CSIR Marks 85th Foundation Day with Science Magazines in Five Indian Languages
On CSIR's 85th Foundation Day, five new popular science magazines in Indian languages were launched, using AI-assisted translation reviewed by human experts.
The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) marked its 85th Foundation Day with the launch of five popular science magazines in Indian languages, published by the CSIR-National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research (CSIR-NIScPR).
The new titles are Bigyan Lahar in Assamese, Bigyan Brittanto in Bengali, Vidnyan Kshitij in Marathi, Ariviyal Arikkaiyalar in Tamil and Vigyan Velugu in Telugu. The launch was led by Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for the Ministry of Science & Technology.
The magazines widen CSIR-NIScPR's existing popular science publishing line-up, which includes Science Reporter in English, Vigyan Pragati in Hindi and Science ki Duniya in Urdu. The initiative aims to make credible and engaging scientific knowledge available to readers in their own languages, while also drawing attention to scientific achievements, innovations and developments from the respective regions.
A notable element of the effort is the use of advanced technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, to help translate selected content from the institute's existing magazines. These AI-assisted translations are then reviewed, proofread, fact-checked and editorially refined by human experts to ensure scientific accuracy, linguistic quality and readability. Besides translated material, the magazines also feature original articles written in the respective languages, encouraging science writing in those languages.
The launch ceremony was attended by Dr N. Kalaiselvi, Director General, CSIR and Secretary, DSIR, and Dr Geetha Vani Rayasam, Director, CSIR-NIScPR. The publication of the five magazines was coordinated by Shri Mukesh Ambadas Pund and Dr Meher Wan, with contributions from the editors, editorial teams, design team and other institutional staff.
Editors and editorial representatives present included Dr Paramananda Barman, Editor, and Dr Bornali Sharma, Associate Editor, Bigyan Lahar; Dr Uttam Kumar Jana, Editor, Bigyan Brittanto; Shri Mukesh Ambadas Pund, Editor, Vidnyan Kshitij; Dr S. Bhuvanesh, Editor, and Dr L. Sandhiya, Associate Editor, Ariviyal Arikkaiyalar; and Dr N. K. Prasanna, Editor, Vigyan Velugu.
The launch is being seen as a step towards taking science to wider sections of society and supporting an inclusive, multilingual and scientifically informed India. CSIR's 85th Foundation Day also marks 84 years of the organisation's contribution to science, technology and national development.