Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum to celebrate diamond jubilee with inauguration of Fun Science Gallery

Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum (VITM), one of the oldest science museums in the country, will see the inauguration of a Fun Science Gallery for its diamond jubilee celebrations to be held on July 26 and 27.

The gallery has been designed as an interactive space with around 50 exhibits related to mechanics, optics, sound, mathematics, physics, and so on. Set to be inaugurated on July 27, it will be open to public from the next day onwards.

“The gallery existed earlier too. But we have thoroughly renovated it and will now open it for the public,” said Sajoo Bhaskaran, director at VITM.

What it showcases

The renovated gallery covers practical applications related to basic physics and science, the level of which is taught in high school and college.

“Students can do the activities here and learn the principles behind each. Many fun elements including illusions, puzzles, and other activities have also been included,” said Cyril K. Babu, curator at VITM.

As part of the celebrations, a memorial talk on M. Visvesvaraya by S.M. Khened, member at NCSM Society and former director at VITM, will also be held on Saturday.

A pioneer

VITM, the second science museum in the country after the Birla Industrial and Technological Museum in Kolkata, was inaugurated on July 27, 1965, by Indira Gandhi, who was then Minister of Information and Broadcasting.

“The idea came from journalist B.N. Gupta just before the 100th birthday celebration of Sir M.V. He had travelled across the world, seen many museums, and felt Bengaluru should have a similar one. The All India Manufacturers’ Organisation collected the money for the building and formed a trust,” explained Mr. Bhaskaran.

In 1962, then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru inaugurated the building which, however, housed only a temporary exhibition.

By 1965, the trust handed over the museum to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. On July 27 in the same year, the museum opened with an electro-technic gallery. The same has been considered as the foundation day of VITM. In 1978, it came under the aegis of National Council of Science Museums (NCSM).

The museum, which sees about 10 lakh visitors annually, today plays a critical role in developing science infrastructure at centres across the country, including Pilikula Regional Science Centre, and science centres in Dharwad, Gulbarga, Kozhikode, Tirunelveli, and Tirupati among others, on behalf of the NCSM. It is also currently involved in setting up science centres in Shivamogga, Raichur, Chikkamagaluru, and Yadgir.

Published – July 25, 2025 06:19 pm IST

_{Images are for reference only.Images and contents gathered automatic from google or 3rd party sources.All rights on the images and contents are with their legal original owners.}