0 Readdressing People’s Science Movement in India: A Quest for an Alternative Science Vairaj Arjune Centre for Studies in Science Policy, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi – 110067, India. E-mail: varjune24@gmail.com Organized movements, whether social, scientific, political or religious has been the backbone of India’s developmental capabilities. The more prominent movement in recent times has been the environmental movement group such as the Narmada Bachao Andolan which questions the relevance of constructing large dams at the expense of people’s livelihood in India. But one can assume that with so many movements in the history of India, ranging from highly successful to suppression, there would be some form of coordination or structured framework pushing these groups. This we can trace through the People Science Movement (PSM) that can be considered an umbrella movement that embodies “science” movements in India. But first, it is important to examine the factors responsible for the emergence of the PSM, which can be attributed to the dichotomy between modern science and traditional science, or between elite science and science for the people. There was a growing concern among scientists and social scientists that scientific research in India was done at the helm of the elite group with little to no purpose or application for the wider section of society. Thus, this elite touch of science led to the emergence of numerous voluntary groups (Vaidyanathan et al., 1979). To give a definition of PSM would greatly hamper the activities and purpose of the People Science Movement. One can attempt to understand PSM through various episodes in Indian history. Prakash (1984) in her article, People’s Science Movement and Women Struggle stated that the pursuance of people science simply implies the dissemination of science, creation of a new science, or it can be a synthesis of a science which in its production, content and use operates to challenge the status quo. 1. What is PSM? The earliest group to advocate the science for the people was the Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad (KSSP) which was driven by the realization that science in its broadest sense should embrace all branches of knowledge. KSSP was founded in Kerala in 1960, with the ultimate burden and task of modernizing India. The slogan for the group was “Science for Social Revolution”, and the use of the term science in the slogan meant relying on factual evidence and information rather than blinding accepting faith and superstitious statements. But in traditional India, where it was common for people to rely on godmen and religion for answers, it was challenging for KSSP to bring about any real scientific consciousness in its infant stage. The movement was heavily biased towards the use of science and technology to solve the problems of the common people. The members of the group – scientists, teachers, engineer students – sought to shift some of the