S. Chandrasekhar in THE SQUARE ROOT OF A SONNET

Basab Pradhan plays the role of S. Chandrasekhar in THE SQUARE ROOT OF A SONNET

In 1930, S. Chandrasekhar made the remarkable discovery of what is now called the Chandrasekhar Limit. It is the theoretical calculation of the mass of a dying star above which it collapses under its own gravity. This discovery opened the door to the science of black holes.

Chandrasekhar made this discovery at the age of 19, on his sea voyage to Cambridge where he was headed for his PhD. But his discovery was undermined by his own adviser and mentor at Cambridge, Arthur Eddington. Eddington was the leading astrophysicist of the time. His power and influence was so great that Chandra could not defend his work, even though it was correct. Eventually, he left for Chicago, where he spent the rest of his career in other fields of physics, ultimately returning to black holes late in his life. Chandrasekhar received the Nobel prize in 1983.

The Square Root of a Sonnet, playing at City Lights Theater, from Apr 29 to May 1, explores the complicated relationship between Chandrasekhar and Eddington. The play throws light on one of the great mysteries in the annals of science.

The role of Chandrasekhar is being played by Basab Pradhan.

Tickets are on sale on City LIghts Theater’s website. 

More information about the play and the cast is here.