ASET Colloquium

Making of Space Life Matter: the coming of age of Indian science

by Mr. Hari Pulakkat (Science Journalist and Writer)

Friday, June 18, 2021 from to (Asia/Kolkata)
at Online ( https://zoom.us/j/91427966752 )
Description
I had started work on Space Life Matter in October 2016, after signing a contract with Hachette India. Despite signing the contract with a publisher, I had no real idea about what the book should be. The tentative title was Turning Points in Indian Science, which was more a placeholder than a working title. The turning point for the book came when I met Govind Swarup at NCRA in March 2017. As he told me his story, a structure for the book started forming in my mind. By then I had realised that all the scientists who worked in the decades after independence went through a common struggle. By July I had the full book mapped out. Researching and writing the book was the most exhilarating experience I have had so far, and it changed my notions of science and writing. The talk is about my experience in writing the book and how it reshaped all my ideas about science writing for the public.

About the Speaker:
Hari Pulakkat is a science journalist and writer based in Bangalore, with nearly three decades of experience in covering science and technology from an Indian point of view. He has worked primarily for two publications, Businessworld and The Economic Times. He writes about how science and technology shape the Indian economy and society, and how major global trends in science affect India’s future. He is now the editor of Shaastra, a new science and technology magazine from IIT Madras. In 2020, he was the winner of the Indira Gandhi Prize for Science Popularisation. Space Life Matter is his first book. 
Material:
Organised by Dr. Satyanarayana Bheesette