'I deserve it': R Madhavan reacts to criticism for claiming ISRO used 'panchang' for Mars mission
New Delhi, Jun 26: It was ignorant on his part to say the 'panchang', an ancient almanac based on planetary positions, was used by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to launch the Mars Orbiter Mission, actor R Madhavan said on Sunday in an effort to quell the online criticism against him.
At a promotional event of his upcoming film "Rocketry: The Nambi Effect" in Chennai last week, Madhavan had said the 'panchang' has a celestial map of calculations on the positions of planets, how their gravitational forces act, its effects, the solar flares, etc. which was used while working towards inserting the Mars Orbiter Spacecraft into orbit in 2014.
A video from the event went viral on social media over the weekend with many users calling out the actor, in response to which Madhavan tweeted: "I deserve this for calling the Almanac the 'Panchang' in tamil. Very ignorant of me. Though this cannot take away for the fact that what was achieved with just 2 engines by us in the Mars Mission. A record by itself. @NambiNOfficial Vikas engine is a rockstar (sic)."
Among those who hit out at Madhavan for his comments was noted Carnatic vocalist TM Krishna.
Taking a jibe at the actor's statement in his tweet, Krishna shared the link to Mars Orbiter Mission profile from ISRO's official website.
"Disappointed that @isro has not published this vital information on their website https://isro.gov.in/pslv-c25-mars-orbiter-mission/mars-orbiter-mission-profile Time to also consider a Mars Panchangam!" the singer wrote.
A social media user said it was unfortunate to see Madhavan "officially become a whatsapp uncle from a chocolate boy (sic)".
The ISRO had launched the low-cost Mars spacecraft on a homegrown PSLV rocket from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh in 2013 to study the Martian surface and mineral composition, and scan its atmosphere for methane, an indicator of life on the Red Planet.
India had in 2014 successfully placed the spacecraft in orbit around Mars in its very first attempt, joining an elite club of countries with expertise in space technology.
Madhavan's directorial debut "Rocketry" is a biopic on Nambi Narayanan, a former scientist and aerospace engineer of the ISRO, who was falsely accused of espionage. The film is scheduled to be released in theatres on July 1.
When panjakam plays a important role in Mars mission #Madhavan #MarsMission #science #technology #sciencefiction pic.twitter.com/tnZOqYfaiN
— கல்கி (@kalkyraj) June 23, 2022
🙏🙏I deserve this for calling the Almanac the “Panchang” in tamil. Very ignorant of me.🙈🙈🙈🤗🚀❤️Though this cannot take away for the fact that what was achieved with just 2 engines by us in the Mars Mission.A record by itself. @NambiNOfficial Vikas engine is a rockstar. 🚀❤️ https://t.co/CsLloHPOwN
— Ranganathan Madhavan (@ActorMadhavan) June 26, 2022
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Karnataka Agriculture minister blames Centre for fertilizer shortfall
Bengaluru, Aug 13 (PTI): Karnataka Agriculture Minister N Chaluvarayaswamy on Wednesday accused the Centre of cutting fertilizer supplies to the state by 2.75 lakh metric tonnes (MT) between April and August this year, leading to a shortage for farmers.
Replying to a debate in the Assembly, he said Karnataka's annual allocation was 11.17 lakh MT, of which 5.55 lakh MT was supplied by April, along with an additional 20,000 MT. However, allocations later dropped by 10,000 MT in May, 79,000 MT in June and 58,000 MT in July.
"The Centre has asked states to use less Diammonium Phosphate (DAP) and urea. There are two to three reasons, like import from Iran and China not happening, production in our country coming down and war," Chaluvarayaswamy claimed.
"Till August, the Centre supplied 2.75 lakh MT less fertilizer this year. You can call the Union Fertilizer Minister (J P Nadda) tomorrow and get the details. If there is any false information, I will face whatever punishment you decide," he said.
The minister said the state government was "distributing fertilizer in a controlled manner."
The opposition BJP, which raised the issue citing an acute urea shortage, accused the state government of "turning a blind eye to farmers' problems."
Heated exchanges forced a half-hour adjournment, after which BJP members staged a walkout.
