Dikhyaa Mohanty 
The Pathani Samanta Planetarium in Bhubaneswar held the 18th grand finale of the Tata Steel Young Astronomers Talent Search (YATS), honoring the accomplishments of young scientists from all throughout Odisha. The event’s main guest, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, honored the renowned astronomer Pathani Samanta. He emphasized Samanta’s accomplishments by pointing out that in 1835, the astronomer from Khandapada, Nayagarh, used basic bamboo sticks to forecast solar and lunar eclipses with accuracy.
Aryabhata, Brahmagupta, Varahamihira, and Bhaskara were among the other Indian greats he commended for their outstanding contributions to astronomy. The Chief Minister highlighted India’s growing prominence in space research by highlighting its achievements, including the ambitious Gaganyaan project, Aditya-L1, and Chandrayaan-3. He highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s goal of sending the first Indian to the Moon by 2040 and establishing India’s own space station by 2035, noting that India is the first nation to land a spacecraft on the Moon’s South Pole. He emphasized the students’ capacity to influence India’s scientific destiny and urged them to participate in these historic endeavors.
Thirty exceptional kids from 23 districts in Odisha received awards for their accomplishments during the occasion, and they will also get the chance to take an educational tour of ISRO. Speaking to the crowd, Minister of Science and Technology Krushna Chandra Patra praised India’s scientific advancements since the days of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who had created the catchphrase “Jai Vigyan” to go along with former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri’s “Jai Jawan Jai Kisan.” In addition to announcing plans to honor Pathani Samanta’s legacy by establishing a planetarium and an Astro Physics & Astronomy Institute in Khandapada, Patra underlined that the country’s strength lies in the youthful talents being acknowledged.
Other luminaries who gave inspirational remarks urging children to pursue professions in science were Development Commissioner Anu Garg, Khandapada MLA Dushmant Swain, and Science and Technology Principal Secretary Chitra Arumugam. Rajiv Kumar, Vice President, Operations, Tata Steel Kalinganagar, gave a welcoming speech to kick off the event, while Urmiprabha Maharana, In-charge Director of Pathani Samanta Planetarium, gave a vote of gratitude to end it.
