The Hindu : National : Kalam to open ‘QUARK 2009’ technical fest

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Kalam to open ‘QUARK 2009’ technical fest

Special Correspondent

The annual national-level event is conducted by BITS Pilani, Goa Campus

PANAJI: The former President, A.P. J. Abdul Kalam, will inaugurate ‘QUARK 2009,’ the annual national-level technical festival of BITS Pilani, Goa Campus, on Saturday on the sprawling campus at Zuari Nagar in south Goa.

A highlight of the inaugural function would be a live interaction by Mr. Kalam with the students of BITS, which will be streamed live to the Pilani campus. The festival will be conducted from February 7 to 9.

With the tagline ‘Technical Renaissance,’ QUARK 2009 is all about showcasing simplicity, but in the most extraordinary way. Since its inception in 2006 as an intra-college festival with the sole aim of providing a platform for students to showcase their technical skills, QUARK has grown to become a national-level festival joining the ranks of the premier technical fests of India within a span of only three years.

The curtain-raiser for QUARK 2009 will be a performance by the internationally renowned flutist, Padma Vibhushan Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, on Friday evening. Quark 2009, in association with the NRDC, Cypress semiconductors and Reynolds, promises to be a much grander affair with an expected footfall of 5,000 students from over 350 colleges each day, said organisers.

Apart from the diverse arrays of events in the fields of science, technology and management, the special nights of QUARK shall feature ACYUT 2, which will be unveiled in India during QUARK 2009 ( Its predecessor, ACYUT, India’s first humanoid robot, was showcased at the RoboGames 2008 in San Francisco, California) and a fire show by the Carnival of the Divine Imagination, a rhythmic fire and light performance group from Brisbane, Australia, after their enthralling performances in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.

Added to this is a cocktail of performances by BITS’ own dance, drama, mine and music clubs which have mesmerised a host of audiences ranging from over 500 international delegates during the International Congress on Environmental Research to student festivals across the country.

To be held in an institutional association with the NRDC, the Directorate General, Factory Advisory Services and Labour Institutes (DGFASLI), Ministry of Employment and Labour, Government of India; and the United Nations Information Centre (India and Bhutan), New Delhi, the BITS Model United Nations (BITSMUN) is a socio-economic academic simulation that aims at introducing the concept of “breaking down global barriers” as a long-term objective of the U.N.This event will feature students from across the country participating as delegates from over 60 nations in six different U.N. organisations. QUARK 2009 promises to be the biggest technical extravaganza in the history of the University and the region, Ramanan Sampath of BITS Pilani-Goa told The Hindu on Thursday on behalf of the organisers.

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