Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Autobiography 02

I started my work at NASA, at the Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA later. I went to the Goddard Space Flight Center at Greenbelt, MD. My impression of the American people can be summarized by a quotation from Benjamin Franklin. Those things. that hurt instruct I realized that people in this part of the world meet their problems head on What makes life in Indian organizations difficult is the widespread prevalence of contentious 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. Now, can you expect him to be creative if you abuse or despise the line between firmness and harshness between strong leadership and bullying, between discipline and vindictiveness is very fine but it has to be drawn. on the 21st of November, 1963 soon after my return from NASA, India's first rocket launched took place. It was a sounding rocket called Nike Apache made at NASA. After the successful launch of Nike Apache, Professor Sarabhai chose to share with us his dream of an Indian satellite launch break. The development of Indian rockets in the 20th century can be seen as a revival of the 18th century dream of Tippu Sultan. When Tippu Sultan was killed, the British captured more than 700 rockets and subsystems of 900 rockets in the Battle of Tirukul Harley in 1799. His army had 27 brigades called cushions and each brigade had a company of rocket men called Turks. These rockets had been taken to England by William Congrieve and were subjected by the British to what we call reverse engineering today. with the death of people, Indian rocketry also met its demise, at least for A150 years. Rocketry was reborn in India thanks to the technological vision of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Professor Saravai took the challenge of giving physical dimensions to the stream. Very many individuals with myopic vision question 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 Professor Sarabha 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 2nd 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. Slowly but surely, two Indian rockets were born at Tumba. They were cousin and manek. The following year, Professor Sanabi wanted to see me urgently in Delhi at the meeting. I was introduced to group Captain VS Narayan from Air Headquarters. Professor Sarabhai unfolded his plan of developing Rato rocket assisted takeoff system for military aircraft. By that evening, the news was out. India was taking up indigenous development of a device to help short run takeoffs by high performance military aircraft and I was to hit the project. I was filled with many emotions. Happiness, gratitude, a sense of fulfillment And these lines from a little known poet of the 19th century crossed my mind for all. your days prepare and meet them ever alike. When you're the annual bear, when you're the hammer, strike. two significant developments occur during the work on Ratum. The first was the release of a 10 year profile for space research in the country prepared by Professor Sarabhai. To me, it was a romantic manifesto of a person deeply in love with the space research program in his country. The second development was the formation of a missile banner in the Ministry of Defense Both Narayanan and I were inducted as members. The future satellite launch vehicle SLV had also been conceived by this time. Professor Sarabhai had already handpicked the team to give form to his dream of an Indian slv. I consider myself fortunate to have been chosen to be the project leader. Professor Saram Hai gave me the additional responsibility of designing the 4th stage of the SLV. It was my usual practice to brief Professor Sarabhai after every missile panel meeting. After One such meeting in Delhi. On the 30th of December, 1971 I was returning to Trivandrum. Professor Sarah Bhai was visiting Tumba that very day to review the SLV design I spoke to him on the telephone from the airport lounge about the salient points that had emerged at the panel meeting. He instructed me to wait at the Trivandrum Airport and to meet him there. When I reached Trivandrum, a ball of gloom hung in there I was informed that Professor Sarabhai was no more. He had. passed away a few hours ago following a cardiac arrest. I was shocked to the call. It had happened within an hour of our conversation It was a great blow to me. I consider Professor Sarabhai as the Mahatma Gandhi of Indian science, generating leadership qualities in his team and inspiring them through both ideas and examples.

After an interim arrangement with Professor MGK menan at the helm. Professor Satish Dhawan was given the responsibility of head. Indian space research organization Israel the whole complex September was merged together to form an integrated Space Center and christen the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center, VSSC has a tribute to the man to whom it owed its existence. The renowned metallurgist, Dr Brahm Prakash, took over as its first director. Anyone who has taken up the responsibility to lead a team can be successful only if he's sufficiently independent, powerful and influential in his own right to become a person to reckon with this. is perhaps also the part 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. 1st 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 your 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 be a successful team leader. One has to stay back after the din and Clutter of a working day 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 for the. work for the things you believe in. If you do not, you're surrendering your fate to others. The first three years of the SMV project was the period for the revelation of many fascinating mysteries of science. 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 look. Mistakes are imperative in development and are made every day, but each mistake is used for modification, upgradation or betterment. 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 our work, the news of a death in the family reached me. My brother in law and mentor Janab Hamad Jallah Luddin was no more. for a couple of minutes I was immobilized. When I could focus on my surroundings once more, I realized that with Jalaluddin, a part of me had passed away. traveling overnight in a combination of district busses. I reached Rameshwaram only the next day I had no words for Zara or for my niece Mehboob, both of whom were crying uncontrollably I had no tears to shed. for many days back in Tumba, I felt a sense of futility. I'd never known before about everything I was doing I had long talks with Professor Thavan. He told me that my progress on the SLE project would bring me solace The confusion would first lessen and would later pass away altogether. in 1976 my father Jen loved him, who had lived on Rameshwaram Island for hundred and 2 years away. leaving behind 15 grandchildren and one great grandson in worldly terms. It was the death of just another old man. No public morning was organized. No flags were lowered to half must. No, newspaper carried an arbitrary for him. He was. not a politician, a scholar or a businessman. He was a plain and transparent man. His life inspired the growth of all that was benign and angelic wise. and Noble.