5 min readPuneAug 22, 2024 11:20 AM IST
First published on: Aug 21, 2024 at 10:03 PM IST
During Sagnik De’s early schooling years, his parents started buying him general encyclopaedias and picture books on various topics. “From all those subjects, it was the pages about space that captured my attention. I eventually got to know about astronomy, where one can study different aspects of the cosmos,” said Sagnik, who is now a third-year Physics student at Fergusson College, Pune.
When he was a kid, De dreamt of becoming an astronaut. As he grew up, he realised his interest lies in contributing to the progress of the field and is now determined to do so. De is part of the Astro Club of his college, where students participate in group discussions, poster exhibitions for outreach, national level seminars, etc. It is only one among the many clubs in the city, where youngsters like De have created a space to engage with astronomy and take it to more people.
Yash Hodlur, 20, secretary of COEP’s Astronomy Club, says as India’s first National Space Day is approaching, people are posing questions to him about it. Hodlur grew up in Pune and his interest in astronomy started with a school trip to the Nehru Planetarium.
Today, as part of their club activities, Hodlur along with 35 other members conducts telescope sessions and ‘star’ parties. They are also reaching out to schools to conduct sessions and break down complex astronomy concepts in simpler language for students of classes 6 to 9. They use their social media handles to give important monthly updates of the field to their followers.
Hodlur says, “I have been mesmerised by everything about space. I have a keen interest in constellations, and different celestial bodies like black holes. I personally want to find particles responsible for gravity”.
Dhruv Sadhale, computer engineering student from COEP, handles the outreach work about the club’s activities and the developments in the field. “In a month’s time, we have three events lined up during college fest,” says Sadhale.
He first got interested in astronomy when he was only three to four years old. “Everything related to the subject has been fascinating to me. I have the tendency to remember names of constellations, planets. As I grew up into a teenager, I started reading more and more books about the topics,” says Sadhale.
Sadhale says in the coming years, he would like to integrate the concepts he is studying as an engineer to develop components to be installed in space missions. About what could be the next big thing for India, he says, “One thing India should focus on is a manned mission to the moon and Mars as well, it will enhance its status in the world in terms of space explorations and will contribute a lot to science”.
De also talks about a few steps that can be taken to not just popularise astronomy but also add substantial knowledge for people. “While astronomy is very popular, it is also very unpopular. There is of course no need to force it on people to learn about it. But basic outreach can always be done. Like students right now don’t have the medium to learn more about different things that entail astronomy, the school syllabus is a bit restrictive. So small chapters can be introduced, right now people fancy astronomy, but the syllabus doesn’t give them enough idea of what there can be. Schools can have their own seminars that inform about institutions other than ISRO that are doing good work in the field.”
As India is set to celebrate its first National Space Day to mark the success of Chandrayaan-3 Vikram lander on the lunar south polar region last year on August 23, organisations in Pune will also mark the day with exhibitions and lecture series.
Such as the IUCAA (Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics). Scientists at IUCAA had worked tirelessly for nearly a decade to develop the Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT), one of the main payloads on the Aditya-L1 mission. To celebrate space day, IUCAA is hosting a public lecture titled “Exploring the Cosmic Re-ionization with India’s AstroSat” at the Chandrasekhar Auditorium. The lecture, by Prof Kanak Saha, will explore how AstroSat, India’s first space observatory, aids in studying the reionization era of the universe. The event will be hosted to honour India’s achievement of landing on the moon’s south pole, and kicks off the “Chandra Public Lecture” series.
The Jyotirvidya Parisanstha of Pune is the oldest association of amateur astronomers in India, formed on August 22, 1944. They are currently organising an exhibition titled “India’s Footprints in Astronomy”. The exhibition will explore the contributions of India to astronomy, focusing on both historical and modern developments. It will particularly emphasise India’s astronomical observatories and their work across different wavelengths. The exhibition is scheduled to take place from August 22 to August 25 at the Yashwantrao Chavan NatyaGruha Art Gallery in Kothrud, Pune.
As India is set to celebrate its first National Space Day to mark the success of Chandrayaan-3 Vikram lander on the lunar south polar region last year on August 23, organisations in Pune will also mark the day with exhibitions and lecture series. (File) 
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