Vinod Mankara’s Sanskrit documentary ‘Yaanam’ , on India’s Mars Orbiter Mission, is a first of its kind

Shot in the premier space centres in India, Yaanam traces India’s interest in space from an ancient text to MOM

Speaking in fluent Sanskrit, S Somnath, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), explains how the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) became a reality at a fraction of the cost that it took to make the film  Martians. In the same vein, Dr Radhakrishnan, former chairman of the ISRO, talks about the team work and dedication that led to the successful launch of MOM, also called Mangalyaan.

Yaanam (which means journey in Sanskrit), a science documentary in Sanskrit produced by AV Anoop, is perhaps the first such film in the language. It became a reality because of film director Vinod Mankara’s desire to make content in Sanskrit, which had contemporary relevance. Vinod’s first attempt to make a Sanskrit film was  Priyamanasam, a feature film that won the award for the best feature film in Sanskrit at the International Film Festival of India in 2015.

Made 22 years after GV Iyer’s film in Sanskrit,  Bhagavad Gita (1993), Priyamanasam broke new ground with its story and narrative. Says Vinod, “I wondered why it took 22 years for someone to make a film in Sanskrit. I felt there was a misconception that Sanskrit was the language of devotional works, mantras and prayers. I wanted to deconstruct that template and make a film that had layers of romance, heartbreak, poetry and music,” he recalls.

Set in 17th century Kerala,  Priyamanasam was based on the final years of maestro Unnayi Warrier and his struggle to complete his masterpiece, Nalacharitham Aattakatha, comprising some of the most famous plays in Kathakali.

Priyamanasam had dialogues and all the ingredients of a mainstream film. The theme of the film struck a chord with viewers and that gave Vinod the courage to think of a science documentary in Sanskrit.

Many of the ancient Indian texts on astronomy and science were written in Sanskrit. Vinod had heard that  Surya Siddhanta, an ancient Sanskrit manuscript on astronomy, had described seven planets, mentioned the distance between Saturn and the Earth, the diameter of Saturn and so on. “Much later, with the help of telescopes, the distance between the Earth and the planets, the diameter of the planets and so on were calculated precisely. There wasn’t much of a difference between the calculations of the ancient Indian astronomers and latter-day astronomers,” explains Vinod.

Keen on seeing a manuscript of the Surya Siddhanta in Sanskrit, Vinod sought the help of his contacts all over India. That was when he learnt that a manuscript existed at the Oriental Research Institute and Manuscripts Library in Thiruvananthapuram. He was able to read it with the help of Sanskrit academics at the Government Sanskrit College in Kerala. “In those days, astronomy and astrology were not treated as separate subjects and so the writing in ancient Sanskrit was mixed with astrology as well,” recalls Vinod.