Valarmathi: The voice behind ISRO rocket launch countdown, fades away

Sep 03, 2023

CHENNAI: India is a country with 1.4 billion people, yet, the voices of a few people remain etched in people's minds for eternity. Celebrities, politicians, sports personalities and even scientists are among this list. ISRO rocket launches are iconic events that bring the entire nation together and millions tune in to their TVs or devices to watch the live stream of the mission.

With a launch mission happening almost every month in 2023, ISRO live streams are closely watched by people in India and abroad. As one watches more of these launches, the voices of the officials featuring on the broadcast and the unique voice and manner in which they make their respective announcements (technically known as call-outs) become instantly recognisable. One such voice, that of ISRO scientist Valarmathi, has faded away.

The iconic & powerful female voice behind #isro rocket launch countdowns, has faded away for eternity...Valarmathi ma'am passed away at a #chennai hospital on Saturday evening, after a heart attack..

She was the voice behind ISRO's pre-launch countdown announcements and had last announced on July 30th, when the PSLV-C56 rocket lifted off carrying 7 Singaporean satellites, as part of a dedicated commercial mission.

As part of the Range Operations Programme Office at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, she had been making the countdown announcements for all launches, over the past six years or so, it is learnt. Aged in her fifties, she passed away on Saturday evening at a private hospital in Chennai, owing to a cardiac arrest. She had been unwell for a while.

For journalists like this author (who have been regularly reporting the Indian space programme and related launches from the spaceport), the voice of the ISRO scientists making the pre-launch and mission progress announcements are imprinted for eternity. As journalists stand atop the ISRO media centre terrace and report the launch mission, specifically the TV journalists tend to look into the camera and report the liftoff, as the rocket lifts off far away in the background. This is a moment of anxiety, as one does not have a direct view of the vehicle lifting off.

Owing to the professional responsibility of having to look straight into the blackness of the video camera lens and 'speak to the audience directly', TV journalists do not have the luxury of watching the vehicle lifting off (more than five kilometres away), behind their backs.

It is the voice of the announcing officials that offer all updates on the countdown, help perfectly time the Piece-to-Camera recordings and understand the launch mission progress etc. Therefore, their voices are permanently imprinted and become a part of life and work.

Thank you, Valarmathi ma'am, Your voice lives on for eternity, there's no countdown timer for it!