Inauguration of India’s first Astro Tourism Campaign “Nakshatra Sabha”
In view of the immense possibilities of tourism in Uttarakhand, with the aim of promoting astro tourism, the Tourism Department in collaboration with Astro Tourism Company has formally inaugurated ‘Nakshatra Sabha’ at George Everest Mussoorie. This is a different kind of event in itself, for the first time in the country, “Nakshatra Sabha” has been organized on the theme of Astro Tourism. This event will run till June 2.
In line with the vision of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, the Tourism Department has taken this initiative to promote multidimensional tourism activities in the state besides religious tourism. Chief Minister Dhami has congratulated for the successful organization of “Nakshatra Sabha” organized by the Tourism Department.
Chief Minister Dhami said that in view of multidimensional tourism in the state, the government is also developing other resources. Chief Minister Dhami said that the government is making various efforts to promote green tourism. The Chief Minister said that apart from religious tourism in the state, special attention is being given to adventure tourism, wellness tourism, astro tourism. He said that the government is setting up Astro Villages at various places in the state.
Tourism Minister Satpal Maharaj said that the government is trying to ensure that all the tourists visiting the state have a better experience. He said that emphasis is being laid on developing new tourist destinations in the state.
The inaugural ceremony of the event was held at George Everest, Mussoorie in the presence of Dr. Dipankar Banerjee, Director, Aryabhatta Observational Science Research Institute, Dr. Prabhas Pandey, Professor, Delhi University, Akash Sinha, Assistant Professor, Practice, School of Engineering, Shiv Nadar University, Dr. T.V. Venkateswaran, Vigyan Prasar, and Mr. Ramashish Ray, Founder, Starscapes.
The selection of George Everest peak as the venue for the event holds important historical significance. Named after the famous British surveyor Sir George Everest, the peak was the centre of the Trigonometrical Survey of India, which was important for accurate mapping of the country. Pt. Nain Singh Rawat collaborated extensively with Sir George Everest in the survey of the Himalayan region. Recently, the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Council also inaugurated the country’s first cartography museum at Sir George Everest Estate.
Nakshatra Sabha offers a holistic astro tourism experience with many activities like stargazing through special equipment, special solar observations, astrophotography competition, camping under the stars. Nakshatra Sabha will be organized by mid-2025, offering a series of intensive programs at various locations across Uttarakhand. It will cover dark sky potential sites in Uttarkashi, Pithoragarh, Nainital, Chamoli districts, apart from seminars and webinars with experts. The initiative aims to bring astronomy enthusiasts together to witness the beauty of the universe.
The campaign will provide training and skill development opportunities to local youth, thereby creating new employment opportunities for them. Apart from this, it will advocate for the conservation of dark skies by promoting a community of ambassadors dedicated to promoting dark sky conservation efforts in Uttarakhand. This includes the creation of a dark sky conservation policy and its implementation across the region during the year. The Starscapes team will actively engage with local communities, travel and tourism partners as well as homestay communities and provide training and ongoing support to ensure the successful implementation of Nakshatra Sabha.
Sachin Kurve, Secretary Tourism/CEO, Uttarakhand Tourism Development Council said that with the launch of Nakshatra Sabha, we aim to put Uttarakhand at the forefront of astro tourism. This unique initiative has been launched in collaboration with Starscapes. Uttarakhand with its vast forest area, nature-based tourism and homestays is uniquely positioned to become the choice of astro tourists. This campaign is another step in that direction. Our aim is to invite visitors from across the world to give them a glimpse of the unique heritage of Uttarakhand as well as experience the magic of the universe and look forward to hosting many more such campaigns that can put Uttarakhand on the global astro tourism map.
Ramashish Ray, Founder, Starscapes said, “For the past several years, we have been hosting several Astro Tourism camps in collaboration with Uttarakhand Tourism Development Council, which have received a good response, apart from promoting it through our chain of experience centres and observatories in the state. We feel fortunate to be associated with this annual Astro Tourism campaign of the Department of Tourism – ‘Nakshatra Sabha’. The concept of this campaign is to establish Uttarakhand as an ideal Astro Tourism destination and provide employment opportunities to the local communities by connecting them with Astro Tourism.
The main features of Nakshatra Sabha include stargazing through special equipment, expert talks on Astro Tourism, Astrophotography competition, special solar observations, etc.
