Alttag--Great Arc festival—A glimpse of the daring exercise of Survey of Indian sub-continent London: The Great Arc festival, an exhibition showcasing the daring history of the Survey of India, was inaugurated in London by Human Resource Development and Science and Technology Minister Murli Manohar Joshi.

Great Arc fest gives a glimpse of the extraordinary nature of the Indian scientific tradition, Joshi said opening the exhibition at the Atlantis Gallery in London on October 7.

The exhibition tells the story of the 200-year-old Survey of India and displays the latest mapping techniques in the country, a world leader in the science.

"The spirit of conscious scientific enquiry is a part of every segment of Indian society. That is why we could have a lowly clerk like Ramanujam dedicated his total life to the pursuit of mathematics," Joshi said.

The Survey of India was a great technological achievement of the pre-computer age. Trigonometrical Survey was launched in India in the beginning of 19th century. Mapping and measuring the Indian sub- continent, the survey covered more than 1,600 miles and unravelled the secrets of the Himalayas. Countless people died in its execution including two Surveyor Generals.

The exhibition comes to London as part of the six-month-long Great Arc Festival.

PTI