This new gallery in South Bengaluru aims to bring science closer to people

Explore Bengaluru's Param Science Experience Centre (PARSEC) in Jayanagar, offering interactive exhibits and events for all ages.

The Param Science Experience Centre (PARSEC), a gallery at Jayanagar 7th block, has created a buzz in South Bengaluru over the last month. While the larger The Param Innovation Centre is to be opened in 2025 in Channenahalli, Magadi Road, the unit in Jayanagar has been conducting events since January.

The gallery holds campaigns throughout Bengaluru, with exhibitions and interactive sessions, with a dash of entertainment to make them more accessible to all. As the brochure puts it, they are aimed to “transport one from the intricate beauty of human cells to the enigmatic depths of the cosmos.”

Supported by the Param Foundation, the gallery is divided into six exhibits: intro gallery, kinetic gallery, tactile gallery, digital gallery, cardboard gallery, and illusion gallery. While the kinetic and tactile galleries help understand basic science found in the textbooks of high school students, the digital gallery is experience-created and uses artificial intelligence (AI). With multiple installations in each exhibit, they are changed with new themes and installations every six months, say the staff at the gallery.

Ganesh Prasad, Deputy Director, PARSEC, says the idea behind the centre is to make science more accessible for people of all ages and walks of life. “Whether it is a 10-year-old school student, a 25-year-old IT professional, or a grandparent, the centre has something in store for everyone. Our mission is to ignite curiosity across all ages,” he says.

Ganesh says the aim of an in-city gallery is to make science accessible, and the organisation aims to have at least 10 such galleries in Bengaluru over the next three years. “We plan to open multiple satellite centers like the Jayanagar centre. The Jayanagar centre helped us understand our target audience and what the audience expects in a compact 5,000 sq.ft. gallery. We may have three centres coming up soon and 10 centers across the city in the next three years,” he says. 

“Though we have a bigger centre coming up in Magadi Road, we want to reach out to every individual in Bengaluru. It is hard for someone in Whitefield to visit a centre on the other end of the city. So these satellite centres will be easily accessible for many individuals. We plan to have multiple city centres in cities like Hyderabad, Chennai, and Jaipur too in the future,” Ganesh added.

The entry fee for the gallery is ₹250. However, the non-profit organisation offers discounts for schools and other underpreviliged organisations that cannot afford to buy the tickets. “We also have options for donors to pay the ticket prices for such school students. For example, a donor can choose to pay the ticket cost of 1,000 underprivileged students. Anyone who would like to donate can also reach out to us,” Ganesh added.