On top of the world
- POSTED ON: 25 Mar, 2021
- TOTAL VIEWS: 1004 Views
- POSTED BY: Jagadeesh Kanna
- ARTICLE POINTS: 150 Points
A very hungry Hanuman is still chasing the orange. As he gets closer, it seems to be moving father away.
Hanuman (to the air molecules): Friends, help me move faster. I am very hungry!
Air Molecules: But Hanu…
Hanuman: Shhh! Just do as I say!
Air molecules (to each other): Didn’t Hanuman say we are friends? Now, he has started ordering us!
Hanuman: Faster!
Air molecule: Okay. But there are various levels of speed: Sonic, Subsonic, Supersonic, Hypersonic. Which speed would you like to travel at?
Hanuman: How is one different from the other?
Air molecules: Sonic means travelling at the speed of sound — 343 miles per second. Subsonic means slower than the speed of sound; supersonic means faster than the speed of sound; and hypersonic means five times faster.
Hanuman: I want to go at hypersonic!
Air molecules: But then, you will break the sound layer, which can cause a heavy explosion-like noise called sonic boom. This may disturb people in Heaven and Earth.
Hanuman: I don’t care. Let’s go!
Air molecules: Okay. (In whispers) Lord Vaayu, please help us.
Hanuman flies through the atmosphere like a rocket, which creates a thunderous sound. He crosses Bhuvar Loka (Troposphere) and reaches the peak of Mount Meru, arriving at Svarga Loka — the place ruled by Indra (Ozone layer and Stratosphere). People on Earth are shocked by the sonic boom.
Enter Indra
Indra comes out of his palace to check what is happening and sees a young monkey chasing the sun. He mounts Airavat, his flying elephant, and goes to stop Hanuman, unaware that he is the son of Vaayu.
Indra: Hey monkey! How are you flying? And why are you creating a ruckus?
Hanuman: I have no time! I am hungry and I have to get that orange!
Indira: You mean the sun?!
Hanuman: Get out of my way!
Indra: Do you know who you are talking to? I am the king of Svarga Loka!
Hanuman (to the air molecules): Friends, this man doesn’t know how powerful you are. My dad always says, ‘When someone tries to pull you down, show them what you are capable of’. Let’s show him!
Indra: Ha ha ha! Show me!
Hanuman: Dear Vaayu sena, help me blow air 10 times faster than hypersonic speed.
Hanuman blows with so much power that Indira and Airavat are thrown away. Indira is shocked by the force (Mass x Acceleration) generated by Hanuman. He takes out his weapon and creates lightning bolts and directs them at Hanuman. One of them partly hits Hanuman’s cheeks. The air molecules are shocked. They remember Lord Vaayu’s order to protect Hanuman.
Air Molecules: Hanuman, remove the jewellery that you are wearing and throw them away. Metals are better conductors of electric charges (lightning) than your body. The lighting bolt will be directed towards your jewellery and we can escape to the Mahar Loka (Mesosphere).
The plan works and Hanuman reaches Mesosphere. Indra continues to chase Hanuman as he moves towards Mahar Loka (Mesosphere; 50-70 km above the planet); Jan Loka (Ionosphere; 70-90 km above the planet); Tapa Loka (Thermosphere; 90-700 km above the planet) and Satya Loka (Exosphere and Beyond 700 km and more above the planet).
The air molecules start to worry now; as Hanuman moves higher, they are becoming weaker. The Vaayu sena’s numbers start to dwindle (air density becomes lesser as you move away from Earth’s gravity). They call out to Lord Vaayu, who appears and takes stock of the situation.
As Hanuman reaches the airless space, he begins to feel breathless. To save him, Vaayu pulls out every single air molecule from Earth and diverts them into Hanuman, who expands as there is no air pressure outside. Hanuman becomes bigger than the sun and blocks it. Suddenly, there is no air or light on Earth and the people are distressed.
Hanuman opens his mouth to swallow the sun. Suddenly, he hears a booming voice: “Stop!” He sees a person with four heads standing there…
To be continued…
The author is the founder and CEO of Vaayusastra Aerospace, an IIT-Madras incubated ed-tech startup that offers Air Science workshops for children between five and 14 years.
Layers of the atmosphere
Based on your reading of the story, can you drag and drop the different layers of the atmosphere in the right order?