CNN Central News & Network-ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal: The stall of Rabindranath Tagore University (RNTU) won the first prize in the educational institutions category at the science fair organised at Barkatullah University in the state capital. At the stall, students were given an opportunity not only to see science on display, but also to understand and experience it through activities. Students of the Tagore National School of Drama also staged a street play on India’s contribution to science.
Teams from RNTU’s Centre for Science Communication, Department of Forensic Science and Department of Pharmacy explained science-related models to students at the fair. Dr Preeti Singh, Durga Pandey and Bhupendra Singh, who were present at the stall, also informed children about the use of science in everyday life.
Astronomical observation through a telescope remained one of the main attractions for students visiting the RNTU stall. Students used the telescope to observe and better understand their curiosity about the sky and space. A glimpse of forensic science was also a special attraction at the stall. Students were given a demonstration of fingerprint identification and the process of lifting fingerprints, through which they learned how scientific techniques are used in crime investigation.
In addition, science-related models, experiments and interactive activities were organised at the stall. School and college students participated in them enthusiastically. The interest of students visiting the stall was not limited to watching the displays; they were also seen asking questions about the activities and showing interest in understanding them. Through its participation, RNTU tried to connect science with experience and dialogue.
A street play was also staged at the fair on the theme “India’s Knowledge and India’s Science”. The play begins with a young character, “Modern Montu”, who believes that India has not made any major contribution to science. His perception changes through a dialogue with his grandmother. Characters such as Aryabhata, Sushruta and Yogini then appear and present information on Indian mathematics, astronomy, medicine and the yoga tradition through dialogue and songs.
A notable feature of the play was that it did not place the Indian knowledge tradition in opposition to modern science. In the final part, the message was given to move forward with modern science on the foundation of ancient knowledge. In this way, the presentation attempted to place science and knowledge before students not merely as subjects in books, but as themes connected with India’s scientific heritage and the present time.
On the occasion, university Vice-Chancellor Dr Ravi Prakash Dubey said that winning the first prize at the science fair was the result of the creative thinking of students and teachers. Registrar Dr Sangeeta Johri said the active participation of students at the RNTU stall indicated that when science is linked with experiments and experience, the learning process becomes more effective.
At the science fair, the university’s participation attempted to take science beyond models and exhibitions and connect it with observation, experimentation, dialogue and performance. The first prize received in the stall category for educational institutions was a key outcome of this participation. Dr Anil Tawari, Registrar of Dr C.V. Raman University, Khandwa, and Sameer Choudhary, Deputy Registrar of RNTU, were also present at the closing programme of the science fair.
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