ISRO Chairman S Somanath has put the release of his forthcoming memoir, ‘Nilavu Kudicha Simhangal’ (Lions that drank the moonlight), on hold after facing backlash due to excerpts from the book. The Malayalam book reportedly mentioned former ISRO chief K Sivan’s alleged attempt to prevent Somanath’s appointment to the top position.

Somanath clarified that he never wrote about someone trying to hinder his chances. He believes that the publishers may have distributed some copies to others, leading to the controversy. Concerned about the misrepresented content, Somanath instructed the publishers to postpone the book’s release, which was scheduled for next week. He emphasized that the purpose of the book was not to ignite controversy and stated that he will decide later whether or not to release it at all.

In response to the allegations, K Sivan refrained from commenting, suggesting there was nothing for him to say. However, individuals close to him pointed out several inaccuracies in the reported excerpts, including discrepancies regarding Somanath’s appointment as the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) director.

The controversy arose after a news report from Kerala claimed that Somanath expressed feelings of being sidelined within ISRO before eventually rising to the top position. The previewed content also quoted Somanath attributing the failure of the Chandrayaan-2 mission to insufficient experiments and reviews.

Somanath clarified that the quoted words in the news were not his own and that he did not mention Sivan or anyone else in the book. He asserted that controversies were not his objective and he had no intention of hurting or blaming anyone. Somanath acknowledged feeling sidelined when the chairman of the UR Rao Space Centre joined the space commission just before the selection of a new ISRO chairman was due.

Regarding the Chandrayaan-2 mission, Somanath stressed the importance of transparency and addressing the mistakes made. He expressed regret that the controversy might unnecessarily harm Sivan’s reputation. Somanath disclosed that he recently discussed long-term visions for the space program with Sivan and intends for him to lead certain committees. He expressed disappointment that the controversy emerged and planned to meet Sivan personally to discuss the matter.

Somanath explained that his primary goal in writing the memoir, which is only 160 pages long, was to inspire young individuals, not to target anyone. He mentioned that the book provides insights into his formative years and narrates the struggles of a young person from a humble background. While the release of the memoir remains uncertain, Somanath intends to write a full-length autobiography after retiring.