Searching for the mysteries of the universe

{ ANUP GUPTA } Managing Editor, Integrations

In the middle of 2021, when Hari Pulakkat, the author of Space. Life. Matter., a former colleague and the winner of the Indira Gandhi Prize for Popularization of Science 2020, told me about his book, I was not quite excited. My loyalty to my ex-colleague might have triggered the purchase, but I’m not exaggerating when I say the book was unputdownable. Hari has been able to capture momentous developments in our nation’s journey in science and technology through the stories of the people who made it happen against all odds. It was the 1940s; India had gained its independence and money was in short supply but, as illustrated in these stories, the abundance in enterprise, commitment and leadership more than made up for that. There is no doubt Homi J Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai were stalwarts in the field of science and technology. But in this book, the reader is kept engaged with fascinating stories of the achievements of Govind Swaroop, CNR Rao and Man Mohan Sharma, to name a few. It is educative to learn how these talents were spurred on by Bhabha to contribute to nation-building. The only negative is the tendency for stories to ramble. Some tightening could have made them crisper. I leave you with this quote from Govind Swaroop, pioneer of radio astronomy in India: “People ask me this question - why are you building radio telescopes in a poor country? I ask them, ‘Why are you building temples? If temples are relevant, searching for the mysteries of the universe is also relevant’.” Quite an amazing thought process, I would think.