by Mayukh Goswami

Mangaldai  :  An awareness meeting organized by Mangaldai chapter of the Assam Science Society in joint collaboration with the Women’s Study and Research Centre, Mangaldai College and voluntary organisation Crystal Vision at Dahi Higher Secondary School on Tuesday has urged upon the youths to develop their scientific temperament right from their schooling days. Addressing the meeting as the appointed speaker Dr Kamaleswar Nath, a veteran medical practitioner and a thought provoking writer explained about the difference among common belief, disbelief and superstition prevailing in the society while discussing the importance of justifying the our day to day practices scientifically. “Every child is a scientist with his natural sense of inquitiveness. One needn’t have to be a person from science background to develop the quality of scientific temperament” Dr Nath reiterated. Citing many examples of unscientific beliefs and superstitions including customs of keeping an woman aloof in an unhygienic manner without necessary nutritious food during mensurations and following delivery, organising public function while a girl attaining puberty stage, taking the advice of a quake in stead of a doctor to get relief from liver disorder like jaundice, practice at the time snake biting frog marriage to get rid of droughts, worshipping of  deities to recover from the effects of evil spirits and torture of a poor lonely village woman in the name of witch among others the speaker discussed how these age old unscientific beliefs or superstitions have been causing harm to the society and it can be eradicated with the development of scientific temperament among people from their young age. The speaker also interacted with the student participants while testing their sense of scientific temperament. The meeting chaired by Suresh Ch Sarma, Principal of Dahi Higher Secondary School was addressed by Dr Minati Sarma and Dr Barnali Deka, the President and Secretary of Women’s Study and Research Centre, Mangaldai College respectively and its members Dr Manju Rani Kalita and Dr Kunjalata Baruah, President of Crystal Vision Mayukh Goswami and teacher Chandra Prasad Saikia among others. The meeting sponsored by ASTEC and the Science and Technology Development, Assam was attended by more than a hundred students and teachers besides local public.