SURABHIJournal of Arts and LiteratureThe Bi-annual Journal of Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology
Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology
Department of Space
Valiamala, Thiruvananthapuram
Vol.14 No.2(December 2020)
From the Editor's Desk
Friends,
SURABHIwishesyouallaveryhappy2021.Thuswewitnessedayearofpandemic,and
weprovetobethebravesurvivorsofitshardblows.Thenewnormalinculcatednew
practicesandwelearnedtheartofwearingmasks,maintainingsocialdistancingand
handsanitization.Inspiteofallthedif�icultiesoftheperiodwearemarchingforward
withgreatervigourandcourage.Thisyear,Chandrayaan-2completedayeararoundthe
Moon, and PSLV successfully launched EOS-01 and nine customer satellites from
Sriharikota.
ThepandemicinstigatedthereadersandcontributorsofSURABHItoexploremoreon
the�ictionalandtheimaginaryandwehavegotanexcellentarrayofarticlescomprises
ofpoems,science�iction,travelogue,criticalreview,memoirs,etc.SURABHIappreciates
andacknowledgestheunstintingsupportofallinitsonwardjourney.
Wish you all a safe and happy 2021
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SilenceisnotPeace
ThroughGravity
TheTEAtotaller
Borninahauntedhouse
TheVenusianWedding
TheViciousCabaret
EnchantingBaliIsland
Life
Prathishodh
Painting
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1SURABHI (Vol-14 No.2 December-2020)
Peacefulmeadowsandgrasslands,
cemeteriessilentandgrim.
Noiselessnessmightbesharedbyboth
Butaclearcontrastisseen.
Peaceisafortune,fullofjoyanddelight
Itislikeatreasure,hiddeninplainsight.
Silenceisvoiceofthedevil
thatstripsone'sconscienceofrighteouslight.
Silencesilencesthemortalmind.
Itmakesone'sworriesresonate.
Silencekillsthejoyfulheart,
Itnurturessorrow,itnurtureshate.
Silenceconcealsthenature'scalls
Warningoneoftheimpendingstorm.
Silenceveilsthecriesofthesouls
ofthesoldiersinaworldatwar.
Askthesoldiersatthefrontier
abouttheirsilentsleeplessnights
whichtheyspentprotectingus
sowecouldcontinuewithourpeacefullives.
Onelifelessanddark
Theotheralivelybreeze
Forlightanddarkaredifferent
Silenceisnotpeace.
AmritShankarMishraSC20B141
2
UshasiBhowmick
SC17B160B.Tech-DualDegree2017-Engg.Physics
PART1:FUTUREEARTH
The�irstraysofabrilliantdawnsweptthroughthewindowsofthelargebutlonelyenclosure.Thesilenthumofthemachineryrangloudthroughtheairasthetelescopecloseditseyesthelasttimethatnight.Itwasonlytemporaryrespitethough,whileitscompanionsinearthorbits,deepspacebuzzedawaysilently,tirelessly,sendingtorrentsofdataintothepoormachineryofcomputer systems, by the minute. The burden, though, was not borne by these fantasticcreationsalone,theyweresharedbyagroggyastronomer,tuckedawayfarintothedepthsofearthinatinyof�icethathousedspectrometers,imagingdevicesandwhatnot.Thosewereheronlycompanions,asshespentnightafternightsiftingthroughthenumbers.
Astronomyusedtobeathingbefore.Muchbefore.Whenhumanswerestillinterestedintheiroriginandtheirend.Afterabillionyearsofpower,war,con�lictsandall,peoplerealised,�inally,thatitwasimportanttopreservethepresentthanrageaboutthefuture.Thus,sciencebecameaslavetotechnology,andallthefancifulstufflikeastronomyandtheoreticalphysicsgotburiedundergenerationsofhistory.
But thosedamnedmachines theysentuptherestillworked.Afterall, theydidn'thaveanyreasontostop.Today,onlyahandfulofpeoplewouldvisitthesemagni�icentobservatories,onceinawhile,andlookatthebeautifulpicturesweoncetook,ofthestars,ofthegalaxies,planetsbeyondourown.
Theastronomershutdownhermachines,andwalkedouttoadazzlingmorning.Sti�lingayawn,sheproceededtoshuf�leslowlydownthehillroad,alongwaytillthecity.Obviously,therewerebetter ways to travel, but who wants to miss an early morning stroll through the woodyundergrowth?
Buttherewassomethingwrongintheair.
Aquietchill,astrangesenseofforebodingintheatmosphere,thatwasenoughtomakeherglancefurtivelyaroundherafewtimes.
Untilalmostsuddenlyshecamefacetofacewithtwomen.
Strange!Theycameinsosuddenlythatshehadn'tevenseenthemarrive.
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Theastronomertookatensestepback,butthemenkepttheirdistance.Theystartedoffwithharmlessconversation,abouttheareaandtheobservatory,buttheirquestionsgotstrangerandstranger,untiltheastronomerfoundherselfwhiskedawayinavehicle,theyhadbroughtwiththem,muchagainstherconsent.
Shetriedtoprotest,tellingthemaboutherfamily,whowerewaitingforhertocomehome,butherincessantpleasstoppedafterapoint.Theymayhaveknockedheroutcold.
PART2:MIDJUPITERORBIT
Iwokeupinaroom,completelywhiteandcompletelyempty.Istillhadonthesameclothesaslastnight.Mybrainswitchedtopanicmodealmostimmediately,andIstoodstraightup.
Butsomethingfeltwrong.IhadbeenonearthlongenoughtoknowthatIwasn'tonit.Itwasn'tzero-gravity,Iwasn't�loatingaround,butmyownweightfeltjustwrong.Thisrealisationmademeswitchalmostimmediately,fromlets-scream-the-place-downtoadeadlycalm.
ButIdidn'thavetowaittoolongbeforetheimpossiblywhiteroomwasn'tsowhiteanymore.Someoneenteredthroughadoor,whichIcouldn'tpossiblyhaveseen.Itwasaman…well…almost.
Fromheight,weightandbodystructureheseemedalmosthuman,buthis(?)eyes,electricbluewithbig,goldenpupils.Tendrilsofblueranthroughthesurfaceofhisskin,whatwasvisiblebeneathseeminglyordinaryclothing.InretrospectIshouldhavebeenmorescaredtoseeanextra-terrestriallifeform,butmybrainwastoonumbtoprocessanythingatthatmoment.
Thankfullyhebrokethesilence.
“Iknowyou'reworriedaboutyourfamily.Don'tworry,you'llbebackbythetimetheyrealiseyou'remissing.”
Hewastalkinginmylanguage.Musthavebeenlearningitallthiswhile…ormaybetherewassomehiddeninstrumenttodothejob?
ItwasonlyafteralongsilencethatIreplied.
“Howmuchofyouisanillusion?”
He(?)chuckled,“Enoughtopreventyoufrompassingoutinfear.”
“WhereamI?”
“We'reclosetoalandingsiteonaJovianmoon,Io.”
“Forsomeonewhoclearlydoesnotbelongtothisstar,youknowourtermswell.”
“It'sonlypolite.”
“HowamIstandingrightnow?”
“Becauseofthat.”,hesaidpointingbelowme.
Ilookeddownto�indthatthewhite�loorhadturnedtransparent,andbelowthatwasastrangesquare,almostmetallic,blackstructure.Through thesilence, I couldhear the fainthumofelectricpower.
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“Arti�icialgravity?”,Iasked.Istilldon'tknowwhyIwasn'tsurprised.
“Youcansaythat”,hereplied,shrugging.
“Whatwillyoudotomyfamily?”
“Nothingatall.”
“Thenhow- oh.”,Imutteredsoftly.“Yousetupsomethinglikethisatmyhouse.”
Henodded.“Gravitycanslowtime”,herepliedsoftly.
“Andthisistherealdeal,isn'tit?Notamerry-go-roundthatgoesaroundmakingusbelievewe'restucktoitsoutside,butarealspace-timebender…”
Henodded.
“Wow.”
ThatwasallIcouldsayatthatmoment.Itwasonlyafteraconsiderableamountoftimethatitoccurredtometoaskthemostimportantquestionofall.
“WhyamIhere?”
Hesmiled.
“Becauseweneedyou.”
Iglaredathimsceptically,butIlethim�inishhisstory.
“Westayinasystemthatyouhavealreadyseen.Yearsago,scientistsatourplanetdidanumberofexperiments,thosewhichhelpedusmakerevolutionarystrides.Arti�icialgravitywasone,butthatwasonlythebeginning.Withthesecretstowarpingtheveryfabricoftheuniverseunlocked, we progressed tomakingmore andmore exotic environments, till one day, wecreatedsomethingakintomagic.Itwasaportal,ashortcut,somethingthatcouldconnectanytwopointsinspacetime.Youcallitawormhole.
Thisinventiontookuswaybeyondanythingwe'veevergonebefore.Wecouldgotodifferentstars,galaxieseven,�indnewplanets,maybeevendiscoverotherslikeus.”
“Howmuchdiditcost?Tocreatethewormhole?”,Iasked.
Helookedup.
“Buildingawormholeitselfisabigdeal,buttostabiliseit…keepthetunnelopenlongenoughforsomethingtogothrough…”,Iwenton,“Ican'tevenbegintoimaginetheamountofresource,fuelandpoweryou'dneedtoachievesomethinglikethat.”
“Tokeepitopenyouneedexoticmatter…withtheirnegativeenergyandnegativemass…Well.Tocreateallthat,andmoreimportantly,createenoughofit.Planets.You'llneedawholeplanet'sworthofhydrogentogeneratethatmuchpower.”
“Youmean,youdemolishedanentireplanetjusttomakeaportal?!”,Ireplied,astounded.
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“It wasn't too great a sacri�ice”, he replied, almost nonchalantly, “Our system is full ofhumungousgasgiantslikethisone,thatonlyblockourviewsandbendourtrajectories.Andtheresultswerebrilliant.Wecouldgofurtherthananyonehasevergonebefore,differentstars,adifferentgalaxyevenifwewant.Untilonedaywecrossedalineweshouldn'thave.”
Icouldalreadyfeelmyheartsinktothe�loor.“Whatdidyoudo?”,Iasked,almostscared.
“Wetriedtocreateaportalthatwouldtravelthroughtime.”
Igasped.
“Wethoughtwe'donlyneedtomakeanupgrade.”
“Yeahsure…”,Irepliedsarcastically,“Allyouneedtodoismakeoneendspin,messwiththerelativityattheentranceandexit…nobigdealhuh?”
Hesmiled.“Yeah…maybespinitaroundtheblackhole?”
Myhandswentuptomymouth,instinctively.“AREYOUINSANE?”
“We'vegonewaytoofarbeyondinsanity…anyhow,weneededpowerandweneededgravity.So,wewenttoanearbyblackholesystemwithanaccretiondisk.Wethoughtwewerefarenoughtoavoidanyrealdisastertooursystemifwefailed.Butwewerewrong.Whenthewormholecollapsed,itmadeablackhole,spinningaroundtheonethatalreadyexists.Spirallingintoit.Someday,theywillcollapseintoeachother.Oncethemergerstarts,itwillgobbleupeverythingaroundit.Ourplanet.Andyours.”
“Howlongdowehave?”
“Onlyacouplethousandyears.”
PART3:SECRET
Iwasinthedarkwhenhenextcameback.ThistimeIfacedhimwithalotmorecomposurethanbefore.Buthewasn'taloneinthissubstation,therewereothers,fromhisworldandfrommine.Thiswholecrazyadventurehadassumedbizarreproportions,anditwasfarfromtheend.IrepeatedthequestionIhadbegunwith,themostimportantoneofall.
“WhyamIhere?”
“Tosaveourplanet,andyours,weneedtoevacuate,weneedtocreateanotherwormhole.Todothatweneedanenergysource.Somethingthatcanportalawayeveryone,notjustoneortwospace-crafts.”
Thestatementtookmeafewmomentstocomprehend.Andthenitstruckme.
“No.”
Theyhadfoundmeoutright.SomethingthatIknew,aphenomenonthatIhaddiscoveredlongago.Somethingthatcouldtrulysolvethisproblem,andallothersinfuture.
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“Don'tyouwanttogobackhome?Yourfamilyandeveryonewillbewaiting…allyouneedtodoistellusthecoordinates,andallthiswouldbeover.”Saidone,impatiently.Iglaredbackintothedeeppurpleeyeswithanunusualferocity.
“Youcan'tthreatenme,it'smorethanmylife'sworthtotellyouwhatyouwanttoknow.”Ireplied.
Thealienstartedarudereply,buttheonewiththeelectric-blueeyesstoppedhimgently.
“Don'tyouwanttosaveyourownplanet?”,heasked.
“Yes.”,Ireplied,“ButwhatmakesyouthinkIwillleakthesecretsofalmostin�initeenergytoabunchofcreatureswhodestroyedtheirentirestarsystem,justtomakeyesterdaytomorrow?Doyouactuallycaresomuchaboutyourkind?Doyourealisewhatyouallmightendupdoingifyouknew?Heck,youmightjustdestroytheentireuniverse.”
“So,youagree?”,repliedanother,thistimewitheyesasgreenassea,“Youbelievethatanin�initeenergysourcecanexist?”
Ilaughed.“Well,youstandhere,havingtravelledlightyearsthroughwormholes,you'vecreatedblackholes,youalmostmanagedtotravelbackintime,andyetyouhavetheaudacitytotellmeawhiteholecan'texist?”
“Themathdoesn'tworkout.”Repliedblue-eyes.
“Youmustnotbedoingitright.”
Irelishedthedeafeningsilencethatfollowed.
“Imagineaball,falling.Eventuallyitwillhitthe�loor,anditwillbouncerightbackup.Butabouncingballissameasafallingone,reversedintime.Sincetimealwaysgoesforward,doesthatmeanthatifafallingballexistinthisrealitythebouncingonecan't?No.Aball,whenitstartsfallingwillgoupbeforeitstartsfallingagain.Ablackholethuswillturnintowhite,beforeitturnsblackagain.Butnotevery�loorcanbounceaballbackup.Thus,noteveryblackholecanconvertintoawhitehole.
Butsomeballscanbounce.Someblackholescanmaketheswap.Justlikeeverythingelseinthisuniverse,ablackholewillalsodie.Someday,itwillshrivelup,becomingsmallerandsmaller.Butthehostofinformationthatitgobbledupduringitslifetimecannotdisappear.Atsomepointithastospititout.Therearemanywaystodothis,butsomewillmanagetogiveitbacktothesamespaceitgobbledfrom.Theinformation,andwiththat,energy.In�initeunendingenergy.Awhitehole.Butto�indasystemthatisgoingthroughthisphaseisincrediblyrare.”
“Andyou'vefoundone.”
“Thatsecretdieswithme.”
“Atthecostofyourownplanet?”
Istoppedshort.
“Hearmeout”,hesaid.
“Goahead”
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“Ifwestartbuildingshipstodayandshovingpeopleintowormholesoneatatime,we'llnevermakeitoutintime.Acouplethousandyearssoundsalot,butkeepinmind,Gravityslowstime.Andtravellingthroughawormhole,atunnelofsuchimmensegravity…well.Besideswherewouldwego?Foraeonswe,andyouhavesearchedforhabitableplanetsbeyondourown.But,imaginethis,whywouldn'taplanet,perfectlycapableofhostinglife,notbeinhabitedinthe�irstplace?Andifitreallywere,whywouldtheyletusshareit?Doyoureallythinkit'dbefairifwefoughtourwaythroughit?”
“No.”,Iwhispered.
“So,themostlogicalthingtodowouldbetostayintheequilibriumwe'vebeengiven.Wemaynotbecapableofsavingthestar,butwecansavetheplanet.Andaslongasaplanet�indsanewparentstar,itwillcontinuetohostlifeforeternity.”
“So,youwanttoshiftyourentireplanettoanewstarsystem?”
“Andyourstoo.”
Isighed.“Andyoucannevergetenoughpowertodothatwithjustagasgiant.Orevenawholestar.That'swhyyouneedthewhitehole.”
“Yes.”
“So,theplanis…?”
“Ifyouletusknowthecoordinates,wewillusethisplanettoportalusthere.Wewilltapintoitsenergytocreatetwoportals,oneforusandoneforyou.Thiswilltransportustoayoungbinarystarsystem,withahabitablezonebigenoughtohostbothplanets,awayfromthehazardofthemerger.Thesystem inquestionhas therightsetup tomaintainEarth's temperature.Heatdistributionandwindpatternwouldchangeabit,sodifferentseasonsdifferentmoons,that'sit.Wecan�igureoutthedetailsontheway.”
Isunkintoadeepmeditation.ButIalreadyhadtheanswer.Ihadknownitsincethebeginningoftheconversation.
“I'lltellyouthecoordinates.Butonlyoneofyou.Onepersonwhocanbuildthetwoportals.OnepersonthatIcantrustwillkeepmysecret.”
“We'lltakeit”,Theonewiththeblueeyesreplied.
PART4:INFINITEENERGY
Themachinerywasinorbit,butthepeopleweregone.Onlytwosoulsremained,circlingthegiantplanetthatwasoncetheprideofthesolarsystem,thebirthplaceofmodernastronomy.Amonstrosityofliquidhydrogen,aworldwithoutasurfacetostandon,justmistandvapour,thatragedinto�ierystormsthatleftitsscarsforeternity.Now,someadvancedarchitecture,withinterlockedmetalringssurroundedJupiterinahaloofitsown,likeabirdinacage.Attheicypole,thetwosouls,theastronomerandthealien.
Themachinerywhirred into action, glowing amultitude of colours, some seen and someunseen. As the halo brightened, the planet darkened, imploding into itself in a whirl ofincomprehensiblevisuality,speckledthroughwithwavesofluminescencethatrushedintotheoceanofnewgravity.Thentherewasdarkness.
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When theastronomeropenedhereyes, shewasnowhere.A space so far andwideand socompletelyempty,thatnotevenaspeckoflightcouldpervadethroughthewindowsofthespaceship.
“Arewethere?Idon'tseeanything”,Thealienasked,soundingratherworried.
“Ofcoursenot.”,repliedtheastronomer,“Awhiteholeisn'tastarthatwouldjustglow.Inessenceit'sjustablackhole,buttiny,andyoucan'treallyseeituntilitdoesthat–“
A blinding �lash of light illuminated the darkness, the next moment, and there was lighteverywhere,sobrightthatitwasalmostasimpenetrableasthedarkness.Thenitwasgone,assuddenlyasitcame.
Thewonderintheeyesofthealienwereakintowhattheastronomerfelt,andshewasrelieved,foramoment,thatshewasnotentirelyaloneinthisexperience.
Thus,beganthewholeprocessofbuildingandsettingthingsup.Thatitselfwouldtakeawhile,yearseven.Itwasn'tjustoneportalanymore,butthree.Twothatcameherefromhome,andonethatwentawaytowhatwillbehome.Aportalthisgiganticwouldn'tlasttoolongforsure,butwithenoughexoticmatterinit,itmayjustlastenoughforthetransportationtohappen,safely.Also,itwasashotinthedark,forthewhiteholegavenovisualaidtotheprocedure.
Thistime,however,allwerewaryofconsequences.So,theportalgateswerenotaroundthewhitehole,butfarenoughawayhopefully.Themachineryjoinedupandputitselftogetherinabeautifulmonumentofterrifyingproportions,biggerthanplanetarydimensions.
Daysandnightspassed.Thosewordsnolongermadeanysensetotheastronomerandthealien,butitremainedonasanicewayofkeepingtrackoftime.Aftermanycyclesoftheclock,therestood the �inal structure, three gigantic interlocked hoops, all connected at the top by anintricatehoneycombofmechanicsandcircuitry.
Thistime,itwastheastronomerwhoseemedunfazedabouttheexecutionoftheaffairs.
“What'stheworstthatcanhappen?”,sheremembersbeingasked.
“Well,awhiteholeisadelicateequilibrium,ifwedisturbit…wellatitsworstitwouldgobacktobeingablackhole.And…that'sprobablywhatisgoingtohappenanyway.”
“Woulditleadtoanothermerger?”
“Idon'tthinkitwould.Thisone'seventhorizonistiny.Whatwehavetoworryaboutisthiswormholetriosetup,thatismorelikelytocollapseonitself.”
“Don'tworryaboutthat.Thatissomethingwe'vedonebefore,soIknowhowtomakeitwork.”
“Ihopethey'reready”,saidtheastronomer,“Weonlyhaveoneshotatthis.”
Andtheyhadnowaytocon�irm.Toofartocommunicatewithearth,alleachpartyhadwasacarefullycalculatedmathematicaltimestamp.Theyhadto�inishprepbeforethat.Byanymeansnecessary.
Thealienandtheastronomerlookedintoeachother'seyesastheypressedthebutton.
Andthentheywaited.
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Soonenough,thewhiteholelitupagain,inallitsradiantfervour,butthistimeitwasdifferent.Themachinerylitupalongwith,glowinguptoallcoloursofthespectrum.Thistime,energywasn'tneitherinstantaneousnoreverywhere,itbeamedthroughthechannelsandchannelsofcircuitryuntilthethreeinterlockedhoopsbeganto�lash,anddisplaythestrangestofsightsofadistortedspacetime.Withthepower,cametheexoticmatter,intorrents,�illingupthetriplewormholes,maintainingthechaostheyhadcreated.
Thetimestampsmusthaveworked,fortheastronomercaughtglimpsesofhope,�lashesofblueinthejunctionofthetwoportals.Itwasofsuchmomentaryduration,thatyoucouldnevertellwhatreallypassedthrough, if ithadn'tbeenforthestrongradiopulsesentoutbythetwoplanets,a�leetingthumbsup.
Thebrilliantcivilisationthatcreatedthisphenomenonhadalwaysonlysentthroughships.Thismeantthatthewormholestheyhadmade,weresmallenoughtoholdopenuntiltheinnerexoticmatterdissipatedout,slowly.However,thepassageofsuchhugeobjectsthroughsuchadelicatetunnelmeant that the tunnelwouldcollapse,and itdid, spewingout the torrentsofexoticmatter it had contained within itself. It came out in a brilliant showerof sparks from theinterjectionofthethreegateways.
Thewhitehole,thathadnowturnedblack,gobbledupthisincomingmatterwithgreatgusto,channellingitintoamagni�icentspiralaroundit.Adensespiralthatcontainedalonespaceship,nowlockedinitsgravity,thathadneverbeendesignedtosurvivethismatterformorethanafewminutes.
Forafewmoments,therewasutterpandemonium.Adesperateattemptofsurvival.Butastheshipsouterlayersbegantoevaporateaway,itleftapeacefulcalm.Withthewhiteholegoneandthewormhole collapsed they had no hope ofmaking it to star B in the �irst place.Maybespontaneous combustion was a better end than aeons of futile journey through deepspaceleadingtostarvation.
“Ihopetheygettomournmeright.Myfamily.”
Herhandsgentlystrokedthroughthetendrilsofblueonthesoftskin.Thetinymetallicdevicethatwashiddenbehindthealien'searandhadservedasameansoftranslation,nowlayonatablenearby.Theyhadnotneededitinalongtime.Thelastthingshesawwasthesoftelectricblueeyeswiththegoldenpupils,shiningwithpainandaffection.
“Beautiful.”Shemurmured.
PART5:NEWSUN
Forthenextmanyyears,thepeopleofearthwouldrecitethestrangeeventsthattookplacethatday.Firsttheskywentdark.Acertainportionofasuper-secretsquadknewthistobetheeffectof arti�icial gravity shields they had set up. Thiswasmuch needed, or else thewormholewould'verippedtheplanetintoshreds.Forafewsecondstherewasanextraordinarysensation,thatnooneintheplanetcoulddescribe,exceptthatitmadesomepeoplesick.Whentheskycameback,thereweretwosunsonit!
That evening nobody saw the moon, much to everyone's astonishment. However, theyoccasionallycaughtglimpsesofanotherplanetwayouttothedistance.Itwasbigenoughtoseewiththeeye,ifanyonecaredatallaboutthedifferencebetweenthestarandplanet.
Theastronomer'sfamilyhadlongmovedpasttheirdaughter'sabsence,foragoodmeasuretoo,fornoamountoftimedilationcanpostponetheinevitabilityofdeath.
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Suchmiraclesdrove some tobelieve inGodandGod'sworks,while it droveothers intoascienti�icfervourthathadbeenlonglost.Alongwiththemoon,gonewerethehaloofsatellitesthathadbeen thesourceofall information importantandunimportant.So, thesenewerascientistswouldhavetostartsomewhatfromscratch.Somedaytheywouldlookupthroughthepagesandpagesofhistory,rediscoveringtheachievementsofthegenerationsbefore.Somedaytheywouldrealisethattheneighbouringplanetalsohadlife,maybeeven�indoutabitaboutthesacri�icesmadebytheastronomerandthealien,butfornow,theirworkwasGod'swork.That,initselfwashighpraise,worthyofthesacri�icetheyhadmade.
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APPENDIXBlackHoles:Regionsintheuniversewithsuchstronggravitysuchthatevenlightcannotescape.Thegravityinsideablackholeconvergestoasinglepoint“Singularity”.Accretiondisk:ahaloofmattersurroundinganyobjectwithstronggravity,i.e.,blackholes.Thisconsistofmatterorenergythateitherorbittheblackholeorarefallingintoit.Arti�icialGravity:TechnologiesthatsimulatetheeffectofthegravityonEarth.Theeasiestwayisbyacentrifuge.Whenspinning,peopleinsidewouldbestucktotheouterrim,causingthemtofeelthatthey'reunderactionofgravity.InEinstein'stheory,theworldaroundusislikeafabricmadeofspace-time.Heavyobjectscausedentsintothisfabric,andanythingnearbycouldslideintothisdent,i.e.,gravity.Thus,technologiesthatcausesuchbendingofspacetimewillbeabletosimulategravity.
https://www.science.org.au/curious/space-time/gravity#
·GravitationalTimedilation:ConsequenceofEinstein'sGeneraltheoryofrelativity.Presenceofstronggravitycanslowtime.Con�irmedexperimentally.Wormholes:Ajunctionoftwoblackholesconnectedattheirsingularity,formsapassagethroughwhichonecantravel.Stabilisingsuchapassageforinterstellartravelmakesuseofexoticmatteri.e.,particleswith(theoretically)negativeenergydensity.(Schwarzschildwormhole)
https://jila.colorado.edu/~ajsh/bh/schww.html
·https://www.space.com/20881-wormholes.html
·Whiteholes:Mirrorimagesofblackholes.Regionswhichcannotcapturelight,butemitit,in�initely.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_hole
·https://www.space.com/white-holes.html
·Timetravel:Wormholesareshortcutsthroughspace.Ifeitherofthetwoendsofthewormholeissubjecttointerferencefromgravitationalsources(i.e.,Blackholes),thiscancausetimedilationeffectsbetweentheentranceandexit,enableustotraveltopastorfuture.
https://web.mit.edu/asf/www/Wilfred_Wormhole/wormhole.pdf
·https://www.businessinsider.in/science/there-are-2-types-of-time-travel-and-physicists-agree-
that-one-of-them-is-possible/articleshow/61742986.cms
·Whileexistenceofblackholesiscon�irmedviaastronomicalobservation,whiteholesandwormholesaretheoretical.AllthreearesolutionsofEinstein'stheoryofGeneralrelativity.
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Ms.SindhuShyleshSr.HeadP&S
HumanSpaceFlightCentre(HSFC)Bengaluru
Mattersoftastegovernourlifestyle.Butthe
taste for tea predominates, de�ining the
character of a person, the character of
peopleandcommunity. Toanondrinkerof
tealikeme,theworldisdividedintopeople
whodrinkteaandpeoplewhodonot.And
thepeoplewhodonotdrink tea,makean
insigni�icant part of the populace and can
bestbeignored,theiropinionsonallthings
general,inconsequential.
ThisisthefeelingwhichIhaveexperienced
manyatimeinmyof�iciallife,whenaftera
meeting with a company, where we are
havingaroundofnegotiationsonacontract,
and both the opposing sides are keenly
bargainingforthebestdeal,smilesonour
faces,but the steelydecision tonotbudge
andgiveintothecoaxingandcajolingofthe
opposite partyparamount, tea seems to
dissolveallthebarriers.Whentheattendant
walksinwithatrayofsteamingcupsoftea,
the belligerence and the competition
vanishes, like thesteamcomingoutof the
tea cups. I watch the magic wand of the
steaming cups in amazement, the cutting
edge of competition seems to have been
bluntedandalleyesareonthetea,exceptof
coursemine,whichlooksonwithirritation
forthisceremony tobeover,andgetalong
with the more important business of our
work. A benign look sett les on the
countenances of the tea drinkers and the
elaborateteaceremonybegins.
Theteaissipped.Andmanyslipawayinto
another world. The world where all tea
drinkerssomehowconverge.Iremain,like
oilinwater,analienamongmyownpeople,
tapping impatiently with my feet, for the
mentocomedownintotheworldofliving.
Butthen,somethinghashappened.Thereis
afeelingofbonhomieandadealisstruck,a
win-winone.Amtakenaback!Theteahas
magicindeed!Whatseemedimpossibleand
there seemed to be no way of bridging
opposite banks of ideology and company
policyseemedtohavebeenbridgedbyTea.
Thewarringfactionswereonenow,theTea
wasthesalve,thegluestickingtheopposite
factionstogether.
Ihaveknownmanypeople,myclosefriends
andrelatives,whocannotwakeupwithout
tea.Someguestsdemandbedteaandsome
warnusthepreviousnightitself,thatthey
require tea �irst thing in themorning. It is
dif�icult to completely erase the sadistic
smileonmyface,“Wouldn'titbeniceifthese
teadrinkersweremaroonedonadeserted
SURABHI (Vol-14 No.2 December-2020) 11
12
islandwithouttea?'Howwilltheywakeup
then? ' Am te l l ing you , i t requires
tremendouswillpowertokeepanamiable,
smilingcountenancewhileservingtea�irst
thing in the morning, to zombies, who
wouldnothaveanyotherwaytocomeback
tolifeexceptforconsumingtheirlifegiving
elixir,Tea.
And sometimes, drinking tea becomes a
matteroflifeanddeath. Iwonder,ifthese
teadrinkers,weregivenachoiceofhavinga
cup of steaming tea to actually escaping
fromaburningbuildingorasinkingshipor
a deserted island , they might actually
choosetheformer.Ihavehadanexperience
which makes me think such drastic
thoughts. We had gone sight seeing to
Kashmirwithmanyfamiliesandwewanted
toridetheCablecarinGulmarg.Itwasone
of the star attractionsof our tour andwe
werealreadyrunninglate.The queuefor
the cable carwas longandwe reached in
timeforthelastrideoftheday.Thesunwas
abouttoset.Asweallwererunningtomake
ittothequeue,Isawashackwhichsoldtea
ontheroadside.Ijustgaveitacursorylook
and continued running towards the cable
car.Aftersomestepsforward,Inoticedthat
therewasnoonewithme.AsIlookedback
worriedly,Iwasshockedtoseemyfriends
�locking around the tea shack. I shouted,
“Hurry!Youwillmissthecablecar”.But,a
particular expression of bliss was on the
faces of all my tea drinking pals. The
expressionconveyed“No.Thecablecarcan
waitorgo tohell!Teahad tobedrunk”. I
wentonaheadandexperiencedoneofthe
bestmoments ofmy life. As I came back,
'ecstacy' envelopingmeandoozingoutof
every pore of my countenance, I strutted
towardsmyfriends,afeelingofscorninside
me. 'They missed the heavenly sights of
Gulmarg for the commonplace tea'? But
then,thatdayIlearntalesson.Therewasno
repentanceontheirfaces.Theecstacyonmy
face was re�lected in their countenances
also.“Chaibadhiyahai”(Theteaisextremely
good).Andeveryonewasatconsensuson
this one. What was better than to have
delicious, steaming tea with friends on a
snow coveredhill side,with a viewof the
red,settingsun?
Now,foranondrinkeroftea,therecipefor
theperfectteaissomethingwhichyoucan
nevermasterinalifetime.MyfriendTina's
tea, Prita's Tea, Ammini Auty's tea, my
parent's tea, my parents'-in-law's tea, my
Jijaji'stea,myboss'stea-everyonehastheir
own recipe for theperfect cupof tea.And
ofcourse,theirrecipeisthebestone.There
are discussions and arguments and
discoursesonhowtheperfectteaismade.It
starts conversations and establishes
bonding between disparate individuals,
whereasIglanceatthemuncomprehending.
Thisallseems“muchadoaboutnothing”to
me.
Chaimeinadrakchahiye.(Gingerisrequired
to make tea) Ok, I added ginger. But, my
friendTinaaskedme,“Kyasabjibanayahai?
(Haveyoumadecurry?).Mymotherinlaw
swearsbyelaichi.Iaddedelaichi.Againmy
friend Tina said, “ Kya kheer pila rahi
ho?”(Areyougivingmekheertodrink?).The
best Tea is plain, just tea with milk and
water.”Myparent'ssay,“thebestteaismade
strong, in justmilkwithoutaddingwater”.
SURABHI (Vol-14 No.2 December-2020) 12
13
But,Ammaniauntysayswisely,“Teashould
neverbeoverwhelmedwithmilk,the�lavor
ofteashouldcomeout.Toomuchmilkwill
drownoutthetea”.Shemoveshereyebrows
expressively,widenshereyesandmovesher
�ingers giving emphasis towhat she says,
like a dancer enacting a scene. I look
mesmerized,likearabbitinfrontofacar's
headlights,“Yes?”Soboilitinwater,tillthe
�lavours come out. Can't you smell the
aromaofit?“Aroma”,howcanItellherthat
thesmellofteamakesmesick.Shemighttry
meforblasphemy.ToherTeawasaGodand
all Teadrinkerswere followingareligion
named'Tea'.ThatIwassure.SoIhadbetter
be careful and school my expression and
editmywords,sothatnowordmaligning
Teacameoutofmylips.
AndmyGujarati friends, swearbymasala
chai.AndtheyhugmewhenImakestrong,
sweetmasalachai for them.When Imade
the same for my relative from Kerala, an
expressionofsufferingcameoverhisface.
“Next time, Iwillmake the tea”, he said. I
have�inallyresignedtothefact thatwhile
making tea, am treading on uncharted
waters and will always do so. With my
friendsandrelatives,Ihavereachedalevel
of understanding.When they come tomy
house,Ikeepthemilk,chai,sugar,allspices
ready.Ishowthemthegasandbuildupthe
friendship and warmth between us with
sweetandspicy conversation. I leave it to
themtodecideonthequalityoftheteaby
allowingthemtomakeit.
But, of course for the new guests in my
house,Ihavetomaketheteamyselfanditis
alwayswithafeelingofapprehensionthat
Iapproachthemwiththatsteamingcupof
tea.Iarriveattherecipebylookingattheir
faces, the community they come fromand
about their preferences from their
conversation. After gleaning some facts, I
make customized tea. I watch them with
hawkeyes,astheytakethe�irstsip.Iftheydo
notpauseandcontinuedrinking,amhappy.
Iftheyhavedif�icultycompleting,afamiliar
feeling of dejection comes over me. But,
there are rare occasions, when the guest
smiles atmewith thewarmest smile and
say” The Tea is good”. That is when I
understand, that drinking Tea is a culture
and by serving people good tea, I am
somehowaddedtotheircircleoffriends.
Maybe God has come to my rescue by
shieldingmefromtheoneroustaskoftrying
to understand the psychology of tea
drinkersonadailybasis.Myhusbanddoes
notdrinkteaandIthankGodforthisevery
day.Andtillthisday,thiscontinuestobethe
one of the few things which we have in
common.AndIwouldalsoliketoaddthat,
my husband not being a 'Tea drinker',
thoughnotoneofthefactorsclinchingthe
marriagedealbetweenuswasde�initelythe
'straw'whichtippedthescalesinhisfavour.
So, lets acknowledge the power of Tea in
in�luencingustomakelifedecisions.
Still, I remember the advice given by my
boss. 'Startdrinking tea.Sinceyouarenot
drinking tea, you are excluded from the
feelingofcomradeshipanddon'tseemlike
partoftheteam”HowcouldItellhim,that
thesmellofTeamakesmequeasyandIthink
it'sthevilestthinginvented?No,thatwould
beunwise.ThenextbestthingIdidwas, I
starteddrinkingCoffee.
SURABHI (Vol-14 No.2 December-2020)
14
Dr.NikhilEyeroorLibraryOf�icer-C,IIST
In 1979 my dad's hunt for an affordable
rentedhouseinThrissurcametoanendin
an alleged haunted house. A young man
Jerryhad committed suicide in thehouse.
AftertheincidentJerry'sfamilytriedtorent
out the house. But whoever occupied the
house ended up in weird incidents like
hearing strange noises during midnight,
footsteps in the attic, swinging of coconut
leavesinanunlikelyhourofnight.
However,thestoriesdidn'tdetermydad.His
concernwasonlyabudgetfriendlyrented
house. Nothing special happened in the
initial days. Neighbours commended my
daringdad.Howeversomeoldladiestriedto
“educate”mydadbecausemymomwasin
the�inalstageofpregnancyanditwasme
whowaswaitingtoseetheworld.
OnapleasantFebruarymorning,Icameto
see the light of the world. Neighboring
ChechisandAmmamaswereveryeagerto
seethechubbyboybutallwereafraidtostep
intothehauntedhouse.Somebraveladies
took the risk by peeping through the
window.
Anywaythecalmnessofthehousedidn'tlast
long.Onenightbrisk footsteps in the attic
made my dad awake. In microseconds he
becomesreadyto�ightmode.He�lexedhis
musclesandrushedtotheattic,alas!Itwasa
big rodent satiating his appetite with a
coconut pie. My dad �ixed a rat trap and
caughttheculpritnextnight.
My dad, triumphant and proud gave an
orientation class to the neighbours. As a
con�irmedatheistheproclaimed“allthose
ghosts and devils in the universe areman
made”. Poor neighbours listened to his
words with awe. However everything was
cool for another three days. Fourth day at
midnight, again Jerry's spirit started his
prank. A coconut tree in the yard started
swingingwithoutwind.Mydadjumpedout
withhis six cell torch light.He �lashed the
lighttothetopofthecoconuttree.Suddenly
a two legged creature jumped down and
escaped.Mydadshoutedandfollowedhim.
The“apparition”disappeared.Suddenlymy
dad noticed a pair of rubber slippers left
nearthecoconuttree.Hearingthenoisein
the midnight all neighbours came out.
SURABHI (Vol-14 No.2 December-2020)
1515
Mydadannounced“Iamgoingtoreportthis
incidenttothenearbypolicestation,sniffer
dogswillsmellthechappalsandcatchthe
culprit”.MydadwassurethatJerry'sspirit
wasthecreationofsomemiscreantsnearby
who regularly extract toddy from the
immaturein�lorescenceofcoconuttreesin
the yard.Dadspsychological trickworked
well. Next day morning “spirit of Jerry”
showedupandapologised.Thatwastheend
oftheghoststoryforever.
My dad used to tellme some reasons for
weird happenings in the alleged ghost
houses.
(1)Due to seasoning and climatic changes
expansion and contraction of wood can
happen. Temperaturevariationsmakethe
newwoods dry and eventually doors and
windows can slightly openby themselves.
The slight movements of doors and
windows will lead to creaking noise
especiallyintheoddhours.
(2)Inhotweather,thesunononesideofthe
house will make the wall hotter than the
other side. Noises are more common at
night when the most rapid change in
temperature occurs at night. Trapped air
pockets in pipes and �lowing water also
producestrangenoisesatnight.
(3) A newly cleaned window leading to
re�lections and distortions in peripheral
vision can cause signs ofmovement. The
human imagination creates patterns and
fantasticshapesonwindowpanes.
(4)Scratchingandnestingofrodentsonthe
roofareothersourcesofstrangenoiseinthe
dark.Nightbirdslikeowlmaytakeshelteron
yourrooftoptoeattheirpreyundisturbed.
Thenocturnalactivitiesintheroofcanalso
be frightening in the silence of night. The
callsofsomefrogs,catsandcaninessound
like human conversation and they are the
�irst-line offenders in the list especially in
theirmatingseasons.
Howeveraslongasmanpossessignorance,
greed and addiction, the market for all
conceptslikeGhost,Poltergeist,Occultand
Ouijawillremain.However,letushopethat
we can mould a scienti�ically conscious
generationbyinstillingascienti�icmindset,
inquisitivespiritandanalyticalpowerfrom
anearlyage.
SURABHI (Vol-14 No.2 December-2020)
16
ShashankTomar
SC17B045B.Tech2017-AerospaceEngg.
Arjunwokeupwithastart,strugglingforbreath-feelingabiggaseoushandclampingdownon
his throat, depriving his tension-ridded mind of the much-needed oxygen for survival.
Clamberingtohissensesherealizedthathehadforgottentochargehislife-suitbeforesleeping,
afatalmistakeonewouldsayonaplanetlikeVenus.Hethankedthestarsforwakingupontime
(thefewthatwerevisiblefromtheplanet)andchuckledtohimselfthathadhisluckworked
earlier,hewouldn'tneedtobehere.
HecalledREMO,hisautomatedassistant.
“Whatisthetemperatureoutside?”
“Thetemperatureoutsideis410degreeCelsius”
“Thatcouldbeconsideredwinterhere”astheplanet'saveragetemperatureclockedataround
460-degreeCelsius.Eventhoughhehadbeenontheplanetformorethan36hoursnow,hestill
couldn'tgetusedtothelocationofhisVenusianabode,rightbesidea�lowingriveroflava.
“Well...”hethoughttohimself,“Onecansurvivelivingherebutnotthewrathofato-be-abride
whohasmessedupherweddinggowncumspacesuit”.Arjunwastomarryher�ianceAnna
precisely12hoursfromnow,whenthesunwouldsetonVenus�inallyafter116days.This
speci�icmaneuverhadcostedArjunalotofmoneyastheInterstellarSpaceAuthority(ISA)had
no�lightsoperatingatthattime.However,moneywasnotaproblemforhim.
ApartfromthisAnnahadinsistedongettingascenicshotfromtheirweddingwiththesun
setting behind their “wedding aisle” (in the east due to retrograde motion of the planet
comparedtoearth)inaclassicactofone-upmanshipoverherfriendAnjaliwhohadrecently
beenmarriedonthemoon.TheatmosphereonVenuswasprimarilyCarbondioxide-causing
SURABHI (Vol-14 No.2 December-2020) 16
17
greenhouseeffectonoverdriveandwasthereasonforitshightemperature.Itreallygaveonea
differentperspectiveonthenon-consequentialityofthingspeople�ightoverbackongoodold
earthinsteadoftryingtosavetheenvironment.
Arjunglancedathisbracelet,equippedwithaholographicscreenand�itnesssensors(Anna
hadinsistedonthelatestonesothathewouldlookpresentableinherInstaChatandSnapGram
updates)andwas remindedof their �irstmeeting,which in concurrencewithall romantic
clicheshappenedintherainyseason.Annaseemedtolovetherain(DamnyouJuliaRoberts!)
anditwasafteragreatdealofpersuasionthathewasabletopersuadehertogiveupherfantasy
ofhavingherwedding ruinedby rain (orhavinga chance to seeanactual rainbow in the
weddingphotograph).Shewasn'tproperlyconvincedonbeinginformedofthesulphuricacid
rainontheplanetbutonbeingremindedthattheraincandamageherdress(despitebeing
madeofindustrialtitaniumalloysandnovelspaceagecomposites)disasterwasaverted.
Arjun's trainof thoughtwasbrokenbyabeep fromhisbracelet, remindinghimtogoand
overlooktheconstructionofhistemporaryweddingsite.Hestaredathishumongoussuitin
exasperation,asittooknearlyhalfanhourtoputon.TheVenusianatmospherewasharshand
torridandthesuitwastheonlythingseparatinghimfromtotaloblivion.
Afterhalfanhourofstrugglinghewas�inallyabletosqueezeintheair-tight,pressurizedsuit.
Ashesteppedout,hefeltasifhisweighthadsuddenlycompounded,sendingmomentaryshock
acrosshisspine.Hisheadhurtandshoulderscrumbledwithpressure.Allofthishappenedin
the0.7secondsittookforthesuittoadjusttoVenus'satmosphericpressure,astaggering90
timesthatoftheearth.Eventhoughhehadexperiencedthisacoupleoftimesnow,itstilldazed
himeachtimeithappened.
Recovering from the temporary lapse, he then trotted along the planet's surface with
excruciatingsteps.Eventhoughthesuithadin-builtmotorsandactuatingmechanismstohelp
locomotion,itwasstillnotsuf�icienttonavigatetheplanetwithitshighlyviscousatmosphere.
WalkinginVenuswithoutadditionalmotorreinforcementswouldfeellikewalkinginwater,
witheachmovementtakingconsiderableenergy.
Finally,hereachedtheconstructionsite,wherethreepeoplewerepreparingamakeshiftstage
fortheceremony.Hehadbeencalledasapparently,theyhadmisjudgedtheamountofenergyit
wouldbeneededtoelectromagneticallylevitatethematerialstotherequiredplaceandsetup
thechairsfortherequiredguests.Theconsequencewasthattheenergyreservedforother
purposes, such as for the accommodation of guestswould now be used for this purpose,
essentiallymeaningtheguestlisthadtobecutdown.Inhismind,Arjunwent“Shit,thisisgoing
tobeamess”asanIndianWedding(evenifitwereextraterrestrial)won'tbecompletewithout
theguestscreatingamess.
SURABHI (Vol-14 No.2 December-2020)
1818
Allofthemwanttoattend,eventhosewhohateyou-justtocriticizethe�ineraspectsofthe
wedding.HecouldalreadyhearAnnacomplaininginashrillvoiceabouthermaternalaunt's
brother(whomshehadprobablymettwice)nownotbeingabletoattend(whichapparently
wouldleadto“defamation”onherfamilyInstaChatgroup).Itwaswithgreateffortthathehad
managedtocutdownthe�inal listofparticipantsto40,outofwhichonly5werefromthe
groom's family.Apparentlyhaving aPunjabiweddingwith less than35participantswas a
cardinalsin,andabiggersinwashavinglessthan8fooditemsfortheafter-weddingfood.He
hadtofundajointteamofISROscientistsandMichelinStarChefssothatIndianFood(be�itting
foraweddingbuffet)couldbemadespaceready.
Aftertakingstockoftheremainingamount,hewasinformedbyJay:Arjun'sgo-tomanfrom
WEDS(WeddingsatExtra-terrestrialDestinations)thattheycouldnowonlyaccommodate25
people,includingthebrideandthegroom.Henowhadthemammothtaskofaskinganalready
tensedAnnatofurthercutdownpeoplefromher“reduced”guestlist.
“Anna,Ihavesomegoodnewsandsomebadnews”
“Don'tbesodramaticbaba,Giveittomestraight”
“Well,youknowthepowercutwefacedearlierandthedelayedtimeitistakingtoconstructthe
stage?”
“Yeah,so?”
“Thethingisthatdespitetakingallprecautions,thenumberofenergypodsthatwehadbrought
inhasfallenshortduetotheunexpectedharshnesshere.So…”
“Sowhat?”
“So…wehavetoreducethenumberofpeopleontheguestlistto25,welltechnically23not
countingthetwoofus”
AnnaatthemomentwasapplyingHennatoherhand.Shewithdrewherhandina�itofrage
whichspoiledtheentiredesign.
“MyGod,nowthismehendihasalsohasbeenruined.Whyiseverythinggoinghaywireinthis
wedding.First,wehadtoreduceonthenumberofbridesmaids,friendsandfamily.Nowyou're
askingmetocut-downevenclosefamilymembers.Ievenhavetodomymehendimyself.Whatis
thepointofhavingtheweddingherethen,ifnobodywouldbetheretowatchit?”
“Butbabywecanstillhave18ofyourclosefamilymembers,isn'tthatenough?”
SURABHI (Vol-14 No.2 December-2020)
“HowdoIselect18fromtherest?Aswespeak,mostofthemarealreadyseatedintheSTS(Space
TransportationSystem).HowdoIaskthemtogetoffthatrocketnow?Thisissoembarrassing;
couldn'tyouhaveplanneditbetter?”
“Iamjustaskingyoutoreducethenumberofguests.Thisproblemwouldn'thaveoccurredin
the�irstplacehadyounotinvitedtheentireentourage.Thisisawedding,notaconcertandthat
tooonVenus.Doyouhaveanyideaofthedif�icultiesIamfacinginordertopullthisoff”?
“IamnotgoingtotheonetosaynotomyrelativesafterIhaveinvitedthem.Youhavecreatedthis
messandthereforeyoushallbetheonetocleanitup.YouknowIdonotwantaclosed,indoors
kindofceremonywith2-3peopleattending,especiallyafterwhathappenedearlier…”
AndAnnabegansobbing.Arjunhadtouchedarawnerve.Anna'searliermarriagewasaquiet
affair,acourtmarriagewithRajesh-herfriendfromcollegedays.Theyweredivorcedayear
aftermarriageandAnnawasatthebruntofallthebacklashthatherfamilydoledout.Having
falleninloveagainaftersuchalongtime,shedidn'twanttoleaveanystoneunturnedthistime
andhadgonefortheentireshebang.
“Don'tworry,Iwilltalktoourfamilies.Itiselderswhoprimarilyneedtobepresentandwhose
blessingsweneed.TheyoungersiblingscanstaybehindonEarth.Ishallbookthemonaplaneto
Jaipur,wheretheycanlookaftertheweddingreception.Thiswaynobody'sfeelingwillbehurt”.
AnnahuggedArjuninatightembrace.Bothofthemfeltgratefultohaveknowneachotherand
foundsoulmatesinsucha�ickleworld.
The damned beep of the bracelet ruined the moment again. Technology only seemed to
disconnectpeopleandcreatedivides. Itwas Jayagain.TheSTSwasabout to take-off from
FrenchNewGuineaandtheMissionDirectorhadkeptthelaunchonholdafterthenewsofthe
energy depletion reached the Command Centre. Arjun talked to the elders, explained the
situationtothemandthencajoledtheyoungeronesintogettingofftherocket,bribingand
scoldingwhennecessary.TheSTSwas�inallyreadyforlaunchandthustheguestsofthemost
exoticweddingintheworldwereofftotheirrockydestination.
Earth:10daysbeforethelaunch
“TransactionCompleted:20millionUSDtransferred”.
Rajcouldn'thelpbutletasmirkshowonhisface.Althoughhehadtrainedextensivelytonot
showhistruefeelingseveninsleep,assassinsalsowerehumansattheendoftheday.The
customerhadbeenparticularlydiscreteinconcealinghisidentity(eventhoughitwasnottoo
SURABHI (Vol-14 No.2 December-2020) 19
dif�icult to deduce). All the transactions had been through untraceable, illegal channels
(Althoughhedidappreciatethatthepaymentshadbeenontime).Theinstructionstohimwere
clear–“TokillArjunDeSouzaonVenus”.
Itmayseemcrazyat�irsttogotoanotherplanettokillsomeone.NotinthecaseofArjunDe
Souza-arisingtechbillionairelikedbyboththemassesandthegovernment.Histightsecurity
andmini-celebritystatusmadeitdif�icultforsomeonetokillhimandmoreimportantly-to
escape.Also,hiskillingwouldmakeitdif�icultforhisclienttoescapeunharmedasthebad
bloodbetweenthetwowaspublicknowledge.ThisunexpectedVenusianadventureprovided
theperfectopportunityasthechancesofapersonbeingkilled“unexpectedly”wasunusually
highandthereforehisdeathwouldarousesympathy,butnotaggression.
TheharderpartofthemissionwasgettingonthehighlyexclusiveguestlistgoingtoVenus.After
anextensivebackgroundsearch,Rajwasableto�indtheperfectalibi.Itwastheonlypersonon
theentirelistwhowasnotdirectly“family”.“Sushanth”exclaimedRaj,�lickingthephotograph
whileponderingoverhisbiodata.Incidentallyhewasnearlythesameheightandbuildashim.
SushanthwasMrs.TaraDeSouza's caretaker.Mrs.Tarawasanoctogenarian–wheelchair
boundandpartiallydeafbutwassurprisinglyfulloflife.Arjun'smotherhadpassedawaywhen
hewasthreeyearsandMrsTarahadtakencareofhimalmostlikeamother.Consequently,they
wereverycloseandArjunhadinsistedonherbeingintheweddinginspiteofherdelicate
condition.Mrs.Tarahadgladlyaccepted,preferringtodieonVenusthantomissherbeloved
Arjun'swedding.
Inordertogetontheship,Rajneededtocreateconditionssuitabletohim.Thiswasarrangedby
Raj'sunknownbenefactor,whohad somehowmanaged to get Sushanthdecisively sick24
hoursbeforethelaunchandmadehimrecommendRajasthe“caretakerinabsentia”.Itwas
clear his client must had strong connections to the underworld and pretty sensitive
informationaboutRaj,elbow-twistinghimintogetting“sick”.
TheplanwastosneakpoisonintoArjun'sfoodasgunsoranyothersuchammunitioncouldnot
besnuckinonaninterplanetarymission.Sneakingpoisontoowouldhavebeenreallytoughbut
thisiswhereGranny(Mrs.Tara)provedtobeuseful.Ahighlylethalpowderedpoison,made
fromthevenomofblackmamba,boxjelly�ish,blueringedoctopusandtheIndianscorpionwas
chosenforthejob(Rajhadbeenledtobelievethatthisconcoctioncouldkill10elephantsand
thereforeatechbillionaireshouldn'tposetoomuchofaproblem).
Thecontentsofoneofgrandma'scapsuleswasemptiedand�illedwiththepoisoninstead,
assuringitsarrivalonVenus.Rajcouldn'tcontainhisexcitement–hewaspoisedtobethe�irst
interplanetaryassassin,adorninghisnameonthesamewalloffameasLeeHarveyOswald,
JohnWilkesBoothandNathuramGodse.
SURABHI (Vol-14 No.2 December-2020) 20
“No”,hethoughttohimself,“Iamgoingtobeevenmorefamousthanthem,mypurposeonearth
willbeful�illed”.Seeminglyfullofhimself,heputonhisbutlerclothesandproceededforthe
requiredmedicalcheckbeforetheominouslaunchvehicleblastsoffintospaceafewhourslater.
12Hoursbeforethewedding(InterplanetaryStandardTime),Venus
Twointerplanetarytransfermodulescarryingallthepassengersoftheweddingreachedthe
Venusiantransferorbit2hoursbeforethescheduledtime(thankstotheimprovedMerlinV35
enginesthatArjun'sdearfriendandspacegiantBenedictMusklendhimasaweddinggift).The
entirecrowdnowhadtoundergoformalitiesatthespacestationorbitingVenusbeforethey
couldbepermittedtoboardtheirrespectivedescentmodules,headingdowntothewedding
destination.
Thecrewon-boardtheVSS-2(VenusianSpaceStation2)wasoverwhelmedastheyhadnever
seensuchahugecrowdbefore.Althoughthespacestationhadbeendesignedtoaccommodate
100peopleatonce,theyneverencounteredmorethan5-6atonce.Thepaper-�ilingandre-
entrycapsuleseatingtookmuchmoretimethannecessary,whichwascompoundedbythefact
thatMrs.TaraDeSouzawasbeingespeciallydif�icult tohandle.Herboutsof forgetfulness
coupledwithher famousshort-temperednaturemadehera formidable forcetodealwith,
consideringthedelicatenessofthespace-stationenvironment.Onlyafewinchesofsteelwere
allthatseparatedmortalhumansandlifelessspace.
Rajwas �inding it very dif�icult to dealwith her tantrums. “I am a goddamn assassin”He
mutteredunderhisbreath.Undernormalconditions,hewouldhaveslitsomeone'sthroatwith
hisbelovedbladeforevenafractionoftheannoyancehewascurrentlybeingsubjectedto.Asif
oncue,grannyhithimsharplyonhisshoulderwithherbonywrists,sendingamixofpainand
shockacrosshisupperbody.“ControlRajControl.JustafewmorehoursandIwillbefreeto
escapethisevilgranny”(or�inishheroff,asthesituationdemanded).
Grannywasabouttohitheronceagainbutsuddenlytheelevatorbeepedandoutcamethe
personresponsibleforalltheseshenanigans,Mr.Arjunhimself.Rajcouldswearthatgranny
jumpednearlyaninchortwoaboveherseatasshehuggedherdeargrandsonwithallhermight.
Shebecamesurprisinglywellbehavedafterthat(tothereliefofeveryoneelsepresentthere)
andtheworkprogressedmuchmorequickly.ArjuncameclosetoRaj.Thepreyandthepredator
lessthanafootapartfromeachother.
“Soyoumustbethenewassistantforgramma”
SURABHI (Vol-14 No.2 December-2020) 21
“Yes, Sushanthhas a tendency todevelop cold feetwhen required themost”Raj chuckled
nervously
“Thatisreallystrange,inallthetimehewaswithusheneverusedtobeabsentsosuddenlyand
withoutanypriornotice”
“Idon'tknowaboutthat,butIdofeelsorryforhim”
“Yeah,IguesscomingtoVenuswaswritteninyourhoroscope.Howisyour�irstweekofwork
going”?
Rajsmiledmeekly,“It'sgoing�inesir”
Arjunsensedhistruefeelings,“Grammacanbeparticularlyformidableinitially,butthelonger
you staywithher themore of her hard shellwill start towither away. Itwasdif�icult for
Sushanthtoointhebeginning,butaftertheinitialhurdlestheywereliketwopeasinapod”.
“Nosirit'snotlikethat”
“Youdon'tneedtohidethetruthfromus,youarelikefamilynow”
Andtheconversationwentonforalittlelong.RajexpectedArjuntobethetypicalbusinessbrat-
proud,arrogant,abrashandonewhowouldn'ttalktoproleslikehimwithafoot-longrod.He
wascaughtoff-guardnow.“Iwillnowhavetokillhimpainlessly”heresolved.
Theprocessionreachedthegroundstationsafelyandwereimmediatelytakenabackbythe
Venusianatmosphereandgravity.Mostwerethankfulthattheirtribulationwouldlastonlyfor
afewmorehoursunlikeArjun,whohadlivedontheplanetlongerthananyastronauteverhad.
Thepeoplewerecrammedintotheirrespectiveroomsandtheweddingpreparationswerein
theirfullswing.Thestagehadbeenset;thefoodsachetsready.Thecameramanwasgetting
usedtohisnewcamera–newlydesignedforthisveryspeci�icpurposeandthoroughlytested
by both Indian andAmerican space agencies. Afterall aweddingwithout pictureswas no
weddingatall.
Ontheotherhand,Rajwasfranticallythinkingtoexecutehisplan.Thegrannywon'tlethimgo
anywhereoutofhersight,keepinghimbusywithrandomstufflikemassaginghersoresoldiers,
re�illingherwaterglassforGodknowshowmanytablets.Hehadtobeextracarefultonotlet
herhavethe“special”capsule.
Annawashavingtheweddingblues.Evenhavingherfavouritebridesmaidsbyhersidewas
ineffective incalmingher.Herweddinggownhadnotpannedasexpectedand theshoddy
SURABHI (Vol-14 No.2 December-2020) 22
workmanshipwasdrivinghermad.Shewasscreamingatthetopofherlungsatthestaff,letting
hersteamoffatthewrongaisle.Arjunrealizedthisandknewhehadtobeondamagecontrol,
otherwisethealreadyoverworkedstaffwouldnotbeabletotolerateitanylonger.
Heknewjustthesolution,aglassofredwinethathehadspeciallyorderedbebroughtfor
situationslikethese.Hehimselfintendedtotakeoneconsideringthemadnessthatwasensuing
aroundhimwithonlyhalfanhourleftforthesuntosetandthemgettingthatpicturesque
weddingphotographtheyhadbeenlabouringfor.Hecalledoneofthepeopletogoandgetthat
powderedwine extract (as transportingwine normallywasn't possible, so nowone could
biblicallytransformwatertowine).
Rajletagrinescape.Hehadoverheardtheconversationlikeanintenthawk,nowknowingwhen
tostrikehisprey.Hestoppedtheotherguyinhistracks.
“Oi,whereareyougoing?”
“WellArjuntoldmetogetsomealcoholpowderbutIdon'tknowwhereitis”
“Ahhthat…Youleaveittome,I'llgetit.YoucontinuewithyourcurrentworkbeforeAnnabursts
again”
Sayingthisheslidslylyintothestorecompartment,�inally�indingthepacketlabelledas“red
wine”,keepingitinhispocketandjustabouttosneakoutwhenheheardthatirritatingshrill
voiceagain.
“OiLackeywhereareyouslackingoff.Whyareyouroaminghereandtherewithoutbringingme
myfood?YouknowIneedmyfoodatregular intervals to takemymedicine.Oh lordwhat
happenedtoSushanth,thisguyissuchanincompoop,Comehere…”andshekeptdroningontill
hewasforcedtoattendtoher.Afteralongarduoustime,he�inallywasabletoescapefromthe
grannyonlyto�indthatthecouplehadgonenearthestageasthesunwasnearlyabouttoset.
Whenthecouplewasreadingtheirvowsandgettingphotographed,Rajwaspreparingthe
deadlydrink,clearlydistinguishedfromtheothersbyitsred-winelikesmell.Hepreparedthe
drinks,keepingitexactlyattheceremonialaltarwherethegroomwoulddrinkit.Itwasthe
perfectcrime.Annawouldbeaccusedofkillinghimforhispropertyasitwasherplantoget
marriedonVenus.Thisalongwithherassociationwiththeredwinewouldappeartobeaclever
schemeinhindsight.
Theentirethingwastakingtoolong(thenewlywedcouplecouldn'tgetenoughoftheview,
torturing thecameramanatdifferentposes).Tiredofwaitinghe tookout theorange juice
powderfromhisupperpocketandhadaheartydrink.
SURABHI (Vol-14 No.2 December-2020) 23
ThecouplereturnedsoonafterandRajwatchedanxiouslyasArjungulpeddownthedrink.A
waveofrelaxationranthroughouthisbody,hehadcompletedhismission.Arjunshouldbe
droppingdeadonthe�looranyminutenow.Hefeltevenmorerelaxednow,hismuscleseasing
up.Aminutepassed,butnothinghappened.Arjunwas�itasahorse,smilingandtalkingtoAnna.
“Howisthispossible”?
Thewordsescapedhismouthsluggishly.Hisbodybegantosuddenlydroopandhecollapsedon
the�loorsuddenly.“Whatishappeningtome?HaveIbeenpoisoned?Whyisn'tArjundeadyet?
Wasthepoisonfake?No,itcan'tbe…”hehadittestedbeforehisarrival.Hiseyelidsstartedto
droopandjustbeforehepassedout,hemanagedtomutterasinglewordfromhiscontortedface
–“SHIT”
Hehadrealizedwhathadensued for the tables to turn thisway.Thegrannysuffered from
anxietyandhadbeenprescribedaverysmalldoseoflaxativeinordertorelaxher.Rajhadtaken
theentire100daycourseatonce,leadingtoaseveremusclerelaxationacrosshisbody.When
thegrannyhadbeenhagglinghimearlier,shehadhithimintheshin,causinghimtofallandthe
packetsfallingdown.Shethenpickedupthepacketsandgaveittohim–whichtheassassin
didn't�indunusualatthetime.Howeversomehowtheorangejuiceandlaxativepacketshad
beeninterchanged.Thepoisonmixedwiththeredwinepowdertoohadbeeninterchangedwith
thepurered-winepacket.
Whetherthiswasbydesignoranaccidentisstillunknown.Thelimpassassin,histonguerolled
outandlimbsinadisarray,wastakenbacktothemothershipandlatertherestoftheprocession
returnedhappilybacktoearth.Theassassinisconfusedtothisdayastowhethertheslightgrin
hesawonthegranny'sfacewhilebeingcarriedawaywasanotheroneofhishallucinations.
SURABHI (Vol-14 No.2 December-2020) 24
RituAnilkumarScientist/EngineerSC
NorthEasternSpaceApplicationsCentre,DepartmentofSpace
Abstract
VforVendetta isagraphicnovelconceptualizedbywriterAlanMooreandillustratorDavid
Lloyd in 1982. The nuclear winter setting of 1990 sees Evey Hammond along with V, an
anarchistattemptingtoignitearevolutionagainstthefascistrulers.Astheplotdevelops,we
observealongwiththetransformationofEveyfromahelplessdamselindistresstoarevenge
seekingmurderesstoacharacterofstrengthandwisdom,astrongmessageagainstfascismand
awarningagainstinactionandlackofpoliticalinterest.Bydrawingparallelswithavarietyof
welldevelopedworkssuchasAnimalFarm,1984,BraveNewWorld,Fahrenheit451andseveral
otherswhichhavebeeninstrumentalintheconceptualizationofthisnovel,thisstudyanalyses
thedystopicperspectiveofthegraphicnovelassociatingitwithtwomajoraspects:(1)The
variousformsofdystopicgovernancesuchascommunism,capitalismandrightwingedfascism
arequalitativelydebateduponand(2)theroleofintegrityonouridentityisintrospected.
Introduction
RaymondWilliamsinhis1956essaytitled'ScienceFiction' [1]talksaboutthreecategories
that science �ictional works can be demarcated as: Putropia, Doomsday and Space
Anthropology.Ofsigni�icancetothisstudyisthegenreofPutropiawhichinessencehasbeen
de�inedasacorruptionofUtopianromances.WithexamplessuchasBraveNewWorld,1984and
Fahrenheit451,WilliamsdescribesPutropiaasafuturesecularhell.AlanMooreinaninterview
withBBCFour'sComicsBritanniaSeries [2] statesthatwithmostfutureworld'sinScience
SURABHI (Vol-14 No.2 December-2020) 25
Fiction, it is not the future that is being described. Rather, it is a direct re�lection or
manifestationofthepresent.TakeFahrenheit451forexample.RayBradburyhastalkedabout
howtheconceptofbookburningwasaninspirationforhimtowritethenovel(NormanRose,
1956 [3]). At another instance he has talked about the advent of televisedmedia and its
in�luenceonthemasses(ReidandAnne,2000[4]).
WhileOrwellandHuxleytalkindetailaboutgovernanceandsocietalstructurewithregardto
theextremesofcommunismandcapitalism,AlanMooreandDavidLloydthroughthedystopic
graphicnovelVforVendettahaveportrayedapostnuclearwarrightwingedfascistregimein
England,Norse�ire.Early in its regime,Norse�ire roundedupall individualswhowerenot
white,Christianorheterosexual and subjected them toexperimentin concentration camps
whichledtohorrendousphysicalandpsychologicaltrauma.TheprotagonistVwasasurvivorof
onesuchcamp:theLarkhillCamp.ThenovelbeginswithsixteenyearoldEveyHammondwho
cannot earn a livelihood by the bareminimum shemakes. She attempts solicitingmen in
exchangeformoney.Underthefascistregime,prostitutionisillegalandthekeepersoflaw:the
Fingermen,foritwasFingermenthatEveyHammondhadunwittinglyapproached,couldkill
her.Atthisjuncture,weareintroducedtotheprotagonist:aGuyFawkesmaskdonningcloaked
�igurewhoreferstohimselfasV.Heswoopsin,savesEveyandbeginshislegacyofchaosby
detonating bombs and �ireworks at the House of the Parliament. The story follows the
destructionunleashedbyVontokeymembersofthepartyparticularlythoseinvolvedinthe
inhumanactivitiesoftheconcentrationcampssuchasapedophilicbishopAnthonyLilliman,
thevoiceofFateLewisProtheroandforensicpathologistDeliaSurridge.Heseekstooverthrow
theregimeandhavethevoiceofthepeopleheard.Aswouldanyauthoritariangovernment
worthitssalt,theNorse�ireregime�ightsbackinvolvingallitsagenciestocombatthethreat.
MeanwhileEveyhasayearofupsanddowns.ShebeginstounderstandVandhisideologywhen
heabandonsheroveranargument.SheistakeninbyGordonwithwhomshebeginsaromantic
relationshipwithbeforeheiskilledbygoons.Inthepursuitofrevenge,weseeEveybeing
capturedandtortured.IncaptivityshereceivesaletterfromValerie:alesbianinhabitantofthe
concentrationcampwhotalksaboutnotgivingupwhoyouare.Herdeterminationandquiet
de�ianceofthesysteminspiresEveytoholdontoheridealsanduponfacingachoicebetween
deathandcompliance,shechoosestheformer.ItisthenrevealedthatEvey'simprisonmentwas
infactahoaxstagedbyVtoshapeherthroughordealssimilartothosehefacedatLarkhill.One
year after Parliament is demolished, V destroys the Eye (visual surveillance), Ear (audio
surveillance),andMouth(spewingpropaganda),permittingthecitizensofBritaintheir�irst
tasteoffreedominages.However,VdieswhileattemptingtodestroyDowningStreet,anact
thatEveycompletes.Shethenassumesthemask,costume,androleofhermentorV.
ThisstudyattemptstounderstandandanalyzesomedystopicaspectsofVforVendettawhich
primarily include twoaspects.One is social: thosepertaining to an individual andhis/her
identitywithinsociety,andtheotherpolitical:thosepertainingtothemodeofgovernance.
SURABHI (Vol-14 No.2 December-2020) 26
19
VforVendettaasaDystopia:
VforVendettaisatypicalandwellstudiedexampleofascience�ictionalendeavorwhichuses
dystopiastoexaggerate�lawsinsocietyandinspirearevolution.Itwaswrittenintheformof3
booksnamelyEuropeAftertheRains,TheViciousCabaretandTheLandofDoasyouPlease.
EuropeAftertheRainsreferstoapaintingbyMaxErnstofthesamenameandisrepresentative
oftheclimaticupheavalsofthenuclearera.Itsetsthemoodfortherestofthenovelasadim,
bleak,washedoutappearanceofthefuturetotalitariansociety.Thisismaintainedthroughthe
artworkwhich in its earlier editions began in black andwhite andmoved on to colorized
versionsinvolvingbleakshadessymbolizingthehusky,bleachedoutmoodofdystopia.The
ViciousCabaretispossiblyareferencetothemovieCabaretdirectedbyBobFossewhilethe
LandofDoasyouPleasesymbolizingthevictoryofanarchyisadirectreferencetothebookby
EnidBlytontitled'TheMagicFarawayTree.'OverallVforVendettacontainsmultiplereferences
indicativeofthepoliticalpessimismofitscreators.WithregardtothereferencesAlanMoore
writes: 'Thelistwassomethingasfollows:Orwell.Huxley.ThomasDisch.JudgeDredd.Harlan
Ellison's"RepentHarlequin!SaidtheTicktockman.""Catman"and"ProwlerintheCityattheEdge
oftheWorld"bythesameauthor.VincentPrice'sDr.PhibesandTheatreofBlood.DavidBowie.The
Shadow.Nightraven.Batman.Fahrenheit451.ThewritingsoftheNewWorldsschoolofscience
�iction.MaxErnst'spainting"EuropeAftertheRains."ThomasPynchon.TheatmosphereofBritish
SecondWorldWar�ilms.ThePrisoner.RobinHood.DickTurpin...'[6]
Dystopiaischaracterizedbythedegradationofhumansocietyanditsvalues.M.RCarey's'The
GirlwithAlltheGifts'depictsthisdehumanizingquiteliterallywiththecannibalistichungries.
ManjulaPadmanabhan'sHarvesttalksaboutabjectpovertyandthepromiseofacomfortable
life-styleleadingtosomeheart-wrenchingdecisions.InworkssuchasFahrenheit451orBrave
NewWorld,itisnotquitesoobvious.Theauthorsdepictdehumanizationthroughthelossof
culture, literatureandthewilltoexploreandexperience.In1984, thelackofoppositionby
citizens towards the fascists, theconstant fearandcontrolled living isverysimilar toV for
Vendetta'ssociety.Howeveramarkeddifferenceliesintheending.While1984talksofableak,
allcontrollingstate,VforVendettaendsonapositivenotewithahopeforchangeandfreedom
unleashedupontheworld.Fore.gVforVendettaseesEveystaystrongontoherbeliefsevenin
the face of dire consequences unlikeHuxley'sBrave NewWorld which sees BernardMarx
snivelingandbeggingforpardonandOrwell's1984whichseesWinstonandJuliabetrayeach
otherlosingthatveryinchofyourselfthatisdescribedsoquaintlybyValerie.Thisringsustothe
sectiononidentity.
IndividualityandIdentity
Perhapsthemostimportantaspectofanourishingsocietyisthefreedomforanindividualtobe
abletothinkwithoutlimitations.RaymondWilliamshasconveyedtheideaofputropiaasan
ndividual’sconcernaboutthesociety'sbeliefsorlackthereofopposedbybrutish,compliant
massesincapableof identity.VforVendetta,revealsnotthatthemasses lackindividualistic
SURABHI (Vol-14 No.2 December-2020) 27
sympathiesbutrathertheidentityoftheseindividualsaresuppressed.Alldissentingviewsare
metwithcaptivityandtortureuntilcompliance isobtained.Phasingoutof individuality is
simplevictory for the suppressor if one ismade to choosebetween compliance to lossof
identityanddeath.
Thehuntagainstdissentingviewsisfurtherexempli�iedinChapterValerie(chapter11)which
exploreswhatfreedomreallymeans.Valeriesigni�iestheideaofidentity:thatafterstripping
awayallthatyouposses,allwhomyouloveandeverybitofyourphysicalentitywhatcannotbe
takenawayisaninch,averysmallpartofyouinwhichresidesyourspirit,youridealsandwhat
youbelievein.Givingupthatpartofyouisdehumanizingforthat'swhatmakesyouhuman.
ThroughtheletterbyValerieVandlaterEvey�indsstrengthtoholdontowhattheybelievein,
maintaintheirintegrityeveninthefaceofdeath.
Tryingtimeshavealwaysbeenattestedtoshapingofonescharacter.Inthiscontext,Haruki
Murakami'slinesfromKa�kaontheShorecomestomind:"oncethestormisoveryouwon't
rememberhowyoumadeitthrough,howyoumanagedtosurvive.Youwon'tevenbesure,infact,
whetherthestormisreallyover.Butonethingiscertain.Whenyoucomeoutofthestormyou
won'tbethesamepersonwhowalkedin.That'swhatthisstorm'sallabout."Eveycameintothe
worldasatimidgirlprotectedbyherparents.Upontheirdeath�ightingforwhattheybelieved
in,Eveywaslefttofendforherself.Thedrasticstepofprostitutionfullyconceptualizesthe
degreeofdissatisfactionprevalentineverypartofthesociety.HerrescuefromFingermen
evolved intoadependenceuponV.While sheunderstoodhis ideology, shequestionedhis
executionandthisledtoherabandonmentinthestreets.HereweseeEveyonceagainlooking
forsomebodytodependuponandthispositionistakenuponbyGordon.Duringherstaywith
Gordon,sheexperiencesloveandintimacywhichmakesherseekvengeancewhenGordonis
killed.Notehere thather thoughtsonviolencehavebeenmodi�iedwith theexperienceof
losingsomethingshevalued.ChapterVicissitude(chapter9)andVermin(chapter10)book2:
the Vicious Cabaret sees Evey captured and tortured emotionally and physically. She
encountersaletterfromValeriewhichinspiredhertoholdontoherintegrityandnotgiveinto
hertormentors.Throughtheexperiences,shegrowsasahumanbeing.
Signi�icanceoftheLetterV:
Ofprominencethroughoutthegraphicnovelandmovieistheuseoftheletter'V'.Apartfromof
coursethenamesVandEvey,weseeeachofthechapternamesgiveninTablebeginwiththe
letterV.ThereisalsothefamousVdialogueasithascometobeknown'Voila!Inview,ahumble
vaudevillianveteran,castvicariouslyasbothvictimandvillainbythevicissitudesofFate.This
visage,nomereveneerofvanity,isavestigeofthevoxpopuli,nowvacant,vanished.However,this
valorousvisitationofaby-gonevexation,standsvivi�iedandhasvowedtovanquishthesevenal
and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsa�ing the violently vicious and voracious
violationofvolition.Theonlyverdictisvengeance;avendetta,heldasavotive,notinvain,forthe
SURABHI (Vol-14 No.2 December-2020) 28
value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this
vichyssoiseofverbiageveersmostverbose,soletmesimplyaddthatit'smyverygoodhonorto
meetyouandyoumaycallmeV.'Wealsonotetheuseofthenumber5whichinromannumerals
isnothingbutVandnotjustinthepretextoftheroomnumberbutalsointheformofmusic.
Symphonynumber5ofBeethoventhe�irstfournotesofwhichsignify'V'inMorsecode.This
bringsustothequestionwhyV?WhynotAorBorC?Anarchyiscollectiveandasinglepersons
viewscanneverholdsigni�icance.ThesymbolofanarchyhasoftenbeenattributedtobeanAin
acircle.ThisissimilartohowVsignsoff.Thisleadsustobelievethat'V'symbolizestotheidea
of"we"or"togetherness"forthepurposeofhighlightingtheideaofanarchy.
GovernanceandPolitics:
VforVendettatalksabouttotalauthoritarianismortotalanarchy.Theredoesnotseemtobeany
in-betweens.Itsallextremelydarkandbleak.Thisraisesquestionsastowhetheritreallyhasto
bethatwayatall?Isitpossibletohavealeaderwhotrulyattemptstounderstandhowtobetter
thelifestyleofthecitizens.Isthatwhatwecalldemocracy,orisitabenevolentdictatorship?
Addressingthecaseofabenevolentdictatorship�irst.What immediatelycomestomind is
Whatisabenevolentdictatorship?Iftheanswerisconstruedtobeadictatorwhoactivelyworks
forthebene�itofthecountryandtakedecisionsthathe/shebelieveswillmakeitprosperthe
most.Thisbringsustowhatisprosperityandwhatthedictatorbelievesisprosperity.Doesthe
dictatorbelieveprosperityissatisfyingthemiddleclass,thepovertystrickenpublic?Doeshe
think technological advancements are theway to progress?AdolfHitlerwas a benevolent
dictator to the Nazi's, but certainly not one to the Jews. Clearly totalitarian and fascist
governmentswouldbedetrimentaltosociety.Thishasfurtherbeenestablishedthroughthe
argumentsbywriterssuchasOrwell,Bradbury,MooreandLloydetc.Butthisstillleavesus
withoutananswer:whichformofgovernmentisbetter?Anarchyistheformofgovernment
withthepowerinthehandsofthepeople.Butthedecisionofthemassesisnotalwaystheright
decision.Thiswouldleadtosel�ishagendasandmarginalizationofminorities.Inadditionto
this, there isnosenseofaccountability. Isdemocracytheanswerthen?Howeverwhenthe
choiceinitselfisundesirableandweareforcedtoselectthelesserofthetwoevils.Onaclosing
note,itwouldappearthathumanitytoowouldbeforcedtoselectthelesserofallevilswhenit
comestogovernance.Itisimpossibletoappeaseeverybody,sowegoforthemajoritykeepingin
mindtheconceptofintegrity,moralityandhumanity.
SURABHI (Vol-14 No.2 December-2020) 29
Table1:Listofchaptersandtitles.NotetheprominenceoftheletterV
SURABHI (Vol-14 No.2 December-2020) 30
Conclusion:
InthebooksAnimalFarmand1984,OrwellbuildsuponhisfearofEnglishSocialismduetothemightof
thethenUSSR.Ontheotherendofthespectra,AldousHuxleythroughBraveNewWorldtalksaboutthe
capitalist,materialistic,consumerismbasedAmericansenseofethicsandmorality.Dystopic�ictionis
oftenameansofshowcasing(sometimessatirically)theidiociesandhypocrisiesoftechnology,society
andpolitics. ThroughV forVendetta,Moore andLloyd convey to the readers the loss of humanity
associatedwithtotalitarianism.Anarchyasthemanifestationoffreedomisportrayed.Thisstudyshed
lightuponthetheformsofgovernanceanddebateduponanidealcaseofmaximizingbene�its.Italso
talkedabouttheroleofindividualidentityinwhatde�inesusashumanbeings.Thegrowthofaperson
throughhis/herexperiencesisre�lectedinEveyandherstrugglesshapingherasthenovelprogressed
andsheattainedanidentityofherown.
Science�ictionasagenreiseverevolvingandscopeforfurtheranalysisisendless.Thisstudydeals
largelywith an individuals experiences shaping themand the role of societal structure in shaping
humanlives.Regardinggovernanceandtheleastdystopicformofpolitics,acrudejusti�icationwas
presented. Extensive understanding however, was not gauged in this case of different political
structuresassociatedwithdystopia.Athoroughanalysisofthesamefromtheviewofapoliticalscientist
canbeofsigni�icanceandwouldcertainlyberecommended.
REFERENCES
1. Adams,A.A.(1September2006)."From1984toVforVendettaviaMinorityReport"Universityof
EdinburghSchoolofLaw.
2. Boudreaux,Madelyn (1994) An Annotation of Literary, Historic and Artistic References in Alan
Moore'sGraphicNovel,VforVendetta.
3.Bradbury,Ray(2003).Fahrenheit451(50thanniversaryed.).NewYork,NY:BallantineBooks.
4.Carey,Mike(2014);TheGirlwithAlltheGifts,OrbitBooks.
5.Crick,Bernard.IntroductiontoNineteenEighty-Four,Oxford:ClarendonPress1984.
6.GaldonRodriguez,Angel(2011).GeorgeOrwell'sNineteenEighty-FourasanIn�luenceonPopular
CultureWorks:VforVendettaand2024.
7.Huxley,Aldous(1932).BraveNewWorld.NewYork:HarperandBrothers.
8.Karolides,NicholasJ.;Bald,Margaret;Sova,DawnB.(2011).120BannedBooks:CensorshipHistoriesof
WorldLiterature(Seconded.).CheckmarkBooks.
9.King,David(1997).TheCommissarVanishes:TheFalsi�icationofPhotographsandArtinStalin'sRussia.
Metropolitan/Holt.
10.Moore,Alan(1983).BehindthePaintedSmile.Warrior(17).
11.Moore,Alan.TalksVforVendetta,BBCFourComicBritanniaSeries,2010.
12.Nozick,Robert.Anarchy,StateandUtopia(1974).BasicBooks.
13.Orwell,George(1949);NineteenEighty-Four,Penguin.
14.Padmanabhan,Manjula(1997),Harvest,KaliforWomen.
15.RaymondWilliams,'ScienceFiction',TheHighway,vol.48[Dec.1956]:41-45,1956.
16.Reid, Robin Anne (2000). Ray Bradbury: A Critical Companion. Critical Companions to Popular
ContemporaryWriters.CT:GreenwoodPress.p.59.
17.Rose,Norman.Narration. 'TickettotheMoon(tributetoSciFi)'(Ogg).BiographyinSound.NBC
RadioNews.December4,1956.
SURABHI (Vol-14 No.2 December-2020) 31
NageshGEngineer“SF”,
AppliedOpticsAreaLEOS.,ISAC,[email protected]
Bali is a province of Indonesia with
Denpasarascapitalandthemostpopulous
city. Because of less industrialisation and
minimal exploitationof natural resources,
Balihascleanrivers,pristinebeachesand
rejuvenating atmosphere that spark your
senses.Youwill�indlushgreenvegetation
andwellmaintainedgardensandparksin
abundance.Thishasagreatsoothingeffect
onthetravellerwhoisaccustomedtosevere
noiseandairpollutionandconcretejungle
andurbancentricdevelopmentinIndia.
OnanearlymorningwelefttoKempegowda
International airport to take a �light to
Singapore by Silk Air. The journey to
Singaporewasverypleasantandwhenwe
landedatSingaporeairport,wewerevery
freshandimmediatelyrushedtoboarding
gate to take the next �light to Denpasar
airport,Bali.Wehadspeciallybookedthis
routesothatnotransitvisa isrequiredat
thestopover.OntheKualaLumpurroutea
transitvisaisnecessary.Thewholedaywas
spent in travel and when we reached
Denpasar, it was late evening. To our
pleasantsurpriseVisaonarrivalatBaliwas
issued free of cost. Generally there is a
nominal charge of $10.From Denpasar
airport to Ubud is a long way with busy
traf�icandtookabouttwohourstoreachour
hotel.Wetookrestforthedayafterasimple
dinner.
SURABHI (Vol-14 No.2 December-2020) 32
Nextdaymorningwewent toseeawater
fall. The place was very scenic and well
maintained.Therewereanumberofforeign
touristsaround,andBaliassuchpromotes
tourisminagrandway.
Baliisknownforcoffeeplantationandwe
hadbeentoaplacewherewecouldtaste16
to18varietiesofcoffeeandtheysellpure
tobaccoleavesthathasaromaofcloveand
paperstomakeyourowncigars.
GoaGajahorelephantcaveisaveryancient
placewithhugetreessurroundingthearea
thathasterrainlandscapewithsteps,small
rivulets and some stone statues of Hindu
andBuddhistgods.Theentranceofthecave,
saidtobemeditatinghall,isaccessedonly
bywalkingdownalong�lightofstairs.This
placeiscertainlyimpressiveandafeastfor
naturelovers.
Thereareanumberoftemplesandweneed
to wear a colourful cloth called sarong
around the waist and I suppose they are
given free of cost at the entrance for the
tourists.
AftertheearlymorningDolphinshowinthe
Lovinabeach,weheadedtowardsanatural
hotspringtotakebath.Thisplaceiskeptso
clean, that we cannot �ind any plastic,
garbageor�ilth.Thereisapondformedby
thehotspringwerewecanswim.Thewater
is yellowish in colour because of high
sulphurcontent.Thereisaprovisiontotake
acleanwatershowerafteryouare�inished
with hot water swim. This place is
maintainedinanexcellentcondition.
Aswehadleftthehotelatabout3.00AMwe
tookthepackedbreakfastinthecarthatwas
provided by our hotel. We proceeded
towardsPuraulunDanuBeratan.Thisisa
journeythroughthemountainsandvalleys
SURABHI (Vol-14 No.2 December-2020) 33
andtookaboutthreehours.Finallywhenwe
reached the placewewere spellbound by
thebeautyof cloudspassingover the sky,
freshwaterlakeandthetempleinthemidst
of lake. The place is so much scenic and
serenethatithasfoundaplaceintheBali
currency.
On an early morning we went to watch
Balinese dance called Barong and after
watching this I felt there are lot of
similarities between this Barong and
Yakshagana played in coastal Karnataka.
Barongisapantherlikecreatureandisthe
kingofgoodspirits�ightingagainstRangda
an evil character. There is a background
musicthatincludestabala,harmonium,etc
playedbyafewmusicianssittinginacorner.
Oneafternoonwehadbeentoarestaurant
onthetopofahillforlunchandfromthere
thevolcanomountainwasvisibleatafaroff
distance.Thismountainissurroundedbya
lake and the volcanic eruptions happened
earlier couldbe seen in the formof black
lava.ThisiscalledmountBaturandisalive
volcano.
Nusa Dua is a very �ine beach about 20
kilometres from Denpasar that has a
numberof rocks at the sea shorewhere a
touristcanrestandtheviewofIndianOcean
is beautiful. Water is very clean and
swimminghereisfabulous.
OnthewaytoUluwatutemple,onasunny
afternoon;weweredesperatelylookingfor
some vegetarian food. There was a
restaurantthrongedbyanumberofforeign
tourists and we could hardly �ind a table.
Finally when we went through the menu
therewasnothing vegetarian.Weordered
something called Nasigorang, a rice dish
similartoourpuliyogare.(curryleavesrice).
Thisuluwatuisonplungingseacliffsabove
SURABHI (Vol-14 No.2 December-2020) 34
oneoftheBali'sbestsurfspots.InBalinese,
Ulu means tip or “land's End “and watu
means rock. It's exactly where rock ends
abruptly leading to a magni�icent ocean.
Sunsetisthebesttimetovisitwhenthesky
andseaglowinlateafternoonlight.
ThereisonecustominBalithatlooksvery
strangetous.PeopleofBalimakeanoffering
totheirGodinahandmadepalmleaftray
that contains �lowers of different colours,
rice, betel nuts and in some places I saw
cigarettes! This is called Canang Sari in
Balinese and essentially prepared by
woman in the house and found in the
temples,smallshrinesinthehousesandon
theground.
Ubudisabusytouristplacewhereyouwill
�ind a number of Indian restaurants that
servenorthIndianfoodandtherearegood
shopping centres to buy printed shirts,
coffee powder, etc. Monkey forest is an
evocative jungle with huge trees where
monkeysroamfreely.
As far as currency is concerned my
experience is that you carry suf�icient
amountofUSdollarsandyouwillgetbest
exchangeratestoIndonesianrupiah.Indian
rupee is traded much lower than the
exchangerates.
Afterhavingvisitedanumberofsoutheast
Asian countries, my observation is that
thoughweboastofrichhistoryofIndiaand
thegloriouspast,ourpresentconditionsin
no way justify it and on the other hand,
countrieslikeThailand,Malaysia,Indonesia,
Singapore,Hongkongthathavedevelopedin
the past 100 to 200 years have shown
remarkabledevelopmentinconservationof
natural resources, waste management,
tourismpromotion, etc.Automobile traf�ic
onthestreetsissuperbandeverymotorist
displays a great degree of patience and
honking is a rare phenomena. This aspect
hasimpressedmealotamongotherthings.
SURABHI (Vol-14 No.2 December-2020) 35
Whatadelighttohavealife,
havingnoconstraintoffacingproblem.
Whatadelighttoseeinlife,
thelightmesmerisestheinstilledsoul.
Isthisarealityorjustapictureinmotion,
wherewearejustthecharactersamongtheocean.
That'sthethingwhichcomplexifyme,
that'stheharshrealitythatjustterrifyme.
What'sthemeaningofthingswhichweseeinlife,
irrespectiveofthefactthatwedon'tknowwhatislife.
Weallarecompanionsofeachother,
normalisingthehighsandlowsofeachother.
Whataworldisthis!Instilledofinertbeauty
Withinwhateveritis.
Amerere�lectionoftheheaven,
somethoughtitconsistoftheworldofseven.
Thingsgetdramatic,theworldisadrama,
buthowwillinglyyousaythatitisadrama?
TheplayofGod,thecreatorofcreation
theonewhoknows,whateverthesituation.
Don'ttaketheburdenandlovejustme,
leavethiscreationandsubmergewithinme.
Iamthealmighty,themightieramongthemightiest.
SatyapriyaDasSC20B159
SURABHI (Vol-14 No.2 December-2020) 36
So,don'ttakeachance,enjoytheplay
dowhateverforyouaremadeandneveryoucomplain.
Thingshaveabeauty,thingshaveapain
butrememberthatnoeffortofyourswillgoinvain.
Igaveyoumind,sobealwayskind
andliveforotherssothatnooneisleftbehind.
Youareahuman,mytopmostcreation,
neverthinkthatIamyourcreation.
Otherwise,thingstakeaturnandletyouseethetruth.
Theworldwillexpeltheevergreenalmightytruth.
Thebeautyisnowhere,exceptwithinyourheart,
Theworldisacycle,itstartsandendsinyourheart.
So,believeinourheart,thereyou�indyourself,
Theultimatecreatorofthecosmos,youwill�indmewithinyourself.
Thus,loveeveryone,lovethespace
youwill�indmewithinyourself,thecreatorofeveryspace.
SURABHI (Vol-14 No.2 December-2020) 37
��तशोध
जब खल गए ह� ह�त तो,
��मा�� को चल जान दो।
ना रोको अब इन बाजओ को,
बधन ना �फर कोई डाल दो।
अब 'हम या तम' का य�ध हो,
इस य�ध को �छड जान दो
उन र�त क �यास� को अब
र�त तम बह जान दो।।
सह ल� ह� सौ जो गा�लया,
अब च� उठन को चला,
ऐ द�ट, अब त जा सभल
कटन चला तरा गला।
सहन क� सीमा �ीण हई
��तशोध-अि�न ह �बल
म�य तर ��य� ह,
तरा काल अब तो ह अटल।।
SURABHI (Vol-14 No.2 December-2020) 38
PranjalSaraswatSC20B109
TCRajanSeniorProjectAssistantMainAccountsSection
VSSC,[email protected]
SURABHI (Vol-14 No.2 December-2020) 39
In Memory of Sugathakumari Teacher