Abdus Salam - The Miracle Scientist of Pakistan

A Very good article about the genius of Pakistan. May his soul rest in peace.

I hope one day we will realize the importance of research and will become a knowledge loving nation.

This article reminds me of the 1960 Science Congress in Bombay, India. Bombay Times of India had presented the headline for Dr. Salam: ``Scientist with Mass Appeal``

In his speech to the Congress he had stated that he would return to India when India and Pakistan recombine in one nation. I do not know what relation exist between that statement and Bhabha`s private offer referred to in the above article.

I was thrilled to attend Dr. Salam`s presentation on electroweak Theory. He had such an ability of presenting the ideas that I was able to enjoy the presentation even though as fresh M.Sc. Physics student I had no exposure to the subject.

It is a pity that pettiness of religious backwardness and sectarian politics in Pakistan left Dr. Salam as as stateless person at the time of his death.

Nice writeup. But I dont get this miracle bit. Geniuses/brilliant people come from all sortsa backgrounds. His devout religiosity is a mystery though.

``Salam was acutely conscious of the backwardness in the field of science and technology of the third world, particularly the Islamic world, to which he belonged. At the same time, he was profoundly proud of his glorious heritage``

Gill Sahib -- is it true Salam went to recieve his Nobel Prize with his two wives? -- khar-e Isaa ugur bu makka rawad/chooN beaayed hunooz khur bashad....

Mr. Gill:

Great article. Can you please contact me at aisha_sarwari@yahoo.com.

Thanks.

Aisha Sarwari

Mr. Gill

I resent your attempts to mix religion with science - so much for your free thought.

Dear Interactors:

Thanks for your interest in the paper.

Inquirer:

Those who have some background in Pjysics are able to understand and appreciate how great a scientist was Professor Salam. Pakistani scientists are proud of him and are inspired by his work and so are many Indians. One of Salam`s closest collaborators is Indian.

Charlie:

I am pleased that you enjoyed the article.

nasah:

Yes, it`s true that Salam was accompanied by both wives (true Islamic justice and fairness). Not only that, he had dressed himself in shalwar, kurta, with a ``turre dar`` turban on his head and a pair of saleem shahi on his feet. But that`s not the point. Salam was a human being with human strengths and failings. I, for one, consider his attire and accompaniment as his strength, not weakness. I give you an example of his weakness. In one of his weak moments of self-indulgence, he claimed he was the only Nobel Laureate in the Islamic world. At that, Glashow quipped, ``What about Sadat?`` And Salam had to be content with being the only Nobel Laureate in science in the Islamic world.

I had written a postcript in the paper also; I don`t know if you read it or not. This gives a couple of extracts from his Nobel lecture. He traces the homage of Michael Scott to the universities of Toledo and Cordova (Harvard and MIT of the Muslim world in those days) in Muslim Spain. In it, he also quoted from George Sarton. 750 AD - 1100 AD was the unbroken period of domination in Science by the Muslims and Salam was fiercely proud of this heritage. The sad thing is that we perforce learn of the greatness of our ancestors from the western sources; our own sources are dried up.

Woh motee ilam kay, yanni kitaabain apnay aaba ki
Jo daikhain un ko Europe mein to dil hota haiy seeparah (Iqbal)

We need to wake up from ``khwab-e-khargosh`` and try to catch up with the rest of the world. Professor salam tried to spark the interest in science and technology in the Islamic world. His torch should be kept alight. Regards,

Mohammad Gill

Gill Sahab,

Wow... Actual write on a Q????

I interact quite a few of them in India. Never doubted their talent or...

Why do you hate them so much in Pakistan? Are not they humans?? What do they to disrupt the life of your nation? What wrong they have done?

They do have perhaps the best economic acu... and also perhaps the most social con...

Thanks anyways

Yogiraj

Salaam has to be saluted that he achieved all this despite the aparthied education in the land of totaa-mainaa-bunder schools.Unless this issue is resolved no Uncle-Tom would display his underwear and no Fauji will go grant independence to the `natives`.There are many manifestations of apartheid in Pakistan, its most poignant exemplar is the differentiation between English and Urdu medium schools. It is a system that, true to its original design, produces two distinct sets of citizens--future rulers and future subjects. Starting from a deliberately unleveled playing field, it is no surprise that those from the first camp overwhelmingly come ahead. A few from the later occasionally make it to the top, but only after facing much hardships and after embracing the rules of the elites--in essence, becoming ``English medium`` by default.

It is a criminal injustice that the feet of 95% of the population are tied simply so that the remaining 5% can win the race. As a result, the country is robbed of its best minds. Intelligence, after all, is not restricted to any one class or caste. The system of apartheid as now instituted forces the best minds from the elites to end up abroad while even as the rest of the population is restrained from reaching its potentialities. Those who could have been physicists end up as mechanics; potential economists end up running tea-stalls; potential poets end up polishing the shoes of some spoiled brat!

The problem of educational apartheid is a complex one, but the solution is very simple--though exceedingly difficult. It entails replacing the multiple systems that are currently in place with one unified system. There are those who will try to confuse the issue by making it a debate about which language should be the medium of instruction. That is NOT the issue. The issue is about leveling the playing field and providing the same educational opportunity to all our children. Until we do that we will never be able to reap the full potential of our talent. We will be condemned to the continuing servitude of a self-proclaimed and self-consumed elite.

Of course, for those of us who are from this `elite` (and if you are reading this article, you probably are) educational apartheid is just fine. The conspiracy of silence that has existed on this issue for fifty years is likely to perpetuate for another fifty. After all, it is not in the interest of the ruling elites--you and me--to do anything about an unjust system that has been so instrumental in allowing us to unfairly acquire our positions of power and prestige. That their palaces of menial success are built on the decaying carcasses of the shattered hopes of the multitudes is a price that the so-called `intelligencia` has always been prepared to pay for selfishly holding on to the unfair advantage that made them the `intellegentia` in the first place.

Mr. Gill:7

Woh motee ilam kay, yanni kitaabain apnay aaba ki
Jo daikhain un ko Europe mein to dil hota haiy seeparah (Iqbal)

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Iqbal replies:

kitaab-e millat-e baiza kee phir sheeraza bUndee hai
yeh shaakh-e Hashmee krnay ko hai phir burg O bur paida

and this for your sincere & heartfelt writings:
Iqbal again:

Navaa paira ho ai bulbul kay ho tairay tarrannum sey
kabutar kay tan-e naazuk meiN shaheeN ka jigar paida.