THE VIKRAM A SARABHAI COMMUNITY SCIENCE CENTRE, AHMEDABAD WINS THE TOI SOCIAL IMPACT AWARD FOR ITS CONTRIBUTION TO THE FIELD OF EDUCATION (NGO CATEGORY)

Where they teach you to have fun with science and numbers

Ahmedabad: On a Friday afternoon Kush Saluja, a Class VII student, carefully dissects a bright pink flower so that he can study pollen under a microscope. He is part of a group of children which spends evenings at Ahmedabad’s Vikram A Sarabhai Community Science Centre (VASCSC) to explore the magic of science beyond textbooks.
    Community science centres across the country have their roots in this small 1966-born institution which has an annual budget of a tad less than Rs 4 crore. In an era when there was no television– leave alone Discovery Channel – VASCSC launched its mission to
inspire children to learn mathematics and science using innovative methods. Science educators here began using working models to give children an opportunity to conduct their own experiments. Learning science became fun. 

    “At school, a teacher shows us how a microscope works,” Kush says. “Here, I work the microscope myself.” The centre has over the years, transformed generations of Ahmedabad children. In 1974, Arvind Patel failed miserably in his Class VIII science exam. That summer, he spent evenings at the centre. Today, he runs a company in Ahmedabad. It develops lasers for cutting diamonds and metal and holds at least 20 patents. “The centre turned my life around,” he gushes.
    VASCSC was the brainchild of Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai, the father of India’s space programme. On the one hand, he envisioned sending satellites into space, on the other he worked to build a scientific temperament among schoolchildren. His wish: To see a new generation of thinking individuals with a scientific bent of mind. This gave birth to VASCSC 45 years back, the first of its kind in the country. Since then, thousands of bright minds have passed through its doors and lost their fear of numbers and testtubes filled with volatile chemicals. It is science, hands on.
    The VASCSC board of governors has some impressive names, including Sam Pitroda as chairman, director of the Institute of Plasma Research P K Kaw, director of Isro’s Space Application Centre R R Navalgund and senior officials of the state and central governments. Sarabhai’s illustrious children – Kartikeya and Mallika – are also on the board.
    “Earlier, it would take a week to fill up seats in the summer programme for schoolchildren. Now they are all taken up in a few hours. We have had to increase our seats in many programmes because of the rush,” Kartikeya Sarabhai, the sibling more inclined towards science, says.
    In recent times, the institution’s biggest achievements have been the Science Express train and the pioneering maths lab concept. Today, it is mandatory for every CBSE and ICSE school to have such laboratories. Since 2007, the Science Express, with interactive laboratories on board, has covered 221 towns and cities, drawing 63.5 lakh visitors – mostly students in areas where schools don’t have well-equipped labs.
    But VASCSC director Dilip Surkar insists numbers don’t show impact. The idea is to inspire. “The Science Express was initially an Indo-German project. Within a year of its launch, the number of Indian students enrolling for a PhD in science in German universities went up from 15 to 65,” he says. The Science Express was developed by the Department of Science & Technology (DST) and the Max Planck Society, Germany. It has around 300 large-format visual images, 150 video clips and multimedia exhibits. It showcases India’s achievements in science and technology. The best part of the train, the ‘Joy of Science Hands-on Lab’, has been developed by VASCSC. This is a state-of-the-art classroom on wheels where students get to do things themselves.
    Chander Mohan, director DST, says: “Despite its small budget, VASCSC stood by me when I wanted to start the unique train. Other organizations with much bigger budgets were not ready to take responsibility of running the train. I salute VASCSC.”
    Back at the maths lab, a group of Class VI students is learning about integers, natural numbers and the number line. Number-crunching has not made them sullen. Instead, they cheer their ‘science educator’ as he explains how minus one and one are equidistant from zero. “I get great tips that help me remember things I would otherwise forget,” Purvansh Shah says. “This has helped me stay ahead of the rest of the kids.”
    “What is this,” asks a teacher, picking up a piece of wood. “Cuboid,” the excited children shout. “No,” says the teacher. “This is a square prism. Cuboid is its pet name,” and the kids have a good laugh.
    The maths lab was developed by professor A R Rao, a leading mathematician of his time, who completed 100 years on September 23, 2008 and passed away recently. He designed a set of mathematical models, puzzles and games that made learning numbers fun. Today, VASCSC helps set up such labs across the country.
Vikram A Sarabhai Community Science Centre | Born 1966 Founder | Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai, father of India’s space programme
Pioneering concepts | Concept of the Maths Lab and Science Express Budget | Around 4 cr THE SCIENCE EXPRESS Launched in 2007 Indo-German venture Train has 16 coaches with interactive labs and classrooms Has covered 221 towns & cities Has drawn 63.5 lakh visitors