When V.J. James is not studying different chemical composites for aerospace applications, he dabbles with language composites to explore mindscapes. The much-anticipated Mohanlal-starrer Munthirivallikal Thalirkumbol is based on James’s short story ‘Pranayopanishath.’ The award-winning author is a senior engineer heading the characterisation and testing division of composites entity at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram.
He is not the only one scientist in India’s premier space organisation who straddles the worlds of science and fine arts with ease. There are painters, writers, musicians...
If N. Shyam Mohan, project director of Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology demonstrator (RLV-TD), is a trained Carnatic and Hindustani singer, musician and composer, aerospace engineer Desikan S.L.N. is a virtuoso mridangam player, who sees hardly any difference between the aeroacoustics of huge launch vehicles and rhythmic beats of the mridangam.
“Aeroacoustics is my field of research. The acoustics in the mridangam are very similar to those produced by moving rockets. It is scientifically proven,” says Desikan. The former student of IIT-Madras was a full-time mridangam artiste before joining the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). He has been a percussionist for 32 years and, he says he still has a lot to learn.
These musicians perform on professional stages and are still fine tuning their talent. “I have been trained in Carnatic music since I was six by several maestros, including Perumbavoor G. Ravindranath. I learned Hindustani from Abhradita Banerjee and have sung ghazals composed by Pandit Ramesh Narayan. I love singing on stage and try to do stage shows whenever I can. I have tried my hand at composing as well, though not for movies,” says Shyam. He also donned the greasepaint for playing the lead role in K.G. George’s 1991 movie Ee Kanni Koodi .
While the two musicians deal with musical notes, James is a wizard with notes of a different kind. He is an award-winning writer with six novels and four short-story collections. He won DC Books’ silver jubilee award for his debut novel Purappaadinte Pusthakam in 1999 and hasn’t looked back ever since.
“I believe that practising an art, no matter what it is, completes you as a human being. We come to know ourselves as well as our fellow beings more intimately while pursuing an art form,” says James. He feels that most often professionals compromise their artistic inclinations due to the stress of the job.
However, Shyam says having a strong passion for the arts has always helped him in thinking out-of-the-box when it comes to his scientific pursuits. “Music erases tension and calms me down when things get hectic at work. More than that, it is something that fuels your imagination, and imagination is a pre-requisite for passionate work in science,” he says. The ambitious and successful RLV-TD project, he believes, is a product of such a thought process. He still has the sketches of the winged spacecraft that was made during the early days of the project.
“Even those who pursue a passion will have to sacrifice a lot of holidays and parties. It took me 12 years to finish my first book. But ultimately, I think, indulging in such a pursuit helps a lot in your work. It restores energy and helps you return to your work with more vigour,” adds James. His last novel Nireeshwaran won the Kerala Basha Institute Basheer award in 2015.
Desikan also says that his time on the mridangam keeps him energetic and beats stress. “It helps me relax. Also, playing the mridangam cheers me up when I am emotionally down. So, it is an important part of my life,” he adds. Although a busy researcher and professional nowadays, he still finds time to be a percussionist, often accompanying renowned Carnatic musicians in concerts.
Gigi J. Alex, a reader of literature at Indian Institute of Space Science & Technology (IIST), did a research project on ‘Creative artists and writers of Department of Space (DOS)’. “I think it really complements their work. They often go through a lot of stress and having an artistic side to life helps a lot in relieving it. People often think of them as serious professionals who are married to their work. That is not true,” says Gigi.
It is to showcase the creativity of DOS staff and give them a platform to publish their works that she launched Surabhi , a biannual journal of arts and literature, in 2013. It is being distributed at the different centres of DOS.
DID YOU KNOW?
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam – Former President of India and great scientist was a celebrated author and a talented veena player.
K. Radhakrishnan – former Chairman of ISRO is a multi-talented artiste with expertise in Kathakali, Kerala Natanam and Carnatic music.
Soorya Krishnamoorthy – Writer, theatre director and founder of SOORYA was a scientist/engineer in ISRO for 27 years.
P. Radhakrishnan – Former deputy director of LPSC is an author and a gifted orator.
