Isro chief Somanath withdraws publication of autobiography ‘Nilavu Kudicha Simhangal’ amid controversy

livemint.com:

Somanath Saturday said he had decided to withdraw the publication of his autobiography ‘Nilavu Kudicha Simhangal" following a report in the Malayala Manorama suggesting that his immediate predecessor K. Sivan may have hindered key promotions that he (Somanath) thought were due, reported The Hindu. “There has been some misinterpretation.

At no point have I said that Dr. Sivan tried to prevent me from becoming the Chairman. All I said was that being made a member of the Space Commission is generally seen as a stepping stone to (ISRO’s chairmanship).

However, a director from another (ISRO centre) was placed, so naturally that trimmed my chances (at chairmanship)", The Hindu quoted the ISRO chairman as saying. “Secondly the book isn’t officially released. My publisher may have released a few copies...

but after all this controversy, I have decided to withhold publication," he said. The ISRO chief said the purpose of writing the book was “not to create controversy" but “…its sole purpose is to encourage people to pursue their dreams while facing life's adversities", Somanath told PTI. The ISRO chief stated, "Individuals in key roles often face various challenges, including those related to securing positions within an organization," clarifying that such challenges are part of everyone's journey.

He added, "My intention was not to single out any specific individual; I simply aimed to highlight a particular aspect," he told PTI The Hindu quoted excerpts from the book, which the paper had viewed, do bring out Somanath’s discomfort with the “Chairman (Dr. Sivan’s)" decision not to be explicit about the reasons for the failure of the Chandrayaan-2 mission (which was expected to land a rover). The issue was a software glitch but