‘Do not limit yourself to school textbooks’

Staff Reporter

Do not limit yourself. Go beyond school textbooks, read other books too, observe and understand the universe, said S Somanath, Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), while interacting with students in the city on Thursday. Somnath was present as chief guest at the concluding ceremony of ‘Space on Wheels’ Vidarbha Tour, at Suresh Bhat Auditorium, Reshimbagh on Thursday. The ISRO, in association with Vidnyan Bharati launched ‘Space on Wheels’, a mobile exhibition carrying the models of launch vehicles and satellites. The mobile bus was inaugurated on August 15, 2023, and since then it toured several schools and attracted a large section of students and public in 11 districts of Vidarbha region. Dr Prakash Chavan, Director of National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC); Dr Shekhar Mande, National President of Vidnyan Bharati; Dr Shivkumar Sharma, National Organising Secretary of Vidnyan Bharati; and N Sudhirkumar, Associate Director, Capacity Building Programme, ISRO, were the guest of honours of the programme.

Earlier, in his address, S Somanath said, that the initiative turned out to be an eye opener on the aspirations of people belonging to remote regions. “India is growing by moving into various sectors and proving capabilities. The world has great expectations and hopes from us for the future,” he stated. “Today, astronauts are from Indian Air Force, but in future research scientists will also undertake this role in human space missions,” he further said. He added, “India is among the countries in the world where highest number digital transactions are happening. Bio-technology sector is growing, and the country is using technology for the welfare of people, and embracing it as an important element in its ascend to world leadership.” He mentioned that research scientists will also play a role of astronauts in future, and ISRO is working towards sending humans to the Moon by 2040.

Speaking on the lower expenditure of Indian space missions as compared to other countries, Somanath said, “It is inherited in us to live with minimal resources and yet make things work successfully.” Somanath added that scientists would like to transfer this knowledge to people, especially children, aspiring to work in ISRO. N Sudhirkumar and Prakash Chavan, in their speech, said that Space on Wheels was initiated to celebrate the legacy of Dr Vikram Sarabhai, and turned out to be a medium of inspiration. They added that India’s growth should happen through science and technology, and should uplift all rural areas. Dr Shekhar Mande also addressed the audience and congratulated all for the success of the initiative. The programme witnessed the attendence of huge crowd, including students and teachers of various schools and colleges. Saurabh Vaidya, a student of Class XI, while addressing the programme said that the initiative cleared concepts related to space and acted as a link to reach common public and students.