'Uma' taken by Shubhanshu Shukla to International Space Station has a story to tell; know about Dr R Devika's 'daughter'

KONNI: The paddy seed named Uma, which Shubhanshu took with him for the experiment at the space station, has a story of untimely demise to tell.

Dr. R. Devika, the scientist from Konni who developed the paddy seed, named the seed after her daughter. Uma died a year ago after giving birth.

The rice seed was developed by the Kerala Agricultural University. The seed was developed by Dr. Leena Kumari and Dr. Rama Bhai under the leadership of Devika at the university's research centre in Kuttanad Mankombu in 1998. There was a suggestion to give it a name that was easy for farmers to pronounce. Devika named the seed after her daughter Uma, who was a baby at the time. It turned out to be a high-yielding rice seed.

Dr Devika is the daughter of Dr MK Sreedharan Pillai and L Rajamma of Konni Perinjottackal Sree Bhavan. She retired from service. She now lives with her husband K Vijayakumar in Changanassery. Even though she is saddened by her daughter's death, Devika wishes her all the best for the space mission.

Shubhanshu took seeds named Jyothi and Uma (rice), Kanakamani (cowpea), Thilakathara (sesame), Soorya (brinjal/eggplant) and Vellayani Vijay (tomato) for the experiment. The experiment is about how the seeds survive the conditions of space.