Tanastro

                               Tamilnadu Astronomy Association                                                                            (Tanastro)

(Regd No. 331 / 1989)

9

The 'Tamilnadu Astronomy Association' (called shortly 'Tanastro'), was formed  by a group of enthusiastic people who attended the advanced course on astronomy conducted by the BM Birla Planetarium in 1988 - 89. 

The Tamilnadu Science and Technology Center later renamed as Periyar Science and Technology Center had Er. Periyasamy Sir, as its Executive Director when it was founded. The BM Birla Planetarium comes under the science and technology center. The then Director of the planetarium was Dr CP Gopalaraman, M.Sc., PhD., who came from BARC  a colleague of the charismatic and popular Dr VS Venkatavardan, the then Nehru Planetarium Director, Bombay. The assistant director of the planetarium was Mr Gopinath, the son of the eminent personality Dr Subramaniam who was the  director, of the India's first planetarium at Calcutta. 

Before 1989, I was a school pupil. In 1986 came the famous "Comet Halley." My family was in Thanjavur and when my father showed an article on comet Halley in Science Today magazine with an advertisement on telescopes available in India, I became so keen and started cajoling him to buy me the telescope advertised in the magazine. He agreed and we ordered for a 125 mm Newtonian reflector telescope from Devadas Telescoptics, in Guindy. It was then that we met the legendary Prof. P. Devadas, FRAS, maker of telescopes and amateur astronomer and resource person. 

My only connection to astronomy was Prof P Devadas, and astronomy books, and that was before the planetarium came in 1989. As we already had shifted to Madras that is Chennai, I was actively involving in the astronomy activities of Devadas Telescoptics.  I promptly became a member of the then "Madras Astronomy Association," whose president was Prof. P Devadas. The MAA, had its prime time much before my coming into astronomy, and its activities were at its abysmal low. Only Prof P Devadas, was its active everybody. Myself and many youngsters who kept coming to him had lot of expectations for an active association for amateur activities. 

Many youngsters who called on Shri Devadas, later became professional astronomers, and many more remained amateurs. 

So, when the chance came, a keen group of people, at the newly constructed Planetarium, who attended an advanced course on astronomy conducted by the Planetarium staff, came together to form an association to keep the flame of enthusiasm for astronomy knowledge alive. The chief guest was Shri. TV Venkataraman, IAS, who himself actively attended the classes every week end for almost six months. He was very encouraging, and we all interacted with him freely. I remember going to his office and meeting him personally and begging him to start an association for youngsters who were keen on star watching. At his direction and guidance the following week at the planetarium, we elected the office bearers for our newly formed association and our first founder Secretary Mr Jagannathan Fenelon, of Padi, had our association registered in the weeks that followed.

Mr Hariharan, Chartered Accountant, was elected Treasurer, who worked in Chemplast. The association had its ups and downs spanning three decades since its beginning, at times its activity so low due to various constraints. 

Though, inactive now, it had the honour of having been inagurated by none other than Padmabushan Professor Ramaseshan, Astrophysicist, in a grand function at chennai music academy. It also received a grant of 50k rupees from Indian Bank Shri M Gopalakrishnan, in that function for purchase of books and telescopes. The association conducted its first anniversary celebrations at the russian cultural centre, honored by the chief guest, Dr M Anandakrishnan, the newly appointed Vice Chancellor for Anna University who returned from a post at the United Nations, in the USA. 

The association also had the honor of having been guided by the late Prof. P Devadas, FRAS., as its President, after Shri TV Venkataraman, IAS, its founder president. 

The people change, our energy and life changes too. Other than the regular planetarium staff, some of them who are still there, all the members kept changing particularly youngsters. Many youngsters, become professional astronomers and astrophysicists, and have gone abroad. I remember Mokshay Madiman then a 8th standard school boy,  from Poes Gardens, who expertised on Black Holes. Also there was VS Venkataraman who worked as a sound engineer in Carnatic Music Archive, "Sampradaya," near Vivekananda college, astronomer monk Swami Rakhal Chandra, who lived near the Gaudia Mutt, Royapettah, and undergraduate students like myself and Shyam Sundaram from Loyalla college. There was a Ramesh who turned into Archeologist, all belonged to the early 80s. Later, in the 90s there was Neeraj Mohan who studied in Vidhya Mandir school, Mylapore, now a radio astronomer, at TIFR, Prof Devadas assistant Murugan  who works in chennai port trust and much later in the 2000s, Balasubramaniam (Bala) from school and later a college goer, and other elderly gentlemen and ladies, the late Mr PK Thangarajan (MRF), Prof Dr Ramesh Kumar (rtd Jain College), Mr Vijayakumar (MFL), Mr Renganathan (MFL), Mr Parthasarathy (Kalpakkam), Mr Natarajan (Tiruvanmiyur), Er Veerasethu, Mr TK Krishnamurti (Besant Nagar),  Mr Siddhu, Mr Ramachandran (rtd School HM), Er Chidambaram (Kalakshetra Colony),  young Mr Yusuf (now at Bangalore), and many others. Professional turned amateur astronomers Vinodhini (Canada), Kavitha (UK),  Sarvesh (Sweeden), Balaji Muthusubramanian (Germany), and others. Much later from 2010s...connected only in whatsapp, facebook, and personal one to one interactions, once in a while get together, by zoom and some place. Generations change afterall !

Nevertheless, I have kept my spirit alive, all these years, and have never left an opportunity to sky watch from a distant dark site. Thanks to my good friends.

The asteroid hunter and  planetary scientist,  Vishnu Reddy, was a enthusiastic young man who use to visit our planetarium those days. I had taken reddy to my house in my motor byke those days and he was always aiming to shoot high though I am sure, at that time he wouldn't have had the slightest idea what destiny had to offer for him in his later years ! And he has the count for asteroid discoveries for which you can envy him !!

Rest that is uploaded, is self-explanatory. And, only a sample. 

Thanks to Dr Iyemperumal, the former ex Executive Director of the TNSTC, who gave permission to us, to reassemble a few years ago. We started with four people and an attendance register cum minutes book. And there was corona pandemic. Now, that it is diluted, we can try to revive our activities.

Pray we take up the activity again. Technology has come to help us. Let us periodically meet online (Zoom). Let us star watch personally, zoom meet regularly and hopefully get-together as situation permits, in this wanning state of the corona pandemic.

Regards,

anand.

1st Anniversary day celebration at the Russian Cultural Center, Kasturi Ranga Road, (1990).

Mr Glushko (Director -RCC),

Thiru/ Gopinath (Assistant Director, BM Birla Planetarium, Chennai),

Dr M Anandakrishnan (Vice Chancellor, Anna University),

Er. Periasamy, (Executive Director, (Tamilnadu) Periyar Science & Technology Center),

late Dr CP Gopalaraman (Director, BM Birla Planetarium),

Shri. T.V. Venkataraman, IAS,

(Chairman & Managing Director, Tamilnadu Energy Development Agency),

(later Chief Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu)
I was speaking on 'Observational Astronomy - my experiences.'

Audience, Music Academy Mini Hall
Front row -
Shri. Gopalswamy, IAS, (Rtd. Chief Secretary, Kerala state),
Thiru Shadikh, Vice Chancellor, Madras University,
Mrs Sheela Rani Chunkath, IAS,
Mrs Chandralekha, IAS,
Behind middle -
Prof. Ramakarthikeyan, HoD, Mathematics department, Swami Vivekananda College.

Tanastro details of AGM 2003 - 2004.

Tanastro details of AGM 2004 - 2005.

IAS - Indian Administrative Service.

Swami Rakal Chandra Maharaj

Swami Rakal Chandra Maharaj

With Swami Rakal Chandra Paramahamsa, who lived near the Gaudia Math, Royapettah, in the late 80's and early 90's.

Swamiji in Nepal - at the foothills of the Himalayas

'The Riddle of a Yogi'

You can give nothing to ME

because you cannot give nothing to Me

I want nothing 

which you cannot give.

You can give me nothing

by giving nothing

which you cannot give.

You can give me nothing

by not giving nothing

which you cannot.

Swamiji, Myself & VS Venkataraman, at Royapettah

Swami Rakal Maharaj was a sadhu happy monk, star watcher, painter, boxer, philosopher, religious reader, artist, model maker, mountaineer, trekker, amateur astronomer, telescope maker, gardener, meditator, dog keeper, historian, traveler, fun lover and a humanist.

In Chandigarh

I had more than a decade long friendship with him which was scientifically and spiritually rewarding, giving vent to both the heart and the intellect.

A soft spoken kind hearted sadhu, he spent his time studying, teaching, sharing, relating, helping and enjoying his life. Soft heart but a hard man, I still remember that mighty punch of his fist on my right shoulder when he taught me a few boxing techniques.

Swamiji, a multi-faceted personality, whose mother tongue was Bengali, also spoke English, Hindi, Nepali and Burmese languages. He traveled throughout India to different places to meet different people, finally resting in West Bengal, his native state.

We wrote our experiences on 'Observational Astronomy,' and the event of the night tracking of "Comet Okasaki-Levy-Rudenko", in the then, in house magazine of the 'Tamilnadu Astronomy Association', (Regd. No. 331/1989), for amateur and professional astronomers, founded by the late Shri TV Venkataraman, IAS, in the premises of the BM Birla Planetarium, Chennai.

200 mm Akash Ganga Telescope 

We were the first people who made the most of this telescope. It was manufactured by Devadas Telescoptics, Guindy. Later, it was with Shri. T.V. Venkataraman, IAS., on his roof top at Indira Nagar where I used it mostly along with a few friends. Much later that telescope was donated to Swami Vivekananda College.

Swami use to call me Anand the 'spotter-plotter,' for my abilities in those days on visual hunting of Messier objects and Comets.

In Royapettah

I traveled with him to Coimbatore, Ooty, (where the Swami gave a 'Talk on Astronomy' to the Rotary Club members - staying at the JSS College premises as guest), Bangalore, and Kavalur Observatory (IIA), where we stayed with the permission of the then director of the observatory Dr Kajal Kumar Ghosh, Resident Scientist, who encouraged all amateur astronomers, inspiring them to do more serious work, than merely making much publicity. 

It was here in Kavalur outside the dormitory Swamiji woke me up early in the morning by 3 AM, leading me with my eves covered, only asking me to look above with wide opened eyes. Oh, it was a stunning sight when I saw the 'Sagittarius Milky Way' patch till Cygnus with all its curves and splits !! 

He said, don't say "wow." I was stuck with the 'beauty and immensity of the Cosmos' with its millions of background stars forming the Milky Way. Well, leaving beauty the next day we were discussing a lot on the construction of the cosmos and the forces operating in it to keep it as it is. That's Richard Feynman's way of dealing with beauty and science together.

Thanks to face book this is shared, so that people who knew the Swami would be able to like and share and relate and contact each other.

I was a founder member and later Joint Secretary of the association in its active days in the 90's. 

Tanastro, inspired many student amateur and professional astronomers, who had gone to various walks of life. I turned out to be a zoologist, doctor, dental surgeon and a Oral Medicine and Radiology specialist to have worked for several years as a Senior Lecturer and Reader, in Tagore Dental College and Hospitals, Chennai. There are many other elders and youngsters including seniors citizens, who still are in touch personally and through face book and watsapp groups, even though the activities of the association varies with time it still breathes itself propelled by astronomical events conducted at the Planetarium, in which some of the members do voluntary help and service.

Akash Ganga Observatory, Chandigarh

He was a mini Leonardo Da Vinci....

Observatory Plan

200 mm Cassegrain Reflector, Devadas Telescoptics - Sketched by the Swami !

Swamiji founded the "Akash Ganga Observatory" for Amateur Astronomers, near Chandigarh. People who came to him for a divine experience left him with a cosmic connection ! They had much love and regard for the many works which he did and for the person that he was. 

Swami inside the Akash Ganga Amateur Observatory

Finally, he said, he may die soon, this body will wither away soon, its all thought, Son !

In his later days at Chandigarh, the fun lover and a the active self that he was, 

he became so Silent, to my surprise, and

that quite bored me for I did a lot of talking !

He had a soft voice, a noble person himself - and he always addressed me, 

"My Dear Most Atma Ram," in all his letters.

telling me that I am a Noble Soul !

(These are memories of good old days, that are long gone !

- I am only sharing my 'Heart feelings' on these, and that is all my friends !)

Its all about, 'Yoga - Chitta - Vritti - Nirodah'

The Mind is the Jeevan Atma. Minus your mind you are not !

Minus your thoughts you are not aware of yourself. !

The brain records all your thoughts which are nothing but images / Chitra. The brain is the image recorder / Chitra Gupta.  These images are recorded as in a gramophone record. That is our memories / thoughts.  These images create impressions on our conscious mind. 

"Everything is Thought," he so often said tapping with his walking stick on the grounds in Chandigarh, when we went rounds, in the colony where he was staying before his last days in Bengal.

"Thought creates the thinker, of course, he said finally, nodding his head !"
Without thought we are in Samadhi.
And only in a coming back of thought, we are aware of our conscious self !
Otherwise, where is thought and what is consciousness ?

We are in a cul-de-sac.
Answer NOT my Friend.
Just Be.
Be the LOVE that YOU ARE.

HARI OM.

Many other interesting stories and events of my life, I would love to share with all my face book friends and others, later.

Dr V Anand 

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