Scientrek 2019

us is the development of biodegradable bio-ceramics, which degrade without leaving traces
after recovering from the fracture.
On 1st of February, we set out to the largest glass and ceramic research centre, CGCRI, After the lunch which we had at the CGCRI's sprawling canteen, we walked over to the Acharya
Centre of Glass and Ceramic Institute of Kolkata. We had an interactive session with the Jagadish Chandra Bose Institute, which is a heritage institute passed on from the time of
director of CGCRI as well as two scientists, who received awards. The warm welcome his wireless radio experiment. Two professors at the Bose Institute explained to us the life
was followed by a well scheduled programme, of which the premier one was the lasers, history of JC Bose and his 50+ inventions which changed how wireless communication we
photonics and fibre optics. We learnt in detail the formation of fibre optics from a bulky know today had changed. The professors there explained to his inspiration in setting up the
glass formation, called the preform. The preform had an outer layer called the cladding, and institute, Swami Vivekananda's and Sister Nivedita's help in inspiring him in spreading the
an inner core. The inner core was made of a special rare earth material of which examples scientific influence over India. We were led through the story of JC Bose and had limitations
include Ytterbium oxide, Germanium oxide which has a lesser refractive index and the in British dominated India. We also saw many of his artefacts, writings and quotes and
outer layer was made of materials of higher refractive index like silicon dioxide to prevent many of his notes from eminent scientists if all times like Darwin's grandson, Rayleigh and
the light rays from diverting from the core and to contain the light rays by maintaining total many more. We then saw the largest auditorium set up in the late 18th Century. The hall
internal reflection. The outer layer was coated with a one or two layered protective coating had artistic designs at the ceiling which resembled those at the Royal Society of London
for additional protection.
Hall. The senior professor explained that he might have got inspired by his meeting at
London. The art was creatively recreated by the Tagore lineage. The hall had been very old,
Later we proceeded on to the ceramic water purification centre. The main problem faced and the government had been planning to convert that place into a heritage site. SIF had
by most Indians today is the scarcity of pure water. The water contaminated by Industrial planned the trip at the right time as later on the senior professor, Mr Rai mentioned that,
waste include large quantities of iron and arsenic which can be really dangerous if consumed they were moving on to a lifeless building soon. We moved over to the institute and entered
in large quantities. The scientists at CGCRI under Specialized Water Technology system the labs. We saw many devices and hygrometer which regulates the humidity. These devices
explained their new invention of purifying the water by absorbing iron and arsenic into their were highly sensitive to water vapour and the readings might change.
porous ceramic material. We moved to the next section, Department of Refractory. Refractory
was a new term for us; although it's applications found its way through. Refractory is One peculiar feature of JC Bose Institute is that it was filled with greenery. They had trees to
a characteristic or the property induced to any material to resist heat to a large extent. shrubs all the way from the entrance to the internal lawn. This intrinsic feature makes Bose
The senior professor at the refractory department explained the use of refractory coated Institute really special for us as well as the scientist working there. While departing from the
material in the iron furnaces where the main machinery is also made of iron. It also finds Institute, the senior professor drew our attention to yet another architectural masterpiece.
its application in furnaces and nuclear thermal plants. Sir J C Bose had designed a sculpture of a woman embedded on to the stone wall
We were very amazed to find that the traditional terracotta used and found in India also in front of a small pond, wherein behind we had flowering perennials. The
had the property of refractory. The process of manufacture is simple but long. The main professor explained that this monument was a sign of respect to
constituents of the manufacturing material are made into small pellets so that it can also Sister Nivedita. During spring, the perennials would shower
be used in construction as well as to provide external strength. They showed us the three the flowers into the pond which continues till today.
different kinds of furnaces which uses refractory material. He also explained the use of We were really amazed at the state of the art
bimetallic thermometer in such furnaces.
planning and mastermind behind this ideology is
truly a remarkable scientists, unrevealed to the
Then we walked through the speciality glass technology division. Apart from the everyday world mankind.
use of glass, we came to know that glass has an important role in Nuclear Reactors as well.
Specially designed RSW (Radioactive Shielding Window) Glass which shields the scientists On the way back, the SIF President, Dr Vinod Sir
from high energy gamma rays with the added on advantage of transparency. Normally, intimated that a group of scientists would be there
Lead is used to prevent the gamma radiation. This RSW glass is produced exclusively for with us in dinner. The group of scientists included
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre. We were really awestruck to know how the hidden glass people from various branches of science like statistics,
technology developed indigenously has made significant progress and still pursuing modern cryptology, biochemistry, nuclear physics etc. We
development in all arenas of life; from Land, Sea to the Outer Space. The temperature in had about ten scientists and two women who are part
space is extreme. For research projects and devices sent to space, special glass is used of Vibha and director of Vidyarthi Vigyan Manthan.
which neither expands not contracts. This special glass which really very rare, is known as After our introduction, the Statistician and cryptologic
refractory ceramic-glass. Apart from normal glass, we also saw special varieties of glass that scientist explained statistics as a part of science in simple
absorbs light, filters infrared radiation, etc.
terms which could be easily understandable. Dr Pathaki
C Banerjee who explained to us molecular phylogeny
As we moved on to final part of CGCRI, we moved to the bioceramics & coating division. and biochemistry, along with that he briefly explained
The scientist over there, had a detailed explanation on Bioceramics in medical orthopedics. his work on compilation of Swami Vivekananda and Sister
Small fractures within 5cm are easily repaired by bone cells. Those outside the reach of Nivedhita. Other scientists also explained their parts and
bone cell repair had to be artificially fused together using Bone-like grafts or artefacts. Mr Abga R Babu (Vijnana Bharti Middle East Coordinator)
These implants are normally chromium stainless steel based which may be implanted in the and Mr Sreeprasad M (Vinjana Bharti Kolkata Coordinator).
bone fractures. The catastrophe arises when these metallic matter reacts with blood and the
blood WBCs automatically reject them as foreign antibodies. That's where Indian science’s On the last day, we had a memorable trip to the Science city,
bioceramics play an important role. Compared to steel implants which are heavy, these are the first and largest science based amusement park in the
light and more corrosion resistant. The latest developments which the scientist explained to

Indian Subcontinent as well as that of Asia. It was an arena of enjoyment for both parents
and children. We first went to the Darwin's Evolution ride, where we saw artificially alive
dinosaurs and evolution from unicellular bacteria to Homo Sapiens. After it was over, we
moved towards the Dynamotion centre where we had small devices to explain us advanced
scientific principles like airplane lift, illusions, etc in a very interesting way. We enjoyed that
area, although it is worth a day to move. We then went to a 3D stereopsis theatre where we
saw a short of film on 'Museum Alive' a film by David Attenborough, a naturalist. The most
exciting and unexplainable part of the science city was that of a spherical projection. On a
Spherical screen, we saw various celestial bodies like the planets, the sun and panoramic
view of the Milky Way. The Earth was the most exciting of all. We saw how concentration of
artificial light and airplane density indicate the development of the country. We felt indeed
proud to see India, as we had been seeing from space. Even the moon was really an epic
scene which is only possible from a spaceship. We really felt elated of getting this pristine
opportunity to visit the largest science city of India this year. After this morning to noon
adventure, we had lunch, and we had someone waiting for us. The secretary General of
Vijnana Bharti, Dr Jayakumar gave a brief lecture on science in a nutshell. He had been
very busy but he had come for an hour to Kolkata to solely meet the Sastra Pratibhas of
Bahrain. We felt really honoured and respect for him.

After lunch, we had a digital and panoramic projection on Human evolution. It is one in
thousands opportunity to see a panoramic film all around you. I had got confused where to
start first and where to look because it was all around. It was really a thrilling experience
in watching how we evolved and reached to a SPC competition today. After the panoramic
film, we saw the various artefacts of Human evolution and scientific development. We saw
Baudhayana Pythagorean theorem and other science theories. We got a good collection of
traditional Indian science and its origin. We had to reach yet another conclusion of our
trip to science city. On our departure, in the bus, the SIF members showed us the Howrah
Bridge and also stopped a distance away so that the Bridge was visible. We also saw the
glorious Victoria Memorial.

As by now, we had concluded our science trip, it was time for shopping. We saw the colorful
eye-catching but crowded and lively market of Kolkata. Apart from everyday experiences
from South India and Bahrain, we also saw Cycle Rickshaws and Tram which were a new
sight for me. Kolkata is known for its sweets and Rasgullas are the most favourite to me. We
had them everyday and enjoyed Calcutta delicacies. It's textile industry has also been well
developed. No multinational corporation can compete with Kolkata textiles at their market.
As we left the market, getting along with us the wonderful artistic impression of a state that
equally promotes art and science.

We departed on 3rd February 4 hours and reached 1600 hours in Bahrain Airport with a
connection flight from Dubai International Airport.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the members of the Science India Forum
Bahrain, for arranging us a wonderful venue for enriching our scientific temper, by now all of
us had decided to become scientists for the nation. The members of SIF Bahrain had worked
Day and night especially on the final day, along with support for Vijnana Bharti Kolkata and
Vijnana Bharti UAE Chapter. It was really a change of air and a new perspective from which
science was viewed not only for me, but also for our friends from 5th to 11th grade.


Apart from rote learning and textbook syllabus, we were awestruck to know the greatness of
Indian Contribution in the field of Science in today's technology. This trip was a remarkable
scientific and unforgettable Science Odyssey...

A Visit To The Heritage


Home of India - Kolkata








Amrutavarshinee Murugan
Bahrain Indian School


I am extremely privileged to be a part of the SAASTRAYAN trip organized by the Science
India Forum, Bahrain. As charted, we started off as a team, on 30th January, to Kolkata
via Abu Dhabi.

We, the 16 Sastra Pratibhas were warmly welcomed by the Vijnana Bharati representatives
at Kolkata Airport. After checking into the hotel, all of us freshened up within an hour to
start off the 1st day of our visit to Variable Energy Cyclotron Center (VECC).It is a R&D
unit of the Department of Atomic Energy. This cyclotron is one amongst the 3 in Asia,
which contributes to the development of latest nuclear particle accelerators. This center
started its operations from 16th June 1977 which provides protons, alpha particles, etc.
of various energies to other institutions. We were explained about the Super-conducting
cyclotron by one of the senior scientists in VECC. Post-lunch, we visited SAHA Institute
of Nuclear Physics (SINP), which was named after, famous scientist Meghanad Saha.We
were explained about microscopes, doping, etc. in detail.


The next day we visited Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute (CGCRI).We
gathered information about the varieties of glasses, optical fiber, Brad’s law, manufacture
of ceramics, etc. The awestruck moment to me was that when a senior scientist explained
about the manufacturing of human vital organs and bones to be replaced, if damaged,
through ceramics for transplantation. For example, a damaged eyeball can be replaced
with a polymer coated eyeball, which cannot be differentiated from the real one. Without
any doubt, these informations will add more to achieve my ambition to become a Medical
Scientist. The same evening, all of us were privileged to have an interactive session with
Padma Shri Dr. Bimal Kumar Roy, other senior scientists and senior officials of Vijnana
Bharati, followed by dinner.


The 3rd day, we visited the SCIENCE CITY which is the largest in Indian Sub-Continent.
There we experienced the “Dark Ride” on The Evolution of the Earth, a 3D movie
“Museum Alive”scripted by David Attenborough and then a panoramic view on Human
Evolution. After all this we visited the famous The J.C.Bose Institute. There we had
acquired informations on Sir J.C.Bose’s inventions such as the very first model of
radio, anemometer, his contributions to plant biology and much more. Further, we
were explained about Lady Abala Bose and Sir Bose’s acquaintances with Rabindranath
Tagore, Swami Vivekananda and Sister Nivedita (Margaret Elizabeth Noble). In the
evening, leisurely, we went for shopping in a busy street called New Market and returned
back to hotel. Holding back in mind much of mesmerizing memories, we travelled back
to Bahrain from the Heritage Home of India with lot more of inquisitiveness.

Harihar Pradeep
The New Indian School







My Experience as a Sasthra Prathiba




The Sasthra Prathiba contest is conducted annually by Science India Forum (SIF) Bahrain,
from 2013. It is a competition where students get an opportunity to express their scientific
temperament. Those with the highest rank are selected as Sasthra Prathibas and get an
opportunity to visit some of the most prestigious scientific institutions in India. I was proud
to be a part of the Sasthra Prathiba team that went to India.

Dubbed ‘Sastrayaan’, it was a four-day trip from 27-31 January, in Hyderabad, India. We
started our journey on 26 Jan from Bahrain and received a warm welcome by the authorities
in the Hyderabad Airport.

On the first day we visited the National Institute of Nutrition. I felt proud to represent my
school. We visited a museum in NIN where we saw pictures about food, diet, nutrition etc.
We got a chance to meet famous scientists who explained us about facts on food. I came
to know that junk food is like slow poison, which attacks our body and causes serious
diseases.


Later that day we visited the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services. We saw
the Indian Early Tsunami Warning Centre, Ocean Information Centre for Fishermen and
Satellite Ground Station. There are only 3 Early Tsunami Warning Centers in the world and
I got a chance to visit one among them.

The next day we visited the Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology. We interacted with
scientists; they explained us about research, development and invention of medicines for
diseases like TB, Alzheimer’s disease, and AIDS etc.

The last day was the most thrilling one, as we visited the famous Missile Technology Centre
and the Research Center Imarat owned by the Defence Research Development Organization.
We saw many missiles like Nag, Agni, Prithvi, MRSAM etc. It was highly informative. We
paid homage to Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam by visiting his house where he lived, while working in
DRDO. Finally, we returned back to Bahrain on 30th January.

This was my first study trip outside Bahrain and it gave me the golden opportunity to
experience my bookish knowledge to reality. My sincere thanks go to SIF Bahrain for making
our trip a grand success and I wish all the budding scientists best wishes in their future
endeavours.

Kapil Rajesh Kavitha
The Asian School



How Sastrayaan Has Influenced Me...

I still remember the day, 5 years ago; when my dad first broke out the news to me that I was getting
an opportunity to visit ISRO. It was a dream come true and my joy knew no bounds. Thus began
my tryst with Sastrayaan, a journey which has thoroughly inspired and motivated me that all of
us are capable of achieving something in our lives.

Sastrayaan has had a great influence in my life. Through this venture, I got the chance to visit
prestigious institutes such as ISRO & DRDO Bangalore, ICMR (Indian Council for Medical
Research), India Tsunami monitoring center, and RCI (Research Centre Imarat Missile electronics
development facility) DRDO facility in Hyderabad. In my third Sastrayaan tour we visited Indian
Institute of Chemical technology, Indian institute of Geomagnetism, IIT Mumbai and BARC (Bhabha
Atomic Research Centre) Mumbai. During our visit to ISRO we saw satellites being assembled in
the clean room and the missiles launching UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) in DRDO which gave
me genuine thrill. In our Visit to RCI- Hyderabad we interacted with the director of DRDO who was
also the direct scientific advisor to the Prime Minister of India. In our BARC visit we were taken
inside the Atomic Reactor which will be an unforgettable experience of my life.


We got to meet and interact with eminent scientists from various fields during the Sastrayaan.
All scientists whom we met had one thing in common that is their enthusiasm to interact with
young students like us to share their knowledge and experiences. After the day long visits we also
had the famous personality sessions in the evenings in which we had interactive sessions with
eminent professors and scientists of the city we were visiting. Meeting and interacting with great
and distinguished scientists and getting to know their views was also a wonderful experience and
we gained some great insights into the scientific world through such interactions. All scientists
really inspired us with their thoughts and interaction.

The visits to India’s premier institutions through the aegis of Sastrayaan have greatly broadened
my views about science in general. Meeting dedicated scientists have made us think that one
day India will lead the world as scientifically advanced nation and we must play our role in the
country’s development.


We also experienced very rich hospitality in all the institutions we had visited during Sastrayaan.
Overall meticulous planning by the SIF Bahrain team and Vijnana Bharati to execute Sastrayaan
educational tour without any glitch is highly commendable. I would like to express my gratitude
to the SIF officials for giving us this wonderful opportunity and for giving us the experience of a
lifetime.

We also had a great time visiting the tourist spots and heritage sites of India during Sastrayaan
which gave us some cool time and served as an icing on the scientific cake.


Sastrayaan has had a great influence on my life as a student and has made me proud as an Indian
and has bolstered my aim of doing something great for my country.

Steve Chalil Biju
Bahrain Indian School

An Unforgettable Experience – Sastrayaan


1 exciting journey, 3 amazing days, and countless incredible experiences! Unforgettable and
life changing, is how I describe my tryst with Sastrayaan.

I begin with immensely thanking the entire Science India Forum team (SIF); Vijnana Bharati
of India; and ISRO, for extending the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, organizing this unique
educational trip. The enriching three-day educational visit took us through the most
prestigious scientific research organizations of India.


The visit to the Satish Dhawan Space Center at Sriharikotta being the highlight; the very
enjoying trip provided me with much new and pristine knowledge in science and technology,
Astronomy, space research etc.


The first day’s visit took us to the Central Leather research Institute (C.L.R. I) and Structural
Engineering center (S.E.C.) which are the two branches of C.S.I.R. (Council of Scientific &
Industrial Research). The interactive sessions with the directors and senior scientists at the
facilities, were indeed very enriching.

At C.L.R.I. we got the opportunity to experience first-hand how the raw animal skin is
processed into fine finished leather, ready to be used to make products such as shoes, bags,
jackets etc. We also had the opportunity to see a demo of waste water management to make
leather by conservation of water as leather processing requires a lot of water.


At the S.E.C, it were the expert scientists that took us on an innovative journey, talking
their experiences – bringing many amazing new facts to the fore. The scientists also showed
us amazing structural models during our visit. We also had a brilliantly presented "Meet
The Scientist" Session. It was very much informative.

It was the second day’s visit, however, that made me realize the greatness of our great nation
India; and its progress in the field of science and technology among others – filling me with
GYM ADDRES
a sense of immense pride. Located on the highly secured island of Sriharikotta; about 100
km from Chennai, the Satish Dhawan Space Center is the space port of India; the only place
in India to facilitate rocket-launch. +01 0987654321

[email protected]

We had the chance to visit the space museum where the GSLV, PSLV models are displayed,
along with information about the pioneers in astronomy. Further, we had an enriching
interactive session lead by one of the senior most space scientists in India, who talked at
length about ISRO, and also presented us with an in-depth analysis of aerodynamics.


The best part was the visit to the actual rocket launching stations 1 & 2, from where the
famous rockets like PSLV C37 and GSLV MkIII etc, were launched into the space. The launch
tower is almost 85-86 meter tall and at the bottom it has jet deflector that reduces the strong
flames during the rocket launch.


A senior scientist accompanied us throughout the tour of the stations, taking us through the
launching process from start to the end. We also visited the rocket assembly building, which
connects with a track to move the rocket to the launch tower. Then we moved to the Mission
Control Center, where the live test of the GSLV MK III was being telecasted on a large screen.

We were also provided insights into the rocket mission and the responsibility of the each of
the officers during the launch.

The third day visit saw us at the Periyar Science and Technology Center (PSTC) and B.M.
Birla Planetarium. In what was an out of the world experience, we enjoyed a view of the live
constellations and information about space on a 360-degree screen, at the planetarium.

Next followed the visit to the science and technology hall in PSTC where we went through
different models depicting radioactivity and had an opportunity to learn about famous people
who contributed for science and technology.

Our next visit was to the Defense research hall where we saw amazing miniatures of army
tankers, bridge layer tanks, aeronautical systems, Missile launcher, army uniforms and
shields for different conditions etc. The one I came to like the most was the BRAHMOS
missile model, developed by India and France.


After that we went to the innovation hub where many working robotic models were displayed
such as Lego robotic rubics cube solver, 3d printer and many more interesting demos.
Another attraction was the senior scientists presented to us some of the cool live experiments
on air and pressure including Bernard's principle. They also showed us experiments with
liquid nitrogen.

The experiments gave me an insight of how science can play an important role in our day to day life.
We also had an interactive session with the joint director of Science and Technology of Tamil Nadu,
Dr. S. Soundararaja Perumal, who brilliantly explained about Astronomy, Cosmology and
their scope in our lives.


I take this opportunity to thank each and every member of SIF team for giving me this
opportunity to understand the facility, strength and contribution of India in the Science
Technology and Astronomy sector globally. Definitely, the experience has been a life-
defining one for me, and lays a clear pathway for my career, and future as an active
contributor towards science and technology to support the international community,
and help develop my great nation. INDIA.

The most beautiful
experience we can
have is a fundamental
emotion which stands at
the cradle of true art and
true science
Albert Einstein.




Ritu Ann Roy
Indian School











How Sastra Prathibha Redrew my Destiny




Little did I know that journey of two years would influence my life immensely from winning
the title in 2013 and 2014 to pursing Electronics and Communication Engineering from
NIT Calicut today. It's been a long ride of discovering my true passion and strengthening
my grasp in the holy trinity of science: reason, observation and experience.


Meeting Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam and Dr. G Madhavan Nair and gaining fresh insights
from them are priceless moments that I shall always cherish. Visiting the heart of Indian
Scientific R&D centres fired an urge to be part of nation building. And of course the
recognition that comes along with the title no matter where we go is indeed the icing on
the cake. Along with these perks also comes a sense of inner responsibility; to utilise
these resources and manifest them into bigger picture for a collective development. I am
indeed for ever grateful to SIF Bahrain for helping us to realise our dreams and stay rooted
to our motherland even when we are miles away from our soil.


Dear young vibrant minds of today as Heinrich Rohrer once rightly said, "Science means
constantly walking a tight rope between blind faith and curiosity; between expertize
and creativity; between bias and openness; between experience and epiphany; between
ambition and passion in short, between old today and a new tomorrow.

The chapter of Sastra Prathibha holds a decorated section in my book of life. The trips
to Bangalore and Delhi brought in new dimensions of knowledge and understanding,
which can never be imbibed from books alone. This is definitely one of those few "once in
a lifetime" opportunities that will shape the course of your life. While many recognitions
do eventually fade away into the sands of time, this title shall stay strong as a symbol
of passion for science and a token of our shared interest in empowering lives through
technology.



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