Model state

IT is slowly becoming a one-stop guide to Maharashtra. Hardly a week after it was inaugurated, a 307 sq mt physical model of the state has b...

IT is slowly becoming a one-stop guide to Maharashtra. Hardly a week after it was inaugurated, a 307 sq mt physical model of the state has become the latest attraction in the pilgrim city. Every morning, busloads of school children troop into the premises of the Maharashtra Engineering Research Institute MERI to 8216;8216;find out everything about the state8217;8217;. And after it was added to the Nashik darshan itinerary, the queues have only grown longer.

Without having to log onto Google Earth for satellite images, curious onlookers can pick out every river, hill, railway track, dam and highway on this gigantic state model.

8216;8216;The idea is to help people understand the geographic nature of their state,8217;8217; says N.M. Metheker, head of the Hydro I division that made the model.

The idea has been floating in the lush green campus of MERI for over 10 years. In 1972, then water resources minister Vasantdada Patil happened to visit the Asia 8217;72 exhibition in Delhi. On display there, he found a small state model that MERI had made and the big idea hit him.

Appreciating the detailed mini model, he asked MERI engineers to make a bigger, more life like model. It has taken 14 years for them to put together the plaster of paris model of the state.

Built on 500 toposheets, the 22.55 meter by 26.40 meter model faithfully traces every river, mountain chain and highway. Further, it pinpoints the location of each big and small dam in the state, various bridges and even forts.

From studying about earthquake prone areas to checking feasibility of building a new dam, engineers believe that the MERI model will have all the answers in just one glance. Officials hope that the next time a bridge has to be constructed or the impact of a possible earthquake needs to be figured out, experts will take a look at the model before doing their scientific calculations. Also, the model will help compare two regions and study the impact of their geographical location on their environment.

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Besides the technical assistance the model can provide, those involved in the project say that it will also put history in perspective and be a great geography teaching tool.

Take history for example. for anyone interested in knowing why Shivaji built his forts where he did, one look at the model will give all the clues. Peering over the top of the model, it doesn8217;t take children very long to figure out the strategic importance of the forts.