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A group of retired professionals. One Mobile Science Laboratory bus.

2,80,000 Kilometres traveled. More than 3 Lakh students covered. Science
education by this group of senior citizens will give our youthful teachers a
complex!
As the Mobile Science Laboratory (MSL) bus turns on the winding roads of
Maharashtra, the teachers ready the science experiments and all the material for
activities. A science laboratory on wheels is perhaps no novelty in India these
days; after all, it has proved to be the simplest way to reach out to those in rural
landscapes. However, the people taking it from place to place certainly are.
Vidnyanvahini, as the name itself gives away, is literally a wealth of
knowledge on wheels.
Knowledge is imparted at absolutely no cost at all and science is made
interesting by Vidnyanvahinis team, a group of retired professionals from the
various scientific fields. This team of entertaining and passionate teachers has
an average age of 64 years with the youthfulness of that of twenty-year-olds.

The Vidnyan Vahini team with the Mobile Science laboratory

Harsh weather conditions, long hours of work or arduous journeys in a bus are
the least of deterrents for this team as they travel across the state and the
country to teach science the way it should be practically.
The last 20 years of their generous service have seen more than 3 lakh students
from all over India benefit. Their impressive records include 2,750 visits to
schools across India till date. Even more impressive is to know that they have
traveled 2,80,000 kilometres, the same as travelling seven times around the
globe, in just 20 years!
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Humble beginnings
Vidnyanvahini was born of an idea by Mr. and Mrs. Deshpande. An NRI couple
with a penchant for Mathematics, Mr. Deshpande holds a PhD in Mathematics
and Mrs. Deshpande spent numerous years as a Mathematics teacher in the
United States.
A short documentary on mobile laboratories in 1994 gave Mrs. Deshpande the
inspiration to start a mobile laboratory in their hometown of Pune. Thus, this
determined couple came home with modest donations to build their very own
Mobile Science Laboratory (MSL).
A first-of-its-kind back in the 80s, this innovative solution of an MSL
conceived by Mrs. Deshpande was ideal to address the lack of resources and
quality education in rural India.

The MSL on the road .

Mr. And Mrs. Deshpande looked to their acquaintances in various fields for
support. Volunteers came on board to form a small team of five, and soon the
operations began in 1995.
With the simple aim of creating a passion for scientific enquiry and heightening
students interest in the subject, the MSL embarked on its journey to villages in
Maharashtra.
Travelling close to 150 kilometres every day, the team commenced their visits
to schools on the fringes of Pune. Each day saw new schools and excited
students, and to reach out to as many of these students, more members joined
the initiative.
Within months, the word of the MSL had spread to various rural schools in
Maharashtra and the Vidnyanvahini team had more invitations to schools than
their schedules could permit.

Dr. Kiran Phatak teaching Physics in a school in rural Maharahtra.

In the beginning, we hired a bus and went from village to village. Just a few
months later, due to the increasing demand, we invested in a bus of our own and
designed it to make it a lab on wheels. We have everything in the MSL from
audio visual equipment and working tables to science experiments equipment
and library sets, says Mr. Sharad Godse, secretary of Vidnyanvahini.
Age is a state of mind:
With every passing year, the Vidnyanvahini team has increased their outreach to
more parts of the country, and also modified their curriculum and activities as
per the students and schools needs. Additions to Vidnyanvahinis program
include sex education for middle school students, mobile library for schools and
teacher training programmes.
All these activities together have kept this senior citizens team of 25 busy for
the last two decades. Once a month we take a long trip in the MSL for a week
visiting schools we associate with in Maharashtra. The rest of the month goes in
trips to various schools around Pune and other cities and villages in Madhya

Pradesh, Assam and other states. Not a day is kept free, answers Mr. Godse
when asked about the hectic schedule.

The MSL is equipped with everything from science experiment

equipment to a television and library sets.
Furthermore, word of their fantastic programme has reached the far corners of
India like Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Chhattisgarh, where they have been
invited by respective governments and private organizations to give valuable
advice on similar mobile laboratory projects undertaken. They are also very
often invited for teacher training programmes in Maharashtra and other states.
And, the Vidnyanvahini team has enthusiastically obliged.
If that wasnt all, Vidnyanvahinis work hasnt been limited to the confines of
rural education. They have taken up a watershed development project in Surodi
Village, Ahmednagar. The team built close to 15 bandhs to arrest the water in
this dry village to give the agriculture a much needed boost.
For the last 5 years, the village has seen their crop flourish, with an onion crop
worth Rs. 3 Crores this year alone!

Recharged wells help produce full crop in Surodi village

Villagers doing Shramdan to build the watershed

The watershed filled to capacity.

And, work goes on
Unlike the early days, Vidnyanvahini now no longer needs to go looking for
funds. As individual donations and company CSR funding pour in, work carries
on. Over the last 20 years, the team has conducted an average of 150 school
visits every year despite the team now running on a strength of 15 volunteers in
the field.
Developing passion and interest among students is a non-quantifiable objective.
However, a study conducted by the Symbiosis Institute of Management, Pune
concluded that their work was extraordinary and very positively received in
the rural landscapes.
Additionally, they have also received recognition through awards by
foundations like Marathi Vidnyan Parishad and Seva Sadan Trust, amongst
others.
One presumes the rough travel and long hours would be the biggest challenge
for the Vidnyanvahini team. Surprisingly, Mr. Godse cites absolutely the
opposite as a challenge, We are always short of time to make visits to all the
schools that invite us. Our calendars are full and we cannot, unfortunately,
reach out to everyone we would like to include in our programme. Invitations
are many and days are few.

Here is a group of Samaritans who refuse let retirement dictate terms. Come
rain or sunshine, or even weak knees and back aches, the Vidnyanvahini team is
on the road ready to make science education hands-on.

Mr. Sharad Godse conducting a workshop in a school in Nagaland

To enquire about science education programmes in schools or to make
donations to the trust, please contact Mr. Sharad Godse at +91 96236 76949.
Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com, or
connect with us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia).
About the author: After a degree in Banking, Pooja Choksi took off for South America to
follow her passion teaching. However, her love for the Indian outback brought her home
to work on the Education-Base project with Conservation Wildlands Trust in the Pench Tiger
Reserve. Her interests are conservation, education and travel that includes tents and no cell
phone reception. She continues to play Capoeira and lend her voice to matters close to heart.
She tweets as @poojation.
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