Workshop on Origami organized at SAMETI, Shimla from 24-27 April, 2023

Shimla April 27

Origami is the traditional Japanese art of paper folding. The goal of this art is to transform a flat sheet of paper into a finished sculpture through folding and sculpting techniques. The number of basic origami folds is small, but they can be combined in a variety of ways to make intricate designs. However, there is much more to Origami than just simple paper folding. We can discover angles, find relationships between numbers and prove theorems and learn mathematical facts, all inside an origami model made from paper.  Therefore, now Origami is one of the most popular methods to teach geometrical and mathematical concepts.

In order to popularize mathematics, the Punjab State Council for Science & Technology (PSCST) in association with Himachal Pradesh Council for Science, Technology and Environment (HIMCOSTE) organized a North Regional Workshop on Origami at SAMETI, Shimla from 24-27 April / TGT to train 30 school mathematics teachers of Himachal Pradesh through this interesting and fun-filled activity. The workshop was conducted by renowned Origami expert, Sh. VSS Sastry from Karnataka, who also holds the Limca Book of records for making a 151 inch paper rocket.

In this unique Origami Workshop, art of paper-folding was demonstrated and teachers were trained to use their fine motor skills to fold and crease paper into fun shapes and structures involving spatial reasoning. They were given precise directions in sequence, fractions, geometry and mathematics to practically prove theorems such as Pythagoras theorem, Euler’s formula, value of Pi and more.

The workshop on Origami was supported and catalyzed by National Council for Science & Technology Communication (NCSTC), Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India. The regional coordinators were Dr. K.S. Bath and Dr. Mandakini Thakur from PSCST while Dr. S. S. Randhawa and Dr. (Mrs) Deepshikha acted as state coordinators for HP.