Opening up frontiers of knowledge
SANGEETH KURIAN
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This library is a wonderful knowledge centre for children.
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Photo: S. Gopakumar
HAVEN FOR LEARNING: At the renovated Sasthra Vigyan Kendra library.
Did you know that when you were born you had more bones in your body than you have now? So where did the bones go, you might ask?
The truth is that as years go by some of the smaller bones in our body grow and fuse together to make bigger ones. Once you are fully grown you have around 206 bones. Sounds interesting? Read more such interesting nuggets of information from Steve Parker's book on `The Human Body' available for reference at the renovated Sasthra Vigyan Kendra, a library for children and college students at the Kerala State Science and Technology Museum and Priyadarsini Planetarium in the city.
The library has a collection of over 5, 000 books relating to science, technology, engineering and medicine for the users. For primary school children there is Child Craft, a set of reference books covering over thousands of topics that encourage them to learn how to observe the world around. One of its volumes `Art Around Us,' stimulates children to notice the design and colour of various eatables and explains our attitude to them if the colours are changed. For instance think of all your favourite foods, you are so familiar with them that you know how good they taste even before you take a bite.
Now try to imagine them in different colours. Would you want to eat black biscuits, grey oranges, purple bananas or red bread?
Good facilities
According to M.R. Krishnakumar, scientific officer of the technology museum and planetarium, the library facility would be of great assistance for children visiting the museum from areas such as Malappuram, Wayanad and Kalpetta. "They can come here and spend their time in the library," said Mr Krishnakumar. "We are also planning to provide Internet facility and install a Photostat machine for the benefit of the students," he said.
The library was opened to students on National Science Day last week.
The day was observed to commemorate the discovery of `Raman Effect' by C.V.Raman in February 28, 1928. C.G. Ramachandran Nair, former chairman, State Committee on Science, Technology and Environment who spoke to the students on the occasion shared his experience as a young researcher with C.V. Raman and told them some of the popular anecdotes about the Nobel prize winner. According to Mr. Nair, C.V. Raman was a man of extra-ordinary self-confidence, a quality which most Indians lack. Once as a research student,
Mr. Nair was sitting inside the library of the Indian Institute of Science, in Bangalore. Mr. Nair was so engrossed in his work that he failed to notice C.V.Raman, who was also the director of the institute, sitting next to him. "The moment I realised his presence I tendered my apology for not acknowledging him immediately. But the response it elicited from him surprised me. He patted me and said, `Even Sir C.V. Raman could not disturb your concentration'."
On another occasion Raman was inspired by the honesty of a candidate and gave him job as a researcher at his Raman Institute. The candidate who failed to clear the interview for the post of the researcher impressed C.V. Raman with his character when he returned the extra cash that was offered to him by the institute for returning home. Selecting the candidate Raman said: "You do not know any Physics. But you have character. So I appoint you."
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