Miracle Busting and Sky Gazing Programme in Dharward
A “Miracle Busting and Sky Gazing” program was held in Kallapura Village, Dharwad District, Karnataka on 10th April 2025. There was enthusiastic participation from the local people who were mostly farmers. Tribute was paid to Mahatma Jyoti Rao Phule on his birth anniversary. The program effectively demystified perceived miracles through scientific reasoning, fostering a strong connection with the local people. The opportunity to observe the moon through a telescope provided a memorable experience for the people.
Views from the miracle busting program
Earth Day Programme in Bangalore
On the occasion of Earth Day, BSS Bangalore chapter held a talk on the transportation systems and quality of life to understand the impacts of modern city infrastructure and its impacts on earth and people, at Raman Research Institute auditorium on 26th April.
The main speaker Dr. Ashish Verma, Professor, transportation systems engineering; convenor, IISc, Sustainable Transportation lab ( IST lab); Department of Civil Engineering, IISc, presented a talk on how sustainability of transportation system in a city like Bangalore can transform the outlook of the city to a more public approach, with enough breathing space for the city to thrive on and be a modern ecosystem rather than a modern concrete jungle with double decker flyovers and tunnels.
Guest Speaker Prof Sudarshan Pandurang, Associate Professor, Nitte Meenakshi school of Architecture, Planning and Design, held an interactive session for the students to understand what actually is meant by design and planning of a city, and spoke about a brief history of the evolution of society through planning of cities. Mr. Anandraj, state working president, Breakthrough Science Society, concluded the session by reiterating the importance of science and scientific thinking in society and how it goes a long way in helping society. He also spoke about how BSS is trying to play a role in this.
Prof. S.Balachandra Rao Memorial Meeting
A memorial meeting was organized on 25th May by Breakthrough Science Society & AISEC Karnataka in honour of Prof. S.Balachandra Rao, former principal, National College and an eminent populariser of science, who passed away on May 14. Mr. Anand Raj (President, BSS Karnataka) lauded his unwavering commitment to scientific integrity and his sharp critique against pseudoscience. Mr. V.N. Rajashekar (AISEC) highlighted his crucial role in fighting textbook distortions (2001, 2012, 2014) and preventing astrology as a science subject. Prof.Rao’s son, Mr. Karthik Shirley spoke of his father’s profound impact on his scientific temper. Prof. V.S.S Shastry (Science Populariser), Prof. Jayant Murthy (Retired Scientist, Indian Institute of Astrophysics), Mr.Mauryan (Retired Scientist,DRDO) and Mr.Nagesh Aralaguppe (AKVS, Karnataka) paid homage to Prof.Rao. Video messages from Prof. S G Dani (Retired Scientist, TIFR Mumbai), Prof.Soumitro Banerjee (General Secretary, BSS), Mr. Narendra Nayak (President, FIRA), Dr Vidyanand Nanjundaiah (Former Professor, IISc Bengaluru) and Mr.Kedar Shirley (Son of Prof. Balachandra Rao) were screened during the meeting.
