Take a trip into natural history

Environmental science, botany, zoology, geology, paleontology. This is not the list of subjects available in the university, but the world of subjects you can enter in the Regional Museum of Natural History (RMNH). This is a one stop place for children and adults alike to have a casual walk and have a sneak peek into the world of natural history.

Situated in Siddartha Nagar, the museum is the southern regional office of the National Museum of Natural History in New Delhi a subordinate office of the ministry of environment and forests.

The regional museum was opened in 1995 as a non-formal education centre. The museum aims to create awareness about conservation among the public through exhibit galleries and various eductional activities.

The museum is situated amidst a lush green premises adjacent to Karanjikere. It is a boon for the students in the city, where they can learn about history of the world in the most casual way.

The southern regional centre mainly aims at biodiversity of southern India, with a judicious mix of specimens, models, translites and audio visual aids.

The museum aims to create special exhibits to create awareness among students about environment. The centre also publishes educational material useful for environmental education.

Galleries galore

The museum has three permanent galleries and one temporary exhibition area. The biological diversity gallery depicts the biodiversity of south India — covering forests, wetlands, sea habitat and rivers. A dioramic representation of Western Ghats in the gallery is a crowd puller for sure. The life through the ages depicts the millions of years of evolution and is represented in an eye catching walk through a tunnel.

A galley of the early plant heritage of India has been the new attraction with illustrations, prints and maps from seven European books published in the early days of the British raj.
A temporary exhibition area is where several travelling and in house exhibitions are held. The museum would be hosting an exhibition of biodiversity of Western Ghats this month.

Other facilities

The museum is not restricted to galleries. The ‘discovery centre’ is one of the main attractions in the museum which provides visitors, especially children and students an opportunity to handle examine and study specimens.

The centre also hosts a bioscience computer room where multimedia techniques are used to provide visitors a whole new experience of learning.

A library with more than 4,000 books provides the required backing for an education centre. The museum also has a theatre.

TFL garden

The Touch Feel and Lean Garden is an innovative venture by the museum. The garden is specially designed for people who are visually challenged.

The garden has various species of plants with braille labels and audio commentary help. The visitors are encouraged to touch, smell and feel the specimens.

The centre plans to base future galleries on themes such as ecology and conservation.
This is one place which has been underused by schools around the city. With such rich exhibits and informative galleries, students and teachers should make use of the facilities available and explore the exciting history of the natural world. Try it once, you wont be disappointed.