"The scientist does not study nature because it is useful; he studies it because he delights in it, and he delights in it because it is beautiful. If nature were not beautiful, it would not be worth knowing, and if nature were not worth knowing, life would not be worth living." - Henri Poincar
Dr. Prabhakar presented his speach on Truth and Beauty by giving extensive examples. As a scientist he discussed about the hidden beauty, unwrapped by the inquisitive mind, understood only by the intellectual thinkers.
He did not speak of the beauty of a visible object, which strikes the senses, the beauty of qualities and appearances. He spoke about the intellectual beauty which comes from the harmonious order of the elements and which a pure intelligence can grasp.
He contemplated on the subjects to see the truth and beauty in literature, mathematics, aerodynamics, etc.
Beauty in Literature
He quoted several poems of Masthi on Truth and Beauty. He stated that some literaterary works start from truth and end in beauty and some describe beauty first and end with truth. For example, vachanas describe beauty first and truth in the end. At the same time dasa sahitya describes truth first and ends with beauty.
Prabhakar discussed beauty is not only in the happy things, it can be seen in sad literature also. He gave an example about Shakespeare's Hamlet drama. After watching the drama, audience applauds it saying it was beautiful even though it was a sad story. Prabhakar's imagination of beauty extends to both happy and unhappy circumstances. Look at this piece of information in Washington Post on February 10, 2003 issue, "If the life span of Earth is conceived as a 12-hour day, running from midnight to noon, we've reached 4:30 a.m. By 5 a.m. (half a billion years from now), they argue, the reign of animals and plants will end. At 8 a.m., the oceans will vaporize. Toward noon, the expanding sun will swallow up Mercury and Venus and most likely Earth, and break chemical bonds that hold matter together at the molecular level. The atomized residue will be scattered through space." It is scary but there is Truth and Beauty in it.
Beauty in Mathematics
He spoke about the beauty in a mathematician's perspective; how a mathematician is fascinated with the marvelous beauty of the problems he solves, and how in its beauty he finds everlasting truth.
When a mathematician is working on a mathematical problem, he/she never thinks about the beauty. He/she thinks only how to solve the problem. But when they have finished solving the problem and if the solution is right, they feel the immense joy of beauty. He said that mathematics possesses not only truth, but possesses supreme beauty also.
Beauty in Aerodynamics
He illustrated the basic understanding of kite aerodynamics techniques, how elasticity and the aerodynamic forces acting on a kite tend to effect airstream. Mixture of various densities as a result of different temperatures, relative humidity, pollution, and other factors contribute to the variation in velocity, or speed and direction. He talked about the motion of the kite in relation to the force of the airstream in which it is flying. He compared same method to aircraft also. When one listens these descriptions, one may think, "It is all mechanical. What beauty exists in there?" But Prabhakar emphasized that we must understand that the beauty is not in the kite or aircraft, it is in the underlying truth, which makes kites and aircraft to fly. That is truth and beauty.
He said the real action takes place in the caverns of the mind. Beauty is not only in beholder's eye, beauty is in experiencer's mind also.
Prabhakar concluded his speach by referring to John Keats' poem,
"Beauty is truth, truth beauty, that is all Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know."
By JN