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Dr Bakshi heads one of the country's oldest science museums
in the country which is situated in a village called Pilani,
200 kms away from Delhi. Having finished his M.Sc. in
Chemistry in 1966, Dr Bakshi joined the M.Sc. Tech course
in Museum studies offered by Birla Institute for Technology
and Science in 1976. He joined the museum in 1980 and later
got his Doctorate degree in 1993 in Teaching Aids in
Edicatonal learning for Primary Schools.
Comcom had an occasion to interview him exclusively for this
magazine. His dedication, enthusiasm and maintenance of the
museum deserves kudos from all of us. We are also pained to
note that the course M.Sc. Tech course in Museum studies has
no takers and hence had to close down. Here are excerpts
from the interview.
1. Can you please throw somelight on G.D. Birlas'
contribution to this museum. We were told that this was his
idea to open the first science museum in the country.
What was the first model to be fabricated here?
2. Who motivated you to join this profession?
3. Today we see a large number of children visiting
this museum. In 1966 also they would have been visiting.
What difference you see in the attitudes of the children?
4.You came here in 1976. Joined the musuem in 1980. We
find that the M.Sc. Tech course on Museum is closed. Now how
to transfer this museum technology to the next generation.
Have we to go to old tradition of Guru-Shisya parampara.
Have you trained your children to take up this profession?
5. You havenot answered my question in full -
particularly the guru - shisya parampara. How many shishyas
you have got?
6. What is the future of science musuems in the
country?
7. Do you have plans to go for virtual museums which
will allow students who are away from Pilani to have a
glimpse of your musuem.
8. I heard that the M.Sc. tech course has been wound
up. Do you know any other university offering such a course?
9. Dr Saroj Ghose built museum after museum and even
now National council of Science Musuems are building new
ones. How do they recruit staff?
10. You have been building models for a long time.
mechanical, electromechanical , electronic and computerised.
which one you prefer?
11. Among the models you have built which one is the
cheapest one and which one is the costliest?
12. How many students visit your museum in a year?
13. What is your message?
14. Rajasthan is a state with full of superstitions. How
far your musuem has helped in eradicating these?
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Comcom: Can you please throw somelight on G.D. Birlas'
contribution to this museum. We were told that this was his
idea to open the first science museum in the country.
What was the first model to be fabricated here?
Dr Bakshi: G.D. Birla was the chairman and he used to come
late in the night to the institute and go to the mess. Eat
what the student eats. He used to taste it to find out
whether the boys are getting good food or not. Dr Rajendra
Prasad, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Dr Radhakrishnan all have
visited this musuem. At that time no one wanted to come to
Pilani. Nothing was available. It was a desert. The first
museum Director Mr Bheri conceived the idea of this musuem
along with G.D. Birla. Mr Birla brought the first piece for
the musuem from England. Mr Bheri was very imaginative and
used to make some low cost science models. Mr Birla liked
him and sent him to England. He also brought a few models
from there and started studying them. Then we started
fabricating our own models in this museum.
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Comcom: Who motivated you to join this profession?
Dr Bakshi: Basically I came to do my M.Sc Chemistry from
Pilani in 1966 and I used to visit this Musuem. I got
interested and I felt that teaching in schools and teaching
through the museum serves the same purpose. I say a lot of
three dimensional models and I felt that Chemistry can be
better taught using three dimensional models. I got
motivated through this models. So after teaching in college
and school for 3 years again I came to Pilani and joined
M.Tech in Musuem studies so that I can teach Chemistry
through three dimensional models.
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ComCom: Today we see a large number of children visiting
this museum. In 1966 also they would have been visiting.
What difference you see in the attitudes of the children?
Dr Bakshi: Lot of difference. Now we find children much more
scientifically advanced. They have much more scientific
temper in their mind. They come here. They cross question
us. Sometime we also become helpless to tell the right
answer to them. They are so intelligent. And after seeing
these models, they start asking more questions on scientific
concepts.
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Comcom: You came here in 1976. Joined the musuem in 1980. We
find that the M.Sc. Tech course on Museum is closed. Now how
to transfer this museum technology to the next generation.
Have we to go to old tradition of Guru-Shisya parampara.
Have you trained your children to take up this profession?
Dr Bakshi:They have this aptitude. you see. Once my daughter
told me "Papa you have done so much for this museum, making
science models and all those things. You have not done
anything for the little childre." Because at that time she
was in class 3. That motivated me and I promised her "Ok I
do my research programme and my topic will be educational
aids for primary children" .Then on wards I started
designing educational aids , scientific models for primary
school children. Mostly on mathematics. Those are being used
in our Birla Musuem.
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Comcom: You havenot answered my question in full -
particularly the guru - shisya parampara. How many shishyas
you have got?
Dr Bakshi: As far as this profession is concerned, one is
sitting before you. He also graduated from BITS. I taught
him. Other students they have joined some other institutions
like Natural history museum.
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Comcom: What is the future of science musuems in the
country?
Dr Bakshi: We have a tremendous museum. But I just wonder
why Government is not taking much interest in science
museums. I must admit that very few people know about our
musuem, and about the potential of this musuem. Because we
lack in advertising. We have a lot of material here but we
have to go out to attract visitors.
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Comcom: Do you have plans to go for virtual museums which
will allow students who are away from Pilani to have a
glimpse of your musuem ?
Dr Bakshi: We are working on that. Very soom we will come
out with the virutual museum. Already students from Delhi,
Jaipur, remote areas of Haryana Rajasthan, Punjab and
Himachal have started coming to this museum.
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Comcom: I heard that the M.Sc. tech course has been wound
up. Do you know any other university offering such a course?
Dr Bakshi: Now Baroda University offers a diploma course
for non science students. No other university is offering
such a course. Pilani was the first to start this 2 and
half year course for science students. 2 years theory and 6
months for practical training. BITs has stopped it because
of stagnation. Students are coming . They are interested.
But jobs are not available. Not many science museums are
comong up.
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Comcom: Dr Saroj Ghose built museum after museum and even
now National council of Science Musuems are building new
ones. How do they recruit staff?
Dr Bakshi: They don't insist on such degrees. They directly
take students of electronics, electrical and mechanical.
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Comcom: You have been building models for a long time.
mechanical, electromechanical , electronic and computerised.
which one you prefer?
Dr Bakshi: We should not spend much on these models. If
something which we can do with small amounts with the same
effect, why spend unnecessarily on electronics? and then
when something goes wrong with electronics or computers, it
becomes very difficult to repair. We have models here which
are very easily maintenable. These can be repaired by our
local persons. I think I prefer electro mechanical ones.
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comcom: Among the models you have built which one is the
cheapest one and which one is the costliest?
Bakshi: I built models for primary mathematics from class
one to five absolutely from waste materials. they are the
cheapest. But the costliest model is of course the Satellite
launch vehicle which you see at the entrance of the museum.
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Comcom: How many students visit your museum in a year?
Dr Bakshi: About 4 to 5 lakhs visit our museum every year.
It is more than many science musuems which are situated in
cities. You can find the rush here daily. There is an entry
fee . Rs. six for normal visitors. For students we give 50
% concession. We earn a very little from these visitors.
Our budget is about 7--75 lakhs per year but we earn around
15 lakhs from entry fee.
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Comcom: What is your message?
Dr Bakshi: If we really want to create more scientists, we
should start from the root that is the primary classes. If
the class one boy is really motivated in science, if really
knows the meaning of 2+2 , and if he can explain them then
we can have a very good future for sciene in this country.
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Comcom: Rajasthan is a state with full of superstitions. How
far your musuem has helped in eradicating these?
Dr Bakshi: You can see for yourself. More and more visitors
are from villages. After visiting the museum they realise
what science can do for them. We are also surprised. We
are also trying to do something which will convince the
rural population and motivate them.
Comcom : Thank you.
Dr Bakshis address: Curator, Exhibitis, Birla Museum,
Pilani 333031
Telephone: 01596-42158 O, 42445 and Residence 01596-42822
Residential address: 140 D Vidya Vihar Pilani 333031.
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