Vallabh Government College, Mandi Celebrates International Girl Child Day with Sky Gazing Program.

Shimla:

The Gender Sensitisation Committee of Vallabh Government College, Mandi organised a ‘Sky Gazing’ Program on the occasion of International Girl Child Day. The initiative, taken by Dr. Banita Saklani, Assistant Professor of Botany and Warden of Girls Hostels, aimed to inspire girls to expand their knowledge horizons and dream as big as the sky.

The program began with a talk on International Girl Child Day by Ruchika, Prefect of Girls Hostel, highlighting the significance of the day. Dr. Arun Kumar, Assistant Professor of Physics and recipient of the Best Teacher Award, delivered a presentation on natural phenomena and the history of telescopy, encouraging students to explore and seek answers to queries about the natural world.

The stage was conducted by Meenakshi and Isha, Girls Hostel Prefects and Postgraduate students. At 8 pm, two telescopes were set up in the paddal ground for sky gazing, where 136 girl students from girls hostels participated and observed images of Dumbbell Nebula (M27), Andromeda Galaxy (M31), Saturn, and its moons. Live videos of moonrise were also captured on the hills around Mandi.

The program successfully encouraged girls to develop an interest in astronomy and pursue STEM fields.