'Time: the eternal stream' is a forty minute audio-visual sky theatre programme produced by Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium in the City. The programme was formally inaugurated by the Chief Minister, S M Krishna recently in the presence of Sudha Murthy, Infosys Foundation Trustee, and Prof. U R Rao, Member, Space Commission, Department of Space. The programme was organised to commemorate the birthday of Albert Einstein by the Bangalore Association for Science Education (BASE). At the inaugural programme, the Vice-Chairman of BASE, Prof. C V Visveshwara furnished a vivid insight into the new programme.

The concept of time is one of the most intriguing one that has actively engaged the thoughts of philosophers and scientists for several centuries. Different civilisations identified time with their own Gods. The Greeks called him Thoth. To the Romans, he was Cronos. In the Indian tradition, the Sun has been hailed as Kalakirthru. After all, the apparent motion of the Sun is the principal timekeeper during the day!

How did the division of time come about? Well, the people in the past, as do the present, used the motion of the familiar celestial objects such as the Sun, the Moon and the Earth to mark the basic units of the time such as a day, a month and a year. So, the three celestial objects form a clockwork on a grand scale.

The rhythmic functioning is not confined to the celestial objects alone. In fact, Nature is replete with rhythms in time. Periodic migration of birds to specific destinations year after year, the beating of our heart on which our life itself depends are some of the examples the programme cites.

The programme also illustrates how the dominance of time over human activities has increased with modernisation. And, how this has led Man to design clocks that work with immense accuracy - to one part in a billion! In the realm of the universe also one finds objects like Pulsars that flash light with utmost accuracy.

Theprogramme then turns to several things around us that tell us about the past - the layers of rocks that make up the Grand Canyon, Fossils and the annulus in a tree trunk. A panoramic view of the earth reflecting the times the dinosaurs ruled the earth is a visual delight.

Some of the questions often asked are related to the direction of time. Can time be reversed? If it could be done, what are the consequences? Will we, then, be able to peep into our past? Physicists have shown that this could be a mathematical possibility. But, can we ever transform this into a physical reality? Then, there is the question of whether or not one can know what is in store for one's future.

Finally, the programme addresses the important question - Does time have a beginning and an end. It goes on to say how the answer to this question is tied to our understanding of the ultimate fate of the universe itself.

All the ideas are neatly illustrated with colourful pictures, video clippings, special effects, artwork, cartoons and music.

Show Timings: Tuesday to Sunday
Kannada: 3:00 pm (also 11:30 am on Sundays)
English: 4:30 pm (also 12:45 pm on Sundays)
(Every Monday and the 2nd Tuesday of the month are holidays)
Tickets may be purchased 30 minutes before the show.

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