1. Shiksha Sanskar Swavalamban Shiksha Sopan An Initiative of IIT Community for social upliftment Reg Office: 391, Nankari, IIT, Kanpur 208016 News Letter March 2008 February is the month in which Dr C V Raman discovered what the world knows now by the name “Raman Effect” and which brought the only Nobel Prize in Physics to India. Shiksha Sopan celebrated this month with Science focused activities and by telling children at all the 5 evening centers something about Dr Raman and his work. Here are brief descriptions of the February 2008 activities. Shiksha Sopan in Techkriti Shiksha Sopan put up a science exhibition “Physics from everyday materials” on 15 th and 16 th Feb, 2008 in the IITK Annual Technical Festival TECHKRITI. About 25 Physics Experiments designed from everyday materials like plastic bottles, iron nails, Injection syringes, etc., were set up by children of Shiksha Sopan and Opportunity School. The exhibition drew very enthusiastic response and all the time there were large number of curious visitors interacting with our children and appreciating their efforts. Balancing 18 nails on the head of a single nail without any tape or magnet, demonstration of transverse wave on straw-tape assembly, Vortex formation in a water bottle, Magic Lota were among the experiments which were all praised by the visitors. Neha explaining water and air pressure to visitors Children busy explaining science to visitors Enjoying “touch illusion”: touching one ball gives the feeling of two Torsional waves on Straw-Tape assembly Sopan children guiding visitors on mathematical games Magic Vessel of Vikas gives water whenever you invert it

2. Outreach to Champavat, Uttarakhand Shiksha Sopan Science Programme has been appreciated by many and we got an invitation from the NGO named SAVIDYA working in the Uttarakhand Himalayan regions focusing on Water conservation and other Environmental issues, to give a Science awareness Programme to the children of Dist Champavat at the occasion of Science Day on 28 th February 2008. Two of our volunteers Mr Amit Kumar Bajpai and Hanuman Prasad Gupta went with 20 Science Experiments to Champavat and shared Science excitement with about 300 children and their teachers. Being exposed to science in action for the first time, the children enjoyed the show thoroughly. All the materials used for the Experiments were left with the teachers there and will be used in the Science Resource Center they are developing. Dr. Kallol Mondal, Assistant Professor in MME Department, Dr. S Dhamodaran, Lecturer in Physics Department, and Ms Geetha Dhamodaran, Project Associate in Physics Department, all of whom have joined IITK recently, visited our evening center at SAC on 9 th Feb 08. They stayed for the full 2 hours the center was conducted and watched keenly how the children learned from the elders. They interacted with students in a very informal and friendly manner. Their main message was for Good manners and good conduct as a well-mannered student is respected everywhere. Faculty Visit at SAC Evening Center Some inspirational stories was also told by Dr. Kallol and Ms. Geetha Dhamodaran. Ms Dhamodaran has decided to help the children in English writing and speaking on week ends. The visitors described their feelings after interacting with the children as “fantastic”, “extremely impressive”, “real Science training” etc. From Senior Professors to our Security guards all enjoyed Physics through experiments. A Among the visitors was Ms H Gr ünberg, wife of 2007 Physics nobel Laureate Prof Peter Gr ünberg. Ms Geetha Dhamodaran addressing Shiksha Sopan Children. Dr Kallol Mondal and Dr S Dhamodaran standing to the left of Ms Geetha.

3. All the regular resource persons were also involved in conducting the games so that they can continue some of these in routine days The whole idea of Shiksha Sopan was conceived by some of IITK students in the year 2001. One of them Mr Samarendra Pratap Singh visited IITK on Feb 19,08 and met our volunteers at SAC Lawns. It was a very happy occasion when the current team of Shiksha Sopan shared his experiences of the early days. He recollected how meetings went late in the night in hostels and narrated one incidence when the meeting went up to 2.30 AM and they dispersed after deciding the they will meet again at 6 AM. Mr Samarendra was very pleased to see that the initiative taken by him and his friends has expanded and so many activities are being carried out. He suggested that Shiksha Sopan should think of imparting vocational training in systematic manner which was one of the main ideas of establishing this group. Games day at Barasirohi Evening Center Mr Raghavendra, a local youth studying in B.Sc., conducted Games day at Barasirohi Center. About 40 children, mostly up to class 6, enjoyed the games. All the games were without any equipment and involved physical exercise like running fast, stretching the muscles and also mental alertness and thinking ability. The whole exercise was to give children a healthy entertainment together with mental and physical skill development. Meeting the Founders of Shiksha Sopan Samarendra JI (top left, blue jacket) with the current team The old Guards, Samarendraji, Ranjanji and Harishji

4. Pratibha Poshan Yojana Receipients Meetings All 19 students of class-9 selected from rural areas of 4 districts under Pratibha Poshan Yojana, along with their parents were called for a face to face meeting on 24th February, 08. The meeting started with a small power point presentation by Mr. Chandrashekhar Sharma, Ph D student in Chemical Engg, who is coordinating the whole event. An examination of 2 hour duration was given on the study materials sent so far. Meanwhile, Shiksha Sopan volunteers took parents of those children to the “Flower Show” in Nursery of IIT Kanpur. After lunch, Dr. H.C.Verma discussed some issues informally with the students and gave advise on how to best utilize the study material sent by Shiksha Sopan regularly. Other Informations Web site : For more details please visit www.shiksha-sopan.org How to donate : The cheques/draft for donations should be made in the name of “Shiksha Sopan” payble at Kanpur. Doners may kindly give their personal details such as name, postal address, email address, so that the receipt, updates etc. may be sent. One can also make online transfer to Shiksha Sopan account in State Bank of India, IITK branch in the Account 10426002488 in the name “Shiksha Sopan”. The swift code of the bank is SBININBB499. Email Contacts : [email_address] , [email_address] , [email_address] Postal Contact : Dr Sameer Khandekar, Dept of Mech.Engg., IIT Kanpur 208016 Dr H C Verma, Dept of Physics, IIT Kanpur, Kanpur 208016 Phone contacts : Mr Amit Bajpai 9235561513 Mr Ranjan Upadhyay 9236086966 Sponsoring Educational expenses of individual Children Apart from Pratibha Poshan Yojana where 19 children are being helped through donations of different persons associated with Shiksha Sopan, we have gotten support for education of individual students whom we are helping at our centers. Latest in the sequence is Prof Raphael Hermann of Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH, who has sponsored education of a Girl Child going for a Bachelor of Science Programme in the year 2009. Mr Mukul Singhal, one of the founder members of Shiksha Sopan and now based in Delhi, has sponsored education of a class 9 student Vikas. Prof Sarvesh Chandra of Civil Engg IITK has taken responsibility of educating one child associated with Shiksha Sopan. Children from Village Kesath with Mr Gaurav (5 th from right), the Maths Instructor of the Yojana