A group of former ISRO scientists alleged that the claims made by ex-ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan in the movie Rocketry: The Nambi Effect and through some television channels were false and amounts to defaming the space agency. Dr AE Muthunayagam, Director, LPSC (Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre), ISRO; Prof EVS Namboothiri, project director, cryogenic engine and D Sasikumaran, the Deputy Director, cryogenic engine, and other former scientists from ISRO on Wednesday, August 24 met the media in Thiruvananthapuram to “debunk” the claims made in the movie. Directed, produced and written by actor R Madhavan, the biographical drama also has the actor playing the lead role.
“We are forced to tell the public certain matters as Nambi Narayanan has been defaming ISRO and other scientists through the movie Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, and also through television channels. His claims that he is the father of many projects is false. He even claimed in the movie that he once corrected APJ Abdul Kalam, who went on to become the Indian President. That is also false,” the former scientists said, adding that they have asked the current chairman of ISRO S Somanath to take a decision on the false claims made in the movie.
The scientists said that Narayanan’s claim in the movie that his arrest had led to a delay in India acquiring cryogenic technology was wrong. They said ISRO began to develop cryogenic technology in the 1980s and Prof Namboothiri was in charge. "Narayanan did not have any connection with the project," they claimed. Later too, when the team led by Jnana Gandhi started work on the cryogenic engine, Narayanan didn’t find a place in the team, they further claimed. Major developments in cryogenic propulsion took place in ISRO after Narayanan left the LPSC in 1994, according to Dr Muthunayagam and Namboothiri, who chaired the project management board on the cryogenic upper stage project.
Dr Muthunayagam said that Narayanan was not a member of the study project which in the mid-80s recommended the development of cryogenic propulsion systems and did not make any contributions to it. “'Recently, Mr Narayanan claimed that he had good knowledge on cryogenic propulsion systems from his Russian friend during his MS program at Princeton University. He did not disclose anything about it to the cryogenic study project of the mid-eighties, or in 1987 to EVS Namboodiri or to his controlling officer or to ISRO management. The role of Mr. Narayanan in these claims in public meetings for years and the film Rocketry may be critically examined and the truth brought to the benefit of the public,” Dr Muthunayagam said in a written statement.
The group of former scientists also claimed that at least 90% of matters mentioned in the movie in connection with ISRO are false. “We also came to know that Narayanan has claimed in some television channels that all that was said in the movie was true. Some scientists have even raised concern that Narayanan was taking credit for many of their achievements,” they said.
On why they had waited so long with their refutation of Narayanan, who was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2019 for his contributions, the former scientists said the “errors” have now accumulated to a great extent, reported The Hindu.
There was no immediate reaction from Narayanan or the producers of the movie with regard to the allegations from the former scientists.
The 1994 ISRO espionage case was related to allegations of transfer of certain space programmes to foreign countries by two scientists and four others, through two Maldivian women. In 2018, the Supreme Court had ordered a probe into the role of the Kerala police in the case, in which 76-year-old Narayanan was an accused. Narayanan was arrested and had to spend close to two months in jail. The case was first investigated by the state police and later handed over to the CBI, which found no espionage as was alleged to have taken place.
The scam also had its political fallout with a section in the Congress targeting then Chief Minister late K Karunakaran over the issue, which eventually led to his resignation. The Left had also used the incident to target the then Congress government.