The Tango of Science (Brownian Motion) and Art (Virar Fast - Art Installation of Valay Shinde): A Personal Experience Working with Science and Art Museums.

 

After my retirement from service as the Director of Nehru Science Centre, Mumbai after a brief stint in Delhi and a break, I joined the CSMVS, Mumbai, as an Advisor. Contrasting experience of working with the science museums for 35 years and now - for nearly three years - with the CSMVS has been quite enriching and educative. It is this tango of science and art that has come my way and motivated me to pen this article, differently!

One of the many new exhibitions that the CSMVS has completed and thrown open to the public is the Mumbai Gallery, which was opened on 14 October 2024. This gallery is dedicated to the city of Mumbai. It features historical artefacts that narrate the story of the people of Mumbai who have made this city the economic capital of India and a cosmopolitan city, which is also a dream city and a city of opportunity, for those who wish to dream. One of the significant artefacts in the Mumbai gallery is the “Virar Fast” art installation created by Valay Shende, which is prominently displayed at the entrance to the Mumbai gallery.

Mumbai, a cosmopolitan city of hope and aspiration for millions is majorly dependent on the suburban electric local rail transport for commute. The Mumbai Suburban Rail (Central, Western, and Harbour line) on an average commute 7.24 million commuters daily and is inextricably linked to most Mumbaikars, for whom Rail is their lifeline. The crowded suburban trains in Mumbai are sites that Mumbaikars experience daily. Virar Fast local during peak hours, quintessentially represents this scene. This daily phenomenon, experienced by Mumbaikars has motivated artist Valay Shende to craft his beautiful art installation “Virar Fast” which now finds a pride of place in the Mumbai gallery at the CSMSV Museum. This installation, no wonder made it prominently to the headlines in the Times of India, which covered the Mumbai gallery. The concept note provided by the artist for his work “Virar Fast’ describes his work of art as a representation of the “essence of relentless battle faced by the working class in their daily grind (travel)”.

The EMU (Electric Multiple Unit) that is used to run the Mumbai suburban trains is a household name in Mumbai. Mumbai electric rail transport began almost a century ago, on February 3, 1925, when the Great Indian Peninsular Railway (GIPR) introduced the first electric run trains that ran between Bombay VT (now CSMT) and Kurla Harbour. Incidentally one of these earliest electric engines that ran the trains in Mumbai (Bombay then) is in the collections of the Nehru Science Centre, Mumbai, and this pride collection was restored to its pristine beauty during the COVID pandemic period.

The heading for this article - “The Tango of Science and Art” - comes from my experience from one of those typically crowded peak time travel days in the Virar Fast local (Western Railways) that I used for commuting to Church Gate from Andheri. Most rail commuters by the Virar Fast local, during the peak hours, are confronted with the challenge of searching for foot space in a train that does not even have an additional square inch of space left. Although it is a usual occurrence for daily commuters, however, for me who uses the Virar Fast rarely, something profound struck me while travelling in this crowded local. As I stood, barely able to move amidst the sea of passengers on the Virar Fast local - which I had boarded at Andheri for travelling to Church Gate - the familiar jostling, swaying, and chaotic shuffle of bodies, its indescribable odour, the sound, and noise, which I was experiencing, reminded me of something unexpectedly scientific: the Brownian motion.

For over 35 years, I worked with science museums, dedicated to science communication, immersed in the language of molecules, atoms, and scientific phenomena through my work with science museums across India. Creating exhibits to explain the microscopic world of science to the uninitiated visitor in science, almost always, makes a science museum curator rely on analogies. Brownian motion is one such scientific phenomenon, which was one of the first exhibits that I had developed as a young curator way back in 1988. I vividly remember having used a mechanical analogy to explain the complicated motions of molecules that constitute the Brownian motion. Post my retirement, I found myself stepping into a different realm - an art museum, the CSMVS Museum in Mumbai. At first, this transition was like moving to an entirely different universe. CP Snow’s essay on “The Two Cultures”—the stark divide between the world of sciences and that of the arts—suddenly made perfect sense to me. I felt the chasm between the analytical, data-driven logic of science and the subjective, emotional world of arts and literature. Yet, as the months passed, I began to realize that perhaps these two worlds weren't as distinct as they first appeared. Slowly, I started seeing how creativity was the common thread weaving them together, regardless of their different forms of expression or understanding.

But it wasn’t until that epiphanic moment in the Virar Fast Local train—a crowded, bustling, Mumbai local—that everything truly crystallized for me. The human movement in that compartment was not unlike the random motion of particles in Brownian motion, which Einstein predicted. In this seemingly chaotic environment, every jolt, every push, every nudge appeared to be dictated by some kind of an invisible force: the crowdedness of the train, the positioning of passengers, and their collective aim to reach their workplace – destination, in time. That instant of epiphany helped me see some kind of a parallel between the everyday scene of Mumbai peak time local travels and the microscopic world of science, Brownian motion.

Just like molecules in a substance, the crowd in the Virar Fast Local was densely packed, with passengers barely moving, constrained by those around them, pushing and shoving each other. This reminded me of how molecules in a solid vibrate but are confined to fixed positions, unable to move freely. As the density of the crowd decreased slightly at each station – with people alighting, it felt akin to the molecular behaviour in a liquid state—where the passengers (like molecules) could now flow past each other, with more freedom of movement, though still closely bound by the space limitations. Finally, as the train neared Churchgate, passing through intermittent stations at Bandra, Dadar, Mumbai Central, Grant Road, Churni Road, and Marine Line where more and more people alighted, few boarded, the compartment felt almost gaseous as it passed Charni Road, with passengers dispersed, with an ability to move freely and randomly in any direction, unlike what they could do earlier at Andheri, or Bandra and to some extent at Dadar. This experience helped me understand the Brownian motion as a fascinating and relatable way to conceptualize the movement of particles in different states of matter, described below

Solids and Packed Crowds: In peak hours, when the train is densely packed, people have minimal space to move, much like particles in a solid. Here, movement is constrained, and individuals can only shift slightly, often bouncing off each other within the confined space—analogous to the restricted vibrational motion of particles in a solid.

Liquids and Moderate Crowding: As more passengers alight at Bandra, Dadar, and Mumbai Central, and few board, there’s a slight increase in movement of people. The density of commuters is lower than in the packed train, providing a bit more freedom for the commuters to navigate within the coach. This state is comparable to the behaviour of particles in a liquid, where movement is still random but particles can flow past each other within a confined space.

Gases and Spacious Trains: As the train nears the destination (Church Gate) the number of passengers in the coach decreases, and people have ample space to move freely. This situation mirrors the random, high-energy movement of particles in a gas, where they occupy more space and move independently without frequent interactions.

The Virar Fast train ride became a living analogy for me—a vivid, real-life comparison to the randomized movement of particles in different states of matter. The random movements of people mirrored the Brownian motion described by Einstein in the Annus Mirabilis year, 1905, in one of his five acclaimed papers, which were published in that year. Although Brownian motion, had been observed before Albert Einstein’s time, what made Einstein’s 1905 paper "On the Movement of Small Particles Suspended in Stationary Liquids Required by the Molecular-Kinetic Theory of Heat," the third of his five papers written in May 1905, remarkable was that the paper provided a theoretical explanation and a mathematical framework for understanding the motion of the particles in the fluid. His paper was one of the five revolutionary papers in Einstein's annus mirabilis (1905). The Brownian Motion - the random movement of particles in fluids - was already identified by physicists before Einstein. However, Einstein used the knowledge of this phenomenon to prove the existence of atoms, through his paper.

My personal experience of the movement of passengers in the Virar Fast Local and the clarity it provided for the Brownian motion, wasn’t just about physics or the scientific explanation of the movement of molecules in fluid. It made me realize how science and art—two seemingly separate worlds—intersect in ways I hadn’t previously considered. The Virar Fast Local art installation of Valay Shinde, displayed in the Mumbai Gallery, perhaps, helped me look at the experience of Mumbai local travel differently. Art, with its focus on the human experience and creativity, can be found in the very randomness of the movement in that train. Science, with its focus on understanding phenomena, finds itself expressed in the chaotic yet measurable motions of people.

As someone who has spent years working in a science museum including a few years heading an art institution – NGMA Mumbai, and now working at the CSMVS, I now fully appreciate the delicate balance between the world of science and arts, two worlds. They are intertwined more intricately than CP Snow’s "Two Cultures" would suggest. Art and science, both expressions of human creativity, aren’t just complementary—they are essential to one another. My experience in science helped me understand the structure and patterns of the physical world, while my exposure to art at the CSMVS Museum opened my eyes to the beauty and meaning that lie within those structures.

Today, as I stand at the crossroads of science and arts, I see the power of interdisciplinary understanding. My epiphany on the crowded Mumbai local has given me a profound appreciation for how science and art come together, just as the motion of particles can be beautifully reflected in the movement of people in the everyday chaos of life. Through this lens, I can see how the randomness of life—whether in a crowded train or a scientific phenomenon—holds both scientific explanation and artistic beauty, as articulated by Valay Shinde in his art installation. And in that realization, I feel more connected to both fields than ever before.

Long live Sciences and Arts and their practitioners and may they come closer than ever before.

Images: Courtesy CSMVS, Mumbai and After my retirement from service as the Director of Nehru Science Centre, Mumbai after a brief stint in Delhi and a break, I joined the CSMVS, Mumbai, as an Advisor. Contrasting experience of working with the science museums for 35 years and now - for nearly three years - with the CSMVS has been quite enriching and educative. It is this tango of science and art that has come my way and motivated me to pen this article, differently!

One of the many new exhibitions that the CSMVS has completed and thrown open to the public is the Mumbai Gallery, which was opened on 14 October 2024. This gallery is dedicated to the city of Mumbai. It features historical artefacts that narrate the story of the people of Mumbai who have made this city the economic capital of India and a cosmopolitan city, which is also a dream city and a city of opportunity, for those who wish to dream. One of the significant artefacts in the Mumbai gallery is the “Virar Fast” art installation created by Valay Shende, which is prominently displayed at the entrance to the Mumbai gallery.

Mumbai, a cosmopolitan city of hope and aspiration for millions is majorly dependent on the suburban electric local rail transport for commute. The Mumbai Suburban Rail (Central, Western, and Harbour line) on an average commute 7.24 million commuters daily and is inextricably linked to most Mumbaikars, for whom Rail is their lifeline. The crowded suburban trains in Mumbai are sites that Mumbaikars experience daily. Virar Fast local during peak hours, quintessentially represents this scene. This daily phenomenon, experienced by Mumbaikars has motivated artist Valay Shende to craft his beautiful art installation “Virar Fast” which now finds a pride of place in the Mumbai gallery at the CSMSV Museum. This installation, no wonder made it prominently to the headlines in the Times of India, which covered the Mumbai gallery. The concept note provided by the artist for his work “Virar Fast’ describes his work of art as a representation of the “essence of relentless battle faced by the working class in their daily grind (travel)”.

The EMU (Electric Multiple Unit) that is used to run the Mumbai suburban trains is a household name in Mumbai. Mumbai electric rail transport began almost a century ago, on February 3, 1925, when the Great Indian Peninsular Railway (GIPR) introduced the first electric run trains that ran between Bombay VT (now CSMT) and Kurla Harbour. Incidentally one of these earliest electric engines that ran the trains in Mumbai (Bombay then) is in the collections of the Nehru Science Centre, Mumbai, and this pride collection was restored to its pristine beauty during the COVID pandemic period.

The heading for this article - “The Tango of Science and Art” - comes from my experience from one of those typically crowded peak time travel days in the Virar Fast local (Western Railways) that I used for commuting to Church Gate from Andheri. Most rail commuters by the Virar Fast local, during the peak hours, are confronted with the challenge of searching for foot space in a train that does not even have an additional square inch of space left. Although it is a usual occurrence for daily commuters, however, for me who uses the Virar Fast rarely, something profound struck me while travelling in this crowded local. As I stood, barely able to move amidst the sea of passengers on the Virar Fast local - which I had boarded at Andheri for travelling to Church Gate - the familiar jostling, swaying, and chaotic shuffle of bodies, its indescribable odour, the sound, and noise, which I was experiencing, reminded me of something unexpectedly scientific: the Brownian motion.

For over 35 years, I worked with science museums, dedicated to science communication, immersed in the language of molecules, atoms, and scientific phenomena through my work with science museums across India. Creating exhibits to explain the microscopic world of science to the uninitiated visitor in science, almost always, makes a science museum curator rely on analogies. Brownian motion is one such scientific phenomenon, which was one of the first exhibits that I had developed as a young curator way back in 1988. I vividly remember having used a mechanical analogy to explain the complicated motions of molecules that constitute the Brownian motion. Post my retirement, I found myself stepping into a different realm - an art museum, the CSMVS Museum in Mumbai. At first, this transition was like moving to an entirely different universe. CP Snow’s essay on “The Two Cultures”—the stark divide between the world of sciences and that of the arts—suddenly made perfect sense to me. I felt the chasm between the analytical, data-driven logic of science and the subjective, emotional world of arts and literature. Yet, as the months passed, I began to realize that perhaps these two worlds weren't as distinct as they first appeared. Slowly, I started seeing how creativity was the common thread weaving them together, regardless of their different forms of expression or understanding.

But it wasn’t until that epiphanic moment in the Virar Fast Local train—a crowded, bustling, Mumbai local—that everything truly crystallized for me. The human movement in that compartment was not unlike the random motion of particles in Brownian motion, which Einstein predicted. In this seemingly chaotic environment, every jolt, every push, every nudge appeared to be dictated by some kind of an invisible force: the crowdedness of the train, the positioning of passengers, and their collective aim to reach their workplace – destination, in time. That instant of epiphany helped me see some kind of a parallel between the everyday scene of Mumbai peak time local travels and the microscopic world of science, Brownian motion.

Just like molecules in a substance, the crowd in the Virar Fast Local was densely packed, with passengers barely moving, constrained by those around them, pushing and shoving each other. This reminded me of how molecules in a solid vibrate but are confined to fixed positions, unable to move freely. As the density of the crowd decreased slightly at each station – with people alighting, it felt akin to the molecular behaviour in a liquid state—where the passengers (like molecules) could now flow past each other, with more freedom of movement, though still closely bound by the space limitations. Finally, as the train neared Churchgate, passing through intermittent stations at Bandra, Dadar, Mumbai Central, Grant Road, Churni Road, and Marine Line where more and more people alighted, few boarded, the compartment felt almost gaseous as it passed Charni Road, with passengers dispersed, with an ability to move freely and randomly in any direction, unlike what they could do earlier at Andheri, or Bandra and to some extent at Dadar. This experience helped me understand the Brownian motion as a fascinating and relatable way to conceptualize the movement of particles in different states of matter, described below

Solids and Packed Crowds: In peak hours, when the train is densely packed, people have minimal space to move, much like particles in a solid. Here, movement is constrained, and individuals can only shift slightly, often bouncing off each other within the confined space—analogous to the restricted vibrational motion of particles in a solid.

Liquids and Moderate Crowding: As more passengers alight at Bandra, Dadar, and Mumbai Central, and few board, there’s a slight increase in movement of people. The density of commuters is lower than in the packed train, providing a bit more freedom for the commuters to navigate within the coach. This state is comparable to the behaviour of particles in a liquid, where movement is still random but particles can flow past each other within a confined space.

Gases and Spacious Trains: As the train nears the destination (Church Gate) the number of passengers in the coach decreases, and people have ample space to move freely. This situation mirrors the random, high-energy movement of particles in a gas, where they occupy more space and move independently without frequent interactions.

The Virar Fast train ride became a living analogy for me—a vivid, real-life comparison to the randomized movement of particles in different states of matter. The random movements of people mirrored the Brownian motion described by Einstein in the Annus Mirabilis year, 1905, in one of his five acclaimed papers, which were published in that year. Although Brownian motion, had been observed before Albert Einstein’s time, what made Einstein’s 1905 paper "On the Movement of Small Particles Suspended in Stationary Liquids Required by the Molecular-Kinetic Theory of Heat," the third of his five papers written in May 1905, remarkable was that the paper provided a theoretical explanation and a mathematical framework for understanding the motion of the particles in the fluid. His paper was one of the five revolutionary papers in Einstein's annus mirabilis (1905). The Brownian Motion - the random movement of particles in fluids - was already identified by physicists before Einstein. However, Einstein used the knowledge of this phenomenon to prove the existence of atoms, through his paper.

My personal experience of the movement of passengers in the Virar Fast Local and the clarity it provided for the Brownian motion, wasn’t just about physics or the scientific explanation of the movement of molecules in fluid. It made me realize how science and art—two seemingly separate worlds—intersect in ways I hadn’t previously considered. The Virar Fast Local art installation of Valay Shinde, displayed in the Mumbai Gallery, perhaps, helped me look at the experience of Mumbai local travel differently. Art, with its focus on the human experience and creativity, can be found in the very randomness of the movement in that train. Science, with its focus on understanding phenomena, finds itself expressed in the chaotic yet measurable motions of people.

As someone who has spent years working in a science museum including a few years heading an art institution – NGMA Mumbai, and now working at the CSMVS, I now fully appreciate the delicate balance between the world of science and arts, two worlds. They are intertwined more intricately than CP Snow’s "Two Cultures" would suggest. Art and science, both expressions of human creativity, aren’t just complementary—they are essential to one another. My experience in science helped me understand the structure and patterns of the physical world, while my exposure to art at the CSMVS Museum opened my eyes to the beauty and meaning that lie within those structures.

Today, as I stand at the crossroads of science and arts, I see the power of interdisciplinary understanding. My epiphany on the crowded Mumbai local has given me a profound appreciation for how science and art come together, just as the motion of particles can be beautifully reflected in the movement of people in the everyday chaos of life. Through this lens, I can see how the randomness of life—whether in a crowded train or a scientific phenomenon—holds both scientific explanation and artistic beauty, as articulated by Valay Shinde in his art installation. And in that realization, I feel more connected to both fields than ever before.

Long live Sciences and Arts and their practitioners and may they come closer than ever before.edia