CELEBRATION OF MAN AND SCIENCE!

Glimpses of 7th India International Science Festival 2021 which took place from December 10 to 13, 2021 in Panaji at SAG Grounds, Campal… don’t miss the Periodic Table installations of the elements inviting the attention of all the visitors, in the foregound; two huge tents put up called Bose and Raman tents accommodated huge numbers of students for various programs.

By Pankajbala R Patel

IT was a mind-boggling three-day edition of the India International Science Festival 2021 which took place from December 10 to 13, 2021 at various venues but mainly at SAG grounds at capital city Panaji’s main Campal promenade. Here a large infrastructure of colourful tents were put up to fittingly showcase India’s creativity in science and technology, although some visitors were heard confiding that the expo deserved a few more days to the restrictive barely three days from inauguration to valedictory function on Dec13.
To have taken the enormous challenge of organizing it one may say only bus-loads of students from schools around Goa filled up the tented halls for various events, exhibitions, science shows and hosting the community of scientists and staff who had come from Delhi and various other places around the country. The highlight of the expo were three Guinness records — the first Guinnes record for the most number of students and staff assembling hundreds of
Gaganyaan model rocket kits at one place and letting them off successfully.
The other Guinnes record was for most people assembling rainwater harvesting kits online at a single venue, and the third record witnessed the largest space exploration lesson at a single venue to do with assembling radio telescoping. Engineering students had put up an estimated 300 various kinds of models to demonstrate how life could change for ordinary human beings for the better or for the worse, it’s anyone’s guess.
There was a sprawling AYUSH section with the doctors of traditional schools of medicine examining and prescribing for visitors who were interested in preventive and curative for various afflictions through Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Unani or Siddha healthcare and herbal portions, medicinal oils and lotions, etc. The National Medicinal Plants Board was represented here with tips on good agricultural practices for medicinal plants and much more.
The Pune-based National Centre for Cell Science was here with its lab of structural biology dealing with PhD students engaged in research areas of ion channels, bioinformatics, nucleopore assembly to do with membrane proteins, host-pathogen interactions, drug design, host-pathogen network analysis, protein evolution and more. What are the country’s medical scientists not researching for future profit and control of life as it is and how to fine tune it further or so to speak!
Vigyan Prasar (an autonomous organisation of the Department of Science & Technology) based in Noida, UP, was here; as also was the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research; and the CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute which is dedicated to food science and technology – in this section several companies amazed with their innovative health foods and more natural products for healthcare and nutrition boosting. Here were anti-inflammatory pain relieving oils, balms, perfume oils, herbal incense sticks, energy foods like nutri fruit bars fortified with iron and zinc, kokum jelly and much more.
How much extra virgin coconut oils is being produced in the country now (e.g. check out Abhay from Shrideshwara Coconut Products from Mysuru), ever heard of CFTRI’s “High Protein Rusk” which could replace the ordinary sliced white refined bread rusks in the diet of many children and seniors to introduce more protein (a deficiency with most vegetarians in the country); there’s also the aasnaa “Multigrain Protein Mix”, HIM shiitake mushrooms with “rich buttery flavour,”NatSpir spirulina peanut bars and Holmic ashwagandha, almond, cinnamon bars…exclaimed scientist Dr Mamatha SS here,“The CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute has a list of so many products, but we’re just waiting for entrepreneurs to come forward to produce and market them economically to improve the health of society further down the ladder, replace the American junk foods of the marketplace!”

Come to think of it why shouldn’t Marie biscuits be replaced by the high protein rusks in government establishments to set an example? There was a CIMAP Phal-Se nutritive immunity enhancer of aonla and bael fruit elsewhere, alas, nothing was for tasting or giving away as samples, but I managed to buy a few things and some of the stalls as usual were giving away some of the stuff as the expo came to a close.

The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology is promoting green skill development programs sponsored by Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change but one can’t help thinking that boycotting plastics is not on top of the list of promotions to do on a war footing – just about everywhere one sees is going into plastics, it’s a shame and a disgrace and a testimony to how seriously we treat Mother Earth seriously despite our much flaunted sanskari and sankriti preaching which is in top gear with the ruling party in India. Lip-service is all even when it comes to saving the dying rivers of India.

All this and much more at the grandest science and technological expo organized in tandem with a host of government of India organisations held in Goa for so few days, at least one visiting Ruby Mishra from Delhi sighed, “Yes, it could have lasted for a day or two more although I understand the logistics would have been difficult!”

Still it was rewarding to see the busloads of students at the expo to participate in the digital-education competitions and showcasing of science and technological marvels. With batches of students turning up there was barely room in the two voluminous  Bose and Raman tents to accommodate everyone at the sessions lined-up.

The valedictory function was attended by Governor of Goa PS Sreedharan Pillai who in his talk stressed that the country needs to think independently, “In Covid-19 pandemic our scientists achieved success to develop a vaccine within nine months and successfully achieved vaccination drive. This is an example of celebration of science and innovation. Let the ideas flow like majestic rivers of our country.”

The governor predicted that in the next 25 years India will leap forward “as the tallest nation in the field of science and technology and the Indian International Science Festival will help Goa to become a science hub.”  Present at the valedictory function were Dr M Ravichandran (secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences), Dr Shekhar Mande, who praised cinnamon cultivation in  in India through the farmers meet where a documentary was filmed at INOX auditorium on the opening day. Amongst other dignitaries were Goa Chief Secretary Parimal Rai, DG, CSIR, Joint Secretary Indira Murthy and National Organizing Secretary of Vijnana Bharati Jayant Saharabudhe.  

Reportedly more than 10,000 delegates visited the expo, and 20,000 more visited on-line on virtual mode. In conclusion one cannot but praise IISF-2021 as the best of all the BJP sarkar’s Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav events, a fitting tribute to the on-going Goa@60 celebrations!

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