Dr Saraswat said he met Kalam at his New Delhi residence only two weeks ago to seek his guidance
Dr Selvamurthy with Dr Abdul Kalam. (Photo: DC)
Chennai: The sad demise of former President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has plunged the entire nation into mourning. There are a few who played a long innings alongside Dr Kalam and shared personal bondage.
DC managed to speak with two of India’s top defence scientists, who were groomed by Dr Kalam and went on to head the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
They are Dr. V.K. Saraswat, full-time Member of newly formed National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog and Dr W. Selvamurthy, president Amity Science, Technology and Innovation Foundation and Director General for Amity Directorate of Science and Innovation.
Dr Saraswat said he met Kalam at his New Delhi residence only two weeks ago to seek his guidance. “We walked round his house for an hour and sought his guidance on nation building as a NITI Aayog member. The former President, gave me a target of building 200 million roof-top solar systems in order to provide clean energy to even the lowest strata. I am unable to get over the thought that he is no more.
“I should admit that my character was very volatile and used to believe I was always right. But, Dr Kalam said a leader first listens and then talks. His words had great influence on me.,” he said. He has planned to write a book on Dr Kalam.
Professionally, Dr. Kalam was Dr Saraswat’s immediate boss for 10 years in Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DR DL), Hyderabad, where Dr Kalam was the Director and with whose guidance Dr Saraswat developed country’s first Liquid Propulsion Engine, DEVIL.
Dr Saraswat was regarded as one of the key scientists in Kalam’s team. When Dr Kalam was the Chief Scientific Advisor to PMO and secretary in department of defence R&D from 1992-99, Dr Saraswat was the project director of Ballistic Missile Programme.
Dr Selvamurthy said but for Dr Kalam’s vision and self-reliance attitude, India’s position and threat perception would have been miserable. He infused fresh blood, gave shape to new ideas and transformed India’s defence systems.
“Two years back, he gave a lecture in Amity University and told me that innovation should be end of the research, not publishing papers. He advised me to file at least 100 patents every year. In the last two years, Amity has filed 617 patents”. He said he shared a very close bondage with Dr Kalam. “In fact, Dr Kalam in his book Ignited Minds has written four pages about our association and referred me as a friend.”
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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