ELURU: The GMC Balayogi Science Park in Eluru stands as a remarkable example of how a public institution can be transformed to serve a new generation.
Long before it became a science park, the campus housed the Social Welfare Gurukul Residential School and Junior College for boys and girls.
After the Gurukul institutions shifted to their permanent campuses—at Pedavegi for boys and Vatluru/Bhogapuram for girls—the government repurposed the old premises into a science learning centre under the Educational Department, ensuring that the infrastructure continued to benefit students.
Set aside in 2001 on a one-acre plot, the park was named in memory of former Lok Sabha Speaker GMC Balayogi following his final official visit to the campus. After years of neglect, the facility has undergone a comprehensive Rs 58-lakh renovation. A sum of Rs 40 lakh was utilised to restore the ageing structure, while Rs 18 lakh was invested in procuring modern scientific exhibits.
Though awaiting its formal inauguration, the renovated park has already opened its doors to local school cohorts on a trial basis. Step inside the three-story facility, and the traditional ‘Do Not Touch’ warnings of a conventional museum are nowhere to be found.
Instead, visiting students are actively encouraged to touch, pedal, press, and experiment. In one corner, children eagerly take turns pedalling a stationary bicycle to generate electricity, watching circuit bulbs illuminate through their own physical effort. In other sections, they explore optical reflections, test Newton’s laws of gravity with pendulum setups, and gaze at rocket models housed within a ISRO space gallery.
Featuring nearly 45 interactive exhibits spanning robotics, human anatomy, physics, chemistry, and environmental science, the park gives priority to government school students during weekdays while accommodating private institutions on holidays.
Speaking to the TNIE, District Science Officer Somayajulu emphasised that the park’s primary mission extends far beyond memorising formulas. By allowing children to execute simple experiments themselves, the facility aims to cultivate logical thinking, problem-solving skills, and a genuine scientific temper.
Though minor maintenance tasks in parts of the older structure await final clearance from district authorities, the revived science park stands as an inspiring model of public infrastructure revival—turning a historical educational plot into a launchpad for tomorrow’s innovators.