Lighting the Spark: Nellore's Mobile Science Subrahmanyam
Looking ahead, he dreams of expanding his initiatives across districts, digitising tribal science education, and refurbishing the Rural Research Centre.
Nellore: Born into the marginalised Yanadi tribal community in a small Gandhijana Sangam village in Sangam mandal of SPSR Nellore district, Nellore Subrahmanyam grew up with little access to classrooms, let alone labs.
Yet, his eyes had always been fixed on the stars. Science for him meant nature, sky and answers he sought as a curious boy. With no books or tools, he often felt helpless. That helplessness became his lifelong mission: to ensure that no rural child felt the same.
Subrahmanyam’s journey began as a primary school teacher, later serving as a biology assistant at ZPHS Mahammadapuram. From the start, he refused to confine himself to teaching from the textbook. He used simple models, led field explorations, and transformed local surroundings into living science labs. Realising that most rural schools lacked laboratories, he launched the “Science on Wheels” initiative—converting a vehicle into a mobile lab complete with microscopes, telescopes, models and posters.
He drove the mobile lab himself, holding astronomy nights, microscope sessions, sundial workshops and ecological experiments. Children from remote villages experienced hands-on science for the first time, their excitement echoing Subrahmanyam’s own childhood wonder.
In 2018, using his own salary, he established the Rural Children Research Centre on a piece of land belonging to his family at Gandhijana Sangam, a tribal area.
It featured a butterfly garden, weather station and observatory—offering tribal children a space to research and innovate.
His innovative classes included One Student – One Microscope, Butterfly Biodiversity Documentary Projects, Deep Learning Posters and Day & Night Astronomy Programmes.
In 2022, Subrahmanyam got appointed as the curator of the District Science Centre, Nellore, a well-deserved recognition, where he revamped over 56 exhibits with digital tools and launched monthly workshops. His Astrotourism programme allowed over 50,000 people to explore the cosmos. His Budding Scientist Programme trained rural students in field-based scientific inquiry.
He has mentored 10 students to national-level science fairs and 30 students to state-level competitions. His students’ innovations include solar water heaters and eco-friendly models—proof that rural talent thrives when given opportunity. He collaborated with schools and NGOs, trained volunteers and documented every success to build a lasting impact.
Looking ahead, he dreams of expanding his initiatives across districts, digitising tribal science education, and refurbishing the Rural Research Centre.
“I am still that curious tribal boy—with a telescope in one hand and a microscope in the other,” he says, “bringing science to children who’ve never held them before.”
In Subrahmanyam’s world, science isn’t a subject—it’s a right, a spark and a journey every child must make.
Highlights:
Not stopping at hands-on exploration, Subrahmanyam introduces students to the Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey series, blending digital learning with bilingual subtitles, worksheets and take-home booklets. His sessions transform dusty classrooms into vibrant hubs of scientific discussions.
Subrahmanyam’s dreams include:
Expanding Science on Wheels to other districts
Building a Tribal Science Education Hub
Digitally archiving exhibits in regional languages
Partnering with CSR, seeking public funding for sustainability
