About 3 years ago I had written the following conversation for my daughter's school assignment. This conversation takes place in the Garden of Wisdom in the Heaven. The day is Feb 1, 2003. The Space
Shuttle Columbia has just crashed. After the crash, the shuttle's India-born astronaut Kalpana Chawla lands in the
Heaven where she meets great scientist Madam Curie. Here is what they talk
during their meeting:
Madam Curie: Hi, have you seen
that space vehicle of the humans turning into a fireball and breaking into
smithereens?
Kalpana Chawla: Yeah,
I was in that vehicle with six fellow crew members. We’ve just landed here.
Madam Curie: Ah, the God summoned all of you to the
heaven at a young age. What happened to your vehicle?
Kalpana Chawla: Are we in the heaven?
Madam Curie: Yeah. But, tell me why did your vehicle
crash?
Kalpana Chawla: Our vehicle was space shuttle
Columbia. Its crash was just another instance of the human intellect failing
before the God’s will. You know the space shuttle is a marvellous invention.
The humans use it to go into the space and study various natural phenomena
beyond the earth’s environs.
Madam Curie: I suppose your vehicle had developed
some snag.
Kalpana Chawla: Yeah, its thermal protection foam had
been damaged at one place during its launch from the earth. Because of that
damage, the air friction turned Columbia into a fireball when it re-entered the earth’s environs.
Madam Curie: How unfortunate you were?
Kalpana Chawla: The God’s will is great. We all have
to bow to it. By the way, may I know your name?
Madam Curie: Let me tell you,
here nobody is known by their human identity. Here our only identity is our
good work on the earth. However, on the earth I was known as Marie Curie.
Kalpana Chawla: Oh, you
are Marie Curie who discovered radium and explained to the world the
phenomenon of radioactivity.
Madam Curie: Yeah. It seems you
have read about my work on the earth.
Kalpana Chawla: Yeah. At
school, we were taught a lesson about your great work in the field of X-rays
and discovery of radium and polonium. You were the first woman in the world to
receive a Nobel Prize. And, you received this prize twice.
I had also read your biography and
was greatly inspired by your life. During your childhood, your country Poland
was under Russian occupation. The foreign rulers were dead against giving
science education to Polish citizens. But you lived alone in Paris in trying
circumstances to do landmark research for the good of humanity.
Madam Curie: You know a lot
about my life on the earth. It gives me satisfaction that my work became useful
for the humanity. However, I was greatly pained seeing the misuse of
radioactive elements in America’s atomic attack on Nagasaki and Hiroshima after
my departure from the earth.
Kalpana Chawla: I was not born
at the time of this atomic attack. However, I had read about the serious impact
on the health of the Japanese people of the radiation released by the atomic
attack.
Madam Curie: You know radioactivity can be used for the welfare as well as destruction of the humanity. It can destroy
cancerous cells in the body or produce immense amount of energy to fulfil human
needs. But a devilish mind can destroy the world with radioactive elements as
you have seen in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. My husband Pierre and I myself had
also unknowingly suffered serious health problems while working with
radioactive elements. But those days I didn’t believe that radioactivity could
pose a danger to the human existence. Now, tell me about yourself and your
country.
Kalpana Chawla: My earth
identity goes with the name of Kalpana Chawla. I was born and brought up in
Karnal that is a small town in India. I was the youngest of the four siblings.
Since childhood I had interest in flying. Luckily, our small town had a flying
club where I learnt flying.
Madam Curie: How did you
become part of the space mission?
Kalpana Chawla: I did my
graduation in aerospace engineering that was my
favourite subject. However, my father wanted me to become a doctor or a
teacher. He also objected to myself going to America for higher studies. But, later on he relented and sent me to America. After my studies, I
joined NASA and went into the space twice. And, after the crash of my second
space flight I have met you.
Madam
Curie: So, you come from India. During my
life at the earth I did not hear much about India. Maybe I was too immersed in
my research to take interest in outside world. Tell me about your country.
Kalpana Chawla: India is a
progressive country. Its functioning democracy and diverse cultures are a lesson
for many young countries that are trying to evolve democratic systems. Most of
the Indians are deeply religious. However, sometimes their blind faith in
religion prevents the Indians to use their wisdom and do away with superstitious religious beliefs. This mindset slows down the country’s progress.
Madam
Curie: I appreciate your views as a
scientist. However, the masses in any country generally don’t have the
scientific temperament nor access to right education. So, they are prone to
reject what is good for them in the long run. But as a country progresses, its
people become more educated, and the hollow religious beliefs become
irrelevant. I am sure a great future awaits your country.
Sorry, we
have to end our conversation. Let us search for your Columbia colleagues. I
have to introduce all the Columbian crew to the God.
Kalpana Chawla: Meeting the
God would be a great occasion as I have heard lots of stories about Him since
my childhood. Let me tell you about a strange thing that I have noticed here.
Your earth identity is of a Christian and mine of a Hindu. But we both are in
the same heaven. It means the God is one.
Madam
Curie: Yeah, God is one. But, most
humans realize this eternal truth only after leaving the earth. Let us now
move.
No comments:
Post a Comment