Nehru Planetarium director passed away due to Covid-19.

     Written by : SMTV24x7 | Wed, May 12, 2021, 07:06 PM

Nehru Planetarium director passed away due to Covid-19.

Dr. Nandivada Rathnashree, Director of Nehru Planetarium, passed away due to Covid-19. She was from Hyderabad. Till just a fortnight ago, she was involved in organizing 'Astro Adda,' a fortnightly online discussion session with students.

In early May, she tested positive for COVID-19 which quickly overwhelmed her. She is survived by husband Prof. Patrick Dasgupta, a faculty member of Department of Physics and Astrophysics at Delhi University, son, daughter in law and a granddaughter.

Dr Ratnashree conducted several national as well as international seminars on astronomy. During the COVID time, she emphasized on the importance of online classes for children.

The Astronomical Society of India deeply mourned the tragic demise of Dr. Rathnashree. An avid Astronomy communicator and accomplished pulsar astronomer, she played a pivotal role in most astronomy outreach projects of ASI in the last two decades. When ASI formally set up its Public Outreach and Education Committee (POEC) in 2014, Rathnasree was the unanimous choice for the first chair and she has been a part of OEC ever since.