Udmal
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Astro-tourism
2026
Abhilash.Botekar, August 31, 2026: The Times of India
Nashik: While thousands leave their villages in search of brighter futures under city lights, a tribal youth from a remote corner of Nashik’s Surgana taluka believes prosperity lies in preserving the darkness. For Vipul Khiradi, the journey began with a simple act of looking up.
One night in 2019, as a 14-year-old Class VIII student at Eklavya English Medium Residential School in Nashik’s Satana taluka, he attended a stargazing programme organised by Pune-based AstronEra. The stars sparked a fascination that would eventually lead him to dream of putting his native village, Udmal, on the global astro-tourism map.
Today, the 22-year-old physics student is at the centre of an ambitious effort to transform the tribal-dominated village into Maharashtra’s first Dark Sky Community, a place where the night sky is protected from light pollution and turned into an asset for education, conservation and tourism.
“I was attracted to the twinkles,” Vipul said. “It generated a lot of interest in me, so much that Shweta Kulkarni, the director of AstronEra, asked me to join field events whenever they were conducted.”
As Vipul volunteered with AstronEra and travelled to astronomy events across the country, he discovered a world where darkness itself was a resource.
During one such visit to Manali, an idea hit him. “Why can’t my village be part of this world map?” he said.
Nestled in the hills of Surgana, away from the glare of urban development, Udmal already possessed something increasingly rare in modern India — naturally dark skies.
Villagers initially worried that a dark-sky project would mean restrictions on daily life and lighting. Vipul went door to door, explaining the goal. What started as a teenager’s dream soon evolved into a community movement.
“I was the first one from the village to fly to some places, thanks to AstronEra, and this alone was more than enough for me to convince the villagers that what I was doing had scope,” he said.
The vision has also received govt backing.
District collector Ayush Prasad said, “The administration has decided to provide Rs 42 lakh from the district planning committee to ensure the village gets recognition at the earliest. This might also encourage others to follow suit.”
Udmal is among 11 locations identified by the state for potential International Dark Sky Places designation, alongside destinations such as Kaas Plateau, Lonar and Toranmal.
