A Day at Mumbai's Museum of Solutions

The Museum of Solutions, MUSO, is more than a museum; it is a vibrant, innovative playground that fosters curiosity, discovers Rajesh Karkera.

In the pulsating heart of Mumbai, amidst the city's ceaseless energy, lies an unexpected oasis of learning and play: The Museum of Solutions (MUSO).

This isn't your typical museum at all! In a delightful twist, MUSO embraces its role as a space for children, maintaining an almost unbelievable rule: No adults are allowed unless accompanied by a child.

It is a 10-floor vertical world designed entirely for young explorers.

The moment you step into the vast, bright lobby on the ground floor, you know you're in a sanctuary for kids.

Forget passive digital screens; this space is interactive and tactile.

 

The lobby features a huge amphitheatre-style seating area where parents can relax while children zoom down cleverly integrated slides that feel more like a giant game of Snakes and Ladders!

To truly experience MUSO, the best advice is to take the elevator straight to the top and work your way down.

Here's how I did it.

 

Floor 10: The Grow Lab

Stepping out of the elevator, you are greeted by an open-air vista through glass doors. This is the Grow Lab, where your child connects with the Earth as it should.

Enthusiastic young experts give hands-on lessons in sustainability and clean living, explaining the vital role of every organism in the soil and trees.

Here, kids get to walk barefoot across different natural surfaces, from pebbles and soil to wood, glass and even dried cow dung to truly feel the planet beneath their feet.

 

Floor 9: The Make Lab

This is the heart of innovation. The Make Lab is where dreams take shape, skills are built and problem-solving is nurtured.

Here, children have access to real working studios.

There is a rapid prototyping studio which has 3D printers.

And a wood working studio, equipped with safe-to-use power tools.

An electronics bay, stocked with sensors and controllers.

An art studio, bursting with acrylics, pastels and markers of all kinds.

A photography studio to learn the art of the lens.

And for the digital age, there is a media room too, a recording studio where podcasts and storytelling are nurtured.

Everything displayed here on this floor, except the autorickshaw, is mostly a creation of the children themselves, like the Grim Reaper made for the upcoming Halloween and the car chassis on the right.

 

Floor 8: The Discover Lab

A 'how-things-work' wonderland, the Discover Lab unravels complex systems like how water reaches your home through a 10-step digital process that lights up as you place your hands on the steps.

An IMAX-like wide mini theatre shows you an eight-minute movie which follows the life of a turtle.

It is also a treasure trove of cultural activities, including a miniature Mumbai darshan, which starts with you watching a kaali peeli Mumbai cab projected on the wall. This taxi takes you to Koliwada (the fisherman's colony), where a walk over a bamboo bridge leads to an immersive peek into the life of a fisherfolk (Koli) family and their trawler.

It is hard to explain in words or pictures but there are interactive installations which actually make you a part of the life led by the Kolis, the city's fishermen community.

This trawler in the picture above, for example, explains what happens in the life of a Koli.

Children can flip a handle and find out what how each month is different for these hardworking folk.

 

Floor 7: The Play Lab

This is the world of STEAM (science, tech, engineering, art and math) where a musical floor welcomes you as you walk in.

You can play Sa Re Ga Ma with your feet, turning a simple walk into a musical workout!

The Play Lab is pure, unadulterated learning through fun.

This place has interactive controls, which children and adults both seem to love taking part in.

Here, you can control the flow of water to see how it reaches our cities and how garbage is discarded.

There is also a secure, multi-story climbing structure which extends all the way up to the roof of the ninth floor, providing an adventurous physical challenge.

 

Floor 6: The Connect Lab

The Connect Lab is a wonderfully designed, serene library.

It is filled with interesting, simple and sometimes forgotten books like shadow books and tactile learning resources, including a shelf dedicated to 'Girls are Awesome'.

 

Floor 4: Vroom -- the latest initiative!

MUSO's newest and arguably most exciting initiative is Vroom (do read all about it HERE), a dedicated space for car lovers and curious minds of all ages.

As Tanvi Jindal Shete, CEO and Founder of MUSO, describes it, this is a place where "dreamers, doers, and car lovers explore, experiment and have fun while discovering the magic behind the machines".

Vroom is a groundbreaking feature. It is the only floor in the entire museum where adults are permitted -- a nod to the universal, ageless passion for automobiles.

The experience is instantly immersive. You get to race model cars on tracks. You also actually get to work hands-on in different bays of an automobile workshop like mechanical and electrical. You then drive the machines in a simulator setup at the end of which you get a certified licence.

I was stunned to find that the first car you crawl under is an brand-new Mercedes E-Class, its shining clean chassis a testament to the quality of the experience!

Parking (on floors 5, 3 and 2): In this space-starved city, MUSO has dedicated three floors for visitor parking, with a valet service, making your visit stress-free.

Refuel (Floor 1): After a few hours of intensive learning and play (plan for a minimum of 3 to 5 hours), head to the Subko-run canteen on the first floor for excellent food and great coffee.

MUSO is more than a museum; it is a vibrant, innovative playground that fosters curiosity. If you're in Mumbai, this is a must-visit destination for your family!

The Museum of Solutions is located in Worli, central Mumbai, on Pandurang Budhkar Marg.
It is open on weekdays from 9.30 am to 6.30 pm and on weekends and public holidays from 10.00 am to 7.00 pm
Ticket costs on weekdays are Rs 999 for children and Rs 499 for adults. On weekends, it costs Rs 1,099 and Rs 599 respectively.