History
Astronomy in India has been a passion since the Vedic period. Records exist of scriptures on the subject since the time of the Maurya Dynasty in the (322 to 185 BCE). It came to be recognized as a science after Aryabhata penned and published the Arya-siddhānta. Today Aryabhata is regarded as the father of astronomy in India. The first Indian satellite was named after him. The Surya Sidhanta is another ancient script that explained the cosmic sciences.
This science lost its importance the British era and gradually came to be treated as an expensive science and restricted to only those academically involved. There was no room for amateurs. Several years after Independence, with the arrival of Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, the father of Indian sciences, amateur astronomy started taking roots. Due to the vast distance between locations, the high cost of telescopes, and slow communications, the need for the formation of a common platform was felt. Prof. Jayant V Narlikar suggested that a Confederation be formed and Dr. N. C. Rana of the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics in Pune was assigned this job.
The Confederation of Indian Amateur Astronomers (CIAA) was formed at the fourth All India Amateur Astronomers' Meet held at Calcutta on January 22, 1994.
Read more about this topic: Confederation Of Indian Amateur Astronomers
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