Rashmi Rekha Das, OP
Class XI student Punya Pratyusha believes that quizzing reinforces her memory
For many intelligent students, quizzing is the most important extracurricular activity they indulge in during their teen years. In fact, all of them would admit that they enjoy it more as a game and as a vent to their competitive spirit. Punya Pratyusha Sethi is one who believes in the power of quizzing in reinforcing her memory. She was one among four students who represented India in the International Earth Science Olympiad held in France this year. She has brought laurels not only to the state but to the country by winning a bronze medal as an individual competitor and a gold medal in team. Orissa POST chats with the scholar about her future plans.
Daughter of freelance writer Swagatika Sethi and Bimbadhar Sethy, Deputy Director Planning and Statistics, Bhawanipatna, Punya Pratyusha had left for France August 14 to participate in International Earth Science Olympiad (IESO) which continued for seven days beginning August 21.
Shedding light on the International Earth Science Olympiad, Punya Pratyusha said “IESO is one of the 12 International Olympiads which was held for the first time in 2007 in South Korea and tests the knowledge of students in Earth Science areas. In India, the first two rounds of Earth Science Olympiad are conducted by the Geological Society of India. Students of class IX, X and XI are eligible to compete. After competing with each other in the second round, four students from our country including me were finally selected to represent India in the 11th International Earth Science Olympiad 2017. Every year, the students winning the respective national competitions are invited to participate in this significant event. All the main areas of earth sciences, including geology, geophysics, meteorology, oceanography, astronomy, and environmental sciences, are considered as selecting topics for the competition.”
Asked to share her experience, she said: “When I came to know that I got selected to represent my country in IESO, there was a sense of pride, but it was more satisfaction that all the work I had put in over the last few years had finally culminated in something and I had something I could point to as an accomplishment I’ve made. The trip to France was really memorable and I enjoyed a lot.”
The IESO offers the perfect opportunity to young people to discover the culture of the host country. With this in mind, the agenda includes trips to cultural or natural sites of interest, and festive events. The participants would also get a flavour of their peers’ cultures. The spirit of this competition is to promote discussion and exchange to find collective solutions to the planet’s problems. Punya Pratyusha who returned from France September 1 had worn a kurti having pattachitra print and a khandua pata pant to promote the state’s culture.
According to her mother Swagatika, “What I like the most about Punya Pratyusha is that she is very creative since her childhood. She is always interested to learn new things and gain in-depth knowledge about them. She always wants to discover new things. We, parents, have never pressurised her to do anything. We have given her liberty. She follows her heart. She is outspoken. Apart from being a good student, she is good at playing the guitar, painting and writing poems. She was the team leader among students reprepresenting India at IESO. I am really proud of her.”
Punya Pratyusha who is attending a two-day quizzing programme on mineralogy in Tamil Nadu is undecided about her aim. “I have to explore the world and gain knowledge. I have miles to go before I sleep. I have not thought of my aim yet,” said Punya Pratyusha, a Class XI student of DAV school, Unit VIII.
