This collection of science fiction writings by Jayant V. Narlikar offers readers a unique
glimpse into the world-famous Indian astrophysicist¿s vivid and highly imaginative concepts and
stories. The fictional material comprises a witty short story (The rare idol of Ganesha) that
cleverly explores the possible consequences of a mirror-symmetric individual in the context of
cricket test match performances as well as the fast-paced gripping science fiction thriller
The return of Vaman: when an alien container is unearthed by a crew of scientists the enormous
potential technological applications of its contents bring various criminal elements on the
scene ¿ but when the real danger becomes apparent it is almost too late to save humanity. Last
but not least the book provides readers with extensive insights into the genesis and
scientific background of the fictional material presented in this volume along with an
autobiographical account of the author¿s life-long interest in science fiction and his
contributions to the genre. About the author: Jayant V. Narlikar is internationally known for
his work in cosmology in particular for championing models alternative to the standard
big-bang theory. He was president of the cosmology commission of the International Astronomical
Union from 1994 to 1997. He has received several national and international awards and honorary
doctorates - he is a Bhatnagar awardee as well as recipient of the M.P. Birla award the Prix
Janssen of the French Astronomical Society and an Associate of the Royal Astronomical Society
of London. He is Fellow of the three Indian national science academies as well as of the Third
World Academy of Sciences. Well beyond his scientific research Prof. Narlikar is widely known
as a science communicator through his books articles and radio TV programs and he was honored
by the UNESCO in 1996 with the Kalinga Award. He made his debut in science fiction writing in
1974 by winning the top prize in the story writing competition organized by the Marathi
Vidnyan Parishad a non-governmental organization engaged in science popularization.
