A student from Arunachal Pradesh lists ways of avoiding water crisis at the National Science Seminar, 2008. Picture by Anindya Shankar Ray

The stage was set for action at Birla Industrial and Technological Museum (BITM) on October 3, as schoolchildren (up to Class X) from various states exchanged notes on the looming water crisis, its commercialisation and the burden of installing water meters. The occasion was the National Science Seminar, 2008, organised by National Council of Science Museums (NCSM). One student from each state — the winner of the state-level seminars — participated in the meet.

NCSM has been organising such seminars since 1982 with the aim of popularising science among students.

Debesh Das, the state minister in charge of information technology, Ingit Mukherjee, the director-general of NCSM, and Jayanta Sthanapati, the director of BITM, also attended the event.

“NCSM takes science to children in an informal way. We create an ambience where one learns to enjoy the subject,” said Mukherjee. Vikram Aditya of Ramakrishna Mission Vidyapith, Deoghar, bagged the first prize. According to him, a water crisis was mostly man-made. Preeta Pratakshya of De Paul School, Berhampore, enumerated how pollution, dumping of waste materials and improper management of resources led to water woes.

Devamsh Reddy of KE Board’s High School, Dharwad, also made an impressive speech on how 20 per cent of our population dies of water-borne diseases, the most common being jaundice.

Each participant was given five minutes for his or her presentation. The jury comprised T.V. Ramachandra, a professor of ecological science at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, A.K. Rastogi, a professor at IIT Mumbai, A.L. Ramanathan, an associate professor of environmental science, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Aniruddha Mukhopadhay, the head of the department of environmental science, Calcutta University.

At the end of the discussion, there was a cultural programme, in which each participant highlighted some traditions of his or her state.

The first prize-winner bagged a monthly scholarship of Rs 2,000 for a year. Nine other merit prize-winners won monthly scholarships of Rs 1,000 for a year. The remaining 22 participants received scholarships of Rs 500 a month for a year. Certificates and books were given to the students. The guide teachers of each participant were also honoured.

Nandagopal Bhattacharjee, the state minister in charge of water resources investigation and development, gave away the awards. “I hope all the strategies mentioned today will be translated into action soon,” the minister said.

Chandreyee Bhaumik
Third Year, English
St Xavier’s College

 

A fun world beyond books

Children perform at the kids’ conference organised by Indus Valley World School. Picture by Anindya Shankar Ray

It’s not just parents who attend conferences, but kids too. To educate schoolchildren through entertainment, Indus Valley World School (IVWS), Kolkata, organised a kids’ conference on September 28. The event was attended by 28 city schools and inaugurated by educationist and MLA Barry O’Brien.

The meet kicked off with “Expressions”, where every participant had to speak for three minutes on topics like “If I were the principal”, “How I would conduct exams” or “The school of my dreams.” Many students let their imagination run wild, like the one who wanted to be a river and flow inside his school.

Purbasha Paul of BD Memorial Institute (BDMI) was the junior-level (Classes III-V) winner, while Akansha Mukherjee of Mahadevi Birla Girls’ Higher Secondary School won in the senior level.

“Mastermind Quiz”, that involved both kids and their parents, was a big crowd-puller. Its dumb charade round turned out to be the most interesting, with participants being asked to guess the names of movies. While Aaja Nachle and Mujhse Shaadi Karogi proved easy for the quizzards, Krishna Cottage and Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic were the tough ones.

A mother-daughter team from Delhi Public School, Mega City, won the competition, followed by a father-daughter team from Salt Lake Siksha Niketan.

Students also staged folk and classical dance performances with Pandit Shyamlal Maharaj and danseuse Purnima Ghosh judging them.

The winner in this category was IVWS, followed by Khalsa Model Senior Secondary School. Other contests included painting, singing, a jam session, drama and mimicry.

“We express ourselves better through such fun events,” said Sushovik Biswas, a Class IX student of BDMI.

Usha Mehta, the director and administrator of BDMI and IVWS, said she wanted such meets to change the mindset of parents. “It helps them realise the latent talent in their kids. Books are not the be-all-and-end-all of a student’s life. A conference like this helps children to come out of their shell and voice their opinion.”

Somrita Ganguly
First Year, English
Loreto College