two articles on the nuclear issue from a previous debate...

The 80s was the in-between decade. we had already had one nuclear test, we were not going to conduct any more immediately, at least the political climate was not to conduct any more tests; nuclear energy would be discussed as a possibility. 

The scientific establishment had not started to be so visible with its opinion that has happened post-IT era, it was still the bunch of scientists doing their work in pune, bangalore and other small towns, they were not the popular, powerful opinion builders that they have become since Kalam. 

The alternative to congress had failed in the late 70s, and BJP was yet to arrive in the political scene. A group of Science and Technology students and young professionals were re-discovering indigenous sciences and technologies as they re-looked at their roots with the newly acquired proficiency. There were many such groups across the country doing it in their own way with whatever resources they had. One of the most promising and intellectually powerful was the Patriotic People for Science and Technology (PPST), a group consisting of students and youth with technology degrees, primarily from the premium institution of that time, IIT. As they rediscovered the world of ordinary people, they produced a series of articles through the PPST Bulletins that were both presenting the people's knowledge in the emerging new idiom as well as challenging the dominant and mainstream thought patters. They posted some serious questions on development, technology and our understanding of society. 

Though the group neither survived in its shape beyond the decade of 80s nor could it sustain its tempo to challenge the dominant paradigm, the knowledge it produced and the arguments it made were significant and set the tone for many later day initiatives and certainly inspire people even after a couple of decades. 

Recently, we rediscovered two articles on the nuclear issue that were prevalent at that time. The arguments look significant even today and are worth a read for anyone taking a serious interest beyond the immediate political significance on the nuclear issue in particular and energy overall.

1. Is there a case for Nuclear Energy, March 1982 by Rathin Roy

2. The Indian Nuclear Energy Programme - Net Energy Analysis, March 1989 by Ashok Kumar