INDIA, November 30, 2016 (Swarajya, by Aravindan Neelakandan): In April, 2016, in the renowned journal Frontiers of Psychology, Anthony Trewavas, a molecular biologist from University of Edinburgh, who has been working on plant perceptions, published a paper in which he stated: “Environmental awareness likely indicates consciousness. Spontaneity in plant behavior, ability to count to five and error correction indicate intention. Volatile organic compounds are used as signals in plant interactions and being complex in composition may be the equivalent of language accounting for self and alien recognition by individual plants.” The paper has 96 references. The oldest reference was the work of JC Bose: Plant Response as a Means of Physiological Investigation. New York, NY: Longmans Green and Co. 1906 – 110 years old.
Jagadish Chandra Bose represents that rare breed of scientists who belonged to the future more than to the time they lived. When the world of science was totally dominated by the binary conflict between materialism and vitalism, he charted a new course that looked beyond the binaries. Today as science grows deeper and enlarges its canvas broader, Bose’s pioneering work receives more attention.
Bose never opted for commercialization of science and tried to institutionalize such a culture through Bose Institute which refuses patenting to this day. Thus in Bose we have a scientist-seer who resonates with Indian spirit and values in the most profound sense of the terms. Bose is to plant physiology in particular what Darwin is to biology in general. It is time India starts celebrating his birthday as Bose Day for the holistic study of the phenomenon of life.
Much more at “source” above.