Mumbai, July 7 -- "That moment was special," said Abhay Deshpande, a volunteer with astronomy club Khagol Mandal, recalling a sky-watching session they had organised in Uttar Pradesh's Hamirpur during the total solar eclipse on October 24, 1995. Thousands of sky-gazers and astronomy enthusiasts had flocked the area to witness the rare celestial event. But the local population, mired in superstition, viewed it as a supernatural phenomenon - they remained indoors, avoiding even a glimpse at the sky; observed fasts during the period; and performed a raft of rituals thereafter to counter 'inauspicious' effects. Volunteers from Khagol Mandal had encountered many similar situations in Maharashtra, where they worked, during their ten-year journey. Drawing on such experiences, they conducted a ten-day long campaign, visiting homes and schools, telling people that an eclipse was neither supernatural nor harmful, and inviting them to view the event through telescopes set at multiple places in the area. On the day of the eclipse, hundreds of locals stepped out to witness the spectacle - most of them for the first time. "It was great to see people go from fear to fascination within seconds," recalled Deshpande. "It showed how powerful science could be when it reached people at the grassroots." Khagol Mandal was founded on July 6, 1985 in Mumbai by Dilip Joshi, Rajiv Chitnis and three other science enthusiasts who were determined to shift public perception about celestial events from astrology and superstition to astronomy and scientific thinking. The timing was significant. Public curiosity about the skies was rising as Halley's comet - which returns to the inner solar system every 75-76 years - was to be sighted from most parts of the country in 1986. But for millions of superstitious, uneducated people, the event was a sign of impending doom. Khagol Mandal seized the moment to create awareness about celestial phenomena as natural, awe-inspiring scientific events. "People feared comets and eclipses back then," said Deshpande, a senior volunteer who has been part of the group since the early years. "We wanted them to look up - not with dread, but with wonder." To kindle interest in the skies, the group organised a wide range of activities in Mumbai - they conducted lectures and discussions dispelling popular myths and superstitions, organised sky-watching sessions in the outskirts of the city, and even trained Geography teachers in schools in 1986 via a two-day workshop. Registered as a nonprofit, the group has since conducted more than 1,000 overnight skygazing programmes, hosted lectures, published low-cost books, and nurtured young scientists. Overnight skygazing sessions are among Khagol Mandal's most significant interventions in its four-decade history. The sessions were started in 1986 in Vangani, a small town on the outskirts of Mumbai in Thane district, where the skies were clear and light pollution minimal. During the Leonid Meteor Shower in 1998, train tickets to Vangani sold out, and the fields overflowed with stargazers, attesting to the rising interest in astronomy. Over time, the town became synonymous with stargazing, so much so that the road leading to the field where sessions were held was christened Tarangan Marg by the local panchayat. But gradually, as the area became more urbanised and bright lights blocked out stars and planetary bodies from view, skygazing sessions were shifted - first to Neral in 2021, then to Nashik in 2023-24. Some skygazing sessions are also held in Umroli near Badlapur in Thane district. "We have had to shift over 200 km away from Mumbai just to find dark skies," said Deshpande. "At this rate, by 2050, city children may only know stars from rhymes, not from the sky." Aside from kindling interest in astronomy, Khagol Mandal has played a key role in drawing public attention to scientific landmarks, most notably the Lonar lake in Maharashtra, formed due a meteorite crashing into the earth. The group made a short film on the lake in Buldhana district in 1992, explaining the process of its formation, and conducted awareness drives where they showed the film and held discussions with students as well as grown-ups. In 2002, it held a two-day conservation workshop in the area and continues to advocate for a science museum near the lake. Khagol Mandal also organises foundation courses and weekend lectures on astronomical issues and brings out free publications like Khagol Warta and Khagol Vishwa, focussed on Khagol Mandal's activities and latest developments in astronomy, respectively. Tarangan, the star guide published by the group, is now in its third edition. The efforts have fostered scientific temperament among participants and at least 18 individuals who were introduced to astronomy when they were young volunteers at Khagol Mandal have gone on to complete their PhD in science. The group has encountered multiple hurdles in its journey, including increasing urbanisation, misinformation, and the occasional backlash over countering superstitions. Yet, it has stayed firm in its resolve. "We don't argue with belief systems," said Deshpande. "Instead, we just ask people to look through the telescope. The sky does the rest." Arvind Paranjpye, director of the Mumbai-based Nehru Planetarium, acknowledging the work of Khagol Mandal. Many astronomy groups focussed on stargazing were formed in Maharashtra after the solar eclipse in 1980, he said. "But Khagol Mandal stood out because it didn't stop at just gazing at the sky. It expanded into workshops, lectures, and publishing articles, helping people develop a deeper and more informed understanding of astronomy." The importance of such groups has only increased in recent times when media content has exploded, said Paranjpye. "Institutions like Khagol Mandal play a crucial role in offering authentic and credible scientific knowledge to the public," he said....