Hello Readers!
This time we’re happy to bring to you second edition of The Spring Chronicle with articles on different topics for the diverse readers consistent with our policy. We’ve received a fairly good response to the first edition launched in March 2025.
Under Science and Mathematics category, we’re indeed fortunate to have Prof. Srinivas K. Saidapur’s FASc, FNA, FNASc, FTWAS article on “Progression of Biology from Classical to Digital: A Brief Story of Growth”. A distinguished biologist and the recipient of S.S. Bhatnagar Prize, Prof. Saidapur gives a short canvass of the field of Biology which is increasingly becoming a multi-disciplinary subject.
Prof. Shivanand Kanavi, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru, has been kind to share his article on “Hawking, God and the Big Bang” penned by him when Prof. Stephen Hawking, eminent British theoretical physicist and cosmologist, turned 50 in 1992. Prof. Kanavi’s narrative was inspired by Hawking’s best-selling “A Brief History of Time” entailing God and how the Universe came into being. The article is a tribute to Prof. Hawking’s perspectives on cosmology and its possible relation to its Creator.
My friend Prof. T. Venkatesh, Director of Mathematical Sciences Institute, Belagavi, being mathematician himself and promoter of maths education, has written “The Evolution of Mathematical Thought: Paradoxes and Paradigm Shifts”. He compares and contrasts with critical perspectives on how mathematics was and is pursued.
We have a special article “Living and Non-living in the Quantum World” by Dr. Mundur V .N. Murthy, Professor at the Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai, who examines the role of the underlying fundamental laws of Quantum Field Theory in forming living and non-living matter.
Dr. B. N. Meera, Professor of Physics at Bangalore University, is an expert on science education and she says learning and teaching entail specific skill sets to be identified in the domain specific content. This is summarized in her article “Why is learning hard?”.
The Maha Kumbha Mela held at Prayagraj during the months of 13 January – 26 February 2025, made global news for its sheer size of the devotees, elaborate festival, its religious and historical significance. Behind this massive congregation lies centuries of accumulated knowledge of astronomy, rituals and religious philosophy. The schedule of the festival is syncretic with planetary alignments, making it a once-in-a-lifetime visit to free oneself of sins. Dr. Jagadeesh Bandekar, a physics graduate from Karnatak University and an American spectroscopist at the Technical Development Leader at Dow Chemical Company, Midland, USA, has written an article on “The Kumbha Mela Festival” with a view to educating people about its history, genesis and practice. On account of the article’s wider appeal to people, we have placed it under ‘Humanities and Social Sciences’.
We’ve another special article on “Reimagining Soft Power: Internationalization of Indian Higher Education” which looks at the role of higher education as a soft power in shaping, among other things, India’s foreign policy. This article is contributed by Prof.Chetan Singai, Dean at Chanakya University, and his team.
Soumya S Nyamathi, Managing Editor at Spring Chronicle, has written an informative article (under ‘Science and Mathematics’) on “World Environment Day 2025: A Global Call to Beat Plastic Pollution” to educate people on the importance of the annual observance. In a similar vein, she has penned an article on “International Yoga Day: Embracing Yoga as a Way of Life for Holistic Well-Being” to mark the obvious event. On behalf of The Spring Chronicle, we sincerely express our indebtedness to all the contributors for their support.
With best wishes to all readers and may autumn bring good times for all.
Dr. Jagdish Tonannavar
Group Editor