Scientific temper through drama

kolkata: the national council of science museums has chosen drama as the medium to propagate scientific ideas among students. students from eight schools all over india are showcasing their scientific acumen and acting skills in a two-day event at the science city auditorium in kolkata, from wednesday. for instance, the theme of the drama titled, 'bacteria' spreads the message that roadside vendors are best avoided and hygienic food habits followed.other themes revolve around campaigns to remove superstition and preventing people from falling into the clutches of people claiming to have divine powers. zonal competitions will be held at kolkata, bangalore, mumbai and delhi and two winners from each zone will be participating in the national competition. it has been decided to make the event competitive as this is the inaugural year. plus, a workshop on dramatic techniques by eminent theatre personality rudraprasad sengupta has also been arranged. experts in the field like b.n. narayan from bangalore and dipak khedekar from mumbai will also interact with and encourage participants. the ncsm is an autonomous body under the union ministry of culture, whose job is to promote science and technology and create a scientific temper among the community. according to the council, a concept can be communicated through lectures, articles, exhibitions and models. the medium of drama though, by its very nature, is a powerful medium of communication. special trains: the south-eastern railway will run a pair of superfast examination special trains between howrah and chennai egmore for candidates appearing in a railway recruitment board examination in chennai on september 30. the train will leave howrah on september 28. the return journey from egmore is salted for october 1. meanwhile, eastern railway has won both swimming and waterpolo championships in the 49th all-india railway aquatic championships, held at vishakhapatnam.