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Planetariums going to waste
Can you imagine a bustling city of 10 to 14 million souls, with large swathes of uppity residential zones, hundreds of thousands of vehicles, thousands of restaurants, thousands of schools and colleges and a single planetarium bang in the middle of the city, barely frequented by one in 100 people over the past 20 years?
Such incredible apathy is what the PIA’s Karachi Planetarium is suffering from. Three acres of prime land, with neatly maintained lawns and an aircraft worth millions of dollars at the time it was gifted, are not enough to cause a stir in the hearts of our youth.
No city in the country is frequented by as many visitors as this great metropolis. Buses and trains that chug in, come loaded with people. Same goes for the airliners that fly in regularly.
What’s the reason then? This question has haunted me for the better part of the last two decades, in which I was actively associated with PIA’s planetariums (there’s one in Lahore as well).
My long association with PIA as a professional astronomer and planetarian took me to about 90 planetariums in Asia, Europe and the US. It allowed me a close look at several planetariums. Interesting revelations came forth.
These revelations led me to identify the main reasons behind our planetariums’ failure to gain popularity among our youth. This even allowed me to chalk out a plan to turn our planetariums around sufficiently enough for them to generate their own funds for upkeep and modernization. Ludicrous as it may sound, it may yet be possible to achieve this goal, provided difficult measures are taken immediately. But, first the cause.
Planetariums and science centres, or museums associated with them, are generally managed by foundations, city administrations, universities or other similar organizations which receive active financial and moral support from governments or philanthropists. In many cases, the funds available are more than the budgeted expenses, so that reforms could be undertaken without fear at any stage.
But that is not enough. Even if a planetarium is blessed with sound financial support, it will not flourish until and unless it is managed by men and women of proven mettle in their discipline. Such people appreciate that astronomy has not only to be ‘displayed’ and taught but also to be ‘sold’. Many in the staff should be a notch above the rest in technical knowledge. Their charm should lie in not just belonging to a highly romantic profession, but also in being able to ‘sell’ the mother-of-all-sciences for the greater good of all.
But, as is common practice in Pakistan, it is either influence or money that gets employees of ordinary credentials into high positions. Many of them do not even know the difference between a planet and a star, despite years of clinging to top positions.
So much for the ‘administration’ of the planetariums. Let’s move on to schools and colleges that come in various persuasions: some laced with all kinds of pretensions while others a sorry mess, barely an apology vis-à-vis education. For schools, planetariums should serve as an extension of their teaching plans as well as thought processes. Once schoolchildren come to the planetariums in considerable numbers, their questions should be answered by demonstrators or managers adept at the subject, provided they visit the planetarium in the first place.
Reverting to the Karachi Planetarium, the rate at which schools and educational institutions visit the place is barely 10 per cent of the optimum. Colleges do not come at all.
World Space Week Oct 4 — 10
Schools stay away during Ramazan, because the “misses fast”. There are other occasions too when the schools are not available — exam time, “too cold” days, “too hot” season and major festivals etc.
Years ago it had became clear that the schools would not approach us in large numbers; they would have to be approached instead. However, those numerous telephone calls made to the city’s schools regularly in order to persuade them to come never cut much ice.
Hundreds of invitation letters are sent out about once in two years by the planetariums. The number of schools that send a courtesy response can be counted on fingers. Although funds are collected from students for outings by most schools — many visits simply do not materialize.
About the government-run schools, the less said the better. These schools send their children to the planetarium only if no entrance fee is charged. Some even ask for the cost of transportation.While it is admitted that these children are too poor to bear the cost of an outing, the bottom line is that the planetarium remains out of reach for the poorest section of society. When we hold seminars to discuss this and other issues, most schools do not turn up. Often we hold seminars with about 25 people in attendance in a hall that can accommodate 250.
Why, after all, it does not dawn on the educational institutions that astronomy holds a magical charm for all and sundry. It’s a science that, on the one hand, deals with such large numbers that millions and billions simply do not matter (distances in deep space are expressed in light years). On the other hand, we probe deep inside the atom to see what secrets it holds.
Accustomed to mundane temperatures in our lives, we notice that deep inside the Sun the temperature soars to 1.5 million degrees Celsius and more. That there are stars (suns) thousands, even millions of times larger than our own star, the Sun. That our solar system is home to not one moon, which we are familiar with, but as many as one hundred of them.
That each galaxy — the stars’ continent — is populated with billions upon billions of stars, each at a distance of trillions of miles from its closest neighbour. And that hundreds of billions of galaxies, each a compact yet complex star system, populate the universe. Information such as this is enough to open dormant minds and spur them into action, leading to growth and development at the individual as well as national level.
This should be more than enough to fuel the curiosity of an average person. Be it a teacher or a young student, the information is priceless. But unfortunately, our educational system does not relate itself to the wonders of science.
Those who manage our planetariums know this well. They are not pushed because they know that there is no one to question them. After all, nobody has questioned them in the last two decades.
So, the apathy is as tragic as it is complete. What, after all, can be done to turn the tide? Is it possible? Let us see how!
In our discussion so far, two factors have surfaced that appear to be greatly responsible for the planetariums’ continued unpopularity among the youth. Let us consider the two factors.
First, the world of education. Educational institutions and the regulatory government authorities responsible to control and monitor them have both been treating their jobs as a picnic. The numerous shenanigans they merrily indulge in are no longer earth-shattering news, but business as usual. Any concern for real education, where personal gains are cancelled out, therefore, has no place in the schemes of things.
This must change. Astronomy (let us call it space sciences) must find a place in school and college syllabuses? Subjects and topics that briefly touch upon various aspects of space sciences must form a single subject whatever the group, whether humanities or science.
Let our beautiful province of Sindh take the first step. From my experience, most students, besides many parents and teachers, will welcome the move.
Meanwhile, all schools and colleges in an around Karachi must be ordered to visit the facility at least once a calendar year. Students and teachers alike should be encouraged to express their views, which will lead to improved presentations. The entire educational community must own this planetarium as its birthright.
Then there is the issue of administration of the planetarium, which has been blighted by the senior officials’ presence more than it would be by their absence. Some knowledge of the trade, among those who manage the planetarium, is essential for the trade to flourish.
In Karachi, one major problem has been the perceived refusal of the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), which is next door, to allow any commercial activity on our premises. If, as owners of the planetarium land, EPB has made it its business to stall what is going on outside the main building, they do not come scurrying to prevent what is going on inside.
I am referring here to sponsorship deals which alone can provide the planetarium in one year what it couldn’t manage in the last two decades. Any takers?
The writer is a former secretary of PIA’s Karachi Planetarium
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