India

(ANS – Naigaon) – The “Don Bosco” High School and Junior College of Naigaon, in the District of Palghar, in the Indian state of Maharashtra, hosted its first interdisciplinary exhibition “BE PEACEMAKERS” last weekend of 26 and November 27, 2022, to showcase the talents of his pupils while promoting an atmosphere of peace, harmony and well-being.

The inauguration took place on 26th November by the retired eminent scientist of Space Center “Vikram Sarabhai” of Space Research Organization of India, David Samikkanu Antuvan. A prayer for peace introduced the works, with all present participating in an atmosphere of deep spirituality.

The exhibition logo, designed by Christopher D’Silva, and perfected in colors by Wilfred Fernandes, Founder and Director of the “Young” enterprise, had instead been unveiled a week earlier by Fr Biju Michael, Councilor for the South Asia Region, during his local stage of the Extraordinary Visitation, which on the occasion also praised the initiative and its creators, starting with the Vice-President of the institute, Fr Joaquim Fernandes.

“This exhibition is a strong boost to student curriculum, an exemplary event for other educational institutions. The Salesians of the institute, together with the staff and the management, have created an extraordinary event”, said prof. Antuvan.

“The exhibition underlined the joy of learning and taking care of the Earth, as it is our responsibility to convert to a different lifestyle, a different way of thinking and behaving to protect the planet, promote peace and be builders of peace”, explained Fr Fernandes for his part.

The exhibition was able to weave together three themes: the Salesian charism, care for creation strongly promoted by Pope Francis and the Sustainable Development Goals indicated by the United Nations. Teach pupils to connect with nature and the divine, enhance creative stimuli, guide them towards peace with themselves and with others, convey a feeling of solidarity with the poor, critical thinking, investigative skills and the search for truth were his main goals.

During the two days, various projects on aquatic, terrestrial and aerial life graced the corridors and classrooms. For example, a “hydroponics” project was illustrated, for growing plants without soil and using coconut peat. Furthermore, to urge the preservation of the mangroves, a fine specimen was also exhibited in the institute’s premises.

The spaces dedicated to Don Bosco were also much appreciated. “I’ve talked to many people, I’ve had the opportunity to spread kindness and overcome my shyness. Now I feel more self-confident” said the pupil Ryan Messi, who was present in the room illustrating the life of Don Bosco.

“Be wise, the ocean is not a garbage can”, was instead the message of Aadya Sonar, head of the asylum, in presenting her artistic work.

The professor. Antuvan, for his part, conducted 3 sessions on “Inspirational experiences from rocket science” with older pupils, captivating everyone’s attention with valuable information and hilarious videos on launches, rockets, satellites and the solar system. An entire room has been transformed into the Space Zone, complete with spaceships, the solar system and even “astronauts” around; in another space a planetarium had been set up instead.

Different sections showed works on health, anatomy, disease, computer games, cosmology, pollution and climate change, biodiversity loss, water conservation, global inequality and the mystery of universe.

Guests were also involved in live experiments in the chemistry lab, and in sessions dedicated to reflecting on how science can be applied to everyday life; while the biology laboratory made it possible to learn about the human skeletal system, the specimens of organisms preserved there and to make observations under the microscope.

In the room dedicated to the Art for Peace, however, some valuable works by various students were exhibited, under the guidance of CD Jain, a well-known artist, who was also a consultant to UNICEF.

Other attractions were the traditional “rangoli” designs made with colored powders and the artistic works done by the students.

“It has been a wonderful collaboration between students, teachers and parents. I have never seen children so involved. The exhibits are beautiful and the exhibition was well organised,” said Sara Barboza, from the parents’ group.

With about 5,000 visitors for both days, the exhibition was considered by all to be a success capable of conveying important educational messages.