The 190th Birth Anniversary of the legendary Indian astronomer and mathematician, Mahamahopadhyay Chandrasekhar Singh Samanta, was observed at the SOA Deemed to be University on Monday, highlighting his singular scientific achievements.
Speakers praised Samanta, popularly known as Pathani Samanta, for his ability to measure the distance between celestial bodies using only traditional instruments like a bamboo pipe. As a 14-year-old, he used rudimentary equipment to measure distance, height, and time by scanning the sky and measuring shadows.
Dr. Subhendu Patnaik, former Director of the Pathani Samanta Planetarium, emphasized that the astronomer's birthday should be universally observed on December 13th. Dr. Patnaik noted that after ten years of planetary study, Samanta identified errors in the lunar calendar, documenting his findings in his seminal work, Siddhant Darpan.
SOA Vice-Chancellor Prof. Pradipta Kumar Nanda highlighted that the astronomer, who hailed from the princely family of Khandapada and had no formal schooling, was taught Sanskrit, Mathematics, and Astronomy by his father.
Prof. Nachieketa K. Sharma, Head of the SOA-run IKS Centre, displayed miniature models of Samanta's equipment, known as ‘Jyotirjantra.’ Prof. Sharma detailed the development of the 'Manajantra,' 'Dhanurjantra,' and various 'Sundials' used to measure time, distance, and direction, noting that workshops on these instruments are being conducted in schools and colleges.