Swami Jitakamanandaji, President, Ramakrishna Mission, Mangaluru inaugurated Sahyadri Conclave – Science, Technology and Management by Lighting the Lamp in the august presence of Nobel Laureate Ada E Yonath, Nobel Laureate Serge Haroche, Shri. Basavaraj Rayareddy, Hon’ble Minister for Higher Education, Govt. of Karnataka, Shri. M. R. Seetharam, Hon’ble Minister for Planning, Statistics, Science and Technology, Govt of Karnataka, Dr. Murli Dhar Tiwari, Former Director of IIIT, Allahabad & Dr. Shashikiran Shetty, Founder & Chairman, Allcargo Logistics, Mumbai.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Guest Swami Jithakamanandaji appreciated Sahyadri for its student-centric & knowledge-centric approaches. He said he admires Chairman, Mr. Manjunath Bhandary for his passion to impart knowledge to students. Swamiji, urged the gathering to develop one’s mind, intellect and heart to bring out the best from within. Shri. Basavaraj Rayareddy in his inaugural address congratulated the institution for bringing together under one roof of Sahyadri, the Nobel Laureates, and Internationally renowned Scientists & Management Experts. He also shared the importance of Science & Technology and how it has impacted life for better.
Shri. M R Seetharam while inaugurating the Project Exhibition shared the success story of Karnataka for its innovative measures to reach the students of both urban as well rural areas of the state. He mentioned of the first initiative – “Mobile Planetarium” which travels to schools & colleges of remote areas and students get an opportunity to view the Galaxy & Planets, which used to be a challenge years ago. He also highlighted the second initiative of the state – Latest 3D Digitalized Stationary Planetarium to be set up in Pilikula, Mangaluru in February this year which is the first in India and notably first in Asia.
Dr. Murli Dhar Tiwari, the Guest of Honour, in his speech, appreciated Chairman, Mr. Manjunath Bhandary on how instrumental he was to get this concept of Science Conclave executed at Sahyadri from the time it was proposed to him. He urged students to take interest in the Plenary Sessions, Panel Discussions & Technical sessions planned for the next 4 days and capitalize on the experiences shared by them at Sahyadri.
Dr. Shashikiran Shetty, the Guest of Honour, in his speech referred to the Nobel Laureates & Scientists as a Gift to mankind since the amount of time they spend to research & the passion to achieve is incredible. Apart from discovering, they also share it with the rest of the world. The industrial revolution is the contribution of theirs, yet they stay humble, simple and sincere. He stimulated students to win a Nobel Prize and encouraged them to dream BIG and discover the unique talent in them. He said that the value system is deteriorating in India hence people like the Chairman Mr. Manjunath Bhandary should lead and make a difference to the nation.
Ada E Yonath in her talk, expressed how delighted she was when she received an invite from India as she had great learning experiences from the Giant Scientist – Dr. G N Ramchandran an Indian physicist who was the first to propose a triple-helical model for the structure of collagen. She also shared her wonderful experiences when she visited Chennai for a Conference long ago and appreciated India for its temple. She said she loves India, she loves the science in India and she also loves the scientists of India.
Serge Haroche in his talk, mentioned that to be a scientist is a passion and not a profession. For scientists, pleasure of science is pleasure of discovering things. He urged young talented students to get into science as the challenge is to retain youngsters in science since they are attracted to other streams easily. He said the politicians and policy makers have a huge role to play in overcoming the challenges in the field of science.
Dr. D L Prabhakara, Director in his presidential address summed up the theme of the conclave as “Save our Planet”. He assured that at the end of the Sahyadri Conclave one can fine tune his/her dreams and goals.