Jamshedpur: If kids his age read Harry Potter, he reads A Brief History of Time. And now, Class VIII student Anjishnu Satpathy of Hill Top School who wanted to reach out for the stars has come a lot closer to his dream.
For, Anjishnu, 14, will visit Nasa (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) in the United States this May for 10 days to learn about Mars.
The aspiring astrophysicist has made it to the top 21 students from across India to visit Nasa under the Kalpana Chawla National Scholar Exam organised for the first time by Educharya.com, an e-learning website based in Pune. Anjishnu was selected among the 21 from among 1.2 lakh applications from across the country through an online test held last December.
The online test based on CBSE and ICSE syllabuses shortlisted 2,134 students who underwent an interview on Skype. From Hill Top School, there were four students, including Anjishnu, among the 2,184 short-listed ones. Finally, 84 students from across India were selected among whom the top 21.
During the Nasa trip, the chosen 21 will learn about Mars and developing a conducive environment to live there. They will be given real life situations to work on. Beyond Nasa, students will also visit Disneyland and Universal Studios.
"I always dreamt of visiting Nasa. I idolise Stephen Hawking, read his books and want to be an astrophysicist. This is my time to learn and gather whatever I can from my dream destination," said the boy who thanked his school for letting him know of the Educharya.com opportunity.
Vikram Bhoyar, Educharya.com regional marketing head, said, "Nasa has prepared modules for students' visit depending on their age group. We were told this group will learn about life in Mars through simulators."
The Baridih boy who stays with parents Tushar Kanti Satpathy and Sumona Pani, also loves to sing and is learning Hindustani classical vocal.
Principal of Hill Top School, Puneeta B. Chouhan, said he was a performer in academics too. "In fact, all our four students who cleared the first round are good students. Anjishnu also done well in various Olympiads. As a school, we try and connect our students to programmes that give them exposure beyond academics," she said.
The 21 students apart, the next lot of 21 students will receive Rs 1 lakh, followed by Rs 50,000 for the next 21 and Rs 20,000 for the next 21. Shrestha Rupam Dwivedi from Delhi Public School, Bokaro, is also a Jharkhand student to bag Rs 50,000 under this programme.
Does Jharkhand have enough amenities to nurture talents like Anjishnu? Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com
