Interpretation Centers
Role: Consultant Designer
Location : Sariska Tiger Reserve , Alwar Sariska
Delhi CM's House, New Delhi
Company : Green Future Foundations, New Delhi
What is Interpretation Center?
Interpretation centres, also known as visitor centres, serve as informal educational venues designed to engage the public with the cultural or natural heritage of a specific location. These centres can be found in a variety of settings, including: Wildlife preserves,Historic buildings and Archaeological sites.
Unlike traditional museums, interpretation centres are dedicated to conveying the significance and meaning of heritage, with an emphasis on promoting education and awareness.They utilize diverse media—such as video displays, exhibitions, multimedia presentations, and interactive activities—to bring a place’s history or nature to life.
Sariska Tiger Reserve, Alwar, Rajasthan
This project involved executing the interpretation center at Sariska Tiger Reserve. The Government of Rajasthan aimed to establish another tiger reserve to boost tourism and raise awareness among locals about tigers conservation. At that time, five tigers were relocated from Ranthambore Tiger Reserve to Sariska due to the dwindling tiger population caused by human activity in the forest. Protected areas, known for their natural beauty and historical significance, attract large numbers of visitors year-round, offering a unique platform for public education.
By leveraging various educational tools and interactive elements, such as informative boards, life-size models, and dioramas, these sites can effectively convey important environmental messages. These engaging methods simplify complex concepts, enriching the learning experience and ensuring that visitors leave with a greater understanding of environmental challenges.
These educational initiatives also help visitors build emotional connections to the environment, cultivating a sense of responsibility and appreciation for nature. This emotional engagement plays a key role in inspiring people to support and adopt ecologically sustainable tourism practices, ensuring the preservation of natural and cultural heritage for future generations.
Interpretation center at Delhi's Chief Minister House, New Delhi
I also executed another interpretation center at the Chief Minister's residence, specifically designed for children. Every Tuesday, students from Kendriya Vidyalaya would visit the CM’s house, and we wanted to create an engaging educational experience for them. We designed a 5-kilometer trail around the periphery of the residence, installing informative signages that highlighted different plant and bird species. These signs provided both students and teachers with valuable information about the local flora and fauna, including common birds like sparrows, mynas, and parakeets.
In addition, we built numerous birdhouses along the trail, giving birds a safe space to nest. It was incredibly rewarding to see the birds adopt these homes, using them to lay eggs and raise their young. To further enhance the experience, we constructed a machan (bird-watching platform) to give children a unique view from the treetops. It was truly a captivating sight, especially when parakeets flew in flocks during the mornings and evenings, creating a magical connection with nature.
At the end of the trail, we built a dedicated center where children could sit and watch educational videos, interact with kiosks, and even engage with biologists and environmentalists who visited to teach them about the importance of the environment. This center became a hub for learning, with a strong focus on inspiring the next generation to appreciate and protect the natural world.
