Sainuddin Pattazhy Ramalingan's childhood dream had been to be a scientist at NASA,to be in space among the stars and planets.That dream was fulfilled when he was selected by NASA for his research on environmental and ecological issues..

He was part of the team that was probing the possibility of life on the planet Mars,whether the planet had in the past supported life and were its conditions similar to planet Earth..Recent pictures sent by the Rover Mission of  a human like figure seated on a rock on the red planet generated tremendous excitement in the scientific community...there was hectic activity for a fortnight but gradually after a month or so discussion within the fraternity began to dwindle as newer discoveries caught attention like the naming of a minor planet...

The Federal Government rang the death knell of the Probe mission further when it announced a fund snooze as it went into a tizzy grappling with recession..

Sainuddin Pattazhy Ramalingan was without work for the first time in his life...work was his passion,his religion..all his life he had woven dreams around Mars and now on the verge of convincing proof of life on the planet,to be told that the Mission had to be aborted...was nothing short of a violent gruesome shock....

S.P. as he was popularly called contemplated suicide but could not muster enough courage and chickened out at the last minute...he thought of going back to his native country but his wife and daughters would hear none of it....

So he stayed back with NASA and whiled away time in routine work like maintaining and updating files...

But he was wasting precious time,a life time of work and research was threatened ...around this time he read of the astounding discovery of Proxima Centuari,the nearest star that was only 4 light years away form Planet Earth....SPR. saw a huge possibility here...his life's work need not go down the drain...he would fulfil his mission,with or without NASA...

The only problem was funds...as long as the Federal Govt. funded the MARS Project,SPR.never realised that money or the lack of it could put a spanner in one's path of dreams.....

Son of a cashew nut plantation owner,he had never needed to think of money...he only had to spell it and his bidding would be done...his wish was his family's command...

Here at NASA too a similar situation prevailed...you worked hard..you dreamt of being among the stars and the moon...space was your second home..you saw the universe being born and you felt you were God for you witnessed Creation....the Cosmos was yours...the Universe was yours,you were its master....This was SPR.'s life,this dream he lived and breathed till the Fed Govt. decided to cut it short....

to be continued...