Beyond the syllabus: Eight must visit places in India for science students

Learning science through books, classes and labs can sometimes get pretty boring. All those tough equations and proofs and definitions and theorems can be pretty stressful.

But isn’t science supposed to engaging? Isn’t it supposed to help us be open-minded and inquisitive? Instead, here we are, mugging books after books, with very little clue of the reality outside the classroom.

So let us make science fun and interesting. Let’s go on unique field trips, visit museums and planetariums and science centres. Let’s even try to go back in time and discover fossils.

Shiksha.com presents a list of eight must visit places in India for science enthusiasts.

1. Science City, Kolkata

How about spending an entire day in a city full of scientific wonders?

Welcome to the Science City in Kolkata – India’s largest science centre. This miniature city has a Space Theatre, Planetarium, 3D Vision Theatre, and even a Time Machine!

Its massive galleries and halls explain various principles of science through experiential methods. It also has a Dynamotion Hall, an Evolution Theme Park, a Maritime Centre, a Science Park and a cable car.

 

2. Indroda Dinosaur and Fossil Park, Balasinor, Gujarat

Want a Jurrasic Park experience in India? Balasinor in Gujarat is your destination.

Indroda Dinosaur and Fossil Park is presumed to be the second largest hatchery of dinosaur eggs in the entire world. In 2003, fossils of a new species of dinosaurs from the Tyrannosaurus Rex family were found here.

“Paleontologists believe that at least seven species of dinosaur lived here and researchers have uncovered fossils of about 10,000 dinosaur eggs, making Raiyoli in Balasinor taluka the third largest hatchery in the world,” says CNN report. A visit to Balasinor is a must, for it is the only site in the entire world where you can actually touch the remains of a dinosaur and hold a 65 million-year-old egg fossil in your hands.

The fossils have been found in Balasinor, Kheda, Panchmahal and Vadodara districts of Gujarat.

 

3. Bhimbetka Rock Shelters (Caves), Madhya Pradesh

Bhimbetka rock shelters (caves) reflect the earliest traces of human life form (Homo Erectus) on the Indian subcontinent. The shelters are more than 300,000 years old, and have been declared by UNESCO as a world heritage site.

The most exciting part of these shelters is the colourful rock paintings depicting dancing, music, hunting, horse and elephant riders, honey collection, animals fighting, decoration of bodies, disguises and household scenes. The colours have remained intact for centuries.

 

4. Madras Crocodile Bank Trust, Mamallapuram

The Madras Crocodile Bank Trust (Croc Bank) is one of the largest reptile zoos in the world and herpetology research centre. It is Asia’s first crocodile breeding centre and was initially established to save three Indian endangered species of crocodile— mugger crocodile, saltwater crocodile and gharial. Croc Bank later increased its repertoire to turtles, lizards and snakes.

As of 2011, the Croc Bank was home to 2,483 animals, including 14 species of crocodiles, 10 species of turtles, three species of snakes, and one species of lizard (View source).

The Croc Bank provides guided tours to the visitors. It also has various activities such as Feeding Sessions of snakes, crocodiles, tortoises, and lizards. You can also opt for a Night Safari or Close Encounters with Young Reptiles.

 

5. Satish Dhawan Space Station, Sriharikota

Home to India’s main satellite launch centre, Sriharikota is a barrier island in Andhra Pradesh. The Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSS) SHAR is the launch centre for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). This is place where the Mars mission was launched last year.

Unfortunately, the space centre is a protected place and entry is restricted. One needs to take prior permission from the authorities at the centre or know an employee working there. After obtaining permission, you can take a tour of the whole space centre and look at the launch vehicles and pads.

 

6. Indian Astronomical Observatory, Leh

Situated at 4,500 meters above sea level, the Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO) is home to one of world's highest sites for optical, infrared and gamma-ray telescopes. It has the second highest optical telescope in the entire world. The observatory stands on Mount Saraswati, Digpa-ratsa Ri, Hanle in south-eastern Ladakh. It has two active telescopes – 2.01 meter optical-infrared Himalayan Chandra Telescope (HCT) and a High Altitude Gamma Ray Telescope (HAGAR). The observatory is operated by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore.

 

7. Nehru Planetariums

There are five Nehru Planetariums in Mumbai, New Delhi, Pune, Bangalore and Allahabad and they are a marvel for universe lovers.

It recreates the entire sky in a dome-shaped auditorium, taking audiences through a variety of topics in 3-D. These planetariums keep displaying pre-recorded shows related to cosmos, universe, etc.

“A planetarium can now 'fly' the audience towards one of the familiar constellations such as Orion, revealing that the stars which appear to make up a co-ordinated shape from our earth-bound viewpoint are at vastly different distances from Earth and so not connected, except in human imagination and mythology. For especially visual or spatially aware people, this experience can be more educationally beneficial than other demonstrations,” informs Wikipedia.

 

8. Jantar Mantar, Jaipur

Identified as a World Heritage site by UNESCO, Jantar Mantar in Jaipur is an astronomical observation site. The site is a good example of masonry built in the early 18th century. It has 20 fixed instruments that are used to determine the astronomical positions with naked eye. The observatory was also used to read time and make astrological forecasting.

According to UNESCO, “It provides an outstanding testimony of the ultimate culmination of the scientific and technical conceptions of the great observatory devised in the medieval world. It bears witness to very ancient cosmological, astronomical and scientific traditions shared by a major set of Western, Middle Eastern, Asian and African religions, over a period of more than fifteen centuries.”