Frank Oppenheimer, the Exploratorium and their inextricable linkage with the Science centres in India.

Frank Oppenheimer, the Exploratorium and their inextricable linkage with the Science centres in India.

My dear friend Amrit Gangar ji tagged me today in his post on the National Science Drama Festival 2017 that we organised at the Nehru Science Centre, which he so kindly agreed to grace and release the NSDF souvenir. In his brief narrative about the NSDF event, he posted about Frank Oppenheimer. The genesis of my posting today on the inextricable linkage of the Nehru Science Centre with Frank Oppenheimer, therefore rightfully must go to my friend Amrit Gangar.

The first of the science museums (under CSIR) to be set up in India, with the government patronage, was the Birla Industrial and Technological Museum (BITM) that was opened at Kolkata in 1959 the credit for which must go to the visionary BC Roy the first Chief Minister of West Bengal who with support from the benevolent Birlas and patronage of Nehru was responsible for the establishment of the BITM, the mother of National Council of Science Museums (NCSM). It was not until another 6 years that the second science museum - the Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum (VITM) - came up at Bangalore in 1965. The seed for the VITM was however sown during the centennial birth day celebration of the legendary nation builder Sir M Visvesvaraya, in whose honour the VITM has been established. The celebration was organised in 1962 at the Lalbagh and was graced by none other than Pandit Nehru, the PM of India, who declared establishment of a science museum in memory of Sir M Visvesvaraya. Both BITM and VITM functioned under CSIR until formation of a separate council the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM).

The next in the series of the science centres (museums) to be set up was the Nehru Science Centre that adopted a completely different approach the approach of a science centre with hands on approach, the genesis of which goes back to the father of modern science centres - Frank Oppenheimer and his Exploratorium.

Every science centre curators and professionals vow their interactive type of exhibition concept and designs to the great Frank Oppenheimer and when I and my other colleagues joined the NSCM, Exploratorium and Frank Oppenheimer were the almighty words which every single curator learnt about in early days of their joining the council. Unfortunately though, even after 32 long years of my service with NCSM and having completely internalised the Exploratorium design approach, I have not had the privilege and honour of visiting the Mecca for science centre professionals - the Exploratorium. With just about three years left for my service I am afraid my dream of visiting Exploratorium may remain but a dream.

It is befitting that Nehru Science Centre whose genesis stems from the Exploratorium type of exhibits that are inextricably linked with its founder -Frank Oppenheimer-

came up in Mumbai the city which was to be the host for Frank Oppenheimer for his research in Cosmic Rays, which he wished to peruse with Homi Bhabha at the TIFR.

Frank Oppenheimer is father of modern science centres, of which the Nehru Science Centre is the first in the series of the science centres in India, which adopted hands on approach that Frank Oppenheimer introduced at the Exploratorium.

Frank Oppenheimer is the brother of Richard Oppenheimer of the project Manhattan fame. If luck would have it and had it not been for his sympathy towards communists in America and his own leaning towards communism in his early days, Frank would have come to India to pursue his research on cosmic rays with Homi Bhabha. He was denied travel by the FBI who were so very suspicious of any communist leanings during the Cold War times. Author K.C. Cole in his book about physicist and Exploratorium-founder Frank Oppenheimer “Something Incredibly Wonderful Happens” digs into FBI files and personal memories to describe Frank Oppenheimer, who was also called the "Uncle of the Atomic Bomb."

Frank Oppenheimer the physicist and tinkerer was also a chain smoker and a notable pacifist who also worked on the atom bomb. His lasting gift to society is the Exploratorium, the wonderful hands-on Science Centre. He carved out a career in science that was no less fascinating, pioneering the investigation of cosmic rays and championing technology. In 1969, he founded San Francisco’s Exploratorium, a science museum that invented a new way to introduce nonscientists to the profession. Stocked with mind blowing experiments demonstrating the underpinnings of fields such as optics and electricity, the hands-on gallery has been educating visitors ever since and been a role model for all science centre professionals. The word Fun Science that most science centres in India use comes from the Exploratorium experiments.

A document which provides evidence to the denial of permission for Frank Oppenheimer to visit India for pursuing his research interest in cosmic rays is found here.