Commemorating 400 years of the invention of the telescope, she said the habit of questioning among children is gradually being lost.  “Children have now been institutionalised to listen to their teachers and not question the reason behind the answers,” she said.

Shastri, who distributed certificates and memorabilia of Galileo to 150 school representatives was critical of the decreasing interest among women in astronomy as a field of expertise and vocation.

“Think of any noted scientist in the field of astronomy and you will find most being men. Fewer women have ventured into the field of science and even fewer towards astronomy,” she said.

The event marked the distribution of the 2009 International Astronomy Awards and was organised by Tara Mandala, a astronomy society from Chitradurga on National Science Day. The awards were given to 150 schools on the basis of the interest they showed towards the field. As many as 400-odd schools in the City participated for the awards.