There is no doubt that Sci-Fi is a very effective and important genre. However, I feel, it comes under the umbrella of fiction or science popularisation depending upon the proportion in content. 

In my opinion, there is nothing belittling about that.  Was the gentleman simply putting it under the umbrella of sci pop or also making is look small, unimportant etc.?  I, for instance, wouldn't take offence if someone were to put novels under the umbrella of literature, Mahatma Gandhi under human beings and Apollo under space crafts.

Are you sure we are not being over sensitive?

CMN

From: Vishwa Mohan Tiwari <onevishwa@...>
Subject: RE: [indiansciencefiction] SF is a neglected item in Science Communcation Sullabus !
To: indiansciencefiction@...
Date: Friday, 11 July, 2008, 8:14 AM

Friends,
Ofcourse, any knowledgeable science communicator would not or should not relegate SF to a dust bin.
Before one can comment on such a view, it would be desirable to know their arguments against SF.
vmt

 

Vishwa Mohan Tiwari

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To: indiansciencefictio n@yahoogroups. co.in
From: arvind_drmishra@ yahoo.co. in
Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2008 14:45:17 +0000
Subject: [indianscienceficti on] SF is a neglected item in Science Communcation Sullabus !

Dear Friends,
Many knowledgeable people-scientist ans science communicators in India
still have a very vague idea about the genre/mainstream sf.
The other day an academician of repute from science journalism faculty
of a prestigious University in Utter Pradesh was adamant to relegate sf
to a minuscule status under Popular Science.
I did not like the idea of attempting to debase a full fledge and grown
up literary genre like sf and categorizing it under Pop sci only.May be
it is technically correct but it does not look proper.
What I think sf has now emancipated to the extent that it could not be
taken only as a sub genre of any discipline like Popular science or for
that matter any creative form of writing in science or literature.
SF should be given its deserved status in Indian Universities in the
curricula related to science outreach programmes.
A genre like this should not be taken with a casual approach and must be
treated with dignity and due respect.
I trust that good sense shall prevail in those who are dealing with
University syllabus on science communication in many parts of India.
What do you think ?

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