I have always wondered who founded 'Stargazers', the Astronomy Club of IIMA and what prompted the founders to encourage students to get involved with planets, constellations, and far-away heavenly bodies. And so when I received an email from the Director's office that Mr. Varun Arya (PGP 1981-83), who had initiated the astronomy club at IIMA, would be on campus and wanted to meet the coordinator of the astronomy club, I knew that my questions would be answered. Mr. Varun Arya spoke with enthusiasm about how he founded the astronomy club. A graduate of IIT Delhi, he was immensely interested in physics. This interest was shared by a dozen other engineering graduates from IIT Delhi and IIT Kanpur who had joined IIMA. They used to lament about their weakening contact with physics and mathematics. Mr. Arya then suggested the formation of an astronomy club. Professor V. S. Vyas was the director at that time (1981-82), and Mr Arya wrote to him about it. The response was not encouraging. The institute was not clear about astronomy's connections with management. Since official support was not forthcoming, the group, with Mr. Arya as coordinator, formed the astronomy club as an informal activity. The students established the positions of President, Vice President and Secretary. Professor Nitin Patel was invited to become President, Professor Samir Barua (who had joined the institute in 1980 and was later its director) became Vice President, and Mr. Varun Arya became the secretary. This was in 1982.

The club needed funds and so charged a membership fee of Rs. 300 per annum. Around 100 students joined as members. They were followed by another 100 faculty members and other campus residents. Mr. Arya wrote to Professor Devendra Lal, FRS, Director of the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad and to Professor E. V. Chitnis, Director of Space Applications Centre (ISRO), Ahmedabad, seeking support. Professor Lal replied with an encouraging, "Dear Varun, we stay so close to each other and we talk by letters? Why don't you come tomorrow and have lunch with me." A young Mr. Arya went to PRL, met the director, and was introduced to the scientists at PRL over lunch. They were intrigued by the enthusiasm for astronomy shown by someone from a management education institute. Professor Lal generously offered to provide full support to the Astronomy Club in conducting guest lectures and astronomy-related events. One eminent personality who came to IIMA for a guest lecture was Professor M.K. Venubabu, founder and director of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore. He also happens to have a star named after him. Another eminent guest lecturer was the celebrated Indian-American physicist, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, the 1983 Nobel Laureate in Physics. With such people coming to IIMA, the club got wide recognition. It obtained films from the British Council, Bombay, and some films related to space. These were shown to the IIMA community.

As the club approached its first anniversary, it wanted to invite top Indian astronomers to the institute. Mr. Arya wrote to Professor Satish Dhawan, Director of ISRO and Dr. Raja Ramanna, Director, BARC, and to the Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission of India. Each of these institutions contributed Rs. 15,000. With this amount the Astronomy Club was able to buy a telescope. These developments were brought to the attention of the director, Professor Vyas. He wrote back saying, "Dear Varun, you have proven me wrong; there are so many students, faculty members and their spouses as members. I take back my words and make this an institute activity."