Allahabad: The eight Nobel Laureates who have reached the Indian Institute of Information Technology, Allahabad (IIIT-A) for the Nobel Laureates' Science Conclave are very bullish on India.

While some of them seemed a bit apprehensive about coming to India after the terror attack in Mumbai, all of them were convinced that barring a few incidents, India is a safe place to live, work and travel.

Speaking at the formal inauguration of the Science Conclave on Tuesday morning they all echoed the same sentiment and feeling.

"India and Indian youth have contributed greatly to the international scientific community though they have a long way to go," was the common refrain in their speeches.

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Jerome Issac Friedman, who has worked under stalwarts like Encrico Fermi and was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1990 for discovering quarks (the building blocks of protons in an atom), said that in addition to technology, we need to focus on the development of basic science.

"We need to concentrate on basic research," he said, adding that the greatest invention of this century the transistor (a semi-conducting device used in every electronic micro chip) is responsible for 2/3rds of the economy of certain modern nations, referring to countries in South East Asia which have a flourishing semi-conductor manufacturing business and account for almost 50 percent of all the semi conductors manufactured in the world.

He wondered why India was not able to catch on the manufacturing boom particularly in semi-conducting devices and electronic gadgets like other nations like Taiwan, Malaysia and Korea in spite having a huge pool of technocrats and scientists.

Martin Lewis Perl, an American physicist, who won a Nobel Prize in Physics in 1995 for his discovery of the Tau Lepton, said that besides brainpower Indian culture, art and dance are valued treasures and exports to the US.

He stressed on the need for Indian scientists to delve deeper into the basics of science, particularly physics which is the foundation of all research in related fields.

Sir Harold (Harry) Walter Kroto, FRS, an English chemist who shared the 1996 Nobel Prizein Chemistry, talked about the great Indian food available in London and the booming business by Indian restaurants in his hometown.

He also joked that Indians should not be so aggressive and competitive about cricket and give the English team an opportunity to win the match.

"Like cricket, Science should be enjoyable and not very competitive. Competition is good but very intense and aggressive competition kills the joy and enjoyment of small achievements. Do it because you love it," he exhorted the students and faculty present.

Frenchman Claude Cohen Tannaudji, who shared the 1997 Nobel Prize for Physics, felt that Indian youth should channelize their energies into scientific research - this was the best weapon to combat violence and fanaticism which seems to be a problem area in certain regions.

Read More:

- Why the National TV Media ignored the Science Conclave?

By - Flynn Remedios

(Flynn Remedios is the National Media Co-ordinator, IIIT-Allahabad for the Science Conclave and a Mumbai-based freelance journalist.)