Half a Century in Space: The Indian Voice Carried Beyond Earth by NASA
IIE DIGITAL: Nearly five decades ago, NASA launched Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 into space, carrying a unique message from Earth for any intelligent life that might one day encounter them. Along with the spacecraft was a copper disc known as the Voyager Golden Record, designed to offer a glimpse of humanity and its diverse cultures.
The record contains 115 images, sounds from Earth, greetings in 55 languages and 27 musical pieces selected by a committee led by renowned astronomer Carl Sagan. Among the music chosen was a three-minute Indian classical composition, Jaat Kahan Ho, performed in Raag Bhairavi by legendary vocalist Kesarbai Kerkar.
Born in 1892 in a small village in Goa, Kesarbai became one of India's finest classical singers. Despite belonging to an era without the modern recording facilities and promotional platforms available to artists today, her extraordinary voice and musical brilliance earned her a place on a record that was destined to travel far beyond Earth.
Today, Voyager 1 is travelling through interstellar space, carrying with it the timeless voice of Kesarbai Kerkar. Her rendition of Indian classical music continues its journey billions of kilometres away from Earth, making her voice an enduring part of humanity's message to the cosmos.
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