Essay Competition-2010

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Hope it might interest you ... our ongoing quest for life.

 

May peace prevail on Earth.

 

Regards,

 

Varun

 

 

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* *BHAKTIVEDANTA INSTITUTE*

*Promoting a Dialogue between Science and Spirituality *

 

 

 

Bhaktivedanta Institute is pleased to announce the launch of its 2010 Essay

Competition and invites interested students to submit their Essays.

The theme of this year’s Essay Competition is: " What is Life? - Scientific

and Indian Spiritual Perspectives on the Nature, Purpose, Meaning and Origin

of Life. "

The details of the format and last year winners can be found on the

website:

http://www.binstitute.org/aissq2008

 

The extended last date of submission is: October 15, 2009

 

All the Colleges and Institutes’ Incharges are requested to display the

below notice for the kind attention of the students.

 

Launched in 2006 by the Institute’s Founder Director, Dr. T. D. Singh, this

Essay Competiton is organized by the Bhaktivedanta Institute every year to

stimulate creative thinking in students for a balanced growth of scientific

and spiritual advancement and to support outstanding students in their

pursuit of deeper knowledge. The first three selected candidates are awared

cash prizes besides getting an opportunity to present their essay at a

special session of Institute's annual conference on Science and

Spirituality. All the participants will receive certificates.

 

Thank you.

 

Regards,

 

Bhaktivedanta Institute

 

 

 

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All India Students' Essay Competition 2010

 

Topic:

*What is Life ?*

*Scientific and Indian Spiritual Perspectives on the Nature, Purpose,

Meaning and Origin of Life *

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Last date of submission: 15* October 2009*

Essays to be submitted to essay.aissq

 

 

 

*Essay Theme*:

 

 

It is 150 years since Darwin published his famous work, On the Origin of

Species in 1859 in his quest for an explanation of the nature and the

diversity of life. Eighty four years later, Erwin Schr0dinger, the famous

quantum physicist, again highlighted the question of life and wrote his

classic monograph, What is Life? in his search for the meaning and nature of

life, which also inspired many pioneers of molecular genetics like Wilkins,

Watson and Crick. Since Darwin began his journey on the ship Beagle till

today, we have made tremendous developments in various fields of life

sciences. However, along with many penetrating insights these developments

have provided us, they have, perhaps much more, questioned many of our

earlier concepts and have raised many questions about the nature, meaning,

purpose, and origin of life. Today, after 150 years of unimaginable

advancement in vast disciplines of sciences, the very question 'What is

Life?' remains beyond our reach. Besides, the precious Indian spiritual and

cultural heritage has been guiding us that life has a spiritual dimension

beyond particles and waves, beyond genes and proteins. The spiritual concept

of life has come more in forefront, as never before, when we are faced with

serious ethical issues, global climate changes, moral questions and

responsibilities of we as humans, dangers of biological warfare, terrorism,

etc. These issues have once again surfaced questions on how we view

ourselves and each other, who we are, why we are here, what we wish to

become and what the purpose of our lives is. Thus a serious attempt to

explore life from scientific and spiritual perspectives is of paramount

importance and hence the theme of this Essay Competition.

 

 

*Essays with following items will receive preference during selection*:

 

- Good number of references of all the items and thoughts presented.

- Pictorial representations.

- Mathematical formulation of the expressed ideas, wherever possible.

- Original views/reviews, not copied materials from books or websites.

 

 

*Honors and Awards:*

 

*First Prize: *

 

*Gold medal*, Cash prize of *Rs. 10,000/- *(Rs. ten thousand only) and three

Publications of the Bhaktivedanta Institute (winner's choice). Essay to be

published in *Tattva-Jijnasa*, the annual students' magazine of the

Bhaktivedanta Institute.

 

*Second Prize:*

 

*Silver medal*, Cash prize of* Rs. 6,000/-* (Rs. six thousand only) and two

publication the Bhaktivedanta Institute (winner's choice).

 

*Third Prize: *

 

*Bronze medal,* Cash prize of *Rs. 4,000/-* (Rs. four thousand only) and one

publication of the Bhaktivedanta Institute (winner's choice).

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*Conference Presentations:*All Prize winners will get an opportunity to

present their essays at *AISSQ-2010 *MNNIT Allahabad, U.P., India during

15-17 January 2010.

 

*Travel reimbursements:*All Prize winners will be reimbursed to and fro III

AC ticket fares from nearest railway station to Allahabad.

 

*Benefits*

 

 

- All *short-listed *participants can register *free of cost *in

the 5thAll India Students' Conference on Science and Spiritual Quest (

*AISSQ-2010*) to be held at MNNIT Allahabad, U.P., India during 15-17

January 2010

- All *short-listed *participants can avail 15% discount on the purchase

of the Bhaktivedanta Institute's publications.

- All *short-listed *participants will receive participation

certificates.

- All *short-listed *participants will be entitled for free subscription

to the Bhaktivedanta Institute's e-magazine

 

 

 

 

For further details, please refer to http://www.binstitute.org/aissq and

click on 'Essay Competition' tab.

 

Bhaktivedanta Institute

RC/8, Raghunathpur, Manasi Manjil Building,

4th floor,VIP Road, Kolkata – 700059, India

Tel: 033-2500-9018; Fax: 033-2500-6091

 

<http://www.binstitute.org/>