Vaishali, 16, class 11, has taken a shine to light-following robots, so has Divyanka, 16, class 11. Shourya Dharmani, 15, class 11, holds his breath as obstacle-avoiding robots move and manoeuvre, so does Suryansh Thakur, 15, class 11. Shivam Sharma, 15, class 11, aims to fly high, so does his imagination after watching aero satellites and drones. Indeed, the robotics zone of the newly opened space lab at Govt Boys Senior Secondary School at Ghumarwin in Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh has become a hit. So much so, even Anil Kumar, who teaches physics, believes "the lab is broadening our horizons as there is a limited mention of robotics in the syllabus". Principal Ashwani Sharma highlights the space the lab has come to acquire since its opening on January 26. "There were questions in our minds when we got a proposal to build this space lab. There were doubts about its efficacy. As the lab has come up, it has answered all our questions and removed all our doubts. Now students and teachers are equally excited about this lab." There were plans to inaugurate the lab last year when Chandrayaan-3 landed on the moon. "The lab idea was conceived last year. We wanted to time its inauguration with the moonlanding of Chandrayaan-3. But there were issues which caused delay," says Additional Deputy Commissioner Dr Nidhi Patel. Models of Chandrayaan-3 and Pragyan rover are one of the main attractions at the lab. Apart from this, there are models of Mangalyaan and PSLV launch vehicles. There are drones, telescopes and 3D printers as well. "The establishment of this lab in a school will benefit students who want to excel in the field of space science and technology," says Govind Yadav, chief executive officer, Vyomika Space Academy, Lucknow, which has been involved in setting up this lab. He claims to work in collaboration with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). "We aim to provide hands-on training in spacecraft, robotics, 3D printing, telescope operations and more under ISRO's Space Education Programme," says Yadav. The lab has come up at a cost of Rs 10 lakh. "We arranged this amount from District Mining Fund," says Deputy Commissioner Abid Hussain Sadiq. The flying drones and powerful telescopes have impressed one and all, including Technical Education Minister Rajesh Dharmani, who has studied at this school. "We can gaze at the sun even during daytime through these telescopes," he says. Another one closely associated with the school and the lab is Joginder Rao, deputy director, higher education, Bilaspur, who retired on January 31 this year. He has taught at this school as a principal. While elaborating on the significance of the space lab, he also explains the theoretical and practical side of the school. "Theoretically, it is a boys' school. But practically, it is a co-educational institute," he says. Rao is not the only former officer to keep visiting the school, there will be ex-ISRO scientists coming to hold career counselling seminars. Also, on the cards is a visit of around 10 students to ISRO research facilities. With the space lab, science does not seem impractical now in this part of the country. While ADC Patel hopes "students won't fear science now", DC Sadiq plans to set up three more such labs in his district, one in each sub-division. Minister Dharmani, himself a student of science, believes Himachal Pradesh's first space lab will go a long way in inculcating scientific thinking among students and wants to take the lab idea to other parts of the state as well. As for the students, they are already competing to be among the top 10 to visit the ISRO facilities.
