As the meeting between James and Sir John gets over, James looks up to the star-studded sky and meditates upon the fact that somewhere among these stars would be Comet Dutta, heading for a collision with the Earth.
On the day of the meeting, as James reached the venue, all his doubts about Sir John's efficiency and their decisions about the secret meeting were dispelled. He saw that all the experts whom Sir John had thought of inviting were there for the conference. Among astronomers, computer scientists, nuclear physicists, space technologists and biologists, Sir John's special invitee, Mr Manoj Dutta was also present.
The committee rechecked James' calculations with the latest data available on Comet Dutta. There were no doubts left about the collision as predicted by - James. The slight possibility that the comet may not collide was very bleak. The experts decided that any defensive actions like living in underground bunkers would not help much.
The Conclusion
The experts agreed that an offensive action was necessary. They decided that there was a need to deflect the comet from its usual path by giving it a push. The experts decided that a huge amount of nuclear power was required to achieve this task. Besides this, the suitability of time and the placement of the nuclear explosion and other such decisions were crucial to achieve success. So, the committee created a timetable, called the 'Project Light Brigade' towards achieving this attend. It was decided that if by 10th October, the comet was not destroyed by natural causes, the experiment would have to be taken forward.
Duttada and Sir John's Increasing Affinity
During the one week that Duttada spent in the company of experts, a close affinity grew between Duttada and Sir John. Duttada sought for Sir John's opinion about the experiment and Sir John humorously informed him about the unpredictability of the entire venture. Duttada toured the British Isles for the next two weeks. On his return, he was bombarded with questions from the press. But, keeping the details of the conference confidential was the need of the hour.
The Yajna
On returning home, Duttada saw a crowd gathered at his home. Duttada chided his wife thinking that she had arranged the yajna because in the past going overseas was considered a taboo. Sibaji Babu, Duttada's younger brother informed him that the yajna was being conducted to pacify the evil spirit behind the comet. So, the Guruji had suggested conducting a `shanti yajna.' Duttada was not happy with the flow of these events as he understood that the movement of comets was firmly rooted in scientific and mathematical calculations.
Duttada and Sir John's Mutual Admiration for Each Other
Ever since Duttada's return from London, both Duttada and Sir John had been in regular contact. Sir John admired Duttada's scientific outlook, whereas, Duttada appreciated Sir John's discipline and efficiency. In a subtle way, Sir John would allude to Comet Dutta, but in a way that Duttada would easily understand.
The Progress of Project Light Brigade and its Success
Comet Dutta followed its predicted path and therefore the threat of collision was now quite real. Sir John wrote Duttada a letter mentioning the commencement of the project. There were just too many questions about the success of the experiment, that it caused a lot of anxiety to Duttada and perhaps to all who were involved in some way with the experiment. Amid the puja and Diwali celebrations, Duttada used to regularly monitor the comet through his Dibya the comet was now clearly visible to the naked eye.
The success of project Light Brigade was communicated to Duttada through a telex message that Sir John sent to Calcutta on 18th November. 15th December was the day when Comet Dutta came closest to the Earth and millions could admire it, not knowing the threat it had caused. Duttada now revealed to his wife that the comet didn't cause any harm to anybody and therefore she was wrong with her superstitious assumptions about the comet.
Khoka, Duttada's Grandson
Hearing her husband talk like this, Indrani Debi reveals the reasons why the comet was not successful in harming anyone. Duttada gets surprised as he had never said anything about the project Light Brigade to her. She tells her husband that Khoka, their grandson was responsible for saving all of them.
On Duttada's refusal to perform the yajna, Khoka was deputed to offer prayers, as a result of which the evil spirit of the comet was pacified. Duttada, in his mind, tried to correlate the two different pictures: One, in which Khoka performed the puja. The other, in which, the scientists made their calculations. Of course, he could not bring them together and found the wide gap that separated the rational beings from the superstitious ones.