Overview of the project

Project leader: Kathan Kothari, kathankothari@gmail.com
Project location: India

Project description:
Manthan Educational Programme Society, India is a not for profit organisation focused to ameliorate and instill fresh methods in science communication and entrepreneurship amongst students and community at large. (www.mepsindia.org).

During IYA 2009, Manthan worked on a project ‘Astronomy on Camel Cart’ during 100 Hours of Astronomy, which did outreach in 25 villages, 7 public gardens, 13 urban slums, 20 schools and 4 universities. This project reached almost 250,000 people and was very successful.

In continuation of the same though, Manthan is now proposing to carry out a similar large scale project of ‘Astronomy on Camel Cart’ for a longer period of time in the Narmada district of Gujarat, India. Under this project. We propose to outreach through camel cart exhibitions, hands-on activities, posters, kits and films in Dediapada, Nandod, Sagbara and Tilakwada talukas of Narmada District of Gujarat State. This district is a tribal district with several people from economic backward regions a socially excluded population in several villages.

Under this project we propose to outreach material to the beneficiaries from all the segments of society. We believe that SCIENCE IS FOR ALL. We plan to outreach Astronomy in the form of a Travelling exhibition on Camel Cart to more than 150,000 people from the district.

The outreach will be carried out in 3 phases:
Phase 1: Introduction to Astronomy
Phase 2: Let us learn more about Astronomy
Phase 3: Astronomy and Light

Under this project we have planned to communicate astronomy at Children, School and Community level. We have planned to visit almost 80 villages in an outreach period of 30 days. We will be working with 2 Camel cart exhibitions. We are sure this project would turn out very interesting results in the area of Astronomy Communication. With the locally available infrastructure and the support from IAU this would be a benchmark project not only on on national level but international level.

About the project leader:
Mr. Kathan Kothari is the Outreach Co-ordinator and Head Designer at the Manthan Educational Programme Society, India, registered as an NGO and operating since 2001.