The Square Root of a Sonnet

Author: Nilanjan P. Choudhury
Pages: 76
Year of Publication: 2017, Special Reprint 2024
Price: ₹300 / £10
ISBN: 978-93-5045-158-8 (9789350451588)

About the Author
Nilanjan P. Choudhury is a Bangalore-based theatre person, writer and IT professional. As an actor and director, he has worked in over 200 stage performances, with many of Bangalore’s leading theatre companies, like Centre for Film and Drama, Bangalore School of Speech and Drama, and Artistes Repertory Theatre. His previously published works include a mythological thriller, Bali and the Ocean of Milk, and a crime caper, The Case of the Secretive Sister. He confesses to having studied at IIM Ahmedabad and IIT Kanpur and hopes that this will not be held against him. He can be reached at https://www.nilanjan.net.

About the Book
This play is based on the lives of two major 20th century astrophysicists: the Indian-American astrophysicist, S. Chandrasekhar (1910–1995) and his mentor, the English astronomer, Sir Arthur Eddington (1882–1944). In 1935, at the annual meet of the Royal Astronomical Society, Sir Arthur Eddington publically disregarded Chandrasekhar and his research, calling it baseless. The latter was devastated. Why did Sir Arthur Eddington, known for his selfless devotion to science, do this? Was it a teacher’s grudge towards a student who was overshadowing him? Or was it an unconscious deep rooted racial bias? This play explores what led to the clash between two scientific heavyweights, over the course of historical events in the 20th century that further informed their relationship.

Contents
A play in two acts