Close to the mark

WHAT'S IN a map? Well, the entire world! It may sound ridiculous but that's the culture the GeoMap Society is trying to inculcate among schoolkids. And hundreds of students realised this at the GeoMap Quiz, an annual affair of the GeoMap Society, organised at Sanjeevaiah Park on Saturday. About 250 students short-listed from the 2,500 applicants were exposed to various modules of maps and their usages.

The awareness drill wasn't confined to just academic aspects. There was fun too even while testing students' know-how. The quiz was conducted in four areas - Map Fun, Map Drawing, Map Planning and Skill Test.

In the Map Planning module, a model depicting an earthquake scenario was given to the students to plan relief operation on a scientific basis. Their grasping power was to the fore as one could see the children analysing the extent of damage and the options available to tackle it.

"The idea was not only to introduce them to mapping concepts but also test their decision-making skills", says Maj. Shiva Kiran, Convener, GeoMap Society. "An image explains more effectively than words. They couldn't have gauged the extent of damage if the same issue was presented in a written format. The map version made a large difference", points out G.S. Kumar, president, GeoMap Society.

The zest to know among students was at evident when they were asked to find out the correct locations in the park. With a map in their hands they made a dash, searching for the locations. The competition was held in junior and senior categories.

By R. Ravikanth Reddy

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Section  : Southern States
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