Meet Aniket Sule, the man who wants pseudosciences thrown out of education

Aniket Sule’s ready response to messages forwarded on WhatsApp is to demand evidence for the statements made. So when news reports said that the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) had prescribed a reference book that makes unsubstantiated claims tying various scientific inventions directly to ancient Indian thinkers, the 39-year-old scientist and educator’s instincts swiftly took over. 

As the text in question, Bharatiya Vidya Saar, was not publicly available, Sule sought information from the journalist, who shared excerpts with him. Once Sule and scientists in his circle were satisfied that the writing was indeed contentious, he drafted and circulated an appeal urging the statutory body to withdraw its endorsement of the book. The petition gathered about 300 signatures in two days. Among other things, the book — an initiative of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan — attributes the invention of electrolysis and the electrovoltaic cell to the Vedic sage Agastya, and states that the speed of light and theory of gravitation were first outlined in the Rig Veda.

The book’s editor reportedly responded with a counter-petition. After the AICTE said it would review its decision, Sule has decided to give them a chance. “We are not professional protestors, we understand that AICTE has various compulsions.” But this is not the first time that Sule has gone public with discontent. Back in January, he was the prime mover of an online appeal which succeeded in thwarting Union Minister Satyapal Singh’s attempt to remove Darwin’s theory from textbooks. While scientists are typically wary of social commentary, Sule believes they must make their reservations known, at least when “the decision will influence education, and the next generation may get affected”. Bharatiya Vidya Saar was slated to be used in about 3,000 technical colleges.
 

The growing spread of pseudosciences has been of concern, says the scientist. Research such as on the medicinal value of cow urine gets funded easily, and speakers who make controversial remarks are invited to the Indian Science Congress. He sees these cases as a ploy to energise a political base. However, Sule does not dismiss Indian sciences or philosophy either, recommending instead the study of more credible sources, including the writings of researchers S Balachandra Rao and Mayank Vahia on Indian mathematics and astronomy.

Mumbai-based Sule has worked for more than a decade as a reader at the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, guiding PhD students and recruits of the national Astronomy Olympiad programme. He is now general secretary of the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics. As a teenager, walking into meetings of the Khagol Mandal, a group of amateur astronomers, his interest in the subject was piqued and led him to eventually research the interior of the Sun. Working in education was always the plan though, and Sule returned from Germany  after his PHD to take up teaching.

Described at one gathering as an “argumentative science educator”, Sule has been giving talks on how to develop a scientific temper and on its usefulness beyond science. His idols are scientists such as Jayant Narlikar and Yash Pal, who had spoken out in 2001 when Murli Manohar Joshi wanted to introduce astrology courses in universities. During the “March for Science” last year, Sule met like-minded researchers and educators. They have since kept in touch and discussed social matters, allowing him to quickly find backing for his petitions. He recalls that the killing of rationalist-activist Narendra Dabholkar five years ago moved him to action. “To show solidarity, it is necessary to take a stand publicly. By keeping quiet, we are not helping anybody.”