP. It was indeed a very popular science movement in the 60's and 70's when it was involved with health, energy and environmental issues but the close association the organization had with the left wing politics in the state was one reason for its decline in popularity. Nevertheless the units and the IRTC still does a good job of publishing scientific books and magazines in the local language - Malayalam and promoting rural based technologies for energy saving and employment generation.
Murali
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