Curiosity, the Mars rover that is making news in Earth landed in a desolate patch (can a patch on an uninhabited planet be anything but desolate?) which has been named by NASA as Bradbury Landing after the American science fiction writer Ray Bradbury, who conveniently died around the days of Curiosity being parachuted down. The memory was fresh in the minds of NASA people, about the landing and also of the set of short stories by the author, Martian Chronicles.
I asked a colleague of mine to locate the corresponding Hindi word for “Landing” in this context. There was a palpable sense of urgency in my request.
He came back with the word, “Avtaran”.
Now, my suggestion for the name of the landing site for the Indian mission (where the US goes, China is sure to follow, and carrying the dragon’s tail, the Indian elephant will trundle behind) – Kalam Avtaran.
It is to put in my claim first and ahead of everyone else, I showed such urgency.
After all, A P J Abdul Kalam had been tagged the “Missile Man” even when he had nothing to do with missiles. That was one successful fiction, worthy of a Man Booker. Kalam has had far less connection to satellite missions, even the near-earth orbit ones. So, to carry on that tradition of associating things with people (fortunately real and not fictitious) who have had no connection to the thing named, I put in my claim for naming the Mars landing site after our illustrious former president, who really did not do much to be illustrious about.
That would be the second fiction and its author will be me! And, as the matter concerns science – naming a science mission is science, don’t you understand? – I become a science fiction writer! Then, when India lands anything anywhere, the landing site must be named after me.
That is the long-term plan.
Raghuram Ekambaram
I asked a colleague of mine to locate the corresponding Hindi word for “Landing” in this context. There was a palpable sense of urgency in my request.
He came back with the word, “Avtaran”.
Now, my suggestion for the name of the landing site for the Indian mission (where the US goes, China is sure to follow, and carrying the dragon’s tail, the Indian elephant will trundle behind) – Kalam Avtaran.
It is to put in my claim first and ahead of everyone else, I showed such urgency.
After all, A P J Abdul Kalam had been tagged the “Missile Man” even when he had nothing to do with missiles. That was one successful fiction, worthy of a Man Booker. Kalam has had far less connection to satellite missions, even the near-earth orbit ones. So, to carry on that tradition of associating things with people (fortunately real and not fictitious) who have had no connection to the thing named, I put in my claim for naming the Mars landing site after our illustrious former president, who really did not do much to be illustrious about.
That would be the second fiction and its author will be me! And, as the matter concerns science – naming a science mission is science, don’t you understand? – I become a science fiction writer! Then, when India lands anything anywhere, the landing site must be named after me.
That is the long-term plan.
Raghuram Ekambaram
6 comments:
Come on, Raghuram, science does borrow much from literature. For example, the word quark is taken from James Joyce's Ulysses. There are others though I don't recall the terms - age is affecting my scientific memory!
Raghu you should read an article in Hindu for the greatest Indian by Ramachandra Guha diplomatically disecting the Leg-end of kalam
Kalam mangli avtaran keshetra
(KMAK) may sound more apt impressive and like the movies of today sound fantastic.kmak name sounds scientific also like quark..
Matheikal, even the names of the planets that science uses are from myth ... Science will not acknowledge that it is borrowing, it will just arrogate the words! :)))
RE
Balu, that article was the source for this post!
RE
Yes DS sir, KMAK is just great. I just am not that imaginative. Thanks for the suggestion.
RE
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