Well projected!

A Social Sciences Exhibition was held for the first time at the Nagarwala School. From November 21 to 23, the school was a-buzz with excitem...

A Social Sciences Exhibition was held for the first time at the Nagarwala School. From November 21 to 23, the school was a-buzz with excitement. Three large classrooms had undergone a complete transformation for the show. A variety of topics were depicted in an innovative and interesting manner.

In the History section a wide array of small-scale models represented the Indus Valley civilisation with its baths and halls. The model of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre displayed tiny dolls depicting the fleeing victims and even a little handcart piled high with minute melons to show the street scene as it may have been. The Egyptian Civilisation came alive with pyramids, mummies and a very realistic Sphinx, all carved out of soft brick by the students of the school.

In the Geography section, the Tundra was represented by igloos, eskimos and reindeers, all covered with salt to look like snow. Beside it was the Antarctic, with penguins innovated out of eggshells and eye-droppers! There was a piece of real wood fossil from Akal, brought by a student from a Rajashtan visit. A tropical forest was recreated with potted plants and paper butterflies, stuffed pandas, snakes and monkeys made them seem authentic. A volcano was ingeniously crafted out of brick with coloured wax around the rim to show the flowing lava.

Even adults could pick up valuable nuggets of information, such as that of the colour changing Ayers Rock in Australia. Just 440 kms south-west of Alice Springs it is the only hill in the world to change colour with the seasons and the passing of the day. A student stood at hand equipped with a torch covered with red and yellow cellophane paper to give the desired effect.

The Agricultural section displayed real rice shoots and toy trucks loaded with tiny sacks of jute depicting the transport of rice to the factory and market. Agarbatti was used to depict the pollution by a factory belching smoke.

There were charts and thermocole models of the Shaniwarwada, Vivekananda Memorial, Aga Khan Palace and a dargah where the unique feature is a 15-ton rock which five people can lift using their small fingers only! There were working models of dams, waterfalls, liftbridges and watermills. The cutest was a cannon made of a test tube. A candle warmed the phosphorus inside it and phut went the gun with flames leaping out.

There was much more on display, beautifully laid out on the floor, on tables and hung on walls.In fact every item had been made by the children who stood next to their projects explaining them to visitors. What was most heartening was the active participation of students and teachers alike. The school surely deserves a pat on the back for this display. Hopefully the school will make this an annual affair and invite others too.