Science's mysteries over a cup of tea

If you want to simplify the complex mysteries of science over a leisurely conversation, then attend a Chai and Why? session that has had Mumbaikars hooked for over six years

One has heard of candid tête-à-têtes over steaming cups of tea. But discussions about simple and complex scientific phenomenon over chai are as rare as double rainbows. However, in the last six years, 134 such chats have been organised by the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) as part of the unique science outreach programme, Chai and Why?. Since its launch on January 2, 2009 - incidentally, also the birthday of Isaac Newton - such sessions have taken place on every first and third Sunday of the month.

Not one session has been cancelled, except for the Sunday following Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray's death in 2012. "We did not cancel the session but postponed it to the following Saturday. It was just impossible to reach the venue in Matunga, which was crowded with people who had come for Thackeray's funeral," says Arnab Bhattacharya, head of the science popularisation and public outreach committee at TIFR and the force behind Chai and Why?.

The seeds of the programme were sown in 2008 when Sanjana Kapoor, then director of Prithvi Theatre, and her colleague Sameera Iyengar visited TIFR to check if the Homi Bhabha Auditorium was available for staging the play, A Disappearing Number, based on the life of Srinivasa Ramanujan.

The play couldn't be staged at that time as the auditorium was being renovated. However, both Kapoor and Iyengar had a brainstorming session with some members of the TIFR public outreach team about making science and mathematics more accessible to the public. "We were discussing the concept of the Cafe Scientifique in Europe that takes scientists out of their academic setting into an informal environment to have a chat with the public on their work," says Bhattacharya. "I thought that the word science itself was perceived as 'difficult' and 'not-interesting-for-me' and we should try repackaging this in a more user-friendly way." Bhattacharya, who is an associate professor in the department of condensed matter physics and materials science at TIFR, had just come back from a British Council-sponsored training programme in Edinburgh where he attended a few Cafe Scientifique sessions.

"Kapoor just loved the idea and immediately offered to try this out at Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai," says Bhattacharya. Besides Prithvi Theatre in Juhu, where Chai and Why? takes place on the first Sunday of the month, Ruparel College in Matunga is the second venue for the discussions held on the third Sunday.

In short, Chai and Why? aims to engage people who have an interest in science but never had the opportunity to discuss their views with and ask questions of someone 'in the know'. "It aims to be informal and accessible. Much more so than a public lecture," says Bhattacharya. The discussion starts with a 15-minute talk by a scientist or a research student to highlight the background and important issues of a particular subject. Then there is a tea break, which is followed by an hour or so of question-answer and discussion.

"We even welcome those who begin 'this might be a stupid question, but...'. These questions are invariably not stupid and often rather insightful. With a casual meeting place, simple language and inclusive conversation, we want to create a welcoming atmosphere for people with no science background," he says. The audience is made up of people from different age groups and often kids accompany their parents to these sessions.

Talking about the reasons why the programme has managed to engage audience for so long, Bhattacharya says that people are now willing to listen to science. "People have questions about events that are happening around us that are connected to science in some way or the other. Whether it is the mathematics behind a financial crash or what exactly is 2G versus 3G communication. And if it is Diwali, people want to know how fireworks produce colours in the sky," he says.

In the initial years, more than 80 per cent of the resource persons were senior faculty members from TIFR and the remaining were PhD students. However, over the years the ratio has become almost equal. "What is important for Chai and Why? is that the resource person should be able to communicate well. And often senior faculty members are not the best communicators, even though they may be the best scientists," says Bhattacharya, explaining the shift in the ratio.

The biggest high point for Chai and Why? is that the team has managed to take the programme beyond Mumbai to rural schools in Maharashtra. According to Bhattacharya, the team has created sessions in Marathi, conducted during long weekends. "In Mumbai, people can find answers to their questions on the Internet, but for students in villages, it is impossible," he says.

According to him Chai and Why? has reached out to more than 35,000 students in rural Maharashtra where the programme takes place for six months in a year.

The cost of running the programme is about Rs 2 lakh per year and it has been supported completely by TIFR. Bhattacharya is now thinking of getting external funding. Also on the anvil are plans to add one more venue, either in Thane or Navi Mumbai.

The writer is a freelance journalist based in Mumbai.
Chai and Why? sessions take place at Prithvi Theatre on the first Sunday of the month and at Ruparel College on the third Sunday