Killer asteroids – we’ve seen Hollywood movies explore this apocalyptic scenario many, many times. In most films, though, India rarely features in the story. If we do, we come and go in seconds, with our cities ablaze, while the West saves the world.
This episode explores a future where a big asteroid is hurtling toward India. If this were indeed the case, how would scientists know if an object from outer space was coming our way? Have asteroids struck the Indian region in the past? And if something does come speeding towards India in the future, can we do something about it?
Experts we spoke to for the episode:
Dr. Varun Bhalerao, an astrophysicist at IIT Bombay.
Dr. Dwijesh Ray, a planetary geologist at the physical research laboratory in Ahmedabad.
Dr. Angela Stickle, a planetary scientist at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland, USA.
Dr. Abhijeet Borkar, an astrophysicist at the Astronomický Ústav AV in Prague, Czech Republic.
People who helped make this episode:
Imagined Tomorrow is created and hosted by Shreya Dasgupta. Theme music, sound design and editing by Abhijit Shylanath. Abhishek Madan is the official reel-maker and feedback-provider.
Nihira Ram co-wrote the fiction piece.
Abhijit Shylanath voiced the fictional news reporter.
Parni Ray and Parvathy Nair supported the production process in the initial months of uncertainty.
Get in touch via Twitter, or email imagined.tomorrow@gmail.com.
India-related pop culture:
There's one Indian short film by Director Arati Kadav that's a love story set against the background of a space rock about to hit Earth. It's called 55 km per sec.
Transcript and references:
Disclaimer:
The names, characters, and incidents portrayed in the fictional story of S2E1 of Imagined Tomorrow are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.