Bangalore Astronomical Society featured in Mann Ki Baat

Bangalore Astronomical Society promotes astronomy through regular meetings and workshops. | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The 134th episode of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Mann Ki Baat featured a two-decade-old Bengaluru-based non-profit volunteer group, the Bangalore Astronomical Society (BAS), which promotes astronomy through regular meetings and workshops.

Mr. Modi mentioned that BAS organizes astronomical meetings and launched an initiative to promote astronomy in rural areas. He referred to the group while emphasizing India’s connection with astronomy and its ties to the country’s culture.

Sudhash Natarajan, 51, one of the members of the BAS-run volunteers, told The Hindu that it was a surprise when Doordarshan contacted them to inform them about the mention in Mann Ki Baat.

Mr. Natarajan said the group has been active since 2006, when six to seven enthusiasts started discussing astronomy. This eventually led to the creation of the entire group, which now has 35 to 40 volunteers. The group also has two other administrators, Keerthi Kiran and Vishwanath SK. Its most active volunteers include Pramodh S., Nandan Narasimha and Shashi Kolar.

According to Mr. Natarajan, the group runs four different types of programs. To develop curiosity and interest in astronomy in rural areas, they organize night stargazing for students after theory classes in the afternoon. They call this program “Star Party”.

Similarly, by identifying places with dark skies and minimal light pollution, mostly in the Western Ghats, the group organizes sky-watching sessions. Volunteers set up telescopes and other equipment needed for the activity and educate participants about stars, galaxies, planets and other astronomical objects. They also provide regular updates on comets.

The group also organizes one-day workshops in collaboration with educational institutions, where they exhibit photographs of celestial objects captured by their members. He teaches participants how to photograph and process these images during the session. In addition, they promote astronomy during open days at the Indian Institute of Science, Raman Research Institute and Indian Institute of Astrophysics.

Keerthi Kiran, another trustee, said the group has organized more than 1,000 programs so far and there are cases of participants being inspired to pursue PhD studies in the subject. “Even today, when we do sessions for kids, they come up with questions, which is very nice,” he said.

Mr. Kiran said they conducted sessions at several locations across Karnataka, including Kortagere, Madhugiri, Challakere, Sirsi, Honnavar, Gokarna and many others.

All this is done for free. The group only charges for accommodation if participants attend sessions in remote locations. Moreover, the initiative is completely focused on sharing knowledge without any charges.

Published – 31 May 2026 22:51 IST