India's tryst with modern astronomy

Abstract

Research in astronomy within India has increased substantially over the past two decades, catapulted by growing public awareness of the subject, and aided by the efforts of amateur astronomy groups in several towns and cities. The International Committee of the Royal Astronomical Society endeavours to promote cohesion among its non-UK members, as part of which several overseas members, including myself, were brought together at a lunch during the recent National Astronomy Meeting. This brief article is a synopsis of my presentation, intended to provide a glimpse of recent developments in Indian astronomy.

Research and public outreach in astronomy, as with all other branches of science in India, is funded by the Department of Science & Technology (DST) of the Government of India. Publicly funded science planetariums, generally in the cities, often arrange events including documentary films on astronomy, public lectures and open question-and-answer sessions with astronomers. Many groups of amateur astronomers, accompanied by professional astronomers, also visit smaller towns. As a result, the number of young undergraduates wishing to pursue astronomy as their career has increased drastically in the recent past. However, despite the rapidly growing numbers of aspirants, astronomy research is limited to a handful of specialized institutes.