I am really delighted to promote the new blog that Arun (Subbiah Arunachalam ) has started. Arun is a polymath who has worked in chemistry and information science:
Subbiah Arunachalam (known to friends as Arun) started his career as a research chemist, but found his calling in information science. In the past four decades, he has been a student of chemistry, a laboratory researcher (at the Central Electrochemical Research Institute and the Indian Institute of Science), an editor of scientific journals (at the Publications and Information Directorate of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and the Indian Academy of Sciences), the secretary of a scholarly academy of sciences (IASc), a teacher of information science (at the Indian National Scientific Documentation Centre), and a development researcher (at the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation and the Indian Institute of Technology Madras). While working with M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, he initiated the South-South Exchange Traveling Workshop to facilitate hands on cross-cultural learning for knowledge workers from Africa, Asia and Latin America engaged in ICT-enabled development.
I first met Arun at a meeting on publishing in the Third World (I can’t remember the exact title) which opened my eyes to the role of scholarly publications. (I think I contributed little except a stereotyped neo-colonial and chauvinistic approach but I learnt a lot).
Since then we have been correspondents at irregular intervals. He frequently asks if we can help to evangelise Openness in India. He would send discussion documents on all sorts of areas in this field. Now he has moved to this blog which is an ideal way to spread his message.
The first day (June 8th) had over 50 posts. Substantial posts. I’m hoping that these represent a backlog (many have dates up to 5 years back) and that it will settle down to a few a day, because otherwise, Arun, you will overwhelm us!
I cannot myself urge scientists and information specialists in the third world (I hope that is still the correct term) to take any particular action.
But I can meta-urge them – to read Arun’s blog and to mail him(there are no comment facilities?) on areas and actions.