In 1977, NASA launched a mission that was expected to eventually venture beyond the solar system. Voyager 1, a nuclear-powered space probe, was originally designed to study Saturn and Jupiter, but with the unique planetary alignment, the mission was extended to the outer edges of our solar system and even beyond that.
Travelling at over 40,000 miles per hour, NASA’s Voyager 1 became humanity’s first probe to enter interstellar space in 2012, marking it as a new era of space exploration and carrying with it a remarkable piece of Indian culture in it.
The Golden Record: A message from Earth
NASA’s Voyager 1 is special for the Indians because it is carrying Indian classical record onboard. This Golden Record, which is a gold-plated copper disc contains an image, along with greetings in 55 languages and a curated selection of music from various cultures for any extraterrestrial (alien) life that may encounter it.
Curated by astronomer Carl Sagan, this ‘Sounds of Earth’ album further includes 27 tracks of iconic music representing over 5,000 years of human civilization—each song carefully chosen to showcase the diversity and richness of Earth’s cultures.
‘Jaat Kahan Ho’ – The only Indian track in the cosmos
Among the compositions from Beethoven, Bach and Mozart, one beautiful Indian classical piece stands out: "Jaat Kahan Ho"- which was sung by the singer Kesarbai Kerkar.
Kerkar was a celebrated singer from the Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana and was known for her depth and command of Hindustani classical music. She performed raga Bhairavi which was deemed by ethnomusicologist Robert E. Brown as a quintessential example of Indian classical music and was recommended for the Voyager mission to represent India’s cultural heritage on a cosmic level.
Kesarbai’s Legacy: From Goa to the space
Kesarbai Kerkar’s journey began in a small village of Goa, where she defied traditional expectations and emerged as one of the most celebrated voices in Indian classical music.
Trained by renowned maestros and eventually accepted as a disciple by Alladiya Khan, founder of the Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana, Kesarbai honed a distinctive style that gained national and international acclaim.
Song in space
Her rendition of “Jaat Kahan Ho” has captured her mastery of intricate ragas and deeply emotional delivery, along with the qualities that won her titles like ‘Surshri’ from Rabindranath Tagore and awards such as the Padma Bhushan.
As Voyager 1 travels beyond the bounds of our solar system, Kesarbai’s voice further resonates through interstellar space, by asking the eternal question: “Where are you going alone, girl?”
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