As soon as the clock struck 8:30 am, our bus left the school gates. Every child of the 7th grade yelled with excitement for the trip – a visit to Science Centre, Surat. Everyone gazed out of their windows with wide eyes at the landscape dotted with farms. As the wheels ran faster, slowly buildings showed up and the area changed to the populous city. Meanwhile, everyone inside enjoyed their favourite music. Everyone witnessed the busy life of urban people and enjoyed the panoramic view of Surat city. The thing that made everyone curious was of course, getting a chance to understand further the applications of science in real life.

With all our excitement and joy, at about 9:35 am, we reached the Science Centre. Before stepping out of the bus, we had a crispy puff for snacks. After clicking a couple of group photos, the receptionist wrapped thin paper bands on each of our hands. We entered the section of Centre called Khoj. There we all sat in a group and the guide provided us information about viruses. We learned about different structures of viruses, how they look, instruments used to observe them, and many such details. The last surprise at Khoj was a fully automated humanlike Robot, which fascinated all of us. The guide demonstrated the functions and features of the robot. It was a striking moment to watch the robot obeying the commands of its guide.

As soon as we entered the main block of the complex, we climbed up the stairs and reached the Digital Theatre of Planetarium. Everyone settled in the dark dome to gaze the wonders in the night sky. We studied about the stars, planets, constellations and galaxies. After this thrilling experience for almost an hour, at about 12 noon, we approached the Fun Science Gallery for hands on experience. At first glance itself, the scientific exhibits and educative games fascinated all of us. We played, observed and noted down some experiments. After almost an hour, we went to an area related to Space. We saw a dummy of astronaut and the demo of foods they eat in space. We measured our weight on different planets with the help of a unique weighing machine. A 1-meter-long book stating the rules and laws of space exploration was read, and many more logical and scientific activities were done. We were astonished to see the ancient technology related to universe and applications of effects of gravity, telescopes, etc. The second floor is dedicated to the Diamond Gallery. It showcased the complete life cycle of a diamond from mining up to polishing. It shows the role of India and especially Surat in the field of diamond industry worldwide.

Now, was the time to satisfy the needs of our stomach. After crossing the busy traffic, we reached the Ropeway Restaurant. We were welcomed with a refreshing drink and mouth-watering starters. Soups and chats were served thereafter. The main course had more than 4 varieties of food including Italian, Chinese, Gujarati and Punjabi along with the varieties of salads and sweets. At last, the dessert of ice-cream was served. Finally, we arrived at back to school at about 4:30 p.m., tired but contented.

Written by: Dev S. Patel (Grade 7)