Make soap bubbles big enough to hold a kid in

The Chai & Why session at Prithvi Theatre this Sunday gets TIFR faculty to make you fall in love with science, and tell you how your nose manages to tell the difference between oranges and lemons even though they are made up of the same molecules

The Chai & Why session at Prithvi Theatre this Sunday gets TIFR faculty to make you fall in love with science, and tell you how your nose manages to tell the difference between oranges and lemons even though they are made up of the same molecules

Remember the time when mom made soup and banished you from the kitchen just before she made the corn flour paste because she was tired of you playing with the semi-solid slush that would solidify magically on your fingers? This weekend, Prithvi Theatre and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) give you the chance to play with the corn flour.

School kids conduct a science experiment at a public outreach programme organised by TIFR faculty

As part of the Chai & Why joint venture, Prithvi and TIFR dedicate the next two sessions (Science in the Kitchen and Science in the Bathroom) to satisfy the child-like curiosity that rests within each of us.

A team from the public outreach department of TIFR will help you understand why the corn flour enveloped your finger.
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Corn flour is not the only ingredient that takes centre stage at the session.
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Figure out why every monsoon brings with it crater-sized potholes, using pulses and food grain.u00a0

Or how your nose manages to tell the difference between oranges and lemons even though they are made from the same molecules, with just one atom differentiating the two. Or measure the speed of light by simply roasting a papad in the microwave.

For the Science in the Bathroom session, the TIFR team has something extra special planned. "We are hoping to create a soap film art exhibit that will generate giant soap bubbles, so large that a child can fit into the bubble. We'll use the bubbles to do math," says Dr Arnab Bhattacharya, co-chairperson of Public Outreach Committee, TIFR.

Through the informal chat sessions, aimed at anybody over six years, TIFR scientists and students hope to get kids and their folks interested in science. "We want to bust the image that TIFR is full of white-haired people in lab coats. We are regular people who know how to chill out and have fun," says Bhattacharya.

Chai & Why Science in the Kitchen on May 3, 11 am,
Chai & Why Science in the Bathroom on June 7, 11 am.
At Prithvi Theatre, Janki Kutir, Juhu.
Call: 26149546.
Entry: Free

About Chai & Why

The genesis of Chai & Why dates back to when theatre person Sanjana Kapoor walked into the TIFR campus hoping to convert the Homi Bhabha Auditorium into a performance space.
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Arnab Bhattacharya from TIFR suggested that a collaboration with Prithvi Theatre was possible on the lines of the European concept, Cafu00e9 Scientifique, where science-related subjects are discussed informally.