[ April 11, 2026 - In the "Living Tamil" event organized by 'Kalam' Selvam today in Toronto, Canada, I couldn't present all my points about Scientist and Science Writer Venkataramanan's book 'From Light to Darkness' due to time constraints. Therefore, I have somewhat completed the remaining points I intended to make in this post.]
Why are Science Books Essential?
Science books are crucial for disseminating knowledge, preventing misinformation, promoting scientific thinking, fostering social progress, reducing superstitions, ensuring rational governmental decisions, inspiring students, stimulating critical thinking, developing the ability to ask "why," and understanding the benefits and harms of science and technology. Scientific articles and books must be written, and knowledge must be shared. Scientific writing makes all this possible.
I am particularly fond of astronomy and astrophysics in the field of science. My interest began in my childhood in Vavuniya, looking at the star-studded night sky from my home's courtyard, with my father's sarong as a swing. During that period, Kalki magazine was re-serializing 'Ponniyin Selvan.' The novel, with artist Vinu's beautiful illustrations, often mentioned 'Dhoomakedhu' (a comet) that was appearing in the sky. It was then I learned that what was referred to was a comet. In the novel, the comet was depicted as foreshadowing an unfortunate event to occur during the story's timeline. Simultaneously, Kalki also published a comic strip by Vaandumama titled 'Onaikkottai,' where the 'Dhoomakedhu' character was portrayed as a formidable personality. Consequently, the name 'Dhoomakedhu' was a frightening one for us during that era. I also recall the comet that was visible on the horizon at that time.In the 'Author's Note' of writer Venkataramanan's book 'From Light to Darkness,' he describes his childhood experience of wandering with a magnifying glass. Reading it brought back old memories for me. A science book for children, similar in size to Kalki magazine, titled 'Neengalum Vignaniyakalam' (You Too Can Be a Scientist) or something similar, was published. It was one of the books I borrowed from the Jaffna Public Library. I frequently read that book, which featured illustrations of a boy wandering in his home garden with a magnifying glass. The book, written in very simple Tamil, and its illustrations, sparked excitement in my heart. Kalaikathir institution might have published it, I don't remember exactly. After reading it, like Venkataramanan, I also roamed my entire home garden with a magnifying glass, considering myself a scientist.
I recall reading that Albert Einstein's interest in science during his childhood was sparked by a compass given to him by his uncle.
I also remember what Michio Kaku wrote at the beginning of his book 'Hyperspace' – as a boy, he visited the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco. There, in a small pond, the carp swimming in the water stimulated his thoughts. He wondered if those fish knew there was another world above the water level. Similarly, he learned about Einstein's genius through news of his death. He states that these experiences were reasons for him to later become a theoretical physicist.
Such descriptions by scientists of their childhood experiences greatly captivate me. These kinds of experiences help connect with the writings emotionally. I would say that the author's description of his experiences helped me connect with Venkataramanan's book as well.
Furthermore, the statements he makes in the 'Author's Note' and at the end of the first article significantly increase the interest in reading the book and make it easier to approach.
In Tamil, such books by scientists for the general public are rare. Authors like Sujatha primarily aimed at mass media readers, providing information in an engaging manner and stopping there. However, the books by Western scientists I mentioned are simple yet profound. On first reading, I felt Venkataramanan's book was similar to those kinds of scientific books.
About the Cover Art of 'From Light to Darkness'
The Greek mythological figure Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it to humanity. Fire symbolizes knowledge, technology, and civilization. Zeus, the king of the gods, was extremely angry at Prometheus's actions. He inflicted severe punishment on Prometheus for defying the gods' authority and giving fire to humanity. Prometheus was chained to a rock in the Caucasus Mountains. He endured cruel torture: every day, an eagle would come and eat his liver. Overnight, his liver would grow back, and the same torture would resume the next day. This was an endless punishment. After many centuries, the hero Hercules is said to have freed Prometheus.
The cover art depicts the eagle pecking at Prometheus. The painting symbolizes Prometheus, who gave knowledge to humanity. It expresses his love for humanity and the torture he endured because of it.
What does the book's title "From Light to Darkness" mean?
Science dispels the darkness of ignorance and provides the light of knowledge. Prometheus did the same, didn't he? But why is the title "From Light to Darkness," implying the opposite?
In fact, the book's cover and title brilliantly represent its content. While the articles in the book dispel the darkness of ignorance and provide the light of knowledge, they also reveal another aspect: the righteous indignation of science writer Venkataramanan. He highlights how science is used by industrialists and governments against humanity for excessive material gain, driven by racial, religious, linguistic, national, and class interests in a materialistic society. Science, which should shed light on human life, is used to cause darkness and destruction. This results in righteous indignation.
In this way, the excellent title and cover art are the best critique for this book.
First Article - "That Which Was Wished, That Which Resulted" (விழைந்ததும் விளைந்ததும்)
A wonderfully poetic title. Many articles in this collection have such poetic titles. 'From Light to Darkness,' 'The Biological Clock Driving From Within,' 'Polarization, Molecule, Capital' (alliterative), 'Faceless Warriors in Unmanned Battlefields' – these are also poetic titles. The author's unique talent lies in making meaningful titles poetic.
This article has three parts. The first part describes how Pfizer discovered the drug Viagra. The research for heart disease failed. However, the side effect of erectile dysfunction caused by the drug developed for it led to the discovery of Viagra. The blue pill has earned Pfizer billions of dollars and continues to do so.
Thus, researchers at Pfizer's UK branch spent eight years researching Sildenafil, a chemical compound with the reference name UK-92,480, as a drug for angina. When the research yielded no benefits and they decided to stop, chief researcher David Brown received permission to test it one last time. For this, he selected some miners from a Welsh town who were unemployed and suffering from angina and gave them increased doses of the drug. They were given a questionnaire which included questions like whether the drug was beneficial, if they could sleep, and finally, if they had anything else to add. The study yielded no benefits. However, one person, for the last question, stated, "The chest pain did not decrease with the medicine. But, due to erectile dysfunction, I could not sleep all night." A female researcher compiling the answers to these questions observed this and, with much embarrassment, informed Brown. Based on this, Brown asked others who had taken the drug about this, and they also reported having similar experiences.
Sildenafil dilates blood vessels, increasing blood flow and reducing chest congestion. This was the researchers' hypothesis. But what happened? The pain did not decrease. Increased blood flow occurred in the penis, causing an erection. This was an unexpected side effect. Based on this, Brown recommended the drug for erectile dysfunction to his superiors. But they did not take it into account. The project had already consumed billions. When Pfizer's American team learned of its importance, they spent a few more millions to develop the blue pill. The result? It earned Pfizer billions and continues to do so.
Venkataramanan could have stopped there. But he goes a step further in this matter. He learns about the great benefit the blue pill has provided to the environment. How?
Many animals like white rhinos, Bengal tigers, snow leopards, green sea turtles, and seahorses are hunted to enhance male virility. Especially in Chinese medicine, such methods are prescribed. Viagra significantly reduced the destruction of these endangered animals due to this kind of animal slaughter. The benefit provided by Viagra reduced the need to kill animals.
Venkataramanan, while describing this, calls the reasons for killing these animals "unfounded superstitions."
In the second part, he describes the last rites of the Parsis. Parsis, who live in large numbers in Mumbai, offer their bodies to vultures after death. They own a dense forest spread over 57 acres in Mumbai's Malabar Hill. They place the dead bodies on the upper platforms of the Towers of Silence there. Vultures consume them. The remaining bones are dumped into a pit at the center of the structures. However, suddenly the number of vultures began to decline. At one point, it decreased by 95%.
Why? Tests revealed an increase and accumulation of uric acid in the vultures' bodies. The reason: Diclofenac, an anti-inflammatory drug used for livestock and humans. The drug company that created it is Novartis (initially Ciba-Geigy). When used excessively in livestock, it accumulates in their bodies. Vultures that consume these carcasses suffer kidney damage, leading to the accumulation of uric acid.
What were the other negative consequences? Due to the lack of sufficient vultures, rabies virus infections spread from decaying animal carcasses. Studies estimated that up to 500,000 people might have died as a result.
The author severely criticizes the reasons for this environmental situation.
"Scientists did not anticipate these consequences at all. In this, the role of science is less than the greater role played by greedy people, traders, pharmaceutical companies who excessively purchased and used it for livestock beyond the limits defined by scientists, and the government that overlooked all this." This was his harsh criticism.
The third part of the article is a critique of science, corporations, and governments, based on the previous two parts. The main points mentioned are:
"Scientists did not anticipate these consequences at all. In this, the role of science is less than the greater role played by greedy people, traders, pharmaceutical companies who excessively purchased and used it for livestock beyond the limits defined by scientists, and the government that overlooked all this." His harsh criticism.
How does the title "That Which Was Wished, That Which Resulted" fit this article?
Pfizer wished for, or aspired to, an angina pain reliever. But what resulted was Viagra, a solution for erectile dysfunction. The result was to bring pleasure to all.
Novartis wished for, or aspired to: a pain reliever for humans and livestock. But what resulted? – The destruction of vultures. Rabies infection. And millions of human deaths as a result.
This article, written in this manner, is rich in research. It is clear in its simple prose. It highlights each issue, presenting its criticisms of the good and bad. It is rich in logical rigor. The criticisms manifest as the author's righteous indignation.
Article: From Light to Darkness
The shortest article in the collection. But a brilliant title that represents the collection. A poetic title. Although this article describes the history and technology of electric lights, Venkataramanan severely criticizes multinational corporations that deliberately produce them at lower quality, engage in planned obsolescence, create organizations to control production (such as the Patent Society, International Price Control Association), and enforce rules that favor them. He also points out that this practice, which they initiated, is followed even today by other multinational corporations in the production of various products we use, such as mobile phones and televisions.
The consequence of these actions by multinational corporations producing electric lights, which should provide light, falls upon the consumers, the people. Their labor is thus exploited for the profit of these multinational corporations. The author likens this exploitation to darkness.
In a way, even though the article is small, like "a mustard seed may be small, but its spice is strong," the title of this article also serves well as the title of this book. This is because, while the articles in this collection highlight the healthy outcomes of science and its necessity, they also point out how science, when it comes into people's use as various products, is handled negatively by multinational corporations and governments. In that sense, I recognize this as an excellent title.
Article: Polarization, Molecule, Capital
This is another article in this collection with a poetic title. An excellently illustrated article with diagrams. The information described in it made me understand complex scientific concepts that I had not fully grasped before.
The article brilliantly explains the scientific concepts of how changes occur in molecules through polarization and clearly illustrates how multinational pharmaceutical companies use this scientific discovery for their profit-making objectives.
The poetic quality of the article's title lies in its alliterative words and their meaning. "Molecule" (மூலக்கூறு) and "Capital" (மூலதனம்) are alliterative words. "Mu" (மு) is also of the same family of words.
Next, the title itself can be written as a short poem:
Polarization
Molecule
Capital!
Article: Time - A Scientific Perspective (Grammar purists might complain it should have been 'An' Scientific Perspective.)
"When we say 'this century,' including that moment which has passed, everything becomes the present. So what then is time?" - How do things become the present? When we say 'this century,' it includes the past that has already passed, as well as the present, doesn't it? This phrase can be confusing for a general reader.
The first part of the article describes various historical methods used to measure time. It talks about how Egyptians measured time using shadows of sticks planted in the ground 4000 years ago, then using shadows of towers, the amount of flowing water, sand hourglasses, and how Babylonians measured days in hours, minutes, and seconds in 1800 BCE.
Ancient civilizations like Egyptian, Chinese, Babylonian, and Indian computed time based on the positions of the sun, moon, and stars.
"Amazingly, all of these have been considerably accurate. Ancient astronomers achieved the precision of determining time at night with just their naked eyes, with an error of less than a quarter of an hour," says Venkataramanan.
Indeed, these methods evoke awe and respect for their quest for knowledge.
He further describes various methods of time measurement such as biological clocks, flower clocks (set up by Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1750), mechanical clocks based on coiled springs and gears, improved mechanical clocks using metal alloys, and highly precise atomic clocks (with an error of 1 second in 20 million years).
Next, he extensively describes what Newton's and Einstein's theories of time state.
Absolute Time: Time defined by Newton. It is not affected by external factors. Time flows steadily. We measure it when we need to.
Relative Time: Time exists only because we measure it. We don't measure time itself, but rather its variation.
Four Dimensions and Spacetime: In classical physics, time and space are unrelated. According to Einstein's 'Special Theory of Relativity,' time and space are related - spacetime.
1905 - According to Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity, the speed of light remains constant in all frames of reference moving without acceleration. (*Perhaps it should be "frames of reference moving at a constant velocity").
The analogy he uses for this is a bit confusing:
"Let's say I stand in the middle and flash a light. From inside, the light would reach the first and last carriages of the train at the same time for someone, because the speed of light is not affected by external factors. The last carriage is moving towards the light. The first carriage is moving away from the light." This is very confusing. In reality, light emitted from the middle of a uniformly moving train would reach the first and last carriages at the same time. No surprise there. Both the first and last carriages are at the same distance relative to the middle.
This is confusing for the reader. How can the last carriage move towards the light and the first carriage move away from it? The train is moving at a constant speed. The last carriage, the light, and the first carriage are all moving at the same constant speed. So, the light, the last carriage, and the first carriage will all remain in the same relative position inside the train. (To external observers, the train, its occupants, and contents will be moving away). I think the example should have been, "even if the first carriage moves away and the last carriage approaches relative to the light's emission point." In reality, even if the first carriage moves away and the last carriage approaches, the Doppler effect for light does not occur as it does for sound. The speed of light remains constant.
Special Theory of Relativity is based on frames of reference moving at constant velocity. It does not include gravity. Hence, Special Theory of Relativity. General Theory of Relativity - includes gravity as well.
The article discusses relativistic postulates about time dilation, how speed affects an object's length, mass, and time. It seems the article could have been simpler and better organized.
For example, spacetime could have been discussed in more detail. In fact, I felt that another article on relativistic theories, explained simply and comprehensively, would have been more beneficial. More illustrative diagrams could have been used to clarify.
Confusing Phrases:
Speed affects time. The author mentions time dilation. As speed increases, time dilation also increases. The time for one of the twins traveling at the speed of light is not the same as the time for their sibling on Earth. When the traveler returns to Earth after traveling at the speed of light, their sibling on Earth would have aged many years or even centuries, while the traveler would still be young.
Following this, the author asks, "Is time stretching for those who travel at the speed of light a form of time travel?" This is a tricky argument. This is because for someone traveling at the speed of light, time would pass normally. The same would apply to those with them. However, since the time for the person on Earth has advanced by many years, time travel would have occurred based on the Earth-bound person's time frame, not that the light-speed traveler has moved into the future within their own frame. The question is whether one can travel to the future or the present within their own frame of reference. Although relativistic theories predict it's possible, it hasn't been achieved yet. As Venkataramanan ultimately states, "We still have a long way to go in understanding spacetime."
Another example follows:
"...This large mass will make the surface of the rubber sheet around it concave. A marble rolled on that surface will deviate from its straight path and curve towards the large mass. This is the ability of a large mass's gravitational force to bend the straight path of light."
Light travels in a straight line at a constant speed. When it passes near a massive object, a slight bend occurs due to the object's gravitational force. It could have been further explained that if gravity becomes so strong that it forms a black hole, light will be completely trapped within the massive object's gravitational pull and unable to escape. Otherwise, a general reader might wonder why the Earth doesn't fall into the Sun.
Due to the gravitational force of the Sun's mass, the Earth moves at a constant speed in the curved space around it. If something moves in a straight line on a curved sphere, its path will be circular or elliptical. That's why the Earth orbits the Sun in an elliptical path.
Furthermore, according to Newton's laws, gravity is a force. According to Einstein's theories of relativity, it is not a force. The path of an object is determined by how its mass curves the space around it, and the object travels along that curve.
Here, when you refer to gravity as a force, it is based on Newton's theory. Based on relativistic theory, gravity is not a force. This is how I understand it. This also confused me. I would appreciate Venkataramanan's thoughts on this matter.
Indigo - The History of a Color
This article reveals the pain and suffering of the slaves who toiled to create the dye of indigo, a dark blue color, a history hidden behind it. It covers details such as how Levi's jeans were initially created as workwear in America, how the dark blue dye was made from indigo plants in India, how this Indian technology was used to produce large quantities of the dye in the north and south, and how slaves were used for this purpose. The article concludes by mentioning Mahatma Gandhi's struggle for the rights of workers involved in the indigo dye industry in South America, and how that struggle ultimately led to India's liberation from colonial rule.
Along with scientific information about indigo dye production, it highlights its history and the human suffering and pain hidden behind it. This is one of the important articles in the collection, characterized by clarity, logical rigor, research excellence, and righteous indignation.
Faceless Warriors in Unmanned Battlefields
War machines like drones and unmanned aerial vehicles have completely transformed the battlefield, which was once dominated by tanks and guns. Venkataramanan states that this kind of technological advancement is a "technology that redefines the rules of the game, fundamentally reshaping warfare like nuclear weapons." He also raises the question of what constitutes war crimes: "Machines are emotionless. They do not suffer mental breakdown when their comrades are killed on the battlefield. They continue to move their legs forward," he points out. Furthermore, this changed battlefield operates like playing a video game on a computer. The killings and wars in video games do not evoke guilt. They are games that only provide pleasure. This is one of the important articles in the collection that questions human rights, guilt, and the lack of emotional impact on humans in modern warfare.
In addition to these, other articles such as "Higher Mathematical Concepts in Islamic Arts," "Lie," "Einstein's Wife," and "Antimicrobial Resistance" also demonstrate Venkataramanan's depth coupled with simplicity, logical rigor, and research excellence.
Some Typos
Tamilini Publications is known as one of the institutions that meticulously publish books. The appearance of English words like E=MCC formula in Tamil due to errors during font conversion, and "நுண்ணுயிரிகள்" (microorganisms) sometimes appearing as "நுண்ணியிரிகள்" (tiny beings) in some places, is surprising.
Overall, the book is an important scientific work published in Tamil. It is significant for its simplicity, research, logic, and righteous indignation. Generally, science books by scientists do not contain righteous indignation; they contain only science. For me, the righteous indignation expressed by Venkataramanan is important and also a necessity of the times. It will help us correctly adopt modern technology by understanding its pros and cons. This will help shift government and corporate plans towards public welfare, away from forces that benefit from self-interest. If people are aware of this, they can correctly understand, approach, and demand changes in plans. Otherwise, it will not be possible.
Through this book, I learned many new scientific facts. In particular, I learned about polarization, planned obsolescence by corporations, deliberate quality degradation, and the tricks pharmaceutical companies play through polarization technology for patents. Readers will also learn these.
Many social and political activists are present here. This book will be very beneficial to you too. The book exposes the pain, suffering, and human rights violations behind the modern technology we use every day.
Regarding the book's language, Venkataramanan states in his preface to the book, "When writing scientific articles for general understanding, simplification cannot be avoided. I have minimized it as much as possible." Although the articles are presented in simple language, they could be further simplified. However, at the same time, the depth of the articles should not be reduced. This is important.
In the future, I request Venkataramanan to write separate books for general readers on the theories of relativity and quantum physics, with more illustrative diagrams.
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