Students of Birla High School for Boys distribute relief material at a Patharpratima village

Cyclone aid steers students to the fore

Several schools and colleges are working to bring relief to people still reeling under the aftermath of Aila, that swept the state on May 25. Young Metro takes a look.

Birla High School for Boys: Arjun Manek, a Class XI student of Birla High, was part of a group of 15 students who travelled to Dakshin Lakshminarayanpur village, in Patharpratima constituency, to distribute relief material on June 20. The students, with the school’s alumni association, have been working with Bharat Sevashram Sangha to take rice, pulses, biscuits, clothes and mosquito nets to the affected.

“The villagers told us that they had had knee-deep water for 15 days and had lost their farms and cattle. About 90 per cent of the children were bare-bodied.”

Modern High School for Girls: The students have pooled about Rs 1,75,000, from their first collection. “We are working with a Calcutta-based NGO called Sharehouse Charitable Foundation, which works in association with Tagore Society for Rural Development in Gosaba,” said principal Devi Kar.

South Point High School: The school is sending relief materials to Satjelia island in Gosaba: “The money will be used for construction materials to build homes on the island” said Krishna Damani of South Point School.

Howrah-based Lyceum English Medium School handed over food material and candles to a local Roman Catholic church in Gosaba on June 22.

Students of La Martiniere for Girls (LMB), La Martiniere for Boys (LMG), Calcutta Girls’ High School and Calcutta Boys’ HIGH School are collecting rice, pulses, sugar, milk powder, and mineral water. lRammohun Mission High School has sent clothes, food, medicines and tarpaulin sheets. Students of LMB and LMG, Akshar and Mahadevi Birla Girls’ Hs School, BHaratiya Vidya BHAVAN also participated in a fund-raising concert at South City mall, organised by social activist Mudar Patherya. “Even students in wheelchairs eagerly joined in the effort. The next step is to send text and exercise books for schoolchildren,” said Neena Singh, the executive director of Akshar.

Jadavpur University: Some students and teachers from the comparative literature and English departments of Jadavpur University are working in several villages in Gosaba block under Bally 2 panchayat, including Bijoynagar and Birajnagar. They have collected more than Rs 1,00,000, used for food items like rice, Zeoline, tarpaulins and medicines. Textbooks have been distributed in Bijoynagar. Next on the cards is a medical camp in Hingalgunge block.

Another group from the English and philosophy departments is working in the Satyanarayanpur 3 village under Bali 1 panchayat. They are raising money to rehabilitate the local high school.

lSt Xavier’s College ALUMNI ASSOCIATION: The alumni have approached several organisations — Palli Unnayan Samity, People for People, Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, Mashriq Education Trust and Calcutta Muslim Orphanage — to help in the relief effort. A medical camp has been set up in Kalidaspur, in Chotto Mulla Kaali, with the help of Palli Unnayan Samity. A team of medical staff, including two doctors, has been sent from Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital.

—Jhinuk Mazumdar and Guneet Singh Chadha

Students listen to a lecture by Debiprosad Duari. Picture by Anindya Shankar Ray

Let’s talk about science and us

The underlying principle of science is to question accepted ideas. This was the premise of a summer camp organised by Jagadish Bose National Science Talent Search, a 51-year-old organisation that promotes science among students.

From June 1 to 7, about 60 Class XII students from across the state were introduced to various scientific concepts and delved into the history of science.

The seven-day workshop’s theme was “Science and You: Possible Milestones”.

Divided into groups of seven, the students, at the end of the camp, had to make a presentation on a topic of their choice. “We sent out notices to schools for participation in the camp, asking for academically bright students,” said Papiya Nandi, the honorary director of the organisation. Eleven schools participated.

The camp, with 14 sessions, stressed on analysis and observation. It was free of cost, with participants even being paid a conveyance allowance.

On Day I, students were given a solar toy. Each group had to design a circuit explaining how the toy functioned and devise its possible implementations in real life.

One of the first lectures was on the value of teamwork by Professor Ashesh Nandy of the School of Environmental Science, Jadavpur University, who spoke about the importance of articulating ideas clearly and ways to improve effectiveness of a team by the division of labour.

Other prominent lecturers were Siddharth Roy, the director of the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, and Partha Ghosh, a former faculty of Satyendra Nath Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences.

Documentary films on eminent figures and famous inventions were also screened, including Life Force, a film on Rosalind Franklin and the discovery of the double helix structure of the DNA. Rare pictures and videos of the universe and a model of Chandrayaan I were also shown.

Students vied to win a circuit diagram competition and an inter-school science quiz, the latter won by Dolna Day School.

“Economics is also a science, as it deals with interpretation. That is why my topic for the final presentation was ‘science and the economy’,” said Apratim Dey, a Class XII student of Dolna Day School, who prefers economics over the pure sciences.

The students came up with a variety of topics, including the theory of relativity, the pros and cons of manipulating science to create life, as in the case of test tube babies, and satellite communication.

At the end of the workshop, all participants were given book vouchers worth Rs 1,000.

— Sriyanta Chatterjee

Chit Chat

Camp with cause

Children of classes IX and X from various schools came together for a 17-day summer camp that culminated in a cultural programme held in June at Rabindra Okakura Bhavan in Salt Lake. Organised for children from four to 14 years of age, it included sessions in math, craftwork, calligraphy, cartooning, non-gas cooking, debating, a fashion show and dance. Children also participated in a tree-planting session, where they discussed the dangers of global warming and measures that can be taken to minimise it. The camp, in its third year, had 50 participants. It had seven participants in the first year.

The cultural programme consisted of Rani Jhansi, a dance drama based on Subhadra Kumari Chauhan’s poem and Khoob ladi mardani woh toh Jhansi wali rani thi. Participants from four to six years of age enacted witty stories of Tenali Rama, the 16th century court poet whose stories have been turned into an animated series.

Hello, Hannah

City teenagers enjoyed their outing with Hannah Montana at the first screening of the film version of the popular TV series at Priya Cinema in June. In the Peter Chelsom-directed film, the central character, Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus) is forced to chose between her country-girl roots and her secret pop star persona, Hannah Montana, though she wants the best of both worlds. “I am a huge fan of the TV series, but the film was much better,” said Vansika Parekh.

When Hannah Montana’s pop star persona threatens to take over her life, her father takes her to their country home in Tennessee, to see if the country girl still exists, kicking off an adventure.

The movie is a musical joyride, with Hannah performing crowd favourites like Rockstar, in addition to unveiling 10 new songs, including Hoedown Throwdown and the soulful You’ll always find your way back home.

— SC