In spite of the packed schedule Padmavibushan Dr. Gopalan Madhavan Nair, former ISRO Chairman and the man behind Chadraayan project, during his short stay in Kuwait – upon invitation from Nair Society, Kuwait - he was able to give some precious moments to IIK to share some deep felt thoughts on India and his professional career. We find in him a real motivator, team worker and above all a true Indian in spirit.
IIK: Sir, you are responsible for chalking out the future plan for space research in the country. We wish to hear from you the success story of Chandrayan. Can you tell us how the project was conceptualized and how it was realized putting India on the map of world majors in space technology?
Indian has the means of technology and the brains to harness it. Also there is much interest among the Indian public (scientists especially). We have developed various technologies at different levels. We scientists also wanted to know the details of the moon in a very great detail. The culmination of all these scientific endeavors and scientific thirst is the Chandraayan project.
IIK. It is widely known that you are also involved in implementing schemes for telemedicine, tele-education and disaster management support systems. Could you briefly tell us about them?
Right from the beginning we scientists believed that advanced technology should benefit the society at large. Now we have powerful satellites for different purposes like communication. So naturally the thought came to us how could we utilize these facilities to benefit the society and for the development of India. This has been the focus for us scientists. There is a dearth of highly qualified teachers in many parts of India. So the tele-education will beam such qualified teachers into classrooms spread over wide areas and to those students who cannot afford travel expenses and lodging expenses. The primary objective of tele-education is to satisfy the educational needs of such students. Though it has started as a pilot project initially as of today this has reached now 35,000 schools in India. In tele-medication the services of a socialist doctor is made available. The data on the illness of the patient is beamed to the expert doctor. Then the expert doctor can have a tele conferencing with the patient. For example an expert doctor’s services in Cochin are provided by tele-medicine to a patient in Shillong or in Assam. Disaster management is of course the data sent on earthquakes, floods in remote and in accessible areas. It is also used in identifying earthquake prone areas, flood prone areas and giving an advance warning to evacuate people to safer places. Now the Tsunami warning system is also in place in this scheme.
IIK. Sir, you are the Chairman of Antrix Corporation. What are its functions?
Yes this is concurrent post. Antrix is the commercial wing of ISRO. We sell the space based products to global community as well as in India
IIK. Sir, you are the first Indian to head the International Academy of Astronautics. How did this happen?
Indian has now a global standing in space has been recognized by global scientific forum. I was heading the Indian association of astronautics when the global elections were declared and I was the choice of majority to head this organization.
IIK. Sir, could you share with us a touching moment that occurred in your professional life?
Well ultimately placing the Indian flag on the moon has been the most exciting and touching moment in my life. It is the culmination of rocket technology and space technology. Finally to happen on the dot is a big achievement.
IIK. Could you share with us some anxious moments have faced while working as a head on various projects and how did you plan and come out successfully?
You see ultimately it is the team work that matters. As a leader one should know how to harness the strong points of the various disciplines together. We were able to harness the resources, thinking of multi disciplinary functions.
IIK. What quality defines personalities such as you?
Well nothing much different from other people. But I would say people should have Conviction, courage to take decisions and being compassionate to our fellow workers are three basic things required for any man to be successful.
IIK. A thought you wish to share with readers of IIK on success in life.
First I wish to thank the Nair Society in Kuwait to have invited me over here and having me interact with people of India living in this part of the globe. Indians have an adventurous spirit and we do not hesitate to travel to different parts of the world. I also see a sense of satisfaction among most Indians I have met. I think this satisfaction comes from the fact that they have contributed their might to the economic growth of this country. One good thing among us Indians is we do not feel different from the local people. We also merge easily with the local culture. Also Indians working abroad have their own personal needs and send back some financial resources to India to their respective families. But here I wish to state that at least a part of the earning of the Indians working abroad should go to the betterment of those people living below the poverty line for betterment of these peoples’ lives.