Praveen Arimbrathodiyil blogs here

Changathikkoottam 2nd Day

On 10th of May early morning I left home for Nattukal for Police Verification required for my passport. I got my first chance to experience how our system �works�. I was back in Alanallur by 10 am. Before we started of with a song by Murali master, reports of the previous day was read by kids.

Scientist is labourer
Human tribes warrior
Science is driver for him
Science is his driver

As we did in the previous day today also we divided the crowd into two and we demonstrated our experiments for the day for one batch while the other batch was engaged in crafts with coconut tree leaves. The experiment for the day was Water Manometer. [I missed something about the previous day's experiments session, one bright lad Ashok demonstrated two experiments to prove the existence of atmospheric pressure all on his own, the first one was using a hard paper and drinking glass & the second one was using a balloon and glass. The glass was filled to the brim with water and the hard paper was kept on top of it and when he kept the glass upside down the paper didn't move and the water was not spilled. He inserted a deflated balloon in a drinking glass and he inflated the balloon inside the glass and lifted the glass without touching it by lifting the balloon]
The experiment was demonstrated by Sheeba teacher. It was simply superb. She explained things clearly and the kids could answer the questions which she asked after the session. The experiment was to measure the pressure inside an inflated balloon and infer the relation between the water level in the manometer and the balloon/air pressure. She showed them the mason’s pipe and asked them simple questions [One girl present there was a mason's daughter] and she enquired whether they knew any examples to prove the existence of air pressure. They responded with the previous day’s experiment by Ashok. Then she went on to explain a real life experience of atmospheric pressure ie, when climbing up or down a hill. When she asked them whether the atmospheric pressure on top of the hill or below is more, everyone answered that it will be more on the top. So she drew a schematic of earth with atmospheric cover and a hill on the earth’s surface and explained to them clearly that atmospheric pressure decreases as we move up the hill as the volume of air exerting pressure decreases. Then we moved on to the manometer experiment. She explained to them that a barometer measures atmospheric pressure and a manometer measures simply the pressure. Two balloons are taken and one is inflated to a larger size than the other. Water is taken in the mason’s tube [which is our manometer] and one limb’s water level is marked using a rubber band, when both openings are kept at the same height. Now balloon is deflated at the unmarked limb and air is allowed to exert pressure into the tube and the tube and water is pushed down by balloon’s pressure. The water level is raised at the other (marked) limb. The relation between rise in water level and air pressure inside the balloon as the pressure exerted by the balloon is increases. Then she taught them the relation

P=hdg
P � pressure in N/m2 or Pascal
h � height of the rise in water level
d � density in Kg/m3 [Relative density of Mercury, which is commonly used in barometers is 13.6. Relative density is the density of the substance divided by that of water and so water has a relative density of 1]
g � acceleration due to gravity with a value of 9.8

As I had to continue with the same experiment for the next batch also, I missed the other session which taught them to make models with coconut tree leaves. Before we moved on with the next batch V. D. Nampoothiri master took a session on the largest prime number. He started from basics teaching what is a factor, what is a prime number, how to find out square and higher powers of a number etc. The largest prime number was found by a doctor (one who treats for sickness and prescribes medicine not any doctorate in mathematics). It is 2^25964951-1 and with 7,816,230 digits.
After repeating the manometer experiment, Gopalakrishnan master narrated the story of Sadako Suzuki, who survived the atom bomb and the horror of the World War II. They were taught to make the bird made by Sadako and made aware of the terrors of a war and the loss of human lives and property in a war. After this Jamsheed, a plus-two student who was with us on both days demonstrated an origami trick of making a flower. It was very complex and most couldn’t finish it. Then it was time for lunch break.
The afternoon session was devoted completely for games. Some of the games were Fox and Fowl [Kozhiyum Kurukkanum], Clap Opening [Kaikottithurakkal],Mat game [Paravathanikkali] etc.

Fox and Fowl or Thief and Police

The group is divided to batches of 3 and one fox and another fowl. The player who is acting as fox should chase and touch the player who is acting as the fowl. The 3 players in a batch stand side by side and each keeps his first hand on his waist and the second through the loop formed by next players hand. These batch of 3 is a ‘koodu’ [nest or burrow]. These nests are arranged in a circle. The fowl can join in any of the nests in any of the two sides of the nest disbanding the player on the other end of the nest. The disbanded player is the new fowl and fox now chases the new fowl. Once the fox touches the fowl then he becomes a fowl and can join in any of the nests and old fowl is now the new fox. The game go on like this.

Kaikottithurakal

This is similar to the previous game. In this nest is like a queue of 3 players. But only the back side of the nest can be opened. A fowl can enter this nest by standing in front and clapping[Clapping opens the nest and hence the name]. I suppose Fayas master will never forget this game. He was fox and was chasing his fowl, a small kid. He ran away from the circle and master chased the kid all his effort and he slipped on was off to ground. He got some small bruises to take home.

Paravathanikkali

Teams of 3 players each can compete each other. One is a king and others pones. News paper is used as mat. Each pone stand on either side of the king. The king is supposed to walk only on the mat. As the king lists his leg, the pone takes the mat from the ground and places it forward so that the king can move on. The team reaching first on the finishing line wins the game. Any team is out of the game if their king places is leg on the ground.

After the games we sung a song against war. Before finishing of the two day’s gathering with a ‘Kummatti’ song, the feedback session gave us an idea how the kids received it. From their feedback it was clear that all of them enjoyed the two days and they wanted more of such programmes. These two days thus proved satisfactory and got me out of the boring mood.
[Typing from Mangalamkunnu in Kiran Das' laptop in his home]