A scene at the science centre
Photo credit: Special Arrangement/ Mathi Thumilan B
A science centre in Jayanagar is gaining in popularity for its focus on experiential learning. It is called Parsec.
Children in the age group of 5-12 come in with parents, and students visit as part of school excursions. Corporate professionals also book it for team outings. The building has three floors, a basement and a mezzanine. It can admit 350 people, and often on weekends, the team has to turn visitors away.
Parsec opened its doors in January. The name is short for Param Science Experience Centre. It also refers to the unit to measure astronomical distances. Param Foundation runs the centre and is backed by Janaseva Vishwastha Mandali, an NGO working in the field of education.
What to expect
Close to 80 exhibits are on display across six galleries at any given time. The focus is less on giving information but more on learning by exploration, says Narendra Dixit, operations in-charge. This DIY approach begins right at the gate when you are issued a ticket featuring a puzzle.
On the first floor, one arrives at the ‘Kinetic Kingdom’. The exhibits are designed to explore motion and mechanics — a bicycle that strides like a human, a raindrop made from mechanical gears, and a unicycle to teach balance.
The ‘Tactile Gallery’ is popular among children and adults alike. The exhibits are geared to explain how touch shapes our perception. You can experience the phantom hand trick or feel the textures of mud tiles and tree bark.
Located in the basement, ‘Maya’ is a gallery of illusions, designed to engage with navarasa (nine emotions). The top floor is quite unique. It is conceived as a miniaturised alien world, built entirely from cardboard. Your task is to find a treasure here.
Parsec, Jayanagar, 7th Block. Closed on Mondays. Timings and fee details on paraminnovation.org
Bigger hub in 2025
Param is building a bigger hub of science and innovation on Magadi Main Road. It will feature upwards of 500 exhibits and activities, spanning 64 fields of science.
Dixit says, “There will be a robotic exoskeleton that visitors can wear and walk around in, a zero-gravity chamber, a cross-section of a car, and a working model of how food travels through a digestive tract.”
The five-floor building will also boast a tinkering room, a 3D printing facility, a fabrication shop, and an AI lab. The plan is to open it in phases, beginning March of 2025.