The way we live our lives and our very existence have science to thank for. It is essential to foster interest and passion for science early in our lives so that we can excel in the scientific field.
To achieve this, Anil and Shonali Chinniah started Curiouscity, a science centre in Bengaluru that brings science to life for kids, making an inquiry-based approach the key to learning. At Curiouscity, children can explore scientific concepts and ask questions. The centre aims to bridge the gap between theoretical and practical learning, with professionals providing diverse teachings.
The bigger vision is to make science accessible to everyone, regardless of gender or financial restrictions. Curiouscity offers focused programs on specific topics during weekdays and keeps its space open to government schools and underprivileged children through sponsored programs at a nominal price.
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### Shonali Chinniah on Curiouscity: Excerpts from the Interview
**A little about your background for our readers.**
I have a PhD in Ecology from Cornell University, and Anil has 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, along with my work with several NGOs, left a lasting imprint.
Anil’s father, who grew up in a small village school in Coorg and won a Veterinary Scholarship, went on to get his Ph.D. and head the NDRI in Bangalore. He is an amazing example of the difference a good education can make.
Curiouscity is an extension of the legacy we inherited from exceptional role models.
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**How did the concept of Curiouscity come up? And why Bengaluru?**
Back home in India in 2003, with our two then-young daughters, Anya and Isha, Anil and I were often searching for interesting learning spaces that we had taken for granted abroad: interactive, open-ended, and hands-on.
At home, we began setting up small challenges for our children. We realized that children don’t need to be taught curiosity — it’s already there. I began teaching 11th-grade biology at my daughters’ school. The children were bright, but their questions were transactional, which led to a deep personal conviction that learning must be joyful.
So, I started experimenting. I asked students to write their exams, and took them on field trips to IISc to see science in action. Slowly, the questions started to return.
Around the same time, I also worked with NGOs like Ashraya. Their school for first-generation rural learners had a 100% first-class record in 10th boards year after year. Those children had a hunger for learning!
That’s how the idea of Curiouscity began to take shape: a place where science was something to play with, question, fail at, and try again.
Over time, we conducted fun science workshops for children aged 8–12, collaborating with wonderful individuals like Sukanya Sinha, Utpal Chattopadhyay, Jandeep Banga, and Umesh Malhothra. We designed field trips in astronomy, animal studies, and created hands-on programs—bringing interactive science to hundreds of schoolchildren.
Building a permanent space was ambitious! We tried raising funds, but most investors wanted predictable financial returns. So, Anil and I decided to do it ourselves.
In 2019, we pooled our savings and started building the campus from scratch on our three-acre land on the outskirts of Bengaluru.
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**Please continue.**
We had a vision for a space that felt alive, open, green, and warm, and we sketched it out 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 a creative force.
Shilpa M, from a nearby village, joined as our accountant and quickly became the heart of operations.
Nima Lama, a long-time educator with us, took charge as the COO.
We were fortunate to have support from friends and family.
My schoolmate Prahlad Nanjappa helped with branding and signage. My architect friends Aparna Narasimhan, Natasha Ipe, and Prithvi Rao contributed their expertise.
Landscape architect Sachin from Studio Confluence helped with landscaping, water conservation, and developing a native garden.
Loyid Lawrence enhanced the garden with nearly 100 species of host plants for butterflies.
Even the small, everyday things mattered.
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**What can one experience at Curiouscity?**
We’ve built this space for families. When parents come with children, there’s usually a wide age range—from a three-year-old with an eleven-year-old sibling, to a grandparent tagging along with a curious teenager.
Our **Science Play Zone** is for our youngest visitors, typically between three and seven years old. It is filled with pulleys, sand tables, bubble stations, ball walls, magnetic tiles, and even a few friendly animals to interact with. It’s a safe, joyful space to explore freely.
Our **Zone of Illusions** is as much for grown-ups as it is for kids. Here, we have mirror mazes, optical illusions, perspective tricks, and a dark room filled with playful lighting.
At the heart of Curiouscity lies the **Science Hub**, built around a central courtyard we call Sangam Circle. This is where our hand-crafted exhibits come alive. The exhibits span key science themes: electricity, magnetism, mechanics, light, sound, senses, food, mathematics, and water.
The challenge was to make each exhibit truly interactive so kids can engage deeply with the concepts.
We’ve also built two escape rooms with stimulating puzzles. These are especially loved by children aged eight to 14 who work in teams to unlock clues while brushing up their science thinking.
Beyond that, we have a fully equipped 125-seater auditorium where we host science shows, school orientations, plays, and occasional film screenings. Schools also rent it out for events.
Given our three-acre campus, we’ve developed nature trails, ecology walks, and conservation sessions around water, energy, and trees. We now host one of Bengaluru’s largest recorded diversities of butterflies.
We are 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 online and ₹500 for walk-ins.
Our school programs run Tuesdays to Thursdays, strictly by appointment. We customize programs and pricing based on the schools and their students’ needs.
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**How has it been so far with Curiouscity?**
Running an establishment involves much more than creating science exhibits. Since opening in July 2022, we have welcomed nearly one lakh visitors.
We always strive to be eco-friendly, with solar power generation, rainwater harvesting, water recycling, and waste management. These initiatives were challenging but led to valuable learnings.
Security has also been an issue.
The worst phase was early 2023 when a large construction project behind us caused a landslide. We lost our well, borewell, and many trees — it took months to repair and rebuild. To be fair, the builders did help fix some of the damage. However, it took a toll.
Despite challenges, there have been many moments that made us stop and smile.
We opened in July 2022 with great uncertainty — wondering if anyone would come to Curiouscity in the middle of nowhere.
The first three weekends saw at most 30 visitors.
We hoped for a slow build-up.
Then, suddenly on the fourth weekend, we had about 530 visitors on Saturday and 720 on Sunday.
Everything fell apart that day — a viral social media post caused this surge.
We quickly adjusted by introducing two sessions, visitor limits, and brought in a vendor to manage our café.
Despite the chaos, the whole team felt blessed by the city’s response.
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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. Both her parents were doctors, yet she said:
*”Even though my parents were both doctors, it was through your workshops that I developed my love for science. I will soon be starting a doctorate program at CERN to study dark matter, and I wanted to let you know about this.”*
It moved me deeply.
If we changed even one child’s view on science, I felt we had succeeded.
Since then, we have witnessed many such moments.
We have also conducted parent-child workshops. Honestly, kids are often more creative than adults—they’ll build sturdy chairs out of newspaper with confident ease.
Children who’ve spent time at Curiouscity have used ideas developed here to build exhibits for school science fairs.
International visitors have told us our space feels more interactive than museums back home.
Kids see the exhibits and think, “I can make that, too.”
Many schools, including affluent international ones, have returned for workshops for three consecutive years.
Teachers report significant impact on classroom learning.
We have worked with 70 schools in and around Bengaluru.
Where once we had to persuade schools to collaborate, schools and NGOs now approach us to work with their students.
We take pride in working with special needs students and create workshops tailored to their needs.
We also focus on encouraging the girl child by sharing stories about women scientists worldwide.
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**What are the future plans for Curiouscity and science education?**
Currently, we’re focusing on expanding what we’ve built: more hands-on science programs and new offerings, especially around nature and conservation.
We plan to create a Miyawaki forest this year and launch school programs for younger children centered on nature and conservation.
We’re keen to collaborate and would love to partner with groups working in astronomy or tinkering.
We aim to start regular Saturday evening sessions open to the public featuring science talks, performances, and discussions on civic issues.
Additionally, we’ve designed a full day of science activities for parents and kids and seek companies to use our space for family events.
Lastly, we are working with government schools to provide free access to our facilities, along with teacher training and support for their science programs.
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Curiouscity is more than a science centre — it’s a vibrant community dedicated to nurturing curiosity, creativity, and a lifelong passion for science in children from all walks of life.
https://www.freepressjournal.in/weekend/children-dont-need-to-be-taught-curiosityits-already-there-says-shonali-chinniah