Nehru Centre - The Brainchild of late Rajni Patel, was
conceived as a tribute to one of the greatest architects of modern India, Pandit
Jawaharlal Nehru. He symbolised the idea of enlightened curiosity, scientific
temper and secular values.
Nehru Centre encompasses of various departments like, Discovery of
India, a permanent exposition, Nehru Planetarium, Culture Wing, Art
Gallery, Library, Publication Wing ,etc.
The Centre's first achievement was to provide the city with a
Planetarium, which was inaugurated by Mrs. Indira Gandhi on 3rd March,
1977. It soon acquired a distinct identity on the map of Mumbai. The Nehru Planetarium presented its 26th sky theatre programme "
Astronomy of the Millennium" on 22nd January, 2,000.
The Discovery of India Building, was designed by eminent architect, Mr.
I.M. Kadri. Its architectural design embodies Nehru's vision of step - by
- step rise of Modern India from a broad base of a green revolution,
progressing into different directions at varying levels.
There is also an Auditorium with a seating capacity of 934
seats with marvellous acoustic effects and other state-of- art
facilities. It is the nucleus of various cultural and intellectual
activities held at Nehru Centre.
The library at Nehru Centre, contains more than 13,000 books and is
open to the public for reference purposes. Nehru Centre holds seminars
and group discussions, sponsors research projects.
A separate Cultural Wing has been started to promote talent in
classical music, dance theatre, etc. Lecture-demonstrations pertaining
to these disciplines, have been going on since November, 1990.
Discovery of India, a permanent exposition, draws it's inspiration from
Pandit Nehru's monumental book, Discovery of India. The
exposition is spread out in 14 galleries, attempting to enlighten the
viewers with all that India has stood for through the ages.
Nehru Centre's live interest in the spirit of scientific enquiry, art
and culture is enlivened by organising a wide range of activities.
The Nehru Planetarium
The Nehru Planetarium, commissioned on 3rd March, 1977 has grown into a
Centre for scientific study of astronomy and for meeting of scientists
andscholars for discussions and lectures, arranged periodically on various
stellar and Astronomical events.
The programmes are aimed at inspiring students. These include Science quiz contests, Astro-painting, Science elocution, Astro-poetry and Astro-quiz competitions. Special arrangements are made to watch, study and photograph Solar & Lunar eclipses, and many such other events. Telescopes are installed outside the Planetarium to enable eager visitors to watch these phenomena.
The Planetarium is running the 29th sky theatre programme from October 1st 2003, namely "Wonders of the Universe".
It has a Mini Planetarium also, which is taken out to remote rural areas to project its shows for people and children to make them aware of the astronomical progress. These shows are highly popular and in great demand.