It was a home coming for the President Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam, today (November 18, 2002), who made a nostalgic visit to his former institution, the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre at Thiruvananthapuram during his first visit to Kerala after assuming office. Dr K Kasturirangan, Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation and Shri G Madhavan Nair, Director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center received the President. About 5000 employees from the ISRO Centres in Thiruvananthapuram waited anxiously to greet their former colleague.
Delivering the first Prof. Satish Dhawan Memorial Lecture, Dr A P J Abdul Kalam spoke at length on “Vision and Leadership”. In his address, he noted that his real education was at the sprawling expanse of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre more than in any University. He said that the education we receive and our environment transforms us to good human beings and that he was fortunate to be associated with three great human beings – Dr Vikram Sarabhai, Prof Satish Dhawan and Dr Brahm Prakash. In a nostalgic note he thanked the ISRO community for their support and inspiration.
The President recalled that Prof. Dhawan was a great leader with a vision. It was the confidence that a leader like Prof Dhawan bestowed on his colleagues and his unstinted support that made all the projects undertaken in his time successful. Reminiscing about the SLV-3 period and the failure of its maiden flight, Dr Kalam said that a great leader owns responsibility for failures and gives credit for success to his team members. Prof Dhawan was one such great leader. The President talked at length about the noble leadership of Mahatma Gandhi who chose to reduce the pain of ordinary people when the Nation celebrated its independence in 1947.
The President highlighted the tremendous responsibility of organisations like ISRO in fulfilling the socio-economic needs of the underprivileged. He said that we should establish the physical, electronic and economic connectivity with ordinary people who live in villages. The President mentioned that technology is not meant to be kept in cupboards. He lauded ISRO as a technology leader and said the future translation of the technology for the benefit of the poor should be exercised with a vision so as to ensure that it reaches the common man. The President said that the next mission should be poverty eradication for the 300 million people of the country below the poverty line. The evolution of economic strength is attained through knowledge, competitiveness, and innovation out of invisible leadership. Invisible leadership exercises the vision to change the traditional role from commander to coach, manager to mentor and director to dictator. The President said that, ISRO with its heritage of technological leadership could explore the possibility of embarking upon several new initiatives such as cost effective space transportation, solar power for industry and rural areas, global positioning satellite system and probably a habitat in space and could also possibly contribute to the connectivity of rivers.
Dr Abdul Kalam laid the foundation stone for the ISRO Training Centre at the VSSC premises. The Training Center will meet the in-house training requirements on all aspects of space technology for ISRO Centres. The training centre will impart induction training and in-service training to ISRO employees.
The President visited an exhibition on new technologies in Space and later interacted with senior scientists from all Centres of ISRO.
Earlier welcoming the President, Dr Kasturirangan said that Dr Kalam along with his colleagues has transformed the village of Thumba into a center of modern technology. He expressed his happiness on the President’s decision to start his scientific pilgrimage from the establishment where he had worked more than two decades.
Shri Madhavan Nair, Director, VSSC, proposed a vote of thanks. He said Thumba has nurtured half a dozen directors, two chairmen and now the President of India. He thanked the President and others for their participation.
