Cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle says it’s important for the youth to know and celebrate the achievements of some great Indians who stood undeterred by challenges and powered India’s space aspirations. That’s the reason behind his podcast, Mission ISRO. By Chahak Mittal
On April 4, 1984, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had asked our first cosmonaut and Squadron Leader Rakesh Sharma, Upar se Bharat kaisa dikhta hai aapko?” When he answered, “Main bina kisi jhijhak ke keh sakta hoon, Saare Jahan Se Achcha,” our national song had found a new meaning. Not just that, India herself had found a new identity. For the first time after Independence, while Russia and the US were competing in the space race, our country was achieving its landmark mission of sending the first Indian man to space.
India’s passion to reach the stars is that of grit and glory, and at the centre of that story lies the inspiring tale behind the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), established in 1969. From launching small rockets to heavy-lift launchers, from conducting human spaceflight projects to carrying out communication satellites, ISRO’s journey has stories of great challenges but, above all, of even greater achievements and people like Vikram Sarabhai, Homi Bhabha and Aryabhatta.
Documenting the ‘rags-to-Mars’ 60-year-old history and bringing some of these stories to life, Spotify has launched Mission ISRO, a podcast hosted by cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle. Talking about the iconic conversation between Gandhi and Sharma, he says, “I was 23 when this happened. I had just started out as a commentator at the All India Radio in Hyderabad. Like millions of my fellow Indians at that time, I remember reading about this conversation in the newspaper, feeling completely exhilarated, even a little emotional. India’s space aspiration had gained its enduring symbol. An Indian had finally managed to break free from the glass of gravity.”
Well, as a journalist once said, “When Harsha Bhogle begins to talk, you cannot but sit and listen!” Excerpts:
Why do you think talking about ISRO and India’s space missions is important?
I think it is very important to know and celebrate the work of some great Indians who achieved outstanding things with very little or whatever was available to them. They had this fire of doing good for India and putting the country on the right path. It shows us what is possible and the benefits have been there for everyone to see right from the first site education programme.
Through this podcast, we have also tried to bring forward the story of Vikram Sarabhai, who was undeterred by the insufficient training and basic facilities and a limited budget. The team set out to assemble and launch their very first sounding rocket into space!
Do you think there is also a need to inform the youth about how India’s space history has evolved with time and what it still lacks? How does the series address this?
Without doubt, yes. It’s important to make them aware of how little India had and that what they are enjoying today is a result of the pioneering work of those who came before; to remind them that in the early years of Independence, India had its priorities right and we should never forget that. The podcast addresses this by celebrating not just the achievement of the space programme but the incredible, very romantic stories of some riveting characters like Bhabha, Sarabhai, Satish Dhawan and APJ Abdul Kalam, of heartbreaking failures, and the success of an agency that powered modern India’s space fantasy.
Being a cricket commentator, how did you adapt to narrating stories of a completely different subject — space? Did it come out with the same level of excitement which you have while commenting on cricket?
Cricket commentary is one of the things I do. I have an enjoyable life outside it and have always enjoyed the audio format. I was hoping someone would ask me to tell a story that must stand by itself without the crutch of pictures to embellish it. A good story can be simply told and this is one of those. Yes, it was exciting because it was beautifully written and the drama builds up. Telling a story is different from live sport because it builds up. I hope this works on that front.
You have recalled a memory in the podcast that you were 23 when you heard about the first Indian man making it to space...
Yes. I feel it was uplifting to be an Indian because it was still a time of scarcity and we were still recovering from the plunder of colonialism. This news had thrilled me. It was wonderful.
In today’s world of enhanced visual effects, why do you think a podcast will turn out better for storytelling?
Well, both have their place. One doesn’t have to be better than the other. As long as it tells the story and takes it to people, it shouldn’t matter. Also, in many ways, audio is a more intimate narrative. It feels like you are listening to a friend narrating a story and that is something that the world of visual effects cannot do. It does its job differently but it wows, it doesn’t soothe as well as a simple voice does.
Why do you think podcasts are dominating the media landscape today?
Honestly, I don’t know but they aren’t easy. The rigour in Mission ISRO was an eye-opener. I still think these are early days for podcasts in India but just remember, our storytelling tradition is quite old.
What was your research work for the podcast? How much did you learn in the process?
To be fair, the research was done by the team from all things small. They did a fantastic job and made it much easier for the narrator of the story. In effect, they wrote the story, and I am telling it.
Any anecdotes that you’d like to share.
Just simply that, when I was growing up, scientists were looked at as heroes and it is good to have real heroes being talked about again — simple people who did their job proudly and put into it all that they had.
(The first season will have 12 episodes, with one episode releasing every Friday on Spotify.)
