On a Fine Starry Night…

Subramanian in this short story tells us about Ramachandran, a YouTuber and Physics post-graduate who plans to create a feature episode on the Moon’s landings, robotic crew, and life’s inhospitability, inspired by his daughter, Varuna. Find out what happens – exclusively for Different Truths.

A seasoned YouTuber was Ramachandran.  A postgraduate in Physics from the University of Madras, he spent much of his spare time reading, his interests being rather wide and varied.

Ramachandran was religious, not in the conventional sense where you observed rituals with a finicky orthodoxy and fussed about things going wrong or being cavalier about them.  In his late forties, with a professional tryst with accounting in a major firm in Chennai, he earned well and had a daughter in her teens who had a marked passion for table tennis and who was equally no shirker in studies.  He had his home, and everything was going all right except for family skirmishes, without which life lost some kind of dazzle.

His daughter Varuna practiced TT rather diligently and took part in school events, excelling in it in some ways.  Varuna was then learning the steps. It was in Plus Two that she took the first leap into winning the college tournament.  At home, all were delighted, of course. The word went around the family milieu and praise became a little torrent.  

Ramachandran took videos of all her matches with the diligence of a proud and committed father, though he did not know what to do with them. He kept a dozen of them in his mobile library and visited them off and on to pass the time. Then he took to YouTube.

His prize video was, of course, the one where Varuna leapt into winning the annual college trophy in TT. It was a tough match where every point had to be earned, and Varuna sweated it out because her opponent was no chicken to make a fight of it, giving her a run for the trophy. 

There were cheers all around, partisan gasps in favour of one or the other player; everyone was on the edge of their seats in anticipation of the outcome. 

Ramachandran got to know from a friend that putting it out on YouTube could be a thought. He didn’t give much credence to it initially, but later, in a flurry, he wanted to give it a try.  Varuna videoed him giving the resume, and it was streamed. He paid no attention to it for some time; being an avid mobile watcher, he cursorily glanced at it and was stunned to see over 10,000 subscribers, a lot of them making queries about game tips for their kids.

It was then that Ramachandran learned that there was a medium where he could spend quality time giving research videos on subjects close to his heart. Varuna showed the way, and he smiled.

  ***

Politics did hold his attention, but he was a surfer in it, content to hop around it with his friends in the park who were passionate, of course. They would pillory an individual politician if he had a history of malfeasance or corruption because the group had a trail of blemish-free records in their service and were rather touchy about the issue.  Of all things in the world, corruption was most intolerable, they said. Ramachandran had an abiding cynicism that the nature of electoral politics was such that it created enough space for corruption and wrongdoing.

He was a stickler for facts and had a habit of jotting down interesting facts on his laptop.  Occasionally, he would take a look at it to refresh himself. 

Ramachandran had a word with his friends about making a video on planets, their essential features, and updates on them. Some were enthusiastic, the rest lukewarm. “Much that has to be known is already known about planets. In what way would it help?” was a typical response from the tired, non-committal type. Ramachandran was made of sterner stuff. 

“What makes you assume that the present generation is less curious or studious about new facts? Does the world end with us?” He hit back. “We will have our people on the moon. Mark my words.”

He recalled those words with a smile, now realising that the prediction had almost become a reality. A crewed mission was slated for 2026. It was announced that our country would select three astronauts to land on the moon three years later. He didn’t think it rebounded to his credit, however.  He was not that naive or knavish.

Ruminating all alone on the terrace of his house, Ramachandran was eyeing the stars emerging in the sky as dusk was slowly descending.  The moon was silvery, and its perfect roundness was stunning.  

“Jupiter is the largest planet in terms of size, can take in 1300 earths,” he murmured. “It is full of gas where no life can ever breathe. So, it goes for Mercury and Venus. Mars seems to be the only one where a snaking trail of water is found.”

Varuna came up.  “What are you gaping at, Appa?”

He laughed. “Dear!  Have you concluded that your dad has become an old coot gaping at the sky? I have not reached that stage yet. But Varuna, when I look at all the stars and a few gleaming identifiable planets, I feel so much is still and ever unknown. It always remains a mystery despite whatever has been revealed, discovered, and found.”

Varuna was never at a loss for a counter.  Ramachandran liked her for it, especially because it was not rude or defiant.

“It goes for everything, Appa, right? Why table tennis too? What I have learned is a given. but the more different opponents I meet and watch their skill levels, the more I imbibe new moves, from serves to manoeuvres. It goes for many things as well. For example, if you dig somewhere and unravel new facets of archaeology about a past age, a new scenario is unravelled.”

Ramachandran’s eyebrows danced in appreciation. “Ah, Varuna! You always have something to say.  But what you say is somehow true.”

Varuna smiled, a composed, unassuming smile, which reflected a level of intellectual curiosity, a cut above her age. 

“What is so profound about what I said Appa?” She laughed. “Anyway, to continue what were you thinking looking at the sky?”

“Ah, that’s it, my dear. Didn’t you hear that our country is planning to put Chandrayan 3 in lunar orbit, a six-legged rover to transmit data from the Moon? It has been launched. There is talk of a crewed mission three years from now. Possibly a manned mission too in a decade?  I wonder who will opt for it, but those who do will be mentally well-equipped and tough, well-trained, and have a love for adventure. Or send robots to the moon in these times of AI? I was watching the beauty of the roundness of the moon and wandered to our planned space odyssey.”

Varuna was thoughtful, and silent for a while. Then she turned to her father. 

“Appa! I have seen all your YouTube features on the planets. A lot is going on in the galaxy that we cannot cover in your lifetime. But I have a suggestion. You may dismiss it as childish, but think about it. Why don’t you try an elaborate feature episode on the Moon, the landings that have been made, a robotic crew, and its atmosphere, including its inhospitability for life? It may be barren as the moor, but such an episode with well-researched data will attract hundreds of viewers and subscribers. Perhaps a question-answer session as well, and bigwigs to speak on it.”

Ramachandran’s eyes lit up. He turned to scrutinise his daughter. His face was bright, radiant. 

“My dear! You have made my day. It’s a hell of a suggestion. It never struck me. I was halfheartedly looking to do some political feature where my sharp and wounding observations hardly penetrated the victim. He remains as unscathed as snow or rock.  Yeah, it’s worth trying.”

He rubbed his nose.  Why can’t I even make a good job of it, weaving a bit of a prequel also, which will publicise the video feature?”

He playfully pulled her ear, grinning, Thanks, Varuna, dear.”

Varuna retaliated with a playful dig.

“On a fine starry night, I made your day, Appa…”

Note: Appa is a way of greeting fathers in Tamil Nadu. 

Picture design by Anumita Roy