“Once upon a time there was a king with seven sons,” the father started reciting a story.
“You’ve told me this story eleven times already, papa," the daughter complained, her head pillowed on father’s arm.
“Is it? Hmm, okay, did I tell you the story of the ant king?” asked the father.
“No! Tell me, tell me!” the daughter eagerly requested, her eyes sparkling.
“Alright, once upon a time, there was an ant king who ruled over a grand ant kingdom.”
“Ant kingdom!” the daughter gasped in amazement.
“And there is an ant princess named Vani,” he continued.
“Hehe, that’s my name,” Vani chuckled, her dimples brightening her father’s face.
“Yes, and there were forts, ant armies, and...”
Suddenly, a loud thunderclap interrupted their story, followed by a heavy downpour. Vani hugged her father tight.
“Vani, you should not be afraid of nature. What did mom teach you to do when it thundered?” her father asked. “Arjuna Phalguna, Arjuna Phalguna,” Vani recited, hugging him even tighter. Just then, footsteps echoed up the stairs, growing louder as they approached. Before the door was knocked, the father opened it to find his assistant, soaked and breathless.
“Good evening, sir! Cyclone Phailin has hit Andaman. We need to leave immediately," the assistant announced between gasps.
“I didn’t expect it to happen this early,” her father said. “Alright, pack my Icom 7100 VHF Radio and get as many batteries as you can.” The assistant quickly set to work.
Vani understood what this meant: another long period away with a caretaker. Whenever there is a disaster, her father, a HAM radio operator, gets called to establish emergency communication from disaster-stricken places. During these periods of estrangement, she cannot even talk to her father on the phone. Newspapers celebrate her father as a hero. Her friends approach her to make them meet her father. Vani could only hear from him through the school’s HAM radio.
Father packed for a two-week trip despite Vani’s pleas. “Please, don’t leave," she begged. The father’s heart ached. Kneeling to her level, he took Vani closer and asked gently, “Shouldn’t we help those suffering in the rain?”. Vani lowered her head in understanding. “Finish the story at least,” she murmured, glancing at the floor. He lifted her chin, kissed her forehead, and promised, “I’ll finish it when I return. Please eat well and drink milk daily.” As her father and the assistant left, Vani stared at the departing Jeep until it became invisible.
A week passed. Vani went to the school’s HAM radio station, hoping to hear her father. She tuned the radio dial, catching only noise until she heard, “MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY, this is VU2VJY, from Port Blair,” before it vanished again. That was her father. She turned the dial to and fro multiple times, but to no avail. The radio operator comforted her and said he would help her the next day in listening to her father. She left for home, disappointed.
The following day, her father’s picture appeared in the newspaper again, but her friends were not as enthusiastic about it as always. “Condolences to the HAM hero," read the newspaper. The cyclonic storm had claimed his life. Vani couldn’t react. Vani could only recite, “Arjuna Phalguna, Arjuna Phalguna.”
A gun salute marked her father’s funeral. She received his remains, including his broken HAM radio. With the help of the school’s radio operator, she repaired it and started being an operator herself. She volunteered during emergencies, like her father. Her passion grew, and soon she was able to design new radios. She pursued electronics and communications in engineering and graduated with a gold medal. She got an early PhD admission at the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA). She explored the solar system and its neighborhood using the radio telescopes and became one of the few women to work on the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) in Pune. It was time to defend her thesis.
“I propose an infinitely expandable space radio telescope," she announced. The auditorium fell into a heavy silence, broken only by a few stifled gasps and murmurs. Vani noticed frown lines deepening across the foreheads of professors examining her.
Undeterred, she showcased simulations of her designs. The telescope would start as a compact unit, deployed aboard a spacecraft. Once in orbit, it would unfold and expand, using advanced materials to maintain structural integrity while laser systems transmitted data back to Earth. “We need large telescopes to detect faint signals from distant parts of the universe,” she concluded.
A younger professor leaned forward. “Your concept is ambitious, but have you considered the practical limitations? The energy requirements would be astronomical.”
“I have accounted for that, Professor,” Vani replied, “The system would be powered by solar panels and—”
The professor interrupted, his tone curt. “Your calculations don’t add up. You’re proposing an idea that’s ahead of its time without a solid foundation in current technology.”
Vani’s confidence wavered. Her guide looked at her with concern. The professors conferred quietly, then the white-bearded professor adjusted his glasses and turned back to her.
“Ms. Vani, your work shows creativity and vision,” he said. “However, it lacks the rigor needed to justify such an extraordinary claim. At this time, we cannot approve your thesis. We recommend you continue your research but focus on more practical, achievable goals.”
Vani’s heart sank. She nodded stiffly, thanking the panel, but the words felt hollow. As she left the stage, murmurs followed her. “She makes a better writer than a scientist,” someone muttered.
Outside, as she tried to hold back tears, a calm voice broke her thoughts. “Impressive work, Vani. Would you like to work with me on making your dream a reality?” He didn’t introduce himself. He needed no introduction.
She looked up, astonished. “Dr. Lewis Ball!” The director of the Square Kilometer Array observatory nodded.
“I’ve been following your work,” he said. “You’d be a great addition to our team. I will speak with your guide.”
Vani’s eyes widened and a faint smile broke through her lips. “I can’t believe it.”
“I have one question, though. Not about the technicalities of your thesis, but about its philosophy. Why did you choose such a complex thesis? You risked your career there”, asked Dr. Ball.
Vani’s smile grew. “I don’t want to fear nature. That’s only possible when we understand it.” Her dimples put a smile on Dr. Ball's face as well. “Let’s make it happen,” he said, extending his hand for a handshake.
For over a decade, Vani worked with Dr. Ball, exploring the universe and rising to become a global science icon. She worked tirelessly to bring countries together to work on the space radio telescope project, seeing it as a means to promote international peace in an increasingly militarized space. In the year 2036, the telescope was finally launched. She named it Akash, after her father. She stared at the departing rocket until it became invisible.
Months passed. Vani had had sleepless nights. Her team spent all their time processing the data transmitted from the telescope. They got busy understanding the newer parts of the universe that the telescope had uncovered. Some of it was even questioning many established parts of physics. Even untestable theories like that of string theory could now be tested with the new data. They were charting unchartered territories. Exploring the unknown.
On another sleepless night, she detected an odd pattern in the signal received. It was a feeble signal, but not from a distant source. Vani got curious and zeroed in on it. She amplified it to an audible range and heard it. Amidst the ocean of unfamiliarity, she discovered something familiar – “This is the story of the ant king and an ant princess.” Vani pinched herself. It was not a dream. The signal continued to recite the story, “The ant king went to a war and got martyred. The princess and the empire became fatherless. The young princess then ruled the ant kingdom with great care, planting trees and building dams. Most importantly, she ensured that there was no war, because wars make children fatherless. Everyone hailed her, Vani the Great!”, and then there was the sound of a heavy downpour.
Vani suddenly rose, pushing her chair back. She rushed to her team to share her discovery. The team was startled to see Vani panting and sweating. “What is it?” they asked, perplexed. But Vani couldn’t respond. She has no explanation; only an experience. She drove back home, trying to reason out what had happened.
“Was it a delusion because of my sleeplessness?”
“Was it an alien?”
“Can radio waves persist in time?”
“Is it possible that the radio wave escaped the atmosphere during the cyclone?”
Questions bombarded her. She shot into her study room immediately after reaching home and removed the cloth covering her father’s HAM radio. A stream of tears started from her ears. “Thank you, papa," she said, hugging the radio tight.
Submitted this short to the India Science Festival and it is shortlisted in top20 entries 🙂
Beautiful. Fast moving and still rooted.
Congratulations! And all the best for the next shortlist!