A science exhibition being held at Yuvakshetra Institute of Management Studies (YIMS), Mundur, as part of the 32nd Kerala Science Congress was yet to pick up momentum on Saturday. The organisers said they expected more crowds, especially school children, on Sunday and Monday.
Although there are stalls of various scientific agencies and Kudumbashree and Khadi, most of them look like information providers, rather than curiosity generators. The ISRO, whose stalls usually evoke curiosity about rockets and satellites among children, is confined in a small room, though set at the starting point of the exhibition. Models of cryogenic engines, however, has the potential to tickle the scientific mind. Next to ISRO, Zoological Survey of India showcased the biodiversity of the Western Ghats. The National Institute of Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, ICAR Sugarcane Breeding Institute Research Centre, ICAR Central Plantation Research Institute, and ICAR Central Institute of Fisheries Technology had all their own products on display.
Kerala State Bamboo Corporation had some of its latest products on display. The Khadi Board stall had women crowding around some modern saris and sofa covers. A Ham radio stall, though with minimal equipment, could make visitors stop and ask ‘what’s this?’ Geopolymer products of researcher Thomas John V. replacing the conventional portland cement had some unique charm, though they were yet to come out of the laboratory. The Integrated Rural Technology Centre (IRTC) had two stalls, one for curios such as terracotta jewellery and the other to show the production of biogas and biocompost..
Disappointed
The Kudumbashree stall owners were disappointed, however. “The crowds reaching here do not buy anything. They are mere viewers. We are disappointed,” said Supriya from Alathur, who makes 32 products out of jackfruit, including halwa.
The stalls of Agency for Non-Conventional Energy and Rural Technology, Centre for Water Resources Development and Management, National Transportation Planning and Research Centre, Worldwide Fund for Nature India, Kerala Forest Research Institute, Kerala State Biodiversity Board, and Regional Agricultural Research Station, Pattambi, had lots of information to provide. Leaflets were plenty for the visitors to carry. When the Malabar Botanical Garden displayed a wide variety of acuatic plants, M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation’s Community Biodiversity Centre, Kalpetta, had several legumes, pulses, paddies, bulbs, roots, and spices on display.
The last stall showed how well the Indian Medical Association Goes Eco-Friendly (IMAGE) treated nearly 40,000 tonnes of medical waste at it Kanjikode plant every day without causing much environmental hazard.
