Fuel children’s mind to gain knowledge: Air vice-marshal

Nagpur: Children’s mind is like a jet and it is the responsibility of teachers to fuel it so that they could gain knowledge as the purpose of education is not just reading and writing, said air vice-marshal Shrirang Chaoji on Wednesday.

Delivering the presidential address at the inauguration of three-day Orange City Science Fair that got under way at Raman Science Centre and Planetarium (RSCP), Chaoji underlined the need for embracing holistic approach towards education for development of the country.

Seated on the dais were Indian Air Force’s group captain G Krishnakumar, former regional director of RSCP Amit Majumdar and project coordinator N Ramdas Iyer.

As many as 103 projects have been put up on display by students of 50 schools.

Taking the point further, Chaoji said, “For a developing country like India, science is an important subject which helps solve many problems. It also provides a solution to problems like global warming and water shortage.”

Iyer spoke about how the 19th century was known for chemistry and the 20th century for advancements in physics. But with the speed of progress seen now, there is no definition of what defines a period of time anymore. “We cannot work with lectures anymore, instead creating an atmosphere where you teach students how to learn is important,” he said.

Majumdar urged students to be proud of their country and being an Indian. He referred to various instances where ancient literature predicted scientific discoveries, even before they were made, and exhorted students to learn from them.

Students have put on display a multitude of models on new and fascinating ideas. One such submission was a medicinal liquid made from distillation of leaves of neem and tulsi which helps against dengue.

Another prototype showed how asphalt can be used for building roads and making them water absorbent which removes the possibility of damage to them due to rainfall.

Another model was a cocktail solution wherein water collected from rain was purified, heated and used to raise ground-level water, all under Rs300. There were also 12 submissions from teachers on various topics like fractions, life cycles of humans, financial planning and common diseases.