This file comprises newspaper and magazine articles sent to Devendra Lal by PM Bhargava regarding the Method of Science Exhibition. These are arranged as per the list found in 'Newspaper and magazine articles on Method of Science Exhibition sent to Devendra Lal - file 1'. However, not every item mentioned in the letter was discovered. There are two magazines as well as a photocopy of another magazine article.

This large and significant series contains 272 files pertaining to the Method of Science Exhibition. In 1975, PM Bhargava was invited by the director of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), Rais Ahmed, to set up an exhibition on the method of science. What followed was a decades-long endeavour to create and disseminate this exhibition and to give it a permanent home.

Although initially set up in Bal Bhavan, New Delhi, the exhibition was locked by Bhargava in 1977 following the general elections and a subsequent regime change both at the central government level and within the NCERT. In 1978, Bhargava discovered that the exhibition had been dismantled without his knowledge. After an investigation and a court dispute regarding this, the exhibition was eventually bought by the Andhra Pradesh government and installed at the Andhra Pradesh State Public Library. It was finally inaugurated on 12 November 1984, just a few days after the assassination of Indira Gandhi. In 1992 the exhibition was shifted to the Birla Science Centre, Hyderabad. In 2000, B Premanand, publisher and editor of ‘The Indian Skeptic’ wanted to bring the exhibition to Kerala but discovered that the material had been neglected and was unusable. Along the way, the exhibition had been documented by the Films Division and released in the late 1980s, and text from the exhibition serialized in the publication ‘Science Today’.

The records in this series are divided into 8 subseries based on the following record types: correspondence, accounts, official documents, exhibition materials, administration, articles writings and printed materials, compilations, and newspapers. Within each subseries, records are arranged thematically or chronologically, paying attention to the significant phases that this exhibition went through:

The initial conception and preparation period

Dismantling

Investigation and court case

Shifting of exhibition to Andhra Pradesh and subsequent inauguration

Shifting of exhibition to Birla Science Centre

Media and outreach initiatives

Involvement of B Premanand and proposed set up in Kerala

This series contains correspondence between PM Bhargava and members of the Husain family, including MF Husain and Mustafa Husain, publications such as an exhibition catalogue, articles, and exhibition materials pertaining to an exhibition featuring MF Husain’s paintings on key events in the twentieth century, with text by PM Bhargava. The letters discuss a proposed Husain-Bhargava Centre for Art and Science, Husain’s exile and death, and other subjects. The series includes several prints of MF Husain’s artwork and a facsimile of a letter from the artist to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The documents have either been arranged as they were found or arranged chronologically.

This contains letters pertaining to the Method of Science Exhibition from the year 1975. These letters are arranged from A to B. This file contains letters from SMR Ansari, GS Aurora, MVK Bapu, and BL Bery of Vazir Sultan Tobacco. This also has a list of solar eclipses in India from 1978 to 2000.

This contains letters pertaining to the Method of Science Exhibition from the year 1976. These letters are arranged from A to B. This file contains letters addressed to SMR Ansari, Ruby Atal and BL Bery of Vazir Sultan Tobacco. This has a few lists of solar eclipses in India from 1976 to 2000 as enclosures. This file also contains correspondence with no addressee by PM Bhargava.

This file contains an architectural drawing of the layout plan of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) campus that was attached to a letter as an enclosure. It is marked as DRG NO. 1.

This architectural drawing is part of the file 'Committee to study the plans and proposals of CCMB' and is placed in a new file for better preservation. This contains the master plan of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB). Both copies of the architectural drawings are retained.

This file contains a signed and annotated architectural drawing of the proposed canteen block at CCMB, Hyderabad. It is marked as DWG NO. 1.

This file contains an architectural drawing of the master plan of CCMB, dated 8 March 1982. It is marked as DRG NO. 01.

This architectural drawing is part of the file 'Committee to study the plans and proposals of CCMB' and is placed in a new file for better preservation. This contains the master plan of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB). Both copies of the architectural drawings are retained.

This file has a drawing for the construction of the proposed canteen; the details of its cost are in 'CCMB's administrative and budgetary documents from 1984 - file 2'. This is the architectural drawing of the 'Proposed canteen block at CCMB' and has annotations in a red sketch pen on it. Even though these floor plans lack a date, they were affixed to the 1984-dated budget estimates, hence retained with documents from 1984.

This file contains an architectural drawing of the first floor of the 'Scientist's Hostel', dated 17 May 1984. It is marked as DRG NO. 12.

This file contains an architectural drawing of the plan of the 'Scientist's Hostel' rooms, dated 25 March 1985. It is marked as DRG NO. 13.

This file contains a typical floor plan for a four-storied standard design of a one-room and two-room scientist's apartment (framed structure). These documents contain some annotations.

This file has a drawing for the construction of the proposed canteen; the details of its cost are in 'CCMB's administrative and budgetary documents from 1984 - file 2'. This is the architectural drawing of the 'Proposed canteen block at CCMB' and has annotations in a red sketch pen on it. Even though these floor plans lack a date, they were affixed to the 1984-dated budget estimates, hence retained with documents from 1984.

This file contains an architectural drawing of the ground floor of the 'Scientist's Hostel', dated 11 June 1984. It is marked as DRG NO. 13.

This file contains an annotated architectural drawing of the ground floor of the canteen, dated 9 May 1984. It is marked as DRG NO. 03. This drawing is divided into phases and contains a 'Schedule of doors/windows' at the top right corner.

This file contains the first-floor plan of the 'Scientist's Hostel' at CCMB, Hyderabad. It contains details of the entrance, foyer, dining area, canteen, and waiting area. It is marked as DRG NO. 8.

This file contains a master plan of the residential colony of CCMB in Hyderabad.

This file has a drawing for the construction of the proposed canteen; the details of its cost are in 'CCMB's administrative and budgetary documents from 1984 - file 2'. This is the architectural drawing of the 'Proposed canteen block at CCMB' and has annotations in a red sketch pen on it. This also has a small handwritten note. Even though these floor plans lack a date, they were affixed to the 1984-dated budget estimates, hence retained with documents from 1984.

This file contains an architectural drawing of the first floor of the canteen, dated 10 May 1984. It is marked as DRG NO. 04.

This file contains an architectural drawing of the ground floor and first floor of the proposed canteen block at CCMB, Hyderabad which was enclosed with a letter. It is dated 10 May 1984. It is marked as DRG NO. 04. The letter can be found in the file 'Correspondence with associated architectural drawings'.

This file contains an architectural drawing of the elevation of the proposed canteen block at CCMB, Hyderabad which was enclosed with a letter, signed on 25 February 1985. The letter can be found in the file 'Correspondence with associated architectural drawings'.

This file contains a typical floor plan for a four-storied standard design of one-room and two-room scientist's apartments (framed structure). It also contains annotations.

This file contains a terrace plan as part of the standard design for the one-room and two-room 'Scientist's Apartments'. It is marked as DRG NO. 7 and dated 30 June 1983.

This file contains a drawing for the construction of the canteen. The details of its cost are in 'CCMB's administrative and budgetary documents from 1984 - file 2'. This has the floor plan for the canteen, ground as well as the first floor of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB). Even though these floor plans lack a date, they were affixed to the 1984-dated budget estimates, hence retained with documents from 1984.