Shailesh Shirali has been at the Rishi Valley School (Krishnamurti Foundation of India), Rishi Valley, Andhra Pradesh, for more than ten years and is currently the Principal. He has been involved in the Mathematical Olympiad Programme since 1988. He has a deep interest in talking and writing about mathematics, particularly about its historical aspects. He is also interested in problem solving (particularly in the fields of elementary number theory, geometry and combinatorics).

Plant propagation using artificial or synthetic seeds developed from somatic and not zygotic embryos opens up new vistas in agriculture. Artificial seeds make a promising technique for propagation of transgenic plants, non-seed producing plants, polyploids with elite traits and plant lines with problems in seed propagation. Being clonal in nature the technique cuts short laborious selection procedure of the conventional recombination breeding and can bring the advancements of biotechnology to the doorsteps of the farmer in a cost-effective manner.

Symmetry a s an idea has an aspect of universality to it. In virtually every facet of human endeavor and natural  phenomena, cutting across the boundaries of time and space, we  find manifestations of symmetry. As Hermann Weyl writes in his wonderful book , a book that is certainly essential reading for any one with an interest in the subject,  "Symmetry, as wide or as narrow as you may define its meaning, is one idea by which man through the ages has tried to comprehend and create order, beauty and perfection". T he all embracing nature of the concept of symmetry is staggering: within its fold lie subjects as far removed from one another as particle physics, relativity, crystallography, rangoli patterns and Islamic art. Scientists are far from being the only ones to ponder about the concept, and William Blake's immortal poems reflect man 's age-old fascination with symmetry ...

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Address for Correspondence
Shailesh A Shirali 
Rishi Valley School 
Chittoor District 
Rishi Valley 517 352 
Andhra Pradesh, India.