Bangalore:
The Bangalore Science Forum might sound like a commonplace name, but
the man who founded it was the well-known H Narasimaiah or HN, a rationalist
who carried scientific temper to its limits.
Many people
know HN, who set up the Bangalore Science Forum in 1962, in an exhibition
of his passion for science in the mid-70s, took on the challenge of
exposing and debunking claims of godmen an attitude that captured the
imagination of the people then.
“Do
not accept anything without questioning,” he used to say, and this
was his approach to life. Everybody in the Bangalore Science Forum even
today would swear by this.
“He
set up the Forum in 1962 with a strong motivation to ensure the progress
of science and it was his natural conviction never to accept anything
at its face value,” Forum member Mohan said.
In that
spirit, HN instituted the weekly science lecture and the regular film
show for students. For the last 46 years, the Forum has been organising
lectures week after week without a break.
“The
festival came later. HN introduced it in 1977,when he envisaged a month-Iong
programme of lectures on science from physics to maths to biology and
what not. “To this day, we have been following that tradition and
inviting the best minds in science to speak every day,” Mohan said.
Including
the weekly lectures, the Forum has so far hosted 2,188 lectures and
609 film shows on science at the National College, Basavanagudi.
The Forum
was lucky to have had its 2000th lecture delivered by C N R Rao and
the 2,189th lecture was delivered by IISc director P Balram.
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