In english language the question ’what is the time’ has got a simple answer. But if we omit the article ’the’ and ask ’what is time’ it opens up a Pandora’s Box. So is the case with science. Everybody uses the world science and its adjective scientific – scientific method, scientific thinking, scientific approach etc. But you ask the question what is this ’science’, what do you mean by ’being scientific’, the answer are not that simple. That it is the opposite of ’nonscience’ is tautology. Is it the opposite of religion? Of superstition? The discourse will then change to what is superstition?

Some of us from the Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishat had an interesting experience. We were in the midst of a major science popularisation campaign, organized lectures on Nature, Science and Society. (We planned 3000 lectures in one month and ended up with about 12000). Depending upon the inclinations of the speaker there was scope for a wide variety of presentations. In one instance the speaker was a hard core rationalist. He was letting out a harangue on superstition. From amongst the audience rose one middle aged person and requested the speaker: "Would you, sir, give us a list of superstitions which we should do away with? And also tell us why they are called superstitions and what harm they do to us". Our friend sensed the trap and some how extricated himself, though not very creditably.