Master of the universe

Into The Universe With Stephen Hawking
Discovery Channel,Monday,9 pm
How did the universe come into being? When will it end? Are there other life forms out there? Will human beings ever be able to travel through time? These are some of the questions which curious people have long asked and which Discovery Channel’s latest show,Into The Universe,seeks to explore. The series,written by Stephen Hawking,the world’s most famous living physicist,does not so much answer these burning questions,as set the mind free to explore the possibilities. In fact,the phrase,‘set the mind free’ is key to the series — himself relegated to a wheelchair due to a debilitating neuro-muscular dystrophy,Hawking ensured that his mind stayed free of its physical prison and explored all sorts of questions in physics and cosmology. It’s exactly that kind of mental freedom that he wishes to engender in viewers; we may not yet have any concrete answers to much about the universe,but there’s no harm in exploring all the would-bes and could-bes.

Each episode of the mini-series is introduced by Hawking,using a voice-synthesizer. As we enter his mind,however,to explore the topic of the day,the voice becomes smooth and full-bodied—- an apt way of conveying the full meaning of the scientist’s words “In my mind,I’m free.”
Gorgeous computer animation has been used to bring alive the world inside Hawking’s mind. The aliens he envisions,with their weird sucker-mouths and manta ray-like eyes are especially convincing. His idea of what the universe looks like should come as a shock to viewers who long imagined that vast space to be all blackness with a few pinpricks of light. In fact,the universe,as Hawking explains,is thick with objects like stars,planets and floating chunks of rock and ice. The final picture,thus,is more like a glittering cobweb and is a sight to behold.

The best thing about the show,however,is that it does not answer any questions. After all,in physics and cosmology there are no definite answers. Instead,all Hawking does is open our mental doors and hold our hands as we explore the fascinating rooms of possibilities that they lead us into. The conceit of certainty,he seems to imply,should be left to stodgy science textbooks.
For a series that seeks to explore an area of inquiry so vast,it’s regrettably short. Also,we wouldn’t mind if this rather serious show were sprinkled with a few of the engaging anecdotes that Bill Bryson used in his wonderful A Short History Of Nearly Everything. After all,we learn best when the lessons come in stories.
VERDICT:
It’s only a mini-series but everyone,whether they’re in school or not,should watch this show. In fact,it’s especially important for schoolchildren as it shows that science is most certainly not dull and the questions to be asked are limitless.