Summer holidays mean a lot of work for parents. Just when you as a parent begin scratching your head thinking of ways and means to keep your child/children occupied, just consider activities at the G.P. Birla Library . A recent addition to the Birla Planetarium, the library has a vast stock of books for children, apart from the ones that might interest all groups requirements. The spacious, air conditioned library located on the first floor of the Centre, not only has a picturesque view of the city but also boasts of a stock of over 4000 books, all personally selected and sourced by Nirmala Birla. The books can be categorised under numismatics, travel, Indian history and more. This library also has an exclusive collection of books on art, archaeology, architecture, religion, culture, Indology and other allied subjects. Also interesting is to see the collection of books on ivory, glass, jade, porcelain and interesting places of the world. A book that might particularly interest lovers of history is the pictorial representation of the Indian independence struggle. The coffee table book section too is well stocked and has latest inclusions. The library has an electronic library as well.
It isn’t a borrowing library though, so several trips will be needed to fulfil the leisure reading sessions.
The powerful C-11-telescope inside the G. P. Birla Observatory. Photo: Mohammed Yousuf
The library has planned story telling sessions, crafts classes and other audio-visual activities. The planetarium is also likely to come up with summer camps. All these are bound to make going through the encyclopaedias more fun and show the play way route to teach children about a lot of things that they see around them. For those who want to conduct small fun session with boards and books, there are study rooms big enough to accommodate a study group. If all this sounds too loaded for little ones, peek into the section designed to resemble a nursery, which is stocked with colourful kiddie story books and comics. Who doesn’t love to see the stars and planets for an idea of how they look and behave up in the sky? Do they really look like the diamond as the nursery rhyme ‘Twinkle twinkle’ makes us to believe? The observatory at the G.P. Birla Planetarium allows such moments for kids and adults. Touted as one of best amateur observatories in the country, it is equipped with an ultra-modern telescope capable of even detecting the planets that exist beyond the solar system. The sophisticated C-11 telescope with German technology designed with automatic, high-range electronic devices that enable easy viewing of stars, galaxies and other cosmic objects far beyond the solar system. The specifications of the C11 which was donated by Uranoscope in Paris allows magnifying objects in space by up to 660. The observatory can accommodate around 30 people at a time and is accessible on any cloudless night.
If this isn’t interesting enough, then a 3D movie should keep the children engrossed with tales of life under the sea and much more.
Surely Birla Science Centre promises an out-of-this world experience, indoors and outdoors.
