Science City Kolkata
Encyclopedia
Science City, Kolkata is the largest science centre in the Indian subcontinent
under National Council of Science Museums
(NCSM), Ministry of Culture, Government of India
, is at the crossing of Eastern Metropolitan Bypass
and J B S Haldane
avenue, Kolkata
. It is considered by some people as the most distinguished landmark in post-independence Kolkata.
Saroj Ghose
, the first director general of NCSM, who is credited with having conceptualized this centre in 1997. This centre was inaugurated by two parts: the ‘Convention Centre Complex’ was unveiled on 21 December 1996 by Paul Jozef Crutzen
in presence of the then chief minister Jyoti Basu
and the whole centre was opened by the then prime minister Inder Kumar Gujral on 1 July 1997. On 10 January 2010, prime minister of India, Manmohan Singh
laid the foundation stone for the second phase of Science City in presence of the then chief minister of West Bengal, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. The centre is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. IST
, every day of the year except Holi
.
Hands-on and interactive exhibits on various topics of science encouraging visitors to experience with props and enjoy the underlying scientific principles.
Earth Exploration Hall
Inaugurated on 6 December, 2008 by Ambika Soni
, the then Union Minister for Culture, India. A permanent exhibition on earth is housed in a two storied hemispherical building that displays the details of the southern hemisphere in the ground floor and northern hemisphere in the first floor. Slicing a huge earth globe at the centre of the hall into 12 segments vertically in each hemisphere, important features of each segment such as physical geography, lands and people, flora and fauna and other dynamic natural phenomenon on earth have been highlighted around the central globe with the modern display technologies such as attractive visuals, interactive multimedia, video walls, panoramic videos, tilting tables, computer kiosks and 3-D effects theatre wearing a special Polaroid spectacle.
Evolution Park
A theme tour of 1300 square meter covering 7 large walk through dioramas with 71 robotic pre-historic animals, 26 dinosaurs and 140 early plant model set to their periods. It portrays the story of evolution of animal life, specially the extinct species.
Space Odyssey
Comprising Space Theatre equipped with Helios Star Ball planetarium supported by 150 special effect projectors and Astrovision 10/70 Large format Film Projection system housed in a 23 meter diameter tilted dome having unidirectional seating arrangement for 360 person, fascinating and immersive shows on sciences. Now the Astrovision
film Great North of 45 minutes duration has been screening from 23 June, 2011.
Maritime Centre
Depicts maritime history of India, artifacts, dioramas and interactive exhibits on shipping and navigation systems. There is an unmanned quiz corner also.
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...
under National Council of Science Museums
National Council of Science Museums
National Council of Science Museums is an autonomous organization under Indian Ministry of Culture. It is the largest chain of science centers or museums under a single administrative umbrella in the world...
(NCSM), Ministry of Culture, Government of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, is at the crossing of Eastern Metropolitan Bypass
Eastern Metropolitan Bypass
The Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, or simply E.M. Bypass, is a major road on the east side of Kolkata that connects Bidhannagar on the northeast to southern parts of Kolkata. It was designed like a bypass or beltway on the eastern side of Kolkata to lessen the perennial traffic congestion on the...
and J B S Haldane
J. B. S. Haldane
John Burdon Sanderson Haldane FRS , known as Jack , was a British-born geneticist and evolutionary biologist. A staunch Marxist, he was critical of Britain's role in the Suez Crisis, and chose to leave Oxford and moved to India and became an Indian citizen...
avenue, Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
. It is considered by some people as the most distinguished landmark in post-independence Kolkata.
Saroj Ghose
Saroj Ghose
Saroj Ghose, born in Kolkata, is an Indian science popularizer and museum maker. He was the director of Birla Industrial & Technological Museum and director general of the National Council of Science Museums, Government of India...
, the first director general of NCSM, who is credited with having conceptualized this centre in 1997. This centre was inaugurated by two parts: the ‘Convention Centre Complex’ was unveiled on 21 December 1996 by Paul Jozef Crutzen
Paul J. Crutzen
Paul Jozef Crutzen is a Dutch Nobel prize winning atmospheric chemist.Crutzen is best known for his research on ozone depletion. He lists his main research interests as “Stratospheric and tropospheric chemistry, and their role in the biogeochemical cycles and climate”...
in presence of the then chief minister Jyoti Basu
Jyoti Basu
Jyoti Basu was an Indian politician belonging to the Communist Party of India from West Bengal, India. He served as the Chief Minister of West Bengal from 1977 to 2000, making him the longest-serving Chief Minister of any Indian state. Basu was a member of the CPI Politburo from the time of the...
and the whole centre was opened by the then prime minister Inder Kumar Gujral on 1 July 1997. On 10 January 2010, prime minister of India, Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh is the 13th and current Prime Minister of India. He is the only Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to return to power after completing a full five-year term. A Sikh, he is the first non-Hindu to occupy the office. Singh is also the 7th Prime Minister belonging to the Indian...
laid the foundation stone for the second phase of Science City in presence of the then chief minister of West Bengal, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. The centre is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. IST
Indian Standard Time
Indian Standard Time is the time observed throughout India and Sri Lanka, with a time offset of UTC+05:30. India does not observe daylight saving time or other seasonal adjustments, although DST was used briefly during the Sino–Indian War of 1962 and the Indo–Pakistani Wars of 1965 and 1971...
, every day of the year except Holi
Holi
Holi , is a religious spring festival celebrated by Hindus. Holi is also known as festival of Colours. It is primarily observed in India, Nepal, Pakistan, and countries with large Indic diaspora populations following Hinduism, such as Suriname, Malaysia, Guyana, South Africa, Trinidad, United...
.
Galleries
Dynamotion HallHands-on and interactive exhibits on various topics of science encouraging visitors to experience with props and enjoy the underlying scientific principles.
- Illusions. A permanent exhibition on the world of illusions with interactive exhibits, explores how motion and placement make a different in the visual perception.
- Powers of TenPowers of TenPowers of Ten is a 1968 American documentary short film written and directed by Charles and Ray Eames. The film depicts the relative scale of the Universe in factors of ten . The film is an adaptation of the book Cosmic View by Dutch educator Kees Boeke, and more recently is the basis of a new...
. 43 exhibits unfold the smallest or the biggest of the universe through zooming in or out in the order of ten.
- Fresh Water Aquarium. Variety of fresh water fishes in 26 tanks; provide the bio-diversity of the fish species.
- Live Butterfly Enclave. A colony of live butterflies hatched here and screening of a film Rang Bahari Prajapati on life cycle of butterfly.
Earth Exploration Hall
Inaugurated on 6 December, 2008 by Ambika Soni
Ambika Soni
Ambika Soni is an Indian politician belonging to Indian National Congress. She currently serves in the Union Cabinet as the minister in charge of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, after serving in Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Culture from 2006–2009.She is a member of the Indian...
, the then Union Minister for Culture, India. A permanent exhibition on earth is housed in a two storied hemispherical building that displays the details of the southern hemisphere in the ground floor and northern hemisphere in the first floor. Slicing a huge earth globe at the centre of the hall into 12 segments vertically in each hemisphere, important features of each segment such as physical geography, lands and people, flora and fauna and other dynamic natural phenomenon on earth have been highlighted around the central globe with the modern display technologies such as attractive visuals, interactive multimedia, video walls, panoramic videos, tilting tables, computer kiosks and 3-D effects theatre wearing a special Polaroid spectacle.
| Former Directors |
|---|
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Evolution Park
A theme tour of 1300 square meter covering 7 large walk through dioramas with 71 robotic pre-historic animals, 26 dinosaurs and 140 early plant model set to their periods. It portrays the story of evolution of animal life, specially the extinct species.
Space Odyssey
Comprising Space Theatre equipped with Helios Star Ball planetarium supported by 150 special effect projectors and Astrovision 10/70 Large format Film Projection system housed in a 23 meter diameter tilted dome having unidirectional seating arrangement for 360 person, fascinating and immersive shows on sciences. Now the Astrovision
70 mm film
70mm film is a wide high-resolution film gauge, with higher resolution than standard 35mm motion picture film format. As used in camera, the film is wide. For projection, the original 65mm film is printed on film. The additional 5mm are for magnetic strips holding four of the six tracks of sound...
film Great North of 45 minutes duration has been screening from 23 June, 2011.
- 3-D Vision Theater. A show based on stereo back projection system where visitors experience 3D effect by Polaroid spectacles.
- Mirror Magic. There are 35 exhibits based on reflection of light.
- Time Machine. 30-seater motion simulator provides virtual experience of space flight or journey into unknown world sitting in a casual maneuvered by hydraulic motion control system.
Maritime Centre
Depicts maritime history of India, artifacts, dioramas and interactive exhibits on shipping and navigation systems. There is an unmanned quiz corner also.
Science Park
In a tropical country like India, the outdoor is sunny and more inviting than the indoors for most part of the year. In a Science Park, people come closer to plants, animals and other objects in their natural surroundings and also learn about the basic principles of science in an open air learning environment. The park interactive exhibits are engineered so as to tolerate all the weather. Science Park has become the integral part in all the centres of NCSM. It comprises Caterpillar Ride, Gravity Coaster, Musical Fountain, Road Train, Cable Cars, Monorail Cycle, butterfly nursery and several exhibits on physical and life sciences and a maze set up in a lush green ambience.Other facilities
Convention Centre Complex- Grand Theater: 2232 seating capacity main auditorium with stage for 100 performers at a time is the largest auditorium in eastern India.
- Mini Auditorium: 392 seating capacity, with stage for 30 performers at a time is ideal for smaller conferences and shows.
- Seminar Building: Comprising eleven halls, four with seating capacity of 100 persons, two with seating capacity of 40 persons each, two with seating capacity of 30 persons each, two with seating capacity of 15 persons and a meeting room for 12 persons, is ideal venue for conference, seminars, meeting and workshops.
Science Exploration Hall
Another huge building with 5,500 sq.m of floor space is coming up which will accommodate three galleries including 'Evolution of Life on Earth'.See also
- Pushpa Gujral Science City, KapurthalaPushpa Gujral Science City, KapurthalaPushpa Gujral Science City, Kapurthala was inaugurated by Governor of Punjab, Lt. Gen S.F Rodrigues in 2005. A joint venture between the state government and the Government of India,located on Jalandhar-Kapurthala highway...
, Punjab, India - Gujarat Science CityGujarat Science CityGujarat Science City is situated at Hebatpur, Ahmedabad. Spreading on 107 hectares the government initiative to draw more students towards education in science, which hosts India's first IMAX 3D theatre, an energy park, a hall of science, Planet Earth, an amphitheatre, and dancing musical fountains...
, AhmedabadAhmedabadAhmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
, Gujarat, India - Science City at Union StationScience City at Union StationScience City at Union Station is a family-friendly interactive science center that features acclaimed traveling exhibitions, Gottlieb Planetarium, City Extreme Screen theatre, and more than 50 hands-on displays....
, Kansas CityKansas City, MissouriKansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, Missouri, United States