Indian Science Congress - A Circus or a Forum for Showcasing Hard Science?

The recent comment of Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, Nobel laureate of Indian origin and President of the Royal Society of Britain, about the Indian Science Congress (ISC), 'It was a circus. I find that it's an organization where very little science is discussed', triggered a lot of debate on the seriousness of the organization and deliberations in ISC. Perhaps, the same is relevant for meetings of some other societies in different branches of sciences in India. The media reactions varied from strongly endorsing Ramakrishnan's views to the defence of the status quo and the manner in which ISC is conducted.