Initiation

Srujanika grew out of an experiment by some science professionals, aimed at helping school children with their science club activities. This attempt around 1980, provided an opportunity to understand the problem as well as to establish contact with other groups around the country working along similar lines.

During 1983, these ideas took a working form with the founding of an innovative school on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar. This early childhood education centre, which later grew into a full-fledged primary school, experimented with activity-based learning methods, especially relating to science, in a formal school situation and with teachers without any special prior training. Also during this time out-of-classroom science activities, aimed at creating an excitement about and appreciation for science, were being developed for older children.

In 1987 Srujanika was formally registered as a society for research and innovation on science, education and development with the objective of promoting education and science in their true spirit. During the same year it also took part in, and co-ordinated in the state of Orissa, the nation-wide science movement Bharat Jan Vigyan Jatha (BJVJ). In the process it developed an informal network of teachers and other interested persons around the state and also became a part of a national network of science-activist groups.

During the years 1988-89 Srujanika experimented with various approaches to work out a long term plan. A mix of publication, development of kits/toys, organising workshops/contact programmes kept us busy through this period. Activity book and kit on Khel Khel Mein, Fun with Science activity fairs, discussions on Nature, Science and Society with poster and slides, Children's Science Festivals and the experimental issues of Bigyan Tarang were some highlights of this period. Based on the response to these trials Bigyan Tarang became a regular publication in August 1989 and came to play a link role for all our activities and associates. Workshops, contact programmes and camps also became annual features with a common theme picked for the year.

By 1992 these activities had completed a few cycles and many other groups had also started working on various science related programmes. Also by this time our experiment with the early childhood education centre was coming to a close, a core-group became available for full-time work and we got a work place for our unrestricted use. On the whole, the situation was right for us to function more as a resource group and to concentrate on generating/disseminating ideas, materials and work-models through publications, apprenticeships and campus-based workshops/camps etc. This is mode of functioning we have fitted ourselves into during the last few years.