Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP) will soon be setting up a museum of palaeosciences at its new state-of-the-art building coming up at an estimated ₹100 crore in the state capital. “BSIP’s museum collection consists of fossil specimens of invertebrates, vertebrates and plants… It is the largest of its kind in India that will feature 6,679 type and figured specimens, 12,740 type and figured slides and 17,504 negatives,” said Mahesh G Thakkar, the director of BSIP adding that the ground floor of the BSIP building will be entirely dedicated to two museums. Larger 5,000 sq. feet will be dedicated to the museum of palaeoscience while another 2,000 sq. feet will be earmarked for herbarium museum.
Months before its proposed launch, BSIP is organising a two-day workshop, which began Wednesday, in which museum curators, representatives from renowned think tanks and other experts were to hold deliberations regarding the museum.
Talking to HT, the director said that the museum would be curated in a way that would be simple enough for a layman to understand.
“A section that will show a timeline of our evolutionary history: from the earliest single-celled organisms to the diverse lifeforms of today. Interactive touchscreens, animated graphics, and audiovisual elements will help visitors grasp the immense scale of geologic time and the incremental changes that have shaped life on Earth. Similarly, a paleoart-dedicated gallery space will showcase the work of paleo-artists, who reconstruct the appearances and behaviour of extinct organisms. Likewise, a citizen science station will be set up where visitors can contribute directly to the ongoing paleontological research through hands-on activities and digital tools,” added Thakkar.
The existing museum comprises fossils of different geological ages collected from several countries and embedded in marble grit-cement blocks.
About the building
According to the BSIP director, the institute is getting a new sprawling six-floor building on University Road in the next three-four months. It is being built by National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC) with an estimated ₹100 crore. The new building is spread over 25,000 sq ft with a large leaf-like canopy structure over its roof. The structure is a replica of the Glossopteris bituminous leaf, which is from the 300-million-year-old Gondwana period and represents the institute’s work in paleobotany. It is also a tribute to paleobotanist and institute’s founder Birbal Sahni who worked on Gondwanaland.
