ISRO Chairman Withdraws Publication Of His Autobiography; Why Is He Upset?

Bengaluru: ISRO Chairman S Somanath is upset.

So much so that he has decided to withdraw the publication of his autobiography, reported PTI.

Some of his observations in the book, supposedly related to his predecessor K Sivan, were deemed to be critical.

Somanath confirmed that he was withdrawing publication of the book ‘Nilavu Kudicha Simhangal’ — loosely translated as ‘Lions that drank the moonlight’ — in the light of the controversy.

Speaking to PTI earlier in the day, Somanath said every person would have to go through some kind of challenges during his journey to reach a top position in an organisation.

He was responding to a report which claimed that his autobiography contained some critical remarks about Sivan.

“Persons holding such key positions may have to go through several challenges. One among them is the challenge with regard to getting positions in an organisation,” he said.

“More persons might be eligible for a significant post. I just tried to bring out that particular point. I didn’t target any particular individual in this regard,” he explained.

Somanath admitted that he wrote in his book about a lack of clarity in the announcement of Chandrayaan-2 mission’s failure.

The ISRO Chairman further said that his autobiography was meant to inspire those who wish to achieve by fighting challenges and obstacles in life, and not criticise others.