India's oldest planetarium opens door post 2-yr revamp

Built in 1962, the MP Birla Planetarium, one of India's oldest planetarium, will be open for public in July, after two and half years of renovation.

Since its first show on September 29, 1962, the planetarium had been using an optomechanical projector. To put it simply, it is in the shape of an inverted bowl with a bulb inside. The inverted structure contains holes, which gives the illusion of a starry night on the dome screen above.

The technological upgradations have been defined as a marriage between the optomechanical projector and a series of digital projectors, which would facilitate the projection of moving objects and pictures with a full-dome effect. "The new projectors would be used to depict the artificial sky. Visitors will be able to submerge themselves in the setup," said S Dutta, curator of the landmark planetarium on Chowringhee Road in south Kolkata. The entire revamping cost around Rs 40 crore.

Another major change which the shows held at the planetarium may undergo is the shift from live lectures to recorded ones. Shanti Bose, 91, who is a senior lecturer at the planetarium said she had been associated with the place for 54 years, since July 1963. A former teacher with one of the city's leading convent schools, she had been hired for her ability to speak in English, Bengali, and Hindi with equal ease, something that was rare in those days.