Science stalls at Sunderban’s rural fair!
How many of us can even imagine the presence of ISRO, BARC-Mumbai, Geographical Survey of India, Ministry of Earth Sciences stalls in a rural fair? Well, it was a pleasant surprise indeed, as I along with my Kishalay (the NGO I run in Sunderbans) kids decided to explore the Sunderban Krishti Mela that was organized by Kultali Milan Tirtha Society between 20-29 December 2017.
A rural fair is expected to be all about merry-go-rounds, shops selling glass bangles and rural potteries, or even the food stalls with sweets and namkeens. But when you find stalls of various Science Organizations of India in the middle of a rural fare, you feel astounded and curious! All these stalls were set up to spread science awareness among rural people and students. The Sunderbans has always been an area synonymous to Bengal Tigers. But it is also an area that is fast growing with the villages getting exposure to education and schools. A number of NGOs like ours have also set up primary schools to impart English medium education.
In such an environment, it is all but natural for various departments of India’s scientific arena to set up stalls for the spread of science. The ISRO stall at the fair was displaying different aspects of space technology through a 32 inches television set up. Curious visitors were enjoying a demo by none other than space traveler Sunita Williams, though it was in English. Some stalls were highlighting the need and means of Skill Development and how to open new avenues of employment. Even there was a stall of passport office.
Bhaba Atomic Research Centre or BARC has been bringing many technologies related to agriculture, public health and medical devices in the recent past. They are eager to promote rural entrepreneurship and thus they had a good presence at the fair. What is important in the development of any region is awareness of what is happening all around the world. Hence no wonder rural fairs have also taken to a new dimension, with lots of scientific stalls to create awareness.
