Birla Industrial and Technological Museum in Kolkata

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Birla Industrial and Technological Museum in Kolkata is the first government funded science museum. The museum was inaugurated on 2nd of May, 1959 by Professor Humayun Kabir. The then chief minister of West Bengal Dr. B. C. Ray was inspired by Deutsches Museum at Munich, Germany and planned out for a similar science museum with the cooperation of Shri Ghanashyam Das Birla. The building, where the BITM is located originally belonged to Satyendra Nath Tagore, the elder brother of Nobel laureate Rabindra Nath Tagore.

Since its establishment, the Birla Industrial and Technological Museum has been the hub of science oriented activities and have pioneered setting up of other science museums like the Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum (VITM) and the Nehru Science Center in Mumbai.

Birla Industrial and Technological Museum in Kolkata



Birla Industrial and Technological Museum in Kolkata was set up with the following objectives.
  • Collection and preservation of important historical and scientific objects.
  • To hold on to the growth and development of science and technology.
  • Spreading awareness of scientific approach in urban and rural areas.
  • Inclusion of better form of science education in schools and colleges.
  • Training of teachers for spread of science education in a cost effective training technique.
  • Assisting schools, colleges, universities and other technical institutions for imparting science education to young learners.
  • Fabricating, designing and developing science exhibitions for knowledge seekers.

The museum was initially governed by the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) and in the late 1978; the museum came under the control of the autonomous body called the National Council of Science Museum. The following are the attractions of the museum that provides a scientific understanding among visitors of BITM.

  • Various disciplines of science galleries on Atom, Transport, Iron & Steel, Petroleum, Mining, Electricity, Television, Communication and Computer Science and such.
  • The museum has features like Underground Mock-up Coal Mine, Snake Pits, Rabbit House, Aviary, Aquarium, Bonsai and Cacti Garden.
  • The institute often holds Television and scientific film shows.
  • Showcases informative programs like scientific seminars, science fairs, and sky observation sessions with the aid of a telescope.
  • Science seminars are held on a regular basis.
  • The physics gallery depicts contributions made to the science of physics for the last 100 years.
One of the latest attractions of the museum is the life size figure of an ancient blacksmith making a sickle. On entering the museum you will be instantly transported to the world of ores and furnaces that are projected by touch screens and multimedia technologies.