ISRO Chairman Withdraws Controversial Tell-All Memoir After Stirring Up Controversy

“In the midst of pre-release controversy, ISRO Chairman S. Somanath decided to withdraw his autobiography, which was scheduled to launch at the Sharjah Book Festival on Sunday. The book, titled ‘Nilavu Kudicha Simhangal’ (Lions that Drank Moonlight), reportedly contained contentious remarks about former ISRO Chairman S. Sivan and highlighted certain lapses related to the Chandrayaan-2 mission.

Somanath clarified that he made this decision due to the “unnecessary controversies” surrounding the book, stating that it was not the book’s intended purpose. He confirmed that there was no directive from the Union ministry to withdraw it. He directed Lipi Publications, the publisher of the memoir in Malayalam, to cease its publication.

In the detailed memoir, which delves into his life at the space organization, Somanath reportedly made several accusations against his predecessor. Some excerpts from the book suggested that Sivan may have attempted to obstruct Somanath’s appointments, including the role of ISRO chairman.

The book mentioned that in 2018, when Kiran Kumar’s tenure as ISRO chairman ended, Somanath had hoped to secure the top position, but Sivan was chosen instead. Even after becoming chairman, Sivan was hesitant to leave his post as VSSC Director. It was only after some interventions by the former director that he assumed the role of VSSC director after six months. The book also detailed Sivan’s attempt to extend his tenure before retirement.

In an interview with TNIE, Somanath clarified that his book did not contain any statements accusing K. Sivan of obstructing his path to the ISRO chairman position. He acknowledged that the mention of a six-month delay in being appointed as VSSC director was an error and that the actual delay was only a couple of weeks. He explained that his comments about someone else being appointed to the Space Commission were a reflection of his disappointment at the time, as it had dimmed his chances of becoming chairman. He emphasized that he did not blame K. Sivan. Somanath cited the controversies as the reason he asked the publication to halt the book’s release.

The book also addressed the lack of clarity in announcing the failure of the Chandrayaan-2 mission under Sivan’s leadership. During the landing phase, the communication failure and impending crash landing were not explicitly communicated. The book discussed changes made by K. Sivan to the Chandrayaan-2 project, which was originally initiated by Kiran Kumar. Somanath emphasized the importance of transparency within the organization and mentioned that his book aimed to shed light on what actually happened during that specific incident.”