Oct 05 2025 to Oct 05 2025 5:30 p.m.

Where

Bangalore International Centre

7 4th Main Rd, Stage 2, Domlur 560071

Event Description

The ancient Indian Panchanga, or Hindu calendar, is a remarkable synthesis of astronomy, mathematics, and cultural tradition. This unique event brings it alive using modern Stellarium astronomy software, where celestial movements will be visualised through simple planetary animations.

Participants will learn the meaning of terms like Masa, Paksha, Tithi, and Nakshatra, and discover why our festivals shift dates each year, why months have 30 or 31 days, why there are 12 zodiac signs, and why exactly 27 nakshatras govern the skies. These everyday questions find their answers in the ingenious design of the Panchanga.

The session also highlights the rich heritage of the Hindu school of astronomy. Flourishing for over 1,500 years and reaching a peak during the Vijayanagar period, with Kerala as its vibrant epicenter, this tradition produced profound insights into planetary motion and time. The ancient text Surya Siddhanta went even further, defining multiple scales of time—from a human day (sunrise to sunrise), to a day of the Pitrs (a lunar month), to a day of the gods (a solar year). It even stretched the imagination to the grand cosmic cycles of parardha—155.52 trillion years—down to the fleeting span of prana, a few seconds.

By blending science with storytelling, speaker S. Kishore Kumar will reveal how the Hindu calendar is not just a tool for marking festivals, but a timeless scientific framework that connects human life to the rhythms of the cosmos.

In collaboration with:
  

Speaker

S Kishore Kumar
Technologist
S. Kishore Kumar is a technologist with a lifetime of experience in the Indian software industry.

He completed his BE from NIT Trichy and his MS in Computer Science from the State University of New York, Buffalo, USA. 

He began his professional journey in 1984 in Bangalore. Since then, he has worked with major software companies such as Tata Unisys, Cognizant and Siemens Healthineers in a variety of techno-managerial roles, eventually retiring as Senior Vice President with Siemens Healthineers.

Following his retirement, he has dedicated himself to his passion project, “The Astronomy of the Hindu Calendar.” Having studied, understood and internalised the astronomy of the Hindu calendar over the last fifteen years, he is now focused on sharing his understanding with a wider audience. His mission is to demystify the astronomical foundation of the Hindu pañcāṅga in such a way that it can be understood by all Indians, especially Hindus. Drawing on a lifetime of skills honed in the software industry, he has created unique and original multimedia content under his brand Ahargana. This content brings sophisticated and intricate ancient astronomy to life through clear and compelling visual orbital simulations. These simulations have been created using Stellarium, a modern-day planetarium software, and serve as an effective bridge from the ancient to the modern.

He also has a successful YouTube channel – @Ahargana – with over 11,000 subscribers. The twenty-seven episodes on this channel explain the astronomical basis of the Hindu calendar in great detail.