DAY:2, 27th Jan: “After a wonderful night’s sleep, which we were all dreading for after the flight and the fun day we had, I realized that today was the most important day out of the entire trip (this day was why we had come here in the first place); we had our presentations and the inaugural ceremony today. Anxiety overtook me, like clouds covering the sky, but the emotion of excitement, looking forward to the day ahead, was quite similar to the break of dawn.”
8:30 AM: We had left our rooms, reached the campus, had our breakfast and were about to witness (and participate in) an exciting event, the students march from the SAL campus to the Science City. Students from different parts of India and GCC, NCC cadets, and a band were part of the march. The students all wore clothing which represented their culture, which looked so vibrant and colourful, and shouted different slogans in their languages, while the NCC Cadets were marching synchronous to the martial music played by the band. Such a radiant and alluring moment indeed. This was one of those times where I was proud of being an Indian; different people, different cultures, different languages, all united under one country, one name, India.
We marched towards the amphitheatre at the Science City. Each state and country’s name would be announced, and we would walk into the grand arena. The flag of India was raised, which rose the feeling of patriotism within me. A display was also performed by the band, which was exceptional. This event kickstarted the inaugural ceremony, which was held at the hall at Science City. The Science City is a huge science park located in Ahmedabad, which we would be exploring in the days to come. Almost all the events conducted during NCSC took place here. It was a large auditorium, with many stalls and exhibits placed at the entrance. We went through a few stalls and got back to the main hall. The program started off with Ganesh Vandana, followed by lamp lighting by the dignitaries. The event was inaugurated by the Education Minister of Gujarat, Shri Kuberbhai Dindor, who joined the event online. IAS Shri Vijay Nehra, who also inaugurated the event, gave the welcome speech, and welcomed the students to the 30th National Children’s Science Congress.
The ceremony was over by 12 noon, and by 2 our presentations had started. It was a little stress inducing, as one could imagine. There were 20 rooms with multiple students in each room, and multiple presentations were going on at the same time. The projects being presented were outstanding to say the least. There were students who even presented their projects in their mother tongue. We were allowed to leave after 5, and there was a release of tension, a feeling of freedom.
We went to the auditorium of the campus, where a presentation was taking place. After dinner, we left the campus, back to base. The bus ride during that serene night, was all that one would need to wind down from such a busy day; looking outside through the window, the streetlights lighting up the road, the cool breeze; the tranquillity was something I enjoyed, something which is necessary amidst all the fun we were having. We finally reached our rooms and that was it for DAY: 2.
Link to my previous articles: https://www.indiansinkuwait.com/news/66727-My-Experience-at-The-30th-National-Children-s-Science-Congress/
https://www.indiansinkuwait.com/news/65480-Kuwait-Children-s-Science-Congress-2022-A-Platform-to-Showcase-Different-Ideas-in-the-World-of-Science/