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August 11, 2002
In brief
GENES, genomes, genetics. Very few newspaper readers were aware of these scientific terms until Dolly the sheep hit the headlines in 1996. Most people are still not very clear about the basic concept of genetic engineering. The mass media have covered the subject from various angles: how genes hold the key to life as we know it, how genomes mark the blueprint of our past, present and future — and what are the hopes and expectations the discoveries hold out on the genetics front.
The Urdu press has been prolific of late in publishing stories and articles on science and health But not all of them come up to academic expectations. Recently, a book on genetics, published by Urdu Science Board, made waves in the Urdu press. Pakistan’s leading Urdu daily, in its weekly magazine, published a two-page discourse on the work.
Misleadingly titled Khaliye ki duniya, the brief work attempts to cover, as it claims, “genetics, cloning and the human genome”. The book contains many serious flaws and misconceptions possibly because of the author’s insufficient knowledge of genetics and his inadequate training in scientific methodology. The combination has proved lethal for the authenticity of the book.
For instance, while mentioning Mendel’s famous experiments with the peas, the author appears to be totally lost. On pages 59-60, for instance, he claims that Mendel selected the pea plant for experiment because it was too difficult to experiment on “living bodies” which shows that the author thinks of plants as having no life. The entire book is replete with such errors.
Unmindful of his terminology, the author substitutes technical terms with his own slang words - for “fertilized ovum” he uses the expression “gaabhan baiza” (from slang for a pregnant cow) instead of the scientific term in Urdu, “baarwar baiza”.
The Urdu Science Board would be well advised to call back this publication from the market, and investigate how the manuscript was approved. The book has been dedicated to Dr Anwar Nasim, a leading Pakistani scholar of biogenetics. One wonders what he has to say about it. — M. Khalid Rahman
Khaliye ki duniya
By Baqar Naqvi
Urdu Science Board,
299 Upper Mall, Lahore
124pp. Rs90
THIS is a tri-lingual collection of articles on the life and works of Dr Nabi Bakhsh Ali Muhammad Baloch, who is ranked as a leading Sindhi research scholar. The articles focus on Dr Baloch’s remarkable research on Sindh’s history, civilization, culture, folk literature, anthropology and archaeology. Twenty five articles are in Sindhi by prominent poets, scholars and academicians like Hameed Sindhi, Mumtaz Mirza, Imdad Hussaini, Taj Joyo, Murad Ali Mirza, Dr Abdul Jabbar Junejo, Niaz Hamayooni, Dr Ghulam Muhammad Lakho, Dr Dur Muhammad Pathan and others.
Dr Hameeda Khuhro, Muneeza Hashmi, Prof Nazir Ahmed, Aziz Malik, Dr Habibullah Siddiqui and Seema Qureshi have written in English. The articles by Dr Muhammad Saleem Akhtar, Prof Afaq Siddiqui, Khalid Athar and Prof Chand Bibi Sultana are in Urdu. Rare photographs of Dr Baloch have enhanced the value of the collection.
Dr Baloch has played a remarkable role played in the preservation and promotion of Sindhi culture and language. His most notable contribution has been the documentation of Sindhi folklore in 40 volumes, published by the Sindhi Adabi Board Jamshoro.
In spite of being advanced in age — he is 88 — Dr Baloch is still actively engaged in research. — Anwer Abro
Dr Baloch: hik misali aalim
Compiled by Taj Joyo
Sindhica Academy, B-24, National Auto Plaza, Marston Road Karachi
387pp. Rs200
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