''Ormakalude Bhramanapadham'' (

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 2 ...

: ''ഓർമകളുടെ ഭ്രമണപഥം'') is the autobiography of

Nambi Narayanan S. Nambi Narayanan (born 12 December 1941) is an Indian aerospace scientist who worked for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and contributed significantly to the Indian space program by developing the Vikas rocket engine. He led ...

, former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientist and the

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...

awardee. After his education at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

in chemical rocket propulsion he was invited by

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

to join

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...

, but he decided to serve the nation and joined ISRO. He came to India with expertise in liquid propulsion at a time when Indian rocketry was still solely dependent on solid propellants. He was closely associated with

Vikram Sarabhai Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai (12 August 1919 – 30 December 1971) was an Indian physicist and astronomer who initiated space research and helped develop nuclear power in India. He was honoured with Padma Bhushan in 1966 and the Padma Vibhushan ...

, APJ,

Satish Dhawan Satish Dhawan (25 September 1920 – 3 January 2002) was an Indian mathematician and aerospace engineer, widely regarded as the father of experimental fluid dynamics research in India. Born in Srinagar, Dhawan was educated in India an ...

and U. R. Rao. As a senior official at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), he was in-charge of the

cryogenics In physics, cryogenics is the production and behaviour of materials at very low temperatures. The 13th IIR International Congress of Refrigeration (held in Washington DC in 1971) endorsed a universal definition of “cryogenics” and “cr ...

division. In 1994, he was falsely charged with espionage and arrested. Written by journalist turned filmmaker

Prajesh Sen G. Prajesh Sen (also spelt G. Prajeshsen; born 29 May 1979) is an Indian filmmaker and writer. In 2017, he has made his directorial debut with '' Captain'', starring Jayasurya and Anu Sithara. Career Prajesh Sen started his career as a journ ...

, the book also presents the story of

’s life. The book untangles the scientific quest and his preliminary efforts in emerging the country's homegrown cryogenic technology that drives India's space technology today.

The espionage case in 1994

The book ''Ormakalude bhramanapadham'' probes into the ISRO spy case. It was purported that

and other scientists had sold defense secrets to two Maldivian agents. In 1996, the CBI dismissed the case, and in 1998 the Supreme Court acquitted

and others.

Publication

It was published by Current Books Thrissur. The book was released by

Shashi Tharoor Shashi Tharoor (; ; born 9 March 1956 in London, England ) is an Indian former international civil servant, diplomat, bureaucrat and politician, writer and public intellectual who has been serving as Member of Parliament for Thiruvananthapuram, ...

on 26 October 2017. In his speech,

mentioned that the "Nation owes an apology to

" “He chose to work for ISRO though he was invited by

after his education at

. Maybe he would have risen to the post of ISRO chairman for his meritorious service, but he now survives to reveal a moving tale which is a warning to the dedicated few,” Tharoor said The preface for this book was written by T. N. Seshan.

English translation

The book was published in English by the name "The orbit of memories" in the end of 2018.

References

{{reflist 2017 non-fiction books Indian autobiographies