Marriage halls in Mysuru on stand-by for Science Congress

Mysuru, Dec 24: Registrations for the 103rd Indian Science Congress (103ISC) have breached the 10,000 mark. The organisers say due to the unprecedented demand, they have decided to keep a spot registration counter open to accommodate last-minute entries.

The volunteers and officials at the Camp Office of 103ISC, situated near the Fire Brigade Circle here, are virtually on their toes with preparations now set to enter the final lap.

Around 8,500 rooms in hotels and guest houses have been booked to accommodate the delegates and participants so far. Negotiations for another 2000 rooms are underway to cater to the growing registrations.

Even marriage halls are brought under the radar and kept on a stand-by mode to meet the demand. The organisers say that Sutur Mutt, a prominent religious institution here, has offered around 800 rooms.

As reported by OneIndia earlier, Mysuru is hosting the ISC for the second time. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 103ISC on January 3.

The Women's Science Congress and the Children's Science Congress are two parallel events set to add more value and colour to 103ISC ending on January 7.

The police officials were seen inspecting the Amphitheater of University of Mysore, the venue of PM's inaugural address. The open-seating amphitheater is now being covered for security reasons. Security in Mysuru town is expected to go up in the coming days.

A unique event in the world promoting science and technology

Speaking to OneIndia, Dr NB Ramachandra, Local Secretary, 103ISC said that nowhere in the world such an event, exclusively to promote science and technology (S&T) among common people and students, is being held with minimal registration fee.

"In addition to food, a delegate gets sharing accommodation for six days free of cost, including 103ISC kit with abstracts of papers - all for just Rs 1,800. This doesn't happen anywhere else. Even in China, you will have to shell out more for accommodation," says Prof Ramachandra, the recipient of Dr Raja Ramanna Scientists' State Award-2014, which was announced by the Government of Karnataka last week.

According to him, 103ISC aims at injecting science into the day to day life of common man.

"Science is the solution for common man's problems. There's economic growth in the country and the living standards have gone up. But, our thinking standards too need to catch up with the changing times," says Dr Ramachandra, a Professor of Genetics.

Dr DD Somashekara, Local Secretary, 103ISC said that the event would provide a platform for people of all age groups.

"If you look at the profiles of participants, then you are in for a surprise. The 103ISC will be a carnival for Science and Technology lovers in the country. And the students are bound to drive maximum benefits from it," says Dr Somashekara, a Professor of Mathematics.

(The writer is a seasoned aerospace and defence journalist in India. Currently, a Post-Doctoral Fellow with the University of Mysore, he is a Consultant Editor (Defence) with OneIndia. He tweets @writetake.)

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