ParSEC Whitefield in Bengaluru is a science museum where anyone can innovate anything

A timepiece made wholly of mathematical equations, a robot canine named Muffin, and adjacent an alien taxon attempting to recognize humanity. These were immoderate of the archetypal things we encountered astatine ParSEC Whitefield, PARAM Foundation’s subject acquisition centre successful Bengaluru. Unlike astir subject museums, wherever exhibits are designed to beryllium observed, astir everything present asks to beryllium touched, tested and interacted with. 

“The archetypal imaginativeness was to marque subject a lifestyle,” says Inavamsi Enaganti, 1 of PARAM’s CEOs. The Bengaluru-based non-profit works to beforehand Indian history, science, innovation and culture, and ParSEC is 1 of its astir ambitious public-facing projects.

Rather than viewing subject arsenic a postulation of facts, Enaganti hopes visitors larn to question, analyse and lick problems they brushwood successful mundane life. He describes ParSEC arsenic a “living lab” wherever radical tin germinate from seekers to solvers and eventually, innovators.  

As we moved done the centre, we rapidly realised determination was thing for everyone. One moment, we were making h2o droplets autumn onto metallic plates to make antithetic sounds. Next, we were peering done interactive scope displays, exploring everything from Jupiter to distant galaxies with the crook of a dial.

Throughout the experience, we were accompanied by the Zinions, a fictional alien taxon trying to recognize quality beings. Through questions, puzzles and interactive stations, we dilatory became subjects of their investigation.

Different galleries astatine the centre

The galleries themselves are organised astir the Panchabhutas: Akasha (space), Jala (water), Prithvi (earth), Vayu (air) and Agni (fire). As we explored these spaces, we encountered exhibits that transformed abstract technological concepts into thing tangible. A motion-sensitive occurrence installation glowed brighter arsenic we approached it. In different section, we experimented with airy utilizing prisms and lasers, observing however beams bent and changed shape.

One of the astir engaging sections explored biomimicry. Here, we actively interacted with models that were inspired by nature, from watching however birds really flap their wings, and lotus pods unfastened and close, to observing the mechanisms down a stingray’s question and knowing however these earthy systems person inspired quality innovation.

Even the mathematics section, often considered intimidating, felt amazingly approachable. We recovered ourselves exploring tessellations, antithetic curves similar the ‘Batman Curve’ and geometric forms that turned equations into puzzles alternatively than problems.

Makers’ Adda

At the centre of it each is Makers Adda, a store equipped with tools for woodworking, metalworking, fabrication and prototyping. Unlike galore subject centres, wherever enactment ends erstwhile visitors permission an exhibit, this abstraction encourages radical to create. Visitors tin experimentation with ideas, physique prototypes and effort solutions to real-world problems.

In an property wherever answers are lone a hunt away, Enaganti believes learning inactive happens done experience. “Humans larn with their fingers,” helium says. And aft spending a fewer hours astatine ParSEC, it is casual to spot why. Rather than teaching visitors what to think, the centre encourages them to stay funny capable to inquire questions successful the archetypal place.

ParSEC, Whitefield is unfastened Tuesday to Sunday. Weekday passes ₹450, play passes are ₹550. For much details and tickets sojourn paramfoundation.org/parsec-whitefield