When the stars aligned to bring an astro observatory to life
While the government is set to build the country’s first space observatory in Faridpur on a 10-acre land, Freedom Fighter Shahjahan Mridha Benu has already built the country’s first private astro observatory in Sreepur, Gazipur
Though it was the first Friday of December, by lunch hour, it felt like a summer day. A 73-year-old Shahjahan Mridha Benu sat on a bench, under a canopy of trees, facing a four-storied red-brick building with balconies on two floors protruding out and a stainless steel dome atop.
Benu looked slightly worn out. After all, he just finished a tour covering a minute section of his approximately 80 to 90 bigha property. We began a conversation detailing life events that led him to design and engineer the conspicuously beautiful building.
Our main event was, of course, an up-and-close tour of the inside of the dome where a mounted 14-inch Meade-Cassegrain telescope took centre stage.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
"One of the important things about an observatory is the spherical shape of the dome," explained Benu, adding, "and that it moves. It will have a window which opens, and so we can make specific alignments."
Some of the heavy-duty telescopes weigh one ton or more, and cannot be assembled on a daily basis. This is why they are fitted and kept in a specific position, he further explained.
The 14-inch Meade-Cassegrain telescope is a beast. "One of its specialities is its auto drive. If you set in the programme, it will locate the stars for you," said Benu, whose interest in space, the universe and all things astronomy spans at least four decades now.
What is your favourite constellation? A chuckle first, and then he said, "I would say the Orion constellation. The Betelgeuse [this is the second brightest star in the Orion constellation. Its name is derived from the Arabic language, meaning 'the giant's shoulder] is so massive it can fit thousands of our sun in it. Quite unbelievable," he replied.
"[And] Nebula," he added. The Orion Nebula is situated in the Milky Way in the south of Orion's Belt. It is considered one of the most photographed objects in the night sky and one of the most intensely studied. "This we can see with the 14-inch telescope," he said.
On the outer body of the dome, below the steel, terracotta ceramic with designs of constellations are under construction. Some are Benu's favourite constellations.
But this is not the first sighting of terracotta on the premises. At the entrance, on the first-floor wall, some of the terracotta work depicting freedom fighters have been completed. And there are more laid on the ground, in progress, at the paved backyard.
Why and how the observatory was built
Benu intends it to become a space research centre in future with the participation of famous astronomy researchers from home and abroad.
While the construction began in 2019 and cost approximately Tk3 crore to date, he said there is still work to be done to bring the observatory fully to life. "This [money] came from the sale of one property in Gazipur actually," he shared with us, adding, "I have paid for all of the expenses." Benu's primary source of income now is money collected from rent.
Hailing from Munshiganj, he did his schooling in Chattogram where his father moved for his wood and salt business. "Now we have a shrimp export business," said Benu, also a freedom fighter, who has spent the better part of his life invested in the study of the universe.
So, when did he become interested in astronomy? It was the hills near his school in Chattogram where he ventured with his friends that the sky view would frequently stop him in his tracks and hold him transfixed.
The first time he came across a picture of a constellation was in his science class at school. It piqued his interest, spanning decades now.
Benu explained how star charts and astronomy books are authentic guides to studying the sky. "There is a lot of space. A lot to study. We look at everything with innate curiosity. And in the same sense, we look at the sky," he said, adding, "some of my enthusiastic friends [experts] have a more intense curiosity and so they study astronomy. Finding stars and studying space brings remarkable joy."
And this Sreepur observatory is the third one he built out of a lifelong dream. "You see, I never strategically planned for all this to happen," he said, adding, "things fell into place, they happened organically." The stars have aligned for Benu, it seems.
The first observatory he built is atop the National Museum of Science and Technology in the capital, which died from negligence, according to Benu. The second one was a personal project at his home in the capital, and both of those pale in comparison to the Sreepur astro observatory.
"For an observatory, it is critical to avoid light pollution [Light pollution is essentially excessive and poor use of artificial outdoor light at night. Dhaka city is full of it] and of course open space. With this one, I could perfect the conditions," said Benu.
Now he has a few telescopes in his arsenal. The largest being the 14-inch, and then there are a few of 8, 6, 4 and 2.5-inch. "I have actually donated a 16-inch telescope to the museum," said Benu, who had purchased most telescopes from the US.
What does the future hold?
Behind the bench under the canopy of a tree is an open space. And there is a rectangular paved and slightly alleviated uthan (courtyard), with white markings and some mosaic tiles. "Here, we will hold weekly sessions for school and college students to come and use our telescopes to study the sky," Benu informed us.
There are already around 13 initiatives spread across the country, which give school and college students access to telescopes at Benu's and his affiliated foundation's disposal.
"We have volunteers who are expert enough to man the telescopes, take them to educational institutes and help students take a look at the sky," explained Benu, who is also the president of the Astro division of Anushandhitshu Chokro Science Organisation and Bangladesh Astro Foundation.
"For me, now, my three main priorities in life are working on the Liberation War [freedom fighter Benu has already penned books about the war], this observatory and my Kite Foundation," he said. He numbered his priorities in that order.
And it was decades ago that as a child, kite flying also had Benu hooked, naturally. His fervour during the reminiscence of his childhood kite-flying days can perhaps bring scenes from Khaled Hosseini's book 'The Kite Runner' to life.
So the fervour, more intense at an earlier age, persevered, leading Benu to start the Kite Federation. Every year the group organised an annual massive festival which would bring all kite runners and enthusiasts to the forum to show off their skills and grit in kite battles. Benu would spare no expense, and also design massive art installations too.
"That hit the brakes in the Covid year, and we are yet to resume it. But I plan to, let us see," said Benu. His age showed now, only slightly.
Building as an outsider in Sreepur
The stars seem to have aligned for Benu. Because we were sitting on private property maintained by Benu's staff of about six caretakers that he bought "piece by piece starting from 20 years ago."
He has known the community for decades, and while there was some sort of resistance in the initial years to an outsider (Benu) buying up this much land, there is harmony now, he said.
"You see, forest burning is rampant here. I cannot tell you how many times I have had to lock horns with those who do it. And it is seasonal. They actually depend on it as a source of their livelihood. They do not do it out of sheer malice or greed. Perhaps that is why they are not too welcoming to outsiders," said Benu, who believes the latest committee meeting will result in fruitful outcomes in scaling back this practice.
The property was lush green with small patches of flower gardens, an experimental Vietnamese coconut plantation, a man-made lake and a variety of vegetables and plants, including date palms.
In fact, chilled glasses of date juice were the first thing served to Benu's guests that Friday morning. "The date palms came with the property, these we did not plant," quipped Benu, and with a rare hint of a smile too.
"So, are you happy with the life you have built, especially in Sreepur?" we asked him. A slight hint of a puzzled response came from him. "Happy?"
"Yes, are you happy?" we asked, pointing to his achievements and milestones standing around us. Benu smiled, this time a wide smile. "Yes, I suppose, I am. I ought to be happy."
