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Astro enthusiast S Nataranjan to conduct workshop on the life and death of stars in Pune
S Natarajan,an astronomy enthusiast, will be conducting a workshop on on ‘The birth and death of stars’ on December 21in Hadapsar at 6pm. The sky and beyond has
S Natarajan,an astronomy enthusiast, will be conducting a workshop on on ‘The birth and death of stars’ on December 21in Hadapsar at 6pm. The sky and beyond has always fascinated the literature graduate, who works full time at an accounts department in a company. He has been conducting workshops and programmes regarding astronomy since the past 25 years. This got him to associate with the Nehru Planetarium in Mumbai in 1984. It was during this time at the planetarium that he noticed how ill-informed students and adults are about astronomy. He was upset that very little about the planets and stars are being taught to the students in schools. This was when he decided to do something about it himself.
He said “In 1993, I started conducting free programmes for school students and anyone who was interested.When I interacted with students at the planetarium, I noticed that their concepts were weak. Unfortunately, in syllabus too we just have one chapter on astronomy.”
He first started by approaching schools, however, the response was very poor. Teachers were not ready to stay back, parents were hesitant and of course the schools did not want to take additional responsibility.
He then thought of approaching housing societies. They were sceptical about it too. They could not understand why he wanted to conduct a programme for free. After much wait and reluctance, he was undeterred and started conducting shows voluntarily at children parks and beaches.
Recounting an incident that happened in the nineties Natrajan said “One day at an open show in Cuffe Parade, in 1996 I was talking about the then discovered Comet Hyakutake. A crowd of 800 plus people gathered and patiently waited as I showed them and explained to them.” He added “During that show, a lady approached him and enquired if she could write about him in the newspapers. “When I asked her name, she replied, Shobhaa De. She published an article on me and also mentioned my contact details. I received many calls after that, people enquired if I could organise similar shows for them. I agreed, and requested only for travel arrangements as I was not going to charge for anything.”
It has been 25 years since and Natarajan continues to hold such workshops and programmes. He has travelled to remote villages in the country too, especially to cities that don’t have planetariums. He says “I have been to Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar and many small towns in Tamil Nadu. The response has been great so far.”
A literature graduate, Natarajan works full time at an accounts department in a company. However, he plans to take a voluntary retirement early next year to concentrate on spreading awareness on astronomy. Talking about his plans he says “I want to be able to reach everyone and share all the knowledge that I have. I also want to approach hotels and hospitality clients who have a wider reach. This way I will be able to interact with people from different fields and sections of society.”
He adds that sun is his favourite subject and he wants to be able to break all myths surrounding astronomy. He says “People often compare astronomy and astrology, but the former is science and the latter is just a belief.”He is looking forward to his talk in the city on December 21 in Hadapsar at 6pm. “It will be a comprehensive talk on the birth and death of stars, the truth about the sun and a lot about the night sky.”He carries his telescope with him for all these astronomy sessions. “My wife, Sugandhi, is very encouraging and has been learning about astronomy.”
S Natarajan can be contacted on: 9869264477 or Email: natarajans23@gmail.com
Link: https://www.hindustantimes.com/pune-news/astro-enthusiast-s-nataranjan-to-conduct-workshop-on-the-life-and-death-of-stars-in-pune/story-C7CNY9vHv76w6giusushyO.html
