Astronomy needs to 'enriched' with ancient science, says Kalam

Former President APJ Abdul Kalam said here today that modern astronomy needs to be linked with ancient science to "enrich" it.
"Astronomy is a subject of inquisitiveness, whose attraction will continue unabated and it should be linked with ancient science for enriching it," he said, after inaugurating the first modern planetarium in the temple city at Dongla.
Kalam said that the planetarium would help students understand astronomy.
Referring to the history of astronomy in India, he made a special mention of Aryabhatta, Bhaskaracharya and Varahamihira's contributions.
Kalam said that he obtained a lot of important information on astronomy from Jayant Narlikar's Pune-based lab called "Ayuka".

The former President urged the youth to make science the mission of their lives, since only science could solve crises of water, power and waste management.

Addressing the function, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced plans to establish a 3-D Imax movie theatre within the planetarium complex and sanctioned Rs 5 crore for it.
He directed the science and technology department to select global-level scholars for the observatory and planetarium.
He also announced setting up of a research foundation in Madhya Pradesh Council for science and technology.