On the 15th April 2007, Stephen Hawking came to our school to give a talk. What we saw at the Rudder Hall was phenomenal.... Very rarely do people in science get this of celebrity like recognition. In fact, the disparate nature of the crowd gathered to listen to him speak, made me forget that I was there to listen to a science talk. It was more like as if it was a rock show, and all of us were eagerly awaiting for the celebrity to perform.
So stephen hawking cant twitch. Most part of the visible anatomy is paralyzed. Strict instructions for no flash photography later made sense when we understood that the computer that speaks for him, run on the only moving parts of his body- the eye balls moving up/down, left/right.
About the talk. Such kind of celebrated professors talk are usually kept on a generic level. To address such a big audience with differing science knowledge is a challenge by itself. And must say, stephen hawking carried it off with ease. Some say, its a pre-recorded lecture. And that stephen hawking was just there posing. I like to believe that he really talked. Interspersed with humour, his talk about earth, gravitation, newton did make sense. Must confess, that I did feel sleepy in between, maybe due to the monotony of listening to a bonzi-buddy'sh voice.
Interestingly, the talk ended before people realized that it did. So the man was saying something, which I dont know how many along with me didnt follow. He says something.. plays a slide.. and says thank you... and suddenly a man appears on stage and drives the wheelchair away :)
Certainly a brief encounter with a brief ending :)
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