FERNANDO MONTE DA SILVA
PANJIM: Two local lads, Sumukh Pinge and Rishikesh Kalghatkar, will do Goa proud (yet again) by travelling to Japan as a part of a study tour to Japan, having recently been crowned the National Champions of the Fuel Saving League Quiz 2015.
Students of Mushtifund High School, the duo is set to depart to Tokyo, Japan on Friday to participate in the study tour organised by Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India.
Pinge, the more outspoken of the unassuming duo is excited about the opportunity he has been provided with, saying, “It took us three rounds to get here, but the hard work has paid off.”
PCRA’s endeavour, ‘Fuel Saving League Quiz’ was conducted in 35 cities across the country. An extremely competitive event, the turnout exceeded five lakh students in sheer numbers of participants.
The Panjim round alone saw 20 teams make an appearance at the table, with Mushtifund High School eventually being declared winners. Having reached thus far, the boys were selected to participate in the western finals along with teams of other schools from the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat. These included the likes of Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Ahmedabad and Surat, with the western finals being held at St Stanislaus School, Bandra-Mumbai.
The team from Goa coasted through this segment with a comfortable margin, earning itself the title of ‘Western Vigilants’ of India and booking a place in the National finals. The participants in the National Finals were Mushtifund High School-Panjim, Delhi Public School-Noida, Delhi Public School-Ranchi, Oxford International School-Gwalior and Presidency School-Bengaluru.
After being declared national champions, Mushtifund High School’s participants earned more than just a study trip to Japan and a title they can be extremely proud of. Rishikesh Kalghatkar, the quieter member of the squad says, “We have won a Scholarship of Rs 1 lakh per year until graduation. For those who missed the telecast of the quiz on the Doordarshan network, a video of the same is now available on PCRA’s YouTube channel.”
Scheduled to be held from June 14 to 19, the aim of the study tour is observational in nature, with a focus on the environment and fuel conservation practises and policies of Japan. The students will visit the Urban Waste Generation Plant in Tokyo, as well as the Yokohama Smart city to experience the latest technology in the world. PCRA has also arranged a visit to Suzuki Plaza, Hamamatsu and the famous Miraikan – National Museum of Emerging Sciences.
