Wings of FireCHAKRI

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WINGS OF FIRE An Autobiography

AVUL PAKIR JAINULABDEEN ABDUL KALAM as come to personally epresent to many of his countrymen the best aspects of Indian life. Born in 1931, the son of a little educated boatowner in Rameswaram, Tamilnadu, he had an unparalleled career as a defence scientist, culminating culminating in the highest civilian award of India, the Bharat Ratna.

As chief of the country’s defence research and development programme, Kalam demonstrated the great potential for dynamism and innovation that existed in seemingly moribund research establishments. establishments. This is the story of Kalam’s rise from obscurity and his personal and professional struggles, struggles, as well as the story of gni, Prithvi, Akash, Trishul and ag - issiles that have become ousehold names in India and that have raised the nation to the level of a missile power of international recokoning. At the same time as he has helped create India’s awesome weaponry, Kalam has maintained the ascetic rigour of his personal life, working 18 hours a day and practicing the veena. With characteristic characteristic modesty, Kalam ascribes the greatness of his achievement to the influence of his teachers and mentors. He describes the struggles of his boyhood and youth, bringing alive everyday life in a small town in South India and the inspirati inspirational onal role of educators. He describes the role of visionary Indian scientists, such as Dr Vikram Sarabhai, and of the creation of a coordinated network of research instituti institutions. ons. This is also the saga of independent India’s struggle for technologi technological cal self sufficiency and defensive autonomy – a story as much about politics, domestic and international, international, as it is about science. Arun Tiwari worked under Dr APJ Abdul Kalam for over a decade in the Defence Research and Developmen Developmentt Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad. He is currently Director, Cardiovascular Technology Institute, Hyderabad, where he is pursuing Dr Kalam’s vision of developing cost-effective medical devices sing indigenous defence technology. Dr Kalam is now India’s President. He was elected to India’s office by a huge ajority in 2002. Cover photograph: Courtesy Picture by B Jayachandran

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The Week, a Malayala Manorama Publication

WINGS OF FIRE An Autobiography

Universities Press (India) Private Limited Registered Office 3-5-819 Hyderguda, Hyderabad 500 029 (A.P.), India

A P J Abdul Kalam with Arun Tiwari Distributed by Orient Longman Private Limited Registered Office 3-6-272 Himayatnagar, Hyderabad 500 029 (A.P.), India Other Offices Bangalore / Bhopal / Bhubaneshwar / Ch andigarh /Chennai Ernakulam / Guwahati / Hyderabad / Jaipur / Kolkata Lucknow / Mumbai / New Delhi / Patna © Universities Press (India) Private Limited 1999

First published 1999 Eleventh impression 2002 ISBN 81 7371 146 1 Typeset by OSDATA, Hyderabad 500 029 Printed at

Universities Press

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Published by Universities Press (India) Private Limited 3-5-819 Hyderguda, Hyderabad 500 029

To the memory of my parents

My Mother Sea waves, golden sand, pilgrims’ faith, Rameswaram Mosque Street, all merge into one, My Mother! You come to me like heaven’s caring caring arms. I remember the war days when life was challenge and toil— Miles to walk, hours before sunrise, Walking to take lessons from the saintly teacher near the temple. Again miles to the Arab teaching school, Climb sandy hills to Railway Station Road, Collect, distribute newspapers to temple city citizens, Few hours after sunrise, going to school. Evening, business time before study at night. All this pain of a young boy, My Mother you transformed into pious strength

Introduction ORIENTATION

With kneeling and bowing five times For the Grace of the Almighty only, My Mother. Your strong piety is your children’s strength,

CREATION

You always shared your best with whoever needed the most, You always gave, and gave with faith in Him.

CONTEMPLATION

Mother! My Mother! When at midnight I woke with tears falling on my knee You knew the pain of your child, My Mother. Your caring hands, tenderly removing the pain Your love, your care, your faith gave me strength To face the world without fear and with His strength. We will meet again on the great Judgement Day, My Mother!

APJ Abdul Kalam

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Preface cknowledgements

I still remember the day when I was ten, Sleeping on your lap to the envy of my elder brothers and sisters It was full moon night, my world only you knew


Contents

PROPITIATION

Epilogue

one. He has an intuitive rapport with the humblest and simplest people, an indication of his own simplicity and innate spirituality.

Preface

I

For myself, writing this book has been like a pi lgrimage. Through Dr Kalam, I was blessed with the revelation that the real joy of living can be found in only one way—in one’s communion with an eternal source of hidden knowledge within oneself—which each individual is bidden to seek and find for himself or herself. Many of you may never meet Dr Kalam in person, but I hope you will enjoy his company through this book, and that he will become your spiritual friend.

have wo have work rked ed un unde derr Dr AP APJJ Abd Abdul ul Kal Kalam am fo forr ove overr a dec decad ade. e. I cou could ld inc inclu lude de in in this this boo book k onl only y a few few in inci cide dent ntss amon among g the the man many y This might seem to disqualify me as his biographer, and I certainly narrated to me by Dr Kalam. In fact, this book provides only a thumbnail had no notion of being one. One day, while speaking to him, I sketch of Dr Kalam’s life. It is quite possible that certain important asked him if he had a message for young Indians. His message fascinated incidents have been been inadvertently dropped dropped and that the contribution contribution of me. Later, Later, I muster mustered ed the courage courage to to ask him about about his recol recollectio lections ns so some individ individuals uals to the the projects projects co-ordinate co-ordinated d by Dr Kalam Kalam has has gone that I could could pen them down down before they they were were buried irretri irretrieva evably bly under under unrecorde unre corded. d. Since a quarte quarter-ce r-century ntury of profes professional sional life life separates separates me the sands of time. from Dr Kalam, some important issues might also have remained unrecorded or have been distorted. I am solely r esponsible for such We had a long series of sittings late into t he night and early under shortcomings, which are, of course, completely unintentional. the fading stars of dawn—all somehow stolen from his very busy schedule of eighteen hours a day. The profundity and range of his ideas mesmerized me. He had tremendous tremendous vitality and o viously received received immense pleasure from the world of ideas. His conversation was not always easy to follow, but was always fresh and stimulating. There were complexities, subtleties, and intriguing metaphors and subplots in his narrative, but gradually the unfolding of his brilliant mind took the form of a continuous discourse. When I sat down to write this book, I felt that it required greater skills than I possessed. But realising the importance of this task and regarding it an honour to have been permitted to attempt it, I prayed earnestly for the courage and calibre to complete it. This book is written for the ordinary people of India for whom Dr Kalam has an immense affection, and of whom Dr Kalam is certainly


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Arun Tiwari

Acknowledgements

Introduction

I

wish to express my gratitude to all the people involved in the writing of this book, especially Mr YS Rajan, Mr A Sivathanu Pillai, Mr RN Agarwal, Mr Prahlada, Mr KVSS Prasada Rao and Dr SK Salwan, who were very generous in sharing their ti me and knowledge with me. I am thankful to Prof. KAV Pandalai and Mr R Swaminathan, for critical reviews of the text. I thank Dr B Soma Raju for his tangible, but always unspoken support, for this project. My sincere thanks go to my wife and unsparing critic, Dr Anjana Tiwari, for her tough comments, accompanied with her gentle support. It has been a pleasure to work with Universities Press, and the cooperation of the editorial and production staff is much appreciated. There are many fine people, such as the photographer Mr. Prabhu, who have selflessly enriched me and t his book in ways b eyond measure. I thank them all. And finally, my deepest gratitude to my sons, Aseem and Amol— for their unfailing emotional support during t he writing, and because I seek in them that attitude towards life which Dr Kalam admired, and wanted this work to reflect. Arun Tiwari


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This book is being released at a time when India’s technological endeavours, to assert its sovereignty and strengthen its security, are questioned by many in the world. Historically, people have always fought among themselves on one issue or another. Prehistorically, battles were fought over food and shelter. With the passage of time, wars were waged over religious and ideological beliefs; and now the dominant struggle of sophisticated warfare is for economic and technological supremacy. Consequently, economic and technological supremacy is equated with political power and world control. A few nations who have grown very strong technologically, over the past few centuries, have wrested control, for their own purposes. These major powers have become the self-proclaimed leaders of the new world order. What does a country of one billion people, like India, do in such a situation? We have no other option but to be t echnologically strong. But, can India be a leader in the field of technology? My answer is an emphatic ‘Yes’. And let me validate my answer by narrating some incidents from my life. When I first began the reminiscence reminiscencess that have gone into this b ook, I was uncertain about which of my memories were worth narrating or were of any relevance at all. My childhood is precious to me, but would it be of interest to anyone else? Was it worth the reader’s while, I wondered, to know about the t ribulations and triumphs of a smalltown boy? Of the s traitened circumstances circumstances of my schooldays, the odd obs I did to pay my school fees, and how my decision to become a

vegetaria veget arian n was was partl partly y due due to my my financ financial ial con constr strain aints ts as as a coll college ege student—wh stude nt—why y should should these be of any any interest interest to the general general public public?? In the end, I was convinced that these were relevant, if not for anything else but because they tell something of the story of modern India, as individual destiny and the social matrix in which it is embedded cannot be seen in isolation. Having been persuaded of this, it did seem germane to include the accounts of my frustrated attempt to become an Air Force pilot and of how I became, instead of the Collector my father dreamed I would be, a rocket engineer. Finally, I decide Finally, decided d to desc describe ribe the individ individuals uals who had a profo profound und influence on my life. This book is also by way of a submission of thanks, therefore, to my parents and immediate family, and to the t eachers and preceptors I was fortunate to have had, both as a student and in my professional life. It is also a tribute to the unflagging enthusiasm and efforts of my young colleagues who helped to realise our collective dreams. The famous words of Isaac Newton about standing on the shoulders of giants are valid f or every scientist and I certainly owe a great debt of knowledge and inspiration to the distinguished lineage of Indian scientists, that included Vikram Sarabhai, Satish Dhawan and Brahm Prakash. They played major roles in my life and in the st ory of Indian science. I completed sixty years of age on 15 October 1991. I had decided to devote my retirement to fulfilling what I saw as my duties in the sphere of social social service. Instead, two things happened simultaneously. First, I agreed to continue in government service for another three years years and, next, a young colleague, Arun Tiwari, requested me to share my reminisce rem iniscences nces with with him, so that that he could record record them. them. He was was someone someone who had been working in my laboratory since 1982, but I had never really known him well until the February of 1987 when I visited him at the Intensive Coronary Care Unit of the N izam’s Institute of Medical Sciences in Hyderabad. He was a mere 32 years old, but was fi ghting aliantly for his life. I asked him if there was anything he wanted me to


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do for for him. him. “G “Give ive me your your ble blessi ssings ngs,, sir,” sir,” he sai said, d, “so “so that that I may may have have a longer longer life and can can complete complete at at least least one of of your projec projects.” ts.” The young man’s dedication moved me and I prayed for his recovery all night. The Lord answered my prayers and Tiwari was able to get ack to work in a month. He did an excellent job in helping to realise the Akash missile airframe from scratch within the short space of three years. He then took up the task of chronicling my story. Over the last year, he patiently transcribed the bits and pieces of my story and converted them into a fluent narrative. He also went through my personal library libra ry meticulo meticulously usly and and selecte selected d from from among among the the piece piecess of poetr poetry y those those that I had marked marked while reading, reading, and included them them in the text. This story is an account, I hope, not just of my personal triumphs and tribulations but of the successes and setbacks of the science establishment in modern India, India, struggling to esta lish itself in the technological forefront. It is the story of national aspiration and of cooperative endeavour. And, as I see it, the saga of India’s search for scientific self-sufficiency and technological competence is a parable for our times. Each individual creature on this beautiful planet is created by God to fulfil a particular role. Whatever I have achieved in life is through His help, and an expression of His will. He showered His grace on me through some outstanding teachers and colleagues, and when I pay my tributes to these fine persons, I am merely praising His glory. All these rockets and missiles are His work through a small person person called Kalam, Kalam, in order order to tell tell the several-million several-million mass of India, to never never feel small or helpless. We are all born with a divine fire in us. Our efforts should be to give wings wings to this fire and and fill the world world with the glow glow of its goodness. goodness. May God bless you! APJ Abdul Kalam

I ORIENTATION [ 1931 – 1963 ] This earth is His, to Him belong those vast and boundless skies;Both seas within Him rest, and yet in that small pool He lies. ATHARVA VEDA Book 4, Hymn 16.


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WINGS OF FIRE

ORIENTATION

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was born into a middle-class Tamil family in the island town of Rameswaram in the erstwhile Madras state. My father, Jainulabdeen, had neither much formal education nor much wealth; despite these disadvantages, he possessed great innate wisdom and a true generosity of spirit. He had an ideal helpmate in my mother, Ashiamma. I do not recall the exact number of people she fed every day, but I am quite certain that far more outsiders ate with us than all the members of our own family put together. My parents were widely regarded as an ideal couple. My mother’s lineage was the more distinguished, one of her forebears having been estowed the title of ‘Bahadur ’ by the British. I was one of many children—a short boy with rather undistinguished looks, born to tall and handsome parents. We lived in our ancestral house, which was built in the middle of the 19th century. It was a fairly large pucca house, made of limestone and brick, on the Mosque Street in Rameswaram. My austere father used to avoid all inessential comforts and luxuries. However, all necessities were provided for, in terms of food, medicine or clothes. In fact, I would say mine was a very secure childhood, both materially and emotionally. I normally ate with my mother, sitting on the floor of the kitchen. She ould place a banana leaf before me, on which she then ladled rice and aromatic sambhar, a variety of sharp, home-made pickles and a dollop of fresh coconut chutney.


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The famous Shiva temple, which made Rameswaram so sacred to pilgrims, was about a ten-minute walk from our house. Our locality was predominantly Muslim, but there were quite a few Hindu families too, living amicably with their Muslim neighbours. There was a very old mosque in our locality where my father would take me for evening prayers. I had not the faintest idea of the meaning of the Arabic prayers chanted, but I was totally convinced that they reached God. When my father came out of the mosque after the prayers, people of different religions would be sitting outside, waiting for him. Many of them offered bowls of water to my father who would dip his fingertips in them and say a prayer. This water was then carried home for invalids. I also remember people visiting our home to offer thanks after being cured. My father always smiled and asked them to thank Allah, the benevolent and merciful. The high priest of Rameswaram temple, Pakshi Lakshmana Sastry, was a very close friend of my father’s. One of the most vivid memories of my early childhood is of the two men, each in his traditional attire, discussing spiritual matters. When I was old enough to ask questions, I asked my father about the relevance of prayer. My father told me there as nothing mysterious about prayer. Rather, prayer made possible a communion of the spirit between people. “When you pray,” he said, “you transcend your body and become a part of the cosmos, which knows no division of wealth, age, caste, or creed.” My father could convey complex spiritual concepts in very simple, downto-earth Tamil. He once told me, “In his own time, i n his own place, in what he really is, and in the stage he has reached—good or bad—every human being is a specific element within the whole of the manifest divine Being. So why be afraid of difficulties, sufferings and problems? When troubles come, try to understand the relevance of your sufferings. Adversity always presents opportunities for introspection.” “Why don’t you say this to the people who come to you for help and advice?” I asked my father. He put his hands on my shoulders and looked straight into my eyes. For quite some time he said nothing, as if he was udging my capacity to comprehend his words. Then he answered in a low, deep voice. His answer filled me with a strange energy and enthusiasm:

1

WINGS OF FIRE Whenev Whe never er huma human n being beingss find find the thems mselv elves es alon alone, e, as as a nat natura urall react reaction ion,, they start they start looki looking ng for for compa company. ny. When Whenev ever er they they are are in troub trouble, le, they they look look for some someone one to help help the them. m. When Wheneve everr they they reac reach h an imp impass asse, e, they they loo look k to someo someone ne to show show them them the way way out. out. Every Every recurre recurrent nt anguis anguish, h, longin longing, g, and des desire ire fin finds ds its its own own spec special ial hel helper per.. For For the pe peopl oplee who who come come to to me in dist distres ress, s, I am but a gogo- etw etwee een n in the their ir effo effort rt to to propi propitia tiate te dem demonic onic forces forc es with with pray prayers ers and off offeri erings ngs.. This This is not a corre correct ct appr approac oach h at al alll and an d sho shoul uld d neve neverr be fol follo lowe wed. d. One One mus mustt und under erst stan and d the the dif diffe fere renc ncee betwe be tween en a fearfear-ridd ridden en visi vision on of dest destiny iny and and the the visio vision n that that enable enabless us to seek the enemy of fulfilment within ourselves.

By the tim timee the the boat boat met its unt untime imely ly end end,, Ahme Ahmed d Jalla Jallalud luddin din had become a clos become closee friend friend of of mine, mine, despi despite te the the differ differenc encee in our our ages. ages. He was ab about out 15 15 years years old older er than than I and and used used to to call call me me Azad. Azad. We We used used to to go for long long walks walks toge togethe therr every every evening evening.. As we start started ed from from Mosqu Mosquee Street Stre et and and made made our way tow toward ardss the the sandy sandy shor shores es of of the the islan island, d, Jallal Jal laludd uddin in and and I tal talked ked mai mainly nly of spir spiritua ituall matte matters. rs. The atm atmosp ospher heree of Ramesw Ram eswara aram, m, with with its its floc flockin king g pilgr pilgrims ims,, was was condu conduciv civee to suc such h discu discussi ssion. on. Ourr firs Ou firstt halt halt wo would uld be at at the the imp impos osin ing g templ templee of Lor Lord d Shiv Shiva. a. Cir Circl clin ing g around aro und the the templ templee with with the same same reve reveren rence ce as any any pilgrim pilgrim from from a dist distan antt part of the country, we felt a flow of energy pass through us.

I remem er my father starting starting his day at 4 a.m. a.m. by reading the namaz namaz efore dawn efore dawn.. After After the nam namaz az,, he use used d to wal walk k down down to a small small coc coconu onutt grovee we own grov owned, ed, abo about ut 4 mile miless from from our our home. home. He He would would ret return urn,, with with about abo ut a dozen dozen cocon coconuts uts tied tied toget together her throw thrown n over his his shoul shoulder der,, and only only then the n would would he have have his his break breakfas fast. t. This This remain remained ed his his routin routinee even even when when he was in his late sixties.

Jallaluddin would talk about God as if he had a working partnership ith Him Him.. He woul would d prese present nt all all his his doub doubts ts to God God as as if He were were sta standi nding ng nearby nea rby to disp dispose ose of them them.. I woul would d stare stare at Jall Jallalu aluddi ddin n and and then then look look toward tow ardss the large large group groupss of pilgri pilgrims ms aroun around d the templ temple, e, taking taking holy holy dips dips in the sea sea,, perform performing ing ritu rituals als and and recit reciting ing pray prayers ers with with a sens sensee of respe respect ct towards the same Unknown, whom we treat as the formless Almighty. I never doubted that the prayers in the temple reached the same destination as the ones offered in our mosque. I only wondered whether Jallaluddin had any other special connection to God. Jallaluddin’s schooling had been limited, principally because of his family’s straitened circumstances. This may have been the reason why he always encouraged me to excel in my studies and enjoyed my success vicariously. Never did I find the slightest trace of resentment in Jallaluddin for his deprivation. Rather, he was always full of gratitude for whatever life had chosen to give him.

I have throughout my life tried to emulate my father in my own world of science and technology. I h ave endeavoured to understand the fundamental truths revealed to me by my father, and feel convinced that there exists a divine power that can lift one up from confusion, misery, melancholy and failure, and guide one to one’s true place. And once an individual severs his emotional and physical bondage, he is on the road to freedom, happiness and peace of mind. I was about six years old when my father embarked on the project of building a wooden sailboat to take pilgrims from Rameswaram to Dhanuskodi, (also called Sethukkarai), and back. He worked at building the boat on the seashore, with the help of a relative, Ahmed Jallaluddin, ho later married my sister, Zohara. I watched the boat take shape. The wooden hull and bulkheads were seasoned with the heat from wood fires. My father was doing good business with the boat when, one day, a cyclone bringing winds of over 100 miles per hour carried away our boat, along with some of the landmass of Sethukkarai. The Pamban Bridge collapsed with a train full of passengers on it. Until then, I had only seen the beauty of the sea, now its uncontrollable energy came as a revelation to me.


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ORIENTATION

Incidentally, at the time I speak of, he was the only person on the entire island who could write English. He wrote letters for almost anybody in need, be they letters of application or otherwise. Nobody of my acquaintance, either in my family or in the neighbourhood even had Jallaluddin’s level of education or any links of consequence with the outside world. Jallaluddin always spoke to me about educated people, of scientific discoveries, of contemporary literature, and of the achievements of medical science. It was he who made me aware of a “brave, new world” beyond our narrow confines.

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WINGS OF FIRE In the the hu humb mble le en envi viro rons ns of my my boy boyho hood od,, boo books ks we were re a sca scarc rcee commod comm odity ity.. By loc local al st stan anda dard rds, s, ho howe weve ver, r, the the pe pers rson onal al li libr brar ary y of of STR STR Manickam, a former ‘revolutionary’ or militant nationalist, was sizeable. He encouraged me to read all I could and I often visited his home to borrow books. Anothe Ano therr perso person n who who gre greatl atly y infl influen uenced ced my boyh boyhood ood was my fir first st cousin cous in,, Sam Samsu sudd ddin in.. He He was was the so sole le di dist stri ribu buto torr for for new newsp spap aper erss in in Ramesw Ram eswara aram. m. The The new newspa spaper perss woul would d arriv arrivee at at Rame Rameswa swaram ram sta statio tion n by the mo morn rnin ing g trai train n from from Pam Pamba ban. n. Sam Samsu sudd ddin in’s ’s new newsp spap aper er age agenc ncy y as a one one-m -man an org organ aniz izat atio ion n cat cater erin ing g to to the the re read adin ing g dem deman ands ds of the the 1,00 1, 0000-st stro rong ng li lite tera rate te po popu pula lati tion on of Ra Rame mesw swar araam town town.. The These se newspapers news papers were mainl mainly y bought bought to to keep keep abreast abreast of current current devel development opmentss in the National Independence Movement, for astrological reference or to check the bullion rates prevailing in Madras. A few readers with a more cosmopolitan outlook would discuss Hitler, Mahatma Gandhi and Jinnah; almost all would finally flow into the mighty political current of Periyar EV Ramaswamy’s movement against high caste Hindus. Dinamani was the most sought after newspaper. Since reading the printed matter was beyond my capability, I had to satisfy myself with glancing at the pictures in the newspaper before Samsuddin delivered them to his customers. The Second World War broke out in 1939, when I was eight years old. For reasons I have never been able to understand, a sudden demand for tamarind seeds erupted in the market. I used to collect the seeds and sell them to a provision shop on Mosque Street. A day’s collection would fetch me the princely sum of one anna. Jallaluddin would tell me stories about the war which I would later attempt to trace in t he headlines in Dinamani. Our area, being isolated, was completely unaffected by the war. But soon India was forced to join the Allied Forces and something like a state of emergency was declared. The first casualty came in the form of the suspension of the train halt at Rameswaram station. The newspapers now had to be bundled and thrown out from the moving train on the R ameswaram Road between Rameswaram and Dhanuskodi. That forced Samsuddin to look for a helping hand to catch the bundles and, as if naturally, I filled the slot. S amsuddin helped me earn my first


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ORIENTATION wages. wage s. Ha Half lf a cen centu tury ry la late ter, r, I ca can n sti still ll fe feel el th thee sur surge ge of pr prid idee in in ear earni ning ng my own mo mone ney y for for the the fir first st ti time me.. Every child is born, with some inherited characteristics, into a specific socio-economic and emotional environment, and trained in certain ways by figures of authority. I inherited honesty and self-discipline from my father fat her;; from from my mot mother her,, I inh inheri erite ted d faith faith in goo goodne dness ss and dee deep p kind kindnes nesss and an d so so did did my thr three ee br brot othe hers rs an and d sis siste ter. r. But But it wa wass the the ti time me I spe spent nt wit with h Jallal Jal laludd uddin in and Sam Samsu suddi ddin n that that per perhap hapss contr contribu ibuted ted mos mostt to the uni unique quenes nesss of my my chil childh dhoo ood d and and made made all all the the dif diffe fere renc ncee in my my late laterr life life.. The The nsch ns choo oole led d wis wisdo dom m of of Jal Jalla lalu ludd ddin in an and d Sam Samsu sudd ddin in wa wass so so int intui uitiv tivee and and resp re spon onsi sive ve to no nonn-ve verb rbal al me mess ssag agees, th that at I can can un unhe hesi sita tati ting ngly ly at attr trib ibut utee my subsequ subsequently ently manife manifested sted crea creativity tivity to their their company company in my childh childhood. ood. I had three close f riends in my childhood—Ramanadha Sastry, Aravindan, and Sivaprakasan. All these boys were from orthodox Hindu Brahmin families. As children, none of us ever felt any difference amongst ourselves because of our religious differences and upbringing. In fact, Ramanadha Sastry was the son of Pakshi Lakshmana Sastry, the high priest of the Rameswaram temple. Later, he took over the priesthood o the Rameswaram temple from his father; Aravindan went into the business of arranging transport for visiting pilgrims; and Sivaprakasan became a catering contractor for the Southern Railways. During the annual Shri Sita Rama Kalyanam ceremony, our family used to arrange boats with a special platform for carrying idols of the Lord from the temple to the m arriage site, situated in the middle of the pond called Rama Tirtha which was near our house. Events from the Ramayana and from the life of the Prophet were the bedtime stories my mother and grandmother would tell the children in our family. One day when I was in the fifth standard at the Rameswaram Elementary School, a new teacher came to our class. I used to wear a cap which marked me as a Muslim, and I always sat in the front row next to Ramanadha Sastry, who wore a sacred thread. The new teacher could not stomach a Hindu priest’s son sitting with a Muslim boy. In accordance with our social ranking as the new teacher saw it, I was asked to go and sit on the back bench. I felt very sad, and so did

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WINGS OF FIRE Ramanadha Ramana dha Sas Sastry try.. He look looked ed utter utterly ly down downcas castt as I shift shifted ed to to my sea seatt in the the last last row row.. The The image image of him him wee weepin ping g when when I shifte shifted d to the la last st row row left a lasting impression on me. After sch After school ool,, we we went went hom homee and and tol told d our our res respec pectiv tivee par parent entss abou aboutt the in inci ciden dent. t. Lak Laksh shma mana na Sa Sast stry ry sum summo mone ned d the the te teac ache her, r, an and d in in our our prese pr esence nce,, told told the teac teacher her that that he shou should ld not not sprea spread d the pois poison on of soci social al inequa ine qualit lity y and and commun communal al into intoler leranc ancee in the the mind mindss of inno innocen centt childr children. en. He blun bluntly tly aske asked d the the teac teacher her to to eithe eitherr apolo apologiz gizee or qui quitt the sc schoo hooll and and the isla island. nd. Not Not only only did did the tea teache cherr regre regrett his beh behavi aviour our,, but the the stro strong ng sense sen se of conv convict iction ion Lak Lakshm shmana ana Sas Sastry try con convey veyed ed ult ultima imatel tely y refo reforme rmed d this young teacher. On the the whol whole, e, the the sma small ll soci society ety of Rame Rameswa swaram ram was hig highly hly str strati atifie fied d and very and very rig rigid id in in term termss of the the seg segre rega gati tion on of of diff differ eren entt soci social al gro group ups. s. Howeve How ever, r, my scie science nce tea teache cherr Sivasu Sivasubra braman mania ia Iyer, Iyer, thoug though h an ortho orthodox dox Brahmi Bra hmin n with with a ver very y cons conserv ervati ative ve wif wife, e, was was som someth ething ing of a reb rebel. el. He did di d his his be best st to br brea eak k soc socia iall bar barri rier erss so so tha thatt peo peopl plee fro from m var varyi ying ng bac b ackg kgro roun unds ds co coul uld d mi ming ngle le ea easi sily ly.. He se sed d to sp spen end d ho hour urss wi with th me an and d ould say, “Kalam, I want you to develop so that you are on p ar with the highly educated people of the big cities.” One day, he invited me to his home for a meal. His wife was horrified at the the ide ideaa of a Mu Musl slim im boy boy bei being ng inv invit ited ed to to dine dine in in her her ritu ritual ally ly pur puree kitche kit chen. n. She She ref refuse used d to to serv servee me me in her kit kitche chen. n. Siv Sivas asubra ubraman mania ia Iye Iyerr was not not pertur perturbed bed,, nor did did he get get angry angry with with his wife, wife, but but inste instead, ad, serv served ed me with with his own own hands hands and and sat sat down down beside beside me me to eat his his meal. meal. His wife wife atched atc hed us fro from m behin behind d the the kitc kitchen hen doo door. r. I wond wondere ered d whet whether her she had observ obs erved ed any dif differ ferenc encee in in the the way I ate ate ric rice, e, dra drank nk wat water er or or clea cleaned ned the floo floorr after after the mea meal. l. When When I was leav leaving ing his his house, house, Siva Sivasub subra raman mania ia Iyerr invite Iye invited d me to to join join him for din dinner ner agai again n the nex nextt weeken weekend. d. Obser Observin ving g my hesitation, he told me not to get upset, saying, “Once you decide to change the system, such problems have to be confronted.” When I visited his house the next week, Sivasubramania Iyer’s wife took me inside her kitchen and served me food with her own hands. Then the Second World War was over and India’s freedom was immine immi nent nt.. “In “India dians ns wi will ll bu buil ild d the their ir ow own n Ind India ia,” ,” de decl clar ared ed Ga Gand ndhi hiji ji.. The The whole country was filled with an unprecedented optimism. I asked my


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ORIENTATION father’s father ’s perm permiss ission ion to leav leavee Rames Rameswar waram am and and study study at the the dist distric rictt headqu hea dquart arters ers in Rama Ramanat nathap hapura uram. m. He told me as if thinking aloud, “Abul! I know you have to go away to grow grow.. Does Does the sea seagul gulll not not fly ac acros rosss the the Sun Sun,, alone alone and wit withou houtt a nest ne st?? You You mus mustt for foreg ego o you yourr lon longi ging ng fo forr the the la land nd of your your me memor morie iess to to movee into mov into the dwel dwellin ling g place place of your your great greater er desir desires; es; our our love love will will not bind bin d you you nor will will our our needs needs hol hold d you.” you.” He He quoted quoted Khal Khalil il Gibra Gibran n to my hesita hes itant nt moth mother, er, “Yo “Your ur chil childre dren n are are not not your your chil childre dren. n. They They are are the the sons sons and dau daught ghters ers of Life’ Life’ss longi longing ng for for itself itself.. They They come come throu through gh you you but but not from you you.. You You may giv givee them them you yourr love love but not you yourr thou thought ghts. s. For For they have their own thoughts.” He took took me and my thre threee broth brothers ers to the the mosq mosque ue and and reci recited ted the prayer pray er Al Al Fatih Fatihaa from from the the Hol Holy y Qur’a Qur’an. n. As As he pu putt me on on the the trai train n at Ramesw Ram eswara aram m statio station n he said, said, “Thi “Thiss island island may may be hous housing ing your your body body but not you yourr soul soul.. Your Your soul soul dwe dwells lls in the the hou house se of tomo tomorro rrow w which which non nonee of us at Ra Rame mesw swaara ram m can can vis visit it,, not not ev even en in ou ourr dre dream ams. s. Ma May y God God ble bless ss you, yo u, my ch chil ild! d!”” Samsuddin and Ahmed Jallaluddin travelled with me t o Ramanathapuram to enrol me in Schwartz High School, and to arrange for my boarding there. Somehow, I did not take to the new setting. The town tow n of Ram Raman anat atha hapu pura ram m was was a thri thrivi ving ng,, fact factio ious us tow town n of som somee fift fifty y thousa tho usand nd peop people, le, but the co coher herenc encee and and har harmon mony y of of Rame Rameswa swaram ram was absent abs ent.. I missed missed my home and and grabbe grabbed d every every opport opportuni unity ty to visit visit Ramesw Ram eswara aram. m. The pull pull of educa educatio tional nal oppor opportun tunitie itiess at Raman Ramanath athapu apuram ram as not str strong ong eno enough ugh to nul nullif lify y the att attrac ractio tion n of pol poli, i, a Sou South th Ind India ian n sweet swe et my mot mother her mad made. e. In fac fact, t, she use used d to pre prepar paree twel twelve ve dis distin tinctl ctly y differe diff erent nt varie varietie tiess of it, it, bringi bringing ng out out the flavo flavour ur of eve every ry singl singlee ingre ingredie dient nt used use d in the the best best possi possible ble com combin binat ation ions. s. Despite my homesickness, I was determined to come to terms with the new environment because I knew my father had invested great hopes in my success. My father visualized me as a Collector in the making and I thought it my duty to realise my father’s dream, although I desperately missed the familiarity, security and comforts of Rame Ra mesw swar aram am..

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Jallaluddin used to speak to me about the power of positive thinking and I often recalled his words when I felt homesick or dejected. I tried hard to do as he said, which was to strive to control my thoughts and my mind and, through these, to influence my destiny. Ironically, that destiny did not lead me back to Rameswaram, but rather, swept me farther away from the home of my childhood.

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nce I settled down at the Schwartz High School, Ramanathapuram, the enthusiastic fifteen-year-old within me re-emerged. My teacher, Iyadurai Solomon, was an ideal guide for an eager young mind that was yet uncertain of the possibilities and alternatives that lay before it. He made his students feel very comfortable in class with his warm and open-minded attitude. He used to say that a good student could learn more from a bad t eacher than a poor student from even a skilled teacher. During my stay at Ramanathapuram, my relationship with him grew beyond that of teacher and pupil. In his company, I learnt that one could exercise enormous influence over the events of one’s own life. Iyadurai Solomon used to say, “To succeed in life and achieve results, you must understand and master three mighty forces— desire, b elief, and expectation.” Iyadurai Solomon, who later became a Reverend, taught me that before anything I wanted could happen, I had to desire it intensely and be absolutely certain it would happen. To take an example from my own life, I had been fascinated by the mysteries of the sky and the flight of birds from early childhood. I used to watch cranes and seagulls soar into flight and longed to fly. Simple, p rovincial boy though I was, I was convinced that one day I, too, would soar up into the skies. Indeed, I was the first child from Rameswaram to fly. Iyadurai Solomon was a great teacher because he instilled in all the children a sense of their own worth. Solomon raised my self-esteem to


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WINGS OF FIRE a high high point point and and convi convince nced d me, the the son son of par parent entss who had not not had had the benef ben efit itss of ed educ ucat atio ion, n, tha thatt I too too cou could ld asp aspir iree to to beco become me wh what atev ever er I wish wi shed ed.. “Wi “With th fai faith th,, you you can can ch chan ange ge yo your ur de dest stin iny, y,”” he he wou would ld sa say. y. One day, when I was in the fourth form, my mathematics teacher, Ramakrishna Iyer, was teaching another class. Inadvertently, I wandered into that classroom and in the manner of an old-fashioned despot, Ramakrishna Iyer caught me by the neck and caned me in front of the whole who le clas class. s. Many Many month monthss later later,, when when I score scored d full full marks marks in in mathem mathematic atics, s, he nar narra rate ted d the the in inci cide dent nt to th thee enti entire re sc scho hool ol at mo morn rnin ing g ass assem embl bly. y. “Whoms “Wh omsoev oever er I can canee becom becomes es a gre great at man! man! Take my wor word, d, this this boy is going goi ng to to bring bring glo glory ry to to his his scho school ol and and to to his his teach teachers ers.” .” His His prai praise se qui quite te made up for the earlier humiliation! By the time I completed my education at Schwartz, I was a selfconfident boy determined to succeed. The decision to go in for further education was taken without a second thought. To us, in those days, the awareness of the possibilities for a professional education did not exist; higher education simply meant going to college. The nearest college was at Tiruchchirappalli, spelled Trichinopoly those days, and called Trichi for short. In 1950, I arrived at St. Joseph’s College, Trichi, to study for the Intermediate examination. I was not a bright student in terms o examination grades but, thanks to m y two buddies back in R ameswaram, I had acquired a practical bent of mind. Whenever I returned to Rameswaram from Schwartz, my elder rother Mustafa Kamal, who ran a provision store on the railway station road, would call me in to give him a little help and then vanish for hours together leaving the shop in my charge. I sold oil, onions, rice and everything else. The fastest moving items, I found, were cigarettes and bid b idis is.. I use used d to won wonde derr what what mad madee poor poor peo peopl plee smoke smoke aw away ay the their ir har harddearned ear ned money money.. When When spared spared by by Mustaf Mustafa, a, I would would be be put in in charge charge of of his kiosk by my younge youngerr brother, brother, Kasi Kasim m Mohamme Mohammed. d. There There I sold novel novelties ties made of seashells. At St. Joseph’s, I was lucky to find a teacher like the Rev. Fath er TN Sequeira. He taught us English and was also our hostel warden. We


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ORIENTATION weree about wer about a hund hundred red boy boyss living living in in the thr threeee-stor storey eyed ed hoste hostell build building ing.. Rev. Fat Rev. Fathe herr use used d to vi visi sitt each each boy boy ev every ery ni nigh ghtt with with a Bible Bible in his his ha hand nd.. Hiss ene Hi energy rgy an and d pati patien ence ce wa wass ama amazi zing ng.. He He was was a ver very y con consi side dera rate te pe pers rson on ho took care of even the most minute requirements of his students. On Deepavali, on his instructions, the Brother in charge of the hostel and the mess volunteers would visit each room and distribute good gingelly oil for the ritual bath. I staye stayed d on the the St. St. Joseph Joseph’s ’s campu campuss for fou fourr years years and and share shared d my room wi room with th tw two o oth other ers. s. On Onee was was an or orth thodo odox x Iye Iyeng ngar ar fr from om Sri Srira rang ngam am and the othe otherr a Syri Syrian an Chri Christia stian n from from Kera Kerala. la. The thre threee of us had had a onderf ond erful ul time time toge togethe ther. r. When When I was was made made sec secre retary tary of the the vege vegetar tarian ian mess during my third year in the hostel, we invited the Rector, Rev. Father Kalathil, over for lunch one Sunday. Our menu included the choicest preparations from our diverse backgrounds. The result was rather unexpected, but Rev. Father was lavish in his praise of our efforts. We enjoyed every moment with Rev. Father Kalathil, who participated in our unsophisticated conversation with childlike enthusiasm. It was a memorable event for us all. My t eachers at St. Joseph were the true followers of Kanchi Paramacharya, who evoked people to “enjoy the action of giving”. The vivid memory of our mathematics teachers, Prof. Thothathri Iyengar and Prof. Suryanarayana Sastry, walking together on the campus inspires me to this day. When I was in the final year at St. Joseph’s, I acquired a taste for English literature. I began to read the great classics, Tolstoy, Scott and Hardy being special favourites despite their exotic settings, and then I moved on to some works in Philosophy. It was around this time that I developed a great interest in P hysics. Thee less Th lesson onss on sub subat atom omic ic phy physic sicss at St. Jo Jose seph ph’s ’s by by my phy physi sics cs teachers, teache rs, Prof. Prof. Chinn Chinnaa Durai Durai and and Prof. Prof. Krish Krishnam namurth urthy, y, introd introduce uced d me to the conc concept ept of the the half-lif half-lifee period period and and matters matters rela related ted to to the radioa radioactive ctive decay of substances. Sivasubramania Iyer, my science teacher at Rameswaram, had never taught me that most subatomic particles are unstable and that they disintegrate after a certain time into other particles. All this I was learning for the first time. But when he taught me to strive

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WINGS OF FIRE with dilige with diligence nce beca because use dec decay ay is inhe inhere rent nt in all all compo compounde unded d things things,, was he not not talk talking ing of the the same same thi thing? ng? I won wonder der why som somee peopl peoplee tend tend to to see see scienc sci encee as as somet somethin hing g which which tak takes es man man awa away y from from God. God. As As I look look at at it, the path of science can always wind through the heart. For me, science has always been the path to spiritual enrichment and self-realisation. Even the rational thought-matrices of science have been home to fairy tales tales.. I am am an an avid reade readerr of books on cosmol cosmology ogy and and enjoy enjoy readi reading ng about abo ut cele celesti stial al bodie bodies. s. Many Many frien friends, ds, whil whilee asking asking me me questi questions ons rela related ted to spac spacee flig flights hts,, somet sometime imess slip slip int into o astro astrolog logy. y. Qui Quite te hon honest estly, ly, I have have never nev er really really under understo stood od the reas reason on behind behind the the great great importa importance nce attac attached hed y peopl peoplee to the far farawa away y plane planets ts in in our our solar solar sy syste stem. m. As As an art art,, I have have nothin not hing g again against st astr astrolo ology gy,, but if if it see seeks ks acce accepta ptance nce und under er the the guise guise of science, scie nce, I reject reject it. I do not not know know how how these these myths myths evolve evolved d about about planets planets,, star constellations, and even satellites—that they can exercise power on human beings. The highly complicated calculations manipulated around the precise movements of celestial bodies, to derive highly subjective conclusions appear illogical to me. As I see it, the Earth is the most powerful and energetic planet. As John Milton puts it so beautifully in Paradise Lost, Book VIII:

. . . What if the Sun Be centre to the World, and other stars . . . . . The planet earth, so steadfast though she seem, In sensibly three different motions move? Wherever Wherev er you you go go on on this this pla plane net, t, ther theree is is move movemen mentt and and lif life. e. Eve Even n appare app arently ntly ina inanim nimate ate thi things ngs lik likee rock rocks, s, meta metal, l, timb timber, er, cl clay ay are are full full of intrin int rinsic sic mov moveme ement— nt— ith ele elect ctrons rons dan dancin cing g aroun around d each each nuc nucleu leus. s. This This motion mot ion origi originat nates es in thei theirr respon response se to the the conf confine ineme ment nt impos imposed ed on them them by the nucleus, by means of electric forces which try to hold them as close as possibl possible. e. Electron Electrons, s, just just like like any indiv individual idual with a cert certain ain amount amount of energ energy, y, detes detestt confi confinem nement ent.. The tig tighte hterr the ele electr ctrons ons are are held held by the nucleus, nucle us, the the higher higher their orbita orbitall velocity velocity will be: in fact, fact, the the confine confinement ment of elec electro trons ns in an an atom atom resul results ts in in enorm enormous ous vel veloci ocitie tiess of abou aboutt 1000 1000 km perr secon pe second! d! Thes Thesee high high veloci velocities ties mak makee the ato atom m appea appearr a rigid rigid sphe sphere, re, ustt as us as a fa fast st-m -mov ovin ing g fan fan ap appe pear arss lik likee a dis disc. c. It is ve very ry dif diffic ficul ultt to to compre com press ss ato atoms ms mor moree stro strongl ngly— y—thu thuss givi giving ng matt matter er its fam famili iliar ar sol solid id


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ORIENTATION aspect.. Everyt aspect Everythin hing g solid, solid, thus, thus, cont contain ainss much much empty empty space space wit within hin and and everyt eve rythin hing g stati stationa onary ry cont contain ainss grea greatt movem movement ent ith ithin. in. It is is as tho though ugh the gre great at danc dancee of Shi Shiva va is is being being per perform formed ed on on earth earth dur during ing ever every y momen momentt of our existence. When I joined the B.Sc. degree course at St.Joseph’s, I was unaware of any other option for higher education. Nor did I have any information about care career er opportu opportunitie nitiess availab available le to a student student of scienc science. e. Only Only after after obtaini obta ining ng a B.Sc. B.Sc. did did I reali realise se that that phys physics ics was was not not my subje subject. ct. I had had to go into into en engin gineer eering ing to real realise ise my dre dreams ams.. I coul could d have have joine joined d the the Engine Eng ineeri ering ng course course long long ago, ago, right right after after finishi finishing ng my Interm Intermedi ediate ate cours course. e. Better Bet ter late late tha than n never never,, I told told myse myself lf as as I made made the det detour our,, apply applying ing for for admiss adm ission ion int into o the Madr Madras as Inst Institu itute te of Tec Techno hnolog logy y (MIT), (MIT), reg regard arded ed as as the crown crown jewel of technica technicall educati education on in in South South India India at at that that time. time. I managed to be on the list of selected candidates, but admission to this prestigious institution was an expensive affair. Around a thousand rupees was required, and my father could not spare that much money. At that time, my sister, Zohara, stood behind me, mortgaging her gold bangles and chain. I was deeply touched by her determination to see me educated and by her faith in my abilities. I vowed to release her bangles from mortgage with my own earnings. The only way before me to earn money at that point of time was to study hard and get a scholarship. I went ahead at full st eam. What fascinated me most at MIT was the sight of two decommiss decomm ission ioned ed air aircra craft ft dis displa played yed the there re for the dem demons onstra tratio tion n of the variou var iouss subs subsys ystem temss of of flyin flying g machi machines nes.. I fel feltt a str strang angee attra attracti ction on towa towards rds them, the m, and and woul would d sit sit nea nearr them them long long aft after er othe otherr stud student entss had had gon gonee back back to the hos hostel tel,, admiri admiring ng man’s man’s will will to to fly free free in in the sky, sky, like like a bird. bird. Afte After r completing my first year, when I had to opt for a specific branch, I almostt spontaneo almos spontaneously usly chose chose aeron aeronautic autical al enginee engineering. ring. The goal goal was was very very clear cle ar in my my mind mind now; now; I was was going going to fly fly aircra aircraft. ft. I was con convin vince ced d of this, desp despite ite being being awar awaree of my lack lack of of asserti assertivene veness, ss, which which proba probably bly camee about cam about beca because use of my hum humble ble bac backgr kgroun ound. d. Arou Around nd this this time time,, I madee speci mad special al effor efforts ts to to try and comm communi unica cate te with with diffe differen rentt kinds kinds of of peop pe ople le.. The There re we were re set setba back cks, s, di disa sapp ppoi oint ntme ment ntss and and di dist stra ract ctio ions ns,, but but my my father fat her ’s ins inspiri piring ng wor words ds anc anchore hored d me in tho those se per period iodss of of nebu nebulou louss drif drift. t.

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Plate 1 (a) My father Jainulabdeen was not formally educated, but was a man of great isdom and kindness. (b) Pakshi Lakshmana Sastry, a close friend of my father and the head priest of the Rameswaram Temple.


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Plate 2 The locality in which I grew up: (a) My house on Mosque Street. Street. (b) Thousands o ilgrims from great distances descend on the ancient temple of Lord Shiva. I often assisted my brother Kasim Mohamed in his shop selling artifacts on this street.


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Plate 3 The old mosque in our locality where my father would take me and my brothers every evening to offer prayers.


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Plate 4 My brother brother pointing at the the T–square T–square I used while studying engineering.


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Plate 5 STR Manickam (inset), a friend of my my brother Mustafa Kamal, Kamal, had a large collection of books. This is his house, from where I would borrow books while at Rameswaram.


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Plate 6


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A family get-together.

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Plate 7 The simple surroundings of Schwartz High School, Ramanathapuram. The words on the plaque read "Let not thy winged days be spent in vain. When once gone no gold can buy them back again."


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Plate 8 My teachers at Schwartz High School—Iyadurai Solomon (standing, left) and Ramakrishna Ramakrishna Iyer (sitting, right). They are the best examples of small-town Indian teachers teachers committed to nurturing talent.


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WINGS OF FIRE “He who “He who know knowss oth other erss is is lea learne rned, d, bu butt the the wi wise se on onee is is the the one one wh who o knows himself. Learning without wisdom is of no use.”

consid cons ider er is wh whet ethe herr the the ch choic oicee art artic icul ulat ates es the their ir inn inner er fe feel elin ings gs an and d aspirations.

In the course of my education at MIT, three teachers shaped my thinking. thinki ng. Their Their comb combine ined d contri contribut bution ionss formed formed the the founda foundatio tion n on which which I late laterr buil builtt my pro profe fess ssio iona nall care career er.. These These thr three ee te teac ache hers rs wer weree Prof Prof.. Sponde Spo nder, r, Prof Prof.. KAV KAV Panda Pandala laii and and Prof. Prof. Nar Narasi asingh nghaa Rao. Rao. Eac Each h one one of of them had very very distinct distinct pers personalit onalities, ies, but they they shared shared a common common impulse impulse— — the capaci capacity ty to feed their stude students’ nts’ intell intellectua ectuall hunger hunger by sheer sheer brill brilliance iance and untiring zeal.

Prof. KAV Pandalai taught me aero-structure design and analysis. He was was a cheerfu cheerful, l, friendl friendly y and enth enthusi usias astic tic teach teacher, er, who who brough broughtt a fres fr esh h appr approa oach ch to to ever every y year year’s ’s tea teach chin ing g cour course se.. It was was Pro Profe fess ssor or Pandal Pan dalai ai who who open opened ed up up the the secre secrets ts of of stru structu ctural ral eng engine ineeri ering ng to to us. us. Even today today I believe believe that every everyone one who who has been taugh taughtt by Prof. Prof. Pandala Pandalaii would agre agreee that that he was a man man of great intel intellect lectual ual integr integrity ity and and scholarship— ut with no trace of arrogance. His students were free to disagree with him on several points in the classroom.

Prof. Sponder taught me technical aerodynamics. He was an Austrian ith rich ith rich pra pract ctic ical al exp exper erie ience nce in aer aeron onau auti tica call engi engine neer erin ing. g. Dur Durin ing g the the Second Sec ond Worl World d War, War, he had had been been cap capture tured d by the the Nazis Nazis an and d impris imprisone oned d in a conce concentrati ntration on camp. camp. Understa Understandab ndably, ly, he had develo developed ped a very stron strong g dislik dis likee for for Ger German mans. s. Inc Incide idenn- tal tally, ly, the aer aerona onautic utical al depa departm rtment ent was head he aded ed by by a Ger Germa man, n, Pro Prof. f. Wal Walte terr Repe Repenth nthin. in. An Anot other her we well ll-k -kno nown wn profe pr ofesso ssor, r, Dr Kurt Kurt Tank, Tank, was a dist disting inguis uished hed aeron aeronaut autica icall engine engineer er who who had ha d des desig igne ned d the the Ge Germ rman an Fo Fock cke– e–Wu Wulf lf FW 19 190 0 sin singl glee-se seat ater er fig fight hter er plane, an outstanding combat aircraft of the Second World War. Dr Tank later joined the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Bangalore and was responsible for the design of India’s first jet fighter, the HF-24 Marut. Notwi Not with thst stan andi ding ng the these se irr irrit itan ants ts,, Prof Prof.. Spon Sponde derr pres preser erve ved d his his individual indiv iduality ity and and maintai maintained ned high profe profession ssional al stand standards. ards. He was was always always calm, cal m, ener energet getic ic and and in in total total co contr ntrol ol of of himse himself. lf. He kep keptt abre abreast ast of the the latest technologies and expected his students to do th e same. I consulted him before opting for aeronautical engineering. He told me that one shou sh ould ld ne neve verr wo worry rry ab abou outt on one’ e’ss fu futur turee pr pros ospe pect cts: s: in inst stea ead, d, it wa wass mo more re important to lay sound foundations, to have sufficient enthusiasm and an accompanying passion for one’s chosen field of study. The trouble with Indians, Prof. Sponder used to observe, was not that they lacked educational opportunities or industrial infrastructure—the trouble was in their failure to discriminate between disciplines and to rationalise their choices. Why aeronautics? Why not electrical engineering? Why not mechanical engineering? I myself would like to tell all novitiate engineering students that when they choose their specialization, the essential point to


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Prof Pr of.. Nara Narasi sing ngha ha Rao Rao was was a mat mathe hema matic ticia ian, n, who who tau taugh ghtt us the theor oret etic ical al aerodynam aerody namics ics.. I still still reme remembe mberr his meth method od of tea teachi ching ng fluid fluid dyn dynamic amics. s. After atte attending nding his classe classes, s, I began to prefer prefer mathema mathematical tical phys physics ics to any othe otherr subje subject. ct. Oft Often, en, I hav havee been been tol told d I ca carry rry a “sur “surgic gical al kni knife” fe” to aero ae rona naut utic ical al des desig ign n revi review ews. s. If If it had had not not bee been n for for Prof Prof.. Rao’s Rao’s ki kind nd and and persis per sisten tentt advice advice on on picking picking up proof proofss to equati equations ons of aer aerody odynam namic ic flow, flow, I woul would d not not hav havee acq acqui uire red d this this me meta taph phor oric ical al to tool ol.. Aeronautics is a fascinating subject, containing within it the promise of freedom. The great difference between freedom and escape, between motion and movement, between slide and flow are the secrets of this science. My teachers revealed these truths to me. Through their meti me ticu culo lous us te teac achi hing ng,, they they cr crea eate ted d with within in me me an an exci excite teme ment nt abo about ut aeronautic aeron autics. s. Their Their intel intellectua lectuall fervour, fervour, clar clarity ity of though thoughtt and passi passion on for for perfec per fectio tion n helpe helped d me to laun launch ch int into o a ser seriou iouss study study of flui fluid d dynam dynamics ics-modes of compressible medium motion, development of shock waves and shock, induced flow separation at increasing speeds, shock stall and shoc sh ockk-wa wave ve dr drag ag.. Slowly, a great amalgamation of information took place in my mind. The structural features of aeroplanes began to gain new meanings— biplanes, monoplanes, tailless planes, canard configured planes, deltawing planes, all these began to assume increasing significance for me. The three teachers, all of them authorities in their different fields, helped me to mould a composite knowledge.

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WINGS OF FIRE My third and last year at MIT was a year of transition and was to have a gr have grea eatt impa impact ct on on my lat later er lif life. e. In In thos thosee days days,, a new new clim climat atee of pol p olit itic ical al enl enlig ight hten enme ment nt and and ind indus ustr tria iall eff effort ort wa wass swe sweep epin ing g acro across ss th thee country. I had to test my belief in God and see if it could fit into the matrix of scientific thinking. The accepted view was that a belief in scientific methods was the only valid approach to knowledge. If so, I wondered, was matter alone the u ltimate reality and were spiritual phenomena but a manifestation of matter? Were all ethical values relative, and was sensory perception the only source of knowledge and truth? I ondered about these issues, attempting to sort out the vexing question of “scientific temper” and my o wn spiritual interests. The value system in which I had been nurtured was profoundly religious. I had been taught that true reality lay beyond the material world in the spiritual realm, and that knowledge could be obtained only through inner experience. Meanwhile, when I had finished my course work, I was assigned a project to design a low-level attack aircraft together with four other colleagues. I had taken up the responsibility of preparing and drawing the aerodynamic design. My team mates distributed among themselves the tasks of designing the p ropulsion, structure, control and instrumentation of the aircraft. One day, my design teacher, Prof. Srinivasan, then the Director of the MIT, reviewed my progress and declared it dismal and disappointing. I offered a dozen excuses for the delay, but none of them impressed Prof. Srinivasan. I finally pleaded for a month’s time to complete the task. The Professor looked at me for some time and said, “Look, young man, today is Friday afternoon. I g ive you three days’ time. If by Monday morning I don’t get the configuration drawing, your scholarship will be stopped.” I was dumbstruck. The scholarship was my lifeline and I would be quite helpless if it was withdrawn. I could see no other way out but to finish the task as I had een instructed. That night, I remained at the drawing board, skipping dinner. Next morning, I took only an hour’s break to freshen up and eat a little food. On Sunday morning, I was very near completion, when suddenly I felt someone else’s presence in the room. Prof. Srinivasan was watching me from a distance. Coming straight from the gymkhana, he was still in his tennis outfit and had dropped in to see my p rogress. After examining my work, Prof. Srinivasan hugged me affectionately


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ORIENTATION and patted my back in appreciation. He said, “I knew I was putting you unde un derr stre stress ss and and ask asking ing yo you u to mee meett an imp impos ossi sibl blee dead deadli line. ne. I neve never r expe ex pect cted ed yo you u to to per perfo form rm so we well ll.” .” During the rest of the period of the project, I p articipated in an essay competition organized by the MIT Tamil Sangam (Literary Society). Tamil is my mother tongue and I am proud of its origins, which have been traced back to Sage Agastya in the pre-Ramayana period; its literature dates back to the fifth century BC. It is said to be a language moulded by lawyers and grammarians and is internationally acclaimed for its clear-cut logic. I was very enthusiastic about ensuring that science did not remain outside the purview of this wonderful language. I wrote an article entitled “Let Us Make Our Own Aircraft” in Tamil. The article evoked much interest and I won the competition, taking the first prize from ‘Devan’, the editor of the popular Tamil weekly, Ananda Vikatan. My most touching memory of MIT is related to Prof. Sponder. We were posing for a group photograph as part of a farewell ritual. All t he graduating students had lined up in three rows with the p rofessors seated in the front. Suddenly, Prof. Sponder got up and looked for me. I was standing in the third row. “Come and sit with me in t he front,” he said. I was taken aback by Prof. Sponder’s invitation. “You are my best student and hard work will help you bring a great name for your teachers in future.” Embarrassed by the praise but honoured by the recognition, I sat with Prof. Sponder for the photograph. “Let God be your hope, your stay, your guide and provide the lantern for your feet in your journey into the future,” said the introverted genius, bidding me adieu. From MIT, I went to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) at Bangalore as a trainee. There I worked on engine overhauling as part o a team. Hands-on work on aircraft engine overhauling was very educative. When a principle learnt in the classroom is borne out by practical experience, it creates a strange sense of excitement—akin to unexpectedly running into an old friend among a crowd of strangers. At HAL, I worked on the overhauling of both piston and turbine engines. The hazy concepts of gas dynamics and diffusion processes in the orking principle of after burning came into sharper focus in my mind. I was also trained in radial engine-cum-drum operations.

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I learned how to check a crankshaft for wear and tear, and a connecting rod and crankshaft for twist. I did calibrations of a fixed pitch fan fitted to a super-charged engine. I opened up pressure and acceleration-cum-speed control systems, and air starter supply systems of turbo-engines. Getting to understand feathering, un-feathering and reversing of propeller engines was very i nteresting. The demonstration of the delicate art of beta (blade angle control) by HAL technicians still lingers in my memory. They had neither studied in major universities, nor were they merely implementing what their engineer-in-charge was suggesting. They had been working hands-on for years and this had given them something like an intuitive feel for the work. Two alternative opportunities for employment, both close to my longstanding dream of flying, p resented themselves before me when I came out of HAL as a graduate aeronautical engineer. One was a career in the Air Force and another was a job at the Directorate of T echnical Development and Production, DTD&P(Air), at the Ministry of Defence. I applied for both. The interview calls arrived from both the p laces almost simultaneously. I was asked to reach Dehra Dun by the Air Force recruitment authorities and Delhi by DTD&P(Air). The boy from the Coromandel Coast took a train to the North of India. My destination as more than 2000 km away, and was to be my fir st encounter with the vastness of my motherland. ***

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hrough the window of the compartment, I watched the countryside slip past. From a distance, the men in the fields in their white dhotis and turbans, and the womenfolk in bright splashes of colour against the green background of paddy fields, seemed to inhabit some beautiful painting. I sat glued to the window. Almost everywhere, people were engaged in some activity which had a rhythm and tranquillity about it—men driving cattle, women fetching water from streams. Occasionally, a child would appear and wave at the train. It is astonishing how the landscape changes as one moves northwards. The rich and fertile plains of the river Ganga and its numerous tributaries have invited invasion, turmoil, and change. Around 1500 BC, fair-skinned Aryans swept in through the mountain passes from the far north-west. The tenth century brought Muslims, who later mingled with the local people and became an integral part of this country. One empire gave ay to another. Religious conquests continued. All this time, the part of India south of the Tropic of Cancer remained largely untouched, safe behind the shield of the Vindhya and Satpura mountain ranges. The Narmada, Tapti, Mahanadi, Godavari, and Krishna rivers had woven a net of almost unassailable protection for the tapering Indian peninsula. To bring me to Delhi, my train h ad crossed all these geographical impediments through the power of scientific advancement. I halted for a week in Delhi, the city of the great Sufi Saint Hazrat Nizamuddin, and appeared for the interview at DTD&P(Air). I did well at the interview. The questions were of a routine nature, and did not


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WINGS OF FIRE challe chal lenge nge my kn know owle ledg dgee of the the sub subje ject ct.. Then Then I pro proce ceed eded ed to to Dehr Dehraa Dun Du n for for my my int inter ervi view ew at the Ai Airr Forc Forcee Sele Select ctio ion n Boa Board rd.. At At the the Sel Selec ectio tion n Board, the emphasis was more on “personality” than on intelligence. Perhaps they were looking for physical fitness and an articulate manner. I was excited but nervous, determined but anxious, confident but tense. I could only finish ninth in the batch of 25 examined to select eight officers for commissioning in the Air Force. I was deeply disappointed. It took me some time to comprehend that the opportunity to join th e Air Force had just slipped through my fingers. I dragged myself out of the Selection Board and stood at the edge of a cliff. There was a lake far elow. I knew that the days ahead would be difficult. There were questions to be answered and a plan of action to be prepared. I trekked down to Rishikesh. I bathed in the Ganga and revelled in the purity of its water. Then, I walked to the Sivananda Ashram situated a little way up the hill. I could feel intense vibrations when I entered. I saw a large number of sadhus seated all around in a state of trance. I had read that sadhus were psychic people—people who know things intuitively and, in my dejected mood, I sought answers to the doubts that troubled me. I met Swami Sivananda—a man who looked like a Buddha, wearing a snow-white dhoti and wooden slippers. He had an olive complexion and black, piercing eyes. I was struck by his irresistible, almost childlike smile and gracious manner. I introduced myself to the Swamiji. My Muslim name aroused no reaction in him. Before I could speak any further, he inquired about the source of my sorrow. He offered no explanation of how he knew that I was sad and I did not ask. I told told him ab about out my my unsuc unsucces cessfu sfull attem attempt pt to joi join n the the India Indian n Air Air Force Force and my long-cherished desire to fly. He smiled, washing away all my anxiety almost instantly. Then he said in a feeble, but very deep voice, Desire Des ire,, when when it stem stemss from from the the hear heartt and and spir spirit, it, whe when n it is pure pure and intense, intens e, pos posses sesses ses awe awesom somee ele electr ctroma omagne gnetic tic ene energy rgy.. This This ene energy rgy is releas rel eased ed into into the the ether ether eac each h night, night, as as the min mind d falls falls into into the the sleep sleep sta state. te. Each mornin morning g it retur returns ns to the consc conscious ious state reinf reinforced orced with the cosmic cosmic curr cu rren ents ts.. That That whi which ch ha hass been been ima image ged d will will su sure rely ly and and cer certa tain inly ly be manifested. manife sted. You can can rely, rely, young young man, man, upon upon this this ageless ageless promis promisee as surely


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ORIENTATION as you you can can rel rely y upon upon the the ete etern rnal ally ly unb unbro roke ken n prom promis isee of sunr sunris ise. e... .. and and o Sprin Spr ing. g. When the student is ready, t he teacher will appear—How true! Here was the teacher to show the way to a student who had nearly gone astray! “Accept your destiny and go ahead with your life. You are not destined to become an Air Force pilot. What you are destined to become is not revealed now but it is predetermined. Forget this failure, as it was essential to lead you to your destined path. Search, instead, for the true purpose of your existence. Become one with yourself, my son! Surrender yourself to the wish of God,” Swamiji said. I returned to Delhi and enquired at the DTD&P(Air) about the outcome of my interview. In response, I was handed my appointment letter. I joined the next day as Senior Scientific Assistant on a basic salary of Rs 250/- per month. If this was to be my destiny, I thought, let it be so. Finally, I was filled with mental peace. No more did I feel any bitterness or resentment at my failure to enter the Air Force. All this was in 1958. At the Directorate, I was posted at the Technical Centre (Civil Aviation). If I was not flying aeroplanes, I was at least helping to make them airworthy. During my first year in the Directorate, I carried out a design assignment on supersonic target aircraft with the help of the officer-in-charge, R Varadharajan, and won a word of praise from the Director, Dr Neelakantan. To gain shop-floor exposure to aircraft maintenance, I was sent to the Aircraft and Armament Testing Unit (A&ATU) at Kanpur. At that time, they were involved in a tropical evaluation of Gnat Mk I aircraft. I participated in the performance asses ass essme sment nt of of its its opera operatio tion n syste systems. ms. Even in those days, Kanpur was a very populous city. It was my first experience of living in an industrial town. The cold weather, crowds, noise noi se and and smo smoke ke were were in tota totall cont contras rastt to wha whatt I was was use used d to in Ramesw Ram eswara aram. m. I was par partic ticula ularly rly tro troubl ubled ed by the ubi ubiqui quitou touss pre presen sence ce of potatoe pota toess on the the dini dining ng table table,, right right from from break breakfas fastt to dinne dinner. r. To To me, me, it seemed seem ed that that a feel feeling ing of of loneline loneliness ss pervad pervaded ed the the city. city. The peopl peoplee on the stre st reet etss had had all all com comee from from the their ir vil villa lage gess in se sear arch ch of of jobs jobs in fac factor torie ies, s, leaving leavi ng behind behind the the smell smell of their soil and and the the protectio protection n of their their famil families. ies.

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WINGS OF FIRE On my my retu return rn to Delh Delhi, i, I was inf inform ormed ed that that the des design ign of a DA DART RT target had been taken up at the DTD&P (Air) and that I had been inclu inc lude ded d in the the desi design gn tea team. m. I com comple plete ted d this this tas task k with with the the oth other er tea team m member mem bers. s. The Then, n, I und undert ertook ook a prel prelimi iminary nary des design ign stu study dy on a Hum Human an Centrif Cen trifuge uge.. I later later carri carried ed out out the des design ign and and develo developme pment nt of a Vert Vertica icall T ak akeo ff ff and La Landing P la latform. I was also associat ed ed wi with th e development and construction of the Hot Cockpit. Three years passed. Then the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) was born in Bangalore and I was posted t o the new establishment. Bangal Ban galore ore as a city city was in dire direct ct co contra ntrast st to Kan Kanpur pur.. In In fact fact,, I fee feell our coun country try has has an unc uncann anny y way of bringi bringing ng out out extrem extremes es in her peopl people. e. I suppos suppose, e, it is is becaus becausee Indian Indianss have have been been both both afflic afflicted ted and and enric enriched hed by by centur cen turies ies of of migrati migrations ons.. Loyalt Loyalty y to diffe differen rentt rulers rulers has has dull dulled ed our our capac capacity ity for a single allegiance. Instead, we have developed an extraordinary ability to be compassionate and cruel, sensitive and callous, deep and fickle, all at the same time. To the untrained eye, we may appear colourful and picturesque; to the critical eye, we are but shoddy imitations of our various masters. In Kanpur, I saw paan-chewing imitations of Wajid Ali Shah, and in Bangalor Bangaloree it was replaced replaced by dog- alking sahibs. sahibs. Here Here too, I longed for the depth and calmness of Rameswaram. The relationship between the heart and the head of an earthy Indian has been eroded by the divided sensibilities of our cities. I spent my evenings exploring the gardens and shopping plazas of Bangalore. The workload at ADE during the first year of its inception was quite light. In fact, I had to g enerate work for myself at first, until the tempo gradually built up. Based on my preliminary studies on ground-handling equipment, a project team was formed to design and develop an indigenous hovercraft prototype as a ground equipment machine (GEM). The team was a small working group, comprising four persons at the level of Scientific Assistant. Dr OP Mediratta, Director of the ADE, asked me to lead the team. We were given three years to launch the engineering model. The project was, by any standards, bigger than our collective capabilities. None of us had any experience in building a machine, let alone a flying machine. Th ere were no designs or standard components


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ORIENTATION availa ava ilable ble to begi begin n with. with. All we knew wa wass that that we had to make make a succ success essful ful heavier-than-air flying machine. We tried to read as much literature as we coul could d find find on on hove hoverc rcra raft fts, s, but but ther theree was was not not m ch ava avail ilab able le.. We tried tri ed to cons consult ult peo people ple kno knowle wledge dgeabl ablee in thi thiss area area,, but but cou could ld fin find d none none.. One day day,, I simply simply took took the the decisi decision on to proc proceed eed with with the the limit limited ed infor informat mation ion and resources avai la lable. This endeavour to produce a wingless, light, swift machine opened the windows of my mind. I was quick to see at least a metaphorical connection between a hovercraft and an aircraft. After all, the Wright Brothe Bro thers rs mad madee the the firs firstt aero aeropla plane ne aft after er fix fixing ing bicy bicycle cless for for seve seven n year years! s! I saw in in the GEM GEM proje project ct grea greatt opport opportuni unitie tiess for inge ingenui nuity ty and and growth growth.. We went went strai straight ght into into hard hardwar waree develo developme pment nt after after spe spendi nding ng a few few months mon ths on on the draw drawing ing boar board. d. There is always the danger that a person with my kind of background— rural or small-town, middle-class, whose parents had limited education— will retreat into a corner and remain there struggling for bare existence, unless some great turn of circumstance propels him into a more favourable environment. I knew I had to create my own opportunities. Part by part, subsystem by subsystem, stage by stage, things started moving. Working on this project, I learned that once your mind stretches to a new level it never goes back to its original dimension. At that time VK Krishna Menon was the Defence Minister. He was keenly interested in the progress of our small project, which he envisioned as the beginning of the indigenous development of India’s defence equipment. Whenever he was in Bangalore, he always found some time to review the progress of our project. His confidence in our ability ignited our enthusiasm. I would enter the assembly shop leaving my other problems outside, just as my father used to enter the mosque for prayer, leaving his shoes outside. But not everyone accepted Krishna Menon’s opinion about GEM. Our experiments with the available parts and components did not exactly delight my senior colleagues. Many even called us a group of eccentric inventors in pursuit of an impossible dream. I, being the leader of the “navvies”, was a particularly inviting target. I was regarded as yet another

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WINGS OF FIRE country bum country bumpki pkin n who who belie believed ved tha thatt riding riding the air was his dom domain ain.. The weight wei ght of opin opinion ion aga agains instt us but buttre tresse ssed d my eve ever-op r-optim timist istic ic mind mind.. The The commen com ments ts of som somee of the the senio seniorr scien scientis tists ts at at ADE mad madee me reca recall ll John John Trowbri Trow bridge dge’s ’s famou famouss satir satirica icall poem poem on the the Wrig Wright ht Brot Brother hers, s, publ publish ished ed in 1896:

. . . . with thimble and thread And wax and hammer, and buckles and screws, And all such things as geniuses use; — Two bats for patterns, curious fellows! A charcoal-pot and a pair of bellows. When the project was about a year old, Defence Minister Krishna Menon made one of his routine visits to ADE. I escorted him into our assembly shop. Inside, on a table lay the GEM model broken down into sub-assemblies. The model represented the culmination of one year’s untiring efforts to develop a practical hovercraft for battlefield applications. The minister fired one question after another at me, determ det ermine ined d to to ensu ensure re tha thatt the the prot prototy otype pe wou would ld go int into o test test flig flight ht wit within hin the comi coming ng year. year. He He told told Dr Medir Mediratta atta,, “GEM “GEM flight flight is is possib possible le with with the gadgets Kalam now possesses”. The hovercraft was christened Nandi, after the bull ridden by Lord Shiva. For a prototype, its form, fit and finish was beyond our expectation, given giv en the the rudi rudimen mentar tary y infra infrastr struct ucture ure we poss possess essed. ed. I tol told d my col collea league gues, s, “Here is a flying machine, not constructed by a bunch of cranks but by engine eng ineers ers of of ability ability.. Don’t Don’t look at at it—it it—it is not made made to look look at, but but to fly ith.” Defence Minister Krishna Menon flew in the Nandi, overruling the accompanying officials’ concern for his safety. A Group Captain in the minister ’s troupe, who had logged in many thousands of flying hours, even offered to fly the machine to save the minister from the potential danger of flying with an inexperienced civilian pilot like myself and gest ge stur ured ed to me to co come me ou outt of th thee ma mach chin ine. e. I wa wass sur suree ab abou outt my compet com petenc encee in fly flying ing the mach machine ine I had had made, made, and and ther theref efore ore shoo shook k my head he ad in in negat negatio ion. n. Obs Obser ervi ving ng thi thiss word wordle less ss com commu munic nicat atio ion, n, Kris Krishn hnaa Menon Men on dismi dismiss ssed ed the the insul insultin ting g sugge suggesti stion on of the Grou Group p Capta Captain in with with a laug la ugh h and and sig signa nall lled ed to to me to sta start rt th thee mach machin ine. e. He He was was ver very y happ happy. y.


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ORIENTATION “You “Yo u have have demo demonst nstrat rated ed that that the bas basic ic prob problem lemss of hov hoverc ercraf raftt developme develo pment nt are are solv solved. ed. Go for a more more pow powerf erful ul prim primee move moverr and and call call me for for a seco second nd ride, ride,”” Krish Krishna na Menon Menon tol told d me. me. The skep skeptic tical al Grou Group p Captai Cap tain n (now (now Air Air Marsh Marshal al)) Golay, Golay, late laterr became became a goo good d friend friend of of mine. mine. We completed the project ahead of schedule. We had a working hovercraft with us, moving on an air cushion of about 40mm with a load of 550kg, including the tare weight. Dr Mediratta was visibly pleased ith the achievement. But by this time, Krishna Menon was out of office and could not take his promised second ride. In the new order, not many people shared his dream with regard to military applications of an indigenous hovercraft. In fact, even today, we import hovercrafts. The project was mired in controversies and was finally shelved. It was a new experience for me. So far, I had believed that the sky was the limit, but now it appeared that the limits were much closer. There are boundaries that dictate life: you can only lift so much weight; you can only learn so fast; you can only work so hard; you can only go so far! I was was unw unwill illing ing to face face rea reality lity.. I had put my hear heartt and and sou soull into into Nan Nandi. di. That it would That would not not be used used was was somet somethin hing g beyond beyond my comp compreh rehens ension ion.. I was disappointed and disillusioned. In this period of confusion and uncertainty, memories from my childhood came back to me and I discovered new meanings in them. Pakshi Sas Pakshi Sastry try use used d to say say,, “Seek “Seek the the trut truth, h, and and the the trut truth h shall shall set you free.” As the Bible says, “Ask and you shall receive.” It did not happen immedia imme diatel tely, y, but but it happen happened ed never neverthel theless ess.. One day, day, Dr Medira Mediratta tta call called ed me. He inquired about the state of our hovercraft. When told that it was in perfect condition to be flown, he asked me to organize a demonstration for an important visitor the next day. No VIP was scheduled to visit the laboratory during the next week as far as I knew. However, I communicated Dr Mediratta’s instructions to my colleagues and we felt a new surge of hope. Thee ne Th next xt da day y Dr Me Medi dira ratt ttaa br brou ough ghtt a vi visi sito torr to to our our ho hove verc rcra raft ft—a —a tall, hands tall, handsome ome,, beard bearded ed man. man. He aske asked d me sev sever eral al ques questio tions ns abou aboutt the mach ma chin ine. e. I was was str struc uck k by the the obje object ctiv ivit ity y and and clar clarity ity of his his thin thinki king. ng. “Ca “Can n you give give me me a ride ride in the the mach machine? ine?”” he enqu enquire ired. d. His His reque request st fill filled ed me me with wi th joy joy.. Fina Finally lly,, here here was was so some meon onee who who was was in inte tere rest sted ed in my my wor work. k.

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WINGS OF FIRE We too took k a ten ten-mi -minut nutee ride ride in the hov hoverc ercraf raft, t, a few few cent centime imetre tress abov abovee the gro ground und.. We wer weree not not flyin flying, g, but but were were def defini initel tely y float floating ing in the the air. air. The visi visitor tor as asked ked me a few que questi stions ons ab about out mys myself elf,, thanke thanked d me for the the ride ri de an and d dep depar arte ted. d. Bu Butt not not be befo fore re in intr trod oduc ucin ing g him himse self lf—h —hee wa was Pro Prof. f. MGK Menon, Director of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR). After a week, I received a call from the Indian Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR), to attend an interview for the post of Rocket Engineer. All I knew about INCOSPAR at that time was that it as formed out of the TIFR talent pool at Bombay (now Mumbai) to organize space research in India. I went to Bombay to attend the interview. I was unsure about the type of questions I would have to face at the interview. There was hardly any time to read up or talk to any experienced person. Lakshmana Sastry’s voice quoting from the Bhagawad Gita echoed in my ears:

All beings are born to delusion . . . overcome by the dualities which arise from wish and hate . . . . But those men of virtuous deeds in whom sin has come to an end, reed from the delusion of dualities, worship Me steadfast in their vows. I reminded myself that the best way to win was to not need to win. The best performances are accomplished when you are relaxed and free of doubt. I decided to take things as they came. Since neither Prof. MGK Menon’s visit nor the call for an interview had been of my making, I decided this was the best attitude to take. I was interviewed by Dr Vikram Sarabhai along with Prof. MGK Menon and Mr Saraf, then the Deputy Secretary of the Atomic Energy Commission. As I entered the room, I sensed their warmth and friendliness. I was almost immediately struck b y Dr Sarabhai’s warmth. There was none of the arrogance or the patronising attitudes which interviewers usually display when talking to a young and vulnerable candidate. Dr Sarabhai’s questions did not probe my existing knowledge or skills; rather they were an exploration of the possibilities I was filled with. He was looking at me as if in reference to a larger whole. The entire encounter seemed to me a total moment of truth, in which my dream was enveloped by the larger dream of a bigger person.


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ORIENTATION I was was adv advise ised d to to stay stay bac back k for for a cou couple ple of day days. s. How Howeve ever, r, the the nex nextt evening evenin g I was was told told abou aboutt my sel select ection ion.. I was was to be abso absorbe rbed d as a rocke rockett engine eng ineer er at at INCOS INCOSPA PAR. R. This This was was a bre breakt akthro hrough ugh a you young ng man man like like myse my self lf dr drea eame med d of. of. My work at INCOSPAR commenced with a familiarization course at the TIFR Computer Centre. The atmosphere here was remarkably different from that at DTD&P (AIR). Labels mattered very little. T here was no need for anyone to justify his position or to be at the receiving end of the others’ hostility. Some time in the latter half of 1962, INCOSPAR took the decision to set up the Equatorial Rocket Launching Station at Thumba, a sleepy fishing village near Trivandrum (now Thiruvananthapuram) in Kerala. Dr Chitnis of the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad had spotted it as a suitable location as it was very close to the earth’s magnetic equator. This was was the quiet quiet beginning of modern rocketrocket- ased research research in India. The site selected at Thumba lay between the railway line and the sea coast, covering a distance of about two and a half km and measuring about 600 acres. Within this area, stood a large church, whose site had to be acquired. Land acquisition from private parties is always a difficult and time-consuming process, especially in densely populated places like Kerala. In addition, there was the delicate matter of acquiring a site of religious significance. The Collector of Trivandrum then, K Madhavan Nair, executed this task in a most tactful, peaceful and expeditious manner, with the blessings and cooperation of Right Rev. Dr Dereira, who was the Bishop of Trivandrum in 1962. Soon RD John, th e executive engineer of the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), had transformed the entire area. Th e St. Mary Magdalene church housed the first office of the Thumba Space Centre. The prayer room was m y first laboratory, the Bishop’s room was my design and drawing office. To this day, the church is maintained in its full glory and, at present, houses the Indian Space Museum. Very soon after this, I was asked to proceed to America for a sixmonth training programme on sounding rocket launching techniques, at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) work centres. I took some time off before going abroad and went to

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Rameswaram. My father was very pleased to learn about the opportunity that had come my way. He took me to t he mosque and organized a special namaz in thanksgiving. I could feel the power of God flowing in a circuit through my father to me and back to God; we were all under the spell of the prayer. One of the important functions of prayer, I believe, is to act as a stimulus to creative ideas. Within the mind are all the resources required for successful living. Ideas are present in the consciousness, which when released and given scope to grow and take shape, can lead to successful events. God, our Creator, has stored within our minds and personalities, great potential strength and ability. Prayer helps us to tap and develop these powers. Ahmed Jallaluddin and Samsuddin came to see me off at Bombay airport. It was their first exposure to a big city like Bombay, just as I myself was about to have my first exposure to a mega city like New York. Jallaluddin and Samsuddin were self-reliant, positive, optimistic men who undertook their work with the assurance of success. It is from these two persons that I drew the core creative power of my mind. My sentiments could not be contained, and I could feel the mist of tears in my eyes. Then, Jallaluddin said, “Azad, we have always loved you, and we believe in you. We shall always be proud of you”. The intensity and purity of their faith in my capabilities broke my last defences, and tears elled up in my eyes. ***


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II CREATION [ 1963 – 1980 ]


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4 I

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started my work at NASA at the Langley Research Centre (LRC) in Hampton, Virginia. This is primarily an R&D centre for advanced aerospace technology. One of my most vivid memories of LRC is of a piece of sculpture depicting a charioteer driving two horses, one representing scientific research and the other technological development, metaphorically encapsulating the interconnection between research and development. From LRC I went to the Goddard Space Flight Centre (GSFC) at Greenbelt, Maryland. This Centre develops and manages most of NASA’s earth-orbiting science and applications satellites. It operates NASA’s tracking networks for all space missions. Towards the end of my visit, I ent to the Wallops Flight Facility at Wallops Island in East Coast, Virginia. This place was the base for NASA’s sounding rocket programme. Here, I saw a painting prominently displayed in the reception lobby. It depicted a battle scene with a few rockets flying in the background. A painting ith this theme should be the most commonplace thing at a Flight Facility, but the painting caught m y eye because the soldiers on the side launching the rockets were not white, but dark-skinned, with the racial features o people found in South Asia. One day, my curiosity got the better of me, drawing me towards the painting. It turned out to be T ipu Sultan’s army fighting the British. The painting depicted a fact forgotten in Tipu’s own country but commemorated here on the other side of the planet. I was happy to see an Indian glorified by NASA as a hero of warfare rocketry.


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My impression of the American people can be summarized by a quotation from Benjamin Franklin, “Those things that hurt instruct!” I realised that people in this part of the world meet their problems head on. They attempt to get out of th em rather than suffer them. My mother had once narrated an incident from the Holy Book— after God created man, he asked the angels to prostrate themselves before Adam. Everybody prostrated themselves except Iblis, or Satan, who refused. “Why did you not prostrate yourself?” Allah asked. “You created me of fire and him of clay. Does not t hat make me nobler than Adam?” Satan contended. God said, “Be gone from paradise! This is no place for your contemptuous pride.” Satan obeyed, but not before cursing Adam with the same fate. Soon Adam followed suit by becoming a transgressor after eating the forbidden fruit. Allah said, “Go hence and may your descendants live a life of doubt and mistrust.” What makes life in Indian organizations difficult is the widespread prevalence of this very contemptuous pride. It stops us from listening to our juniors, subordinates and people down the line. You cannot expect a person to deliver results if you humiliate him, nor can you expect him to be creative if you abuse him or despise him. The line between firmness and harshness, between strong leadership and bullying, between discipline and vindictiveness is very fine, but it has to be drawn. Unfortunately, the only line prominently drawn in our country today is between the ‘heroes’ and the ‘zeros’. On one side are a few hundred ‘heroes’ keeping nine hundred and fifty million people down on the other side. This situation has to be changed. As the process of confronting and solving problems often requires hard work and is painful, we have endless procrastination. Actually, problems can be the cutting edge that actually distinguish between success and failure. They draw out innate courage and wisdom. As soon as I returned from NASA, India’s first rocket launch took place on 21 November 1963. It was a sounding rocket, called NikeApache, made at NASA. The rocket was assembled in the church building I have referred to earlier. The only equipment available to transport the rocket was a truck and a manually operated hydraulic

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WINGS OF FIRE crane. The crane. The assemb assemble led d rocket rocket was was to be shifte shifted d from the the churc church h buildin building g to the the launc launch h pad pad by truc truck. k. When When the the rocke rockett was was lifted lifted by the the crane crane and and as abou aboutt to be pla placed ced on on the the launc launcher her,, it star started ted tilt tilting ing,, indica indicatin ting g a leak leak in the hydraulic system of the crane. As we were fast approaching the launch time, 6 p.m., any repairs to the crane had to be ruled out. Fortunately, the leak was not large and we managed to lift the rocket manually, using our collective muscle power and finally placing it on the launcher. In the the mai maide den n Nike Nike-A -Apa pach chee lau launc nch, h, I was was in cha charg rgee of ro rock ckeet integration and safety. Two of my colleagues who played a very acti ac tive ve an and d cru cruci cial al ro role le in th this is la laun uncch wer weree D Eas Easwa ward rdas as an and dR Arava Ara vamuda mudan. n. Easwa Easwarda rdass under undertoo took k the the rocket rocket asse assembl mbly y and and arra arrange nged d the laun launch. ch. Arav Aravamu amudan dan,, whom whom we cal called led Dan, Dan, was was in cha charge rge of radar radar,, tele te leme metry try an and d grou ground nd sup suppo port rt.. The lau launc nch h was was smoot smooth h and and probl problem em-free fr ee.. We obta obtaine ined d exce excell llen entt fligh flightt data data and and ret retur urne ned d with with a sen sense se of of pride and accomplishment. When we were relaxing the next evening at the dinner table, we received news of the assassination of P resident John F Kennedy in Dallas, Texas. We were appalled. The Kennedy years were a significant era in America, when young men were at the helm of affairs. I used to read re ad wit with h int inter eres estt abou aboutt Kenn Kenned edy’ y’ss move movess in in the the mis missi sile le cris crisis is of lat latee 1962. 196 2. The The Soviet Soviet Unio Union n built built miss missile ile site sitess in Cuba, Cuba, from from which which it would would have ha ve be been en pos possi sibl blee to la laun unch ch att attac acks ks on Ame Americ rican an cit citie ies. s. Ken Kenne nedy dy impo im pose sed d a bl bloc ocka kade de or ‘qu ‘quar aran anti tine ne’, ’, ba barr rrin ing g the the in intr trod oduc ucti tion on of any any offensi offe nsive ve miss missile iless to Cub Cuba. a. Amer America ica als also o threat threatene ened d to res respon pond d to any Soviet nuclear attack from Cuba on any country in the Western Hemisp Hem ispher heree by ret retali aliati ating ng aga agains instt the the USS USSR. R. Af After ter fou fourte rteen en day dayss of of intense inten se drama, drama, the crisis crisis was reso resolved lved by the the Soviet Soviet Premie Premierr Khrushche Khrushchev v orderin orde ring g tha thatt the the Cuba Cuban n bases bases be dis disman mantle tled d and and the the mis missil siles es re retur turned ned to Russia. The next day, Prof. Sarabhai had a detailed discussion with us on future plans. He was creating a new frontier in the field of science and tech te chno nolo logy gy in Ind India ia.. A new gen gener erat atio ion, n, scie scient ntis ists ts and and eng engine ineer erss in thei theirr 30s and and early early 40s, 40s, was was being being charg charged ed with with an unpre unprece ceden dented ted dynam dynamism ism.. Ourr bigge Ou biggest st qua quali lific ficat atio ions ns at at INCO INCOSPA SPAR R were were not not our our deg degre rees es and and


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ORIEACHIEVERS NTATION - 1 training, traini ng, but but Prof. Prof. Sarabha Sarabhai’s i’s faith faith in our our capabi capabilit lities ies.. After After the succ success essful ful launch lau nch of NikeNike-Apa Apache che,, he chos chosee to shar sharee with with us his dre dream am of an Indian Ind ian Sate Satelli llite te Launc Launch h Vehic Vehicle. le. Prof. Sarabhai’s optimism was highly contagious. The very news of his coming to Thumba would electrify people and all laboratories, orkshops and design offices would hum with unceasing activity. People ould work virtually round the clock because of their enthusiasm to show Prof. Sarabhai something new, something that had not been done befo be fore re in our our cou count ntry ry—b —bee it it a new new de desi sign gn or or a new new me meth thod od of of fabr fabric icat atio ion n or even an out-of-theout-of-the- ay administrat administrative ive procedure. procedure. Prof. Sarabhai Sarabhai ould ou ld of ofte ten n as assi sign gn mu mult ltip iple le ta task skss to to a si sing ngle le pe pers rson on or a gro group up.. Tho Thoug ugh h somee of tho som those se tas tasks ks woul would d appea appearr total totally ly unre unrelat lated ed in in the the begin beginnin ning, g, they the y would would,, at a late laterr stage, stage, emer emerge ge as dee deeply ply inte interc rconne onnecte cted. d. When When Prof Pr of.. Sarab Sarabhai hai was was tal talki king ng to to us abo about ut the the Sate Satell llite ite La nc nch h Vehic Vehicle le (SLV (SLV), ), he ask asked ed me, me, alm almos ostt in the the sam samee brea breath th,, to tak takee up st stud udie iess on a ro rock cket et-assisted take-off system (RATO) for military aircraft. The two things had no apparent connection except in the mind of this great visionary. I knew that all I had to do was to remain alert and focussed on my purpose, and sooner or later, an opportunity to do a challenging job would enter my laboratory. Prof Pr of.. Sara Sarabh bhai ai wa wass eve everr-wi will llin ing g to try ou outt nove novell app approa roach ches es an and d like liked d to draw draw in youn young g people people.. He had had the wisd wisdom om and and judgem judgement ent whic which h enab en able led d him him to re real alis isee not not onl only y if so some meth thing ing wa wass well well don done, e, but but als also o hen he n it wa wass tim timee to to sto stop. p. In In my op opin inio ion, n, he wa wass an an ide ideal al ex expe perim rimen ente ter r and inn innova ovator tor.. When When there there wer weree alter alternat native ive cou course rsess of act action ion bef before ore us, us, hose outcome was difficult to predict, or to reconcile varying perspe per specti ctives ves,, Prof Prof.. Sarab Sarabhai hai wou would ld res resort ort to exp experi erime menta ntatio tion n to to reso resolve lve the issue issue.. This was precis precisely ely the situat situation ion at at INCOSPA INCOSPAR R in 1963. A unch unc h of you young, ng, ine inexpe xperie rience nced, d, but nev nevert erthel heless ess ene energe rgetic tic and enthusiastic persons were given the task of fleshing out the spirit of selfreliance in the field of science and technology in general, and of space research in particular. It was a great example of leadership by trust. Thee rocke Th rockett launc launch h site site late laterr blos blosso some med d into into the the Thumb Thumbaa Equat Equator oria iall Rocket Launc Rocket Launch h Station Station (TERL (TERLS). S). TERLS TERLS was was establ establish ished ed throug through h active active coll co llab abor orat atio ion n wit with h Fran France ce,, USA USA and and USSR USSR.. The The lea leade derr of the In Indi dian an

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WINGS OF FIRE space progra space programme mme—Pr —Prof. of. Vikra Vikram m Sarabha Sarabhai—h i—had ad compr compreh ehend ended ed the the full full implic imp licati ations ons of the the chal challen lenge ge and and had had not not balk balked ed at at takin taking g it on. Righ Rightt from fr om the the day day IN INCO COSPA SPAR R was was for forme med, d, he he was was aw awar aree of the ne need ed to to organize an integrated national space programme, with the equipment for the manufacture of rockets and launch facilities developed and produced indigenously. With this in view, a wide-ranging programme for scientific and techno tech nolo logi gica call dev devel elop opme ment nt in ro rock ckeet fue fuels ls,, pro propu puls lsio ion n syst system ems, s, aeronautics, aerospace materials, advanced fabrication techniques, rocket motor instrumentation, control and guidance systems, telemetry, tracking systems and scientific instruments for experimentation in space were launched at the Space Science and T echnology Centre and the Physical Research Laboratory at Ahmedabad. Incidentally, this laboratory has produced a large number of Indian space scientists of extremely high calibre over the years. Thee real Th real jo jour urne ney y of th thee Indi Indian an aer aeros ospa pace ce pr prog ogra ramm mme, e, how howev ever er,, had had egun with the Rohini Sounding Rocket (RSR) Programme. What is it that distinguishes a sounding rocket from a Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV) and from a missile? In fact, they are t hree different kinds of rockets. Sounding rockets are normally used for probing the near-earth environment, including the upper regions of the atmosphere. While they can carry a variety of scientific payloads to a range of altitudes, they cannot impart the final velocity needed to orbit the payload. On the other hand, a launch vehicle is designed to inject into orbit a technological payload or satellite. The final stage of a launch vehicle provides the necessary velocity for a satellite to enter an orbit. This is a complex operation requiring on-board guidance and control systems. A missile, though belonging to the same family, is a still more complex system. In addition to the large terminal velocity and onboard guidance and control, it must have the capability to home onto targets. When the targets are fast-moving and capable of manoeuvring, a missile is also required to carry out target-tracking functions. The RSR programme was responsible for the development and fabrication of sounding sounding rockets and their associated associated on- oard systems for scientific investigations in India. Under this programme, a family of


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ORIEACHIEVERS NTATION - 1 operation operat ional al sound sounding ing rocke rockets ts were were devel develope oped. d. These These rocke rockets ts had had wide rangin ran ging g capab capabili ilitie ties, s, and and to to date date seve several ral hun hundre dreds ds of of these these roc rocket ketss have have been be en lau launc nche hed d for for var vario ious us sc scie ient ntif ific ic and and tec techno hnolo logic gical al stu studi dies es.. I still remember that the first Rohini rocket consisted of a single solid propulsion motor weighing a mere 32 kg. It lifted a nominal 7 kg payload to an altitude of about 10 km. It was soon followed by another, to which one more solid propellant stage was added to dispatch multi-experiment pay pa ylo load adss wei weigh ghin ing g nea nearl rly y 100 100 kg to an al alti titu tude de of ove overr 350 350 km km.. The development of these rockets had resulted in a fully i ndigenous capability in the production of sounding rockets as well as their propellants. This programme had brought into the country technology for the production of very high-performance solid propellants, like those based on polyurethane and polybutane polymer. It later resulted in the setting up of a Propellant Fuel Complex (PFC) to manufacture strategic chemicals required for rocket engines, and a Rocket Propellant Plant (RPP) (R PP) to pro produ duce ce pr prop opel ella lant nts. s. The development of Indian rockets in the twentieth century can be seen as a revival of the eighteenth century dream of Tipu Sultan. When Tipu Sultan was killed, the British captured more than 700 rockets and subsystems of 900 rockets in the battle of Turukhanahally in 1799. His army had 27 bri gades, called Kushoons, and each brigade had a company of rocket men, called Jourks. These rockets had been taken to England by William Congreve and were subjected by the British to what we call ‘reverse engineering’ today. There were, of course, no GATT, IPR Act, or patent regime. With the death of Tipu, Indian rocketry also met its demise—at least for 150 years. Meanwhile, rocket technology made great strides abroad. Konstantin Tsiolkovsky in Russia (1903), Robert Goddard in USA (1914) and Hermann Oberth in Germany (1923) gave rocketry new dimensions. In Nazi Germany, Wernher von Braun’s group produced V-2 short range ballistic missiles and showered fire on the Allied Forces. After the war, both the USA and the USSR captured their share of German rocket technology and rocket engineers. With this boot y, they started to run their deadly arms race with missiles and warheads.

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Rocketry was reborn in India thanks to the technological vision o Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Prof. Sarabhai took the challenge of giving physical dimensions to this dream. Very many individuals with myopic vision questioned the relevance of space activities in a newly independent nation which was finding it difficult to feed its population. But neither Prime Minister Nehru nor Prof. Sarabhai had any ambiguity of purpose. Their vision was very clear: if Indians were to play a meaningful role in the community of nations, they must be second to none in the application of advanced technologies to their real-life problems. They had no intention of using it merely as a means to display our might.

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ring his frequent visits to Thumba, Prof. Sarabhai would openly review the progress of work with the entire team. He never gave directions. Rather, through a free exchange of views, he led us forward into new terrain which often r evealed an unforeseen solution. Perhaps he was aware that though a particular goal might be clear to himself, and he could give adequate directions for its accomplishment, his team members might h ave resisted working towards a goal that made no sense to them. He considered the collective understanding of the problem the main attribute of effective leadership. He once told me, “Look, my job is to make decisions; but it is equally important to see to it that these decisions are accepted by my team members.” In fact, Prof. Sarabhai took a series of decisions that were to become the life-mission of many. We would make our own rockets, our own Satellite Launch Vehicles (SLVs) and our own satellites. And this would not be done one-by-one but concurrently, in a multi-dimensional fashion. In the development of payloads for the sounding rockets, instead of getting a certain payload and then engineering it to fit into the rocket, we discussed the matter threadbare with the payload scientists working in different organ-izations and at different locations. I may even say that the most significant achievement of the sounding rocket programme was to establish and maintain nation-wide mutual trust.


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WINGS OF FIRE Perhaps realising that I preferred to persuade people to do as they were told rather rather than use my legit legitimate imate autho authority rity,, Prof. Sarab Sarabhai hai assig assigned ned me the the task task of provid providing ing inte interfa rface ce supp support ort to to payloa payload d scien scientis tists. ts. Almo Almost st all phy physic sical al labo labora ratori tories es in in India India wer weree invol involve ved d in the the soun soundin ding g rocke rockett progr pr ogramm amme, e, each each havin having g its own own miss mission, ion, its own own objec objectiv tivee and its its own own payloa pay load. d. The These se pay payloa loads ds wer weree req require uired d to to be int integr egrate ated d to to the the roc rocket ket struct str ucture ure so as as to ens ensure ure thei theirr prope properr func functio tionin ning g and and endur enduranc ancee under under flightt condition fligh conditions. s. We had X-ray X-ray payl payloads oads to look look at stars stars;; payloads payloads fitte fitted d with wit h radio radio freque frequency ncy mass mass spec spectro tromet meter erss to analy analyse se the gas gas compos compositi ition on of the the upper upper atm atmos osphe phere; re; sodi sodium um payl payload oadss to find find out out wind wind cond conditi itions ons,, its dire directi ction on and and veloci velocity. ty. We We also also had iono ionosp spher heric ic payl payload oadss to explor exploree different diffe rent layers layers of of the atmosp atmosphere. here. I not only only had to intera interact ct with scie scientist ntistss from TIFR, Natio National nal Physi Physical cal Labora Laboratory tory (NPL), and Physi Physical cal Rese Research arch Labora Lab oratory tory (PRL (PRL), ), but but als also o with with payl payload oad sci scient entist istss from from USA, USA, USS USSR, R, France, Germany and Japan. I often read Khalil Gibran, and always find his words full of wisdom. “Bread “Bre ad bak baked ed wit witho hout ut lov lovee is a bi bitt tter er bre bread ad tha thatt feed feedss but but half half a man man’s ’s hunger,”—th hunge r,”—those ose who who cannot cannot work work with with their their hearts hearts achie achieve ve but but a hollow hollow,, half-he hal f-heart arted ed succ success ess tha thatt breeds breeds bitte bitterne rness ss all all around around.. If you you are a writ writer er ho would would secr secretl etly y prefer prefer to to be a lawye lawyerr or a doctor, doctor, your your writt written en words words ill fee feed d but but half half the the hung hunger er of of your your rea reader ders; s; if if you you are are a teach teacher er who ould oul d rathe ratherr be a bus busine iness ssman man,, your your instr instruct uction ionss will will meet meet but but half half the the need nee d for for know knowled ledge ge of your your stu studen dents; ts; if you you are are a scie scienti ntist st who hat hates es science, scie nce, your your performa performance nce will satis satisfy fy but but half half the need needss of your miss mission. ion. The perso personal nal unhap unhappin pines esss and failur failuree to achiev achievee result resultss that that comes comes from eing ein g a round round peg peg in in a squar squaree hole hole is not not,, by any any mean means, s, new. new. But But there there are exc except eption ionss to to this this lik likee Prof. Prof. Oda and Sud Sudha hakar kar,, who who bring bring to the their ir ork a pers persona onall touch touch of magi magicc base based d upon upon thei theirr indiv individu idual al cha charac racter ter,, perso pe rsonal nality ity,, inner inner motiv motives, es, and and perha perhaps ps the the drea dreams ms crys crystal talliz lized ed withi within n their the ir heart hearts. s. They They becom becomee so emoti emotiona onally lly invol involved ved with with their their wor work k that that any dilution of th the success of th their ef effort fi fills th them wi with gr grief. Prof. Oda was an X-ray payl payload oad scie scientist ntist from the Inst Institute itute o Space and Space and Aeron Aeronaut autica icall Scien Science cess (ISAS (ISAS), ), Japa Japan. n. I reme remembe mberr him him as a diminu dim inutiv tivee man man with with a to towe weri ring ng per perso sona nali lity ty and ey eyes es tha thatt radi radiat ated ed intell int ellige igence nce.. His dedi dedicat cation ion to to his work work was was exempl exemplary ary.. He would would bring bring X-ray payloads from ISAS, which along with the X-ray payloads made


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ORIEN DREAMERS TATION - 1 by Prof. UR Rao, would be engineered by my team to fit into the nose cone of the Rohini Rocke Rocket. t. At an an altitude altitude of 150 km, the the nose nose cone cone would wou ld be sepa separat rated ed by expl explosi osion on of pyro pyross trigg triggere ered d by an elec electro tronic nic timer. tim er. Wit With h this, this, the X-r X-ray ay sen sensor sorss would would be expo exposed sed to spac spacee for collec col lectin ting g the requi required red info informa rmatio tion n about about the emis emissio sions ns from from stars stars.. Togethe Toge ther, r, Prof Prof.. Oda Oda an and d Prof. Prof. Rao wer weree a uni unique que ble blend nd of int intell ellect ect and dedica ded icatio tion, n, whic which h one one rarel rarely y sees. sees. One day day,, when when I was was work working ing on the the integratio integr ation n for Prof. Oda’s payl payload oad with with my my timer timer device devices, s, he insis insisted ted on using using the time timers rs he had had brough broughtt from Japa Japan. n. To me they they looke looked d flimsy, flimsy, but Prof Prof.. Oda stu stuck ck to to his sta stand nd that that the India Indian n timers timers be repl replac aced ed by the Japa Japanes nesee ones. ones. I yielde yielded d to his his sugges suggestio tion n and repl replac aced ed the tim timers ers.. The rocket rocket took took off elegantl elegantly y and attain attained ed the inten intended ded altitude altitude.. But the the telemetry telem etry signal repor reported ted miss mission ion failu failure re on on accoun accountt of timer malfun malfunctio ction. n. Prof.. Oda Prof Oda was was so ups upset et that that tea tears rs well welled ed up up in his ey eyes. es. I was was stunn stunned ed y the emotional intensity of Prof. Oda’s response. He had clearly put his heart and soul into his work. Sudh Su dhak akar ar was was my my col colle leagu aguee in in the the Payl Payloa oad d Prep Prepar arat atio ion n Labo Labora rato tory ry.. As part part of the the pre-launc pre-launch h schedule schedule,, we were were filling filling and and remotely remotely press pressing ing the haza hazardo rdous us sodiu sodium m and ther thermit mitee mix. mix. As usual usual,, it was was a hot and and humid humid day at at Thumba. Thumba. Afte Afterr the sixt sixth h such such operat operation, ion, Sudh Sudhak akar ar and and I went went into into the pay payloa load d room room to to confir confirm m the the prop proper er fill filling ing of of the the mix. mix. Sud Sudden denly ly,, a drop dro p of sweat sweat from his fore forehea head d fell fell onto onto the the sodiu sodium, m, and and befor beforee we knew kne w what what wa wass happ happeni ening, ng, the there re was a viol violent ent ex explo plosio sion n whic which h shoo shook k the room. room. For For a few paraly paralysed sed second seconds, s, I did not not know know what what to to do. The fire was was sprea spreadin ding, g, and wate waterr would would not exti extingu nguish ish the the sodium sodium fire fire.. Trappe Tra pped d in this this infe inferno rno,, Sudhak Sudhakar, ar, howe however ver,, did not lose lose his pre presen sence ce of of mind. min d. He He broke broke the gla glass ss wind window ow with with his bar baree hands hands and lit litera erally lly thre threw w me out out to to safet safety y befo before re jump jumping ing out him himsel self. f. I tou touche ched d Sudha Sudhakar kar’s ’s bleedi ble eding ng hands hands in grati gratitud tude, e, he wa wass smili smiling ng throu through gh his his pain. pain. Sudh Sudhaka akar r spent spe nt many many weeks weeks in the the hospi hospital tal recu recuper perati ating ng from from the the severe severe burn burnss he had re received. At TERLS, I was invol involved ved with rocke rockett prepa preparatio ration n acti activitie vities, s, payl payload oad assembly, assemb ly, tes testin ting g and and evalu evaluati ation on besid besides es bui buildi lding ng subs subsyst ystems ems lik likee paylo payload ad hous ho usin ing g and and jett jettis ison onab able le no nose se cone cones. s. Wor Worki king ng wit with h the the nos nosee cone coness led led me, as as a natura naturall conse conseque quence nce,, into into the fiel field d of compo composit sitee mater material ials. s.

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WINGS OF FIRE It is is inter interest esting ing to know know tha thatt the the bows bows foun found, d, durin during g archa archaeol eologi ogical cal excavatio excava tions ns at at diffe differen rentt site sitess in in the the cou countr ntry, y, reve reveal al tha thatt Indi Indian anss used used compos com posite ite bows bows made made of wood, wood, sine sinew, w, and and horn horn as as early early as as the ele eleven venth th century, at least 500 years before such bows were made in medieval Europe. The versatility of composites, in the sense that they p ossess very desirable structural, thermal, electrical, chemical and mechanical properties, fascinated me. I was so enthused with these man-made materials that I was in a hurry to know everything about them almost overnight. I used to read up everything available on related topics. I was particularly interested in the glass and carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic (FRP) composites. An FRP composite is composed of an inorganic fibre woven into a matrix that encloses it and gives the component its bulk form. In February 1969, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi visited Thumba to dedicate TERLS to the International Space Science Community. On this occasion, she commissioned the country’s first filament winding machine in our laboratory. This event brought my team, which included CR Satya, PN Subramanian and MN Satyanara-yana, great satisfaction. We made highstrength glass cloth laminates to build non-magnetic payload housings and flew them in two-stage sounding rockets. We also wound and test flew rocket motor casings of up to 360 mm diameter. Slowly, but surely, two Indian rockets were born at Thumba. They were christened Rohini and Menaka, after the two mythological dancers in the court of Indra, the king o f the sky. The Indian payloads no longer needed to be launched by French rockets. Could this have been done ut for the atmosphere of trust and commitment which Prof. Sarabhai had created at INCOSPAR? He brought into use each person’s knowledge and skills. He made every man feel directly involved in problem solving. By the very fact of the team members’ participation, the solutions became genuine and earned the trust of the entire team resulting in total commitment towards implementation. Prof. Sarabhai was matter-of-fact and never tried to hide his disappointment. He used to talk with us in an honest and objective manner. Sometimes I found him making things look more positive than they actually ere, and then charming us by his almost magical powers of persuasion.


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ORIEN DREAMERS TATION - 1 When Whe n we wer weree at the dra drawin wing g board board,, he woul would d bring bring some someone one fro from m the the developed develo ped wor world ld for a techn technica icall coll collabor aborati ation. on. Tha Thatt was was his his sub subtle tle way of chal challen lengin ging g each each one of us to stre stretch tch our our capab capabili ilitie ties. s. At the same time, even if we failed to meet certain objectives, he would praise whatever we had accomplished. Whenever he found any one of us going over his head and attempting a task for which he did not have the capability or skill, Prof. Sarabhai would reassign activity in such a way so as to lower pressure and permit better quality work to be performed. By the time the first Rohini-75 rocket was launched from TERLS on 20 November 1967, almost each one of us was in his own groove. Early next year, Prof. Sarabhai wanted to see me urgently in Delhi. By now I was accustomed to Prof. Sarabhai’s working methods. He was always full of enthusiasm and optimism. In such a state of mind, sudden flashes of inspiration were almost natural. On reaching Delhi, I contacted Prof. Sarabhai’s secretary for an appointment and was asked to meet him at 3.30 a.m. at Hotel Ashoka. Delhi being a slightly unfamiliar place, with an unfriendly climate for someone like me, conditioned to the warm and humid climate of South India, I decided to wait in the hotel lounge after finishing my dinner. I have always been a religious person in the sense that I maintain a working partnership with God. I was aware that the best work required more ability than I possessed and therefore I needed help that only God could give me. I made a true estimate of my own ability, then raised it by 50 per cent and put myself in God’s hands. In this p artnership, I have always received all the power I needed, and in fact have actually felt it flowing through me. Today, I can affirm that the kingdom of God is within you in the form of this power, to help achieve your goals and realise your dreams. There are many different types and levels of experience that turn this internal power reaction critical. Sometimes, when we are ready, the gentlest of contacts with Him fills us with insight and wisdom. This could come from an encounter with another person, from a word, a question, a gesture or even a look. Many a time, it could come even through a book, a conversation, some phrase, even a line from a poem

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WINGS OF FIRE or the the mere mere sig sight ht of of a pic picture ture.. Witho Without ut the the slig slighte htest st warn warning ing,, some somethi thing ng new breaks into your life and a secret decision is taken, a decision that you may be completely unconscious of, to start with. I looke looked d aroun around d the ele elegan gantt loung lounge. e. Some Somebod body y had had left left a boo book k on a nearby sofa nearby sofa.. As As if if to to fill fill the sma small ll hou hours rs of tha thatt cold cold nig night ht with with som somee warm wa rm tho thoug ught hts, s, I pi pick cked ed up the the boo book k and and sta starte rted d brow browsi sing ng.. I mus mustt have have turned only a few pages of the book, about which I do not remember a thing today. It was was some some po popu pula larr book book rel relat ated ed to to busin busines esss mana manage geme ment nt.. I was was not reall really y readin reading g it, only only skim skimmin ming g over over paragr paragraph aphss and turn turning ing page pages. s. Sudden Sud denly ly,, my eyes eyes fell fell on on a passa passage ge in in the book book,, it was was a quota quotatio tion n from from Geor Ge orge ge Ber Berna nard rd Sha Shaw. w. The The gi gist st of of the the quot quotee was was tha thatt all all reas reasona onabl blee men adapt adapt thems themselves elves to the the world. world. Only a few few unreasona unreasonable ble ones ones pers persist ist in try trying ing to ada adapt pt the the wo worl rld d to the thems msel elve ves. s. All All pro progre gress ss in the the wor world ld depends on these unreasonable men and their innovative and often nonconformist actions. I starte started d readi reading ng the the book book from from the Be Berna rnard rd Shaw Shaw pa passa ssage ge onwa onwards rds.. The au auth thor or was was de desc scri ribi bing ng cer certa tain in myt myths hs wove woven n aroun around d the the conc concep eptt and the the proce process ss of inno innovat vation ion in in indust industry ry and and busine business. ss. I read read abou aboutt the myth of strategic planning. It is generally believed that substantial strate str ategic gic and tech technol nologi ogica call plannin planning g greatl greatly y incre increase asess the odd oddss of a ‘no surpris sur prises es’’ outcom outcome. e. The The author author was of of the opin opinion ion that that it it is essen essentia tiall for a project manager to learn to live with uncertainty and ambiguity. He felt that it was a myth to hold t hat the key to economic success is computability. A quotation from General George Patton was given as a counterpoint to this myth—that a good plan violently executed right now is far better than a perfect plan executed next week. It is a m yth that to win big one must strive to optimize, the author felt. Optimization wins only on paper, but would invariably lose later in the real world, th e book said. Waiting in the hotel lobby at 1 a.m. for an appointment two hours later was certainly not a reasonable proposition, neither for me nor for Prof. Sarabhai. But then, Prof. Sarabhai had always exhibited a strong component of unorthodoxy in his character. He was running the show of space research in the country—under-staffed, overworked—


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ORIEN DREAMERS TATION - 1 nevert nev erthel heless ess in a suc succe cessf ssful ul mann manner. er. Suddenly, I became aware of another man who came and sat down on the sofa opposite mine. He was a well-built person with an intelligent look loo k and and refine refined d postu posture. re. Unl Unlike ike me— me—al alway wayss disorde disorderly rly in my dre dress— ss— thiss man thi man was wea wearin ring g eleg elegant ant clo clothe thes. s. Not Notwit withst hstand anding ing the odd hou hours, rs, he was was al aler ertt and and viva vivaci ciou ous. s. There was a strange magnetism about him which derailed the train of my thoughts on innovation. And before I could get b ack to the book, I was was info inform rmed ed tha thatt Prof Prof.. Sara Sarabh bhai ai was was rea ready dy to to rece receiv ivee me. me. I left left the the book boo k on the nea nearby rby sofa sofa from from wher wheree I had pick picked ed it up. up. I was was surpri surprise sed d hen the man man sitt sitting ing on on the opp opposi osite te sofa sofa was was also also aske asked d to come come insi inside. de. Who Wh o was was he? It was was no nott long long bef befor oree my qu ques esti tion on was was ans answe were red. d. Eve Even n before we sat sat down, down, Prof. Sarab Sarabhai hai introd introduced uced us to to each each other. other. He He wass Grou wa Group p Capt Captai ain n VS VS Nara Naraya yana nan n from from Air Air Hea Headq dqua uart rter ers. s. Prof. Sarabhai ordered coffee for both of us and unfolded his plan of developing a rocket-assisted take-off system (RATO) for milit ary aircraft. This wou would ld help help our our warp warplan lanes es to to take take off off from from short short run runway wayss in the Hima Hi mala laya yas. s. Hot Hot cof coffe feee was was serv served ed ove overr smal smalll talk talk.. It was was tot total ally ly unchar unc harac acter terist istic ic of Prof. Prof. Sara Sarabha bhai. i. But But as soon soon as as we finis finishe hed d the coff coffee, ee, Prof. Sarabhai rose and asked us to accompany him to Tilpat Range on the outs outskir kirts ts of Del Delhi. hi. As As we were were pas passin sing g throug through h the lob lobby, by, I thre threw wa cursor cur sory y glanc glancee at the sof sofaa where where I had had left left the book book.. It was was not the there. re. It was about an hour’s drive to the Range. Prof. S arabhai showed us a Russian RATO. “If I get you the motors of t his system from Russia, could you do it in eighteen months time?” Prof. Sarabhai asked us. “Yes, we can!” Both Gp Capt VS Narayanan and I spoke almost simultaneously. Prof. Sarabhai’s face beamed, reflecting our fascination. I recalled what I had read, “He will bestow on you a light to walk in.” After dropping us back at the Hotel Ashoka, Prof. Sarabhai went to the Prime Minister’s house for a breakfast meeting. By that evening, the news of India taking up the indigenous development of a device to help short run take-offs by high performance military aircraft, with myself heading the project, was made public. I was filled with many emotions— happiness, gratitude, a sense of fulfilment and these lines from a littleknown poet of the nineteenth-century crossed my mind:

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WINGS OF FIRE For all your days prepare And meet them ever alike When you are the anvil, bear – When you are the hammer, strike. RATO motors were mounted on aircraft to provide the additional thrust required during the t ake-off run under certain adverse operating conditions like partially bombed-out runways, high altitude airfields, more than the prescribed load, or very high ambient temperatures. The Air Force was in dire need of a large number of RATO motors for their S22 and HF-24 aircraft. The Russian RATO motor shown to us at the Tilpat Range was capable of generating a 3000 kg thrust with a total impulse of 24500 kgseconds. It weighed 220 kg and had a double b ase propellant encased in steel. The development work was to be carried out at the Space Science and Technology Centre with the assistance of the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), HAL, DTD&P(Air) and Air Headquarters. After a detailed analysis of the available options, I chose a fibreglass motor casing. We decided in favour of a composite propellant which gives a higher specific impulse and aimed at a longer burning time to utilize it completely. I also decided to take additional safety measures by incorporating a diaphragm which would rupture if the chamber pressure for some reason exceeded twice the operating pressure. Two significant developments occurred during the work on RATO. The first was the release of a ten-year profile for space research in the country, prepared y Prof. Sarabhai. This profile was not merely an activity plan laid down y the top man for his team to comply with, it was a theme paper meant for open discussions, to be later transformed into a programme. In fact, I found it was the romantic manifesto of a person deeply in love with th e space research programme in his country. The plan mainly centred around the early ideas which had been born at INCOSPAR; it included utilization o f satellites for television and developmental education, meteorological observations and remote sensing for management of natural resources. To this had been added the development and launch of satellite launch vehicles.


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ORIEN DREAMERS TATION - 1 The active international cooperation dominant in the early years was virtually eased out in this plan and the emphasis was on self-reliance and indigenous technologies. The plan talked about t he realisation of a SLV for injecting lightweight satellites into a low earth orbit, upgrading of Indian satellites from laboratory models to space entities and development of a wide range of spacecraft subsystems like the apogee and booster motors, momentum wheel, and solar panel deployment mechanism. It also promised a wide range of technological spin-offs like the gyros, various t ypes of transducers, telemetry, adhesives, and polymers for non-space applications. Over and above, t here was the dream of an adequate infrastructure that would be capable of supporting R&D in a variety of engineering and scientific disciplines. The second development was the formation of a Missile Panel in the Ministry of Defence. Both Narayanan and I were inducted as members. The idea of making missiles in our own country was exciting, and we spent hours on end studying t he missiles of various advanced countries. The distinction between a tactical missile and a strategic missile is often a fine one. Generally, by ‘strategic’, it is understood that the missile ill fly thousands of kilometres. However, in warfare, this term is used to denote the kind of target rather than its distance from missile launch. Strategic missiles are those that strike at the enemy’s heartland, either in counter-force attacks on their st rategic forces or in counter-value attacks on the society, which in essence means his cities. Tactical weapons are those that influence a battle, and the battle may be by land, sea or air, or on all three together. T his categorization now appears nonsensical, as the US Air Force’s ground-launched Tomahawk is used in a tactical role, notwithstanding its range of some 3000 km. In those days, however, strategic missiles were synonymous with intermediate range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) with ranges in the order of 1500 nautical miles or 2780 km and inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) with a capability of going even further. Gp Capt Narayanan had an ineffable enthusiasm for indigenous guided missiles. He was a great admirer of the strong arm approach of the Russian Missile Development Programme. “When it could be done there, why not here, where space research has already prepared the soil for a bonanza of missile technology?” Narayanan used to needle me.

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WINGS OF FIRE Thee bit Th bitte terr les lesso sons ns of th thee two two wa wars rs in 19 1962 62 an and d 196 1965 5 had had le left ft the the Indian leaders Indian leadership hip with little choic choicee in the matte matterr of achie achieving ving self self-relia -reliance nce in military hardware and weapon systems. A large number of Surfaceto-Air Missiles (SAMs) were obtained from the USSR to guard strategic locations. Gp Capt Narayanan passionately advocated the development of these missiles in the country. While Whi le work working ing tog togeth ether er on RA RATO TO motor motorss and and on the the Miss Missile ile Pan Panel, el, Narayanan and I played Narayanan played the roles roles of student student and teach teacher er inter interchange changeably ably here he reve verr requ requir ired ed.. He was was ver very y eage eagerr to lea learn rn abo about ut roc rocke ketry try an and dI as very curious to know about airborne weapon systems. The depth of Naray Narayana anan’s n’s conv convict iction ion and his for force ce of of appli applicat cation ion were were ins inspir piring. ing. Right Rig ht from from the the day of our our pre-da pre-dawn wn visit visit to the the Tilpat Tilpat Rang Rangee with with Prof. Prof. Sara Sa rabh bhai ai,, Nara Naraya yana nan n was was alw alway ayss busy busy wi with th his his RA RATO TO mot motor or.. He ha had d arranged everything that was required before b eing asked. He obtained funding of Rs 75 lakhs with a further commitment towards any unforeseen costs. “You name the thing and I will get it for you, but do not ask for time,” he said. At times, I often laughed at his impatience, and read for him these lines from T.S. Eliot’s Hollow Men:

Between the conception And the creation Between the emotion And the response Falls the Shadow. Defence R&D at that ti me was heavily dependent on imported equipment. Virtual equipment. Virtually ly nothing nothing indige indigenous nous was was availa available. ble. Togethe Together, r, we made made a long long sho shopp ppin ing g list list and and dre drew w up up an an impo import rt pla plan. n. But But thi thiss mad madee me me unhappy unha ppy— — as the there re no no remed remedy y or or alter alternat native ive?? Was Was thi thiss natio nation n doome doomed d to live live wit with h scre screwdr wdrive iverr techn technolo ology? gy? Cou Could ld a poor poor cou countr ntry y like like Ind India ia afford this kind of development? One day day,, while while wor workin king g late late in in the the offic office, e, whic which h was was quite quite rou routine tine after I took took up the RATO proje projects, cts, I saw saw a young young coll colleague eague,, Jaya Jaya Chandra Chandra Babu Bab u going going home home.. Babu Babu had had joi joined ned us a few mon months ths ago and the only thing thi ng I knew knew about about him him was that that he had a very very posi positiv tivee attitu attitude de and and was articu art iculat late. e. I calle called d him into into my my office office and and did did a bit of of loud loud thinki thinking. ng. “Do “Do you hav havee any any sugge suggesti stions ons?” ?” I then then aske asked d him. him. Babu Babu remai remained ned sil silent ent for

ORIEN DREAMERS TATION - 1 a whi while le,, and and the then n ask asked ed fo forr tim timee unt until il the ne next xt eve evenin ning g to to do do som somee homework before answ homework answering ering my quest question. ion. The next evening, Babu came to me before the appointed time. His face was beaming with promise. “We can do it, sir! The RATO system can be made without imports. The only hurdle is the inherent inelasticity in the approach of the organization towards procurement and subcontra con tracti cting, ng, whic which h would would be the two two major major thru thrust st area areass to avoi avoid d import imports.” s.” He gave gave me seve seven n points, points, or, rather, rather, aske asked d for seve seven n libertie liberties—fina s—financial ncial appr ap prov oval al by by a sing single le per perso son n inst instea ead d of an an entir entiree hier hierar arch chy, y, air air tra trave vell for for all people on work irrespective of their entitlement, accountability to only one per person son,, lifti lifting ng of of goods goods by airair-ca cargo, rgo, sub sub-c -contr ontract acting ing to the the private priv ate sec sector tor,, placem placemen entt of order orderss on the the basis basis of techn technica icall compet competenc ence, e, and an d exp exped edit itio ious us acc accou ount ntin ing g proc proced edur ures es.. These demands were unheard of in government establishments, which tend to be conservative, yet I could see the soundness of his proposition. The RATO project was a new game and there was nothing wrong if it was to be played with a new set of rules. I weighed all the pros and cons of Babu’s suggestions for a whole night and finally decided to present them to Prof. Sarabhai. Hearing my plea for administrative liberalization and seeing the merits behind it, Prof. Sarabhai approved the proposals ithout a second thought. Through his suggestions, Babu had highlighted the i mportance of business acumen in developmental work with high stakes. T o make things move faster within existing work parameters, you have to pump in more people, peopl e, more mater material ial and and more money money.. If you can’t can’t do do that, chan change ge your yo ur par param amet eter ers! s! Ins Insti tinc ncti tive ve bu busi sine ness ssma man n that that he was was,, Bab Babu u did did not not remain rem ain lon long g with with us us and and lef leftt ISRO ISRO for for gree greener ner pas pasture turess in Nig Niger eria. ia. I could cou ld nev never er for forget get Ba Babu’ bu’ss comm common on sen sense se in fin financ ancial ial mat matter ters. s. We had opted for a composite structure for the RATO motor casing using fila using filamen mentt fibre fibre gla glass/ ss/epo epoxy. xy. We had had also also gon gonee in in for for a hig high h ener energy gy composite compo site propel propellant lant and an an eventevent- ased ignit ignition ion and and jettis jettisoning oning syste system m in real-t rea l-time ime.. A cant canted ed nozz nozzle le was des designe igned d to def deflec lectt the the jet jet away away from the aircra air craft. ft. We cond conduct ucted ed the fir first st stat static ic test test of RATO RATO in the the twelft twelfth h month month of the the projec projectt initia initiatio tion. n. Withi Within n the next next four four months months,, we condu conducte cted d 64 static sta tic tes tests. ts. And And we were were jus justt about about 20 20 engin engineer eerss workin working g on the the proje project! ct! ***


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6 Movers The future satellite launch vehicle (SLV) had also been conceived by this time. Recognising the immense socio- economic benefits of space technology, Prof. Sarabhai decided in 1969, to go full-steam ahead with the task of establishing indigenous capability in building and launching our own satellites. He personally participated in an aerial survey of the east coast for a possible site for launching satellite launch vehicles and large rockets. Prof. Sarabhai was concentrating on the east coast in order to let the launch vehicle take full advantage of the earth’s west to east rotation. He finally selected the Sriharikota island, 100 km north of Madras (now Chennai), and thus the SHAR Rocket Launch Station was born. The crescent-shaped island has a maximum width of 8 km and lies alongside the coastline. The island is as big as Madras city. The Buckingham Canal and the Pulicat lake form its western boundary. In 1968, we had formed the Indian Rocket Society. Soon after, the INCOSPAR was reconstituted as an advisory body under the Indian National Science Academy (INSA) and the In dian Space Research Organization (ISRO) was created under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) to conduct space space research in the co ntry. By this time, Prof. Sarabhai had already hand-picked a team to give form to his dream of an Indian SLV. I consider myself fortunate to have


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been chosen to be a project leader. Prof. Sarabhai gave me the additional responsibility of designing the fourth stage of the SLV. Dr VR Gowarikar, MR Kurup and AE Muthunayagam were given the tasks of designing the other three stages. What made Prof. Sarabhai pick a few of us for t his great mission? One reason seemed to be our professional background. Dr Gowarikar as doing outstanding work in the field of composite propellants. MR Kurup had established an excellent laboratory for propellants, propulsion and pyrotechnics. Muthunayagam had proved himself in the field of high energy propellants. The fourth stage was to be a composite structure and called for a large number of innovations in fabrication technology; perhaps that was why I was brought in. I laid the foundation for Stage IV on two rocks—sensible approximation and unawed support. I have always considered the price of perfection prohibitive and allowed mistakes as a part of the learning process. I prefer a dash of daring and persistence to perfection. I have always supported learning on the part of my team members by paying vigilant attention to each of their attempts, be they successful or unsuccessful. In my group, progress was recognized and reinforced at every tiny step. Although I provided access to all the information that my co-workers in Stage IV needed, I found I could not spend enough time to be a useful facilitator and a source of support. I wondered if there was something wrong with the way in which I managed my time. At this stage, Prof. Sarabhai brought a French visitor to our work centre to point out th e problem to me. This gentleman was Prof. Curien, President of CNES (Centre Nationale de Etudes Spatiales), our counterpart in France. They ere then developing the Diamont launch vehicles. Prof. Curien was a thorough professional. Together, Prof. Sarabhai and Prof. Curien helped me set a target. While they discussed the means by which I could reach it, they also cautioned me about the possibilities of failure. While I arrived at a better awareness of Stage IV problems through the supportive counselling of Prof. Curien, Prof. Sarabhai’s catalytic intervention led Prof. Curien to reinterpret his own progress in the Diamont programme.

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WINGS OF FIRE Prof. Pro f. Cur Curie ien n advis advised ed Pro Prof. f. Sara Sarabh bhai ai to to reli reliev evee me of of all all the the mino minorr obs whi which ch pose posed d little little chal challe lenge nge and and to giv givee me more more oppo opportu rtunit nities ies for for achievement. He was so impressed by our well-planned efforts that he inquir inq uired ed if if we coul could d make make the the Diamo Diamont’ nt’ss fourth fourth stag stage. e. I reca recall ll how how this this brought a subtle smile to Prof. Sarabhai’s face.

canc ca ncel elle led d their their Dia Diamo mont nt BC BC prog progra ramm mme. e. The They y told told us us that that the they y did did not not need our Sta need Stage ge IV any anymor more. e. It was was a grea greatt shock shock,, makin making g me re-l re-live ive the earlier disappointments at Dehra Dun, when I failed to get into the Air Forc Force, e, and and at Bang Bangal alore ore,, when when the Na Nandi ndi proj project ect was abor aborted ted at at ADE.

As a matter of fact, the Diamont and SLV airframes were incom inc ompa pati tibl ble. e. Th Thee dia diame mete ters rs we were re qu quit itee dif diffe fere rent nt an and d to to att attai ain n interc int erchan hangea geabil bility ity,, some some radica radicall innova innovatio tions ns were were requir required. ed. I wond wondere ered d where whe re I sho should uld sta start. rt. I deci decided ded to look look ar aroun ound d for for solu solutio tions ns amo among ng my my own coll colleag eagues ues.. I used used to care carefull fully y obser observe ve my coll colleag eagues ues to to see if their their daily routine refle reflected cted their their desire to constant constantly ly experim experiment. ent. I also star started ted asking ask ing and lis listen tening ing to anyo anyone ne who sho showe wed d the the sli slight ghtest est pro promis mise. e. Some of my friends cautioned me about what they termed as my naivete. I made it an unfailing routine to make notes on individual suggestions and gave handwritten notes to colleagues in engineering and design, requesting concrete follow-up action within five or ten days.

I had invested great hope and effort in the fourth stage, so that it could coul d be be flo flown wn wi with th a Dia Diamo mont nt ro rock ckeet. Th Thee oth other er th thre reee sta stage gess of of SLV SLV,, involv inv olving ing enor enormou mouss work work in the are areaa of rocke rockett propul propulsio sion n were were at least least fivee year fiv yearss away away.. Howev However, er, it did did not not take take me long long to shel shelve ve the disapp dis appoin ointme tment nt of Diam Diamont ont BC BC Stage Stage IV. IV. After After all, all, I had thorou thoroughly ghly enjoyed enjoy ed working working on on this this project. project. In time, time, RATO RATO filled filled the vacu vacuum um create created d in me me by by the the Dia Diamon montt BC BC Stag Stage. e.

This Th is met metho hod d work worked ed wo wond nder erfu full lly y wel well. l. Pro Prof. f. Cur Curie ien n test testif ifie ied, d, whil whilee reviewing our progress, that we had achieved in a year’s time what our counterparts in Europe could barely manage in three years. Our plus point, he noted, was that each of us worked with those below and above in the hierarchy. I made it a point to have the team meet at least once every week. Though it took up time and energy, I considered it essential. How good is a leader? No better than his people and their commitment and part partic icipa ipatio tion n in the the projec projectt as full full partn partners ers!! The fac factt that that I got them them all toge togethe therr to shar sharee whatev whatever er littl littlee devel developm opment ent had bee been n achiev achieved— ed— result res ults, s, experi experienc ences es,, small small success successes, es, and and the like—s like—see eemed med to me worth worth putti pu tting ng all all my ene energy rgy and and time time into into.. It was was a very very smal smalll price price to to pay for that commitment and sense of teamwork, which could in fact be called trust. tru st. With Within in my own smal smalll group group of peopl peoplee I found found leade leaders rs,, and lear learned ned thatt leade tha leaders rs exis existt at ev every ery lev level el.. This This was was ano anothe therr impor importan tantt aspe aspect ct o management that I learned. We had modified the existing SLV-IV Stage design to suit the Diamont airf ai rfra rame me.. It wa wass reco reconf nfig igur ured ed and and upg upgra rade ded d from from a 25 250 0 kg, kg, 400 400 mm diamet dia meter er sta stage ge to to a 600 kg, 650 mm dia diamet meter er sta stage. ge. Aft After er two ye years ars’’ effort, eff ort, when when we we were were abou aboutt to deliv deliver er it to CNES, CNES, the the Frenc French h sudde suddenly nly


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When the RATO project was underway, the SLV project slowly started taking shape. Competence for all major systems of a launch vehicle had been established in Thumba by now. Through their outstanding efforts, Vasant Gowarikar, MR Kurup and Muthunayagam prepared TERLS forr a big fo big lea leap p in roc rocke ketr try. y. Prof. Sarabhai was an exemplar in the art of team-building. On one occasion, he had to identify a person who could be given the responsibility for developing a telecommand system for the SLV. Two men were competent to carry out this task—one was the seasoned and sophisticated UR Rao and the other was a relatively unknown experimenter, G Madhavan Nair. Although I was d eeply impressed by Madhavan Nair’s dedica ded icatio tion n and abil abilitie ities, s, I did did not rate rate his his chan chances ces as as very very good. good. Durin During g one of Prof. Prof. Sara Sarabha bhai’s i’s rout routine ine visi visits, ts, Mad Madhav havan an Nair Nair bold boldly ly demon demonstr strate ated d his impro improvis vised ed but but highly highly reliabl reliablee telecom telecomman mand d system system.. Prof. Prof. Sarabha Sarabhaii did not not take take much much tim timee to bac back k the young young exp experi erime mente nterr in pref prefere erence nce to to an established expert. Madhavan Nair not only lived up to the expect exp ectati ations ons of of his lead leader er but but even even went went beyond beyond them. them. He He was to later later become bec ome the pro projec jectt direc director tor of the the Pol Polar ar Sate Satelli llite te Laun Launch ch Vehi Vehicle cle (PSL (PSLV). V). SLVs and missiles can be called first cousins: they are different in concept and purpose, but come from the same bloodline of rocketry. A mass ma ssiv ivee miss missil ilee deve develo lopme pment nt pro proje ject ct had had be been en tak taken en up by by DRD DRDO O at at the De Defen fence ce Res Resear earch ch & De Devel velopme opment nt Lab Labora oratory tory (DR (DRDL) DL),, Hyder Hyderaba abad. d. As the the pace pace of of this this surfa surfacece-toto-air air miss missile ile deve developm lopment ent proj project ect inc increa reased sed,,

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WINGS OF FIRE the frequ frequen ency cy of the the Missil Missilee Panel Panel meetin meetings gs and and my intera interacti ction on with with Gp Capt Narayanan also increased. In 1968, Prof. Sarabhai came to Thumba on one of his routine visits. He was shown the operation of the nose-cone jettisoning mechanism. As al alway ways, s, we we were re al alll anx anxio ious us to sh shar aree the the re resu sult ltss of of our our wo work rk wi with th Prof.. Sarab Prof Sarabhai hai.. We req reque ueste sted d Prof. Prof. Sar Sarabh abhai ai to form formall ally y acti activat vatee the the pyro py ro system system thr throug ough h a timer timer circu circuit. it. Prof. Prof. Sarab Sarabhai hai smil smiled, ed, and and press pressed ed the but button ton.. To our hor horror ror,, noth nothing ing hap happen pened ed.. We we were re dum dumbst bstruc ruck. k. I looked at Pramod Kale, who had designed and integrated the timer circuit. In a flash flash each each of of us menta mentally lly wen wentt throug through h an anly anlysis sis of of the fail failure ure.. We reques req uested ted Prof Prof.. Sarab Sarabhai hai to wait wait for a few few minu minutes tes,, then then we we detac detached hed the tim timer er devi device, ce, giv giving ing dire direct ct conn connec ectio tion n to the pyr pyros. os. Prof Prof.. Sarabh Sarabhai ai press pr essed ed the the butt button on agai again. n. The The pyros pyros wer weree fired fired and the nos nosee cone cone was was ettiso ett isoned ned.. Prof. Prof. Sarabha Sarabhaii congrat congratula ulated ted Kale Kale and and me; but but his expre expressi ssion on sugges sug gested ted tha thatt his tho though ughts ts were were els elsewh ewhere ere.. We cou could ld not not gues guesss what what as on his mind. The suspense did not last for long and I got a call from Prof. Sarabhai’s secretary to meet him after dinner for an important discussion. Prof.. Sarab Prof Sarabhai hai was sta stayi ying ng at at the the Kova Kovalam lam Pal Palac acee Hotel Hotel,, his his usual usual home whene home whenever ver he was was in Triva Trivandr ndrum. um. I was was slig slightl htly y perpl perplexe exed d by the the summon sum mons. s. Prof Prof.. Sara Sarabha bhaii gree greeted ted me wit with h his his cus custom tomary ary war warmth mth.. He He talked tal ked of the the rocket rocket laun launchi ching ng stat station, ion, env envisa isagin ging g facili facilitie tiess like like launc launch h pads, pa ds, blo block ck hous houses es,, radar radar,, telem telemetr etry y and and so so on—th on—thing ingss whic which h are are taken taken for granted in Indian space research today. Then he brought up the incident that had occurred that morning. This was exactly what I had feared. My apprehension of a reproach from my leader, however, was nfounded. Prof. Sarabhai did not conclude that the failure of the pyro timer circuit was the outcome of insufficient knowledge and lack of skill on the part of his people or of faulty understanding at the direction stage. He asked me instead, if we were unenthused by a job that did not pose sufficient challenge. He also asked me to consider if my work was possibly being affected by any problem of which I was hitherto unaware. He finally put his finger on the key issue. We lacked a single roof to carry out system integration of all our rocket stages and rocket systems. Electrical and mechanical integration work was going on with a significant phase difference— oth in time and in in space. There was little


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ORIENTMOVERS ATION - 1 effort eff ort to to bring bring togethe togetherr the dispa dispara rate te work work on electr electrica icall and mecha mechanic nical al integration. Prof. Sarabhai spent the next hour in re-defining our tasks, and, in the small hours of the morning, the decision to set up a Rocket Engineering Section was taken. Mist Mi stak akes es ca can n del delay ay or pr prev even entt the the pr prop oper er ac achie hieve veme ment nt of th thee objectives objecti ves of indi individ vidual ualss and and org organ aniza izatio tions, ns, but a visi visiona onary ry lik likee Prof Prof.. Sarabh Sar abhai ai can can use erro errors rs as oppo opportu rtunit nities ies to promot promotee innova innovatio tion n and the the develo dev elopme pment nt of new ide ideas. as. He wa wass not not espe especia cially lly con concer cerned ned wit with h the the mistake in the timer circuit, least of all with pinning the blame for it. Prof.. Sarabha Prof Sarabhai’s i’s appr approac oach h to mista mistake kess rested rested on on the assu assumpt mption ion tha thatt they the y were were ine inevit vitabl ablee but but gene genera rally lly man manage ageabl able. e. It It was was in in the the handl handling ing of the cris crises es that that aro arose se as as a cons conseq equen uence ce that that tal talent ent cou could ld ofte often n be reve reveale aled. d. I later later rea realis lised ed by by expe experie rience nce,, that that the the best best way way to to preve prevent nt error errorss was was to antici ant icipat patee them. them. But this this time time,, by a strange strange twist twist of fate fate,, the failu failure re o the tim timer er circ circuit uit led to the the birt birth h of a roc rocket ket eng engine ineeri ering ng labo laborat ratory ory.. It was my usual practice to brief Prof. Sarabhai after every Missile Panel Meeting. After attending one such meeting in Delhi on 30 December 1971, I was returning to Trivandrum. Prof. Sarabhai was visiti vis iting ng Thum Thumba ba that that ver very y day day to to revie review w the the SLV SLV desig design. n. I spo spoke ke to to him him on the the telep telephon honee from from the air airpor portt lounge lounge abo about ut the the salie salient nt point pointss that that had emerge eme rged d at at the the pane panell meet meeting ing.. He He inst instruc ructed ted me to wa wait it at at Triva Trivandr ndrum um Airport Air port aft after er dise disemba mbarki rking ng from from the the Delhi Delhi flig flight, ht, and and to to meet meet him the there re before bef ore his dep depar arture ture for Bom Bombay bay the sam samee nigh night. t. When I reached Trivandrum, a pall of gloom hung in the air. The aircraft ladder operator Kutty told me in a choked voice that Prof. Sarabhai was no more. He had passed away a few hours ago, following a cardiac arrest. I was shocked to the core; it had happened within an hour of our conversation. It was a great blow to me and a huge loss to Indian science. That night passed in preparations for airlifting Prof. Sarabhai’s body for the cremation in Ahmedabad. For five years, between 1966 to 1971, about 22 scientists and engineers had worked closely with Prof. Sarabhai. All of them were later to take charge of important scientific projects. Not only was Prof. Sarabhai a great scientist, but also a great leader. I still remember him reviewing the bi-monthly progress of the design projects of SLV-3 in June 1970.

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WINGS OF FIRE Preesen Pr enta tati tion onss on on Sta Stag ges I to IV we were ar arrrang ngeed. Th Thee fir first st th thre reee presenta prese ntatio tions ns went went throu through gh smoo smoothl thly. y. Mine Mine was was the the last last pre presen sentat tation ion.. I introd int roduce uced d five five of my my team team mem member berss who who had had contr contribu ibuted ted in vari various ous ayss to the desig ay design. n. To every everybody body’s ’s surpri surprise, se, each each of of them pres present ented ed his his porti po rtion on of of the the work work wit with h auth authori ority ty and and confi confiden dence. ce. The pre presen sentat tation ionss were we re di disc scus usse sed d at at len lengt gth h and and the co conc nclu lusi sion on wa wass tha thatt sat satis isfa fact ctor ory y progress had been made. Suddenly, a senior scientist who worked closely with Prof. Sarabhai turned to me and enquired, “Well, the presentations for your project ere made by your team members based on their work. But what did you do for the project?” That was the first time I saw Prof. Sarabhai really annoyed. He told his colleague, “You ought to know what project management is all about. We just witnessed an excellent example. It was an outstanding demonstration of team work. I have always seen a project leader as an integrator of people and that is precisely what Kalam is.” I consider Prof. Sarabhai as the Mahatma Gandhi of Indian science —generating leadership qualities in his team and inspiring them through oth ideas and example. After an interim arrangement with Prof. MGK Menon at the helm, Prof. Satish Dhawan was given the responsibility of heading ISRO. The whole complex at Thumba, which included TERLS, the Space Science and Technology Centre (SSTC), the RPP, the Rocket Fabrication Facility (RFF), and the Propellant Fuel Complex (PFC) were merged together to form an integrated space centre and christened the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre Centre (VSSC) as as a tribute tribute to the man man to whom it o ed its exis ex iste tenc nce. e. The The ren renow owne ned d meta metall llur urgi gist st,, Dr Bra Brahm hm Pra Praka kash sh,, took took ove overr as the first Director of VSSC. The RATO system was successfully tested on 8 October 1972 at Bareilly Air Force station in Uttar Pradesh, when a high performance Sukhoi-16 jet aircraft became airborne after a short run of 1200 m, as against its usual run of 2 km. We used the 66th RATO motor in the test. The demonstration was watched by Air Marshal Shivdev Singh and Dr BD Nag Chaudhury, then the Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister. This effort was said to have saved approximately Rs 4 crores in foreign exchange. The vision of the industrialist scientist had finally borne fruit.


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ORIENTMOVERS ATION - 1 Befo fore re ta taki kin ng up up the the re resspo pons nsib ibil ilit ity y of of or orga gani nizzin ing g spa spacce res resea earc rch h in in India and India and becom becoming ing the chai chairma rman n of INCOS INCOSPAR PAR,, Prof. Prof. Sarab Sarabhai hai had had establ est ablish ished ed a num number ber of succ succes essfu sfull indu industr strial ial ent enterp erprise rises. s. He He was was awar awaree thatt scienti tha scientific fic resea research rch coul could d not survi survive ve in isol isolati ation, on, away away from from indust industry ry.. Prof.. Sarab Prof Sarabhai hai fou founde nded d Sara Sarabha bhaii Chem Chemica icals, ls, Sar Sarabh abhai ai Gla Glass, ss, Sar Sarabh abhai ai Geigy Ge igy Li Limi mite ted, d, Sar Sarab abha haii Mer Merck ck Li Limi mite ted, d, an and d the the Sa Sara rabh bhai ai En Engi gine neer erin ing g Group. His Swastik Oil Mills did pioneering work in the extraction of oil from oilseeds, manufacture of synthetic detergents and o f cosmetics. He geared Standard Pharmaceuticals Limited to enable large-scale manufacture of penicillin, which was imported from abroad at astronomical costs at that time. Now with the indigenization of RATO, his mission had acquired a new dimension—independence in the manufacture of military hardware and the potential saving of crores of rupees in foreign exchange. I recalled this on the day of the successful trial of the RATO system. Including trial expenses, we spent less than Rs. 25 lakhs on the entire project. The Indian RATO could be produced at Rs.17,000 apiece, and it replaced the imported RATO, which cost Rs. 33,000. At the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, work on the SLV went on at full swing. All th e subsystems had been designed, technologies identified, processes established, work centres selected, manpower earmarked and schedules drawn. The only hitch was the lack of a management structure to effectively handle this mega-project and coordinate activities which ere spread over a large number of work centres with their own ways of working and management. Prof Pr of.. Dhaw Dhawan an,, in con consu sult ltat atio ion n with with Dr Dr Brah Brahm m Prak Prakas ash, h, pic picke ked d me for this job. I was appointed the Project Manager—SLV, and reported directly to the Director, VSSC. My first task was to work out a project management plan. I wondered why I was selected for this task when there were stalwarts like Gowarikar, Muthunayagam, and Kurup around. With organizers like Easwardas, Aravamudan, and SC Gupta available, how would I do better? I articulated my doubts to Dr Brahm Prakash. He told me not to focus on what I saw as other people’s strengths compared to my own, but instead, to attempt to expand their abilities.

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WINGS OF FIRE Dr Br Brah ahm m Prak Prakas ash h adv advis ised ed me me to to tak takee ca care of the the pe perf rfor orma manc ncee degrad degr ader erss an and d cau cauti tion oned ed me ag agai ains nstt ou outr trig ightl htly y se seek ekin ing g op opti tima mall perfo pe rforma rmance nce from from the the partic participa ipatin ting g work work centre centres. s. “Eve “Everyo ryone ne will will work work to creat createe their their bit bit of SLV; SLV; your your probl problem em is goin going g to be your your depen dependen dency cy on ot othe herrs in in acc accom ompl plis ishi hing ng th thee to tota tall SLV SLV.. The The SL SLV V mi miss ssiion wil illl be be accomplished with, and through, a large number of people. You will require a tremendous amount of tolerance and patience,” he said. It reminded me of what my father used to read to me from the Holy Qur’an on the distinction between right and wrong: “We have sent no apostle before you who did not eat or walk about the market squares. We test you by means of one another. Will you not have patience?” I was aware of the contr contradict adiction ion that that often often occurred occurred in such such situatio situations. ns. People hea People headin ding g teams teams often often hav havee one of of the foll followi owing ng two two orient orientati ations ons:: for some some,, work work is the the most most import important ant moti motivat vation ion;; for othe others, rs, thei theirr worker workerss are the all-consuming interest. There are many others who fall either etween these two positions or outside them. My job was going to be to avoid those who were interested neither in the work nor in the workers. I was determined to prevent people from taking either extreme, and to promote conditions where work and workers went together. I visualized my team as a group in which each member worked to enrich the others in the team and experience the enjoyment of working together. The primary objectives of the SLV Project were design, development and operation of a standard SLV system, SLV-3, capable of reliably and expeditiously fulfilling the specified mission of launching a 40 kg satellite into a 400 km circular orbit around the earth. As a firs firstt step, step, I trans translat lated ed the the prima primary ry proje project ct objec objectiv tives es into into some some major ta major task sks. s. One One suc such h task task was was th thee deve develo lopm pmen entt of a ro rock cket et mot motor or system sys tem for the four sta stages ges of the the vehi vehicle cle.. The The criti critical cal pro proble blems ms in in the the comple com pletio tion n of this task task were were:: making making an an 8.6 tonne tonne prope propella llant nt grain grain and and a high hi gh mas masss rati ratio o apog apogee ee roc rocke kett moto motorr syst system em whi which ch wou would ld use use hig highhenergy propel propellants lants.. Another Another task task was was vehicle vehicle contro controll and and guidance guidance.. Three types of control control syste systems ms were were involved involved in this this task—ae task—aerodyn rodynamic amic surfac surfacee control con trol,, thrus thrustt vecto vectorr cont control rol and rea reacti ction on contr control ol for for the the firs first, t, sec second ond and an d thi third rd st stag ages es an and d the the spi spinn- p mech mechan anis ism m for for the fo four urth th st stag age. e. In Iner ertia tiall reference for control systems and guidance through inertial measurement


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ORIENTMOVERS ATION - 1 as al alsso impe impera rati tive ve.. Yet Yet an anot othe herr ma majo jorr tas task k was was the the aug ugme ment ntat atio ion no launch laun ch fa faci cili liti ties es at SH SHAR AR wi with th sy syste stems ms in inte tegr grat atio ion n an and d ch chec ecko kout ut fa faci cili liti ties es and deve develop lopmen mentt of launc launch h suppo support rt syste systems ms such such as as launc launcher herss and veh vehicl iclee assemb ass embly ly fixtu fixtures res.. A target target of of ‘all ‘all line’ line’ fligh flightt test test within within 64 64 months months was was sett in se in Mar Marcch 19 1973 73.. I took up the executive responsibility of implementing the project within the framework of policy decisions taken, the approved management plan, and the project report; and also within the budget and through the powers delegated to me by the Director, VSSC. Dr Brahm Prakash formed four Project Advisory Committees to advise me on specialized areas like rocket motors, materials and fabrication, control and guidanc guidance, e, electro electronics, nics, and missi mission on and launc launching. hing. I was assure assured d of the guid guidanc ancee of outst outstand anding ing scie scienti ntists sts like like DS DS Rane, Rane, Muthu Muthunay nayaga agam, m, TS Prahla Prahlad, d, AR Acha Acharya rya,, SC Gupta Gupta,, and CL CL Am a Rao, Rao, to name name a few. few. The Holy Qur’an says: “We have sent down to you revelations showing you an account of those who have gone before you and an admonition to righteous men.” I sought to share the wisdom of these extremely brilliant people. “Light upon light. Allah guides to His light whom He will. He has knowledge of all things.” We made three groups to carry out the project activities—a Programme Management Group, an Integration and Flight Testing Group and a Subsystems Development Group. The first Group was made responsible for looking after the overall executive aspects of SLV-3: project management, including administration, planning and evaluation, subsystems specifications, materials, fabrication, quality assurance and control con trol.. The Inte Integra gratio tion n and Flig Flight ht Testi Testing ng Grou Group p was was assig assigned ned the the tasks tasks of gen gener erat ation ion of fac facil ilit itie iess requ requir ired ed for for int integ egra ratio tion n and and flig flight ht tes testi ting ng of of SLV-3. SLV -3. They were als also o asked asked to carr carry y out out the the anal analys ysis is of the the vehic vehicle, le, includ inc luding ing mecha mechanic nical al and and aerodyn aerodynami amicc interfa interface ce probl problems ems.. The Subs Su bsys yste tems ms Dev Devel elop opme ment nt Gro Group up was was gi give ven n the the job job of int inter erac acti ting ng wit with h various vario us division divisionss of VSSC VSSC and and was made respo responsibl nsiblee for ensu ensuring ring that all technol technological ogical probl problems ems in in the devel developmen opmentt of variou variouss subsyst subsystems ems weree overc wer overcome ome by crea creating ting a syner synergy gy amon amongst gst the ava availa ilable ble tal talent ent in these the se di divi visi sion ons. s.

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I projected a requirement of 275 engineers and scientists for SLV-3 but could get only about 50. If it had not been for synergistic efforts, the whole project would have remained a non-starter. Some young engineers like MSR Dev, G Madhavan Nair, S Srinivasan, US Singh, Sunderrajan, Abdul Majeed, Ved Prakash Sandlas, Namboodiri, Sasi Kumar, and Sivathanu Pillai developed their own ground rules designed to help them ork efficiently as a project team, and produced outstanding individual and team results. These men were in the habit of celebrating their successes together—in a sort of mutual appreciation club. This boosted morale, and helped them a great deal to accept setbacks and to revitalize themselves after periods of intense work. Each member of the SLV-3 project team was a specialist in his own field. It was natural therefore that each one of them valued his independence. To manage the performance of such specialists the team lead le adeer ha hass to ado dopt pt a de deli lica cate te ba bala lanc ncee be betw twee een n th thee ha hand ndss-on on and the hands-off approach. The hands-on approach takes an active interest on a very regular basis in the members’ work. The hands-off approach trusts team members and recognizes their need for autonomy to carry out their roles, as they see fit. It hinges on their self-motivation. When the leader goes too far with the hands-on approach, he is seen as an anxious and interfering type. If he goes too far hands-off, he is s een as abdicating his responsibility or not being interested. Today, the members of the SLV-3 team have grown to lead some of the country’s most prestigious programmes. MSR Dev heads the Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV) project, Madhavan Nair is the chief of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) project and Sandlas and Sivathanu Pillai are Chief Controllers in DRDO Headquarters. Each one of these men rose to his present position through consistent hard work and rocklike will power. It was indeed an exceptionally talented team. ***

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avin ing g ta take ken n up th thee lead ader ersshi hip p of exe xeccut utin ing g the SL SLV V-3 pr proj ojeect ct,, I faced urgent and conflicting demands on my time—for committee work, material procurement, correspondence, reviews, briefings, and for the need to be informed on a wide range of subjects. My day would start with a stroll of about 2 km around the lodge I was living in. I used to prepare a general schedule during my morning alk, and emphasize two or three things I would definitely like to accomplish during the day, including at least one thing that would help achieve long-term goals. Once in the office, I would clean the table first. Within the n ext ten minutes, I would scan all the papers and quickly divide them into different categories: those that required immediate action, low prio rity ones, ones that could be kept pending, and reading material. Then I would put the high priority papers in front of me and everything else out of sight. Coming back to SLV-3, about 250 sub-assemblies and 44 major subsystems were conceived during the design. The list of materials went p to over 1 million components. A project implementation strategy had ecome essential to achieve sustained viability of this complex programme of seven to ten years’ duration. From his side, Prof. Dhawan came up with a clear statement that all the manpower and funds at


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WINGS OF FIRE VSSC and VSSC and SHAR SHAR wou would ld have have to be be dire directe cted d to us. Fro From m our our side, side, we evolve evo lved d a matrix matrix type type of mana managem gement ent to to achiev achievee produc productiv tivee interf interfaci acing ng ith more more tha than n 300 ind indust ustrie ries. s. The The targe targett was was that that our int intera eracti ction on with with them must must lead lead to their tech technology nology empow empowermen erment. t. Three Three things things I stress stressed ed beforee my colle befor colleagues agues—impor —importance tance of desig design n capabili capability, ty, goal setti setting ng and and realis rea lisati ation, on, and and the the stren strength gth to to withst withstand and setb setback acks. s. Now, Now, befo before re I dwell dwell on the fine finerr aspect aspectss of the man manage agemen mentt of the the SLV-3 SLV-3 proje project, ct, let let me tal talk k about the SLV-3 itself.

stainl sta inless ess ste steel, el, ele electr ctrofo oformin rming g techn technique iques, s, and and ultr ultra-p a-prec recisi ision on proc process ess tooling.. We also tooling also decid decided ed to make make some some impor importan tantt machin machines es in-ho in-house use,, likee the 254 lik 254-li -litre tre vert vertica icall mixer mixer and and the the groov groovee machi machinin ning g facil facility ity for for our our third and and fourth fourth stages. stages. Many of our subs subsyste ystems ms were were so mass massive ive and and complex comple x that that they they impli implied ed sizea sizeable ble financ financial ial outlay outlays. s. Withou Withoutt any any hesitat hes itation ion,, we approa approache ched d indus industrie triess in the the privat privatee sector sector and and devel develope oped d contra con tract ct manag manageme ement nt plans plans whic which h later later beca became me bluep blueprin rints ts for for many many government-run science and technology business organizations.

It is is inte intere rest stin ing g to to des descr cribe ibe a lau launc nch h veh vehic icle le an anthr throp opom omor orph phic ical ally ly.. The main main mecha mechanical nical struc structure ture may be visual visualized ized as the the body body of of a human eing, the control control and guida guidance nce system systemss with with their their associa associated ted elec electronic tronicss consti con stitut tutee the brai brain. n. The mus muscul culatu ature re comes comes from from prop propell ellant ants. s. How How are they th ey ma made de?? Wh What at ar aree th thee ma mate teri rial alss an and d te tech chni niqu ques es in invo volv lved ed??

Comi Co ming ng to th thee lif lifee par partt of th thee SLV SLV,, ther theree is is the the co comp mple lex x ele elect ctri rica call circuitry, which sets the mechan circuitry, mechanical ical struc structure ture in motion. motion. This vas vastt spectrum spect rum of of activiti activities, es, encomp encompassi assing ng simple simple elect electrical rical power suppl supplies ies to sophis sop histic ticate ated d instrum instrument entati ation on as well well as as guidan guidance ce and and control control sys system temss is coll co llec ecti tive vely ly re refe ferr rred ed to in ae aero rosp spac acee re rese sear arch ch as ‘A ‘Avi vion onic ics’ s’.. Development efforts in avionic systems had already been initiated at VSSC in the field of digital electronics, microwave radars and radar transponders, and inertial components and systems. It is very important to know the state of the SLV when it is in flight. SLV brought a new surge of activity in the development of a variety of transducers for measurement of physical parameters like pressure, thrust, vibration, acceleration, etc. The transducers convert the physical parameters o the vehicle into electrical signals. An on-board telemetry system processes these signals suitably and transmits them in the form of radio signals to the ground stations, where they are received and deciphered back to the original information collected by the transducers. If the systems work according to design there is little cause for concern; but in case something goes wrong, the vehicle must be destroyed to stop it from making any unexpected moves. To ensure safety, a s pecial tele-command system as made to destroy the rocket in case it malfunctions, and an interferrometer system was developed to determine the range and position of the SLV, as a added means to the radar system. The SLV project also initiated the indigenous production of sequencers which time the various events, such as ignition, stage separation, vehicle altitude programmers which store the information for the rocket manoeuvres, and auto-pilot electronics which take appropriate decisions to steer the rocket along its predetermined path.

A large variety of materials go into the making of a launch vehicle— both metallic and non-metallic, which include composites and ceramics. In metals, different types of stainless steel, alloys of aluminium, magnesium, titanium, copper, beryllium, tungsten and molybdenum are sed. Composite materials are composed of a mixture or combination of two or more constituents which differ in form and material composition and which are essentially insoluble in one another. The materials which combine may be metallic, organic or inorganic. While other material combinations possible are virtually unlimited, the most t ypical composites in launch vehicles are made of structural constituents, embedded in a matrix. We used a large variety of glass fibre reinforced plastic composites and opened avenues for the entry of Kevlar, polyamides and carbon-carbon composites. Ceramics are special types of baked clay sed for microwave transparent enclosures. We considered using ceramics, but had to reject the idea then due to technological limitations. Through mechanical engineering, these materials are transformed into hardware. In fact, of all the engineering disciplines which feed directly into the development of rocketry, m echanical engineering is perhaps the most intrinsic one. Be it a sophisticated system like a liquid engine or a piece of hardware as simple as a fastener, its ultimate fabrication calls for expert mechanical engineers and precision machine tools. We decided to develop important technologies like welding techniques for low-alloy


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WINGS OF FIRE With Wi thout out th thee ener energy gy to pr prope opell the the whol wholee syst system em,, a launc launch h vehic vehicle le remainss ground remain grounded. ed. A prop propell ellant ant is is usual usually ly a combu combusti stible ble subs substan tance ce that that produ pr oduces ces hea heatt and and supp supplie liess ejec ejectio tion n parti particle cless in a rock rocket et engi engine. ne. It is oth a sourc sourcee of energ energy y and and a workin working g subst substanc ancee for expa expandi nding ng energ energy. y. Beca Be caus usee the the dis disti tinc ncti tion on is is more more dec decis isiv ivee in roc rocke kett engi engine nes, s, the the ter term m prope pr opella llant nt is used used primar primarily ily to descr describe ibe chem chemica icals ls carrie carried d by rocket rocketss for propulsive purposes. It is is cust customa omary ry to to clas classi sify fy pro prope pell llan ants ts as as eith either er sol solid idss or liq liqui uids ds.. We concentra concen trated ted on soli solid d propell propellant ants. s. A solid solid propell propellant ant consi consists sts essen essentia tially lly of thre threee com compo pone nent nts: s: the ox oxid idiz izer er,, the the fuel fuel and and the the add addit itiv ives es.. Soli Solid d prope pr opella llants nts are are furth further er class classifie ified d into into two typ types: es: comp composi osite te and and double double ase. as e. The fo form rmer er con consi sist stss of of an an oxid oxidiz izer er or ino inorg rgan anic ic mat mater eria iall (li (like ke ammonium ammon ium perchlora perchlorate) te) in a matrix matrix of organic organic fuel fuel (like synth synthetic etic rubber rubber). ). Double base prope propellants llants were dista distant nt dreams dreams those days but neverth nevertheles elesss e dared to dream about them. All this self sufficiency and in digenous manufacture came gradually, and not always without pain. We were a team of almost self-trained engineers. In retrospect I feel the unique blend of our untutored talent, character, and dedication suited SLV development the m ost. Problems surfac sur faced ed regu regular larly ly and al almos mostt cons consist istent ently ly.. But But my tea team m membe members rs nev never er exha ex haus uste ted d my pat patie ienc nce. e. I re reca call ll wri writi ting ng aft after er win windi ding ng up up a late late nig night ht shift:

Beautiful hands are those that do Work that is earnest and brave and true oment by moment The long day through. Almost parallel to our work on SLV, the DRDO was preparing itself for developing an indigenous surface-to-air missile. The RATO project was abandoned because the aircraft for which it was designed became obsolete. The new aircraft did not need RATO. With the project called off, Narayanan was DRDO’s logical choice to lead the team for making the missile. Unlike us at ISRO, they preferred the philosophy of one-toone substitution rather than technology development and performance upgrading. The Surface-to-Air Missile SA–2 of Russian origin was chosen to acquire detailed knowledge of all the design parameters of a


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ORIETHRUSTERS NTATION - 1 prov pr oven en mis missil silee and and to est estab abli lish sh,, there thereby by,, the nec neces essa sary ry inf infra rast struc ructu ture re required requir ed in the the organ organiza izatio tion. n. It was was though thoughtt that that once one one-to -to-on -onee indige ind igeniz nizati ation on was was est establ ablish ished, ed, fur furthe therr adva advance ncess in the sop sophis histic ticate ated d field field of guide guided d missil missiles es would would be be a natura naturall fall-o fall-out. ut. The The projec projectt was san sancti ctione oned d in Feb Febru ruar ary y 1972 1972 wit with h the the code code nam namee Devi Devill and and fund fundin ing g of abo about ut Rs. Rs. 5 crore cro re was was made avai availab lable le for the the first first thre threee years. years. Almos Almostt half of it it was to go in foreign exchange. By now now pro promo mote ted d to Air Air Com Commo modo dore re,, Nara Naraya yana nan n took took ove overr as Director, Direct or, DRDL. DRDL. He mobil mobilize ized d this young young labora laboratory tory loca located ted in the the southsoutheast ea ster ern n sub subur urbs bs of Hyd Hyder erab abad ad to tak takee up up this this en enor ormo mous us ta task sk.. The The landsc lan dscape ape dott dotted ed with with tombs tombs and and old old buildi buildings ngs star started ted reve reverbe rberat rating ing with with new ne w life life.. Nara Naraya yana nan n was was a man man of of trem tremen endo dous us ene energy rgy—a —a man man alw alway ayss in the boost boost phase. phase. He He gathered gathered around around him a strong strong group of of enthusias enthusiastic tic people, peopl e, drawing drawing many servi service ce office officers rs into into this this predom predominantl inantly y civilian civilian laboratory. Totally preoccupied with the SLV affairs, my participation in the Missile Panel meetings gradually dwindled, and then stopped altogether. However, stories about Narayanan and his Devil were beginning to reach Trivandrum. A transformation of an unprecedented scale was taking place there. During Dur ing my ass associ ociati ation on with with Nar Naraya ayanan nan in the the RATO RATO pro projec ject, t, I had discov disc over ered ed tha thatt he was was a ha hard rd tas taskm kmas aste ter— r—one one wh who o went went all all out out for for control, mastery and domination. I used to wonder if managers like him, ho aim at getting results no matter what the price, would face a rebellion of silence and non-cooperation in the long run. New Year’s day, 1975, brought with it an opportunity to have a first person assessment of the work going on under Narayanan’s leadership. Prof. MGK Menon, who was working then as Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister and was head of th e DRDO, appointed a review committee under the chairmanship of Dr Brahm Prakash to evaluate the work carried out in the Devil Project. I was taken into the team as a rocket specialist to evaluate the progress made in the areas of aerodynamics, structure and propulsion of the missile. On the propulsion aspects, I was assisted by BR Somasekhar and by Wg Cdr P Kamaraju. The committee members included Dr RP Shenoy and Prof. IG Sarma ho were to review the work done on the electronic systems.

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WINGS OF FIRE We met at DRDL on 1 and 2 January 1975, followed by a second session after about six weeks. We visited the various development work centr ce ntres es and and hel held d disc discus ussi sions ons wi with th the the sci scien enti tist stss ther there. e. I was was gre great atly ly impres imp ressed sed by the the visi vision on of of AV Ran Ranga ga Rao, Rao, the dyn dynami amism sm of of Wg Cdr R Gopala Gop alaswa swami, mi, the thor thoroug oughne hness ss of Dr I Achy Achyuta uta Rao, Rao, the ente enterpr rprise ise of of G Ganesan Ganesan,, S Krishna Krishnan’s n’s clar clarity ity of thoug thought ht and and R Balakr Balakrish ishnan nan’s ’s critic critical al eye for deta detail. il. The The calm calm of JC Bhat Bhattac tachary haryaa and and Lt Col Col R Swam Swamina inatha than n in the face face of immen immense se complexi complexities ties was was striking. striking. The The zeal zeal and applic application ation of Lt Col VJ VJ Sundara Sundaram m was was conspic conspicuo uo s. They They were a brillian brilliant, t, committe committed d group gro up of of peopl people—a e—a mix of serv service ice off office icers rs and and civi civilia lian n scien scientis tists— ts— ho had ha d trai traine ned d thems themsel elve vess in the the are areas as of of thei theirr own own inte intere rest st out out of the their ir driving urge to fly an Indian missile. We had our concluding meeting towards the end of March 1975 at Trivandrum. We felt that the progress in the execution of the project as adequate in respect of hardware fabrication to carry out the philosophy of one-to-one substitution of missile subsystems except in the liquid rocket area, where some more time was required to succeed. The committee was of the unanimous opinion that DRDL had achieved the twin goals of hardware fabrication and system analysis creditably in the design and development of the ground electronics complex assigned to them. We obse observe rved d that that the the oneone-toto-one one sub substi stitut tution ion phi philo losop sophy hy had had taken taken prece pre cede denc ncee over over the the gen gener erat ation ion of desi design gn dat data. a. Con Conse sequ quen entl tly, y, many many dessig de ign n eng engin ineeer erss had had no nott be been abl ablee to to pa pay ade adequ quat atee att atteent ntio ion n to to the the necessary analysis which was the practice followed by us at VSSC. The system analysis studies carried out up to then had also been only o a preliminary nature. In all, the results accomplished were outstanding, but we still had a long way to go. I recalled a school poem:

Don’t worry and fret, fainthearted, The chances have just begun, For the best jobs haven’t been started, The best work hasn’t been done. The committee made a strong recommendation to the Government to give Devil a further go-ahead. Our recommendation was accepted and the project proceeded.


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ORIETHRUSTERS NTATION - 1 Back home at VSSC, SLV was taking shape. In contrast to the DRDL which was sprinting ahead, we were moving slowly. Instead of following the le lead ader er,, my tea team m was was trek trekki king ng tow towar ards ds suc succe cess ss on on seve severa rall indi indivi vidu dual al paths. pat hs. The esse essence nce of our our meth method od of of work work was was an an empha emphasis sis on commun com munica icatio tion, n, parti particul cularly arly in the the later lateral al direc directio tion, n, among among the the teams teams and with within in the team teams. s. In a way, way, communi communica catio tion n was my mant mantra ra for managi man aging ng this this giga giganti nticc projec project. t. To get get the the best best from from my my team team membe members, rs, I spoke to them frequ frequently ently on the goals goals and and objective objectivess of the organi organizatio zation, n, emphasizin empha sizing g the impor importance tance of each each membe member’s r’s specif specific ic contrib contribution ution toward tow ardss the the reali realisat sation ion of thes thesee goals goals.. At the sam samee time, time, I tried tried to be be rece re cept ptive ive to eve every ry con const stru ruct ctiv ivee idea idea ema emana nati ting ng from from my my subo subord rdin inat ates es and to relay it in an appropriate form for critical examination and implementation. I had written somewhere in my diary of that period:

If you want to leave your footprints On the sands of time Do not drag your feet. Most of the time, communication gets confused with conversation. In fact, the two are distinctly different. I was (and am) a terrible conversationalist but consider myself a good communicator. A conversation full of pleasantries is most often devoid of any useful information, whereas communication is meant only for the exchange of inform inf ormati ation. on. It It is very very imp import ortant ant to real realise ise tha thatt commun communica icatio tion n is a twotwoparty pa rty af affa fair ir whic which h aims aims at at pass passin ing g on or rec recei eivi ving ng a spe speci cifi ficc piec piecee of inffor in orma mati tion on.. While working on the SLV, I used communication to promote understanding and to come to an agreement with colleagues in defining the problems that existed and in identifying the action necessary to be taken to solve them. Authentic communication was one of the tools skilfully used in managing the project. How did I do that ? To begin with, I tried to be factual and never sugar-coated the bitter pill of facts. At one of the Space Science Council (SSC) review meetings, frustrated by the procurement delays, I erupted into an agitated complaint against the indifference and red-tape tactics of the controller of accounts and financial advisor of VSSC. I insisted that the systems of work followed y the accounts staff had to change and demanded the delegation of

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WINGS OF FIRE their the ir funct function ionss to the the proj project ect tea team. m. Dr Brah Brahm m Prakas Prakash h was was taken taken aba aback ck by the blu bluntn ntnes esss of my sub submis missio sion. n. He He stub stubbed bed out his cig cigare arette tte and alked out of the meeting. I spent the whole night regretting the pain my harsh words had caused Dr Brahm Prakash. However, I was determined to fight the inertia built into the system before I found myself being dragged down with it. I aske as ked d mysel myselff a prac practi tica call ques questi tion on:: coul could d one one live live with with the these se ins insen ensi sitiv tivee ureauc ure aucrat rats? s? The ans answe werr was was a big no. The Then n I ask asked ed myse myself lf a pri privat vatee questi que stion: on: what what would would hurt hurt Dr Brah Brahm m Prakas Prakash h more, more, my seemi seemingl ngly y harsh harsh ordss now, ord now, or or the the buria buriall of the SLV at a la later ter sta stage? ge? Fin Findin ding g my hea head d and an d hear heartt agr agree eein ing, g, I pr pray ayed ed to to God God for for help help.. Fort Fortun unat atel ely y for for me, me, Dr Dr Brahm Praka Prakash sh delegate delegated d financial financial powers powers to to the project project the next next morning. morning. Anyone who has taken up the responsibility to lead a team can be successful only if he is sufficiently independent, powerful and influential in his own right to become a person to reckon with. This is perhaps also the path to individual satisfaction in life, for freedom with responsibility is the only sound basis for personal happiness. What can one do to strengthen personal freedom? I would like to share with you two techniques I adopt in this regard. First, by building your own education and skills. Knowledge is a tangible asset, quite often the most important tool in your work. The more up-to-date the knowledge you possess, the freer you are. Knowledge cannot be taken away from anyone except by obsolescence. A leader can only be free to lead his team if he keeps abreast of all that is happening around him—in real time. To lead, in a way, is to engage in continuing education. In many countries, it is normal for professionals to go to college several nights every week. To be a successful team leader, one has to stay back after the din and clutter of a working d ay to emerge better-equipped and ready to face a new day. The second way is to develop a passion for personal responsibility. The sovereign way to personal freedom is to help determine the forces that determine you. Be active! Take on responsibility! Work for the things you believe in. If you do not, you are surrendering your fate to others. The historian Edith Hamilton wrote of ancient Greece, “When the freedom they wished for most was freedom from responsibility, then


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ORIETHRUSTERS NTATION - 1 Athens Ath ens ceas ceased ed to to be free free and was was nev never er free free agai again”. n”. The trut truth h is that that there is a gre there great at dea deall that that mos mostt of of us us can can ind indivi ividua dually lly do to inc increa rease se our freedom. We can combat the forces that threaten to oppress us. We can fortify ourselves with the qualities and conditions that promote individual freedom. In doing so, we help to create a stronger organization, capable of achieving unpr ecedented goals. As wor work k on the SL SLV V gaine gained d mome momentu ntum, m, Pro Prof. f. Dha Dhawa wan n intr introdu oduce ced d the sys system tem of revi reviewi ewing ng prog progres resss with with the the enti entire re tea team m invol involve ved d in the projec pro ject. t. Prof. Prof. Dhawan Dhawan was was a man with with a missio mission. n. He woul would d effortl effortless essly ly pulll toget pul together her all the loo loose se end endss to mak makee work work mov movee smoot smoothly hly.. At VSS VSSC C the re revi view ew mee meetin tings gs pr pres esid ided ed ove overr by Pro Prof. f. Dha Dhawa wan n use used d to be considere consi dered d major events events.. He was a true captai captain n of the ISRO ship—a ship—a commander, navigator, housekeeper, all rolled into one. Yet, he never pretended to know more than he did. Instead, when something appeared ambiguous, he would ask questions and discuss his doubts frankly. I remember him as a leader for whom to lead with a firm, but fair hand, was a moral compulsion. His mind used to be very firm once it had been decided on any issue. But before taking a decision, it used to be like clay, open to impressions until the final moulding. Then the decisions would be popped into the potter’s oven for glazing, never failing to emerge hard and tough, resistant and enduring. I had the privilege of spending a great deal of time with P rof. Dhawan. He could hold the listener enthralled because of the logical, intellectual acumen he could bring to bear on his analysis of any subject. He had an unusual combination of degrees—a B.Sc. in Mathematics and Ph ysics, an M.A. in English Literature, B.E. in Mechanical Engineering, M.S. in Aeronautical Engineering followed by a Ph.D. in Aeronautics and Mathematics from the California Institute of T echnology (Caltech) in USA. Intellectual debates with him were very stimulating and could always mentally energize me and my team members. I found him full of optimism and compassion. Although he often judged himself harshly, with no allowances or excuses, he was generous to a fault when it came to others. Prof. Dhawan used to sternly pronounce his judgements and then pardon the contrite guilty parties.

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WINGS OF FIRE In 197 1975, 5, ISR ISRO O beca became me a gove governm rnment ent bod body. y. An ISR ISRO O cou counci ncill was was formed form ed con consi sist stin ing g of Dire Direct ctor orss of diff differ eren entt work work cent centre ress and and seni senior or officer offi cerss in the Dep Depart artmen mentt of Spac Spacee (DoS) (DoS).. This This prov provide ided d a sy symbol mbolic ic link lin k as wel welll as a forum forum for for parti particip cipati ative ve mana managem gement ent bet betwee ween n the the DoS DoS whic wh ich h had had the the Gov Gover ernm nmen enta tall pow power erss and and th thee cen centre tress whic which h woul would d execute the jobs. In t he traditional parlance of Government departments, ISRO’s ISR O’s ce centr ntres es woul would d have have been been subor subordin dinate ate uni units ts or or attac attached hed off office ices, s, ut such such words words wer weree never never spo spoken ken eit either her at ISRO ISRO or DoS. DoS. Part Partici icipat pative ive management manag ement,, which which calls calls for activ activee interact interaction ion betwe between en those those who wield wield administrative powers and the executing agencies, was a novel feature of ISRO management that would go a long way in Indian R&D organizations.

ORIETHRUSTERS NTATION - 1 solution, soluti on, en engin gineer eerss sho show w them them ye yett anot another her lum lumine ineu, u, yet yet one mor moree poss po ssib ibil ility ity.. I caut cautio ione ned d my tea team m agai agains nstt beco becomi ming ng sci scien enti tist sts. s. Scie Science nce is a passi passion— on—aa never never-en -endin ding g voya voyage ge into into pro promis mises es and pos possib sibili ilitie ties. s. We We had only lim limite ited d time time and and limite limited d funds funds.. Our Our makin making g the the SLV SLV depen depended ded upon up on ou ourr awar awaren enes esss of of our our own own li limi mits ts.. I pre prefe ferre rred d exi exist stin ing g wor worka kabl blee solutions which would be the best options. Nothing that is new comes into int o timetime- oun ound d proje projects cts wit withou houtt its its own own proble problems. ms. In In my opi opinio nion, n, a proj projec ectt leader lea der shou should ld alwa always ys work work with with prov proven en techn technolo ologie giess in most most of of the systems syste ms as as far far as poss possible ible and expe experiment riment only from multipl multiplee resourc resources. es. ***

The new set- p brought me in contact contact with TN Seshan, the Joint Secretary in the DoS. Till then, I had a latent reservation about ureaucrats, so I was not very comfortable when I first saw Seshan participating in a SLV-3 Management Board meeting. But soon, it changed to admiration for Seshan, who would meticulously go through the agenda and always come for the meetings prepared. He used to kindle the minds of scientists with his tremendous analytical capability. The first three years of the SLV project was the period for the revelation of many fascinating mysteries of science. Being human, ignorance has always been with us, and always will be. What was new was my awareness of it, my awakening to its fathomless dimensions. I sed to erroneously suppose that the function of science was to explain everything, and that unexplained phenomena were the p rovince of people like my father and Lakshmana Sastry. However, I always refrained from discussing these matters with any of my scientist colleagues, fearing that it would threaten the hegemony of their meticulously formed views. Gradually, I became aware of the difference between science and technology, between research and development. Science is inherently open-ended and exploratory. Development is a closed loop. Mistakes are imperative in development and are made every day, but each mistake is used for modification, upgradation or betterment. Probably, the Creator created engineers to make scientists achieve more. For each time scientists come up with a thoroughly researched and fully comprehended


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ORIE EXPEDIENTS NTATION - 1 ob success, we can put them together to form a blueprint for outstanding performance in both thought and action.

8 Expedients The SLV-3 project had been formulated in such a way that the major technology work centres, both at VSSC and at SHAR could handle propellant production, rocket motor testing and launch of any large diameter rocket. As participants in the SLV-3 project, we set three milestones for ourselves: development and flight qualification of all subsystems through sounding rockets by 1975; sub-orbital flights b y 1976; and the final orbital flight in 1978. The work tempo had picked up now and the atmosphere was charged with excitement. Wherever I went, our teams had something interesting to show me. A large number of things were being done for the first time in the country and the groundlevel technicians had had no prior exposure to this kind of work. I saw new performance dimensions growing among my team members. Performance dimensions are factors that lead to creation. They go eyond competencies such as the skills and knowledge o f the individual. Performance dimensions are broader and deeper than what a person must know and be able to do in order t o function well in his or her job. They include attitudes, values and character traits. T hey exist at various levels of the human personality. At the behavioural level—at the outermost ring of the tree— tree— e can observe observe skills and measure measure knowled knowledge. ge. Social roles and self-image dimensions are found at the intermediate level. Motives and traits exist at the innermost or core level. If we can identify those performance dimensions which are most highly correlated with


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Although SLV-3 was still in the future, its subsystems were being completed. In June 1974, we used the Centaur sounding rocket launch to test some of our critical systems. A scaled down heat shield of SLV, Rate Gyro Unit, and Vehicle Attitude Programmer were integrated into the Centaur rocket. The th ree systems involved wide-ranging expertise— composite materials, control engineering and software, none of them ever having been tried before in the country. The test was a complete success. Until then the Indian Space P rogramme had not gone beyond sounding rockets and even knowledgeable people were not ready to see and acknowledge its efforts as anything more serious than fiddling around with meteorological instruments. For the first time, we inspired the confidence of the nation. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi told Parliament on 24 July 1974, “The development and fabrication of relevant technologies, subsystems and hardware (to make India’s first S atellite Launch Vehicle) are progressing satisfactorily. A number of industries are engaged in the fabrication of components. The first orbital flight by India is scheduled to take place in 1978.” Like any other act of creation, the creation of the SLV-3 also had its painful moments. One day, when my team and I were totally engrossed in the preparation of the static test of the first stage motor, the news o a death in the family reached me. My brother-in-law and mentor Jenab Ahmed Jallaludin, was no more. For a couple of minutes, I was immobilized, I could not think, could not feel anything. When I could focus on my surroundings once more and attempted to participate in the work, I found myself talking incoherently—and then I realised that, with Jallaluddin, a part of me had passed away too. A vision of my chi ldhood reappeared before me—evening walks around the Rameswaram temple, shining sand and dancing tides in the moonlight, stars looking down from an unlit sky on a new moon night, Jallaluddin showing me the horizon sinking into the sea, arranging money for my books, and seeing me off at Santa Cruz airport. I felt that I h ad been thrown into a whirlpool of time and space. My father, by now more than a hundred years old, pall bearer for his son-in-law, who had been half his age; the bereft soul of my sister Zohara, her wounds from the loss of her four-year-old son still

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WINGS OF FIRE raw—these raw—th ese imag images es came came befor beforee my eyes eyes in a blur blur,, too terr terribl iblee for me me to compre com prehen hend. d. I lean leaned ed on on the ass assem embly bly jig, jig, comp compose osed d myself myself and and left left a few inst instruc ructio tions ns with with Dr S Srini Srinivas vasan, an, Deputy Deputy Pro Projec jectt Direct Director, or, to to carry carry on with the work in my absence. Travelling overnight in a combination of district buses, I reached Rameswaram only the next day. During this time, I did my best to free myself from the very past which appeared to have come to an end with Jallaluddin. But the moment I reached my house, grief assailed me afresh. I had no words for Zohara or for my niece Mehboob, both of whom ere crying uncontrollably. I had no tears to shed. We sorrowfully put Jallaluddin’s body to rest. My father held my hands for a long time. There were no tears in his eyes either. “Do you not see, Abul, how the Lord lengthens the shadows? Had it been His will, He could have made them constant. But He makes the sun their guide, little by little He shortens them. It is He who has made the night a mantle for you, and sleep a rest. Jallaluddin has gone into a long sleep—a dreamless sleep, a complete rest of all his being within simple unconsciousness. Nothing will befall us except what Allah has ordained. He is our Guardian. In Allah, my son, put your trust.” He slowly closed his wrinkled eyelids and went into a trance-like state. Death has never frightened me. After all, everyone has to go one day. But perhaps Jallaluddin went a little too early, a little too soon. I could not bring myself to stay for long at home. I felt the whole of my inner self drowning in a sort of anxious agitation, and inner conflicts between my personal and my professional life. For many days, back in Thumba, I felt a sense of futility I h ad never known before—about everything I was doing. I had long talks with Prof. Dhawan. He told me that my progress on the SLV project would bring me solace. The confusion would first lessen and would later pass away altogether. He drew my attention to the onders of technology and its achievements. Gradually, the hardware began emerging from the drawing boards. Sasi Kumar built a very very effective network network of fa rication work centres. centres. Within days of getting a component drawing, he would embark on the


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ORIE EXPEDIENTS NTATION - 1 fabric fab ricati ation on with with what what was was availa available ble.. Namboo Namboodir dirii and Pill Pillai ai were were spend spending ing their days their days and and night nightss at the the prop propuls ulsion ion labo laborat ratory ory dev develo elopin ping g four four rocke rockett motors mot ors simu simulta ltaneo neousl usly. y. MSR MSR Dev and Sand Sandla lass drew drew up metic meticulo ulous us plans plans for mechanical and electrical integration of the vehicle. Madhavan Nair and Murthy examined the systems developed by the VSSC electronics laboratories and engineered them into flight subsystems wherever it was possible. US Singh brought up the first launch ground system, comprising of telemetry, tele-command, and radar. He also chalked out a detailed work plan with SHAR for the flight trials. Dr Sundararajan closely monitored mission objectives and concurrently updated the systems. Dr Srinivasan, a competent launch vehicle designer, discharged all my complementary and supplementary functions as the SLV deputy project director. He noticed what I had overlooked, heard the points I failed to listen to, and suggested possibilities that I had not so much as visualized. We learned the hard way that the biggest problem of project management is to achieve a regular and efficient interfacing between the different individuals and work centres. Hard work can be set at nought in the absence of proper coordination. I had the fortune of having YS Rajan from the ISRO headquarters as my friend in those times. Rajan was (and is) a universal friend. His friendship embraced with equal warmth turners, fitters, electricians and drivers as well as scientists, engineers, contractors and bureaucrats. Today when the press calls me a ‘welder of people’, I attribute this to Rajan. His close interaction with different work centres created such a harmony in SLV affairs that the fine threads of individual efforts were woven into a mighty fabric of great strength. In 1976, my father passed away. He had been in poor health for quite some time due to his advanced age. The death of Jallaluddin had also taken a toll on his health and spirit. He had lost his d esire to live, as though after seeing Jallaluddin return to his divine source, he too had ecome eager to return to his. Whenever I learnt about my father’s indifferent health, I would visit Rameswaram with a good city doctor. Every time I did so, he would chide me for my unnecessary concern and lecture me on the expenses

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WINGS OF FIRE incurre inc urred d on the doc doctor tor.. “Your “Your vis visit it is is enoug enough h for for me to get wel well, l, why why bring bri ng a do doct ctor or and and spe spend nd mon money ey on his his fee fees? s?”” he wo woul uld d ask. ask. Thi Thiss tim timee he had gone beyond beyond the capabilities of any doctor, care or money. My father Jainulabdeen, who had lived on Rameswaram island for 102 years, had passed away leaving behind fifteen grandchildren and one greatgrandson. He had led an exemplary life. Sitting alone, on the night after the burial, I remembered a poem written on the death of Yeats by his friend Auden, and felt as if it was written for m y father:

Earth, receive an honoured guest; William Yeats is laid to rest: ................... In the prison of his daysTeach the ree man how to praise. In worldly terms, it was the death of just another old man. No public mourning was organized, no flags were lowered to half-mast, no newspaper carried an obituary for him. He was not a politician, a scholar, or a businessman. He was a plain and transparent man. My father pursued the supreme value, the Good. His life inspired the growth of all that was benign and angelic, wise and noble. My father had always reminded me of the legendary Abou Ben Adhem who, waking one night from a deep dream of peace, saw an angel writing in a book of gold the names of those who love the Lord. Abou asked the Angel if his own name was on the list. T he Angel replied in the negative. Disappointed but still cheerful, Abou said, “Write my name down as one that loves his fellowmen”. The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night, it came again with a great wakening light, and showed the names of those whom the love of God had blessed. And Abou’s name was the first on the list. I sat for a long time with my mother, but could not speak. She blessed me in a choked voice when I took leave of her to return to Thumba. She knew that she was not to leave the house of her husband, of which she was the custodian, and I was not to live with her there. Both o f us had to live out our own destinies. Was I too stubborn or was I excessively preoccupied with the SLV? Should I not have forgotten for a while my


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ORIE EXPEDIENTS NTATION - 1 own aff affair airss in ord order er to list listen en to her? her? I regre regretfu tfully lly rea realis lised ed thi thiss only only whe when n she pas she passe sed d away away so soon on af afte terw rwar ards. ds. The SLV-3 Apogee rocket, developed as a common upper stage ith Diamont, scheduled to be flight tested in France was mired in a series of knotty problems. I had to rush to France to sort them out. Before I could depart, late in the afternoon, I was informed th at my mother had passed away. I took the first available bus to Nagarcoil. From there, I travelled to Rameswaram spending a whole night in the train and performed the last rites the next morning. Both the people who had formed me had left for their heavenly abode. The departed had reached the end of their journey. The rest of us had to continue walking the weary road and life had to go on. I prayed in the mosque my father had once taken me to every evening. I told Him that m y mother could not have lived longer in the world without the care and love of h er husband, and therefore had preferred to join him. I begged His forgiveness. “They carried out the task I designed for them with great care, dedication and honesty and came back to me. Why are you mourning their day of accomplishment? Concentrate on the assignments that lie before you, and proclaim my glory through your deeds!” Nobody had said these words, but I heard them loud and clear. An inspiring aphorism in the Qur’an on the passing away of souls filled my mind: “Your wealth and children are only a temptation whereas: Allah! with Him is an eternal award.” I came out of the mosque with my mind at peace and proceeded to the railway station. I always remember that when the call for namaz sounded, our home would transform into a small mosque. My father and my mother leading, and their children and grandchildren following. The next morning I was back at Thumba, ph ysically exhausted, emotionally shattered, but determined to fulfill our ambition of flying an Indian rocket motor on foreign soil. On my return from France, after successfully testing the SLV-3 apogee motor, Dr Brahm Prakash informed me one day about the arrival of Wernher von Braun. Everybody working in rocketry knows of von Braun, who made the lethal V-2 missiles that devastated London in the Second World War. In the final stages of the War, von Braun was captured by the Allied Forces. As a tribute to his genius, von Braun was

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WINGS OF FIRE given a top pos given positi ition on in in the the rocke rocketry try pro progra gramme mme at NASA NASA.. Workin Working g for for the US US Army, Army, von von Braun Braun produc produced ed the the landma landmark rk Jupit Jupiter er miss missile ile,, which which as th thee fir first st IR IRBM BM wi with th a 300 3000 0 km km ran range ge.. When When I was was as aske ked d by Dr Brah Br ahm m Pra Praka kash sh to re rece ceiv ivee von von Br Brau aun n at at Mad Madra rass and and es esco cort rt hi him m to to Thumba, I was naturally excited. The V-2 missile (an abbreviation of the German word Vergel Verg eltu tung ngsw swaf affe fe)) was was by fa farr the the gr grea eate test st si sing ngle le ac achie hieve veme ment nt in th thee history of rockets and missiles. It was the culmination of the efforts madee by von mad von Braun Braun and and his his team team in the VFR VFR (Soc (Society iety for Spa Space ce Flig Flight) ht) in the 1920s 1920s.. What What had begun as a civil civilian ian effort soon beca became me an an official official army arm y one, one, and and von von Brau Braun n becam becamee the the techn technica icall direc director tor of of the the Germa German n Missil Mis silee Labora Laborator tory y at Kumme Kummersd rsdorf orf.. The firs firstt V-2 miss missile ile was was first first test tested ed nsuccessfully in June 1942. It toppled over on to its side and exploded. But on 16 August 1942, it became the first missile to exceed the speed of sound. Under the supervision of von Braun, more than 10,000 V-2 missiles were produced between April and October 1944 at the gigantic underground production unit near Nordhausen in Germany. That I would be travelling with this man—a scientist, a designer, a production engineer, an administrato administrator, r, a technology technology manager manager all rolled rolled into one— hat more could I have asked for? We flew in an Avro aircraft which took around ninety minutes from Madras to Trivandrum. von Braun asked me about our work and listened as if he was just another student of rocketry. I never expected the father of modern rocketry to be so humble, receptive and encouraging. He made me feel comfortable right through the flight. It was hard to imagine that I was talking to a giant of missile systems, as he was so self-effacing.

ORIE EXPEDIENTS NTATION - 1 They suf suffe ferr from from a deepdeep-roo rooted ted NIH— NIH—Not Not Inv Invente ented d Here— Here—com comple plex x and look look down down on on alien alien tech technol nologi ogies. es. If If you want want to do do anythi anything ng in rock rocketr etry, y, do it you yours rsel elf,” f,” vo von n Bra Braun un adv advis ised ed me me.. He He comm commen ente ted, d, “SL “SLVV-3 3 is is a genu ge nuin inee Ind India ian n des desig ign n and and yo you u may may be ha havi ving ng yo your ur ow own n tro troub uble les. s. Bu Butt you should always remember that we don’t just build on successes, we also build on failures.” On th thee top topic ic of th thee ine inevi vita tabl blee har hard d wor work k tha thatt goe goess wit with h roc rocke kett development and the degree of commitment involved, he smiled and said sai d with with a glint glint of of mischi mischief ef in his eye eyes, s, “Har “Hard d work work is not not enou enough gh in rocketry. rocke try. It is not a spor sportt where where mere mere hard hard work work can can fetch fetch you you honours honours.. Here, Her e, not not only only do you you have have to to have have a goa goall but but you you have have to to have have stra strateg tegies ies to achie achieve ve it as as fast fast as poss possibl ible.” e.” “Total commitment is not just hard work, it is total involvement. Building a rock wall is back-breaking work. There are some people who uild rock walls all their lives. And when they die, there are miles o walls, mute testimonials to how hard those people had worked.” He continued, “But there are other men who while placing one rock on top of another have a vision in their minds, a goal. It may be a terrace with roses climbing over the rock walls and chairs set out for lazy summer days. Or the rock wall may enclose an apple orchard or mark a boundary. When they finish, they have more than a wall. It is t he goal that makes the difference. Do not make rocketry your profession, your livelihood— make it your religion, your mission.” Did I see something of P rof. Vikram Sarabhai in von Braun? It made me happy to think so.

With three deaths in the family in as many successive years, I needed total commitment to my work in order to keep p erforming. I wanted to He observed th at the length to diameter L/D ratio of the SLVthrow all my being into the creation of the S LV. I felt as if I h ad discovered 3, which was designed to be 22 was on the higher side and cautioned me the path I was meant to follow, God’s mission for me and my purpose on about the aero-elastic problems which must be avoided during flight. His earth. During this period, it was as though I had pushed a hold Having Hav ing spen spentt the maj major or part part of his his worki working ng life life in Germ Germany any,, how did did button but ton—no —no badmi badminto nton n in the the evenin evenings, gs, no no more more weeken weekends ds or holi holiday days, s, he fee feell in Ame Americ rica? a? I asked asked thi thiss of of von von Braun Braun who had bec become ome a cult cult no fami family ly,, no rel relati ations ons,, not not even even any fri friend endss outsi outside de the SLV cir circle cle.. figure in the States after creating the Saturn rocket in the Apollo mission To succeed in your mission, you must have single-minded devotion to hich put man on the moon. “America is a country of g reat possibilities, your goal. Individuals like m yself are often called ‘workaholics’. I question but they look upon everything un-American with suspicion and contempt. this term because that implies a pathological condition or an illness. If I


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WINGS OF FIRE do tha thatt whic which h I des desir iree more more tha than n any anythi thing ng els elsee in th thee wor world ld and and whi which ch make ma kess me hap happy py,, such such wor work k can can neve neverr be an an aber aberra rati tion on.. Word Wordss from from the twe twenty nty-si -sixth xth Psa Psalm lm com comee to to mind mind whi while le I work work:: “Exa “Examin minee me, me, O Lord, and prove me.” Total commitment is a crucial quality for those who want to reach the very top of their profession. The desire to work at optimum capacity leaves hardly any room for anything else. I have had people with me who would would scoff at the 40-hours 40-hours-a-a- eek job they were were being being paid for. I havee know hav known n othe others rs who use used d to to work work 60, 80 and eve even n 100 100 hour hourss a we week ek ecausee they ecaus they found found their their work work exciting exciting and rewardi rewarding. ng. Total Total commitm commitment ent is the the commo common n denom denomina inator tor amon among g all all succe successf ssful ul men men and wom women. en. Are Are you able able to manag managee the stres stresses ses you you encounte encounterr in your your life? life? The The differen difference ce bet b etwe ween en an an ene energ rget etic ic an and d a con confus fused ed pe pers rson on is is the the diff differ eren ence ce in the the way their minds handle their experiences. Man needs his difficulties ecause they are necessary to enjoy success. All of us carry some sort of a super-intelligence within us. Let it be stimulated to enable us to examine our deepest thoughts, desires, and beliefs. Oncee you Onc you have have don donee this this—ch —charg arged ed your yoursel self, f, as it wer were, e, with with you yourr commitment commitm ent to your your wor work—y k—you ou also also nee need d good good hea health lth an and d bound boundles lesss ener en ergy gy.. Clim Climbi bing ng to to the the top top dema demand ndss stre streng ngth th,, whet whether her to the the top top o Mount Evere Everest st or to to the top of your caree career. r. People People are are born with differ different ent energy ene rgy res reserv erves es and and the the one who tire tiress first first and and burns burns out easi easily ly will will do do well to reorganize his or her life at the earliest. In 1979, a six-member team was preparing the flight version of a complex second stage control system for static test and evaluation. The team was in countdown mode at T-15 minutes (15 minutes before the test). tes t). One One of the twe twelve lve val valves ves did not res respon pond d during during che checko ckout. ut. Anxie Anxiety ty drove the members of the team to the test site to look into the problem. Sudden Sud denly ly the the oxid oxidize izerr tank, tank, fill filled ed with with red red fuming fuming nitr nitric ic acid acid (RFNA (RFNA), ), urst ur st,, caus causin ing g seve severe re aci acid d burn burnss to the the tea team m memb member ers. s. It It was was a very very traum tra umat atic ic exp exper erie ienc ncee to to see see the the suff suffer erin ing g of the the inj injur ured ed.. Kuru Kurup p and and I rushed to the T rivandrum Medical College Hospital and begged to have our colleagues admitted, as six beds were not available in the hospital at that point of time.


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ORIE EXPEDIENTS NTATION - 1 Sivar Siv aram amak akris rishna hnan n Nair Nair was was on onee amo among ng th thee six six per perso sons ns in inju jure red. d. The The acid had acid had bur burne ned d his his body body at at a numb number er of of plac places es.. By the the tim timee we go gott a bed in the the hos hospita pital, l, he was in sev severe ere pai pain. n. I kept kept vigi vigill at at his his bed bedsid side. e. Around 3 o’ clock in the morning, Sivarama-krishnan regained consciousness. His first words expressed regret over the mishap and assured me that he would make up the slippage in schedules caused by the accident. His sincerity and optimism, even in the midst of such severe pain, impressed me deeply. Men lik likee Siva Sivaram ramakr akrish ishnan nan ar aree a bre breed ed apa apart. rt. The They y are are the str strive ivers, rs, always reaching always reaching higher higher than the the last last time. time. And with their socia sociall and family fam ily life life weld welded ed to the their ir dream dream,, they they find find the the rewar rewards ds of the their ir drive drive overwhelm overw helming—the ing—the inher inherent ent joy of being being in flow. flow. This event event great greatly ly enha en hanc nced ed my co conf nfid iden ence ce in my my tea team; m; a te team am tha thatt woul would d sta stand nd like like a rock in success and failure. I have used the word ‘flow’ at many places without really elaborating its meaning. What is this flow? And what are these joys? I could call them moments of magic. I see an analogy between these moments and the hig high h that that yo you u expe experie rience nce whe when n you you play play badm badmint inton on or go jog joggin ging. g. Flow Flo w is a sens sensati ation on we we expe experie rience nce whe when n we we act act with with tota totall invo involve lvemen ment. t. Duri Du ring ng flo flow, w, act actio ion n foll follow owss act actio ion n acco accord rdin ing g to an an inte intern rnal al log logic ic tha thatt seemss to need seem need no consc conscious ious interv interventio ention n on the the part part of the worker. worker. There is no hur hurry ry;; there there are are no dis distra tracti cting ng deman demands ds on on one’s one’s atten attentio tion. n. The past and the future disappear. So does the distinction between self and the activity. We had all come under the current of the SLV flow. Although e were working very hard we were very relaxed, energetic and fresh. How did it happen? Who had created this flow? Perhap Per hapss it was the mean meaningf ingful ul orga organiz nizati ation on of of the the purpo purposes ses we soug sought ht to achieve. We would identify the broadest possible purpose level and then the n work work toward towardss devel developi oping ng a feasi feasible ble targ target et solu solutio tion n from from a varie variety ty of alt alter erna nati tive ves. s. It It was was this this work workin ing g back backwa ward rdss to de deve velo lop p a crea creati tive ve chan ch ange ge in in the the prob proble lem m solu soluti tion on,, that that use used d to put put us us in ‘f ‘flow low’. ’. When the SLV-3 hardware started emerging, our ability to concentrate increased markedly. I felt a tremendous surge of confidence; in complete control over myself and over the SLV-3 project. Flow is a b y-product of

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controlled creativity. The first requirement is to work as hard as you can at some somethi thing ng that that pres present entss a chall challenge enge an and d is appr approve oved d by your your hea heart. rt. It It may not be an ove overwh rwhelm elming ing cha challe llenge, nge, but one tha thatt stre stretch tches es yo you ua little lit tle,, someth something ing that that make makess you you realis realisee that that you are per perfor formin ming g a task task bette be tterr today today tha than n you you did did yeste yesterda rday, y, or or the the last last time time you trie tried d to do it. it. Anothe Ano therr prerequ prerequisi isite te for bein being g in flow flow is the avai availab labili ility ty of a signi signific ficant ant span of uninterr uninterrupted upted time. In my exper experienc ience, e, it is difficu difficult lt to to switch switch into into the flow flow state state in less less than than half half an hour. hour. And And it is almost almost impos impossible sible if you you are bedevilled b y interruptions.

We had scheduled the first experimental flight trial of SLV-3 for 10 August 1979 August 1979.. The pri primar mary y goals goals of the mis missio sion n were were to real realise ise a ful fully ly integr int egrate ated d laun launch ch veh vehicl icle; e; to eval evaluat uatee on-b on-boar oard d syste systems ms lik likee stag stagee motor motors, s, guidan gui dance ce and and contr control ol syste systems ms and and elec electron tronic ic subs subsys ystem tems; s; and and to eva evalua luate te ground gro und sys system tems, s, like like chec checkou kout, t, trac trackin king, g, tel teleme emetry try and rea real-t l-time ime dat dataa facili fac ilitie tiess in launc launch h operat operation ionss built built at the Sriha Sriharik rikota ota laun launch ch compl complex. ex. The 23 23 metre-l metre-long, ong, four-s four-stage tage SLV rocket rocket weigh weighing ing 17 17 tonnes tonnes finall finally y took off elega elegantly ntly at 0758 0758 hours hours and immedi immediately ately start started ed followin following g its programmed trajectory.

Is it po poss ssibl iblee to to swi switc tch h you yours rsel elff into into fl flow ow by usi using ng so some me so sort rt of a condition condit ioning ing devi device ce in in much much the sam samee way way that that we con condit dition ion our oursel selves ves to lea learn rn eff effec ectiv tivel ely? y? The an answ swer er is yes yes,, and and the the sec secre rett is to ana analy lyse se previ pr evious ous occ occasi asions ons whe when n you you have have bee been n in flo flow, w, bec becaus ausee each each pe perso rson n has his or her her uniq unique ue nat natura urall frequ frequenc ency y whic which h respo responds nds to a par partic ticula ularr stimul sti mulus. us. You You alone alone can can iden identify tify the comm common on denom denomina inator tor in in your case case.. Once you have isolated this common denominator, you can set the stage for flow.

Stage Sta ge I per perfo form rmed ed to pe perf rfec ecti tion on.. The There re wa wass a sm smoo ooth th tr tran ansi siti tion on fr from om this stage this stage to the sec second ond sta stage. ge. We We were were spel spellbo lbound und to see see our hop hopes es flyin fly ing g in the fo form rm of the the SLV SLV-3. -3. Su Sudd dden enly ly,, the the spe spell ll was was bro broke ken. n. The The second sec ond sta stage ge went went out of cont control rol.. The The fligh flightt was was ter termin minate ated d after after 317 second sec ondss and and the the vehic vehicle’ le’ss remai remains, ns, inc includ luding ing my my favou favourit ritee fourth fourth sta stage ge with wit h the payl payload oad spla splashe shed d into into the sea, sea, 560 560 km off off Sriha Sriharik rikota ota..

I have experienced this state many times, almost every day of the SLV mission. There have been days in the laboratory when I have looked up to find the laboratory empty and realised that it was way past the quitting time. On other days, my team members and I have been so caught up in our work that the lunch hour slipped by without our even being conscious that we were hungry. Analys Ana lysing ing suc such h occa occasio sions ns in ret retros rospec pect, t, I fin find d them them sim simila ilarr in the sensee that sens that th this is flo flow w was was exp exper erie ienc nced ed whe when n the the proj projec ectt was was nea neari ring ng completion, or when the project had reached that phase when all the necessary data had been gathered and we were ready to start summing up the problem, outlining the demands made by conflicting criteria and the various positions presented by opposing interests and making our recommendations for action. I also realised that this tended to happen on days that were relatively quiet in the office, with no crises or meetings. Such spells increased steadily in frequency, and the SLV-3 dream was finally realised in the middle of 1979.

The incident caused us profound disappointment. I felt a strange mix of anger and frustration. Suddenly, I felt my legs become so stiff that they ached. The problem was not with my body; something was happening in my mind. The premature death of my hovercraft Nandi, the abandoning of the RATO, the abortion of the SLV-Diamont fourth stage—all came alive in a flash, like a longlong- uried Phoenix rising from its ashes. Over the years, I had somehow learned to absorb these aborted endeavours, had come to ter terms ms wi with th them them and pur pursue sued d fresh fresh dre dreams ams.. That That day day,, I rere-live lived d eac each h of tho those se se setb tbac acks ks in my my deep deep des despo pond nden enccy. “What do you suppose could be the cause of it?” somebody asked me in the Block House. I tried to find an answer, but I was too tired to try and think it out, and gave up t he effort as futile. The launch was conducted in the early morning, preceded by a full night’s count-down. Moreover, I had hardly had any sleep in the past week. Completely drained—mentally as well as physically—I went straight to my room and slumped onto the bed. A gentle touch on my shoulder woke me up. It was late in the afternoon, almost approaching evening. I saw Dr Brahm Prakash sitting


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y my bedside. “What about going for lunch?” he asked. I was deeply touched by his affection and concern. I found out later that Dr Brahm Prakash had come to my room twice before that but had gone away on finding me asleep. He had waited all that time for me to get up and have lunch with him. I was sad, but not alone. The company of Dr Brahm Prakash filled me with a new confidence. He made light conversation during the meal, carefully avoiding the SLV-3, but gently providing me solace. ***

9 Builders Dr Brahm Prakash helped me endure this difficult period. In practice, Dr Brahm Prakash employed the front-line damage control principle: “Just get the fellow home alive. He’ll recover.” He drew the entire SLV team close and demonstrated to me that I was not alone in my sorrow at the SLV-3’s failure. “All your comrades are standing by you,” he said. This gave me vital emotional support, encouragement, and guidance. A post-flight review conducted on 11 August 1979 was attended by more than seventy scientists. A detailed technical appraisal of the failure was completed. Later, the post-flight analysis committee h eaded by SK Athithan pinpointed the reasons for the malfunction of the vehicle. It as established that the mishap occurred because of the failure of the second stage control system. No control force was available during the second stage flight due to which the vehicle became aerodynamically unstable, resulting in altitude and velocity loss. This caused the vehicle to fall into the sea even before the other stages could ignite. Further in-depth analysis of the second-stage failure identified th e reason as the draining of a good amount of Red Fuming Nitric Acid (RFNA) used as the oxidizer for the fuel power at that stage. Consequently, when the control force was d emanded, only fuel was injected resulting in zero force. ‘A solenoid valve in the oxidizer tank


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WINGS OF FIRE remaining remain ing ope open n due due to cont contami aminat nation ion aft after er the fir first st com comman mand d at at T-8 T-8 minut es es’, was id en enti fi fied as as t he he reason fo for t he he draining o f RFNA.

though tho ughts ts hel helped ped to giv givee me me the the abi abilit lity y to with withsta stand nd app appare arentl ntly y irre irrever versib sible le setbacks.

Thee find Th findin ings gs we were re pre prese sent nted ed to Pro Prof. f. Dha Dhawa wan n at at a meet meetin ing g of of top top ISRO scie ISRO scienti ntists sts and wer weree acce accepte pted. d. Ever Everyb ybody ody was co convi nvince nced d by the techni tec hnical cal cau causese-and and-ef -effec fectt seque sequence nce pre prese sente nted d and the there re was was a gene general ral feelin fee ling g of sa satis tisfac factio tion n about about the who whole le exe exerci rcise se of fail failure ure-ma -manag nageme ement nt measur mea sures es taken taken.. I was stil stilll unconv unconvinc inced ed thoug though h and felt felt rest restles less. s. To me, me, the lev level el of res respon ponsib sibili ility ty is meas measure ured d by one one’s ’s abil ability ity to conf confron rontt the the decision-making process without any delay or distraction.

Earl Ea rly y in in Nove Novemb mber er 197 1979, 9, Dr Dr Bra Brahm hm Pr Prak akas ash h reti retire red. d. He He had had alwa alway ys been my been my shee sheet-a t-anch nchor or in the turb turbule ulent nt wa water terss of of VSSC VSSC.. His His bel belief ief in team tea m spiri spiritt had insp inspire ired d the man manage agemen mentt patter pattern n for the the SLV SLV proje project, ct, hich hic h later later bec became ame a bluep blueprin rintt for for all all scie scienti ntific fic pro projec jects ts in the the coun country try.. Dr Brahm Brahm Prak Prakash ash was was a very very wise wise coun counse sello llorr who gave gave me me valuab valuable le guidan gui dance ce whe whenev never er I devia deviated ted fro from m my mis missio sion n obje objecti ctives ves..

On the the spur spur of the the mome moment, nt, I stood stood up and and addr addres essed sed Prof Prof.. Dhaw Dhawan, an, “Sir, even though my friend friendss have have techn technical ically ly justif justified ied the failur failure, e, I take the res respon ponsib sibili ility ty for for judgi judging ng the the RFNA RFNA lea leak k detec detecte ted d durin during g the the final final phase ph ase of coun countdo tdown wn as as insig insignif nifica icant. nt. As a Miss Mission ion Dir Direct ector, or, I shoul should d havee put the hav the launc launch h on hold hold and save saved d the flight flight if if possib possible. le. In In a simila similarr situation situa tion abroad abroad,, the Miss Mission ion Direct Director or would would have have lost lost his job. I there therefore fore take ta ke res respo pons nsib ibil ility ity for th thee SLVSLV-3 3 fail failur ure. e.”” For For quit quitee some some tim timee ther theree was pin pin-dr -drop op sile silence nce in the the hall. hall. Then Then Pro Prof. f. Dhawa Dhawan n got up up and and said, said, “I “I am goin going g to put Kala Kalam m in orb orbit! it!”, ”, and and left left the pla place ce sign signall alling ing tha thatt the the meeting was over. The pursuit of science is a combination of great elation and great despair. I went over many such episodes in my mind. Johannes Kepler, whose three orbital laws form t he basis of space research, took nearly 17 years after formulating the two laws about planetary motion around the sun, to enunciate his third law which gives the relation between the size of the elliptical orbit and the length of time it takes for the planet to go around the sun. How many failures and frustrations must he have gone through? The idea that man could land on the moon, developed by the Russian mathematician Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, was realised after nearly four decades—and by the United States, at that. Prof. Chandrasekhar had to wait nearly 50 years before receiving the Nobel Prize for his discovery of the ‘Chandrasekhar Limit’, a discovery made hile he was a graduate student at Cambridge in the 1930s. If his work had been recognized then, it could have led to the discovery of the Black Hole decades earlier. How many failures must von Braun have gone through before his Saturn launch vehicle put man on the moon? These


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Dr Brahm Prakash not only reinforced the traits which I had acquired from Prof. from Prof. Sara Sarabha bhai, i, but but also also hel helped ped me give give the them m new new dimen dimensio sions. ns. He alwayss caution alway cautioned ed me me agains againstt haste. haste. “Big scie scientific ntific proje projects cts are like mounta mou ntains ins,, which which sho should uld be clim climbed bed wit with h as lit little tle eff effort ort as as poss possibl iblee and and withou wit houtt urgen urgency cy.. The rea reality lity of your your own na nature ture sho should uld det determ ermine ine you your r speed. spe ed. If If you becom becomee restl restless ess,, speed speed up. up. If you you become become tens tensee and and highhighstrung, strun g, slow slow down. down. You shoul should d climb climb the mount mountain ain in in a state state of of equilibri equilibrium. um. When Whe n each each tas task k of you yourr proj projec ectt is not not jus justt a mean meanss to to an end end but but a unique uni que even eventt in itsel itself, f, then then you you are are doing doing it we well,” ll,” he woul would d tell tell me. me. The echo ech o of Dr Dr Brahm Brahm Pra Prakas kash’s h’s adv advice ice cou could ld be be heard heard in Emer Emerson son’s ’s poem poem on Brahma:

If the red slayer think he slays, Or, if the slain think he is slain, They know not well, the subtle ways I keep, and pass, and turn again. To live only for some unknown future is superficial. It is like climbing a mountain to reach t he peak without experiencing its sides. The sides of the mountain sustain life, not the peak. This is where things grow, experience is gained, and technologies are mastered. The importance of the peak lies only in the fact that it defines the sides. So I went on towards the top, but always experiencing the sides. I had a long way to go but I was in no hu rry. I went in little steps—just one step after another—but each step towards the top. At every stage, the SLV-3 team was blessed with some extraordinarily courageous people. Along with Sudhakar and Sivaramakrishnan, there was also Sivakaminathan. He was entrusted with bringing

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WINGS OF FIRE the C-Ban C-Band d transp transpond onder er from from Trivand Trivandrum rum to to SHAR SHAR for integr integrati ation on with with the SLVSLV-3. 3. The tra transp nspond onder er is a devic devicee fitte fitted d with with the roc rocket ket sys system tem to to givee the giv the rad radar ar sig signal nalss whic which h are are pow powerf erful ul eno enough ugh to hel help p it tra track ck the the vehicle vehic le from from the the take-of take-offf site site to the final final impac impactt point. point. The SLV-3 launc launch h sched sch edule ule was was depend dependent ent on on the arriv arrival al and and integra integratio tion n of this equi equipme pment. nt. On la landing at at th the Ma Madras ai airp or ort, th the ai ai rc rcraft wh which Si Sivakami wa was travelling in skidded and overshot the runway. Dense smoke engulfed the aircraft. Everyone jumped out of the aircraft through emergency exits, and desperately fought to save t hemselves—all except Sivakami, ho stayed in the aircraft till he removed the transponder from his aggage. He was among the last few persons, the others being mostly aircraft crew, to emerge from the smoke and he was hugging the transponder close to his chest. Anothe Ano therr incide incident nt from from those those day dayss that I reca recall ll clear clearly ly rela relates tes to to Prof. Prof. Dhawan Dhaw an’s ’s vis visit it to to the the SLVSLV-3 3 asse assemb mbly ly bu buil ildi ding ng.. Prof Prof.. Dhaw Dhawan an,, Madhav Mad havan an Nair Nair and and I were were disc discuss ussing ing some some fine finerr aspec aspects ts of of the SLV SLV-3 -3 integratio integr ation. n. The vehic vehicle le was was kept kept on the the launche launcherr in a horizo horizontal ntal positi position. on. When Wh en we we were re mov moving ing ar arou ound nd and and exa exami minin ning g the the re read adin ines esss of of the the inte in tegr graate ted d ha hard rdw ware re,, I no nottic iceed the the pr preese senc ncee of of big big wa wate terr-po porrts fo forr extinguishing fire in case of an accident. For some reason, I felt uncomfortable at the sight of the ports facing the SLV-3 on the launcher. I suggested to Madhavan Nair that we could rotate the port so that they ere apart by a full 180o. This would prevent the freak possibility of ater gushing out and damaging the rocket. To our surprise, within minutes of Madhavan Nair getting the ports reversed, powerful water ets gushed out of the ports. The Vehicle Safety Officer had ensured the functioning of the fire-fighting system without realising that it could have recked the entire rocket. This was a lesson in foresight. Or did we have divine protection? On 17 17 July July 1980 1980,, 30 hou hours rs bef before ore the la launc unch h of the sec second ond SLV SLV-3, -3, thee new th newsp spap aper erss wer weree fil fille led d wit with h all all ki kind ndss of of pre predi diccti tion ons. s. On Onee of of the the newspapers reported, “The Project Director is missing and could not be contacted.” Many reports preferred to trace the history of the first SLV3 flight, and recalled how the third stage had failed to ignite because o lack of fuel and the rocket had nosedived into the ocean. Some


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ORIENBUILDERS TATION - 1 highli hig hlight ghted ed SLV-3’ SLV-3’ss possib possible le milita military ry impli implicat cation ionss in terms terms of acqui acquirin ring g the capa capabil bility ity for for build building ing IRBM IRBMs. s. Some Some were were a genera generall progno prognosis sis of all all thatt aile tha ailed d our our coun country try and rel relate ated d it it to to the the SLVSLV-3. 3. I kne knew w that that the nex nextt day’s launc launch h was was going going to to decide decide the future future of the India Indian n space space progra pro gramme mme.. In fact, fact, to put put it simply simply,, the eyes eyes of the the whole whole natio nation n were were on us us. In the early hours of the next day, 18 July 1980—at 0803 hrs to be precise, India’s first Satellite Launch Vehicle, SLV-3 lifted off from SHAR. At 600 seconds before take-off, I saw the computer displaying data about stage IV giving the required velocity to the Rohini Satellite (carried as payload) to enter its orbit. Within the next two minutes, Rohini as set into motion in a low earth orbit. I spoke, in the midst of screeching decibels, the most important words I had ever uttered in my life, “Mission Direct Dir ector or calli calling ng all all statio stations. ns. Stan Stand d by for for an impor importan tantt announ announce cemen ment. t. Alll stag Al stages es pe perf rfor orme med d to mis missi sion on req requi uire reme ment nts. s. Th Thee fou fourt rth h sta stage ge apo apoge geee motor mot or has has given given the requ require ired d veloc velocity ity to to put put Rohini Rohini Sat Satell ellite ite into into orbi orbit”. t”. There were happy cries every everywhere where.. When I came came out of the Blo Block ck Hous Ho use, e, I was was li lift fted ed ont onto o the the sh shou ould lder erss of my ju jubil bilan antt coll collea eagu gues es an and d carr ca rrie ied d in in a pr proc oceess ssio ion. n. The whole nation was excited. India had made its entry into the small group of nations which possessed satellite launch capability. Newspapers carried news of the event in their headlines. Radio and television stations aired special programmes. Parliament greeted the achievement with the thumping of desks. It was both the culmination of a national dream, and the beginning of a very important phase in our nation’s history. Prof. Satish Dhawan, Chairman ISRO, threw his customary guardedness to the winds and announced that i t was now ell within our ability to explore space. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi cabled her congratulations. But the most import ant reaction was that o the Ind Indian ian sci scient entifi ificc commu communit nity— y—eve everyb rybody ody was pro proud ud of of this this hun hundre dred d perr cen pe centt ind indig igen enou ouss eff effor ort. t. I experienced mixed feelings. I was happy to achieve the success hich had been evading me for the past two decades, but I was sad because the people who had inspired me were no longer there to share my joy—my father, my brother-in-law Jallaluddin, and Prof. Sarabhai.

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WINGS OF FIRE The cre credit dit for the suc succes cessfu sfull SLVSLV-3 3 fligh flightt goes goes,, firs first, t, to the gia giants nts of the In India dian n spa space ce pr prog ogra ramm mme, e, Pro Prof. f. Sar Sarab abha haii in in par parti ticu cula lar, r, wh who o had had prece pr eceded ded thi thiss effort effort;; next next to the hund hundred redss of VSSC VSSC pers personn onnel el who who had had throug thr ough h sheer sheer will will-po -power wer prov proved ed the the mettl mettlee of our our count countrym rymen en and and also, also, not least, to Prof. Dhawan and Dr Brahm Prakash, who had led the project. We had a late dinner that evening. Gradually, the din and clatter o the cel celebr ebrati ations ons cal calmed med dow down. n. I re retire tired d to my bed bed with with alm almost ost no ener energy gy left. lef t. Throug Through h the open open wind window, ow, I coul could d see the the moon moon among among the the cloud clouds. s. Thee sea Th sea br bree eeze ze se seem emed ed to re refl flec ectt the the buo buoy yan ancy cy of the the mo mood od on Sriharikota island that day. Within a month of the SLV-3 success, I visited the Nehru Science Centre in Bombay for a day, in response to an invitation to share my experiences with the SLV-3. There, I received a telephone call from Prof. Dhawan in Delhi, asking me to join him the n ext morning. We were to meet the Prime Minister, Mrs Indira Gandhi. My hosts at the Nehru Centre were kind enough to arrange my ticket to Delhi, but I had a small problem. It had to do with my clothes. I was dressed casually as is my wont and wearing slippers—not, by any standards of etiquette, suitable attire in which to meet the Prime Minister! When I told Prof. Dhawan about this problem, he told me not to worry about my dress. “You are beautifully clothed in your success,” he quipped. Prof. Dhawan and I arrived at the Parliament House Annexe the next morning. A meeting of the Parliamentary Panel on Science & Technology chaired by the Prime Minister was scheduled. There were about 30 Members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha in the room, hich was lit by a majestic chandelier. Prof. MGK Menon and Dr Nag Chaudhuri were also present. Shrimati Gandhi spoke to the Members about the success of the SLV-3 and lauded our achievement. Prof. Dhawan thanked the gathering for the encouragement given by them to space research in the country and expressed the gratitude of the ISRO scientists and engineers. Suddenly, I saw Shrimati Gandhi smiling at me as she said, “Kalam! We would like to hear you speak.” I was surprised y the request as Prof. Dhawan had already addressed the gathering.


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ORIENBUILDERS TATION - 1 Hesita Hes itantly ntly,, I ros rosee and and resp respond onded ed,, “I am ind indeed eed hon honour oured ed to be in thi thiss greatt gat grea gather herin ing g of of nat natio ionn- ui uild lder ers. s. I onl only y know know ho how w to to bui build ld a roc rocke kett system sys tem in our our countr country, y, whic which h would would inje inject ct a sat satell ellite ite,, built built in in our cou country ntry,, y impar impartin ting g to it it a veloc velocity ity of of 25,000 25,000 km km per hou hour.” r.” Ther Theree was was thunde thunderou rouss applause. I thanked the members for giving us an opportunity to work on a project like the SLV-3 and prove the scientific strength of our country. The entire room was irradiated with happiness. Now tha thatt Proje Project ct SLV SLV-3 -3 had had bee been n succ success essful fully ly com comple pleted, ted, VSS VSSC C had to to re-org re-organi anize ze its its resourc resources es and and redef redefine ine its its goals goals.. I wanted wanted to to be reli re liev eved ed of the the pro proje ject ct ac acti tivi viti ties es,, and and co cons nseq eque uent ntly ly Ve Ved d Prak Prakas ash h San Sandl dlas as from my team was made the Project Director for the SLV-3 Continuation Project, which aimed at making operational satellite launch vehicles of a similar class. With a view to upgrade the SLV-3 y means of certain technological innovations, the development of Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicles (ASLVs) had been on the cards for some time. The aim was to enhance the SLV-3 payload capability from 40 kg to 150 kg. MSR Dev from my team was appointed Project Director ASLV. Then, to reach the sun-synchronous orbit (900 km), a PSLV was to be made. The Geo Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) was also envisaged, though as a distant dream. I took up the position of Dir ector, Aerospace Dynamics and Design Group, so that I could configure the forthcoming launch vehicles and technology development. The existing VSSC infrastructure was inadequate to handle the size and weight of the future launch vehicle systems and the implementation of all these projects was going to require highly specialized facilities. New sites were identified for the expanded activities of VSSC, at Vattiyoorkavu and Valiamala. Dr Srinivasan drew up a detailed plan of the facilities. Meanwhile, I carried out an analysis of the application of SLV-3 and its variants with Sivathanu Pillai, and compared the existing launch vehicles of the world for missile applications. We established that the SLV-3 solid rocket systems would meet the national requirements of payload delivery vehicles for short and intermediate ranges (4000 km). We contended that the development of one additional solid booster of 1.8 m diameter with 36 tonnes of pr opellant along with SLV-3 subsystems would meet the ICBM requirement (above 5000 km for a

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WINGS OF FIRE 1000 kg 1000 kg paylo payload ad). ). This This prop propos osal al was was,, howe howeve ver, r, nev never er con consi side dere red. d. It It nev ne vert rthe hele less ss pa pav ved th thee way way fo forr the the fo form rmul ulaati tion on of th thee Re Re-e -ent ntry ry Experiment (REX) which, much later on, became Agni. The next next SLV-3 SLV-3 flight, flight, SLV3-D1, SLV3-D1, took took off on 31 May 1981. I witnes witnessed sed this fligh flightt from from the the visito visitors’ rs’ galle gallery. ry. This This was the firs firstt time time I witnes witnessed sed a launch lau nch from out outsid sidee the the Contr Control ol Cen Centre tre.. The unp unpala alatab table le trut truth h I had had to to facee was fac was that that by by becom becoming ing the the focu focuss of med media ia atte attenti ntion, on, I had aro arouse used d envy en vy am amon ong g some some of my my sen senior ior co coll llea eague gues, s, al alll of wh whom om had had eq equa uall lly y contrib con tribute uted d to the suc succes cesss of SLVSLV-3. 3. Was Was I hur hurtt at the the cold coldnes nesss of the new ne w env envir ironm onmen ent? t? Pe Perha rhaps ps ye yes, s, bu butt I wa wass wil willi ling ng to ac acce cept pt wh what at I couldn’t change. I have never lived off the profits of others’ minds. My life, in keeping with my nature, has never been that of a ruthless achiever. The SLV-3 was made made not by by force force and and manip manipula ulatio tion, n, but but throu through gh cons consist isten entt collec collectiv tivee effort. eff ort. The Then n why why this this sens sensee of bit bitter ternes ness? s? Was Was it it pecul peculiar iar to the the VSSC VSSC top level level or a unive universal rsal reali reality? ty? As As a scien scientist, tist, I was was trained trained to reason reason out reality. reali ty. In scie science, nce, reality reality is that that which which exists. exists. And And because because this bitter bitterness ness as rea real, l, I had to rea reason son it out. out. But ca can n thes thesee thing thingss be rea reason soned ed out? out? Were my post-SLV experiences leading me into a critical situation? Yes and no. Yes, because the glory of SLV-3 had not gone to everyone who deserved it— ut hardly anything could could have been done done about that. No, N o, be beca caus usee a si situ tuat atio ion n can can be co cons nsid ider ered ed cr crit itic ical al fo forr a per perso son n onl only y when whe n realis realisati ation on of the the interna internall necess necessity ity becom becomes es impos impossib sible le.. And that that certai cer tainly nly was not the the case case.. In fact fact,, the the conce concept pt of of confl conflict ict is buil builtt upon upon thiss basic thi basic ide idea. a. In In retro retrospe spect, ct, I can can only only say say that that I was ful fully ly awar awaree of a great need for actualization and renewal. In January 1981, I was invited by Dr Bhagiratha Rao of the High Altitude Laboratory (now the Defence Electronics Applications Laboratory (DEAL)), Dehra Dun to give a lecture on the SLV-3. The renowned nuclear scientist, Prof. Raja Ramanna, whom I had always admired, and who was th en the Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister, presided over the gathering. He spoke on India’s efforts in generating nuclea nuc learr ener energy gy and the cha challe llenge nge in con conduc ductin ting g the the fir first st nuc nucle lear ar tes testt for for peaceful purposes. As I had been so closely involved with SLV-3, it was


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ORIENBUILDERS TATION - 1 natu na tura rall that that I was was soo soon n in ful fulll spat spatee abou aboutt it. it. Late Later, r, Prof Prof.. Raja Raja Ram Raman anna na invit inv iteed me me for for a pr priv ivat atee mee meeti tin ng ov over te teaa. The first thing that struck me when I met Prof. Ramanna was his genuine pleasure genuine pleasure at meeting meeting me. me. There There was an eagerne eagerness ss in his his talk, talk, an immediate, immed iate, sympa sympathetic thetic frien friendlines dliness, s, accompa accompanied nied by quick, grace graceful ful moveme mov ements. nts. The eve evenin ning g broug brought ht back back mem memori ories es of of my firs firstt meeti meeting ng with wit h Prof. Prof. Sara Sarabha bhai—a i—ass if itit was was yeste yesterda rday. y. The The worl world d of Prof Prof.. Sarab Sarabhai hai as in inte tern rnal ally ly sim simpl plee and and ext exter erna nall lly y eas easy. y. Ea Each ch of of us us work workin ing g with with him him was dri driven ven by a sin single gle-m -minde inded d need need to to crea create, te, and and live lived d under under con condit dition ionss hich hi ch ma made de th thee ob obje ject ct of th that at ne need ed di dire rect ctly ly ac acce cess ssib ible le.. Sar Sarab abha hai’ i’ss wo worl rld d as tailor-made to our dreams. It had neither too much nor too little of anything needed by any one of us. We could divide it by our requirements without a remainder. My worl world, d, by now, now, had had no no simpli simplicit city y left left in in it. It It had had become become an an internall intern ally y compl complex ex and and exte externa rnally lly diff difficu icult lt worl world. d. My eff effort ortss in roc rocket ketry ry and in achievin achieving g the the goal goal of maki making ng indigen indigenous ous rocke rockets ts were were imped impeded ed by external external obsta obstacle cless and compl complicated icated by internal internal wave wavering. ring. I was aware aware thatt it req tha require uired d a spe specia ciall effo effort rt of the wil willl to su susta stain in my my traje trajecto ctory. ry. The coordination of my present with my past had already been jeopardised. The coordination of my present with my future was uppermost in my mind when I went to have tea with Prof. Ramanna. He di did d not not ta take ke lo long ng to com comee to to the the po poin int. t. The The De Devi vill Mis Missi sile le progra pro gramme mme had had been been shelv shelved ed in spite spite of trem tremend endous ous achi achieve evemen ments ts made made by Nara Naraya yanan nan and and his his team team at DRDL DRDL.. The ent entire ire pro progra gramme mme of milit military ary rocket roc ketss was was reeli reeling ng unde underr a pers persist isten entt apathy apathy.. The DRD DRDO O neede needed d somebody to take command of their missile programmes which had een stuck at the drawing board and static test bed stages for quite a while. Prof. Ramanna asked me if I would like to join DRDL and shoulder the responsibility of shaping their Guided Missile Development Programme (GMDP). Prof. Ramanna’s proposal evoked a mixture of emotions in me. When again would I have such an opportunity to consolidate all our knowledge knowle dge of rock rocketr etry y and and apply apply it?

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WINGS OF FIRE I felt felt hono honoure ured d by the es estee teem m in whic which h Prof. Prof. Ram Ramann annaa held held me. He had been been the guid guiding ing spi spirit rit beh behind ind the the Pokha Pokhara ran n nucle nuclear ar test, test, and and I was was thrill thr illed ed by the imp impact act he had had help helped ed crea create te on on the out outsid sidee world world abo about ut India’ Ind ia’ss techni technical cal compe competen tence. ce. I knew knew I woul would d not be be able able to refus refusee him. him. Prof.. Raman Prof Ramanna na advi advised sed me me to tal talk k to Prof. Prof. Dhaw Dhawan an on on this this issu issuee so tha thatt he coul could d work work out out the the moda modalit lities ies of my tra transf nsfer er from ISR ISRO O to DRD DRDL. L. I met Prof. Dhawan on 14 January 1981. He gave me a patient hearing, with his t ypical penchant for weighing everything carefully to make ma ke sur suree he did didn’ n’tt miss miss a poi point. nt. A ma mark rked edly ly ple pleas asan antt expr expres essi sion on cam camee to his face. He said, “I am pleased with their appraisal of my man’s ork”. ork ”. He He then then smil smiled. ed. I have have neve neverr met met anyone anyone with with a smile smile qui quite te like like Prof.. Dhawa Prof Dhawan’s n’s—a —a soft soft whit whitee cloud cloud—yo —you u could could pict picture ure itit in any any shape shape you wanted to. I wondered how I should proceed. “Should I formally apply for the post so that DRDL could send the appointment order?” I enquired o Prof. Dhawan. “No. Don’t pressurise them. Let me talk to the top-level management during my next visit to New Delhi,” Prof. Dhawan said. “I know kn ow you you hav havee alw alway ayss had had one one foo foott in DR DRDO DO,, now now you yourr whol wholee centr centree of gra gravi vity ty see seems ms to to have have shif shifte ted d towa toward rdss them them.” .” Per Perha haps ps wha whatt Prof Prof.. Dhawa Dha wan n was was telli telling ng me me had had an ele elemen mentt of tru truth th in in it, but my hea heart rt had had always b ee een at ISRO. Was he really unaware o f that? Republic Day, 1981 brought with it a pleasant surprise. On the evening of 25 January, Mahadevan, Secretary to Prof. UR Rao, rang up from Delhi to inform me about the Home Ministry announcement about the conferment of the Padma Bhushan award on me. The next important call was from Prof. Dhawan Dhawan to congrat- late me. I felt blissfully blissfully elated as it was from my guru. I rejoiced with Prof. Dhawan at his receiving the Padma Vibhushan and I congratulated him wholeheartedly. I then rang up Dr Brahm Prakash and thanked him. Dr Brahm Prakash chided me for the formality and said, “I feel as i f my son has got the award.” I was so deeply touched by Dr Brahm Prakash’s affection that I could no longer keep my emotions in check.

ORIENBUILDERS TATION - 1 and hug hugged ged my mot mother her.. My fa fathe therr ran ran his his cari caring ng fing fingers ers thr throug ough h my hair. My men hair. mentor tor,, Jallal Jallaludd uddin, in, anno announc unced ed the the news news to to the cro crowd wd gath gathere ered d on Mosq Mosque ue Stre Street. et. My sis sister ter,, Zohara Zohara,, prepa prepared red spec special ial swe sweets ets for me. Pakshi Pak shi Laks Lakshma hmana na Sastr Sastry y put put a tilak tilak on my my forehe forehead ad.. Fr. Solom Solomon on bless blessed ed me holdi holding ng the the holy holy cross cross.. I saw saw Prof. Prof. Sarab Sarabhai hai smil smiling ing with with a se sense nse o achiev ach ieveme ement— nt— the sap saplin ling g whic which h he had pla plante nted d twent twenty y year yearss ago ago had had finally grown into a tree whose fruits were being appreciated by the people of India. My Pad Padma ma Bhu Bhush shan an evo evoke ked d mixe mixed d reac reactio tions ns at at VSSC. VSSC. Whil Whilee ther theree ere some who shared my happiness, there were others who felt I was eing ein g undul unduly y singl singled ed out out for for reco recogni gnitio tion. n. Some Some of my my close close as assoc sociate iatess turned tur ned envi envious ous.. Why do some some peo people ple fai faill to see see the gre great at valu values es of of life life because of sadly twisted thought processes? Happiness, satisfaction, and success in life depend on making the right choices, the winning choices. There are forces in life working for you and against you. One must distinguish the beneficial forces from th e malevolent ones and choose correctly between them. An in inne nerr voic voicee told told me me that that the tim timee had had come come for for a lo long ng fel felt, t, but but ignore igno red, d, nee need d for for rene renewa wal. l. Let Let me me clea clean n my sla slate te and and wri write te new new ‘s ‘sum ums’ s’.. Weree the ea Wer earli rlier er sums sums done co corre rrectl ctly? y? Eval Evaluat uating ing one one’s ’s own own prog progres resss in life is not an eas y task. Here th e st ud udent h as as t o set his o wn wn qu es est io ion s, s, seek his own answers and evaluate them to his own satisfaction. Judgement aside, eighteen years at ISRO was too long a stay to leave without pain. As for my afflicted friends, the lines by Lewis Carroll seemed very appropriate:

You may charge me with murder – Or want of sense (We are all of us weak at times): But the slightest approach to a false pretence Was never among my crimes! ***

I filled my room with the music of Bismillah Khan’s shehnai. The music took me to another time, another place. I visited Rameswaram


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III PROPITIATION [ 1981 – 1991 ] Let craft, ambition, spite, Be quenched in Reason’s night, Till weakness turn to might, Till what is dark be light, Till what is wrong be right! Lewis Carrol


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ORIENTSEEKERS ATION - 1 Prof. Dhawan asked me to give a talk on the S pace Programme Profile in India by the year 2000. Almost the entire ISRO management and staff attended my talk, which was by way of a farewell meeting.

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minor tussle over my services occurred at this time, between ISRO,, whic ISRO which h was was a litt little le hes hesit itan antt to rel relie ieve ve me, me, and and DRD DRDO, O, hich hic h wante wanted d to to take take me in in.. Man Many y mon month thss wen wentt by, by, and and many man y lette letters rs were were exc exchan hanged ged bet betwee ween n ISRO ISRO and and DRDO DRDO;; and and meeti meetings ngs were held in the secretariats of the Defence R&D establishment and the Department of Space to precipitate a mutually convenient course of action. actio n. Meanwhile Meanwhile,, Prof. Raman Ramanna na retired retired from from the office of the Scient Scientific ific Advi Ad viso sorr to Def Defen ence ce Min Minis iste ter. r. Dr Dr VS Aru Aruna nach chal alam am,, till till then then Dir Direc ector tor of of the Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL) in Hyderabad, succeeded Prof. Ramanna. Dr Arunachalam was known fo r his confidence, and he cared little for the intricacies and nuances of the scientific bureaucracy. Meanwhile, I understand that the Defence Minister at that time, R Venkataraman discussed the matter of my taking over the missile laboratory with Prof. Dhawan. Prof. Dhawan also seemed to be waiting for a decisive step at the highest level in the Defence Ministry. Overcoming the niggling doubts that had caused delays over the past year, the decision to appoint me Director, DRDL was finally taken in February, 1982. Prof. Dhawan used to visit my room in th e ISRO headquarters and spend many hours in evolving space launch vehicle projects. It was a great privilege to work with such a great scientist. Before I left ISRO,


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I had met Dr VS Arunachalam in 1976, when I vi sited DMRL in connection with the aluminium alloy investment casting for the SLV inertial guidance platform. Taking it as a personal challenge, Dr Arunachalam had the investment casting, the first of its kind in the country, made in the incredibly short time of two months. His youthful energy and enthusiasm never failed to amaze me. This young metallurgist had ithin a short span of time lifted the science of metal-making to the technology of metal-forming and then to the art of alloy development. With a tall and elegant figure, Dr Arunachalam was like an electrically charged dynamo himself. I found him an unusually friendly person with a forceful manner, as well as an excellent working partner. I visited DRDL in April 1982 to acquaint myself with my potential ork site ork site.. The The Dire Direct ctor or of of DRDL DRDL the then, n, SL SL Bans Bansal al,, took took me me arou around nd and and intr in trod oduc uced ed me to th thee sen senio iorr scie scient ntis ists ts in the the la labor borat atory ory.. DRD DRDL L was was workin wor king g on fiv fivee staff staff pro projec jects ts and and sixt sixtee een n compe competen tence ce buil buildd- p proje projects cts.. They were also involved in several technology-oriented activities with a view to gain lead time for the development of indigenous missile systems in future. future. I was was particul particularly arly impress impressed ed by their their efforts efforts on the twin 30-ton 30-ton Liqu Li quid id Pro Propel pella lant nt Roc Rocke kett Engi Engine ne.. Meanwhile, Anna University, Madras, conferred the honorary degree of Doctor of Science on me. It had been nearly twenty years since I had acquired my degree in aeronautical engineering. I was happy that Anna University had recognized my efforts in the field of rocketry, but what pleased me most was the recognition of the value of our work in academic circles. To my delight, the honorary doctorate degree was awarded at a convocation presided over by Prof. Raja Ramanna. I joined DRDL on 1 June, 1982. Very soon, I realized that this laboratory was still haunted by the winding up of the Devil missile project. Many excellent professionals had not yet recovered from the disappointment. People outside the scientific world may find it difficult to comprehend how a scientist feels when the umbilical cord to his work is suddenly snapped, for reasons totally alien to his understanding and

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WINGS OF FIRE intere inte rest sts. s. The The gen gener eral al moo mood d and and work work tem tempo po at at DRDL DRDL rem remin inde ded d me of of Samu Sa muel el Tay Taylo lorr Cole Colerid ridge ge’s ’s poe poem m The The Rime Rime of of the the Anc Ancie ient nt Mar Marin iner er::

Day after day, day after day, We stuck, nor breath, nor motion; As idle as a painted ship Upon a painted ocean. I found almost all my senior colleagues living with the pain of dashed hopes. There was a widespread feeling that the scientists of this laboratory had been cheated by the senior officials in the Ministry of Defence. It was clear to me that the burial of the Devil was essential for the rise of hope and vision. When about a month later, Admiral OS Dawson, then the Chief o Naval Staff, visited DRDL, I used it as an opportunity to make a point ith my team. The Tactical Core Vehicle (TCV) project had been hanging fire for quite some time. It was conceived as a single core vehicle with certain common subsystems to meet the requirements of the services for a quick reaction Surface-to-Air Missile, an anti-radiation Air-to-Surface Missile which could be launched from helicopters or fixed wing aircraft. I emphasized the sea-skimming role of the core vehicle to Admiral Dawson. I focussed not on its technical intricacies, but on its battlefield capabilities; and I highlighted the production plans. T he message was loud and clear to my new associates—do not make anything which you cannot sell later and do not spend your life on making one thing only. Missile development is a multi-dimensional business—if you remain in any one dimension for a long time, you will get stuck. My initial few months at DRDL were largely interactive. I had read at St. Joseph’s that an electron may appear as a particle or wave depending on how you look at it. If you ask a particle question, it will give you a particle answer; if you ask a wave question, it will give you a wave answer. I not only described and explained our goals, but also made them an interplay between our work and ourselves. I still recall quoting Ronald Fischer at one of the meetings, “The sweetness we taste in a piece of sugar is neither a property of th e sugar nor a property o ourselves. We are producing the experience of sweetness in the process of interacting with the sugar.”


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ORIENTSEEKERS ATION - 1 Very Ve ry goo good d work work on on a Sur Surfa face ce-t -to-S o-Sur urfa face ce mis missi sile le wit with h a vert vertic ical al ris riseeturn stra turn straig ight ht line line cl climb imb-- al alli list stic ic pat path h had had been been don donee by tha thatt time time.. I was was astonished to see the determination of the DRDL workforce, who, in spite of the premature winding up of their earlier projects, were eager to go ahead. I arranged reviews for its various subsystems, to arrive at precise specifications. To the horror of many old-timers in DRDO, I started inviting people from the Indian Institute of Science, Indian Institutes of Technology, Council for S cientific and Industrial Research, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, and many other educational institutions where related experts could be found. I felt that the stuffy ork centres of DRDL needed a breath of fresh air. Once we opened the windows wide, the light of scientific talent began to pour in. Once more, Coleridge’s Ancient Mariner came to m ind: “Swiftly, swiftly flew the ship,\ Riding gently the oncoming tide.” Sometime in the beginning of 1983, Prof. Dhawan visited DRDL. I reminded him of his own advice to me almost a decade ago: “You have to dream before your dreams can come true. Some people stride towards whatever it is that they want in life; others shuffle their feet and never get started because they do not know what they want—and do not know how to find it either.” ISRO was lucky to have had Prof. Sarabhai and Prof. Dhawan at the helm—leaders who elucidated their goals, made their missions larger than their lives, and could then inspire their entire workforce. DRDL had not been so lucky. This excellent laboratory played a truncated role that did not reflect its existing or potential capabilities or even fulfill the expectations in South Block. I told Prof. Dhawan about the highly professional, but slightly bewildered team I had. Prof. Dhawan Dhawan responded with with his characteristic characteristic broad smile hich could be interpreted in any way one chose. In order to accelerate the pace of R&D activities at DRDL, it was imperative that decisions on vital scientific, technical and technological problems be taken quickly. Throughout my career I had zealously pursued openness in scientific matters. I had seen from very close quarters the decay and disintegration that go with management through closed-door consultations and secret manipulations. I always despised and resisted such efforts. So the first major decision which we took was to create a forum of senior scientists where important matters could be discussed

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Plate 9 The twin-engine indigenous hovercraft prototype Nandi developed at ADE, Bangalore. As As inventor and pilot, pilot, I took my my rightful place at the controls.


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Plate 10 The Christian community in Thumba very graciously gave up this beautiful Church to house the first unit of the Space Research Centre.


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Plate 11 With Prof Vikram Sarabhai, a great great visionary and the master master planner planner behind India's Missile Development programme, at Thumba


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Plate 12 Two gurus of Indian Space Research who mentored and gently guided the young scientists – Prof Satish Dhawan and Dr Brahm Prakash – at one of the SLV-3 review meetings.


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Plate 13 A presentation by a member member of my SLV-3 SLV-3 team. In an unusual unusual move, I made each of them present their portion of the work—my idea of project management.


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Plate 14 Dr Brahm Prakash Prakash inspecting SLV-3 in its final phase of of integration. He helped me deal with subsequent frustrations in its launching and consoled me when I was at my lowest ebb.


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Plate 15


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Prof Satish Dhawan and I explaining SLV-3 results to Prime Minister Indira Indira Gandhi.

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Plate 17 Receiving the Padma Bushan from Dr Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy, then President o India.

Plate 16 SLV-3 on the launch pad. This gave us many anxious moments!


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Plate 18 Successful launch of Prithvi, the surface-to-surface surface-to-surface weapons system. Plate 19


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Agni on the launch pad, my long-cherished dream.

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Plate 21 Many a slip between the cup and the lip... .

Nothing to be discouraged! We have postponed it again because we want to be absolutely certain!

Plate 20 One of the cartoons in the media after the failure of the first two Agni launches.


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Plate 22


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Being carried by a jubilant crowd after the successful launch of Agni.

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Plate 23


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Receiving the Bharat Ratna from President KR Narayanan.

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Plate 24 With three Service Chiefs. To my my left is Admiral Admiral VS Shekhawat, on his right is General BC Joshi, and Air Chief Marshal SK Kaul.


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WINGS OF FIRE and deb and debat ated ed as a col colle lect ctiv ivee ende endeav avou our. r. Thu Thus, s, a hig high h lev level el bo body dy ca call lled ed the Mi Miss ssil ilee Tech Techno nolo logy gy Com Commi mitt ttee ee was was fo form rmed ed wit withi hin n DRDL DRDL.. The The concep con ceptt of manag manageme ement nt by part partici icipat pation ion was was evok evoked ed and and earne earnest st effor efforts ts were we re ma made de to in invol volve ve mi midd ddle le-l -lev evel el sc scie ient ntis ists ts an and d eng engine ineer erss in in the the management activities of the laboratory. Days of debate and weeks of thinking finally culminated in the longterm ‘Guided Missile Development Programme’. I had read somewhere, “Know where you are going. The great thing in the world is not knowing so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving.” What i e did not have the technological might of the Western countries, we knew we had to attain that might, and this determination was our driving force. To draw up a clear and well-defined missile development programme for the production o f indigenous missiles, a committee was constituted under my chairmanship. The members were ZP Marshall, then the Chief of Bharat Dynamics Limited, Hyderabad, NR Iyer, AK Ka Kapo poor or and and KS Ve Venk nkat atar aram aman an.. We We dra drafte fted d a pa pape perr for for the pe peru rusa sall of the the Cab Cabine inett Commit Committee tee for Poli Politic tical al Affa Affairs irs (CC (CCPA) PA).. The pap paper er was was given giv en its fin final al sha shape pe aft after er con consu sulti lting ng the rep repres resent entati atives ves of the the thr three ee Defenc Def encee Servi Service ces. s. We est estima imated ted an an expen expendit diture ure of about about Rs Rs 390 390 crores crores,, spread over a period of twelve years. Development programmes often get stuck by the time they reach the production stage, mainly because of lack of funding. We wanted to gett fun ge funds ds to de deve velo lop p and and pr prod oduc ucee two two mis missi sile les— s—aa low low-l -lev evel el qu quic ick k reacti rea ction on Tactic Tactical al Core Core Vehic Vehicle le and and a Medium Medium Range Range Surfa Surfacece-to-S to-Surf urface ace Weapon System. We planned to make a surface-to-air medium range weapon wea pon syst system em with with mult multi-ta i-targe rgett handli handling ng capa capabil bility ity duri during ng the the second second pha p hase se.. DRDL DRDL had had bee been n know known n for for its its pion pionee eeri ring ng wor work k in the the fie field ld of anti an ti-t -tan ank k miss missil iles es.. We pr prop opos osed ed to dev devel elop op a th thir ird d gene genera rati tion on anti anti-t -tan ank k guided missile having ‘fire-and-forget’ capabilities. All my colleagues ere pleased with the proposal. They saw an opportunity to pursue afresh activities initiated long ago. But I was not entirely satisfied. I longed to revive my buried dream of a Re-entry Experiment Launch Vehicle (REX). I persuaded my colleagues to take up a technology development project to generate data for se in the design design of heat shields. shields. These shields were required for building up capability to make longrange missiles in the future.


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ORIENTSEEKERS ATION - 1 I mad madee a pr pres esen enta tati tion on in the Sou South th Bl Bloc ock. k. The pr pres esen enta tati tion on was was presid pres ided ed ov over er by by the the De Defe fenc ncee Mini Minist ster er of the the tim timee R Ven Venka kata tara rama man, n, and atte attende nded d by the the three three Servi Service ce Chie Chiefs: fs: Gene General ral Kris Krishna hna Rao, Rao, Air Air Chie Ch ieff Mar Marsh shal al Di Dilb lbag agh h Sin Singh gh an and d Admi Admira rall Daw Dawso son. n. The Ca Cabi bine nett Secretary, Krishna Rao Sahib, Defence Secretary, SM Ghosh and Secretary, Expenditure, R Ganapathy were present. Everyone seemed to have all sorts of doubts—about our capabilities, about the feasibility and availability of required technological infrastructure, about the viability, the schedule and cost. Dr Arunachalam stood by me like a rock throughout the entire question-answer session. Members were skeptical and apprehensive apprehensive of drift— hich they felt was common among among scientists. Although some questioned our ambitious proposal, everyone, even the doubting Thomases, were very excited about the idea of India having her own missile systems. In the end, we were asked by Defence Minister Venkataraman to meet him in the evening, about three hours later. We sp spen entt the the in inte terv rven ening ing ti time me wo work rkin ing g on pe perm rmuta utati tion onss and and combinatio combina tions. ns. If they they san sancti ctione oned d only only Rs Rs 100 100 crore crores, s, how how woul would d we alloca all ocate te it? Sup Suppos posee they they gav gavee us us Rs Rs 200 200 crore crores, s, the then n what what wou would ld we do? Whe When n we met met the the Defen Defence ce Mini Ministe sterr in the the eveni evening, ng, I had a hun hunch ch e were going to get some funds at any rate. But when he suggested that we launch an integrated guided missile development programme, instead of making missiles in phases, we could not believe our ears. We we were re qu quit itee dum dumbf bfou ound nded ed by th thee Def Defen ence ce Mi Mini nist ster er’s ’s su sugg gges esti tion on.. After a long After long pause, pause, Dr Aruna Arunacha chala lam m replied replied,, “We beg beg for time time to rethi rethink nk and return, Sir!” “You come back tomorrow morning please,” the Defenc Def encee Minist Minister er repli replied. ed. It It was remi reminis niscen centt of Prof. Prof. Sarab Sarabhai hai’s ’s zeal zeal and an d visi vision on.. That That nigh night, t, Dr Ar Aruna unach chal alam am and and I labo labour ured ed tog toget ethe herr on rewo re work rkin ing g our our plan plan.. We worked out some very important extensions and improvements in our proposal, t aking all the variables, such as design, fabrication, system integration, qualification, experimental flights, evaluation, updating, user trials, producibility, quality, reliability, and financial viability into account. We then integrated them into a single function of total accountability, in order to meet the needs of the country’s armed forces with an indigenous endeavour. We worked out the concepts of design, development,

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WINGS OF FIRE produ pro duct ctio ion n conc concur urre renc ncy y and and prop propos osed ed the the par partic ticip ipat atio ion n of use userr and and inspection inspe ction agenc agencies ies right right from the drawingdrawing-board board stage stage.. We also also suggeste suggested d a methodology to achieve state-of-the-art systems after all t he years of developmental activities. We wanted to deliver contemporary missiles to our Services and not some outdated inventory of weapons. It was a very exciting challenge that had been thrown to us. By the the time time we fin finish ished ed our our work, work, it was was alre already ady morn morning. ing. Sud Sudden denly ly,, at th thee bre break akfa fast st ta tabl ble, e, I re reme memb mber ered ed tha thatt I was was to at atte tend nd my my nie niece ce Zame Za meel ela’ a’ss wed weddi ding ng at Ra Rame mesw swar aram am tha thatt even evenin ing. g. I th thou ough ghtt it it was was alread alr eady y too too late late to do do anyt anythin hing. g. Even Even if I cou could ld catc catch h the the Madr Madras as flig flight ht later in the day, how would I reach Rameswaram from there? There as no air link between Madras and Madurai from where I could board the evening train to Rameswaram. A pang of guilt dampened my spirits. Was it fair, I asked myself, to forget my fa mily commitments and obligations? Zameela was more like a daughter to me. The thought o missing her wedding because of professional preoccupations at Delhi as very distressing. I finished breakfast and left for the meeting. When we met Defence Minister Venkataraman and showed him our revised proposal, he was visibly pleased. T he proposal of the missile development project had been turned overnight into the blueprint of an integrated programme with far-reaching consequences. It would have wide-ranging technological spinoffs, and was exactly what the Defence Minister had had in m ind the previous evening. Notwithstanding the great respect I had for the Defence Minister, I was not really sure if he would clear our entire proposal. But he did. I was absolutely delighted! The Defence Minister stood up, signalling that the meeting was over. Turning to me he said, “Since I brought you here, I was expecting you to come up with something like this. I am happy to see your work. ” In a split second, the mystery surrounding the clearance of my appointment as Director DRDL in 1982 was cleared. So it was Defence Minister Venkataraman who had brought me in! Bowing in thanks, I turned towards the door when I heard Dr Arunachalam telling the Minister about Zameela’s wedding being scheduled for that evening at Rameswaram. It amazed me that Dr Arunachalam should bring up this matter before the Minister. Why would a person of his stature, sitting in


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ORIENTSEEKERS ATION - 1 the al alll-pow power erfu full Sout South h Bloc Block, k, be be conc concer erne ned d abou aboutt a weddi wedding ng whi which ch was was to take place on a far-flun far-flung g island island in a small small house house on on Mosque Mosque Street? Street? I have always had a high regard for Dr Arunachalam. He has together with a command over language as he displayed on this occasion, an ncanny presence of mind. I was overwhelmed when the Defence Minister located an Air Force h elicopter doing sorties between Madras and Mad Madura uraii later later in in the day to take take me me to Madu Madurai rai as soon soon as as I dise di semb mbar arke ked d at at Mad Madra rass fro from m the the re regu gula larr Ind India ian n Airl Airlin ines es fl flig ight ht,, whi which ch wass lea wa leavi ving ng De Delh lhii in an ho hour ur’s ’s tim time. e. Dr Aru Aruna nacha chala lam m told told me me,, “Yo “You u havee earne hav earned d this this for you yourr hard hard wor work k of of the the las lastt six six month months.” s.” Flying towards Madras, I scribbled on the back of my boarding pass:

Who never climbed the weary league – Can such a foot explore The purple t erritories On Rameswaram’s shore? The Air Force helicopter landed close to the Indian Indian Airlines aircraft aircraft as soon as it arrived from Delhi. Within the next few minutes I was on my way to Madurai. The Air Force commandant there was kind enough to take me to the railway station, where the train to Rameswaram was ust about to roll out of the platform. I was in Rameswaram well in time for Zameela’s wedding. I blessed my brother’s daughter with a father’s love. The Defence Minister put up our proposal before the Cabinet and saw it through. His recommendations on our proposal were accepted and an unprecedented amount of Rs 388 crores was sanctioned for this purpose. Thus was born India’s prestigious Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme, later abbreviated to IGMDP. When I presented the government sanction letter before the Missile Technology Committee at DRDL, they were enthused with fire and action. The proposed projects were christened in accordance with the spirit of India’s self-reliance. Thus t he Surface-to-Surface weapon system became Prithvi (“the Earth”) and the Tactical Core Vehicle was called Trishul (the trident of Lord Shiva). The S urface-to-Air area defence system was named as Akash (“sky”) and the anti-tank missile

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project Nag (“Cobra”). I gave the name Agni (“Fire”) to my long cherished dream of REX. Dr Arunachalam came to DRDL and formally launched the IGMDP on 27 July 1983. It was a great event in which every single employee of DRDL participated. Everybody who was somebody in Indian Aerospace Research was invited. A l arge number of scientists from other laboratories and organizations, professors from academic institutions, representatives of the armed forces, production centres, and inspection authorities, who were our business partners now, were present on this occasion. A closed-circuit TV network had to be pressed into operation to ensure proper co mmunication between the participants for we had no single place to accommodate all the invitees. This was the second most significant day in my career, next only to 18 July 1980, when the SLV-3 had launched Rohini into the earth’s orbit. ***

11 T

Stewards

he launch of the IGMDP was like a bright flash on the Indian scientific firmament. Missile Technology had been considered the domain of a few selected nations in the world. People were curious to see how, with what India had at that point of ti me, we were going to achieve all that was promised. The magnitude of the IGMDP was really unprecedented in the country and the schedules projected were quite quixotic by the norms and standards prevailing in the Indian R&D establishments. I was fully aware that obtaining sanction for the programme could at best be seen as only ten per cent of the work done. To get it going would be quite a different matter altogether. The more you have, the more there is to maintain. Now that we had een given all the necessary money and freedom to proceed, I had to take my team forward and fulfill the promises I had made. What would be needed to realise this missile programme, from the design to the deployment stages? Excellent manpower was available; money had been sanctioned; and some infrastructure also existed. What was lacking then? What else does a project need to succeed apart from these three vital inputs? From my SLV-3 experience, I thought I knew the answer. The crux was going to be out mastery over missile technology. I expected nothing from abroad. Technology is a group activity and we


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WINGS OF FIRE ould oul d nee need d leade leaders rs who cou could ld not onl only y put put the their ir hea heart rt and sou soull into into the missilee progr missil programm amme, e, but al also so carr carry y alon along g with with the them m hundr hundreds eds of othe otherr engine eng ineers ers an and d scien scientis tists. ts. We knew knew we had had to to be pre prepar pared ed to to encou encounte nterr numero num erous us contr contradi adicti ctions ons and and proce procedur dural al absur absurdit dities ies that that wer weree preval prevalent ent in the partic participat ipating ing laborator laboratories. ies. We We would would have to counterac counteractt the existi existing ng attitudes attit udes of our our public public sect sector or units, units, which which beli believed eved that their perf performanc ormancee woul wo uld d neve neverr be te test sted ed.. The The who whole le sy syst stem em—i —its ts peo people ple,, proc proced edur ures es,, in fr frast ru ruct ur ure— ou ld ld ha have t o learn to to ex extend it itself. We We de decided to to achieve something that was way beyond our collective national capability and I, for one, had no illusions about the fact that unless our teams orked on the basis of proportion or probability, nothing would be achieved. The most remarkable thing about DRDL was its large pool of highly talented people, many of whom were, unfortunately, full of egotism and rebelliousness. Unfortunately, they had not even accumulated enough experience to make them confident about their own judgement. On the hole, they would discuss matters very enthusiastically, but would finally accept what a select few said. They would unquestioningly believe in outside specialists. A particularly interesting person I met in DRDL was AV Ranga Rao. He was very articulate and had an impressive personality. His usual garb consisted of a red neck-tie with a checked coat and loose trousers. He would wear this in the hot climate of Hyderabad, where even a longsleeved shirt and shoes are considered an avoidable inconvenience. With his thick white beard and a pipe clamped between his teeth, there was a certain aura around this extremely gifted, but rather egocentric individual. I consulted Ranga Rao on revamping the existing management system to achieve an optimum utilization of human resources. Ranga Rao had a series of meetings with the scientists sharing our vision of developing indigenous missile technology and explaining the different aspects of the IGMDP. After prolonged discussions, we decided to reorganize the laboratory into a technology-oriented structure. We needed to accommodate a matrix type of structure for the execution of various activities needed for the projects. In less than four months, four hundred scientists began to work on t he missile programme.


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ORIENSTEWARDS TATION - 1 During Dur ing thi thiss peri period, od, the mos mostt impor importan tantt task task bef before ore me was the sel selecti ection on of the the Pro Projec jectt Direc Director torss to to lead lead indi individ vidual ual mis missil silee proje projects cts.. We had a very la large rge pool pool of tale talent. nt. In In fact, fact, it it was was a mark market et of of plent plenty. y. The The ques questio tion n was whom whom to to pick—a pick—a go-g go-gett etter, er, a plan planner ner,, a maveri maverick, ck, a dict dictato atorr or a team man? man? I had had to get get the right right type type of leader leader who who could could clearly clearly visualiz visualizee the goal, goal, and chan channelis nelisee the ener energies gies of his his team team member memberss who who would would be wor worki king ng at at diff differ eren entt work work cen centr tres es in in purs pursui uitt of the their ir own own in indi divi vidu dual al goals.

It was a difficult game, some rules of which I had learnt while working on ISRO’s high priority projects for two decades. The wrong choice ould jeopardise the entire future of the programme. I had a detailed discussion with a large number of prospective scientists and engineers. I wanted these five P roject Directors to train another twenty-five project directors and team leaders of tomorrow. Many of my senior colleagues—naming them would be unfair, because it could be only my imagination—tried to befriend me during this period. I respected their concern for a lonely man, but avoided any close contacts. Through loyalty to a friend one can be easily led into doing something that is not in the best interests of the organization. Perhaps the main motive behind my isolation was my desire to escape from the demands of relationships, which I consider very difficult in comparison to making rockets. All I desired was to be true to my way o f life, to uphold the science of rocketry in my country and to retire with a clean conscience. I took quite some time and did a lot of hard thinking to decide who should lead the five projects. I examined the working styles of many scientists before making my decision. I think some of my observations may interest you. A basic aspect of a person’s working style is how he plans and organizes tasks. At one extreme is t he cautious planner, who carefully spells out each step before making any move. With a sharp eye for what can possibly go wrong, he tries to cover all contingencies. At the other end is the fast mover, who weaves and dodges without a plan. Inspired by an idea, the fast mover is always ready for action.

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WINGS OF FIRE Anot An othe herr asp aspec ectt of of a pe pers rson on’s ’s wo work rkin ing g sty style le is co contr ntrol ol—t —the he en ener ergy gy and atte attenti ntion on devote devoted d to ensuri ensuring ng that that things things happe happen n in a certai certain n way. way. At one ext extrem remee is is the the tigh tightt cont control roller ler,, a str strict ict adm admini inistr strato atorr with with freq freque uent nt checkpoint check points. s. Rules Rules and and policie policiess are to be foll followed owed with with religiou religiouss fervour. fervour. At the the oppo opposit sitee end end are are thos thosee who who move move wit with h freed freedom om and and fle flexib xibili ility. ty. They The y have have litt little le pati patienc encee for bure bureauc aucrac racy. y. They They del delega egate te easi easily ly and and give give their subordinates wide latitude for movement. I wanted leaders who tread the middle path, those who could control without stifling dissent or eing rigid. I wanted men who had the capability to grow with possibilities, with the pati patienc encee to explo explore re all all possi possible ble alte alterna rnativ tives, es, with with the the wisdo wisdom m to apply apply old principles to new situations; people with the skill to negotiate their way for ard. I wanted wanted them to be accommod accommodatin ating, g, to be willing willing to share their power with others and work in teams, delegating good jobs, assimilating fresh opinions, respecting intelligent people, and listening to ise counsel. They would have to be able to sort out things amicably, and take responsibility for slip-ups. Above all, they should be able to take failure in their stride and share in both success and failure. My search for someone to lead the Prithvi project ended with Col VJ Sundaram who belonged to the EME Corps of the Indian Army. With a post-graduate degree in Aeronautical Engineering and expertise in mechanical vibrations, Sundaram was head of the Structures Group at DRDL. I found in him a readiness to experiment with new ways of resolving conflicting points of view. He was an experimenter and innovator in team work. He had an extraordinary capability for evaluating alternative ways of operating. He would suggest moving forward into new terrains that could lead to a solution which had not been perceived earlier. Though a particular goal might be clear to a project leader, and he may be capable of giving adequate directions for accomplishing it, there can be resistance from subordinates if the goal makes no sense to them. Therein lies the importance of a leader who provides effective work directions. I thought the Project Director of Prithvi would be the first to make decisions with p roduction agencies and the armed forces, and Sundaram would be the ideal choice to see that sound decisions ere taken.


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ORIENSTEWARDS TATION - 1 Forr Tri Fo Trish shul, ul, I was was lo look okin ing g for for a man man wh who o not not on only ly ha had d a so soun und d knowledge knowle dge of elec electron tronics ics and and missil missilee warfare warfare,, but who who could could also also commun com munica icate te the the comp comple lexit xities ies to his his team team in orde orderr to prom promote ote understand under standing ing and and to earn earn his his team’s team’s suppor support. t. I found found in in Cmde SR Mohan, Mohan, who sai sailed led int into o Defe Defence nce R&D fro from m the the Indi Indian an Navy Navy,, a tale talent nt for for deta detail il and an almo almost st magi magical cal pow power er of per persua suasio sion. n. For Agni, my dream project, I needed somebody who would tolerate my occasional meddling in the running of this project. In RN Agarwal I found the right person. He was an alumnus of MIT with a brilliant academic record and had been managing the Aeronautical Test Facilities at DRDL DRDL with with keen keen profe professi ssiona onall acumen acumen.. Due to technological complexities, Akash and Nag were then considered missiles of the future; their activities were expected to peak about half a decade later. Therefore, I selected the relatively young Prahlada and NR Iyer for Akash and Nag. Two other young men, VK Saraswat and AK Kapoor were made deputies to Sundaram and Mohan respectively. In those days, there was no forum in DRDL where issues of general importance could be openly discussed and decisions debated. Scientists, it must be remembered, are basically emotional people. Once they stumble, it is difficult for them to pull th emselves together. Setbacks and disappointments have always been and always will be an inherent part of any career, even one in science. However, I did not want any of my scientists to face disappointments alone. I also wanted to ensure that none of them set their goals when they were at a low ebb. T o avoid such eventualities a Science Council was created—a sort of panchayat where the community would sit together and take common decisions. Every three months, all scientists—juniors and seniors, veterans and freshers— would sit together and let off steam. The very first meeting of the Council was eventful. After a spell of half-hearted enquiries and expressions of doubt, one senior scientist, MN Rao, shot a straight question: “On what basis did you select these five Pandavas (he meant the Project Directors)?” I was, in fact, expecting this question. I wanted to tell him that I found all these five Pandavas married to the Draupadi of positive thinking. Instead, I told Rao to wait

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WINGS OF FIRE and see see.. I had had chose chosen n them them to take take cha charge rge of a lon long-t g-term erm pro progra gramme mme where new storms would arise everyday.

to loca locate te the inte integra gratio tion n and and chec check-o k-out ut faci facilit lities ies nee needed ded for the mis missil silee projects here. For the next three years, this became my mission.

Ever Ev ery y to tomo morr rrow ow,, I to told ld Ra Rao, o, wi will ll gi give ve op oppo port rtun unit itie iess to th thes esee enthusiastic people—the Agarwals, Prahladas, Iyers, and Saras-wats— to gai gain n a fres fresh h pers perspe pect ctiv ivee on the their ir goa goals ls and and a str stron ong g hold hold on on thei theirr commitments.

We dr drew ew up a pr prop opos osal al to es esta tabl blis ish h a mod odel el hi high gh te tech chno nolo logy gy re rese sear arch ch centre with very advanced technical facilities like an inertial inst in stru rume ment ntat atio ion n labo labora rator tory, y, full full-s -sca cale le env enviro ironm nmen enta tall and and elec electr tron onic ic warfare (EMI/EMC) test facilities, a composites production centre, high enthalpy facility, and a state-of-the-art missile integration and checkout centre. By any standards, this was a gigantic task. An altogether different brand of expertise, grit and determination were required to realise this project. Goals and objectives had already been decided upon. Now they had to be shared with a large number of people from various agencies, through the problem-solving and communication processes that the leader of the team must build and maintain. Who would be the most suitable person to do so? I saw almost all the required leadership qualities in MV Suryakantha Rao. Then, as a large number of agencies would participate in the creation of Research Centre Imarat (RCI), someone had to protect hierarchical sensitivities. I selected Krishna Mohan, who was in his midthirties, to complement Suryakantha Rao, who was in his late fifties at that time. Krishna Mohan would encourage involvement rather than relying on obedience and monitoring p eople at their workplaces.

What makes a productive leader? In my opinion, a productive leader must be very competent in staffing. He should continually introduce new blood into the organization. He must be adept at dealing with problems and new concepts. The problems encountered by an R&D organization typically involve trade-offs among a wide variety of known and unknown parameters. Skill in handling these complex entities is important in achieving high productivity. The leader must be capable of instilling enthusiasm in his team. He should give appropriate credit where it is due; praise publicly, but criticize privately. One of the most difficult questions came from a young scientist: “How are you going to stop these projects from going the Devil way?” I explained to him the philosophy behind IGMDP—it begins with design and ends in deployment. The participation of the production centres and user agencies right from the design stage had been ensured and there was no question of going back till the missile systems had been successfully deployed in the battlefield. While the process of forming teams and organizing work was going on, I found that the space available at DRDL was grossly inadequate to meet the enhanced requirements of IGMDP. Some of the facilities would have to be located at a nearby site. The missile integration and checkout facility built during the Devil phase consisted only of a 120 sq. metre shed thickly populated with pigeons. Where was t he space and the facility to integrate the five missiles which would arrive here shortly? The Environmental Test Facility and the Avionics Laboratory were equally cramped and ill-equipped. I visited the nearby Imarat Kancha area. It used to be the test range for anti-tank missiles developed by DRDL decades ago. The terrain was barren—there were h ardly any trees— and dotted with large boulders typical of the Deccan plateau. I felt as i there was some tremendous energy trapped in these stones. I decided


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According to the established procedure, we approached the Military Engineering Services (MES) for the RCI construction work. They said it would take five years to complete the task. The matter was discussed in depth at the highest level in the Ministry of Defence and a landmark decision to entrust the responsibility of building defence structures to an outside construction company was taken. We liaised with t he Survey of India and the National Remote Sensing Agency for the inspection of the contour maps and for obtaining aerial photographs of the Imarat Kancha to prepare a layout for the approach roads and the location of the facilities. The Central Ground Water Board identified twenty locations amid the rocks to tap water. Infrastructure to provide 40 MVA power and 5 million litres of water per day was planned. It was also at this time that Col SK Salwan, a mechanical engineer with boundless energy, joined us. In the final phase of construction, Salwan discovered an ancient place of worship among the boulders. It seemed to me that this place was blessed.

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Now that we had started working on the design of the missile systems and development had already commenced for th eir integration and checkout, the next logical step was to look for a suitable site for the missile flight trials. With SHAR also in Andhra Pradesh, the search for a suitable site spread towards the eastern coastline and finally ended at Balasore in Orissa. A site along the north-eastern coast was identified for a National Test Range. Unfortunately the entire project ran into rough weather because of the po litical issues raised around the evacuation of people living in that area. We decided therefore to create an interim infrastructure adjacent to the Proof Experimental Establishment (PXE) at Chandipur in Balasore district of Orissa. A funding of Rs 30 crores had been given to construct the range, called the Interim Test Range (ITR). Dr HS Rama Rao and his team did an excellent job of working out innovative and cost-effective specifications for electro-optical tracking instruments, a tracking telescope system and an instrumentation tracking radar. Lt Gen RS Deswal and Maj Gen KN Singh took charge of creating the launch pad and range infrastructure. There was a beautiful bird sanctuary in Chandipur. I asked the engineers to design the test range without disturbing it. Creating the RCI was perhaps the most satisfying experience of my life. Developing this centre of excellence of missile technology was akin to the joy of a potter shaping artifacts of lasting beauty from the mundane clay. Defence Minister R Venkataraman visited DRDL in September 1983 to appraise himself of the activities of IGMDP. He advised us to list all the resources we needed to achieve our goals, overlooking nothing, and then include in the list our own positive imagination and faith. “What you imagine, is what will transpire. What you believe is what you will achieve,” he said. Both Dr Arunachalam and I saw in the horizon endless possibilities stretching out before IGMDP; and our enthusiasm proved infectious. We were excited and encouraged to s ee the best professionals in the country gravitating towards IGMDP. Who would not want to associate with a winner? The word had evidently got around that the IGMDP was a born winner. ***


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12 Workers We were at a meeting laying down the targets for 1984, when news came of Dr Brahm Prakash’s death on the evening of 3 January at Bombay. It was a great emotional loss for me, for I had had the privilege of working under him during the most challenging period of my career. His compassion and humility were exemplary. His healing touch on the day of the failed SLV-E1 flight surfaced in my memory serving to deepen my sorrow. If Prof. Sarabhai was the creator of VSSC, Dr Brahm P rakash was the executor. He had nurtured the institution when it most needed nourishment. Dr Brahm Prakash played a very important role in shaping my leadership skills. In fact my association with him was a turning point in my life. His humility mellowed me and helped me discard my aggressive approach. His humility did not consist merely in being modest about his talents or virtues, but in respecting the dignity of all those who worked under him and in recognizing the fact that no one is infallible, not even the leader. He was an intellectual giant with a frail constitution; he had a childlike innocence and I always considered him a saint among scientists. During this period of renaissance at DRDL, an altitude control system and an on- oard computer developed by P Banerjee, KV Ramana Sai and their team was almost ready. The success of this effort was

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WINGS OF FIRE very vital very vital for any indi indigen genous ous mis missil silee devel developme opment nt prog program ramme. me. All All the the same sa me,, we we ha had d to to hav havee a mi misssi sile le to te test st th this is im impo port rtan antt sy syst stem em.. After many brainstorming sessions, we decided to i mprovise a Devil missile to test the s ystem. A Devil missile was dis-assembled, many modifications made, extensive subsystem testing was done and the missile checkout system was reconfigured. After installing a make-shift launcher, the modified and extended range Devil missile was fired on 26 June 1984 to flight test the first indigenous Strap-down Inertial Guidance syst sy stem em.. The sy syst stem em me mett all all th thee re requ quir irem emen ents ts.. Thi Thiss was was the fi firs rstt an and d very ver y signif significa icant nt step step in the the histo history ry of Indi Indian an missi missile le devel developme opment, nt, whic which h had so so far been been restr restrict icted ed to reve reverse rse engin enginee eerin ring, g, toward towardss design designing ing our our own syst systems ems.. A longlong-den denied ied opp opport ortuni unity ty was was at last last uti utiliz lized ed by mis missil silee scient sci entist istss at at DRDL. DRDL. The mes messag sagee was was loud loud and cl clear ear.. We cou could ld do it! it! It did not take long for the message to reach Delhi. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi expressed her desire to personally apprise herself of the progress of the IGMDP. The entire organization was filled with an aura of excitement. On 19 July 1984, Shrimati Gandhi visited DRDL. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was a person with a tremendous sense of pride—in herself, in her work and in h er country. I deemed it an honour to receive her at DRDL as she had instilled some of her own pride into my otherwise modest frame of mind. She was immensely conscious that she was the leader of eight hundred million people. Every step, every gesture, every movement of her hands was optimised. The esteem in which she held our work in the field of guided missiles boosted our morale immensely. During the one hour that she spent at DRDL, she covered wideranging aspects of the IGMDP, from flight system plans to multiple development laboratories. In the end, she addressed the 2000-strong DRDL community. She asked for the schedules of the flight system that we were working on. “When are you going to flight test P rithvi?” Shrimati Gandhi asked. I said, “June 1987.” She immediately responded, “Let me know what is needed to accelerate the flight schedule.” She wanted scientific and technological results fast. “Your fast pace of work is the hope of the entire nation,” she said. She also told me that the emphasis of the IGMDP should be not only on schedule but also on the pursuance


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ORIENWORKERS TATION - 1 of exce excelle llence nce.. “No “No matte matterr what what you you achie achieve, ve, yo you u shoul should d never never be comple comp lete tely ly sa sati tisf sfie ied d and and sh shou ould ld al alwa ways ys be se sear arch chin ing g for for wa ways ys to pr prov ovee yourself,” she added. Within a month, she demonstrated her interest and support by sending the newly appointed Defence Minister, SB Chavan, to review our our projects. Shrimati Shrimati Gandhi’s followfollow- p approach was was not only impressive, it was effective too. Today, everyone associated with aerospace research in our country knows that excellence is synonymous with the IGMDP. We ha had d ou ourr hom homee-gr grow own, n, bu butt eff effec ectiv tive, e, ma mana nage geme ment nt te tech chni nique ques. s. One such such tec techni hnique que was was conce concerne rned d with with follow follow-- p of projec projectt activi activitie ties. s. It basica basically lly cons consist isted ed of analy analysin sing g the techn technica icall as well well as proced procedura urall applic app licabi ability lity of a possi possible ble solu solutio tion, n, testi testing ng it with with the work work cent centres res,, discus dis cussin sing g it wit with h the the gene general ral body of asso associa ciates tes and imp implem lement enting ing it after enlisting everybody’s support. A large number of original ideas sprung up from the grass root level of participating work centres. If you were to ask me to indicate the single most important managerial tactic in this successful programme, I would point to the pro-active follow-up. Through follow-up on the work done at different laboratories on design, planning, supporting services, and by the inspection agencies and academic institutions, rapid progress has been achieved in the most harmonious manner. In fact, the work code in the Guided Missile Programme Office was: if you need to write a letter to a work centre, send a fax; if you need to send a telex or fax, telephone; and if the need arises for telephonic discussions, visit the place personally. The power of this approach came to light when Dr Arunachalam conducted a comprehensive status review of IGMDP on 27 September 1984. Experts from DRDO Laboratories, ISRO, academic institutions, and production agencies gathered to critically review the p rogress made and problems faced in the first year of implementation. Major decisions like the creation of facilities at Imarat Kancha and the establishment of a test facility were crystallized during the review. The future infrastructure at the Imarat Kancha was gi ven the name of Research Centre Imarat (RCI), retaining the original identity of the place. It was a pleasure to find an old acquaintance, TN Seshan, on the review board. Between SLV-3 and now, we had developed a mutual

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WINGS OF FIRE affection. Howev affection. However, er, this this time time as as the Defe Defence nce Secre Secretary, tary, Sesha Seshan’s n’s queries queries about abo ut the the sche schedul dules es and and viab viabili ility ty of of finan financia ciall propo proposit sition ionss pres present ented ed were were much more pointed. Seshan is a person who enjoys verbally bringing adversaries to their knees. Using his sharp-edged humour, Seshan would make his opponents look ridiculous. Although he is prone to be loud and can turn argumentative on occasions, in the end he would always ensure maximization of all available resources towards a solution that was within implementation. At a personal level, Seshan is a very kind-hearted and considerate person. My team was particularly pleased to answer his questions about the advanced technology employed in the IGMDP. I still remember his uncanny curiosity about the indigenous development of carbon-carbon composites. And to let you into a small secret—Seshan is perhaps the only person in the world who enjoys calling me by my full name which contains 31 letters and five words—Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam. The missile programme had been pursued concurrently and had partners in design, development and production fr om 12 academic institutions and 30 laboratories from DRDO, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), ISRO and industry. In fact, more than 50 professors and 100 research scholars worked on missile-related problems in the laboratories of their respective institutes. The quality of work achieved through this partnership in that one year had given me tremendous confidence that any development task could be undertaken within the country so long as we have our focussed schedules. Four months before this review, I think it was during April–June 1984, six of us in the missile programme visited academic campuses and enlisted promising young graduates. We presented an outline of the missile programme before the professors and the aspiring students, about 350 of them, and requested them to participate. I informed the reviewers that we were expecting around 300 young engineers to join our laboratories. Roddam Narasimha, then Director of th e National Aeronautical Laboratory, used the occasion of this review to put up a strong case for technology initiative. He cited the experiences of the green revolution, hich had demonstrated beyond doubt that if the goals were clear, there


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ORIENWORKERS TATION - 1 was enough enough tale talent nt availab available le in the country country to tackle tackle major tech technologi nological cal challenge challe nges. s. When India carried out its first nuclear explosion for peaceful purposes, we declared ourselves the sixth country in the world to explode a nuclear device. When we launched SLV-3 we were the fifth country to achieve satellite launch capability. When were we going to be the first or second country in the world to achieve a technological feat? I listened carefully to the review members as they aired their opinions and doubts, and I learned from their collective wisdom. It was indeed a great education for me. Ironically, all through school, we were taught to read, write and speak, but never to listen, and the situation remains much the same today. Traditionally, Indian scientists have been very good speakers, but have inadequately developed listening skills. We made a resolution to be attentive listeners. Are engineering structures not built on the foundation of functional utility? Does technical know-how not form its bricks? And, are these bricks not put together with with the mortar of constructive criticism? The foundation had been laid, the bricks baked, and now the mortar to cement our act together was being mixed. We were working on the action plan that had emerged from the earlier month’s review, when the news of Shrimati Gandhi’s assassination broke. This was followed by the news of widespread violence and riots. A curfew had been imposed in Hyderabad city. We rolled up the PERT charts and a city map was spread out over the table to organize transport and safe passage for all employees. In less than an hour, the laboratory ore a deserted look. I was left sitting alone in my office. T he circumstances of Shrimati Gandhi’s death were very ominous. The memories of her visit barely three months ago further deepened my pain. Why should great people meet with such horrific ends? I recollected my father telling someone in a similar context: “Good and bad people live together under the sun as the black thread and the white are woven together in a cloth. When either one of the black or white th read breaks, the weaver shall look into the whole cloth, and he shall examine the loom also.” When I drove out of the laboratory there was not a single soul on the road. I kept thinking about the loom of the broken thread.

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WINGS OF FIRE Shrima Shr imati ti Gan Gandh dhi’s i’s dea death th was was a trem tremen endo dous us los losss to the sc scie ient ntif ific ic community commun ity.. She had had given given impet impetus us to scie scienti ntific fic rese resear arch ch in the the count country. ry. But Ind India ia is is a ver very y resi resilie lient nt nati nation. on. It grad gradual ually ly abs absorb orbed ed the sho shock ck o Shrim Shr imat atii Gandh Gandhi’ i’ss assa assass ssin inat atio ion, n, alt altho houg ugh h at the the cos costt of thou thousa sand ndss o lives and a colos colossal sal loss of property property.. Her son, Rajiv Gandh Gandhi, i, took took over over as as the ne new w Prim Primee Min Minis iste terr of of Ind India ia.. He we went nt to the po poll llss and and obt obtai aine ned da mandate from the people to carry forward the policies of Mrs. Gandhi, the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme being a p art o them.

ORIENWORKERS TATION - 1 by Sch Schul ulle ler. r. “Go “God d can can do tr trem emen endo dous us th thin ings gs thr throu ough gh the pe pers rson on who who doesn’ doe sn’tt care care about about who who gets gets the cred credit. it. The The ego ego involv involveme ement nt must must go,” go,” writes wri tes Sch Schull uller. er. “Be “Befor foree God God tru trusts sts yo you u with with succ succes ess, s, you you have have to prov provee yours yo ursel elff humbl humblee enou enough gh to to hand handle le the the big big priz prize. e.”” I pray prayed ed to to God God in Schuller’s Schul ler’s churc church h to help me build build a Resear Research ch Centre Centre at the the Imarat Imarat Kanc Ka ncha ha—t —tha hatt wou would ld be my Cry Cryst stal al Cat Cathe hedr dral al.. ***

By the summer of 1985, all the groundwork had been completed for uilding the Missile Technology Research Centre at Imarat Kancha. Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi laid the foundation stone of the Research Centre Imarat (RCI) on 3 August 1985. He appeared very pleased with the progress made. There was a child-like curiosity in him which was very engaging. The grit and determination displayed by his mother when she visited us a year ago was also present in him, although with a small difference. Madam Gandhi was a taskmaster, whereas Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi used his charisma to achieve his ends. He told the DRDL family that he realised the hardships faced by Indian scientists and expressed his gratitude towards those who preferred to stay back and ork in their motherland rather than go abroad for comfortable careers. He said that nobody could concentrate on work of this type unless he was free from the trivialities of daily life, and assured us that whatever necessary would be done to make scientists’ lives more comfortable. Within a week of his visit, I left for the USA with Dr Arunachalam on an invitation from the United States Air Force. Roddam Narasimha of National Aeronautical Laboratory and KK Ganapathy of HAL accompanied us. After finishing our work at the Pentagon in Washington, e landed in San Francisco on our way to Los Angeles to visit Northrop Corporation. I utilized this opportunity to visit the Crystal Cathedral built y my favourite author, Robert Schuller. I was amazed by the sheer beauty of this all-glass, four-pointed, star-shaped structure that is more than 400 feet from one point to another. T he glass roof which is 100 feet longer than a football field seemed to float in space. This Cathedral has een built at the cost of several million dollars th rough donations organized


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ORTRIUMPHANT IENTATION - 1

13 Triumphant The young engineers, 280 to be precise, changed the dynamics of DRDL. It was a valuable experience for all of us. We were now in a position to develop, through these young teams, a re-entry technology and structure, a millimetric wave radar, a phased array radar, rocket systems and other such equipment. When we first assigned these tasks to the young scientists, they did not fully grasp the importance of their work. Once they did, they felt uneasy under the burden of the tremendous faith placed in them. I still remember one young man telling me, “There is no big shot in our team, how will we be able to break through?” I told him, “A big shot is a little shot who keeps on shooting, so keep trying.” It was astonishing to see how in the young scientific environment, negative attitudes changed to positive and things that were previously thought impractical began happening. Many older scientists were rejuvenated simply by being part of a young team.

The first launch of the Missile Programme was conducted on 16 September 1985, when Trishul took off from th e test range at Sriharikota (SHAR). It was a ballistic flight meant for testing the inflight performance of the solid propellant rocket motor. Two C-Band radars and Kalidieo-theodolite (KTLs) were used to track the missile from the ground. The test was successful. The launcher, rocket motor and telemetry systems functioned as planned. The aerodynamic drag however was higher than the estimates predicted on the basis of wind tunnel testing. In terms of technology breakthrough or experience enrichment, this test was of little value but the real achievement of this test was to remind my DRDL friends that they could fly missiles without being driven by the brute demands of compliance or reverse engineering. In a swift stroke, the psyche of the DRDL scientists experienced a multi-dimensional expansion.

It has been my personal experience that the true flavour, the real fun, the continuous excitement of work lie in the process of doing it rather than in having it over and done with. T o return to the four basic factors that I am convinced are involved in successful outcomes: goal-setting, positive thinking, visualizing, and believing.

This was followed by the successful test flight of the Pilotless T arget Aircraft (PTA). Our engineers had developed the rocket motor for the PTA designed by the Bangalore-based Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE). The motor had been type- approved by DTD&P (Air). This was a small but significant step towards developing missile hardware that is not only functional but also acceptable to the user agencies. A private sector firm was engaged to produce a reliable, airworthy, airwor thy, high thrust-tothrust-to- eight ratio ratio rocket motor with technology technology input input

By now, we had gone through an elaborate exercise of goal-setting and enthused the young scientists about these goals. At the review


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meetings, I would insist that the youngest scientists present their team’s work. That would help them in visualizing the whole system. Gradually, an atmosphere of confidence grew. Young scientists started questioning senior colleagues on solid technical issues. Nothing daunted them, because they feared nothing. If there were doubts, they rose above them. They soon became persons of power. A person with belief never grovels before anyone, whining and whimpering that it’s all too much, that he lacks support, that he is being treated unfairly. Instead, such a person tackles problems head on and then affirms, ‘As a child of God, I am greater than anything that can happen to me’. I tried to keep the ork environment lively with a good blend of the experience of the older scientists mixed with the skills of their younger colleagues. This positive dependence between youth and experience had created a very productive work culture at DRDL.

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WINGS OF FIRE from DRDL. We were were slowly gradua graduating ting from singl singlee labora laboratory tory projec projects ts to mult multi-l i-labo aborat ratory ory prog progra ramme mmess to lab labora orator tory-i y-indu ndustry stry exe exerci rcises ses.. The develo dev elopme pment nt of of PTA PTA symb symboli olized zed a great great con conflu fluenc encee of fou fourr diffe differen rentt organizati organ izations. ons. I felt felt as if I was stand standing ing at at a meeti meeting ng point point and lookin looking g at the road roadss comin coming g from from ADE, ADE, DTD&P DTD&P (Air) (Air) and and ISRO ISRO.. The four fourth th road road was the DRDL, a highway to national self-reliance in missile technology. Taking our partnership with the academic institutions of the country a step further, Joint Advanced Technology Programmes were started at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), and Jadavpur University. I have always had a deep regard for academic institutions and reverence for excellent academicians. I value the inputs that academicians can make to deve develop lopmen ment. t. Form Formal al reque requests sts ha had d been been pla place ced d with with the these se ins institu titutio tions ns and arrangements arrived at under which expertise from their faculties woul wo uld d be exte ten nde ded d to DRD RDL L in pu purs rsua uanc ncee of it itss pr proj ojec ects ts.. Let me highlight a few contributions of academic institutions to the various missile systems. Prithvi had been designed as an inertially guided missile. To reach the target accurately, the trajectory parameters have to be loaded into its brain—an on- oard computer. A team of young engineering graduates at Jadavpur University under the guidance of Prof. Ghoshal developed the required robust guidance algorithm. At the IISc, postgraduate students under the leadership of Prof. IG Sharma developed air defence software for multi-target acquisition by Akash. The re- entry vehicle system design methodology for Agni was developed by a young team at IIT Madras and DRDO scientists. Osmania University’s Navigational Electronics Research and Training Unit had developed stateof-the ofthe-ar -artt signa signall proc proces essin sing g algo algorit rithms hms for Nag Nag.. I hav havee only only giv given en a few few exampl exa mples es of of coll collabo aborat rative ive en endea deavou vour. r. In In fact, fact, it woul would d have have bee been n very very diffic dif ficult ult to achi achieve eve our our advanc advanced ed techn technolo ologic gical al goals goals with without out the the active active partnership of our academic institutions. Let us consider the example of the Agni payload breakthrough. Agni is a two two-st -stage age roc rocket ket sys system tem and emp employ loyss re-en re-entry try tec techno hnolog logy y deve develop loped ed in the coun country try for for the firs firstt time. time. It is is booste boosted d by a first first-st -stage age soli solid d rocket rocket motor derived from SLV-3 and further accelerated at the second stage ith the the liqui liquid d rocket rocket engi engine ness of Prithv Prithvi. i. For the the Agni, Agni, the the payl payload oad gets gets deli de live vere red d at at hy hype pers rson onic ic sp spee eeds ds,, whi which ch ca call llss for for th thee des desig ign n and and


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ORTRIUMPHANT IENTATION - 1 developmen devel opmentt of a re-ent re-entry ry vehicl vehiclee structur structure. e. The payloa payload d with with guidan guidance ce electronic electr onicss is hou housed sed in the the re-en re-entry try veh vehicl iclee struc structur ture, e, whic which h is mea meant nt to to protec pro tectt the the payl payload oad by keep keeping ing the ins inside ide tem temper peratu ature re wit within hin the lim limit it of of 40oC, when the outsi outside de skin skin tempe temperature rature is greate greaterr than than 2500oC 2500oC.. An inerti ine rtial al guid guidanc ancee syste system m with with an onon-boa board rd compu computer ter gui guide dess the pay payloa load d to the required t arget. For any re-entry missile system, three-dimensional preforms are core material for making the carbon-carbon nose tip that ill remain strong even at such high temperatures. Four laboratories o DRDO and the CSIR achieved this in a short span of 18 months— something other countries could do only after a decade of research and development! Anothe Ano therr chal challen lenge ge inv involv olved ed in in the the Agni Agni pay payloa load d desig design n was was relat related ed to the tremendous speed with which it would re-enter the atmosphere. In fac fact, t, Agn gnii wou oulld rere-en ente terr th thee atm tmos osph pher eree at tw tweelv lvee ti tim mes th thee sp spee eed d of sound (12 Mach, as we call it in science). At this tremendous speed, we had no experience of how to keep the vehicle under control. To carry out a test, we had no wind tunnel to generate that kind of speed. If we sought American help, we would have been seen as aspiring to something they considered their exclusive privilege. Even if they consented to co-operate, they would be certain to quote a price for their ind tunnel greater than our entire project budget. Now, the question as how to beat the system. Prof. SM Deshpande of the IISc found four young, bright scientists scientists working in the field of fluid dynamics and, within six months, developed the software for Computational Fluid Dynamics for Hypersonic Regimes, which is one of its kind in the world. Anothe Ano therr ach achiev ieveme ement nt was was the dev develo elopme pment nt of a mis missil silee traj traject ectory ory simulatio simula tion n softw softwar are, e, ANUK ANUKALP ALPANA ANA by Prof Prof.. IG Sha Sharma rma of IISc IISc to evalua eva luate te multimulti-tar target get acqui acquisit sition ion capa capabil biliti ities es of an an Akash-t Akash-type ype wea weapon pon system. No country would have given us this kind of software, but we developed it indigenously. In yet yet ano anothe therr examp example le of of crea creatin ting g a syn synerg ergy y of sci scient entific ific tal talent ent,, Prof. Bharat Prof. Bharatii Bhatt Bhatt of IIT IIT Delhi Delhi,, working working with with the the Solid Solid Physic Physicss Laboratory (SPL) and Central Electronics Limited (CEL), broke the monopo mon opoly ly of the the weste western rn countr countries ies by by devel developin oping g ferrite ferrite phas phasee shifte shifters rs forr use fo use in th thee mul multi ti-f -fun unccti tion on,, mul multi ti-t -tas aski king ng 33-D D Pha Phase sed d Arm Army y Rad Radar ar fo for r

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WINGS OF FIRE survei surv eill llen ence ce,, tra track ckin ing g and and gu guid idan ance ce of Ak Akas ash. h. Pr Prof of.. Sara Saraff of of IIT, IIT, Kharag Kha ragpur, pur, wor workin king g with with BK Muk Mukhoho-pad padhya hyay, y, my col collea league gue at RCI RCI,, madee a mil mad millim limetr etric ic wav wavee (MMW (MMW)) ante antenna nna for the Nag See Seeker ker He Head ad in two tw o yea years rs,, a re reco cord rd ev even en by in inte tern rnat atio iona nall st stan anda dard rds. s. The Ce Cent ntra rall Electrical and Electronics Research Institute (CEERI), Pilani developed an Imp Impat attt Diod Diodee in in cons consor orti tium um wit with h the the SPL SPL and and RCI RCI to to over overco come me techno tec hnolog logica icall for foreig eign n depe depende ndence nce in cre creati ating ng the these se com compone ponents nts,, whic which h are the heart of any MMW device. As work work on the the proj projec ectt spread spread hor horizo izonta ntally lly,, perfo performa rmance nce app apprai raisal sal ecamee more and more ecam more difficul difficult. t. DRDO DRDO has an asses assessment sment-link -linked ed policy. policy. Lead Le adin ing g nea nearly rly 500 sc scie ient ntis ists ts,, I had had to fina finali lize ze th thei eirr per perfo form rman ance ce apprai app raisal salss in in the the form form of Annu Annual al Conf Confide identi ntial al Rep Report ortss (ACR (ACRs). s). The These se reports would be forwarded to an assessment board comprised of outside spec sp ecia iali list stss for for reco recomm mmen enda dati tion ons. s. Man Many y peop people le vie viewe wed d this this par partt of my my ob uncharitably. Missing a promotion was conveniently translated as a dislike I had towards them. Promotions of other colleagues were seen as subjective favours granted by me. Entrusted with the task of performance evaluation, I had to be a fair judge. To trul truly y unde unders rstan tand d a judg judge, e, you you must must und unders erstan tand d the the ridd riddle le of the the scales scal es;; one one si side de he heaape ped d hig high h wit with h hop hope, e, th thee oth other er si side de ho hold ldin ing g apprehens appre hension. ion. When When the scal scales es dip, bright optim optimism ism turns turns into into silent silent panic. panic. When a person looks at himself, he is likely to misjudge what he finds. He sees only his intentions. Most people have good intentions and hence conclude that whatever they are doing is good. It is difficult for an individual to objectively judge his actions, which may be, and often are, contradictory to his good intentions. Most people come to work ith the intention of doing it. Many of them do their work in a manner they find convenient and leave for home in the evening with a sense of satisfaction. They do not evaluate their performance, only their intentions. It is as assum sumed ed that that bec becaus ausee an ind indivi ividua duall has has worke worked d with with the the inte intenti ntion on of finish fin ishing ing his wor work k in tim time, e, if del delays ays occ occurr urred, ed, they they wer weree due due to rea reason sonss beyond bey ond his his cont control rol.. He had had no inte intenti ntion on of caus causing ing the the delay delay.. But if if his his acti ac tion on or in inac acti tion on ca caus used ed th that at de dela lay y, wa wass it no nott in inte tent ntio iona nal? l? Looking back on my days as a young scientist, I am aware that one of the most constant and powerful urges I experienced was my desire


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ORTRIUMPHANT IENTATION - 1 to be mo more re th than an wh what at I was was at th that at mo mome ment nt.. I de desi sire red d to to fee feell more more,, lea learn rn more, exp more, expres resss more more.. I des desire ired d to to grow, grow, imp improv rove, e, pur purify ify,, expa expand. nd. I nev never er sed se d any any out outsid sidee infl influen uence ce to adv advanc ancee my my care career. er. All I had had was was the the inne in nerr urg urgee to se seek ek mo more re wi with thin in my myse self lf.. The The ke key y to my mo moti tiva vati tion on ha hass always been to look at how far I had still to go rather than how far I had come co me.. Afte Afterr all, all, wha whatt is li life fe bu butt a mix mixtu ture re of of unso unsolv lved ed pro probl blem ems, s, ambi ambigu guou ouss victori vic tories es,, and and amo amorph rphous ous def defeat eats? s? The trouble is that we often merely analyse life instead of dealing with it. with it. Peopl Peoplee disse dissect ct the their ir failu failures res for ca cause usess and and effec effects, ts, but sel seldom dom deal with them them and and gain gain experien experience ce to mast master er them them and there thereby by avoid avoid their the ir rec recur urre renc nce. e. Thi Thiss is is my be beli lief ef:: that that thr throu ough gh dif diffi ficul culti ties es an and d prob proble lems ms God giv gives es us the opp opport ort nity to gro grow. w. So when when you yourr hope hopess and and dre dreams ams and goals are dashed, search among the wreckage, you may find a gold go lden en opp opport ortun unity ity hi hidde dden n in the the rui ruins ns.. To motivate people to enhance their performance and deal with depression is always a challenge for a leader. I have observed an analogy between a force field equilibrium and resistance to change in organizations. Let us imagine change to be a coiled spring in a field o opposi opp osing ng forc forces, es, suc such h that that some some for forces ces sup suppor portt chang changee and and othe others rs resi resist st it.. By it By inc incre reas asin ing g the the su supp ppor orti tive ve fo forc rces es su such ch as su supe perv rvis isor ory y pre press ssur ure, e, prospects prosp ects of of career career growth growth and moneta monetary ry benefits benefits or decreasi decreasing ng the resisting forces such as group norms, social rewards, and work avoidance, the situation can be directed towards the desired result— result— ut for a short time only, and that too only to a certain extent. After a while the resisting forces push back with greater force as they are compressed even more tightly. Therefore, a better approach would be to decrease the resisting force in such a manner that there is no concomittant increase in the supporting forces. In this way, less energy will be needed to bring about and maintain change. The res result ult of the the force forcess I ment mentione ioned d above above,, is mot motive ive.. It is is a forc forcee hich is int hich intern ernal al to to the the indiv individu idual al and and form formss the the basis basis of his his beha behavio viour ur in in the work work envi environ ronmen ment. t. In my my exper experien ience, ce, mos mostt people people pos posses sesss a stron strong g inne in nerr dr driv ivee fo forr gr grow owth th,, co comp mpeete tenc nce, e, an and d se self lf-- ac actu tual aliz izat atio ion. n. Th Thee pr prob oble lem, m, however, has been the lack of a work environment that stimulates and permits them to give full expression to this drive. Leaders can create

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WINGS OF FIRE a high produ productivi ctivity ty level by provid providing ing the appr appropria opriate te organ organizati izational onal struct str ucture ure and and job job desig design, n, and and by ackn acknowl owledg edging ing and and appre apprecia ciatin ting g hard hard work. I first first attem attempte pted d to buil build d up such such a sup suppor portiv tivee envir environm onmen entt in 1983, 1983, hilee launc hil launchin hing g IGMDP. IGMDP. The The proj project ectss were were in the the desig design n phase phase at at that that time.. The re time re-or -organ ganiza izatio tion n resul resulted ted in at at least least fort forty y per per cent cent to to fifty fifty per cent ce nt inc incre reas asee in the the lev level el of of activ activity ity.. Now Now that that the the mul multi tipl plee proje project ctss weree ente wer enterin ring g into into the the dev develo elopme pment nt and and fligh flight-t t-tes estin ting g stage stage,, the the major major and an d mino minorr mil miles esto tone ness rea reach ched ed gav gavee the the pr prog ogra ramm mmee vis visib ibil ility ity an and d continuous conti nuous commitm commitment. ent. With With the absorpt absorption ion of a young young team of of scientist scientists, s, the av avera erage ge age age had had bee been n brou brough ghtt down down fro from m 42 to to 33 yea years rs.. I felt felt it as tim timee for for a sec second ond rere-orga organiz nizat ation. ion. Bu Butt how how shoul should d I go go abou aboutt it? it? I took stock of the motivational inventory available at that time—let me explain to you what I mean by this term. T he motivational inventory of a leader is made up of three types of understanding: an understanding of the needs that people expect to satisfy in their jobs, an understanding of the effect that job design has on motivation, and an understanding of the power of positive reinforcement in influencing people’s behaviour. The 198 1983 3 re-or re-organ ganiza izatio tion n was was done done with with the obj objec ectiv tivee of rene renewal wal:: it as indeed a very complex exercise handled deftly by AV Ranga Rao and Col R Swaminathan. We created a team of newly-joined young scientists with just one experienced person and gave them the challenge of building the strap-down inertial guidance system, system, an on- oard computer and a ram rocket in propulsion system. These exercises were being attempted for the first time in the country, and the technology involved was comparable with world-class systems. The guidance technology is centred around the gyro and accelerometer package, and electronics, to process the sensor output. The on-board computer carries the mission computations and flight sequencing. A ram rocket system breathes air to sustain its high velocity for long durations after it is put through a ooster rocket. The young t eams not only designed these systems but also developed them into operational equipment. Later P rithvi and then Agni used similar guidance systems, with excellent results. Th e effort of these young teams made the country self-reliant in the area o protected technologies. It was a good demonstration of the ‘renewal


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ORTRIUMPHANT IENTATION - 1 factor’. factor ’. Our intel intellect lectual ual capa capacity city was renew renewed ed throu through gh conta contact ct with enthusias enthus iastic tic youn young g minds minds and and had had achie achieve ved d these these outs outstan tandin ding g resul results. ts. Now, besides the renewal of manpower, emphasis had to be laid on augmentin augmen ting g the str streng ength th of proj project ect gro groups ups.. Often Often peopl peoplee seek seek to sat satisf isfy y their the ir socia social, l, egois egoistic tic,, and self self-ac -actua tualiz lizati ation on needs needs at thei theirr workpl workplac aces. es. A good goo d leade leaderr must must iden identify tify two diff differe erent nt sets sets of envi environ ronmen mental tal fea featur tures es.. One, On e, whi which ch sat satis isfi fies es a pe pers rson on’s ’s nee needs ds and and the the oth other er,, whic which h crea create tess dissat dis satisf isfact action ion wit with h his his work. work. We have have alr alread eady y obse observe rved d that that peopl peoplee look lo ok for th thos osee cha chara ract cter eris isti tics cs in th thei eirr wor work k tha thatt rel relat atee to to the the va valu lues es an and d goals which which they they consider consider importan importantt as giving giving meaning meaning to their their lives. lives. If a ob mee meets ts the the emp emplo loye yees es’’ need need for ach achie ieve veme ment, nt, rec recog ogni niti tion, on, res respo pons nsib ibil ilit ity, y, growth gro wth and adv advanc anceme ement, nt, the they y will will wor work k hard hard to to achie achieve ve goa goals. ls. Once the work is satisfying, a person then looks at the environment and circumstances in the workplace. He observes the policies of the administration, qualities of his leader, security, status and working conditions. Then, he correlates these factors to the inter-personal relations he has with his peers and examines his personal life in the light of these factors. It is the agglomerate of all these aspects that decides the deg degree ree and qua qualit lity y of a per person son’s ’s effo effort rt and and perf perform ormanc ance. e. The matrix organization evolved in 1983 proved excellent in meeting all these requirements. So, while retaining this structure of the laboratory, we undertook a task-design exercise. The scientists working in technology directorates were made system managers to interact exclusively with one project. An external fabrication wing was formed under PK Biswas, a developmental fabrication technologist of long standing, to deal with th e public sector undertakings (PSUs) and private sector firms associated with the development of the missile hardware. This reduced pressure on the in-house fabrication facilities and enabled them to concentrate on jobs which could not be undertaken outside, hich in fact occupied all the three shifts. Work on Prithvi was nearing completion when we entered 1988. For the first time in the country, clustered Liquid Propellant (LP) rocket engines with programmable total impulse were going to be used in a missile system to attain flexibility in payload range combination. Now, besides the scope and quality of the policy decisions Sundaram and I

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WINGS OF FIRE ere prov providi iding ng to to the the Prithv Prithvii team, team, the pro projec ject’s t’s suc succe cess ss dep depend ended ed on creative creati ve idea ideass being being con conver verted ted int into o worka workable ble pro produc ducts ts and and the the qual quality ity and tho thorou roughn ghnes esss of the tea team m memb members ers’’ contr contribu ibutio tion. n. Sar Sarasw aswat at wit with hY Gyaneshwar and P Venugopalan did a commendable job in this regard. They instilled in their team a sense of pride and achievement. The importance of these rocket engines was not restricted to the Prithvi project—it was a national achievement. Under their collective leadership, a large number of engineers and technicians understood and committed themselves to the team goals, as well as the specific goals which each one of them was committed to accomplish personally. Their entire team orked under a self-evident sort of direction. Working together with the Ordnance Factory, Kirkee, they also completely eliminated the import content in the propellant for these engines. Leaving the vehicle development in the safe and efficient hands o Sundaram and Saraswat, I started looking at the mission’s vulnerable areas. Meticulous planning had gone into th e development of the launch release mechanism (LRM) for the smooth lift-off of the missile. The oint development of explosive bolts to hold the LRM prior to the launch y DRDL and Explosive Research and Development Laboratory (ERDL) was an excellent example of multi- work centre coordination. While flying, drifting into spells of contemplation and looking down at the landscape below has always been my favourite preoccupation. It is so beautiful, so harmonious, so peaceful from a distance that I wonder here all those boundaries are which separate district from district, state from state, and country from country. Maybe such a sense of distance and detachment is required in dealing with all the activities of our life. Since the Interim Test Range at Balasore was still at least a year away from completion, we had set up special facilities at SHAR for the launch of Prithvi. These included a launch pad, block house, control consoles and mobile telemetry stations. I had a happy reunion with my old friend MR Kurup who was the Director, SHAR Centre by then. Working with Kurup on the Prithvi launch campaign gave me great satisfaction. Kurup worked for Prithvi as a team member, ignoring the boundary lines that divide DRDO and ISRO, DRDL and SHAR. Kurup used to spend a lot of time with us at the launch pad. He complemented


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ORTRIUMPHANT IENTATION - 1 us with with his ex exper perien ience ce in rang rangee testi testing ng and and rang rangee safe safety ty and and worke worked d with great with great enth enthusi usias asm m in pro propel pellan lantt filli filling, ng, maki making ng the the maid maiden en Prit Prithv hvii launch lau nch cam campai paign gn a memo memorab rable le exp experi erienc ence. e. Prithvi was launched at 11:23 hrs on 25 February 1988. It was an epoch-making event in the history of rocketry in the country. Prithvi was not merely a surface-to-surface missile with a capability of delivering a 1000 kg conventional warhead to a distance of 150 km with an accuracy of 50 meter CEP; it was in fact the basic module for all future guided missiles in the country. It already had the provision for modification from a long-range surface to an air missile system, and could also be deployed on a ship. The accuracy of a missile is expressed in terms of its Circular Error Probable (CEP). This measures the radius of a circle within which 50 per cent of the missiles fired will impact. In other words, if a missile has a CEP of 1 km (such as the Iraqi Scud missiles fired in the Gulf War), this means that half of them should impact within 1 km of t heir target. A missile with a conventional high-explosive warhead and a CEP of 1 km would not normally be expected to destroy or disable fixed military targets such as a Command and Control Facility or an Air Base. It would however be effective against an undefined target such as a city. The German V-2 missiles fired at London between September 1944 and March 1945 had a conventional high-explosive warhead and a very large CEP of some 17 km. Yet the 500 V-2s which hit London succeeded in causing more than 21,000 casualties and destroying about 200,000 homes. When the West were crying themselves hoarse over the NPT, we stressed upon building competence in core guidance and control technologies to achieve a CEP as precise as 50 m. With the success of the Prithvi trials, the cold reality reality of a possible possible strategic strike even without a nuclear warhead had silenced the critics to whispers about a possible technology-conspiracy theory. The launch of Prithvi sent shock waves across the unfriendly neighbouring countries. The response of the Western bloc was initially one of shock and then of anger. A seven-nation technology embargo

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T ORIENTATION ORIENTATI ORCHBEAR ON ER-S1

was clamped, making it impossible for India to buy anything even remotely connected with the development of guided missiles. T he emergence of India as a self-reliant country in the field of guided missiles upset all the developed nations of the world. ***

14 Torchbearers Indian core competence in rocketry has been firmly established again, beyond any doubt. The robust civilian space industry and viable missile based defences has brought India into th e select club of nations that call themselves superpowers. Always encouraged to follow Buddha’s or Gandhi’s teachings, how and why did India become a missile power is a question that needs to be answered for future generations. Two centuries of subjugation, oppression and denial have failed to kill the creativity and capability of the Indian people. Within just a decade of gaining independence and achieving sovereignty, Indian Space and Atomic Energy Programmes were launched with a perfect orientation towards peaceful applications. There were neither funds for investing in missile development nor any established requirement from the Armed Forces. The bitter experiences of 1962 forced us to take the basic first steps towards missile development. Would a Prithvi suffice? Would the indigenous development of four or five missile systems make us sufficiently strong? Or would having nuclear weapons make us stronger? Missiles and atomic weapons are merely parts of a greater whole. As I saw it, the development of Prithvi represented the self-reliance of our country in the field of advanced technology. High technology is synonymous with huge amounts of money and massive infrastructure. Neither of these was available, unfortunately,


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WINGS OF FIRE in ade adequa quate te mea measu sure re.. So So wha whatt cou could ld we do do?? Per Perha haps ps th thee Agn Agnii miss missil ilee eing ein g deve develope loped d as a techn technolo ology gy demo demonst nstrat rator or proje project, ct, poo poolin ling g all all the the reso re sour urcces av avai aila labl blee in th thee cou ount ntry ry,, co coul uld d pr prov ovid idee an an answ swer er?? I was very sure, even when we discussed REX in ISRO about a decade ago, that Indian scientists and technologists working together had the capability to achieve t his technological breakthrough. India can most certainly achieve state-of-the-art technology through a combined effort of the scientific laboratories and the academic institutions. If one can liberate Indian industry from the self-created image of being mere fabricating factories, they can implement indigenously developed technology and attain excellent results. To do this, we adopted a threefold strategy— multi-institutional participation, the consortium approach, and the empowering technology. These were the stones rubbed together to create Agni. The Agni team was comprised of more than 500 scientists. Many organizations were networked to undertake this huge effort of launching Agni. The Agni mission mission had two basic orientations— ork and workers. Each member was dependent on the others in his team to accomplish his target. Contradiction and confusion are the two things most likely to occur in such situations. Different leaders accommodate concern for workers while getting work done, in their own personal ways. Some shed all concern for workers in order to get results. They use people merely as instruments to reach goals. Some give less importance to the work, and make an effort to gain the warmth and approval of people orking with them. But what this team achieved was the highest possible integration in terms of both the quality of work and human relationships. Involvement, participation and commitment were the ke y words to functioning. Each of the team members appeared to be performing by choice. The launching of Agni was the common stake not only for our scientists, but for their families too. VR Nagaraj was the leader of the electrical integration team. Dedicated technologist that he is, Nagaraj ould forget basic requirements like food and sleep while on the integration gig. His brother-in-law passed away while he was at ITR. His family kept this information from Nagaraj so that there would be no interruption in his work towards the launching of Agni.


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T ORIENTATION ORIENTATI ORCHBEAR ON ER-S1 Thee Agn Th Agnii lau launc nch h had had been been sc sche hedul duled ed fo forr 20 20 Apr April il 19 1989 89.. This This wa wass going to going to be an an unpre unpreced cedent ented ed exer exercis cise. e. Unli Unlike ke spac spacee launc launch h vehic vehicles les,, a miss mi ssil ilee la laun unch ch in invo volv lves es wi wide de-r -ran angi ging ng sa safe fety ty ha haza zard rds. s. T o ra rada dars rs,, th thre reee telemetry stations, one telecommand station and four electro-optical tracking instruments to monitor the missile trajectory had been deployed. In addition, the telemetry station at Car Nicobar (ISTRAC) and the SHAR radars were also commissioned to track the vehicle. Dynamic surveillance was employed to cover the electrical power that flows from the missile batteries within the vehicle and to control system pressures. Should any deviation be noticed either in voltage or in pressure, the specially designed automatic checkout system would signal “Hold”. The flight operations would then be sequenced only if the defect was rectified. The countdown for the launch started at T-36 hours. The countdown from T-7.5 minutes was to be computer controlled. All activities preparatory to the launch went according to schedule. We had decided to move the people living in nearby villages to safety at the time of the launch. This attracted media attention, and led to much controversy. By the time 20 April 1989 arrived, the whole nation was watching us. Foreign pressure was exerted through diplomatic channels to abort the flight trial, but the Indian Government stood behind us like a rock and staved off any distraction to our work. We were at T -14 seconds hen the computer signalled “Hold”, indicating that o ne of the instruments was functioning erratically. This was immediately rectified. Meanwhile, the down-range station asked for a “Hold”. In another few seconds, multiple Holds were necessitated, resulting in irreversible internal power consumption. We had to abort the launch. The missile had to be opened up to replace the on- oard power supplies. A weeping Nagaraj, Nagaraj, by now informed about the tragedy in his family, met me and promised that he would be back within three days. The profiles of these courageous people ill never be written about in any history book, but it is such silent people on whose hard work generations thrive and nations progress. Sending Nagaraj off, I met my team members who were in a state of shock and sorrow. I shared my SLV-3 experience with them. “I lost my launch vehicle in the sea but recovered successfully. Your missile is in front of you. In fact you have lost nothing but a f ew weeks of rework.” This shook them out of their immobility and the entire team went back to retrieve the subsystems and re-charge them.

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WINGS OF FIRE Thee pres Th presss was was up in in arms, arms, an and d fiel fielde ded d vario various us int inter erpr pret etat atio ions ns of of the the postp pos tpon onem emen entt of of the the fl flig ight ht to su suit it th thee fan fanci cies es of the their ir re read ader ersh ship ip.. Cartoo Car toonis nistt Sudhir Sudhir Dar Dar sket sketch ched ed a shop shopkee keepe perr return returning ing a prod produc uctt to the the salesm sal esman an sayin saying g that that like like Agni Agni it would would not not take take off. off. Anoth Another er cartoo cartoonis nistt showed sho wed one Agn Agnii scie scienti ntist st exp expla laini ining ng tha thatt the the lau launch nch was pos postpo tponed ned ecause eca use the pre press ss but butto ton n did did not not mak makee cont contac act. t. The The Hin Hindus dustan tan Time Timess showed sho wed a lea leader der con consol soling ing pre press ss rep reporte orters, rs, “The “There’ re’ss no no need need for any alar m .. . it’ s a p ur urel y peaceful, non-v io iolent missi le le”. After a detailed analysis conducted virtually around the clock for the next ten days, our scientists had the missile ready for launch on 1 May 1989. But, again, during the automatic computer checkout period at T10 seconds, a Hold signal was indicated. A closer inspection showed that one of the control components, S1-TVC was not working according to the mission requirements. The launch had to be postponed yet again. Now N ow,, such such thi thing ngss are are very very comm common on in in rock rocket etry ry and and qui quite te ofte often n happ happen en in ot othe herr cou count ntrie riess too too.. But But th thee exp expec ecta tant nt na nati tion on wa wass in in no no moo mood d to to appr ap prec ecia iate te our di diff ffic icul ultie ties. s. The Hi Hindu ndu ca carr rrie ied d a ca cart rtoo oon n by by Ke Kesh shav av showin sho wing g a vil villag lager er cou counti nting ng som somee curr currenc ency y note notess and and com commen mentin ting g to to anothe ano ther, r, “Yes, “Yes, it’s it’s the the compe compensa nsatio tion n for movi moving ng away away from from my hut hut near near the tes testt site—a site—a few few more more pos postpo tponem nement entss and and I can can build build a hous housee of my my own...” own ...”.. Another Another carto cartooni onist st desig designat nated ed Agni Agni as “ IDBM— IDBM— Inte Intermi rmitte ttentl ntly y Delaye Del ayed d Balli Ballisti sticc Missi Missile. le.”” Amul’s Amul’s car cartoo toon n sugge suggeste sted d that that what what Agni Agni needed to do was use their butter as fuel! I took some time off, leaving my team at ITR to talk to the DRDLRCI community. The entire DRDL-RCI community assembled after working hours on 8 May 1989. I addressed the gathering of more than 2,000 persons, “Very rarely is a laboratory or an R&D establishment given an opportunity to be the first in the country to develop a system such as Agni. A great opportunity has been given to us. Naturally major opportunities are accompanied by equally major challenges. We should not give up and we should not allow the problem to defeat us. The country cou ntry doe doesn’ sn’tt deserv deservee anythin anything g less less than than succes successs from us. us. Let Let us aim aim for succ success ess”. ”. I had had almos almostt compl complete eted d my addr address ess,, when when I found found myse myself lf tellin tel ling g my peo people ple,, “I prom promise ise you you,, we wil willl be bac back k after after suc succes cessfu sfully lly launching Agni before the end of this month.”


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T ORIENTATION ORIENTATI ORCHBEAR ON ER-S1 Deta De tail iled ed ana analy lysis sis of the the com compon ponen entt fail failur uree duri during ng the the sec secon ond d atte attemp mptt led to led to the the re refu furb rbis ishm hmen entt of of the the co cont ntro roll sys syste tem. m. Th This is ta task sk wa wass entr entrus uste ted d to a DRDO DRDO-IS -ISRO RO team. team. The team team ca carrie rried d out the rect rectifi ificat cation ion of of the firstt stage firs stage contr control ol syste system m at the Liq Liquid uid Prope Propella llant nt Syste System m Comple Complex x (LPSC) (LP SC) of ISR ISRO O and and com comple pleted ted the tas task k in rec record ord tim timee with with tre tremen mendou douss concen con centra tratio tion n and and will will-po -power wer.. It wa wass noth nothing ing sho short rt of amaz amazing ing how hundre hun dreds ds of sci scient entist istss and and sta staff ff worke worked d cont continu inuous ously ly and com comple pleted ted the s ys ystem readiness with accep ta tance tests in just 10 days . The ai rc rcraft took off from Trivandrum with the rectified control systems and landed close to ITR on the eleventh day. But now it was the turn of hostile eather conditions to impede us. A cyclone threat was looming large. All the work centres were connected through satellite communication and HF links. Meteorological data started flowing in at ten-minute intervals. Fina Fi nall lly, y, the the lau launc nch h was was sche schedu dule led d for for 22 Ma May y 1989 1989.. The The prev previou iouss night, nigh t, Dr Aru Arunac nachal halam am,, Gen Gen KN KN Sin Singh gh an and d I wer weree wal walki king ng to toge geth ther er with wi th th thee Def Defen ence ce Mi Mini nist ster er KC Pa Pant, nt, wh who o had had co come me to IT ITR R to to it itne ness ss the la launc unch. h. It It was was a full full-moo -moon n nigh night, t, it was hig high h tide tide and the wav waves es crashe cra shed d and roar roared, ed, as as if singi singing ng of His His glory glory and and power. power. Woul Would d we succee suc ceed d with with the Agn Agnii launc launch h tomorr tomorrow? ow? Thi Thiss questi question on was was fore foremos mostt in all our our minds, minds, but but none of of us was was willin willing g to break break the spel spelll cast cast by the beauti bea utiful ful moo moonli nlitt night night.. Break Breaking ing a lo long ng sile silence nce,, the Def Defenc encee Minis Minister ter finally asked me, “Kalam! what would you like me to do to celebrate the Agni success tomorrow?” It was a simple question, to which I could not think of an answer immediately. What did I want? What was it that I did not have? What could make me happier? And then I found the answer. “We need 100,000 saplings to plant at RCI,” I said. His face lit up with a friendly glow. “You are buying the blessings of Mother Earth for Agni,” Defence Minister KC Pant quipped. “We will succeed tomorrow”, he predicted. The next day Agni took off at 0710 hrs. It was a perfect launch. The missilee follow missil followed ed a textb textbook ook traj traject ectory ory.. All fligh flightt parame parameter terss were were met. met. It was like like wak waking ing up up to a bea beauti utiful ful morn morning ing from from a nig nightm htmari arish sh slee sleep. p. We had rea reache ched d the the laun launch ch pad aft after er fiv fivee year yearss of con contin tinuou uouss work work at mul multip tiple le work centres. We had lived through the ordeal of a series of snags in the

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WINGS OF FIRE last five last five wee weeks ks.. We had had sur surviv vived ed pre press ssur uree from from every everywh wher eree to sto stop p the holee thing hol thing.. But But we did did it at at last! last! It It was was one of the the great greatest est mom moment entss of my lif life. e. A me mere re 600 600 se seco cond ndss of el eleg egan antt flig flight ht was washe hed d off off our our enti entire re fatiguee in an instant fatigu instant.. What What a wonderf wonderful ul culminati culmination on of our years years of labou labour. r. I wrote in my diary that night:

Do not look at Agni as an entity directed upward to deter the ominous or exhibit your might. It is fire in the heart of an Indian. Do not even give it the form of a missile as it clings to the burning pride of this nation and thus is bright. Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi called the Agni launch “a major achievement in our continuing efforts to safeguard our independence and security by self-reliant means. The technology demonstration through Agni is a reflection of our commitment to the indigenous development of advanc adv anced ed tec techno hnolo logie giess for for the nat nation ion’s ’s def defenc ence.” e.” “The co countr untry y is is prou proud d of your your effo efforts rts,” ,” he he told told me. me. Pres Preside ident nt Ven Venkat katara araman man saw in the the Agni Agni success succe ss the the fulfilm fulfilment ent of his dream dream.. He cable cabled d from Simla, “It is is a tribute to your dedication, hard work, and talent.” A great deal of misinformation and disinformation had been spread y vested interests about this technology mission. Agni had never been intended only as a nuclear weapon system. What it did was to afford us the opt option ion of dev develo elopin ping g the the abili ability ty to del delive iverr non-n non-nucl uclear ear we weapo apons ns with with high hi gh pre preci cisi sion on at at long long ran range ges. s. Tha Thatt it pro provi vide ded d us wit with h a viab viable le non non-nuclea nuc learr option option was of the the great greatest est rel releva evance nce to conte contempo mporar rary y strate strategic gic doctrines. Great ire was raised by the test firing of Agni, according to a wellknown American defence journal, especially in the United States where Congressmen threatened to put a stop to all dual-use and missile-related technologies, along with all multinational aid.


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T ORIENTATION ORIENTATI ORCHBEAR ON ER-S1 Gary Ga ry Mil Milhol holli lin, n, a soso-ca call lled ed spe speci cial alis istt in miss missil iles es and and war warhe head ad technologi technol ogies, es, had made made a cl claim aim in in The Wal Walll Street Street Jou Journa rnall that that India India had had made ma de Agn Agnii with with the the hel help p of Wes Westt Germ Germany any.. I had had a he hear arty ty lau laugh gh rea readin ding g that the the German German Aerosp Aerospace ace Resea Research rch Establ Establishme ishment nt (DLR) (DLR) had had developed Agni’s guidance system, the first-stage rocket, and a composite nose cone, and that the aerodynamic model of Agni was tested in the DLR wind tunnel. An immediate denial came from the DLR, who in turn speculated that France had supplied the Agni guidance electronics. American Senator Jeff Bingaman even went to the extent of suggesting that I picked up everything needed for Agni during my four-month stay at Wallop’s Island in 1962. The fact that I was in Wallop’s Island more than 25 years ago and at that time the technology used in Agni did not exist even in the United States was not mentioned. In today’s world, technological backwardness leads to subjugation. Can we allow our freedom to be compromised on this account? It is our bounden duty to guarantee the security and integrity of our nation against this threat. Should we not uphold the mandate bequeathed to us by our forefathers who fought for the liberation of our co ntry from imperialism? Only when we are technologically self-reliant will we able to fulfill their dream. Till the Agn Agnii laun launch ch,, the the India Indian n Arme Armed d Forc Forces es had bee been n stru structu ctured red for a stri strictl ctly y defen defensiv sivee role role to safe safegua guard rd our our nati nation, on, to shi shiel eld d our our democratic democr atic proce processes sses from the turbule turbulence nce in the coun countries tries aroun around d us and to raise the cost of any external intervention to an unacceptable level for countries which may entertain such notions. With Agni, India had reached the stage where she had the option of preventing wars involving her. Agnii marke Agn marked d the the comp complet letion ion of five five ye years ars of IGMD IGMDP. P. Now Now that that it had demo had demons nstr trat ated ed our our com compe pete tenc ncee in the cr cruc ucia iall area area of rere-en entry try technol tec hnology ogy and with with tac tactic tical al miss missile iless like like Prith Prithvi vi and and Trish Trishul ul alre already ady tes testtfired, the launches of Nag and Akash would take us into areas of competence where there is little or no international competition. These two missile systems contained within themselves the stuff of major technological breakthroughs. There was a need to focus our efforts more intensively on them.

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In September 1989, I was invited by the Maharashtra Academy of Sciences in Bombay to deliver the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Lecture. I used this opportunity to share with the budding scientists my plans of making an indigenous Air-to-Air missile, Astra. It would dovetail with the development of the Indian Light Combat Aircraft (LCA). I told them that our work in Imaging Infra Red (IIR) and Millimetric Wave (MMW) radar technology for the Nag missile system had placed us in the vanguard of international R&D efforts in missile technology. I also drew their attention to the crucial role that carbon-carbon and other advanced composite materials play in mastering the re-entry t echnology. Agni was the conclusion of a technological effort that was given its start by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi when the country decided to break free from the paralysing fetters of technological backwardness and slough off the dead skin of subordination to industrialized nations. The second flight of Prithvi at the end of September 1988 was again a great success. Prithvi has proved to be the best surface-to-surface missile in the world today. It can carry 1000 kg of warhead to a distance of 250 km and deliver it within a radius of 50 metres. Through computer controlled operations, numerous warhead weight and delivery distance combinations can be achieved in a very short time and in battlefield conditions. It is a hu ndred per cent indigenous in all respects—design, operations, deployment. It can be produced in large numbers as the production facilities at BDL were concurrently developed during the development phase itself. The Army was quick to recognize the potential of this commendable effort and approached the CCPA for placing orders for Prithvi and T rishul missile systems, something that had never happened efore. ***


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IV CONTEMPLATION [ 1991 – ] We create and destroy nd again recreate In forms of which no one knows. L-WAQUIAH Qur’an 56:61


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15 O

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n Republic Day 1990, the nation celebrated the success of its missile programme. I was was conferred the Padma Vibhushan Vibhushan along with Dr Arunachalam. Two of my other colleagues— JC Bhattacharya Bhattacharya and RN Agarwal— Agarwal— ere also decorated with with the Padma Shree awards. It was the first time in the history of free India that so many scientists affiliated to the same organization found their names on the awards list. Memories of t he Padma Bhushan awarded a decade ago came alive. I still lived more or less as I had lived then—in a room ten feet wide and twelve feet long, furnished mainly with books, papers and a few pieces of hired furniture. The only difference was at that time, my room was in Trivandrum and now it was in Hyderabad. The mess earer brought me my breakfast of idlis and buttermilk and smiled in silent congratulation for the award. I was touched by the recognition estowed on me by my countrymen. A large number of scientists and engineers engin eers leav leavee this this country country at their their first opport opportunity unity to earn earn more more money money abroad abr oad.. It is is true true that that they they defin definite itely ly get get greate greaterr monet monetary ary ben benefi efits, ts, but could cou ld any anythi thing ng com compen pensat satee for for thi thiss love love an and d respe respect ct from one one’s ’s own countrymen?


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I sat alone for a while in silent contemplation. The sand and shells o Rameswaram, the care of Iyadurai So lomon in Ramanathapuram, the guidance of Rev. Father Sequeira in Trichi and Prof. Pandalai in Madras, the encouragement of Dr Mediratta in Bangalore, the hovercraft ride with Prof. Menon, the pre-dawn visit to the Tilpat Range with Prof. Sarabhai, the healing touch of Dr Brahm Prakash on the day of the SLV3 failure, the national jubilation on the SLV-3 launch, Madam Gandhi’s appreciative smile, the post-SLV-3 simmering at VSSC, Dr Ramanna’s faith in inviting me to DRDO, the IGMDP, the creation of RCI, Prithvi, Agni...a flood of memories swept over me. Where were all these men now? My father, Prof. Sarabhai, Dr Brahm Prakash? I wished I could meet them and share my joy with them. I f elt the paternal forces of heaven and the maternal and cosmic forces of nature embrace me as parents would hug their long-lost child. I scribbled in my diary:

Away! fond thoughts, and vex my soul no more! Work claimed my wakeful nights, my busy days Albeit brought memories of Rameswaram shore Yet haunt my dreaming gaze! A fortnight later, Iyer and his team celebrated the awards for the missile programme with the maiden flight of Nag. They repeated the feat again on the very next day, thus testing twice over the first Indian all-composite airframe and the propulsion system. These t ests also proved the worth of the indigenous thermal batteries. India had achieved the status of having a third generation anti-tank missile system with ‘fire-and-forget’ capability—on par with an y stateof-the-art technology in the world. Indigenous composite technology had achieved a major milestone. The success of Nag also confirmed the efficacy of the consortium approach, which had led to the successful development of Agni. Nag uses two key technologies—an Imaging Infra Red (IIR) system and a Milli Millimetric metric Wave (MMW) seeke seekerr radar radar as its guidin guiding g eye. eye. No single sin gle labo laborat ratory ory in in the cou country ntry pos posses sesse sed d the cap capabi ability lity of devel developi oping ng these the se hig highly hly adv advanc anced ed sys system tems. s. But But the urge to suc succe ceed ed exi existe sted, d, whi which ch resulted in a very effective joint effort. The Semi Conductor Complex at

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WINGS OF FIRE Chandi Chan diga garh rh dev devel elop oped ed the the Cha Charg rgee Coup Couple led d Devi Device cess (CCD (CCD)) arra array. y. The The Solid Sol id Physic Physicss Labora Laboratory tory,, Delhi, Delhi, made made the match matching ing Merc Mercury ury Cadmi Cadmium um Telluride (MCT) detectors. The Defence Science Centre (DSC), Delhi, put toget together her an indige indigenous nous cool cooling ing syste system m based based on the the Joule Jouless Thomson Thomson effect eff ect.. The tra transm nsmitte itterr recei receive verr front front end wa wass devis devised ed at the Def Defenc encee Elec El ectr tron onic icss App ppli liccati tion on La Labo bora rato tory ry (DE DEA AL), Deh ehra ra Du Dun. n. Thee spe Th speci cial al ga gall lliu ium m ars arsen enide ide gu gun, n, sc scho hott ttky ky ba barr rrie ierr mix mixer er di diod odes es,, compact compar compact comparator ator for for antenna antenna syste system—Ind m—India ia was was banned banned from buying any on onee of th thes esee hig high h tech techno nolo logy gy dev devic ices es,, but but inno innova vati tion on can canno nott be suppressed by international restrictions. I went to Madurai Kamaraj University the same month to deliver their convocation address. When I reached Madurai, I asked after my high school teacher Iyadurai Solomon, who was by now a Reverend and eighty years old. I was told that he lived in a suburb of Madurai, so I took a taxi and looked for his house. Rev. Solomon knew that I was going to give the convocation address that day. However, he had no way of getting there. There was a touching reunion between teacher and pupil. Dr PC Alex Al exan ande der, r, the Go Gove vern rnor or of Tam Tamil il Na Nadu du,, who who wa wass pre presi sidi ding ng ov over er th thee functio func tion, n, was was deepl deeply y move moved d on seei seeing ng the the elde elderly rly tea teache cherr who who had had not not forg fo rgot otte ten n his his pupi pupill of lon long g ago, ago, and and req reque uest sted ed him him to to shar sharee the the dais. dais. “Every convocation day of every University is like opening the floodgates of energy which, once h arnessed by institutions, organ-izations and industry, aids in nationnation- uilding,” I told the young graduates. graduates. Somehow I felt felt I was was ec echoi hoing ng Re Rev. v. Solo Solomon mon’s ’s wor words, ds, spo spoken ken abo about ut hal halff a cen centur tury y ago.. After ago After my my lectu lecture, re, I bowed bowed down down befo before re my my teach teacher. er. “Gre “Great at dream dreamss of great great dre dreame amers rs are are alway alwayss transc transcend ended ed,” ,” I told told Rev. Rev. Solo Solomon mon.. “You “You havee not hav not only only reach reached ed my my goals goals,, Kalam Kalam!! You You have have ecl eclipse ipsed d them, them,”” he told me in a voice choked with emotion. The next month, I happened to be in T richi and used that opportunity to visit St. Joseph’s College. I did not find Rev. Father Sequeira, Rev. Father Erhart, Prof. Subramanyam, Prof. Iyyamperumal Konar, or P rof. T ho hothathri Iy Iyen ga gar th there, bu bu t it se seemed to to me me th th at at th the st sto ne nes of of th the St St. Joseph’s building still carried the imprint of the wisdom of those great people. I shared with the young students my memories of St. Joseph’s and paid tribute to the teachers who had moulded me.


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O EMANCIPATORS RIENTATION - 1 We cel celeb ebra rate ted d the the nati nation on’s ’s for fortyty-fo four urth th Ind Indep epen ende denc ncee Day Day with with the the test firing test firing of Akash Akash.. Prahla Prahlada da and his his team team evalu evaluate ated d a new solid solid prope propella llant nt ooster system based on a composite modified double base propellant. This prope propellant llant with its unprec unprecedent edented ed high energy prope properties rties was cruci crucial al in ass assuri uring ng the the long long-ra -range nge sur surfac face-t e-to-a o-air ir miss missile iles. s. The The coun country try had tak taken en an im impo port rtaant ste tep p in gr grou ound nd-- ase sed d ai airr de defe fen nce of vul ulne nera rabl blee are reaas. Towa To ward rdss the en end d of of 199 1990, 0, Ja Jada davp vpur ur Un Univ iver ersi sity ty co conf nfer erre red d on on me me the the honour of Doctor Doctor of of Science Science at a spec special ial convoc convocatio ation. n. I was a litt little le emba em barr rras asse sed d at at find finding ing my na name me me ment ntion ioned ed al alon ong g with with tha thatt of th thee legendary Nelson Mandela, who was also honoured at the same convocation. What could I possible have in common with a legend like Mandela? Perhaps it was our persistence in ou r missions. My mission of advancing rocketry in my country was perhaps nothing when compared with Mandela’s mission of achieving dignity for a great mass of humanity; but there was no difference in the intensity of our passions. “Be more dedicated to making solid achievements than in running after swift but synthetic happiness,” was my advice to the young audience. Thee Mis Th Missi sile le Co Coun unci cill dec decla lared red 19 1991 91 th thee Yea Yearr of of Init Initia iati tive ve fo forr DRD DRDL L and RCI RCI.. When When we we chos chosee the the route route of conc concurre urrent nt engi enginee neerin ring g in IGM IGMDP, DP, we sel selec ecte ted d a rough rough trac track. k. Wit With h the com compl plet etio ion n of deve develop lopme ment ntal al tria trials ls on Prithvi and Trishul, our choice was on test now. I exhorted my colleagues to commence user trials within the year. I knew that it was going to be a tough task, but that was not going to discourage us. Rearr Admi Rea Admiral ral Moh Mohan an ret retire ired d and and his dep deputy uty,, Kapo Kapoor, or, was to tak takee over Trishu over Trishul. l. I had had alway alwayss admire admired d Mohan Mohan’s ’s unde underst rstand anding ing of of missil missilee comman com mand d guida guidance nce.. This This sailor sailor-te -teac acherher-sci scient entist ist coul could d outwit outwit any othe other r expert exp ert in the the coun country try in this this fiel field. d. I will will alw always ays rem rememb ember er his his cand candid id exposition of various aspects of the Command Line of Sight (CLOS) guidance system during the Trishul meetings. Once, h e showed me a verse that he had composed to highlight the woes of an IGMDP Project Director. It was a good way of letting off steam: Impossible timeframes, PERT charts to boot Are driving me almost crazy as a coot; Presentations to MC add to one’s woes,

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WINGS OF FIRE If they solve anything, Heaven only knows. Meetings on holidays, even at night, The family is fed up, And all ready to fight. y hands are itching to tear my hair — But alas! I haven’t any more to tear ... I told him, “I have handed over all m y problems to my best teams in DRDL, RCI, DRDL, RCI, and oth other er par partic ticipa ipatin ting g labs labs.. That That ha hass given given me a full full hea head d of hair.”

O EMANCIPATORS RIENTATION - 1 philosopher, Sun Tzu ruminated over 2000 years ago that what matters in war is not decimating the enemy army physically but breaking his will so as to make him concede defeat in the mind, he seems to have visualized the domination of technology in the twentieth century theatres of war. The missile force coupled with the electronic warfare used in the Gulf War was a feast for military strategic experts. It acted as a curtainraiser for the twenty-first century war scenario with missiles and electronic and information warfare playing the lead roles.

In Ind India, ia, ev even en toda today, y, the ter term m techn technolo ology, gy, for mos mostt peopl people, e, con conjur jures es p images of smoky steel mills or clanking machines. T his is a rather inadequate conception of what technology denotes. The invention of the The year 1991 began on a very ominous note. On the night of 15 horse collar in the Middle Ages led to major changes in agricultural January 1991, the Gulf War broke out between Iraq and the Allied Forces methods, and was as much a technological advance as the invention o led by the USA. In one stroke, thanks to satellite television invading the Bessemer furnace centuries later. Moreover, technology includes Indian skies by that time, rockets and missiles captured the imagination techniques as well as the machines that may or may not be necessary to of the entire nation. People started discussing Scuds and Patriots in coffee apply them. It includes ways to make chemical reactions occur, ways to houses and tea shops. Children began flying paper kites shaped like breed fish, eradicate weeds, light t heatres, treat patients, teach history, missiles, and playing war games along the lines of what they saw on fight wars, or even prevent them. American television networks. The successful test firing of Prithvi and Trishu Tri shull durin during g the cou course rse of the the Gulf Gulf War War was enou enough gh to mak makee an anxi anxious ous Today Tod ay,, most most advanc advanced ed techn technolo ologic gical al proc process esses es are are carrie carried d out far far nati na tion on rel relax ax.. The new newsp spap aper er rep report ortss of the the prog progra ramm mmab able le tra traje ject ctory ory from fr om ass assem embl bly y line liness or ope open n hear hearth ths. s. Ind Indee eed, d, in in elec electro troni nics cs,, in spa space ce capabi cap abilit lity y of the the Prithv Prithvii and Tris Trishul hul guid guidanc ancee system system,, using using micro microwav wavee technol tec hnology ogy,, in most most of the the new new indust industrie ries, s, relat relative ive sile silence nce and and clean clean freq fr eque uenc ncie iess in vi virtu rtual ally ly nj njam amma mable ble ba band nds, s, cr crea eate ted d wi wide desp spre read ad surr su rrou ound ndin ings gs ar aree ch char arac acte teri rist stic ic,, ev even en es esse sent ntia ial. l. Th Thee as asse semb mbly ly li line ne,, wi with th awaren awa reness ess.. The nati nation on was was quick quick to draw draw para parallel llelss betwee between n the miss missile iless the orga organiz nizat ation ion of armi armies es of men men,, to carry carry out out simpl simple, e, routi routine ne funct function ionss operat ope ration ional al in in the Gul Gulff War War and and our our own own warhe warhead ad carr carrier iers. s. A comm common on is an an anachr anachroni onism. sm. Our Our symb symbols ols of techn technolo ology gy must must chan change ge befo before re we we query I encount encountered ered was wheth whether er Prithvi Prithvi was super superior ior to to a Scud, whet whether her can keep pace with chan changes ges in technol technology ogy itself itself.. We shoul should d never never forget forget Akash could perform like a Patriot, and so on. Hearing a “Yes” or a that technology feeds on itself. T echnology makes more technology “Why “W hy not? not?”” from from me, me, peopl people’ e’ss face facess woul would d light light up up with with prid pridee and and poss po ssib ible le.. In fact fact,, tech techno nolo logi gica call inno innova vati tion on con consi sist stss of thre threee stag stages es lin linke ked d satisfaction. together in a self-reinforcing cycle. First, there is the creative stage, with the blueprint of a feasible idea. This is made real by its practical application, The Allied Forces had a marked technological edge, as they were and this finally ends in its diffusion through society. The process is then fielding systems built using the technologies of the eighties and nineties. complete; the loop is closed when the diffusion of technology embodying Iraq was fighting with the by-and-large vintage weapon systems of the the new idea in its turn helps generate new creative ideas. Today, all sixties and seventies. over the developed world, the time gap between each of the steps in this Now, this is where the key to the modern world order lies— superiority cycle has been shortened. In India, we are just progressing towards that through technology. Deprive the opponent of the latest technology and stage—closing the loop. then dictate your terms in an unequal contest. When the Chinese war


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WINGS OF FIRE After Aft er the the Gulf Gulf War conc conclu luded ded with with the the victory victory of the tec techno hnolog logica ically lly superior superi or Allie Allied d Forces Forces,, over over 500 500 scien scientis tists ts of DRDL DRDL and and RCI RCI gathe gathered red to dis discu cuss ss is issu sues es th thaat had had emer emerge ged. d. I po pose sed d a que quest stio ion n befo before re the the asse as semb mbly ly:: was was tech techno nolo logy gy or wea weapo pon n symm symmet etry ry wi with th oth other er nat natio ions ns feasib fea sible le,, and if so, so, shou should ld it it be att attemp empted? ted? The dis discus cussio sion n led led to man many y more mo re se seri riou ouss qu ques esti tion ons, s, su such ch as as,, ho how w to to est estab abli lish sh ef effe fect ctiv ivee el elec ectro tronic nic arfare support? How to make missile development proceed apace with the development of equally necessary systems like the LCA; and what ere the key areas where a push would bring progress? At the end o f a lively discussion spread over three hours, the consensus emerged that there was no way to redress asymmetry in military capability except to have the same capability in specific areas as your potential opponent. The scientists vowed to achieve a reduced CEP in the accuracy of Prithvi’s delivery, perfecting the Ka band guidance system for Trishul and realising all carbon-carbon re-entry control surfaces for Agni by the end of the year. The vow was later fulfilled. T he year also saw tubelaunched Nag flights, and the manoeuvre of Trishul at seven metres above sea level, at speeds which exceeded three times the speed of sound. The latter was a breakthrough in the development of an indigenous ship-launched anti-sea-skimmer missile. The same year, I received an honorary degree of Doctor of Science from the IIT, Bombay. In the citation read by Prof. B Nag on the occasion, I was described as “an inspiration behind the creation of a solid technological base from which India’s future aerospace programmes can be launched to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century”. Well, perhaps Prof. Nag Nag was only being polite, ut I do believe that that India will enter the next century with its own satellite in geo-stationary orbit 36,000 km away in space, positioned by its own launch vehicle. India will also become a missile power. Ours is a country with tremendous vitality. Even though the world may not see its full potential or feel its full power, no one dare ignore it any more. On 15 October, I turned sixty. I looked forward to retirement and planned to open a school for the less privileged children. My friend, Prof. P Rama Rao, who was heading the Department of Science and Technology in the Government of India, even struck up a partnership


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O EMANCIPATORS RIENTATION - 1 with wit h me to esta establi blish sh what what he call called ed the the Rao-Ka Rao-Kala lam m school school.. We were were unanimous unanim ous in our our opini opinion on that that carr carryin ying g out cert certain ain miss mission ionss and and reach reaching ing cert ce rtai ain n mile milest ston ones es,, howe howeve verr impo import rtan antt the they y may may be or or how howev ever er impr im pres essi sive ve th they ey mi might ght ap appe pear ar to be, be, is not not all all the there re is to lif life. e. But But we we had had to post postpon ponee our our plan plan as as neith neither er of of us was re relie lieve ved d from from our our post post by by the the Gove Go vern rnme ment nt of In Indi dia. a. It was during this period that I decided to put down my memoirs and express my observations and opinions on certain issues. The biggest problem Indian youth faced, I felt, was a lack of clarity of vision, a lack of direction. It was then that I decided to write about the circumstances and people who made me what I am today; the idea was not merely to pay tribute to some individuals or highlight certain aspects of my life. What I wanted to sa y was that no one, however poor, underprivileged or small, need feel d isheartened about life. Problems are a part of life. Suffering is the essence of success. As someone said:

God has not promised Skies always blue, Flower-strewn Flower-stre wn pathways All our life through; God has not promised Sun without rain, Joy without sorrow, Peace without pain. I will not be presumptuous enough to say that my life can be a role model for anybody; but some poor child living in an obscure place, in an underprivileged social setting may find a little solace in the way my destiny has been shaped. It could perhaps help such children liberate themselves from the bondage of their illusory backwardness and hopelessness. Irrespective of where they are right now, they should be aware that God is with them and when He is with them, who can be against them?

But God has promised Strength for the day, Rest for the labour Light for the way.

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It has been my observation that most Indians suffer unnecessary misery all their lives because they do not know how to manage their emotions. They are paralysed by so me sort of a ps ychological inertia. Phrases like ‘the next best alternative’, ‘the only feasible option or solution’, and ‘till things take a turn for the b etter’ are commonplace in our business conversations. Why not write about the deep-rooted character traits which manifest themselves in such widespread, selfdefeatist thought patterns and negative behaviour? I have worked with many people and organizations and have had to deal with people who ere so full of their own limitations that they had no other way to prove their selfself- orth than than by intimidating intimidating me. me. Why not write about about the victimization which is a hallmark of the tragedy of Indian science and technology? And about the pathways to o rganizational success? Let the latent fire in the heart of every Indian acquire wings, and the glory of this great country light up the sky. ***

16 T

Leaders

echnology, unlike science, is a group activity. It is not based on individual intelligence, but on the interaction of many people. I think the biggest success of IGMDP is not the fact that in record time the country acquired the capability of making five state-ofthe-art missile systems but that through it, some superb teams of scientists and engineers have been created. If someone asks me about my personal achievements in Indian rocketry, I would put it down to having created a challenging environment for teams of young people to work in. In their formative stages, teams are much like children in spirit. They are as excitable, as full of vitality, enthusiasm, curiosity and the desire to please and excel. As with children, however, these positive attributes can be destroyed by the behaviour of misguided parents. For teams to be successful, the environment must offer scope for innovation. I confronted many such challenges during the course of my work at DTD&P (Air), ISRO, DRDO and elsewhere, but always ensured for my teams an environment which allowed innovation and risk-taking. When we first began creating project teams during the SLV-3 project and later in IGMDP, people working in these teams found themselves in the frontline of their organizations’ ambitions. Since a great deal of psychological investment had been made in these teams, they became both highly visible and highly vulnerable. They were personally expected to make a disproportionate contribution to win collective glory.


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WINGS OF FIRE I was was aw awar aree tha thatt any any fa fail ilur uree in in the the or orga gani niza zati tion onal al su supp ppor ortt sys syste tem m would neg would negate ate the inv invest estmen mentt in in team team str strate ategie gies. s. The The tea teams ms wou would ld be relega rel egated ted to to the the leagu leaguee of aver average age wor workin king g group groupss and and might might fail fail eve even n there the re,, unab unable le to mee meett the the high high exp expec ecta tati tion onss set set for for them them.. On sev sever eral al occasi occ asions ons,, the the org organi anizat zation ion was on the ver verge ge of losi losing ng its ner nerve ve and impo im posi sing ng re rest stra rain ints ts.. The The high high le leve vell of of unc uncer erta tain inty ty an and d com compl plex exity ity associated with team activity very often proves to be a trap for the unwary. In the early years of the SLV-3 project, I often had to counter nervousness of the top people b ecause progress was not tangibly or immedi imm ediate ately ly visi visible ble.. Many Many felt felt that that the orga organiz nizati ation on had had lost lost contr control ol over over SLV-3, SLV -3, th that at th thee team team wou would ld ru run n on un unch chec ecke ked, d, and and cau cause se cha chaos os and and confusion. confu sion. But But on all all occasi occasions, ons, these these fear fearss were were proved proved imaginary imaginary.. There ere many people in powerful powerful posi positions tions in organiz organization ations, s, for for example example at VSSC VS SC,, who who unde undere rest stim imat ated ed our our res respo pons nsib ibil ility ity and com commi mitm tmen entt to organizati organ izational onal objec objective tives. s. Dealing Dealing with such peopl peoplee was was a cruci crucial al part part of of the whole operation, and this was performed dexterously by Dr Brahm Prakash. When you work as a project team, you need to develop a complex view of the success criteria. T here are always multiple and often conflicting sets of expectations that exist about a team’s performance. Then, quite often, the project teams are virtually torn apart in their attempt to accommodate the needs and constraints of sub-contractors outside the organization and specialist departments within the organization. Good project teams are able to quickly identify the key person or people with whom negotiations must take place. A crucial aspect of the team leader’s role is to negotiate with these key people for their requirements, and to ensure that the dialogue continues on a regular basis as the situation develops or changes. If there is one thing outsiders dislike, it is unpleasant surprises. Good teams ensure that there are none. The SLV-3 team developed their own internal success criteria. We articulated our standards, expectations and objectives. We summarised hat was needed to happen for us to be successful and how we would measure success. For instance, how we were going to accomplish our tasks, who would do what and according to what standards, what were the time limits and how would the team conduct itself with reference to others in the organization.


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ORIENTLEADERS ATION - 1 Thee pro Th proce cess ss of ar arri rivi ving ng at the su succ cces esss cri crite teri riaa wit withi hin n a te team am is an intricate intric ate and ski skille lled d one one beca because use the there re are a lot lot of thin things gs goi going ng on belo below w the sur surfa face. ce. On the the surf surface ace,, the tea team m is sim simply ply wor workin king g to achi achieve eve the proj pr ojec ect’ t’ss goal goals. s. But But I hav havee repe repeat atedl edly y seen seen how how peo peopl plee are are poor poor at at articu art iculat lating ing wha whatt they they wan want—u t—unti ntill they they see a work work cen centre tre doi doing ng som someth ething ing they the y don don’t ’t wan wantt them them to do do.. A pro proje ject ct te team am me memb mber er mus mustt in in fac factt act act like like a detective. He should probe for clues as to how the project is proceeding, and then piece together different bits of evidence to build up a clear, comprehensive and deep understanding of the project’s requirements. At anot another her leve level, l, the the relatio relationsh nship ip betwe between en the the proje project ct teams teams and the the ork cent ork centre ress sho shoul uld d be en enco cour urag aged ed and and dev devel elope oped d by th thee pro proje ject ct lea leade der. r. Both partie partiess must must be very very clear clear in their minds abo about ut their their mutual mutual interdepen interd ependence dence and the the fact fact that that both both of of them them have have a stake in the the project project.. At yet yet ano anoth ther er lev level el,, each each sid sidee sho shoul uld d asse assess ss the the oth other er’s ’s cap capab abil ilit itie iess and and identify ident ify areas areas of streng strength th and and weaknes weaknesss in order to plan plan what what needs needs doing and how it should be done. In fact, the whole game can be seen as a process of contracting. It is about exploring and arriving at an agreement on what each party expects o f the other; about realistically understanding the constraints of the other party; and about communicating the success criteria while defining some simple rules about how the relationship is to ork; but above all, it’s the best means of developing clarity in the relationship, both at the technical and personal levels, in order to avoid any nasty surprises in the future. In IGMDP, Sivathanu Pillai and his team did some remarkable work in this area through their home-grown technique, PACE, which stands for P rogramme Analysis, Control and Evaluation. Each day between 12 noon and 1 p.m., they would sit with a project team and a particular work centre that was on the critical path and assess the level of success among themselves. The excitement of planning ways to succeed and the vision of future success provide an irresistible form of motivation which, I have found, always makes things happen. The concept of Technology Management has its roots in the Developmental Management models which originated in the early Sixties out of a conflict between harmony-seeking and output-oriented management structures. There are basically two types of management orientations: primal, which values an economic employee, and rational,

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WINGS OF FIRE hich hic h values values an an organi organizat zation ional al emplo employe yee. e. My conce concept pt of manag manageme ement nt is wove woven n aroun around d an emp employ loyee ee who is a tec techno hnology logy per person son.. While While the prima pr imall mana managem gement ent sc school hool re recog cogniz nizes es peo people ple for the their ir inde indepen penden dence, ce, and rati rationa onall manag manageme ement nt ackn acknowl owledg edges es them them for for their their dep depend endabi abilit lity, y, I valu va luee them them for for the their ir inte interd rdep epen ende denc nce. e. Whe Where reas as the the pri prima mall mana manage gerr cham ch ampi pions ons in inde depe pend nden entt ente enterpr rpris isee and and the the rati ration onal al ma mana nage gerr serv serves es coop co oper erat atio ion, n, I mo moot ot in inte terd rdep epen ende dent nt jo join intt ven ventu ture res, s, ge gett tting ing th thee for force cess together, networking people, resources, time schedules, costs, and so on. Abraham Maslow Abraham Maslow was the first pers person on to sugge suggest st the the new new psycholo psychology gy of self-a self-actual ctualizati ization on at at a conc conceptua eptuall level. level. In Europe, Europe, Rudol Rudolff Steiner Steiner and Reg Rev Revans ans deve develope loped d this con conce cept pt into into the the syste system m of indiv individu idual al lear learning ning and organ organizatio izational nal renewa renewal. l. The Angl Anglo-Ger o-German man manag management ement philo philosophe sopher, r, Fritz Schumacher introduced Buddhist economics and authored the concept of “Small is Beautiful”. In the Indian subcontinent, Mahatma Gandhi emphasized grass root level technology and put the customer at the centre of the entire business activity. JRD Tata brought in progressdriven infrastructure. Dr Homi Jehangir Bhabha and Prof. Vikram Sarabhai launched the high, technology-based atomic energy and space programmes with a clear-cut emphasis on the natural laws of totality and flow. Advancing the developmental philosophy of Dr Bhabha and Prof. Sarabhai, Dr MS Swaminathan ushered the Green Revolution into India working on another natural principle of integrity. Dr Verghese Kurien brought in a powerful cooperative movement through a revolution in the dairy industry. Prof. Satish Dhawan developed mission management concepts in space research. These are but a few examples of individuals ho have not only articulated but also implemented their ideas, thus changing forever the face of research and business organizations all over the world. In the IGMDP, I attempted to integrate the vision of Prof. Sarabhai and the mission of Prof. Dhawan by adapting the high technology setting of Dr Brahm Prakash’s space research. I attempted to add the natural law of Latency in founding the Indian Guided Missile Programme in order to create a completely indigenous variety of technology management. Let me use a metaphor to illuminate this. The tre treee of tec techno hnolog logy y mana managem gement ent tak takes es roo roott only only if ther theree is is the the


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ORIENTLEADERS ATION - 1 self-actu self-a ctuali alizat zation ion of of needs, needs, rene renewal wal,, interde interdepen pende dence nce,, and natur natural al flow. flow. The gro growth wth pat patter terns ns are are char charac acter terist istic ic of the the evol evoluti ution on proc process ess,, whic which h means mea ns that that thi things ngs mov movee in a comb combina inatio tion n of of slow slow chan change ge and and sud sudden den transf tra nsform ormati ation; on; each each tra transf nsforma ormatio tion n cause causess either either a lea leap p into into a new, new, moree comp mor comple lex x leve levell or a deva devast stat atin ing g cras crash h to som somee earl earlie ierr leve level; l; dom domin inan antt mode mo dels ls rea reach ch a ce certa rtain in pea peak k of suc succe cess ss whe when n they they tu turn rn tro troub uble leso some me;; and an d the the ra rate te of cha chang ngee alw alway ayss acc accel eler erat ates es.. The stem of the tree is the molecular structure in which all actions are format formative, ive, all all polici policies es are are normativ normative, e, and and all all decisi decisions ons are are integra integrative. tive. The branc branches hes of this this tree are resour resources, ces, asse assets, ts, operat operations, ions, and produc products ts hich hic h are nouri nourishe shed d by the ste stem m throug through h a contin continuou uouss perfor performan mance ce evaluation evalu ation and corre corrective ctive updat update. e. This tree of technology management, if carefully tended, bears the fruits of an adaptive infrastructure: technological empowerment of the institutions, the generation of technical skills among p eople, and finally self-reliance of the nation and improvement in the quality of life of its citizenry. When IGMDP was sanctioned in 1983, we did not have an adequate technology base. A few pockets of expertise were available, but we lacked the authority to utilize that expert technology. The multi-project environment of the programme provided a challenge, for five advanced missile systems had to be simultaneously developed. This d emanded udicious sharing of resources, establishing priorities, and ongoing induction of manpower. Eventually, the IGMDP had 78 partners, including 36 technology centres and 41 production centres spread over pu blic sector undertakings, ordnance factories, private industries, and professional societies, hand-in hand with a well-knit bureaucratic structure in the Government. In the management of the Programme, as much as in the technological inputs, we attempted to develop a model that was appropriate, even tailor-made, for our very specific needs and capabilities. We borrowed ideas that had been developed elsewhere, but adapted them in the light of what we knew were our strengths and what we recognized as the constraints we would be compelled to work under. All in all, the combination of appropriate management and our cooperative endeav end eavour ourss help helped ed to une uneart arth h the the tal talent ent an and d poten potentia tiall that that lay unu unuse sed d in

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WINGS OF FIRE our research laboratories, government institutions and private industries. The Technology Management philosophy of IGMDP is not exclusive to missi missile le devel developme opment. nt. It It represe represents nts the the natio national nal urge urge to to succee succeed d and an an awareness awar eness that the the world world will will never never again again be be directed directed by muscle muscle or money money power.. In fact, power fact, both both these these powers powers will will depend depend on technolog technological ical excel excellence lence.. Techno Tec hnolog logy y resp respec ects ts only only tec techno hnolog logy. y. And, And, as as I said said in the the begin beginnin ning, g, technology techn ology,, unlike science, science, is a group activity. activity. It does not grow only only through through indivi ind ividua duall intel intellige ligence nce,, but by int intell ellige igence ncess intera interacti cting ng and and ceasel ceaseless essly ly influe inf luenc ncing ing one one anothe another. r. And tha thatt is what what I tried tried to to make make IGMDP: IGMDP: a 7878stro st ron ng In Indi dian an fa fam mil ily y whi whicch al also ma make kess mis missi sile le sy syst steems ms.. There has been much speculation and philosophizing about t he life and times of our scientists, but not enough exploration in determining wher wh eree they they wa wante nted d to to go go and and how how the they y rea reache ched d ther there. e. In sh shar arin ing g with with you the the story story of my stru struggl gglee to bec become ome a pe perso rson, n, I have have perh perhap apss given given you some some insight insight into this journe journey. y. I hope hope it it will will help help at least least a few young young peo p eopl plee to sta stand nd up up to the the aut autho hori rita taria riani nism sm in in our our soci societ ety. y. A cha chara ract cter eris istic tic feature of this social authoritarianism is its insidious ability to addict people to the endless pursuit of external rewards, wealth, prestige, position, promotion, approval of one’s lifestyle b y others, ceremonial honours, and status symbols of all kinds. To success successfully fully pursu pursuee these these goals goals,, they have to learn learn elabor elaborate ate rules rules of etiquette etiquette and famili familiarize arize thems themselve elvess with cust customs, oms, tradit traditions, ions, protoc protocols ols and so on. The you youth th of of today today mus mustt unlea unlearn rn this this sel self-d f-defe efeati ating ng way way of life. lif e. The The cultur culturee of work working ing only only for for mater material ial poss posses essio sions ns and and rewa rewards rds mustt be dis mus disca carde rded. d. When When I see see wea wealthy lthy,, power powerful ful and le learn arned ed peo people ple struggling strug gling to be at peace peace with thems themselves elves,, I remembe rememberr people people like like Ahmed Ahmed Jallal Jal laludd uddin in and and Iyadur Iyadurai ai Solom Solomon. on. How How happy happy they they were were with with virtua virtually lly no possessions!

On the coast of Coromandel Where the earthy shells blow, In the middle of the sands Lived some really rich souls. One cotton lungi and half a candle – One old jug without a handle These were all the worldly possessions


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ORIENTLEADERS ATION - 1 Of these kings in the middle of the sands. How did they feel so secure without anything to fall back upon? I elievee they dre eliev drew w susten sustenanc ancee from from within within.. They They relied relied more more on on the inne inner r signals signa ls and and less less on the externa externall cues cues that I have have mentioned mentioned abov above. e. Are you aware aware of your your inner inner signals? signals? Do you you trust them? Have you you taken control con trol ove overr your your life life int into o your your own own hand hands? s? Take Take thi thiss from from me, me, the mor moree decisions decis ions you can make make avoiding avoiding external external pressures, pressures, which which will constant constantly ly try to to manipu manipulat latee you, you, the bet better ter your your life life will will be, be, the bette betterr your your society society willl become wil become.. Infact Infact the the entire entire nat nation ion will will bene benefit fit by hav having ing stro strong, ng, inwar inwarddlook lo okiing pe peop oplle as as th theeir le lead adeers. A cit citiz izeenr nry y th thaat thi think nkss for for it itse self lf,, a cou ount ntry ry of people who trust themselves as individuals, would be virtually immune to manipulation by any unscrupulous authority or vested interest. Your Yo ur wi will llin ingn gnes esss to to use use you yourr own own inn inner er re reso sour urce cess to to inv inves estt in in your your life, espe life, especia cially lly you yourr imagi imaginat nation, ion, wil willl bring bring you you succes success. s. When When you you addre address ss a task task from your own unique uniquely ly individu individual al standp standpoint, oint, you become become a whole whole pers pe rson on.. Everyone on this planet is sent forth by Him to cultivate all the creative potential within us and live at peace with our own choices. We differ in the way we make our choices and evolve our destiny. Life is a difficult game. You can win only by retaining your birthright to be a person. And to retain retain this right right,, you will have to be will willing ing to take the socia sociall or exte external rnal risks invol involved ved in ignor ignoring ing pressure pressuress to do do things things the the way other otherss say they should sho uld be done done.. What What will will you cal calll Siva Sivasub subram ramani aniaa Iyer Iyer invi invitin ting g me to havee lunch hav lunch in in his kit kitche chen? n? Zoha Zohara, ra, my my siste sister, r, mortg mortgagi aging ng her her gold gold bangl bangles es and cha chains ins to get get me me into into engi enginee neerin ring g colle college? ge? Pro Prof. f. Spon Sponder der ins insist isting ing that I shoul should d sit with him him in the front front row row for the group group photog photograph? raph? Making Mak ing a hove hovercr rcraft aft in in a motormotor-gar garage age setu setup? p? Sudha Sudhakar kar’s ’s coura courage? ge? Dr Dr Brahm Prakash’s support? Narayanan’s management? Venkataraman’s vision? Arunachalam’s drive? Each is an example of a strong inner strength and initiative. As Pythagoras had said twenty-five centuries ago, “Above all things, reverence yourself.” I am not a philosopher. I am only a man of technology. I spent all my life learning rocketry. But as I have worked with a very large crosssection of people in different organizations, I had an opportunity to understand the phenomenon of professional life in its bewildering

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WINGS OF FIRE complexity comple xity.. When When I loo look k back back upo upon n what what I have have nar narrat rated ed so so far, far, my my own own obse ob serv rvat atio ions ns an and d con concl clus usio ions ns ap appe pear ar as do dogm gmat atic ic ut utte tera ranc nces es.. My My collea col league gues, s, asso associa ciates tes,, leade leaders; rs; the com comple plex x scie science nce of rock rocketr etry; y; the importa imp ortant nt issues issues of of techno technolo logy gy manage managemen ment; t; all seem seem to have have been been deal dealtt with wi th in a per perfu func ncto tory ry ma mann nner er.. The The de desp spai airr and and ha happ ppin ines ess, s, th thee achiev ach ieveme ements nts and and the fail failure ures—d s—diff ifferi ering ng marke markedly dly in in contex context, t, time, time, and space—all appear grouped together.

ORIENTLEADERS ATION - 1 I do not wis wish h to se sett mysel myselff up up as an exam example ple to othe others, rs, but I belie believe ve that a fe that few w rea reade ders rs ma may y dra draw w ins inspir pirat atio ion n and and co come me to ex expe perie rienc ncee tha thatt ultima ult imate te sat satisf isfac actio tion n whic which h can can onl only y be be foun found d in in the the life life of the spi spirit rit.. God’s God ’s provid providenc encee is your your inheri inheritan tance. ce. The The bloodl bloodline ine of my my greatgreatgran gr andf dfat athe herr Avu Avul, l, my gr gran andf dfat athe herr Pa Paki kir, r, an and d my my fa fath ther er Ja Jain inul ulab abde deen en ma may y end with with Abdul Abdul Kalam Kalam,, but His His grace grace will will never never cease, cease, for for it is Eterna Eternal. l. ***

When you look down from an aircraft, people, houses, rocks, fields, trees, all appear as one homogeneous landscape, it is very difficult to distinguish one from another. What you have just read is a similar bird’seye view of my life seen, as it were, fro m afar.

My worthiness is all my doubt – His merit – all my fear – Contrasting which my quality Does however – appear. This is the story of the period ending with the first Agni launch—life ill go on. This great country will make enormous strides in all fields i we think like a united nation of 900 million people. My story—the story of the son of Jainulabdeen, who lived for over a hundred years on Mosque Street in Rameswaram island and died there; the story of a lad who sold newspapers to help his brother; the story of a pupil reared by Sivasubramania Iyer and Iyadurai Solomon; the story of a student taught y teachers like Pandalai; the story of an engineer spotted by MGK Menon and groomed by the legendary Prof. Sarabhai; the story of a scientist tested by failures and setbacks; the story of a leader supported y a large team of brilliant and dedicated professionals. This story will end with me, for I have no belongings in the worldly sense. I have acquired nothing, built nothing, possess nothing—no family, sons, daughters.

I am a well in this great land Looking at its millions of boys and girls To draw from me The inexhaustible divinity And spread His grace everywhere As does the water drawn from a well.


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ORIENTATION - 1 earnestly hope and pray that the development resulting from these two plans—Self Reliance Mission and Technology Vision – 2020—will eventually make our country strong and prosperous and take our rightful place among the ranks of the “developed” nations. ***

Epilogue This book is interwoven with my deep involvement with India’s first Satellite Launch Vehicle SLV-3 and Agni Programmes, an involvement hich eventually led to m y participation in the recent important national event related to the nuclear tests in May, 1998. I have had the great opportunity and honour of working with three scientific establishments— Space, Defence Research and Atomic Energy. I found, while working in these establishments, that the best of human beings and the best of innovative minds were available in plenty. One feature common to all three establishments, is that the scientists and technologists were never afraid of failures during their missions. Failures contain within themselves the seeds of further learning which can lead to better technology, and eventually, to a high level of success. These people were also g reat dreamers and their dreams finally culminated in spectacular achievements. I feel that if we consider the combined technological strength of all these scientific institutions, it would certainly be comparable to the best found anywhere in the world. Above all, I have had the opportunity of working with the great visionaries of the nation, namely Prof. Vikram Sarabhai, Prof. Satish Dhawan and Dr Brahm Prakash, each of whom have greatly enriched my life. A nation needs both economic p rosperity and strong security for growth and development. Our Self Reliance Mission in Defence System 1995– 2005 will provide the Armed Forces with a state-of-the-art competitive weapons system. The Technology Vision – 2020 plan will put into place certain schemes and plans for the economic growth and prosperity of the nation. These two plans have evolved out of the nation’s dreams. I


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