A book on the renowned space scientist U R Rao is set for launch on July 30.
Written by Prashanth G N, it is called ‘The Life and Times of U R Rao: From Humble Origins to a Space Legend’.
Udupi Ramachandra Rao was born in 1932 in Adamar, a village in Udupi district.
He worked in cities such as Ahmedabad and Hyderabad, and helmed several prestigious projects that put India on the world space research map. He died in 2017.
The book traces Rao’s personal and professional accomplishments, and explains why he enjoys a preeminent place in space research.
“It consists of interesting anecdotes and conversations with a wide range of people — from his teachers to former prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi,” Prashanth told Metrolife.
A former journalist who covered the science beat, Prashanth now works as content strategist for a PR agency.
He started working on the book in 2016. “I would visit the professor almost every Saturday to interview him,” he says.
“Rao is one of the most ambitious people I met when I was covering space missions as a journalist. He was instrumental in making India one of the six nations in the world to have a comprehensive space policy,” he says.
Rao served as the chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) from 1984 to 1994.
“As a journalist, I had the opportunity of watching rocket launches with him at the spaceport in Andhra Pradesh. It was a privilege to watch him work on various projects in 2013 and 2014. With him, there was no blabbering, only straightforward work,” he
says.
Curiosity about outer space unites everyone, believes Prashanth. The foreword for the book is by Rao’s brother M Govinda Rao.
“Within the book, there are also tributes to the professor by some peers such as Mylswamy Annadurai, Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan and Madhavan Nair,” Prashanth says.
Published by Nakutanti Prakashana,‘The Life and Times of U R Rao: From Humble Origins to a Space Legend’ will be released on July 30, 7 pm, at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. The book is priced at Rs 250.
Next project
Prashanth plans to write a book on science stalwarts from Karnataka. His debut book has encouraged him to dig deeper into the topic. “There are so many personalities whose stories deserve to be heard,” says Prashanth.