TWO weeks after the official opening of the Indian Science and Technology Exhibition, the Guyanese population still appears to be fascinated by the exhibits, attracting approximately 300 visitors every day.
According to Mr. K. Madan Gopal from the National Council of Science Museums, Ministry of Culture, India, who is currently managing the exhibition in Guyana, the exhibition is quite successful so far. An interesting fact, he noted, is that people keep coming back after their first visit.
The Indian officials are also hoping that with the reopening of school today, more students will get a chance to visit the exhibition at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall with their schools.
Gopal stated that the Guyanese people, especially children, are attracted mostly by the interactive exhibits and the daily science demonstrations.
In addition to these, there are also exhibits showcasing India’s growth in science and technology dating back 7,000 years, the various industries in India such as metal ores, and how modern India is progressing in various fields such as biotechnology, communication technology and transport.
There is currently one artist who makes jewellery and other items using silver filigree. This is an ancient, manual way of making these items with very intricate designs. Gopal advised that another artist will be arriving in Guyana this evening and will begin work at the exhibition from Tuesday. This artist will be using a material called solapith to create art work such as models of buildings.
This newspaper caught up with Shazad Sookram who was visiting the exhibition yesterday with his three children. Sookram said that he was visiting the exhibition for the second time and he was now returning to bring his children.
“I think it’s really good. It’s amazing how much India has accomplished over all these years and these are the things that we in Guyana need to become aware of because we don’t learn this in our history and in science class. It’s good if we as adults know about it and children as well,” said Sookram.
Neafor Dawson was visiting the exhibition for the first time yesterday and thought it to be “very informative and exciting”. She especially noted that a lot of people seem to be enjoying the interactive section and thinks that it’s very important for school children to visit the exhibition since Indian culture is an important part of our society.
Karen McBean was visiting the exhibition with her two nephews, seven year old Rafael Gomes and 13 year old Renaldo Gomes. She wanted to bring the boys to view the exhibition before school reopens so that they could go back to school with some new information and knowledge. Both Gomes boys enjoyed the exhibits they could play with, and noted that they will encourage all their friends to visit the exhibition when school reopens.