In collaboration with the Department of Urdu at the University of Kashmir, the SCoPE secretariat at the Central University of Kashmir (CUK) hosted a special lecture on “How to Spread Scientific Knowledge Through the Mother Tongue, Especially in Urdu” by Professor Mohammad Aslam Pervaiz on Tuesday, July 4 at the KU’s EMMRC auditorium in Srinagar. The topic of the lecture was “How to Spread Scientific Knowledge Through the Mother Tongue, Especially in Urdu.”
On this occasion, the Dean of Academic Affairs at CUK and Chief Project Coordinator for SCoPE, Professor Shahid Rasool, as well as the Dean of Research at KU, Professor Irshad A. Nawchoo, the Head of the Department of Urdu and Linguistics at KU, Professor Aejaz Mohammed Sheikh, the Coordinator for SCoPE, Dr. Irfan Alam, and other faculty members, research scholars, and students from both universities were present.
During the course of his talk, Professor Mohammad Aslam Pervaiz brought attention to the relevance and value of translating scientific information into people’s local languages so that it might be disseminated among the general populace. “To inculcate and promote scientific temper among the people, cutting across the age barrier, the scientific works, particularly the discoveries and research works, should be translated in the regional languages,” said Professor Mohammad Aslam. He added that the translation has to be done by the expert in the concerned field, so that the efficacy of the original work remains intact. “The scientific works, particularly the discoveries and research works, should be translated in the regional languages,” said Professor Mohammad Aslam.
During his presentation, the former Vice Chancellor of MANUU, who is now producing an Urdu scientific magazine called “Science” and has been doing so for the last 30 years, said that the people, and particularly the young, should be curious and ask questions about everything in order to acquire information. “Everyone should recheck and verify the information on scientific and other sensitive matters from credible sources, so that there is no room for mistakes,” he stated. “There is no room for mistakes.” In addition, Professor Mohammad Aslam urged the attendees to improve their ability to think critically and to have an open mind for imaginative possibilities in order to contribute something innovative to the larger community for the betterment of all people.
During his remarks at the event, the Dean of Academic Affairs, Professor Shahid Rasool, referred to Professor Mohammad Aslam Pervaiz as an institution. He said that Prof. Pervaiz has been effective in disseminating scientific information among the general public via the monthly “science” magazine. Prof. Shahid said that the mission of SCoPE is to promote and popularise scientific information in the regional languages. He also mentioned that the SCoPE secretariat at CUK is publishing the monthly journals Tajassus (in Urdu) and Gaash (in Kashmiri) with great success in order to instill a scientific mindset in the local population. He said that such an endeavour not only increases scientific knowledge but also supports the local language and literature as well as other forms of expression in the community. He went on to say that the SCoPE secretariat is now working on producing short films that will showcase scientific accomplishments. These films will be uploaded to social media accounts so that they may be shared with the general public.
In his address to the group, the Dean of Research at the University of Kansas, Professor Irshad A. Nawchoo, emphasised the need of properly documenting traditional and ancestral systems in medicine, culture, languages, and other critical areas in order to further research in these areas. “Such documentation can become the backbone of research in particular fields,” he said. Prof. Irshad Nawchoo went on to say that the traditional system of medicine is quickly taking the place of the contemporary system since it has a far lower risk of adverse consequences. “Our ancestors and forefathers had a natural cure for every disease, and the medicines were predominantly extracted from the flowers and plants growing in the forest areas,” he added. “Our modern medicine is a far cry from what our ancestors and forefathers knew.”
Dr. Mushtaq Haider, Senior Assistant Professor of the Urdu Department, and Professor Aejaz Mohammed Sheikh, who submitted the vote of thanks, were in charge of putting on the event.
