Page 102 - Scientech 2014-15

Beyond
the constellations…
3178 kilometres away from the chills of winter
in Bahrain, little did I know that three days in
Bangalore would embellish my horizon of dreams
with the most picturesque rainbow I had ever seen
and perhaps, will ever see.
Not even in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I
would, one day, see the making of a satellite or go inside
a flight simulator. But Science India Forum-Bahrain
had something special in store for me. As an award for
excelling in the Sastra Pratibha Contest in June 2013,
the Sastra Pratibhas, including me, received a one-in- and went to the restaurant where Mr. A. Jayakumar,
a-lifetime opportunity of paying a visit to Bangalore’s
research centers. A three day educational excursion
was planned for us by SIF Bahrain.
The date was 21st February, 2014. After completing
our breakfast at the hotel, we embarked on our
journey to the theatre of India’s space odyssey, the
Indian Space Research Organization. The very sight
of ISRO’s Satellite Center left me in total awe.
We were privileged to have with us, a scientist,
who took us through the entire center. The three
hours that I spent in this fascinating place made
me feel extremely proud to be an Indian. Indeed,
India has advanced in leaps and bounds in the field
of space, within a very short time span. We saw
the models of all the space satellites that India has
launched- Aryabhatta, Bhaskara and Rohini, and
also had a feel of the launch vehicles- ASLV, PSLV
and GSLV to name a few. There was a special corner
of the space museum dedicated to ‘Chandrayaan’,
India’s immensely successful moon mission. I
also received a deep insight into India’s most
exciting space mission, the Mars Orbiter Mission
(MOM). ‘Mangalyaan’. It was a wonderful learning
experience.
Coming out from the ISRO Satellite Centre, I was
disappointed that I couldn’t stay for more time. But,
I knew that I was taking back with me, a baggage
of truly priceless knowledge. Indeed, a dream had
come true.
After lunch, we went to the Aeronautical
Development Establishment (ADE), a laboratory of
India’s premium defense organization, the Defense
Research Development Organization (DRDO).
Bombers and fighter jets have fascinated me since
childhood. But, to see them in front of my own eyes,
was just delightful. First up, we went to a flight
simulator that took my breath away. In a standstill
position, I experienced what it feels like to be in the
cockpit of a flight. After the enthralling experience,
we went to see the major fighter jets of our nation.
100 Scientech 2014-15
Utso Roy
New Millennium School, DPS Bahrain
Grade X
Fighter aircrafts like Lakshya, Nishant, Kiran
and Tejas-LCA are an epitome of ADE’s immense
success in the field of military aviation.
A peak into India’s defense mechanisms ended our
exciting day out. Even while returning back to the
hotel, we discussed about space capsules, flight
simulators and defense jets in the bus. It seemed
like India’s future in science was safe and secure!
We came back to the hotel, freshened up quickly
the honorable Secretary General of Vijnana Bharati,
enlightened all the Sastra Pratibhas with his words
of wisdom. Jayakumar Sir’s wise words inspired
me immensely and instilled in me a driving spirit
to contribute towards India’s future in the field of
science and technology.
Day two was as memorable as the first day. In
the morning, we paid a visit to the aerospace lab
of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), one of
Asia’s largest aviation companies. I was fascinated
to see the various units of HAL, where components
of helicopters, jet engines and aircrafts are made,
fabricated and assembled. In fact, the guide explained
in detail about the functioning of a jet engine. I was
ecstatic at seeing helicopters like Dhruv and Rudra,
Rohini the glider, aircrafts like Kiran and Saras and
several other flights that I so often read about in
magazines, in front of my own eyes.
Post-lunch, our coach took us to one of India’s
most renowned museums, the Visvesvaraya
Museum. The scientific marvels inside the museum
truly captivated me. The concepts and theories of
our textbooks were vividly presented in the form
of experiments. Some of the scientific wonders
mesmerized us and left us stunned. From bio-tech
centers to mathematics puzzles, laws of physics
to chemical experiments, diesel engines to the
3-D show, there was nothing in science that the
museum didn’t have.
Back in the hotel, we had a wonderful interaction
with one of India’s finest scientists, Dr. P Gopinathan.
I haven’t forgotten his motivational words, even
today. Dr. Gopinathan Sir shared with us some of his
experiences in life that taught us several important
lessons. He inspired us to never stop dreaming and
to take up whatever profession that interests us
most in life.
The interaction with such a wonderful person was
the icing on our scientific cake! A fascinating trip
had come to an end.
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