The Scientist
This article is based on a telephonic conversation with Nikhilesh Iyer. Nikhilesh is an IIT Varanasi graduate and has been working with Bhabha Atomic Research Center for the last few years. He has been making efforts to spread the curiosity of science amongst underprivileged students. On the call, we discussed his journey.
The Longing
Back in 2014, Nikhilesh encountered the idea of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs while scrolling his Facebook feed. For the next few months, this idea consumed him.
Back in 2014, Nikhilesh encountered the idea of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs while scrolling his Facebook feed. For the next few months, this idea consumed him.
Once we have met our deficiency needs, the focus of our anxiety shifts to self-actualization, and we begin, even if only at a sub- or semi-conscious level, to contemplate our bigger picture. However, only a small minority of people are able to self-actualize because self-actualization calls upon uncommon qualities such as independence, awareness, creativity, originality, and, of course, courage.
Life so far had been going according to the plan. Nikhilesh was a recent IIT graduate and his lifelong dream of becoming a scientist had come true. He was hired as a researcher at the prestigious Bhabha Atomic Research Center(BARC) in Mumbai. He had gotten everything he had hoped for. But soon after, he started experiencing a deep dissatisfaction with his life’s path. There was a strong inner desire for growth, to be something more than he was. But unlike earlier times in his life, he wasn’t sure what to do about it. Left unaddressed, this dissatisfaction developed into frustration and further into a personal crisis.
The Scientist’s Temper
Wikipedia defines scientific temper in the following way
Scientific temper is a way of life which uses the scientific method and which may, consequently, include questioning, observing physical reality, testing, hypothesizing, analyzing, and communicating. It describes an attitude which involves the application of logic.
Nikhilesh had always known that he was meant to be a scientist. He had wide-ranging interests and approached them with a spirit of inquiry. He particularly disliked how scientists tended to get siloed into their narrow domains. Research is very competitive, so people tended to focus on their area of expertise. But subject disciplines and lack of incentives couldn’t constrain Nikhilesh’s curiosity.
He was curious about politics and structures in society. He began to question the inequality in society. He questioned why scientists isolated themselves from society. “BARC campus is right next to one of the biggest slum in Bombay. Thousands of scientists work here, but how many would have ever visited those slums? You can count them on your fingers.” said Nikhilesh.
He discussed such matters with his peers. He was often explained that society would always have ‘haves and have nots’. It was neither their responsibility nor they had any ability to fix that. “The people who get access to science at an early age are privileged. They are the ones that become scientists. By isolating themselves completely they are keeping their privilege to themselves.”
Nikhilesh had always been skeptical of just accepting the norms of society. He was a bit disappointed with the air of conformity around him. Not everyone around him was like that though.
Article 51A(h)
Article 51 A(h) of the Indian constitution states that
It shall be the duty of every citizen of India to develop scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform.
Nikhilesh spoke passionately of legends around Dr JB Joshi. Dr Joshi is an accomplished scientist and a Padma Bhushan recipient. He would address audiences of students dressed up as a magician. After wowing them with magic tricks he would go on to reveal the simplicity of science behind it.
The thought of spreading scientific temper inspired Nikhilesh. He started to explore if he can make any contribution in this direction. Education in India is very competitive, useful only as a means for a career. Lack of scientific temper, even amongst highly educated is very common. People also view science as a hard subject so love for it is rare. He set out to change that, on whatever scale he felt was possible. He wanted to share his love for science (particularly chemistry) with others.
He found a path. He started taking science classes in a Hindi medium school near his office. He taught science to students of classes 8th, 9th and 10th. Most students in his class were first-generation learners. What started as an experiment has been going on for 5 years. Every year, he would have a loyal batch of 20–40. They would enthusiastically wait for his science lessons. This volunteering activity started to have a big impact on Nikhilesh’s life. He even met his future wife(who works in Edu-tech) during his volunteer days.
Over time it seemed his tryst with teaching science was his destiny. But the journey wasn’t all fun and games.
Fun & Games
Nikhilesh grew up with an aptitude in science, studied at a premier institute & was surrounded by scientists. This experience hadn’t prepared him to teach basics to first-generation learners.
He was often met with hostility. “There were days when I ran away from the class with tears in my eyes,” he said. First-time teachers often feel entitled to student’s respect and admiration. That wasn’t his case.
“It was an ego-shattering experience”
He wasn’t ready to give up though. He started looking for resources online on how to teach better. Experimented with techniques in his classes. Things improved significantly when he did a course on Coursera on how to teach. “That was truly a game-changer for me,” he said.
Anyone who has played WWE trump cards in childhood would still remember that Big Show is the tallest of them all, at height 7" 1'. They don’t remember the atomic number of Copper though. — Nikhilesh
Nikhilesh began teaching the periodic table to his students through games. “The Periodic table is one of the greatest discoveries of mankind. It is as fundamental to chemistry as ABC is to English. Even most science students just mug it up for exams. They don’t really appreciate the principles behind it.” he said, in a matter of fact way.
His voice was full of excitement as he elaborated on his techniques. “We built a card deck containing cards with details about each element. We made many games around it. When you play Rummy you understand that certain group of cards belong together. Similarly in this game, you’d understand how Lithium, Sodium and Potassium belong together”.
But do these methods work?.
He has tested the effectiveness of these techniques on student’s understanding and retention. “Students tell me how we were able to take the fear out of a dreaded subject like chemistry.”
But in a country where education is a competitive sport, are his efforts enough to make an impact?
Focus on Impact
“I don’t want people to have such rigid divisions in their mind. Science shouldn’t be only for those who want to pursue a career in it.”
He has however inspired many of his students to go that route. Most students from his earlier batches had opted for commerce. But over years there has been an increasing trend for those opting for sciences. One of them is studying to become a microbiologist. Many of them even give back by working for Edu-tech startups.
When the coronavirus epidemic hit, he had to move his teaching online. He learned web development and built a website called Asan Vigyan. He now has a batch of students in Pune as well. Once he moved online, a whole new world has opened up for him. He has many exciting plans for the future.
Does he still feel the longing he felt before he began this journey?
“I still have to be a lot more efficient.” He replied. “Whatever I felt back then felt like a mid-life crisis. But I am happy it happened, at least it helped me find a direction to proceed in. Now I am mainly interested in getting better and better at it.”
