PRL: CRADLE OF SPACE SCIENCE, SPACE TECHNOLOGY & SPACE APPLICATIONS

When I am with Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) for celebration of Diamond Jubilee ? that is 60 years of useful scientific, technological missions, I realize the PRL has orbited around the sun 60 times, and at the same time, it has seen growth of many scientists and technologists with scientific achievements. I would like to congratulate successful completion of 60th orbit around the sun by PRL. PRL definitely will have in coming years the scientific missions to go near the sun and its planets. PRL is indeed the cradle of Space Science, Space Technology and Space Applications and above all was creating leaders in Science and Technology. I would like to wish PRL and its members all the best.

When I am with you all , I see large number of young and experienced. Many of the young today, would not have been even in idea form when I walked in the PRL corridor in 1961. Hence let me share with you my experience of that dynamic period which was initiated by Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, my Guru in this campus (of course you have a very big campus now). First thing, I would like to recall how I was selected as a rocket engineer for Department of Atomic Energy to work with INCOSPAR. In 1961, I was working in Aeronautical Development Establishment, Ministry of Defence. My director Dr. O.P. Mediratta, told me that, today I would have an important payload to the Hovercraft. That day I had to give him a flight for half-an-hour. I did it to the bearded great scientist who was my co-passenger. I think he was the director of TIFR then. Within a week, after this hovercraft flight, I received a telegram from Atomic Energy that I will be interviewed at TIFR. I was surprised to find that the telegram also authorized me to fly !. First time, I flew to Mumbai. I was taken to the guest house. In the interview I was pleasantly surprised that such a junior person to be interviewed by members like Prof. Vikram Sarabhai, Director (PRL), Prof. MGK Menon, Director (TIFR), and Shri Shoraff, Deputy Secretary (DAE). We were only three candidates myself, my close friend Shri Easwaradas and one more. The interview was conducted in a fantastic way for an hour for me. I was expecting to find questions for which I may not know the answer. But Prof. Vikram Sarabhai and Prof MGK Menon asked all questions which I knew. This was a second good experience. The third surprise occurred within a week?s time, when I was deputed for certain work in NASA establishment at USA for 6 months through USA ?India Space Cooperation.

PRL SCIENTISTS & ME

The PRL association led me to a ceaseless, dynamic performance. Prof. Vikram Sarabhai introduced me to nearly 12 scientists and I had to work with them as a project engineer to ensure their payloads are comfortable in a rocket environment and integrated in such a way that scientists got useful data nearly for 200 seconds of the flight. Prof Chitnis facilitated and beautifully integrated space Science and Technology. Of course, I will always remember Shri S R Thakur, who was translating our dreams into action by providing financial and administrative sanctions. In those days, the scientists were in queue at Thumba for getting their payloads integrated with sounding rockets. It never occurred to me, when Prof.Vikram Sarabhai introduced 12 scientists that I have to work with them and equal number of scientists from USA, Russia, France, Japan and their research team. At any time in my rocket engineering division and integration laboratory, there would be always 30 members from India and abroad. One launch will take place, the data analysis will be progressing, another launch payload integration work will take place. It was a round the clock work. How we were actuated!. My team slowly increased with the addition of very important team members like Dr. Madhavan Nair, present Chairman, ISRO, Shri CR. Sathya, Vice President, Tata Composites and Shri V. Sudhakar, who later became Managing Director of KELTEC.

DYNAMIC & PURPOSEFUL PERIOD OF MY LIFE

My team was launching weekly meteorological rockets with chaff payload for Prof.Pisharoty. This also led to development of met rockets such as Menaka, Rohini and finally RH 200. One side Dr P.D. Bhavsar with his sodium payload (my team was building sodium payload) with his counterpart in France Prof. Blamont. The same rocket launch would have Langmuir probe of Dr. Sathya Prakash with his NASA counterpart. I still remember, many successes came in getting the data from 60 to 200 km on the wind velocity, temperature and pressure at various altitudes. using sodium payload, also the Langmuir probe. Another important experiment the magnetometer of Dr. Sastry with his research students. Dr. Sastry put, so many restrictions on the flight because of the magnetometer ? payload. It was a challenging task to work with Prof. Sastry. Then comes my work with Prof. Pokunkov, Meteorological Centre of Moscow. What a delicate instrument he used, RFMS payload. It was beautiful to see Prof. Pokunkov?s payload. It was not only the science of measuring the atmospheric constituents, but the payload looked beautiful also. Somehow I started liking Pokunkov. We used to work for him many days and nights. He used to bring sandwiches and a flask full of tea. He was feeding us through out the night. In those formative days it was helpful. When the RFMS payload succeeded Prof. Pokunkov opened two bottles of Vodka, but I couldn?t taste. Then comes, the highly demanding, Prof. UR Rao, with his counterpart Prof. Oda. They gave me the toughest problem, which I came across in building the payload. I don?t know, why his proportional counter in x-ray payload should be so delicate such that no shock should be experienced except earth?s ?g? when the nosecone jettisoned at 60 kms. All the sounding rockets would spin. When the rocket spins, naturally the part of the jettisoned nosecone will hit the payload experiencing a shock of few ?g? for few milliseconds. Now I had to devise a unique fiber glass ring as a shock absorber guard. We allowed the split nosecone to hit on the ring thereby absorbing the shock. When the x-ray data was received from specified stars, he treated our team beautifully with a good dinner and smile.

Above all, this experience with Prof. Vikram Sarabhai really gave me to work with the scientists of the greatest university with men of scientific eminence nationally and internationally with a scientific way of working. It was working, intellectual working, scientific and technological working, and above all when the failure occurred, defeating the failure and succeeding were the greatest lessons learnt from Dr. Sarabhai?s leadership. Today, whatever my team and myself achieved, that is due to the great foundation of determination of acquisition of knowledge and sweat from the PRL. My respects and greetings to the PRL family.

PRL TODAY :CHALLENGES

With the strong base and path set by the early founders, Physical Research Laboratory today is doing world class research in diverse fields like astronomy and astro physics, solar Physics and space weather, space and atmospheric sciences, planetary science exploration, planetary and geosciences, theoretical physics.. What is impressive is the combination of theoretical work, experimental work and mission mode work. I am glad to know the contribution of PRL in Chandrayan, ASTROSAT. As we look at the next twenty years, PRL is rightly setting its eyes on understanding the origin and evolution of solar system objects and missions to moon, MARS and Asteroid. We have discussed on earlier occasions my views of mineral exploitation of Moon, MARS expedition and future space colonies. The three fundamental aspects for future research are basic research on Physics and other sciences to have a systems science and engineering approach to understand better our own planet, our atmosphere, other planets, the deep space and the universe.

SCIENCE & YOUNG SCIENTISTS

Today one of the major problems in science is how to attract young scientists to the scientific establishments. Youth and science, normally give great results. Hence I have selected the topic ?How to attract Scientists??. While discussing on this subject, I would like to present few thoughts on scientific magnanimity, value of science, Research areas of the future creating a national Science Cadre and imparting the indomitable spirit.

SCIENTIFIC MAGNANIMITY

I would like to narrate an incident which took place during a function conferring Nobel Laureate Prof. Norman E Borlaug, a well known agricultural scientist and a partner in India?s first Green revolution, with Dr. M S Swaminathan Award, at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi on the 15th of March 2005. Prof. Borlaug, at the age of 91, was in the midst of all the praise showered on him from everybody gathered there. When his turn came, he got up and highlighted India?s advancement in the agricultural science and production and said that the political visionary Shri C. Subramaniam and Dr. M S Swaminathan, pioneer in agricultural science were the prime architects of First Green Revolution in India. Even though Prof Norman Borlaug was himself a partner in the first green revolution, he did not make a point on this. He recalled with pride, Dr. Verghese Kurien who ushered White Revolution in India. Then the surprise came. He turned to scientists sitting in the third row, fifth row and eighth row of the audience. He identified Dr. Raja Ram, a wheat specialist, Dr S K Vasal, a maize specialist, Dr. B. R. Barwale, a seed specialist. He said, all these scientists had contributed for India?s and Asia?s agricultural science. Dr. Borlaug introduced them to the audience by asking them to stand and ensured that the audience cheered and greeted the scientists with great enthusiasm. This scene I have not witnessed in our country before. This action of Dr. Norman Borlaug, I call it as ?Scientific Magnanimity?. Friends, if we aspire to achieve great things in life, we need Scientific Magnanimity to focus the young achievers. It is my experience that great mind and great heart go together. This Scientific Magnanimity will motivate the scientific community and nurture team spirit.

VALUE OF SCIENCE

Recently I was reading the two volumes of the book titled ?The Big and the Small? from the Microcosm to the Macrocosm written by Dr. G. Venkataraman. In this latest book, author establishes fascinating link between particle physics and cosmology in two volumes. Since I am in the midst of Scientists and Technologists, I thought of sharing with you an incident narrated in the book about Sir CV Raman. Raman was in the first batch of Bharat Ratna Award winners. The award ceremony was to take place in the last week of January, soon after the Republic Day celebrations of 1954. The then President Dr. Rajendra Prasad wrote to Raman inviting him to be the personal guest in the Rashtrapati Bhavan, when Raman came to Delhi for the award ceremony. He wrote a polite letter, regretting his inability to go. Raman had a noble reason for his inability to attend the investiture ceremony. He explained to the President that he was guiding a Ph.D. student and that thesis was positively due by the last day of January. The student was valiantly trying to wrap it all up and Raman felt, he had to be by the side of the research student, see that the thesis was finished, sign the thesis as the guide and then have it submitted. Here was a scientist who gave up the pomp of a glittering ceremony associated with the highest honour, because he felt that his duty required him to be by the side of the student. It is this character that truly builds science. While we are discussing the need for scientific Magnanimity, Sir C.V. Raman?s great attitude towards his research student thesis and also a third element, the type of scientific challenge which will attract the youth towards science as a carreer. All the three elements have to be looked at together. Let us discuss what are the scientific challenges for the coming decade?

RESEARCH CHALLENGES

Let me share with you certain scientific challenges that need integrated solution to enrich our knowledge:

1. Exploring the other side of the Moon. 2. Probing for extinct/extant life in other parts of solar system. 3. Developing sensitive detection techniques for identification of earth-like planets. 4. Establishing cause effect relationship in Space weather. 5. Estimating ionospheric /atmospheric distortion of signals from space. 6. Estimating the impact of aerosols on local climate. 7. Studying the cosmology in the early stages of the universe.

Research on these problems is real challenge for the PRL scientists during the next two decades and the results will provide important input for the Indian Space Science Programme.

So far, I was discussing three types of actions needed to attract the young to take up science as a career. There is another important aspect, which we have to consider. After 10+2 study, children normally decide with parental pressure to choose from technology driven or science driven areas for their further studies. Here I would suggest the necessity of a national science cadre to attract the best minds for taking up science as their life time mission.

SCIENCE CADRE

During my interaction with the students, Ms. Arunava Roy, of 1st Year ? Biotechnology from the University of Calcutta asked me the following question: ?A majority of the bright students at the high school level aspire to become a doctor or an engineer. How can these rich minds be motivated towards taking up research as a first grade career option?? This question is indeed the reflection of the feelings of most of the students who are in the 10+2 stage. We have to find the right answer. I have had many discussions with parents also. The parents spend almost all their earnings in order to educate their children, since they see the education as the best way of promising an assured career. They even go to the extent of sacrificing their personal luxuries and get loans to educate the children. The only vision they have in their eyes is to see well settled sons and daughters with guaranteed profession. They see this happen if their children pursue a degree in Engineering, Management, Medicine or administrative services. They do not see the pursuit of pure sciences and research guaranteeing this.

This, I consider as an important area of concern of the nation and it needs the attention of the scientific community as a whole. In my view, it is essential for the nation to assure a career for those who wish to pursue science as a mission. This will attract many students with the full support of the parents. We should work for the creation of a science cadre, with clear mission goals, well defined growth path and attractive salaries. There should be a minimum annual intake of about 400 M.Sc and 200 Ph.Ds with assured career growth in the organisations such as CSIR, DST, Department of Earth Sciences, Department of Bio Technology, Department of Agriculture, ISRO, DRDO, Atomic Energy, and the Universities. This could be discussed by the academies of sciences and scientific advisory committee to the cabinet for making recommendation to the cabinet. Starting a number of Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research is definitely a good effort towards attracting youth towards science as a career.

FUTURE

The year 2014 and before 2025. I visualize 2014; India launching a manned space mission with two astronauts into low earth orbit and recovered after planned orbits in the Bay of Bengal. It is a beautiful site to see the two Indian astronauts coming jubilantly towards the shore; Coming majestically towards the cheering gathering and being greeted by the enthusiastic scientific community presided by Chairman, ISRO. Of course, among the welcoming crowd is a 83 year man who is none other than myself. Then comes year 2025, and ISRO launches a lunar mission on 15th August with two astronauts and one young researcher from PRL. The spacecraft goes around the earth and with the additional velocity given advances to Moon. We are in the control room excited, following the mission operations. In 15 day?s time on 30th August, after walking in the difficult regions of the Moon, and with the scientific data tele-metered, the lunar vehicle descents on the Earth on multiple parachutes. Vehicle floats in ocean, three astronauts are recovered by helicopter. The President and the Prime Minister personally receive the astronauts. A strong person nearing 95 walking slowly to greet the astronauts. You know who?

CONCLUSION

PRL yesterday, PRL today, PRL tomorrow, indeed in every phase of time, has provided and will provide to the nation great scientific discoveries. These contributions will definitely make a difference to the transformation process. Not only India will be a developed nation by 2020, but also it will be a nation with peace, prosperity and happiness.

Now I would like to recall a great clarion call of indomitable spirit, which was given by Sir CV Raman, at the age of 82. The message is still reverberating in my mind: ?I would like to tell the young men and women before me not to lose hope and courage. Success can only come to you by courageous devotion to the task lying in front of you. I can assert without fear of contradiction that the quality of the Indian mind is equal to the quality of any Teutonic, Nordic or Anglo-Saxon mind. What we lack is perhaps courage, what we lack is perhaps driving force, which takes one anywhere. We have, I think, developed an inferiority complex. I think what is needed in India today is the destruction of that defeatist spirit. We need a spirit of victory, a spirit that will carry us to our rightful place under the sun, a spirit, which will recognize that we, as inheritors of a proud civilization, are entitled to a rightful place on this planet. If that indomitable spirit were to arise, nothing can hold us from achieving our rightful destiny.?

It is indeed a great message from physics Nobel laureate of our country to the members assembled here on this important occasion. My greetings to all the PRL members and their Alumni during the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations. My best wishes to all of you in all your endeavours.

May God bless you.