Edapally hails its rocket man'

Kochi: He is known as Edapally’s  ‘rocket man’.  K.K.M. Ummer, 77, is very special as he has produced over 10,000 components at his unpretentious workshop near the famous Edapally church for the ASLV, SLV3 and PSLV rockets launched by the ISRO.

His link with ISRO is four-decade-old. The Nava Bharat Metal Industries set up in the 1960s has been supplying precision-made Apple antenna moulds and SPD (special protection device) antenna moulds that guard  against  surge, lightning and overvoltage of signal or antenna  circuits for the rockets.

Ummer has worked for the ISRO with the backing of space scientists like the late A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Dr Vikram Sarabhai and Satish Dhawan. Ummer had started a lathe workshop at Edapally, Kochi and responded to a report about the requirements of ISRO, Thumba, for certain components in 1969.

“I was interviewed by a team led by Abdul Kalam, and though I was initially not confident about my ability to produce them,  I took up the task after being encouraged by Kalam. I was also inspired by the words, ‘awake, arise and stop not till the goal is reached’ that Vivekananda had taughTT,” recalls Ummer

The NASA had once contacted Ummer for undertaking similar works, but he refused on the advice of ISRO. The workshop is now run by Ummer’s son who is following in the footsteps of his father.  

Ummer was honoured by the Chandrathil road residents’ association, Swaraksha, on the occasion of its 24th annual day the other day, for his achievements.