SPACE RESEARCH

Is ISRO's 'Fat Boy' the illegitimate child of 'Fat Man' and 'Little Boy'?

gslv-mk-3-isro [File photo] Even as majority of the Indians took to the social media to share their joy and pride in ISRO's latest achievement of launching GSLV Mk III, one could not be sure if one was really happy about the launch vehicle being nicknamed 'Fat Boy' | PTI

Ask any Indian to name a few Indian entities that have not let them down in the recent past, and one would be sure to find Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) occupying the topmost slot. ISRO's successful launches and Indian cricket team's victories have become the lone two instances celebrated unanimously by both the sections of current India—'nationals and anti-nationals'.

While India's space research is undoubtedly one among the most advanced in the world, ISRO became the unabated hero and a household name for us Indians with the Mangalyaan mission. ISRO's achievements have been our answer to all those who ridicule and write off India as yet another poor but developing South Asian country. 

ISRO gave us another historic moment yesterday when its Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mk III chugged off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota carrying the heaviest-ever Indian satellite—GSAT-19 weighing an enormous 3,136 kg. 

Even as majority of the Indians, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, took to the social media to share their joy and pride in ISRO's latest achievement, one could not be sure if one was really happy about the launch vehicle being nicknamed 'Fat Boy'.

And no, I'm not even starting off with the 'silly' body-shaming debate here. 

Curiously, the name 'Fat Boy' has an uncanny resemblance to the names of nuclear bombs that doomed and changed the twin Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagazaki forever. 

Let's take a quick flashback to 1945. When 'Little Boy' destroyed Hiroshima on August 6, three days later on August 9, 'Fat Man' was the “rain of ruin from the air” that US President Harry S. Truman had warned about and transformed Nagasaki into a purgatory on August 9. 

One cannot help but wonder if 'Fat Boy' was the holy child of 'Little Boy' and 'Fat Man' baptised and tested in fire by ISRO.  

While 'Fat Boy' became an instant hero among news headlines and hashtags, there were, however, a few 'sceptics' on social media who could not help but wonder about the appropriateness of such a name. 

In any case, it was quite an unfortunate and insensitive nick-name for such a glorious feat. Add to it the fact that it came from one of the most reputable and admired organisations of India—not in least bit, to be proud about. 

More importantly, was the name of the rocket launcher India's declaration to the world that it is giving a huge impetus to the nuclear energy sector in the country? 

While India has long been committed to nuclear energy production, it has significantly stepped up its efforts in domestic nuclear power production in the recent past. From the Indo-US Civil Nuclear Agreement of 2009 to the recent Indo-Russian deal to jointly build the last two units of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tamil Nadu, India has repeatedly shouted from the rooftop that we are always there—developing and researching nuclear energy. Currently, the Centre is fast-tracking development of the 1,400-MW Chutka Madhya Pradesh Atomic Power Project, with an estimated cost of about Rs16,550 crore. 

It was just last month that the Union cabinet cleared a proposal to indigenously build 10 atomic reactors in the country. This was the largest ever approval granted for such facilities in one go. 

And with 'Fat Boy' and the current geo-political turmoil, is it high time we placed a warning sign too?

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