Space Science On His Mind: Malkangiri Boy Wins Talent Contest To Visit ISRO

Malkangiri: Bringing glory to the state, a talented student from a backward area of Odisha will visit Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) soon.

Abhinash Behera, a Class-X student of Saraswati Sishu Vidya Mandir at Balimela in Malkangiri district has been selected among the top 20 winners of Young Astronomer Talent Search (YATS) 2019-20.

A total of 62,000 students from 300 schools across the state participated in YATS, 2019-20. The theme for this edition was ‘Unraveling the Wonders of the Universe’. The contest was held at the Pathani Samanta Planetarium here recently.

“I have been interested in space science since my childhood. I am trying to gather more knowledge and have started researching on space before visiting ISRO,” said Abhinash.

“My science teachers in school have helped me a lot in my preparations. I hope other students of my school also participate in this programme and get success in future. I will also guide them.

Abhinash’s parents and teachers are hopeful that he will become a successful scientist one day.

“We were very happy after getting the news that Abhinash has been selected to visit ISRO. We feel really proud of him. We had given books and some information from internet while he was preparing for this competition,” said Abhinash’s science teacher, Deepak Kumar Mohapatra.

“We hope that Abhinash will be a successful space scientist in future,” said his school Headmaster Saroj Kumar Samal.

YATS, organised by Tata Steel in association with Pathani Samanta Planetarium, under the aegis of Science and Technology Department, Government of Odisha, is an unique initiative for high school students.

It is aimed at creating awareness in the field of astronomy and space science among students, motivating and encouraging young minds to become scientists and astronomers.

The platform provides an opportunity to the students in rural and remote areas of the state to exhibit their talent and come to the forefront in the field of astronomy.