Gujarat: Ahmedabad Science City welcomes two new penguin chicks as ‘Space Festival’ begins
Ahmedabad, Aug 21 (IANS) Ahmedabad’s Science City has added two new African penguin chicks to its Aquatic Gallery, taking the total number of penguins at the facility to 10. The chicks, named ‘Shaurya’ and ‘Veer’, were formally named and introduced to visitors on Friday in the presence of Science and Technology Minister Arjun Modhwadia.
The two male penguins were born at the Aquatic Gallery in September 2025. The gallery began its penguin exhibit in 2021 with five penguins, and three were subsequently born there, bringing the total to eight before the latest additions.
The new arrivals were introduced to visitors alongside the other penguins. The Aquatic Gallery, which opened in 2021, is one of Science City’s attractions and houses African penguins as part of its aquatic exhibits.
The announcement came as Science City began its three-day Space Festival-2026 on Friday, ahead of ‘National Space Day’ on August 23.
The festival, which will continue until August 23, features a Space Science Exhibition, planetarium shows, space rangoli, digital poster presentations, origami, hands-on workshops, science lectures, a space quiz, panel discussions with scientists and night-sky observation.
Inaugurating the festival, Minister Modhwadia said Gujarat is emerging as a leading state in the country’s space-technology sector.
“The headquarters of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) is located in Ahmedabad, while work is under way to establish a new launch station near Kodinar in Saurashtra,” he said.
Modhwadia also said Gujarat has established special facilities for satellite manufacturing.
He said the state’s space-tech and electronics policies would help Gujarat become a leading state in artificial intelligence and space technology over the next 10 years, adding that “the emerging ecosystem would create opportunities for young people to become job providers rather than job seekers”.
On semiconductors, the minister said: “Six of the country’s 12 plants are being established in Gujarat. Three plants at Sanand are operational, while new plants are planned at Surat and Dholera.”
He said August 23 is observed as National Space Day to commemorate Chandrayaan-3’s historic soft landing near the Moon’s south pole.
Following the opening of the space sector to private participation, he said more than 300 active start-ups are now operating in the sector in India.
During the festival, the Gujarat State Electronics Mission (GSEM) and NAMTEC signed MoUs for skilled workforce development in space technology, electronics and semiconductors.
The programme also recognised and encouraged around 20 space start-ups. The festival’s main theme for this year’s National Space Day is ‘Towards Viksit Bharat: Innovating, Collaborating and Aspiring to Global Space Leadership’.
More than 20,000 students, teachers and citizens from across Gujarat are expected to participate.
A science exhibition has also been organised with the participation of ISRO’s Space Applications Centre (SAC), GSEM and around 50 organisations, research bodies, space start-ups, industries and innovators working in the sector.
The festival will remain open through August 23, with organisers inviting students, teachers, science and space enthusiasts and other visitors to attend the various activities.
–IANS
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