astrodentist: Tanastro

Tamilnadu Astronomy Association (Tanastro)

(Regd No. 331 / 1989)

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.