Mumbai July 19, 2017

After a bit of delay in the opening ceremony, one could see the emerging strength of Mumbaikars on platform number 10 at the CST railway station. Science enthusiasts, curious children, educators and eager parents of school-going children were lined up to enter the science express. On the first day of the 3-day halt of the Science Express Climate Action Special (SECAS), it received an overwhelming response despite heavy rains in the city.

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The polite, yet firm security guards with an enthusiastic team of volunteers made the atmosphere very joyful and friendly. Discipline and Scientific Tempers, both, were kept in check. Rahul, one of the volunteers from Tamil Nadu, shared his experience with SECAS right from the beginning of this year. The team of 30 plus volunteers with a mixed group of undergraduates, bachelors in science and Ph.D. holders: together take this express to different cities with full horse power.

Atmosphere

Visitors with a bag full of patience stood in the queue for hours. The theme being on climate change, one could not feel the outside heat once they enter the fully air-conditioned train. The interior was colorful, bright and pleasant. It was a relief to finally step in the express.

A very positive start with the hope to save our planet whose temperature has gone up by 0.85 degrees Celcius from 1880 to 2012. The journey of initial 10 coaches started with a very informative display of the recent changes in our climate and concluded with various achievements in research on climate change by different government bodies. On the way, the visitors were not only given a bunch of information but also equipped with some really do-able action items. Right from using LED bulbs to keep the AC temperature at 25-degree Celcius, from using our rich culture of preserving food items to optimization of the natural resource for example by using public means of transportation and so on… were described in detail.  Oh, how can we not talk about the special coaches called Kids Zone and JOS (Joy Of Science) hands-on lab dedicated for students from grades 1 to 10? Earnest parents stood outside this special laboratory on wheels, waiting for their children to come out and share their experiences. The demonstrations ranged from optical illusion, chemistry, and miracles. It was truly awesome as the participants were given many take aways while they learned the concepts behind these fascinating activities. Small kids used modest balloons and straws to unfold the basic concepts in science. After all their standings, it ended with a smile and tons of learning. The express was truly expressive!

Expressive

One takeaway for you from the science express:

“Let me guess your birthday now!”

Look at the below grid…, in which grid do you see your birth day?

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Shhh… don’t tell me the number, just tell me the grids…I will do little maths!

Once I know the grid(s) that contain your birthday. I will secretly add the numbers from the 1st box of those grids. Yes, it is possible to have your birthdays in more than one grid. For example, your birthday is on 31st (Just like me!). Check all the grids, in this case, you can see 31 on every grid, so we shall add the numbers from the 1st box of every grid (i.e. 1 +2 + 4 + 8 +16) which is 31. You can even try it for your birth month. It’s very simple but it works 🙂

If you are still thinking to take your kids to the science express do take them. If you are worried of the rains and the long queues then better visit Nehru Science Centre. Which is open for you since 1985 at Worli.