2-day astro-tourism ‘party’ starts at 2,500m in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli

According to officials, Benital with its minimal human activities offers an undisturbed view of the night sky, making it an ideal location for viewing celestial bodies and promoting astro-tourism

Updated on: Dec 8, 2021, 13:33:18 IST

By Neeraj Santoshi

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In a first of its kind initiative to promote astronomy tourism in Uttarakhand, a two-day “Astro Party” started in the Benital area of Chamoli district at a height of 2,500 metres on Tuesday with visitors engaged in activities such as stargazing, constellation hunting, sky observation, identifying planets and learning astrophotography.

The venue of the two-day ‘Astro Party’ that started in the Benital area of Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district on Tuesday. (Sourced photo)

Organised by Chamoli district administration in collaboration with Gurgaon based Starscapes Experiences Pvt Ltd, the event is part of the vision to develop specific themes for tourism in each one of the state’s 13 districts. Chamoli, needless to say, has decided to develop Astro-tourism and is promoting Benital as an “Astro Village”

Paul Savio, co-founder and chief executive officer of Starscapes said Astro-party is an event where people can have a multitude of astronomical experiences ranging from identifying planets, constellations, stars, different cosmic phenomenon, learning Astro-photography, how to make sun-dials and so on.

“On the first day, around 50 visitors attended the Astro-party. As it is a very remote place, we are hoping more people will turn up in such events in future. With telescopes, our six resource persons including an expert on Astro-photography were there,” he said

According to officials of Starscapes, Benital with its low light pollution and minimal human activities offers an undisturbed view of the night sky, making it an ideal location for viewing celestial bodies and promoting Astro-tourism.

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Savio said with travel and tourism slowly picking up in the last few months, tourists are looking for quaint and minimally populated locations that can offer offbeat experiences. “Given this trend, Astro-tourism has seen a newfound interest among travellers and tourists. People are opting for activities such as stargazing, viewing of the moon and other planetary objects, astrophotography and other activities that give voice to their curiosity about the universe. This trend is definitely here to stay, and it may become the next big travel trend in the country” he added.

Founded in 2015 by astronomy aficionado Ramashish Ray with Paul Savio joining him as co-founder and CEO in 2019, Starscapes has set up two observatories in Uttarakhand, one is situated at Bhimtal in Nainital district and another at Kausani in Bageshwar district.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Santoshi
Neeraj Santoshi is the Chief of Bureau for Hindustan Times in Uttarakhand, where he leads the state reporting team while covering government, politics, environment, wildlife, Uttarakhand High Court, and issues shaping the Himalayan region. With more than two decades in journalism across conflict zones, he has covered politically sensitive regions and environmentally fragile landscapes, and focused on stories that combine public interest with in-depth storytelling. An alumnus of Pune University with a Master’s in Communication Studies, he has reported extensively from Jammu & Kashmir (2003-2010), Madhya Pradesh (2010 to 2018 ) and Uttarakhand (Since 2018), covering subjects ranging from insurgency, elections and governance to wildlife conservation, mining, climate change, agriculture, human rights and social justice. He has covered politics and legislative assemblies of both Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh over more than a decade. Before taking over as Chief of Bureau in Uttarakhand, he served as Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in Madhya Pradesh and earlier reported for both Hindustan Times and The Indian Express in Jammu & Kashmir, where he covered state politics, environment and insurgency-related developments. Over the years, his stories have focused on environmental degradation, wildlife, illegal mining, governance and the changing social fabric of Himalayan states and Central India. He is particularly interested in long-form explanatory journalism, and stories that explore the intersection of ecology, conservation, governance and society. Outside the newsroom, Neeraj enjoys reading widely on neuroscience, consciousness studies, Artificial Intelligence and quantum physics, with a special interest in Kashmiri Tantric Shaivist traditions. He is also passionate about wildlife, mountaineering and the Himalayas, interests that continue to inform his reporting and deepen his understanding of the region he covers.Read More

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