The way we live our lives and our very existence owe a great deal to science. It is essential to nurture interest and passion for science early in life to empower future generations to make significant contributions to the scientific field.
To this end, Anil and Shonali Chinniah founded Curiouscity, a science centre in Bengaluru that brings science to life for children through an inquiry-based approach to learning. At Curiouscity, kids can explore scientific concepts through hands-on activities and inquiry, bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical experience. The centre employs professionals to offer diverse teachings and strives to make science accessible to everyone, regardless of gender or financial background.
Curiouscity offers focused programmes on specific topics during weekdays and extends access to government schools and underprivileged children through sponsored programs at a nominal fee.
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### An Insightful Conversation with Shonali Chinniah on Curiouscity
**A little about your background for our readers.**
I have a PhD in Ecology from Cornell University, and Anil holds an MBA from Drexel University and an MS from the University of Massachusetts. We spent 16 years in the US before moving back to India in 2003.
I was fortunate to be raised by a strong, socially committed woman—my mother, Nomita Chandy, a Padma Shri awardee and founder of Ashraya and the Neelbagh School. Watching her transform lives through education, alongside my work with various NGOs, left a lasting imprint on me.
Anil’s father grew up in a small village school in Coorg and earned a Veterinary Scholarship, later achieving his PhD and heading the NDRI in Bangalore—an inspiring example of how quality education can change lives.
Curiouscity is an extension of the legacy we inherited from these exceptional role models.
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**How did the concept of Curiouscity come up? And why Bengaluru?**
Returning to India in 2003 with our two young daughters, Anya and Isha, Anil and I often searched for interesting learning spaces—interactive, open-ended, and hands-on—that we had taken for granted abroad. At home, we began setting up little scientific challenges for our children and realized that children naturally possess curiosity; they don’t need to be taught to be curious.
I started teaching 11th-grade biology at my daughters’ school. Although the students were bright, their questions were transactional, which led me to believe that learning must be joyful.
I began experimenting by taking students on field trips to the Indian Institute of Science to see science in action. Slowly, genuine questions started to emerge.
Around the same time, I worked with NGOs such as Ashraya, where the school for first-generation rural learners consistently achieved a 100% first-class record in 10th board exams year after year. Those children had a real hunger for learning!
Thus, the idea for Curiouscity took shape—a place where science could be played with, questioned, failed at, and tried again.
Over time, we conducted fun science workshops for children aged 8 to 12, collaborating with wonderful educators like Sukanya Sinha, Utpal Chattopadhyay, Jandeep Banga, and Umesh Malhothra. We designed field trips in astronomy and animal studies and created hands-on programmes, bringing interactive science to hundreds of schoolchildren.
Building a permanent space, however, was ambitious. We tried raising funds but found most investors wanted predictable financial returns. So, Anil and I decided to build it ourselves.
In 2019, we pooled our savings and began constructing the campus on our three-acre land on the outskirts of Bengaluru.
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**Please continue.**
We envisioned a space that felt alive, open, green, and warm, and we sketched the design ourselves.
Khalid Rehman from the Centre for Vernacular Architecture helped us turn those sketches into reality. Nilanjan Choudhury, an IIT graduate, SAP professional, and playwright, became our science anchor and creative force. Shilpa M, from a nearby village, joined as our accountant and quickly became the heart of operations, while Nima Lama, a long-time educator with us, took charge as COO.
We were fortunate to receive support from friends and family. My schoolmate, Prahlad Nanjappa, helped with branding and signage. Architect friends Aparna Narasimhan, Natasha Ipe, and Prithvi Rao contributed their expertise.
Sachin, a landscape architect from Studio Confluence, guided our landscaping, water conservation, and native garden development. Loyid Lawrence enhanced the garden with nearly 100 species of host plants for butterflies.
Even the small, everyday things mattered in bringing the vision to life.
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**What can one experience at Curiouscity?**
Our space is designed for families. Parents often visit with children of a wide age range—from toddlers of three years to eleven-year-old siblings, and sometimes even grandparents accompany curious teenagers.
Our *Science Play Zone* caters to the youngest visitors (typically aged 3 to 7) and is filled with pulleys, sand tables, bubble stations, ball walls, magnetic tiles, and even friendly animals to interact with. It’s a safe and joyful space to explore freely.
Our *Zone of Illusions* is equally popular among grown-ups and children. Here, visitors experience mirror mazes, optical illusions, perspective tricks, and a dark room filled with playful lighting.
At the heart of Curiouscity is the *Science Hub,* built around a central courtyard we call Sangam Circle. Hand-crafted exhibits come alive here, covering key science themes such as electricity, magnetism, mechanics, light, sound, senses, food, mathematics, and water.
We made a concerted effort to ensure each exhibit was truly interactive, encouraging children to engage with the concepts. Additionally, we have two escape rooms filled with stimulating puzzles. These are particularly popular with children aged 8 to 14, who work in teams to unlock clues while strengthening their scientific thinking.
Beyond this, we have a fully equipped 125-seater auditorium for science shows, school orientations, plays, and occasional film screenings. Schools often rent it for their events.
Given our three-acre campus, we’ve developed nature trails, ecology walks, and conservation sessions focusing on water, energy, and trees. We now host one of Bengaluru’s largest recorded diversities of butterflies.
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**Visiting Information**
Curiouscity is open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays, with two sessions: 10 AM to 1 PM and 2 PM to 5 PM. Tickets are priced at ₹450 per person if purchased online and ₹500 for walk-ins.
School programs run from Tuesdays to Thursdays and are strictly by appointment. Programmes and pricing are customized based on the school’s and students’ needs.
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**How has it been so far with Curiouscity?**
Running Curiouscity involves much more than creating science exhibitions. Since opening in July 2022, we have welcomed nearly 100,000 visitors.
We have committed ourselves to being eco-friendly with solar power generation, rainwater harvesting, water recycling, and waste management. These initiatives presented challenges but offered valuable lessons.
Security has been another management concern.
Our toughest period was early 2023, when a large construction project behind us caused a landslide that destroyed our well, borewell, and many trees. Repairs took months. The builders helped fix some of the damage, but it took a toll on us emotionally and operationally.
Despite such setbacks, many moments have made us stop and smile.
We opened the centre with some apprehension—would anyone visit Curiouscity in this somewhat remote location? The first three weekends saw at best 30 visitors per day. We hoped for slow growth.
Suddenly, on the fourth weekend, we had over 500 visitors on Saturday and 720 on Sunday, after a viral social media post.
This overwhelming response caused chaos. We quickly adapted by introducing two sessions, imposing visitor limits, and hiring a vendor to manage the café. Despite the challenges, the enthusiastic response from Bengaluru’s community has been incredibly encouraging.
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**Will this interest make a long-term impact on children pursuing science?**
Just as we opened Curiouscity, I received an email from Sneha, one of my early workshop participants. Though her parents are both doctors, she credited our workshops with sparking her love for science. She was about to start a doctorate program at CERN to study dark matter.
That message moved me deeply. Knowing that we changed even one child’s perception of science affirmed our mission’s success.
Since then, we have witnessed many such inspiring stories.
We hold parent-child workshops, and often, kids showcase creativity beyond adults’ expectations—they confidently build sturdy chairs from just newspapers, for example.
Children who visit Curiouscity have used their ideas developed here to create exhibits for their school science fairs.
Visitors from abroad have said our centre feels more interactive than many museums in their home countries.
Children often say, “I can make that too.”
Many schools, including affluent international ones, have returned for multiple years to participate in workshops. Teachers report that our programmes have a significant positive impact in their classrooms.
We have worked with over 70 schools in and around Bengaluru. Where once we had difficulty convincing schools to collaborate, now schools and NGOs approach us.
We take pride in creating specialized workshops for students with special needs and focus on encouraging girls by sharing stories about women scientists around the world.
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**What are the plans for Curiouscity and other initiatives to foster interest in science?**
Currently, we are focusing on expanding what we have established.
This includes developing more hands-on science programmes and new offerings, especially relating to nature and conservation—such as creating a Miyawaki forest.
This year, we aim to launch school programmes targeted at younger children, centered on nature and conservation.
We are eager to collaborate and would love to partner with groups working in astronomy or tinkering. We plan to start regular Saturday evening sessions open to the public for science talks, performances, and discussions around civic issues.
Additionally, we have designed a full day of science activities meant for parents and children, awaiting corporate partners to host family events in our space.
Lastly, we are working towards offering free access to government schools, along with teacher training programs and any support needed to enhance their science education.
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Curiouscity is more than a science centre—it is a thriving community nurturing curiosity, creativity, and a lifelong love of science for everyone.
https://www.freepressjournal.in/weekend/children-dont-need-to-be-taught-curiosityits-already-there-says-shonali-chinniah