ISRO chief Somanath withdraws publishing of his autobiography as his book criticizes K Sivan

Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Chief S Somanath has postponed plans to publish his autobiography after the controversy on his book escalated. According to the media reports, the ISRO chief has criticized his predecessor K Sivan.

Somanath has said after the controversy, he has decided not to publish his book ‘Nilavu Kudicha Simhangal’ for the time being. The English translation of the name of this book is ‘Lions that Drown the Moonlight’.

In an interview, he said that in the journey of reaching the top position of an organization, every person has to face many types of challenges. He further said, “Many persons may be eligible for the same important post. I just tried to bring that point forward. I did not target any particular person in this regard.”

Somanath, while speaking to a news agency, admitted that the book talked about the lack of clarity regarding the declaration of failure of Chandrayaan-2 mission. He said, “My autobiography is an attempt to inspire those who want to achieve something by fighting challenges and obstacles in life, and not to criticize anyone.”

He further said that the purpose of the book is not to teach my life story. The ISRO Chief told the agency that its sole purpose is to inspire people to chase their dreams.

In a surprise turn of events, a few media reports claimed that ISRO Chief Dr S Somanath has made an allegation against former ISRO Chief K Sivan. According to reports, Somnath said that Sivan had obstructed his elevation as ISRO chief. Sivan did not want Somanath to become ISRO chief. Somanath made this allegation in the book ‘Nilavu Kudicha Simhangal’ based on his life. After the controversy over the issue of hiding the mistake after the mission failure, Somnath had told the agency how Chandrayaan-2 had failed. He had said that Chandrayaan-2 mission failed due to haste and incomplete tests. Somanath said that his book contains the true reason for the failure of Chandrayaan-2.