Amrita Vidyalayam Kollam Presents a Science
and Arts Exhibition

Opportunity and exposure work their best when presented at a tender age, when we are young learners. This is the time when the mind is fearless in attempting anything, when the mind thinks anything is possible and dares to undertake what the world has stamped impossible. This is the precious period of life, when the mind is bestowed with the freshness, innocence and curiosity that age so often snatches from the bulk of the masses, crushing our creativity by stamping things as unsolvable, impossible and so on, thus closing our vast and immeasurably gifted mind and intellect to the subject in question.

Inaugurating the exhibition....

Bearing this in mind, Amrita organizes and arranges events that stimulate the children to think freely, and connect and apply concepts taught in real life. Providing students such an opportunity, Amrita Vidyalayam Kollam held a Science and Arts exhibition on its campus in January of 2008. Inaugurated by Dr.Sudhir, Principal, S.N.College, Kollam, the exhibition was a brilliant showcase of the creativity of the children.

The gallery on Amma’s life.		'Integrated farming,' a cost effective approach.

The exhibition started with a glimpse into the instructive life of Amma and Her social welfare activities, illustrated by a gallery of photographs and a video presentation. It was followed by an exhibit pertaining to Environmental Science, displaying various types of flora with their classification and specialties. The highlight was a model depicting a novel technique of ‘integrated farming,’ by which agriculture and the rearing of animals go hand in hand, making both endeavors easy and cost effective.

Zoology specimens.		Indian architecture.

The next exhibit of Zoology commanded the rapt attention of the observers with a display of preserved specimens of various reptiles and mammals prepared by the students themselves. Snakes, starfish, tortoise, the human skeletal system....

Next was an exhibit devoted to various types of Architecture found in India. It was fascinating to see miniature models of ancient Indian cutlery, architecture, and townships created by the students highlighting the ingenuity and beauty of Indian culture.

Housing models, townships, castles...

A unique exhibit on England familiarized us with the famous English culture, bringing into focus its medieval architecture, literature and way of life. Also on display were charts explaining the origin of various languages, the currency of different countries, handmade maps, and books from authors from around the world.

A factory, complete with a smoking chimney!		Indian history, taught with the help of Science.

Moving into the Chemistry exhibit, students awed viewers with their models of a working factory, handmade perfumes, an exploding volcano....an amazing list!

Combining Science and History, a particularly impressive creation used Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs). The Diodes indicated the year an event occurred by glowing when the switch adjacent to the event was pressed.

The Great Wall of China!

Social science would never have sounded so interesting! Replicas of the majestic Himalayan ranges, the great wall of China, the complete political history of India, represented with handmade recreations of the leaders, proved to be most informative, and an effective means for imprinting the facts in the observers’ mind.

The tutors being taught for a change…		A model of the school itself...

The Physics exhibit featured practical demonstrations of solar and lunar eclipses, handmade spring balances, and finding the height of buildings by applying trigonometric concepts, all brought to heart topics that would otherwise just remain abstract concepts.

Fashion Design, Home Science, Sports, Music, Art, History, Science, Agriculture and Architecture were but some of the highlights of the innumerable subjects and topics covered in the exhibition.

The Chief guest trying his hand at a challenge.

Amrita believes the sense of self-belief and self-worth instilled in the children through the camp is the most valuable lesson that can ever be imparted. Months of hard work, long nights spent assimilating concepts and theories in the effort to create attractive demonstrations, and anxious moments spent before getting the nod for display, all faded into insignificance in the light of the delight and exultation the children felt on presenting and explaining their own applications of the concepts learned. Indeed, the thrill seen on the children’s faces when explaining their creations to the teachers, parents and friends was the most pleasing exhibit of all!