In this story by Jayant Narlikar, an amateur Indian astronomer’s joy in finding an unidentified comet and having it named after him is cut short when a British scientist determines that it is on a collision course with Earth. The world’s leading minds come up with a plan nudge it off course with a rocket loaded with nuclear explosives. As the comet veers away and the experts celebrate, the astronomer’s wife claims that it was Indian tradition, rather than human ingenuity, that saved the day. Themes include discovery, pride, human ingenuity, global cooperation, science vs. superstition, tradition.
Depending on your religious beliefs, a further theme is the insignificance and vulnerability of Earth (and therefore mankind) in the greater universe. While no large comet has collided with Earth in recorded history, the destructive power released in the Tunguska Event (in which an asteroid or small comet exploded over Russia in 1908) serves as a warning of what could happen were this to occur.