Journey So Far..

Flagged off on 30 Oct. 2007 by the Hon'ble Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh and German Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel, Science Express exhibition train covered over 68,000 km across the country during its four phases. With over 63.60 lakh visitors at its 220 halts during 801 exhibition days, Science Express is now the largest, longest and most visited mobile science exhibition in India. 

  
Students visiting the exhibition have enjoyed learning about cutting-edge research in science; explained through interesting audio-visual exhibits and interactive tools. After the successful run over four phases, this iconic train is now being launched as ‘Science Express - Biodiversity Special’ in its fifth phase. SEBS is a collaborative initiative of Department of Science and Technology(DST) and Ministry of Environment and Forests, contributed by Vikram A Sarabhai Community Science Centre (VASCSC). 

On the World Environment day 5th June-2012, Science Express-Biodiversity special was inaugurated by Smt. Sheila Dixit Hon’ble Chief Minister of Delhi; and started exhibition of 5^th Phase journey from Delhi Safdarjung railway station, spotlighting the concept "Biodiversity" this time. Since the inauguration day Science Express has covered nearly 12 locations across India. Bihar, North-East India, Orissa regions have been covered so far punctually as planned.

The exhibition is planned to stay for 2 to 3 days at particular location. Till now Delhi, Patna, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Assam regions were thronged at SEBS to experience this innovative knowledge exchanging mobile exhibition of  Science and Biodiversity. With the astonishment and wondered by the facts of Science and Biodiversity of India, SEBS flame a fire of questions. Many of them were collected by the Science Communicators' team and the back stage team is giving their best try and time to respond as many as possible. 

@ Rangia  

As we are familiar with, the north-east India region is more famous for its traditional and cultural heritage. The land also thrilled by its rich biodiversity. SEBS recently visited the North-East India region which is more familiar with 'Seven Sisters’ forename. The exhibition became more interesting and rewarding for the reason that Science express is having dedicated coach on North-East India Biodiversity at Coach 4. Rangia, Mariani, Dibrugarh, Dimapur, Kamkhya were the North-East regions, where SEBS exhibition was held up. 

Around 62,000 visitors were attended, and quantitative platform and out-reach activities were carried out successfully. Many students and visitors participated in the activities and were awarded with the certificate and other constructive study materials. 

SE and Students performing School Science Activity

West Bengal, Jharkhand and Orissa were the next plan destination for Science express. Siliguri, Malda town and Howrah were the three location of West Bengal where nearly 38,000 visitors made the visit.

At Jharkhand Science Express visited Dhanbad and Ranchi locations and welcome nearly 1,70,500 visitors; which is the enormous crowd of this journey till date. Another culture and historical state Orissa was the next destination for Science Express; where Sambalpur and Rourkela were the destination point and attended nearly 90,000 visitors.

Science Express – Biodiversity is on its way towards Southern part of India, and after that it will travel to West and to the North India, as planned.

Science Express - Biodiversity Special - Tour Plan

Students at Drawing Competition cum Platform Activity 

The train has received overwhelming response till now. There are number of Science Educators who are travelling with the train and attending the visitors, helping them to understand more about the science express train and Biodiversity of India with respected region/state. At each location they are conducting platform activities, hands-on science experiments and also visiting nearer schools of such remote area. Students and teachers are prime targeted audience for platform and science related activities. 


VASCSC has been entrusted with the task of coordinating the SEBS across India. VASCSC's team of well-qualified, trained and highly motivated Science Communicators travelling with the train explain and interpret the exhibition, answers queries, facilitate the visitors and conduct complementary activities. 

The Science Communicators' team is from across India location. The team is enthusiastic and very excited to convey the message for Biodiversity, Climate Change, Save Water Concept, Petroleum Conservation and etc. They communicate in local languages also as and when required. This is one of the adventurous and learning experiences connecting with the people of India, sharing the knowledge and awareness through the medium of Science Express is what the common joy of each team member. 

Step In..

“After a time of decay comes the turning point. The powerful light that has been banished returns. There is movement, but it is not brought about by force... This movement is natural, arising spontaneously. For this reason the transformation of the old becomes easy. The old is discarded and the new is introduced. " 

- I Ching

(Turning Point")

Do I look like you? Or Do I behave like you?  Am I having similar habit like others? 

Yes, a little, or may be little more comparatively, but I am not 100% like you, am I? Can two things be perfectly alike?

But I belong to the scientific category of species named "Homo Sapiens". According to that, I and you belong to same category.

The first step to something new is always thrilling, as we are encountering with the unknown. Bio-diversity is kind of such mass subject.

“Bio-diversity" at a first glance can be explained as,

Bio means "Life" and Diversity means "Variety" -> Variety of life.

The “Variety” is generally what is visible and has been observed in the daily life. The earth is the only known planet till now, having ‘life’ in the form of species (animals and plants), acquiescent climate and ecosystem. The life on earth could be well explained by the species’ tree-span; which shows how the different species have struggled to survive and so have adopted the changes.

 

The variety of species is the result of constant survival process in nature, which had gone through many biological ‘trial-and-error’ to suit in best way with the existed environment. All the ‘trial-error’ explain the inbuilt ‘will’ to survive in every form of life: they developed/formed new gene for that, cooperated with the other spices, adjusted with changing ecosystem and recovered through natural calamities. The swaying point over here is that ‘Biodiversity’ has always chosen best possible way to sustain.

Biodiversity is divided in such familiar forms as in Species Biodiversity, Genetic Biodiversity and Ecosystem for the better consideration.

Species Diversity: Variety of Animals & Plants

Genetic Biodiversity: Habitual similarities and differences of species

Ecosystem: Geographical constraint and their effect to climate and species.

With this appetizer, few questions strike a chord immediately.

How did life begin? 

How and why Biodiversity is required?

How many species are exists, how many were how many species are at risk? 

Why should we care for Panda, house Sparrow, Tiger?

If we lose such species, what can be the impact to the food-chain?

Why there are so many varieties of species?

Well, likewise the number of species, it can be answered in several ways, and yet it can be left with little discontentment. 

After such billions years of big bang, on one timely moment, a spark of cosmic rays touched a drop of the water and amino acid was formed. From that spark to now, life has travelled a long journey; a journey which was full of amazing adoption, lovely coexistence and deadly disasters. It travelled through many ways. These ways of sustaining, developing oneself have become branches of the tree of life. Human being is just one end tip of one such branch. There are many branches, many end tip of one such branch. There are many branches are still developing and many had died up. (The tree of life is like a Banyan tree.)

What if it cut off by with all the branches except one?

Would the tree stand up again?

What would happen to it when there is a storm of heavy rainfall?

Same way, if there is no variety in spices, the possibilities of destruction of life is more. One severe disaster can lead the diversity at the end. But life survives. If a tree is cut, it springs from each remain possibility of life in it.

But, how we are here today? Precisely, how have we been inhabited?




To encourage and to discover answers of such curious question "Science-Express Biodiversity Special" has chosen a way to travel across India. Science Express train welcomes everyone. One can come out surely with thrilling, wonderful and joyful  experience of knowledge exchange by visit of 13 coaches. In such period of time, one can explore many amazing facts of Biodiversity especially of India.


Science Express - Biodiversity Special is an innovative and unique mobile exhibition mounted on a specially designed 16 coach AC train, which will be travelling across India from 5 June - 22 December 2012.


The current decade (2011-2020) has been declared as the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity and United Nations Decade for Deserts and the Fight against Desertification. The exhibition aboard the train, therefore, is based on the theme 'Biodiversity'. The Science Express - Biodiversity Special is a collaborative initiative of Department of Science & Technology (DST) and Ministry of Environment & Forests(MoEF), Government of India.


The exhibition aims to showcase the wide array of biodiversity in the the country and the conservation measure adopted thereof. The exhibition also showcases aspects of Climate Change, Water, Energy Conservation, Environment and Legacy of the Science Express. Additionally, the train also houses the extremely popular VASCSC Joy of Science hands-on lab as well as teachers' training facility.


The exhibition is open for all, especially school and college students and teachers.