April, 2016

Science International Forum (SIF) Kuwait conducted Annual Science Gala, 2016
The much awaited Annual Science Gala for the
academic year 2015-16 organized by Science
International Forum (SIF), Kuwait was conducted on
31st March, 2016, at American International School,
Hawally. The ceremony was inaugurated by Indian
Ambassador to Kuwait, H.E. Sri. Sunil Jain.
Renowned cardiac surgeon and scientist, Padma
Vibhushan Dr. M. S. Valliathan, graced the function
as chief guest for the evening.
Dr. Sachin Mandgavne, Researcher and Associate
Professor at National Institute of Technology, gave
the presentation on Science in Daily Life which
reflected the unnoticed science in our day to day
life. National Organizing Secretary of Vijnana

Bharathi, Sri. Jayanth Saharabudhe addressed the

audience on behalf of Vibha. SIF Middle East
coordinator Sri. Abga Raveendranadha Babu graced
the function with is presence.

The winners and outstanding performers of Sastra

Prathibha Contest 2015-16, Young Scientist's-program 2015-16
(KCSC), Inspire Teachers Excellence Award 2015, the project
guides for the selected teams at KCSC and the declared team
with best stall at KCSC

were honored with trophies and

certificate jointly by the distinguished guests of the evening.

The students and teachers of Fahaheel Al Wataniya

Indian Public School (DPS) received the prestigious
Acharya J. C. Bose Sastra Puraskar for the best
performing school.

National award winning film in the educational

category, 'Quantum Indians' was screened at the
venue which highlighted the contributions made to science by 3 renowned Indian scientists, Dr. Satyendra Nath
Bose, Sir C. V. Raman and Dr. Meghnad Saha.
Opportunity was given to the selected people from the
audience, for asking questions to Dr. Valiyathan. The
grand evening was studded with the presence of other
eminent academic and scientific personalities from
India and Kuwait along with the SIF coordinators from
other Middle East countries. Sri. Prasanth Nair
(President, SIF Kuwait) extended a warm welcome to
the gathering and Sri. Arunkumar (Secretary, SIF
Kuwait) delivered the word of gratitude at the function
hosted by Sri Roopesh (Secretary, SIF Kuwait).
Later on April 1st, the 21 Sastra Prathibhas got their life time chance for a personal interaction with the scientists at IBIS Hotel. Science Gala proved to be a memorable opportunity for students, parents and teachers in
Kuwait to listen to the top academic and scientific brains of India.

ISRO plans technology demonstration of Reusable Launch Vehicle mission by mid-May

Indian Space Research Organisation is planning the technology demonstration of its Reusable Launch
Vehicle, expected to make space missions economically viable, by mid-May. The flight integration of the
Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD) is almost complete at the Vikram Sarabhai
Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram and it will be shifted to Bengaluru for further tests next week,
VSSC Director K Sivan said on Monday.
RLV-TD is almost integrated and tests are progressing. It will be shifted to Bengaluru next week for
an acoustic test and then to Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota (SHAR) for final preparations before the
launch, he told reporters. We want clear weather conditions for the launch. We hope it will happen by first
half of May, he added.
RLV-TD is a series of technology demonstration missions that have been considered as a first step
towards realizing a Two Stage To Orbit (TSTO) fully reusable vehicle. Under the preliminary mission, which
is planned as a suborbital one, a double-delta winged vehicle, which more or less resembles an aircraft, will
be launched from the SHAR. The 6.5 meter-long vehicle, having a mass of 1.75 tonne, will go up to around
70 km after which it is expected to descend at a particular point on the sea. Sivan said the proposed mission
would be just a baby step in terms of the RLV technology and no way near to the real Reusable Launch
Vehicle. What we do now is only a demonstration. It is no way near to the real RLV. It is like a drop test to
bring back a launched vehicle to some point. It is just a baby step towards the giant leap, he said. Flush
air-data system, slow burning propellant and composite movable fin are among the significant features of the
RLV-TD. The total cost of the mission is estimated to be around Rs 95 crore, the VSSC Director said adding
the launch would give major inputs for the designing of the full-scale RLV in future.

Someone out there is looking after India!!!

D. Sivananda Pai - The Rain Man of India
As a child growing up in a seaside village in Kochi four decades ago,
D. Sivananda Pai could tell the arrival of the rains by gazing at the
skies. Today, he still forecasts the monsoon, but with mathematical
models and data banks as tools. Pai heads the Long Range Forecasting
(LRF) division of the India Metrological Department (IIMD) in Pune.
In 2005, he developed the first statistical model for predicting the date
of the arrival of the monsoon over Kerala and introduced a new
forecasting system in statistical approach, the world's first such system.

India's attempt to avoid brain drain: Government to fund PhDs for science scholars
In a bid to prevent brain drain, the government has embarked upon a scheme to fund pure science
scholars, who have completed their PhDs, to enable them continue their post-doctoral research in India.
According to Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, the scholars would be
paid Rs 50,000 per month for the period of three years and would also be given a basic grant of Rs 7 lakhs
per year for conducting research.
The National Post Doctoral Fellowship was launched a month ago
and would fund around 1000 scholars this year. Applications have
also been invited for the same, he said. "We have found that the
scholars are more vulnerable to go abroad after their PhD degree
because this is the time they don't get full-time employment since
many institutes ask for a post-doctoral degree. There are many
universities and institutes abroad that offer the PhDs graduates
with post-doctoral opportunities. This is why we have embarked
upon this scheme," Sharma said.
"Once they get a post-doctoral fellowship in India for three-years, they can continue with their
research and get prepared for a job in Indian institutes and universities. Once they bag a job, the chances of
their going abroad is less," he said. Incidentally, the Ministry of Science and Technology does not have a
data of how many research scholars have left India and are currently working abroad. "There are two
reasons behind it. It is difficult to track the students who leave India for studies at different levels (say,
under-graduate, graduate and post-graduate).
More importantly, there is also no tracking of students coming back. "Secondly, neither the Ministry
of Home Affairs or the Ministry of External Affairs have maintained data related to this," said a senior ministry official. Sharma said for bagging this fellowship the scholar has to send a research proposal. It is also
mandatory that the university/ institute in which he wants to do research has to accept the proposal.

NCSC Report
23rd National Children's Science Congress [NCSC] organized by Department of Science &Technology (DST),
Government of India held at Chandigarh University, Mohali,
from 27 to 31 December 2015.

We started our journey to Chandigarh as a 5 member team guided by Mr.Gangadhar Shirsath

(Principal of ICSK Khaitan) on 25 December 2015 midnight. DST personnel were there at the Chandigarh
airport to receive us and the Qatar team on the afternoon of 26th December. After registration procedures in
the venue we were taken to the international hostel within the Mohali University campus where our boarding
was arranged. The official inauguration ceremony was on 27 December 2015, during which participants from
all states of India and GCC participated in a march past with banners. There
was also a stall of military equipment in the university premise which
showcased real guns, tankers etc.
Oral presentation of the projects started on the same day of
inauguration. We had our presentation on 28th December. Our team captain
Jeremiah Mathew presented the project in an 8 minutes power point
presentation. After the presentation we both were interrogated by 3 judges
for 2 min. There were around 10 presentations in our room on the sub theme
climatic changes and global warming. One presentation was from Kerala, in
which they studied the ozone layer depletion. It was quite interesting. There
were also projects from different states which were presented in their
respective mother tongues.
On 29 December first round of selection results were announced.
Around 20 projects were considered for the second round. We lost in the
first round selection. But we could listen to their presentations.
Afterwards a video conference was arranged for all participants with
eminent scientists from all over India. We enjoyed the site-seeing on 30th
December. A walkathon was arranged by DST in which we all walked 2km along the Sukhna Lake to
understand the climatic issues. We also visited a Gurudwara and a museum named Virasat-e- khalsa. The
lunch was served in the Gurudwara. The view of Himalayan ranges was indeed splendid. Different cultural
programs performed by children from different states made the afternoon more colourful. The diversity of our
nation made us feel proud. Renowned Pop singer Gajender Phogat entertained us with his fast numbers. It was
a classic performance.
Prizes were announced on the last day of the workshop, 31st December. We were thrilled to hear that
our project secured A grade. Certificates and medals were awarded to all team members. We came back to
Kuwait on the same day midnight. This is the first time that Indian school children from GCC were given the
chance to participate in NCSC. Being the first participants from Kuwait to NCSC, I was so thrilled and
enthusiastic. I take this opportunity to thank the Science International Forum Kuwait (SIF) for their immense
support and Dr.Narayana Bhat, our mentor, for his expert advices. Also I thank the team members and our
parents for their constant support and enthusiasm.
Vaishnav Anilkumar,
VI-C, ICSK-Junior
.

Pepper The Black Gold

Dipanjan Ghosh
Sreeparna Ghosh
Once considered as precious as gold and used as a form of
commodity money, pepper is the worlds most traded spice.
Pepper or more specifically, black pepper is deemed to be the
oldest used spices, discovered more than 4,000 years back along
the Malabar Coast of South India, now known as Kerala. However, they came into cultivation around 1000
BC. Black pepper is native to India, and is extensively cultivated in South India. Currently Vietnam, India and
Indonesia are the major producers of black pepper. The spice was known in Greece in early 4th century BCE,
but since it was highly expensive and rarely used; only the rich could afford it. Though it was grown in
southern Thailand and Malaysia too, India was the most important source of pepper up to the end of
Mediaeval Ages. The Romans, too, were aware of black pepper and opened ocean crossing the Arabian Sea,
after the conquest of Egypt, to reach Indias Malabar Coast. Later, black pepper was exported to Europe, the
Middle East, and North Africa from India. But with the discovery of the New World and chili pepper,
popularity of black pepper declined. With the Portuguese influence, black pepper was cultivated in Java,
Sumatra, Malaysia and other parts of Southeast Asia. However, these areas traded mostly with China or used
the spice locally. With the Indian black pepper gaining more popularity, the Portuguese managed to find a sea
route to reach India.
Pepper diversity and origin
The pepper fruit and its dried form peppercorn have been used since antiquity for both its flavour and as a
traditional medicine. It is one of the most common spices added to all kinds of cuisines in the world. Dried
and ground pepper is omnipresent in the modern world as a seasoning and is often paired with common salt.
Also two other derivatives such as pepper spirit and oil can be extracted from the fruits by crushing them.
Pepper spirit is used in many medicinal and beauty products whereas pepper oil is used as an Ayurveda
massage oil and in certain beauty and herbal treatments. The spiciness of some other types of peppers like
white, green, orange, andred pepper (see also Box 1) is also very familiar. Several plants other than black
pepper are used as pepper substitutes. The bark of canelo or winters bark (Drimys winteri) is used as a
substitute for pepper in Chile and Argentina. Dried ripe fruits of the shrubs called Peruvian pepper (Schinus
molle) and Brazilian pepper (S. terebinthifolius) are sold in the market as pink peppercorn. In New Zealand
the seeds of kawakawa (Piper excelsum) are sometimes used as pepper and the leaves of mountain horopito
(Pseudowintera colorata) are another replacement for pepper. In North and Central America, the young fruits
and seeds of field peppercorn (Lepidium campestre) and peppergrass (L. virginicum) are used as a spice, with
a taste between black pepper and mustard.

Pepper plant
The pepper plant (Piper nigrum) is a perennial, scandent woody vine in the family Piperaceae. It grows on
supporting trees (Figure 1), poles, or fences and attains up to 4 m in height. New root emerges readily where
trailing branches touch the ground. Flowers are densely arranged on pendulous spikes of about 7-15 cm long,
produced at the leaf nodes. Each fruit is a single seeded globose drupe, approximately 5 mm in diameter,
unripe fruits are green in colour, and turn dark red when fully mature. A single stem bears 20-30 fruiting
spikes. The harvest begins as soon as one or two fruits at the base of the spikes begin to turn red, and while on
the large scale, the fruits are still green, unripe and hard
Unique peppercorns
Peppercorns are produced from green pepper drupes either by boiling in hot water followed by sun (or
machine) drying for several days or by normal sun drying for several days without the boiling process. The
heat ruptures cell walls in the pepper fruit. As a result, the fruit carp around the seed shrinks and darkens into
a thin wrinkled black layer. Black pepper, or simply pepper, is known under different vernacular names in
different Indian languages. In Bengali and Oriya it is known as golmarich, in Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi, it is
called kalimirch. In Gujarati it is known as kada mari. In Kannada, pepper is known as kare menasu. In
Malayalam it is known as kurumulaku, in Tamil, as milagu and in Telugu, it is called miriyalu.
India produces two types of black peppers known as Malabar pepper and Tellicherry pepper. Black pepper
is sold in ground, coarsely ground, cracked and whole peppercorn (Figure 3). Whole peppercorns are the best
choice as they keep their freshness, flavour and essential oils intact for longer durations. Ground pepper tends
to lose its texture and aroma with time through evaporation and takes on a bitter taste. Pepper can also lose
flavour when exposed to light, which can transform the chemical piperine into nearly tasteless isochavicine.
Another alternative to obtain the full flavour is to use freshly ground black pepper, as most culinary sources
recommend. Pepper gets its spicy taste mostly from a substance known as piperine derived both from the fruit
carp and the seed. Black pepper contains between 5-9 per cent piperine by mass and white pepper slightly
more than that. Piperine is known to irritate nostrils which results sneezing. Pepper contains other chemicals,
including amides, piperidines, pyrrolidines and trace amounts of safrole. The aroma of the black peppercorn is
attributed by a sesquiterpene compound rotundone and a few other terpenes, such as caryophyllene, limonene,
linalool, pinene, and sabinene. Ground black pepper contains reasonable amount of vitamin E, K, and vitamin
B (especially niacin, riboflavin and choline), minerals like calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, and
manganese, with trace amount of other essential nutrients, protein and dietary fibres. The calorific value of
black pepper is 257 calories per 100 gm of weight.
Traditional medicine
Like many other spices, pepper has been used as a medicine in both traditional and Ayurveda treatments for

ages. Amongst all the health benefits of black pepper, the most significant is its ability to improve digestion.
By stimulating the taste buds, black pepper increases the secretion of hydrochloric acid, thereby enhancing the
digestion process once food reaches the stomach. The antioxidant properties of black pepper help in
preventing and repairing damage caused by free radicals, thereby avoiding the risk of cardiovascular diseases
and liver problems. Besides, pepper also helps to reduce the damage caused by saturated fats, which is
regarded as the primary cause of oxidative stress. Moreover, the outer layer of peppercorn is known to break
fat cells and boost metabolism. Hence, all foods containing black pepper are an effective way of shedding
those unwanted body fats. Black pepper is good for curing toothache, tooth decay, earache, gangrene, hernia,
hoarseness, sunburn and insect bites. Regular intake of black pepper is known to benefit people
suffering from rheumatism and arthritis. Black pepper also improves circulation and provides relief to such
patients. The spiciness of black pepper helps in clearing throat congestion and sinusitis. Besides, it aids in
relieving flatulence, sore throat, cough and cold. In addition, pepper contains good antibacterial properties
also. Bacterial infections of the mouth, colon, digestive system, urinary tract and others are successfully
treated with black pepper. Pepper has been proved to be an effective remedy for curing vitiligo by stimulating
the skin to produce pigments. Piperine, found in black pepper, is effective in inhibiting the pro-inflammatory
cytokines produced by tumor cells. This, in turn, holds back the signaling mechanisms between cancer cells
and reduces the chances of tumor progression. Black pepper also acts as a protective agent against the risk of
skin cancer that can occur due to excess ultraviolet radiation. Black pepper oil helps in protecting the body
from damage caused by oxidants and assists in the repairing process. Besides, it slows down the adverse
effects of aging, such as vision loss, macular degeneration, wrinkling of skin, degeneration and loosening of
muscles, loss in mobility of joints, nervous disorders and memory loss. In India, black pepper is used as an
ingredient of Ayurveda medicines. Its use is quite well known to cure illness such as indigestion, diarrhea,
gonorrhea, trouble in urination, waist, rib and shoulder pain and pulled muscles, insomnia, insect bites, and so
on.
Conclusion
The unique aroma of black pepper has made it a valuable and most widely traded spice in the world. Presently
Vietnam is the worlds largest producer and exporter of black pepper followed by India, Brazil, Indonesia and
Malaysia. India earns a good amount of foreign currency each year by exporting pepper. However, all peppers
do not have the same taste. So the recent trend of industrial buyers is to mix peppers of different origins to
maintain a balance between price, taste and other factors. Malabar (Indian) black peppers are used for weight
and taste, Sumatra (Indonesian) for colour and Penang (Malaysian) for strength.
Courtesy: Dream 2047, Vigyan Prasar

10

Science and technology: key element of Indias growth

Ghazanfar Ali Khan
arabnews.com
India has much to be proud of its scientific
and technological developments. It became
the first to reach Mars on its initial attempt. It
boasts a thriving pharmaceutical industry that
produces low-cost medications desperately
needed by the developing world. Then, there
is Indian Space Research Organization
(ISRO) making headlines in space sciences.
And in his first year in office, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi launched an ambitious plan
to make India a leader in solar power. Such
successes are solace for that country of 1.3 billion people, which leads the world in many other spheres. India,
under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has had a strong focus on science and
technology, realizing that it is a key element of economic growth. Science and technology have been an
integral part of Indian civilization and culture over the past several millennia.
Few are aware that India was the fountainhead of important foundational scientific developments and
approaches. These cover many great scientific discoveries and technological achievements in mathematics,
astronomy, architecture, chemistry, biotechnology, metallurgy, medicine, natural philosophy and other areas.
A large number of products that had been imported into the country had to be manufactured to meet both
civilian and military needs. Indian substitutes had to be found for imported materials and processes had to be
developed which would use these materials in place of imported ones.
In these circumstances, the government of India constituted the Council of Scientific and Industrial
Research, which came into existence way back in 1942. Today, India is among the topmost countries in the
world in the field of scientific research, positioned as one of the top five nations in the field of space
exploration. The country has regularly undertaken space missions, including missions to the moon and the
famed Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). In October 2014, Indian Space Research Organization
(ISRO)s PSLV-C26 successfully launched IRNSS-1C, the third Hello Kiddies, Here is your Answers!!!
satellite in the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System
1. Convex
(IRNSS), from Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota. This
2. Albert Einstein
was PSLVs 27th consecutive successful mission.
3. Watts
Currently, 27 satellites including 11 that facilitate the
communication network to the country are operational, 4. Edwin Hubble
establishing Indias progress in the space technology domain. 5. Physicist
India is likely to take a leading role in launching satellites for the

11

for the SAARC nations, and thus generating revenue by offering its space facilities for use to other countries.
In fact, there has been considerable emphasis on encouraging scientific temperament among Indias youth
through numerous technical universities and institutes, both in the private and government sectors.
At present, the country has a total of 17 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), 31 National Institutes
of Technology (NITs), 677 universities awarding about 29,000 doctorate degrees, and about 40 research
laboratories run by the CSIR. India is among the worlds top 10 nations in terms of the number of scientific
publications. Position-wise, it is ranked 17th in the number of citations received and 34th in the number of
citations per paper across the field of science and technology (among nations publishing 50,000 or more
papers). On top of that, the country is ranked ninth globally in the number of scientific publications and 12th
in the number of patents filed. With support from the government, considerable investment and development
has incurred in different sectors such as agriculture, health care, space research, and nuclear power through
scientific research. For instance, India is gradually becoming self-reliant in nuclear technology.
Recently, the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project Unit-1 (KKNPP 1) with 1,000 MW capacity was
commissioned, while the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project Unit-2 (KKNPP-2) with 1,000 MW capacity is
under commissioning. In the field of missile launch technology, India is among the five top nations of the
world. No doubt, India has been the forerunner among the developing countries in promoting
multi-disciplinary activities in the field of biotechnology, recognizing the practically unlimited possibility of
their applications in increasing agricultural and industrial production, and in improving human and animal
life. The nucleus of research in this area is the National Biotechnology Board, constituted in 1982.
A Department of Biotechnology was created in 1986. Recently, the Biotechnology Consortium India
Limited was set up. It will play the role of catalyst in bridging the gap between Research and Development,
Industrial and Financial Institutions. Also, massive Biotech parks were established in India while the
government provided tax deduction for research and development under biotechnological firms.
Some of the recent developments in the field of science and technology in India are simply outstanding. To
this end, it is important to note that Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is taking steps toward
developing its own reusable rocket using a Winged Reusable Launch Vehicle Technology Demonstrator
(RLV-TD). The ISRO has launched six satellites of Singapore aboard the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle
(PSLV-C29) from Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, marking the completion 50 launches from
Sriharikota since 1979. Not only this, the National Institution for Transforming India Aayog (NITI Aayog)
plans to release a blueprint for various technological interventions which need to be incorporated by the
Indian manufacturing economy. Also, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore has become the first
Indian institution to enter the Top 100 universities ranking in engineering and technology. As far as
investment in science and technology is concerned, the Indian government aims to invest two percent of the
countrys GDP on research and development (R&D) in its 12th Five-Year Plan period (201317).
Accordingly, the government has undertaken various measures for promoting growth of scientific
research, such as sustained increase in plan allocations for scientific departments, setting up of new
institutions for science education and research, launch of new science, technology and innovation policy and
creation of centers of excellence for research and facilities in emerging and frontline science and technology

12

areas in academic and national institutes. Indian government has also tied with several foreign countries and
their institutions to promote science and technology. Jitendra Singh, union minister of state (independent
charge), science and technology and earth sciences, has launched a joint Indo-Canadian science program
focusing on clean water technologies.
According to Singh, the new program would be pursued through a joint collaboration between the
Indias Department of Science and Technology under the ministry and the National Science and Engineering
Council of Canada. The central government plans to soon institute a nation-wide consultation process with a
view to develop the first publicly accessible science and technology policy. The policy Vision S&T 2020
would articulate the countrys future toward self-reliance and technological independence in the 21st century.
Also, Nirmala Sitharaman, minister of state (independent charge) for commerce and Industry, has
launched the Technology Acquisition and Development Fund (TADF) under the National Manufacturing
Policy (NMP) to facilitate acquisition of clean, green and energy efficient technologies, by micro, small and
medium enterprises (MSMEs). On the other hand, the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM), an
autonomous organization under the Union Ministry of Culture, is engaged in the establishment of science
centers across the country. NCSM is developing a Science City at Guwahati, Assam, which would be handed
over to the government of Assam for future operations and maintenance. The organization has received
proposals from various state governments in India for setting up of such science cities.
NCSM has undertaken the Science Centers/Cities projects in a phased manner depending on the availability
of resources, project handling capacity of NCSM, and existing level of science center activities in a particular
state.
In the Indian budget, a few other initiatives have been taken in the field of science and technology.
One of them is the allocation of funds for space research that includes funds for Aditya-1, Indias first satellite
to study the Sun, and is intended to launch after 2017. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced funds for two
more IIT centers and five more medical schools on the model of the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences
(AIIMS). Overall, the Ministry of Science and Technology, which is Indias main agency for disbursing
research grants, received $1.42 billion in the budget.
Also, Indias leading research centers are seeking more scientific partnerships for the countrys remote
areas, particularly the northeastern states while working with the Indo-French Center for the Promotion of
Advanced Research (CEFIPRA). CEFIPRA is Indias first and Frances sole bilateral organization, committed
to promoting collaboration between the scientific communities of the two countries across the knowledge
innovation chain. In the field of nuclear energy, the Indias Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) has
developed and deployed technologies for the use of atomic energy in the areas of electricity generation,
nuclear power, agriculture, food preservation, health care, isotope hydrology, R&D and deployment in areas
pertaining to national security. India is aggressively working toward establishing itself as a leader in
industrialization and technological development. Significant developments in the nuclear energy sector are
likely as India looks to expand its nuclear capacity. Moreover, nanotechnology is expected to transform the
Indian pharmaceutical industry. The agriculture sector is also likely to undergo a major revamp, with the
government investing heavily for the technology-driven green revolution.

13

India Inks Agreement With U.S. For LIGO Gravitational Waves Research
India Inks Agreement With U.S. For LIGO
Gravitational Waves Research. In a move that will
establish a new authority in gravitational waves
research, India has made an agreement with the U.S. to set
up a new Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave
Observatory (LIGO) project in the country. The
agreement was established during Prime Minister
Narendra Modi's visit to the U.S. for the Nuclear Security
Summit. "Today is an exciting day because it offers the
promise of deepening our understanding and opening an even wider window to our universe," said France
Cordova, director of the National Science Foundation. "We look forward to working closely with our Indian
colleagues in this endeavor to further our knowledge of the most energetic phenomena in the cosmos."
LIGO is well known for playing a huge role in the discovery of gravitational waves, supporting
Einstein's general theory of relativity and giving scientists a new way to study the universe. The observatory
contains a complex lab that helped scientists make the finding, and with India making big steps in the field of
astronomy and space research, LIGO will continue to help them make progress. India's LIGO laboratory will
contain sensitive instruments that can detect sub-atomic movements in space and pinpoint activities that stem
from gravitational waves passing through the Earth. In combination with LIGO's current twin observatories,
India's third detector will help scientists further their understanding of the source and cause of gravitational
wave propagation.
"Historic detection of gravitational waves opens up a new frontier for the understanding of the
universe," Modi said. "Hope to move forward to make an even bigger contribution with an advanced
gravitational wave detector in the country. "What was significant about this project was that now India has
agreed to be a part of this project," added Vikas Swarup, official spokesperson of the Ministry of External
Affairs of India. In addition to their interest in space exploration and research, India is a prime choice for the
LIGO project due to its research-friendly geography. Furthermore, it is reported that the Indian cabinet has
approved $180 billion for the ambitious project. Modi hopes that India's LIGO gravitational waves research
will help generate curiosity in young scientists eager to participate in the field following a revolutionary scientific breakthrough. "In this context, he said that LIGO scientists going to India should have more interactions
with Indian universities," Swarup said. "They should meet more of Indian students to inculcate in them the
sense of curiosity, the sense of discovery."
Courtesy: www.hngn.com

14

Hemp Plaster Preserved Ancient Drawings In India's Ellora Caves

New research suggests that a plaster mixture
composed of cannabis, clay and lime helped
preserve ancient Indian paintings inside the
famous Ellora Caves from degrading over the
past 1,500 years. The Ellora Caves were built
between the sixth and 11th centuries A.D. in
the western state of Maharashtra, India. They
are made up of a group of 34 temples carved
out of stone and are dedicated to Buddhism,
Hinduism and Jainism. Hemp samples collected from cave number 12 of Ellora were analyzed for the recent
study.
Researchers Rajdeo Singh, an archaeological chemist of the Archaeological Survey of India's
science branch, and Milind M. Sardesai, who teaches botany at Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada
University, found that the cannabis played a key role in preserving the World Heritage site, as it regulates
humidity and deters pesky insects.
"The caves are breathtaking examples of rock-cut architecture that stands testimony to the imagination
and artistry of its creators," Singh and Sardesai wrote in their study. Using a scanning electron microscope,
infrared spectroscopy and stereo microscopic studies, researchers were able to isolate specimens of cannabis
from the clay plaster. The remains of cannabis, commonly referred to as ganja or bhang in India, indicate that
it was primarily used as an insulating agent and to strengthen the clay and lime mixture.
"Hemp was extensively used in Ellora as well as by the Yadavas, who built the Deogiri (Daulatabad)
fort in the 12th century. Hemp was not used in the Ajanta caves, which are about 30 rock-cut Buddhist
structures dating back to the 2nd century BC. Rampant insect activity has damaged at least 25 percent of the
paintings at Ajanta," Singh said.
What's even more remarkable about the find is that the preserving qualities of the hemp mixture found
in the Ellora caves far surpasses that of any ancient plaster uncovered in the past. "Studies conducted in
Europe suggested that buildings constructed with the use of cannabis sativa could last for 600 to 800 years.
Ellora has proved that only 10 percent of cannabis mixed with clay or lime in the plaster could last for over
1,500 years," Singh added.
Their study was recently published in the journal Current Science.
Courtesy: www.hngn.com

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"Science is the highest personifi-

Do You Know!!!

cation of the nation because that

1. In terms of computing, what does CPU stand for?

nation will remain the first

2. Nano, Shuffle, Classic and Touch are variations of what?

which carries the furthest the

3. Original Sony PlayStation use CDs or cartridges to play games?

works of thought and intelligence.

4. A doe is what kind of animal?

5. True or false? Gold is not a good conductor of electricity?

Louis Pasteur

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Discover
VOLUME 02
ISSUE 01 FEBRUARY, 2016

Compiled & Edited

By

Prasanth Nair
Reshmy Krishnakumar
Rajesh Sankaranarayanan
Science International Forum, Kuwait
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