@ Vienna :TWAS 2015

Austrian Academy of Sciences

Frescoes inside the seminar hall

The  26th Annual general meeting of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) was held at Vienna this November. Austrian Academy of Sciences hosted the meeting and naturally the venue was the Academy itself.  This imposing historic building built in 1755 and  inaugurated by Maria Theresa originally housed the University of Vienna. During the 1848 revolution, the building catered to military needs accommodating soldiers. It was in 1857 that the Kaiserliche Academie der Wissenschaften ( Imperial Academy of Sciences) moved in here.  In 1947 its name was changed to Austrian Academy of Sciences.  The frescoes inside the building are   beautiful. The  side panels represent four traditional branches of knowledge of the University: Theology, jurisprudence,philosophy and medicine. These were painted by Gregorio Guglielmi. 

This year's theme for the conference was Sustainable Development and how science and scientists can enable and accelerate these process. Delivering the  keynote lecture, Albert Louis Sachs however cautioned that sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) must necessarily  include the needs of the poor.  Sachs had served as one of the six judges in the Constitutional Court of South Africa for fifteen years from 1994-2009. He highlighted the case of Grootboom V Constitutional court of South Africa.  Adequate housing is guaranteed in the constitution of South Africa and the SA Government identified several plots of lands to build low cost housing. However due to a combination of circumstances helpless people such as Grootboom and several others had to pitch huts in one of these plots.  SA Government evicted them, without providing any alternative.  Grootboom went to the court.  The case came up before Albert Sachs. He judgement  was in favor of Grootboom, however it is another story that Irene Grootboom died in a shanty at the age of 39.


A roof and at least one square meal- demands of the poor are so minimal. But  that  doesn't mean they  can be sidelined or totally excluded  when the rest of the world makes plans for a better  future.  This brings into sharp focus contemporary concerns in several developing  countries. In the name of development agricultural lands are being erased and forest areas are encroached into. Balanced and all inclusive equations alone would lead to sustainable development. 

Tailpiece
 At one stage Vienna was the power center of Europe and empress Maria Theresa decided the fate of the continent. Palaces,and churches ...  the city has so many attractions .Vienna was also the musical capital and  we indulged   ourselves in  a concert at the Mozarthauz. Mozarthauz is the oldest concert hall in Vienna where Mozart used to entertain  Bishop Colloredo.  And then, of course Vienna is also the city of Freud. His house is a museum now.    

At the Freud Museum 

 Inside the Mozarthauz