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QUANTUM 7 | JANUARY 2015 W W W . I S S U U . C O M / T H E F E A T H E R S INTERCEPTED BOAT PAK SUSPECTED COVER STORY | 06 PHOTO: NEENA SABARI MENON

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Page 1: OutFocus January 2015

QUANTUM 7 | JANUARY 2015W W W . I S S U U . C O M / T H E F E A T H E R S

INTERCEPTED BOATPAK SUSPECTED

COVER STORY | 06

PHOTO: NEENA SABARI MENON

Page 2: OutFocus January 2015

CONTENTS

CRIME OF PASSION STORY SERIES16

PRITHVIRAJAN08

06

08

12

18

24

26

32

COVER STORYMODEL PORTFOLIOcrime of passion. EP 1

SPORTACUSLETTER TO DHONIA GIRL’S PAGEDEATH OF UNIVERSE

CONTENTS

02

OPEN LETTER TODHONI28

DEATH OF THE UNIVERSE

34

Page 3: OutFocus January 2015

I don’t really need to write my editorial this time. This guy saved me a lot of time. Well, have a good time laughing at it folks. And btw, I’m not anti Islamic or anything, but even a muslim should know how overly fanatic this is. He wants to take every man’s birthright to choose his religion? Let me say something. Boom! Nobody is born into any religion! In my opinion people should choose their beliefs on their own accord and not because Asaduddin Owaisi says. Or anybody says. I respected Michael Jackson and Yuvan because they chose their path and chose Islam as their path. But then this guy shows up and spoils the very thing he wants to promote.

“Everyone is born a Muslim, and then he is converted to other religions. Ghar wapasi is for these people to return to Islam”- Asaduddin Owaisi

CONTENTSEDITOR IN CHIEF

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

COVER PHOTO

WRITERS

AR MUTHU KUMAR

SGA THOMAS

NEENA SABARI MENON

SOMA SUNDARAM, SARU MATHI

03

Yeah right.

EDITORIAL

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Welcome to OutFocus.

OutFocus is for you and me - and everyone else. It’s also for its own self. Many times we feel like OutFocus exists more for itself than anything else. We write just because we want to write. And it’s the first new year OutFocus has seen :) Thank you for the patience and the nurturing you gave our lil child <3

#TenthEveryMonth

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A Pakistani fishing boat, said to be carrying explosives, had been intercepted by the Coast Guard before it exploded and sunk with four crew members on board. BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma complimented the security forces for the action and said that the episode constituted “yet another attempt by a frustrated Pakistan in aiding terror activities in India”.In 26/11, a Pakistani boat sailed into Mumbai with 10 terrorists on board who then split into pairs and struck the city’s landmarks; 166 people were killed in India’s worst-ever terror attack. Is this 18 hour operation to stop the boat which exploded before it could be intercepted a reminiscent of the 2008 Mumbai terror strike ?

The 18 hour operation:On December 31, around 9:30 am, the Coast Guard received a first Intelligence input on a suspect believed to be a Pakistan boat. Later the National Technical Research Organisation picked up phone intercepts from Keti Bunder near Karachi about “expensive cargo” to be delivered near India. Three Dornier aircrafts were sent to search the suspect boat around 11:00 am and was identified positive at 15 nautical miles in Indian waters around 1 pm.The Coast Guard ship “Raj Rattan” was sent after the boat. When it found the Pakistani boat, it was “sitting quietly without lights.” The boat, when asked to switch on its navigational lights, only moved away and changed its course

several times to throw off the Coast Guard. “We saw four men on the boat, they were nowhere looking like fishermen, they wore T-shirts and half pants, and this raised suspicion on our side,” Coast Guard Commander (North-West Region) Kuldip Singh Sheoran said. “At around midnight, our vessel ‘Raj Rattan’ reached near the boat and tried to stop it by following standard operating procedure. But, instead of surrendering, the boat started moving in a zig-zag way and switched off the lights. We chased it for about one-and-a-half-hours. After the hot pursuit, we fired warning shots, but the boat did not stop. We fired more warning shots. After some time, the crew of the boat set it on fire and later it sank with

STRAINEDrelationships

COVER STORY | SGA THOMAS

Page 7: OutFocus January 2015

07COVERSTORY

them (occupants),” the Coast Guard officer said.The maritime law enforcement agency said that the vessel was set on fire by its crew members, causing it to explode and later sink. The incident took place about 365 km off the coast of Gujarat’s Porbandar in the Arabian Sea on the intervening night of December 31 and January 1 after a hot pursuit by the Coast Guard. Due to darkness, bad weather and strong winds, the boat and persons on board could not be saved or recovered. The Coast Guard, which claimed the crew did not resemble fishermen and carried no nets, said a search is underway for the wreckage of the mysterious boat - which exploded after being hunted down by the Indian Coast Guard in the Arabian Sea - as also the bodies of its four occupants, which will be crucial for investigators to reach a conclusion about their intent.But the Government Statement arose several questions.

Does the suspect Boat belongs

to Pakistan ? “I think this is a very silly allegation. We have checked with our authorities. No boat from Pakistan left for the place,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Tasneem Aslam said refuting allegations of the suspect boat belonging to Pakistan.Moreover the congress spokesperson, Ajoy Kumar adds “How can you say that a terrorist attack was prevented? How did they (government) come to the conclusion that it was a terrorist boat? There is no evidence. It is very strange. Nothing has been explained. Which terrorist organization was behind it?”There was also a speculation that the vessel was a fishing boat or even one that was carrying smugglers with contraband goods and not one being used by terrorists. The Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar denies such speculations and says the suspect boat that had been under air surveillance for more than 12 to 14 hours did not follow any of fishing

route. He also added that even smugglers would use a busy route in order to mingle with other boats. He also said that once the investigation is over, the government would release all the evidences regarding this incident. However, Indian forces and police have been on high alert for US President Barack Obama’s visit later this month for the Republic Day parade. “We are alert round-the-clock, but due to these events, we are on extra alert. Our ships and aircraft are doing their job of patrolling the sea,” the Coast Guard added.The relations between Pakistan and India have lately been at a low, with the continuing ceasefire violations at the border and the bail to 26/11 mastermind Zaki-ur Rahman Lakhvi. The issue further set to further affect diplomatic ties row between India and Pakistan is set to worsen - as the Pakistan navy has captured 2 Indian fishing boats with 12 fishermen.

These strained relationships can only mean danger.

Page 8: OutFocus January 2015

PRITHVI RAJAN08

PRITHVI RAJAN

About him :Prithvi Rajan, the second son of actor-director Pandiarajan, made his debut in Kaivantha Kalai. He is a key player in the Celebrity Cricket League representing Chennai Rhinos, winning much appreciation. Currently he is acting in the movie Vaamai starring Shanthnu Bhagyaraj and Muktha Bhanu. The movie also boasts of marking the return of legendary comedian Goundamani.

Page 9: OutFocus January 2015

PORTFOLIO 09

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NEENA SABARI MENON+91 9488859390

McGAN’S OOTY SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

PUPPY LOVE <3

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11FOTOGRAPH

NEENA SABARI MENON+91 9488859390

McGAN’S OOTY SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

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12

Planning

In all likelihood it should be easy. That was the thought running in Anand’s mind. But he was prepared if it gets tough too. After all he had come to this decision after a nerve wrecking year during which he considered all other possibilities. But nothing was as perfect as this. This was the best solution and anything else he did would come back to bite at him later. He was not going to allow that. He knew that he can do it and he had the motivation to do it. And this was not a rash decision.

Killing her should be easy. In fact it is going to be so easy that he should not indulge in overkill. He has read enough mystery novels to know that he should not betray his act as a crime of passion. What a misnomer it was! If he still had the passion he would not want to kill her. Having said this, Anand felt that she deserved the most violent form of death. It is that neck he was thinking about. And

he was still inconclusive about how he is going to kill her. But not about the involvement of her neck in the process!

It was the neck he first saw when he met her the first time. But that’s a long story. It would be poetic justice that he should see her neck the last time too. One slash of his stiletto should do the job. An almost invisible surgical cut in the jugular should let all the blood drip out of the body and end her life. But he wasn’t sure whether that’s what he wanted. Anand sometimes felt that he wanted to fell his hands on her neck and strangle her to death. The process would give the last precious moments of her life spent closely with him. But he was doubtful about the strength he had mentally and physically to take that through to completion. Else as it comes in the most violent movies he can use a sharp sword and sever her head in one go. There is a sword called as Cutlass. Maybe he should use it. The name itself was

sexy and suggestive. Cut the Lass. She need not live anymore. But again, the movies glorify killing and more importantly glorify the killer. It is just next to impossible to sever a head in one go. The neck bone is pretty strong. Even in hanging, death happens because of the closure of carotid arteries resulting in cerebral ischemia and very rarely by breaking the neck. The most elegant way appeared to the stiletto slash. Non messy and also misdirecting as far the crime of passion is concerned.

Anand was sure that he wasn’t going to get caught for this crime. According to him he was delivering justice. He was sure that if he was a Maharaja of the past and he was enquiring the crime, his judgment would be death. How he wished it was a Mughal court he lived in. Things should have been far easy those days. And it was the eunuchs who were guarding the harem. It would never lead to such crime where one needs to dispense justice quickly and

A NEW GRIPPING SERIES FROM THE PRO -CHAPTER 1

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13STORYSERIES

CRIME OF PASSION

-SHRIKANTH THIRUMALAISWAMI

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14

efficiently. But it is not to be so. It is 2010 and he needs to right the wrong and in the process appear as wrong himself. So he shouldn’t be caught. Because he had one more person to tick off from the list. But that was later, maybe a year later. He was not ready to send off both together. That’s the whole idea he was doing this. To separate them, not unite them. Till death do us part was Anand’s wedding vow and because that was failing now, he can’t allow death bringing those two together.

Anand made up his shopping list. He would need a sharp stiletto. He wasn’t sure where in Chennai he can get it. These days the name stands for heels and most likely his enquiry will lead him to a sandals shop. Not that he can go around asking people ‘Hey, I would like to get a sharp stiletto to kill my wife. Where do you think I can get it?’ He needs to be discreet. He can actually buy it online. And have it sent to him. But it will leave a lot of trail. His credit card, the delivery man, the records in the seller’s site, all would lead to him. Much better to buy it himself and depend on the failing human memory than

the indelible data that gets amassed in the networks!And he would buy a decent pair of hand glove. It should be not be slippery but at the same time it cannot appear like the inner gloves of a wicket keeper. After all there should be some class. Irene, his wife of 7 years would not approve of getting killed by a man wearing a dirty glove. She is always choosy. She likes the best. There should be some class in her death. Anand can’t deny the fact that he still loved her. The decision to kill her was business and not personal. Personally he would not dare to even think of it. But he is now donning the role of a judge. He is going to mete out punishment. And he needed to be unbiased in that. That’s why he got convinced about killing her.A new pair of shoes, a body suit type of dress from which blood can be washed off if it comes to that, a bottle of chloroform if need be were a few other items that came to his mind. He thought he should revisit the list. He had time with him. The day is going to be 15th Aug and it is exactly a month away. That day will bring him freedom.

He could not smile thinking about the exhilaration he

would feel when the task is accomplished. How much of grief she has caused? And how much of grief Vijay has caused? Being a close friend and as someone who had been with him right from the day he met Irene, helping him in the fights between their families, keeping them safe for a fortnight till the dust settled, helping monetarily till they found their feet , the favors Vijay did was countless. Now it appears that all of it was a foundation for the biggest betrayal he was going to commit. To see them both in his own eyes intertwined like snakes in copulation should have killed him then and there. Anand is still not sure how he managed to slip away without throwing a fit. And what about the nonchalant behavior from them till now! It is a pity that Anand chose to kill Vijay one year later. He doesn’t deserve to live even for a second more. But then he needed to be smart. And if Vijay was as smart as him he would know that Anand killed Irene and the same fate awaits him. He will live for a year, but in fear. It is worth the wait for Anand. With Vijay it will be justice delayed. No way is it going to be denied.

(to be continued)

Page 15: OutFocus January 2015

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“With Vijay it will be justice delayed. No way is it going to be denied...”

STORYSERIES

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17FOTOGRAPH

NAAN EE

NEENA SABARI MENON+91 9488859390

McGAN’S OOTY SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

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VIRAT KOHLI (LEFT) AND MS DHONI (RIGHT)

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19SPORTACUS

”India’s greatest Test Captains under whose leadership India became the No. 1 team in the Test Rankings MS Dhoni, decided to retire from Test Cricket citing the strain of playing all formats of Cricket. It is said that M S Dhoni chose to retire from Test Cricket with immediate effect in order to concentrate on ODI and T20 formats.”

-BCCI December 29Indian cricket is ready to experience Jigarthanda hour. Confused? Mr. Cool captain MS Dhoni retired from Test cricket. The baton has now transferred to energetic Virat Koli. Virat, who is known for his

aggressiveness, is just on the opposite pole of Dhoni’s ever cool character. Hence we can expect sparky Test and cool one day sports from Indian team in the future.On December 2 2005, Dhoni entered the Chaepak cricket ground replacing Dinesh Karthik as the Indian Test wicket-keeper. That was his first International Test match. Nature predicted him as a Cricket cyclone and hence sent a cyclone to the ground to welcome him.First captaincy: Kumble’s absence brought Dhoni a chance to lead the ship at Kanpur against South Africa in April 2008. The

captain turned success in his first captaincy. India become No 1 in the ICC Test rankings for the first time on December 6, 2009 under his leadership. As every good thing has an end, the captain cool announced his retirement on December 29, 2014. That marked a sad ending of year for cricket lovers. World cup 2015 is around the corner. Dhoni’s decision at this hot spot will sure fetch him more time to concentrate to pocket THE CUP again.A grand adieu for Dhoni’s White shirt.

CRICKETJIGARTHANDA

SOMASUNDARAM

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THE WARRIOR

NIRMAL HENRY

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21POETRY

It was a melancholy nightEnduring the agony she cried

Away and away the moon sailedA dark lantern was alight

In pleasurable pain she diedBreaking dawn, her baby wailed

Injustice he always fought

Death, he did not fearHe showed nought grace

Love, he sought neverNot once he shed a tear

Hustle and flow he did face

He was the devil, foes saidA solitary subsistence he made

Glory, not once he covetedIn fear the immoral fled

As he valiantly swung his bladeBrave men beheld him riveted

Frailty faltered his agility

Wounds burned, scars sealedHe prayed not once for strength

For he was faithless in divinityBackstabbed in the battlefield

He grasped his life’s length

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23SPOTLIGHT:TV SUPERHEROES

“My whole career is just terror, from beginning to end. That’s kind of my thing. A lot of happy accidents happened.”

- Patrick Johannes AdamsKnown for his character “Mike Ross” in the Series ‘Suits’, this Torronto native was born on August 21,1981. A BFA Graduate in Acting from University of Southern California, he is a A leading light of the Southern California theater community, Patrick has appeared many times at the Ojai Playwrights Conference, starring in new works by established & developing playwrights.Adams appeared in episodes of the U.S. series Cold Case and Jack and Bobby, and has since had roles in Lost, Friday Night Lights, Without a Trace, Commander in Chief,

Heartland, Ghost Whisperer, NCIS, Cupid, Luck, Raising the Bar and Suits.Patrick’s celebrated work in film includes supporting roles in the hit comedy, Old School (2003), directed by Todd Phillips; 2:13 (2009), directed by Charles Adelman; and 2009 Berlin Film Festival competitor Rage (2009), directed by in ternat ional ly-renowned filmmaker Sally Potter, in which Patrick was proud to appear, alongside Judi Dench, Jude Law, Dianne Wiest and Steve Buscemi. As well, Patrick starred in the indie films The Waterhole (2009); 2009 Slamdance entry Weather Girl (2009); and, most recently, 6 Month Rule (2011), directed by Blayne Weaver.After earning the Jack Nicholson Award in 2004, which

provided scholarships directly funded by the eponymous actor to outstanding performers at the school, Adams earned his bachelor of fine arts in theater and immediately began working on a production of Edward Albee’s “The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?” at the Mark Taper Forum, which later earned an Ovation Award.Adams met Pretty Little Liars star Troian Bellisario in 2009 when they were cast opposite each other in the play Equivocation.Adams was awarded Honorary Life Membership of UCD Law Society in September 2013.On February 24, 2014, it was confirmed that Bellisario and Adams had become engaged.

- Sga Thomas

PATRICKJOHANNES ADAMS

PRETTY GUY IN A COSTLY SUIT

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An open Letter to

Mahendra Singh Dhoni

It is not that twirl of the bat after the most seen sixer in the world, it is not the murderous assault on Irfan Pathan, it is not the ‘almost behind the bowler’ field placing for Pollard, it is none of these that comes to my mind when I think of you. It is only that long haired new skipper, nonchalantly removing his jersey and giving it to a small boy when the world was erupting around you.

There was a nation that was mourning after the infamous exit in 2007 world cup, none

of us knew what this T20 is all about and even our greedy board for once didn’t see the scope in the format and sent a bunch of youngsters under your captaincy. The first thought that came to my mind was one of a sacrificial lamb. You guys probably for once, were playing freely. There was no pressure, no expectation and all of you flowered. Not much of captaincy and skills were talked about then. But I knew that whatever maybe the format, whatever maybe the lack of expectation as Indians

all of us were anyway watching all the games. And you also knew it. You never showed it. Not then and not till last week. Much has been written about the accomplishments India made under you and also about the irrational claims that you were a poor test captain overseas. People who talk, don’t remember what they did and what Indian pacemen are capable of. Here was a bunch of bowlers, who in Madurai league we would have clobbered. It was a perfect example of what you are not.

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25OPENLETTER

Shrikanth Thirumalaiswami

Because the same guys who were praising you yesterday, were castigating you today. And those were the guys who boycotted Star TV interviews in 2007 world cup, because what was talked in the commentary box. They seem to be affected. About wins and losses. About praise and brickbat. About yesterday and today. And that is precisely you weren’t. If there was one enlightened soul in a cricket field with the calmness of Buddha, it was you.

The article on you in Cricket Monthly that showcased your list of priorities told me that one day you will just disappear. There will be no drama. There will be no tears. There will be no remorse. I knew it. And you did.

But why am I not very excited about it? You did what is expected of you. Whole of 2015 is going to be home matches. Not only there would have been victories after victories, but your records would have been bettered too and there was the carrot of 100 matches. And probably a farewell which would have

made Sachin’s a pale shadow. You threw all of it. You had never wanted it and you would not be probably thinking as much I do here.

Yet.. I do because of one small thing. There is a thin line of separation between detachment and indifference. There is a difference between giving up and retiring. One thing that is talked less of Buddha is that as Siddartha, he walked out of his wife and son. He walked out and became Buddha, all he had in his mind was about making world a better place. But was his home after he left was a better place? Did anyone know how Yashodara and Rahula felt? Buddha didn’t care for sure I suppose. I don’t know. But I am certain that he wouldn’t have. And that’s the same way I feel about you now. You had multiple options. You could have feigned injury, sat out and announced at the end of the series. Or you could have played the last one, telling only your team that it was your last game which would have motivated them to win it for you. Or you could have sat out from

the second test itself. But what you did was what you wanted. And that is where a strong-will mutated into adamancy. You had the last laugh, yes. But we all know that you planned to have the last laugh.

One of my favorite books is Shogun. Set in medieval Japan where many warlords openly fight for the ultimate position of becoming a Shogun, Lord Toranaga categorically denies that and states that it is never his will, only after 600 pages we hear a self-confession.

It appealed to me as a leader and man manager. Keeping one’s card close to the chest. But not anymore. Not after what you did, making a fool out of every single Indian. It was definitely not cool.

Buddha says this to son Rahula

“Rahula, whatever there is of a contemplative in anyone who feels no shame at telling a deliberate lie is empty & hollow just like that.”

Better you absorb this…..

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27A GIRL’S PAGE

A day doesn’t pass without blaming others for the mishaps in our life. We are used to the cocoon-styled life,where only our needs and wants play a prominent role ignoring everyother thing. We are very much occupied with clouds of voluptuous desires. We think-plan-work for all day and night to get hold of those sexy clouds.Am here, not to prove it wrong nor utter utter philosophy. Life is all ours... Ofcourse,have do we the rights to live it our way.. So BE SELFISH!.. not just for yourself but for your family.. not just for your family but for your neighborhood.. not just neighborhood but for your city... but for your state.. but for your country, continent and the world or even beyond that. Once again I love you to “be selfish” in a generous way....!!;)With this, I end my series “A Girl’s Page” for OutFocus! Looking forward to writing more! :)

B E T H E S E L F I S HSARU MATHI

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NEENA SABARI MENON+91 9488859390

McGAN’S OOTY SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

BLUES AND GREENS AREN’T ALWAYS BAD.

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29FOTOGRAPH

NEENA SABARI MENON+91 9488859390

McGAN’S OOTY SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

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31GRAPHICTALK

NEW IMPROVISED BUTTER CHURNER FOR PRODUCT DESIGN TROPHY BY DILIPAN, VISHAL AND SYED.

IT USES A SET OF GEARS AND A FIXED HANDLE TO SIMPLIFY THE CHURNING PROCESS. 3D SIMULATION MODEL WAS MADE USING AUTODESK 3DS MAX.

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RESEARCH:

death of theU N I V E R S E

ARMUTHU KUMAR

Core of a Red giant star

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33RESEARCH

The universe is estimated to be several billion years old. One way of knowing this is estimating the distance of the farthest star we can possibly see from the solar system. If that is the last star whose light has reached us, stars which are further out have not had enough time to send us their light. As time goes on, light from more stars may be able to reach us. We may never know the edge of the universe, or if there is ever one.

The Bible says, “Thou were made of dust, and to dust thou shalt return”. If there is a beginning, there is possibly an end? Well this is true for us, living beings, even for the Earth, and even for the Sun. The Sun is a glowing ball made of high levels of hydrogen. The hydrogen atoms fuse to form helium atoms and releases energy. Energy we come to feel and appreciate as the

light the sun gives us. But when the hydrogen finally runs out? If the temperature goes high enough, the helium atoms start fusing together, forming higher atoms. And the sun becomes a red giant, engulfing Mercury, Venus and possibly the Earth.

The Sun might die out in the next few billion years. Life may or may not survive on another solar system or maybe another galaxy. But think of it in the higher scale. Not the end of us or the sun. What about the universe. If the universe was born from the big bang, would there be a death to it too?

There are two popular theories that try to explain the end of the universe.

One theory tries to explain that at one point in time, the universe would have expanded to the largest. At that

point of time, gravity would counteract the leftover forces from the big bang and start pulling together. If that happens, everything in the universe starts contracting and finally it ends where it all started – a universe the size of a pinhead.

Another theory says that the universe will continue expanding. According to Newton’s second law, the momentum of the expansion will be far greater than the gravitational forces trying to counteract it. And in the end, everything will be pulled apart and there will be nothing but protons racing out of the universe. There will be nothingness. And nothing will ever exist again.

There are several other theories as to the end of the universe, one being the “heat death”. Well this might sound creepy but it is one possible outcome. The second

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law of thermodynamics states that heat continuously flows from a hot body to a cold body till the bodies reach equilibrium. In other words, both the bodies become equally hot or equally cold. The universe works because of the continuous flow of heat from hot to cold. What if the trillions of systems in the universe attain total equilibrium? Heat will stop flowing from one body to another. There will be no transfer of heat, and so, no work will be done. No life will live. Everything comes to a standstill.I do not believe any of these would ever happen. From observation, it

is revealed that the universe is in no idea of slowing down, but it is rather speeding up its expansion programme. It would appear that even in the infinite future, there will be no reversal of the expansion. But the expansion will not take apart everything. Consider a star that is created in a far future. As the ball of hydrogen keeps burning, the universe keeps expanding. In a few billion years the star has used up all its hydrogen and there’s the helium that keeps burning. This helium fusion reaction releases so much heat that the star begins to explode into enormous

proportions – a red giant. The universe keeps expanding. After the fuel is used up, the star contracts. It condenses into a blue dwarf eventually. The universe still expands. The star has moved far away from its birthplace and it’s getting lonelier. The familiar cloud of gas where it was born and the constant blasts from surrounding stars is gone. Now it finds itself all by its own in an ever expanding galaxy. It might have gravitationally collapsed to become a neutron star which keeps spinning for several eons henceforth. If the star has a high mass, it might

Hydrogen fusion reaction in a star

Dead neutron star

*All illustrations were custom made for OutFocus by a scientific simulation artist “Roshan Shinde AV”

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35RESEARCH

collapse into a hyper dense sphere the diameter of a city but the gravity of thousands of stars combined. It starts pulling other celestial objects unfortunate to chance upon it into itself – a black hole. This process might happen for every other star system. Now how does everything tear apart into protons? It doesn’t. The dead neutron stars and black holes may continue to race out of the universe, ever so constantly expanding.

Heat death is probable in localized areas. Like the neutron star which may eventually lose all its energy. But in a universe several million times its now, how would two dead stars or planets, several million light years away attain equilibrium? Heat can flow from a hot body to a cold body either by conduction or by convection. But

during radiation (which is the only way to transfer heat between interstellar objects) heat is transmitted from a hot body to ANY body it may chance upon, not just a cold one. Some bodies, like planets or meteorites, may continually receive radiation from other bodies like stars. A subatomic particle, known as the neutrino, rarely interacts with matter. Its mass is practically zero, several thousand times lesser than that of an electron, and it penetrates the densest of matter. The neutrinos travel at the same speed of light, the cosmic speed limit, and keep travelling. Heat death does not occur in its literal meaning as long as these little guys keep moving – because they are still in motion.

If to my extent of knowledge none of the above theories hold

good, what happens to the universe? Does it end or does it not? As far as I can imagine, the universe keeps expanding, and the celestial objects like stars and planets that were fortunate enough to have formed in the first place, end up in a lonely desolate place far, far away from any other celestial object to interact with, and as these sources of energy go dry, the universe becomes a dark place. As the last celestial objects float in space as huge chunks of dense matter, nothing happens. Or then again, there is no predicting nature. All that we, humans, can say is limited to our understanding and knowledge. There is no profit in accepting everything as fate and there is no loss in pondering over the universe’s greatest secrets.Write back to me [email protected]

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Y O U H A V E E N J O Y E D A P R O D U C T O F

THE FEATHERSW W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / F E A T H E R S I N D I A

NEENA SABARI MENON+91 9488859390

McGAN’S OOTY SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE