Rohit Chawla, a former business management professional from Faridabad, shares that he has always been fascinated by the sky. The 46-year-old, who still feels a sense of awe on observing the stars and planets, often wondered how celestial objects exist in tandem with humans. “I wanted to share that feeling of wonder I had with others,” he mentions.
With this vision in mind, Chawla founded Wonder Explorers (WE), an astronomy initiative that aims to connect people with the cosmos, in 2015. “There is a child in all of us who we seem to lose touch with. I wanted to bring out that child-like wonder in people,” Chawla adds.
Through their venture, WE aims to create a space accessible to people, irrespective of age and gender, seeking to marvel at the cosmos. “Skywatching is usually a night-time activity. Most people, especially girls, are scared to come out at night. Our aim was to help such people,” Chawla says. To allow patrons enjoy a superlative astronomical experience, the workshops conducted by WE mostly start at four in the evening and continue till 8pm.
A cosmic spectacle
To keep these sky exploration workshops—these are organised for schools, housing societies, and even corporates—both educational and fun, WE conducts game-based sessions (a few with certifications). “During my childhood, we would play so many outdoor games. It did not matter who won, it was about having fun,” shares Neha (38) from Faridabad, who joined WE in 2020.
She adds that they do not impose age restrictions (unless mentioned) and can be enjoyed by children as young as four as well as their parents. The games—counting to the beat, coordinated dancing, storytelling, guessing games, etc.,—are not competitive. “We want to include every child in these activities,” Neha adds. The children are, however, never forced into joining an activity and can decide what they want to explore.
The WE team avoids overwhelming children with excess information; they try to generate curiosity in them. Each workshop is, therefore, curated such that the child discovers the cosmos for themselves. “Children already have a lot of information at their beck and call because of the internet. But, in this way [through activities], they have the ability to experience things firsthand and draw their own conclusions,” shares Chawla.
Mansi Basu from Gurugram, mother of 11-year-old Aabir and eight-year-old Mihika, tells us how insightful these workshops have been for her children. “The celestial world is fascinating but if kids read it in a book, they will never be able to retain the information. Practical workshops like the ones where they see the changing phases of the moon, helps them experience it and fuels their imagination,” she concludes.