A week-long mega science festival got off to a start on the premises of CSIR-CFTRI here on Tuesday and the event is part of a nationwide initiative launched with the support of various scientific and research institutions and central agencies as part of 75th anniversary of Independence – Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
Titled “Vigyan Sarvatra Pujyate” - Festival of SCoPE for All (Science Communication Popularization and its Extension), the festival is being organised simultaneously at 70 cities in the country, including Mysuru city, and the event showcases 75 films on science, 75 books on science, 75 different expos, 75 lectures, and 75 book fairs.
Besides Mysuru, the festival is being organised at Mangaluru, Bengaluru, and Kalaburagi in the State with the support from the Ministry of Culture, and the office of principal scientific advisor to the government of India. Vigyan Prasar and others have collaborated to make it happen across various locations in the country.
Former DG of CSIR, S.K. Brahmachari, inaugurated the festival in the presence of CSIR-CFTRI director Sridevi Annapurna Singh and others.
Kollegal Sharma, coordinator, Kutuhali and science writer, gave an overview of the festival and why it is important for popularising science.
The programme at CSIR-CFTRI was organised by the Karnataka Science and Technology Academy, CFTRI, Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement and Kuthuhali.
The stalls featuring scientific achievements and other aspects have been put up on the premises of CSIR-CFTRI. Schoolchildren visited the festival and went around the exhibition, listening to talks from experts. The weeklong festival is expected to draw more children as it is considered a big opportunity for the locals to get to know about science, the contributions by various scientists who made the country proud with their achievements.
The festival will be taken to Yelandur in Chamarajanagar and Malavalli in Mandya district to disseminate the information among the people and children of rural areas and hold expos by the scientific research institutions. Lectures, expositions, science literature festival, competitions and resources like books, radio programmes and films.
The festival looks into milestones of modern science and technology, swadeshi paramparik inventions and innovations, science literature festival and next 25 years of science.
