It was a trip down memory lane for Nambi Narayanan. The former scientist at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Tuesday outlined the growth of space technology in India this way, “...I was the 23rd person to join ISRO back in the sixties. Now, there are over 2,000 there.”
Mr. Narayanan, who was recently conferred the Padma Bhushan, was at the National Institute of Technology-Calicut to open the activities of the physics association there.
His interaction with students was peppered with personal anecdotes, and his long association with luminaries such as Vikram Sarabhai, Satish Dhawan, and A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
“My first assignment was drawing pyrotechnic systems. One fine morning, somebody in a pyjama and kurta came and asked me, what are you doing? I said was drawing an explosive bolt. Then, he asked me how long would you take.”
From a distance, Mr. Narayanan could see Kalam and another colleague, giving him signals. “I did not understand what they were trying to say. After continuing with the drawing for some time, I asked him may I know who you are. He said, they call me Vikram.” Calling Sarabhai his father figure, Mr. Narayanan said he was the one who instilled self-confidence in him. It was Sarabhai, who persuaded him to reject a better job offer from the U.S. national space agency and come back to India, he claimed.
“I never regretted that decision till I got trapped in the espionage case,” Mr. Narayanan said. He pointed out that his arrest in the spy scandal case was closely linked to the development of the Vikas engine. “The timing of the spy case is most important. It was on October 20 the scandal came to light. The Vikas engine was tested around a fortnight before that...,” he pointed out.
Mr. Narayanan recalled that though scientists such as Yash Pal and Roddam Narasimha had come out in his support then, many chose to remain silent and that silence had haunted him. Kalam too gave an interview, subtly supporting him. However, he was also quick to dismiss the popular quotes being attributed to Kalam. “...In the social media so many statements as ‘told by Kalam’ are appearing. I have worked very closely with Kalam, I am sure he had not those statements. When people become popular, all kinds of stories are created around them,” he added.
