In Memory of ‘the Brightest Night of the Year’

Now I am writing about the brightest night of the year (der Klügsten Nacht des Jahres), which is a whole night devoted for science and, of course, for arts in Berlin and Potsdam. The programme begins late at night and goes without ending until dawn! That day different universities and institutes come together to show what miracles they have in their hands. For the twelfth time scientific institutions in Berlin and Potsdam together organized the "Brightest Night of the Year", in which a total of 73 universities, colleges, research institutes and technology-oriented companies opened its doors in June 2012. The comprehensive program included an almost endless range of topics. There were also events for urban development, economy, social issues and much more. Embarked on a journey of discovery through the scientific community, where one could experience firsthand what being researched in these two regions.

Small researchers had in the numerous activities for kids get a first impression. This year's theme of the night of science was, a "fireworks in the brain." This was an incentive program and at the same time, this year's Long Night offered a firework of ideas and knowledge, and we enjoyed the "brightest night of the year." The idea was wonderful!

A full day to celebrate! A celebration which directly pierces to our brain and mind. The first day we reached the university, Prof. Dirk Wiemann asked us to participate in a seminar presentation he would do in this day. The topic was interesting; it was about the Indian graphic novels. I have not read any graphic novel before, but ya, definitely I did read all most all amarchitrakatha published in Malayalam.

It was a very cold day; even our bones broke with the chilling climate!  I could opt to either wear my usual red coloured sweater or wear a blue coloured t-shirt and show the people our team jersey. Actually, the t-shirt and the badge were two marks to recognize us when we were in the presentation room. 

We went to Golm campus early morning, and we saw there were a long queue and a ticket counter. When we knew, the ticket price was 13 euro (Rs.910!) we thought to drop the plan to go in and we  decided to participate in the seminar in which we were a part. We went to the gate to ask about the programme, and we saw a very few students wore the same blue coloured t-shirts and badges. Moreover, they smiled at us. The security before the gate greeted us. We were thinking some magic of the shirt. We went to a door, where a blue coloured t-shirt dressed woman kept just before it to check the ticket. We pretended to ask something, but she smiled and greeted us. We entered the hall. Then we realized the badge was an entry ticket which permitted us to see the entire programme.

The first door led us to a chemistry experiment hall.  People thought we were science students; they were creating different substances and making experiments. I suddenly remembered my Pre-Degree Classroom. I was scared all the acids and experiments. (That is why I ended up in an art subject for my Degree!) For my final exam, there was a question to recognize some acids; I think, it was phenyl acid. The only thing I knew about that acid was that phenyl burns our skin. Therefore, instead of making any experiment, I poured two drops of phenyl into my palm using a scale, nothing happened, so I confirmed that it was carbohydrate or some other stuff, and started to answer it. I completely forgot the scale, which I used to take the acid. When my exam passed the first hour, accidently I put my hand on the scale, I heard a shii sound and smelled a burning skin. My left hand made a black mark of burning acid, the neighbouring girl was shocked, and she was about to faint but I winked at her and said, it is ok, I got seven marks freely, I corrected the answer and thanked the phenol for giving me a mark on my left hand a 7 marks in my paper.

When the research scholars realized we were not science students, they said that all were for children, and there were already a bunch of school-going children surrounded them.

‘Could we participate in your experiments? Vivek asked them.

‘We are sorry; it is only for school going children’

‘Oho! But we are university-going children!’

‘Ok, then you are welcome’.

First was a DNA forming experiment from a banana. One should come forward to help the researcher to do the experiment. I was thinking all the experiments I did my Pre Degree and took two steps back. So Aparna went for it. The guy explained us how a DNA is formed from banana. He said to do different processes. To our wonder, we got a DNA in a test tube. Oho, the term test tube also forced me to remember my PDC chemistry lab, once in the lab, with my hand, I broke the tip of a pipette (burette?), that day  just got over.  However, when I went there to get my transfer certificate I got a due certificate of breaking the tip of the pipette, it was some 350 rupees!)

After the experiment, they presented that DNA as a gift  for completing the job successfully. Next was an experiment to create thermo-coal-balls. This time Vivek was ready to be the scientists, it seemed he also was thinking his +2 science class. It took too much time to complete the process. At last, he also got the gift. The least dangerous experiments were blowing a balloon with ice. This ice was very different. It became the evaporated stage directly from ice without a liquid stage! They filled the balloon with this ice, and the balloon, then started to puff with air. That was amazing. I got that balloon as a gift! We came out from the chemistry laboratory. 

Then it was the time of music. We heard a very beautiful music from the courtyard of the Golm campus.

Our presentation time was around 10 pm at night. We were asked to read four graphic novels, these were:

Delhi Calm by Vishwajyothi Ghosh. This is a picturesque description of what happened in Delhi (India) during Emergency. It explains the whole issue through a journalist’s eye. I am sure it will please those who witnessed the sleepless nights of Emergency and those who know the short cut routs of Delhi.

Tinker. Solder. Tap by Bhagwati Prasad and Amitab Kumar. It is a very sataristic story of how piracy is well worked in India. The transformation of film piracy through Cassettes to DVD is simply described in the book. Again, it explains the India’s big piracy market, Palika Bazar. As the authors know that, any of the creative products is not free from piracy in India in this globalized time, so they have given the permission to ‘pirate’ the book. It is available in this website, www. sarai.net. In the cover page, the authors have written: ‘Any part of this book maybe reproduced in any form without the prior written permission of the publishers for educational and non-commercial use’.

 

Indian by Choice by Amit Dasgupta. This is specially written for NRI citizen who live in hi-fi metro cities. It is a journey of a Punjabi rooted Manddep Singh who thinks India as a very unproductive, densely populated, uncivilized country, but his visit to India for a marriage function changes all his notions on India and its people.  When Mandeep feels India after a tour to different places of India, he starts to love India.

LIE: A Traditional Tale of Modern India by Gautam Bhatia. It is a very satirical and strongly criticise today’s politics. Among all these four novels I like reading of this graphic novel most.

In his presentation, Prof. Wiemann was focussing the reproduction of mythical past of India through the amarchitrakatha. The amarchitrakatha started and developed using the mythical stories and it generated a golden past notion of ancient India.