“ Nuclear power is our gateway to a prosperous future”

-APJ Abdul Kalam

On 7th June 2021, Mushtifund Aryaans Higher Secondary School (MAHSS) made a splendid addition to a series of interactive sessions with the leading minds in the field of science and technology. We were exceptionally fortunate to have an opportunity to listen and interact with Dr Anil Kakodkar, a world renowned nuclear physicist.

The session started with VPD sir giving us a very vivid introduction of Dr. Anil Kakodkar and his remarkable achievements. Dr. Kakodkar has worked for the development of the atomic energy programme in India throughout his professional life. He holds BE (Mech. Engineering) degree from the Bombay University and M.Sc. in Experimental Stress Analysis from the Nottingham University. He was the director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay from 1996 to 2000 and also played a key role in design and construction of the Dhruva reactor. He also was the Chairman Atomic Energy Commission during 2000 to 2009. The focus of his work has been on self-reliant development of nuclear reactor systems to address the Indian energy requirements. Owing to his immense contributions to this field, he has been conferred with the highly prestigious national awards like Padma Shri in 1998, Padma Bhushan in 1999 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2009. Dr Kakodkar has also been awarded the Maharashtra Bhushan Award which is the highest civilian award of the Maharashtra state in 2012 and the Gomant Vibhushan Award, the highest civilian award of the Goa state, in 2010.

He started by giving us a brief background on why we seek a new form of energy, with such a variety of forms of energy to choose from. He presented a few opinions on the topic:

  • The prolonged usage of natural energy resources by mankind has depleted its stock, especially the very limited amounts of non renewable forms of energy, like fossil fuels. So the modern world has started to explore other options, like the renewable forms of energy
  • Usage of thermal energy has also led to carbon dioxide emission, and global warming, which we all know has been one of the major issues that have been taken up very seriously globally. Indeed, it’s quite clear that the more ambitious CO2 reduction goals become, the greater role nuclear energy assumes. He aptly expressed his opinion by saying

“ what mankind needs is decarbonisation but at the same time also produce more energy”

  • However at the same time, the commonly used forms of renewable energy like wind and solar power will also not suffice if humans were to completely switch over to them.

These reasons have led to a rising importance of a relatively newer form of energy- Nuclear energy. Nuclear power provides continuous and reliable electricity production, which allows for the expansion of other forms of power generation that operate intermittently, namely wind and solar. It is also a cleaner and environment friendly form of energy. It is steady and a non fluctuating form of energy.

We were then deliberated on the topic of nuclear energy, moreover, by one of the masters in the field himself!

He explained that If you reposition nucleons within an atom, depending on the nuclear reaction, it  could be endothermic or exothermic.

In the case of fission energy, an atom with a heavy nucleus, like that of Uranium is chosen. The splitting of the nucleus of the atom releases a large amount of energy in the form of heat and radiation which can be then harnessed to meet our needs. Fusion energy, on the other hand, is quite the opposite process. In this case an atom with a light nuclei, like that of a hydrogen isotope and the combining of these nuclei releases the energy.

Mankind has learnt how to produce fission energy in a rather controlled manner. However , research is still going on in the case of fusion energy.

VPD Sir then raised a very interesting question- “which source of energy probably has more potential- fission or fusion?”. To this Dr Kakodkar replied that considering our current status of technological development, fission energy is the only form which is accessible, but certainly in the future, fusion energy has a much higher scope. Firstly ,deuterium is very accessible from the large sources of water around us. Secondly , it does not leave behind fusion products unlike fission reactions. The final product is helium, which is inert and not a pollutant.

Sir further deliberated on the various interesting applications of his field.

  • A radioactive diamond battery that makes use of beta particles to run our cell phones. The current can be derived as long as it is radioactive and the radiation remains inside. It can last as long as 28000 years!
  • A more common application of treatment of cancer, where the cancer is removed locally without having a large effect on the patient. An interesting point here is “radiations are a major cause of cancer, even though it is the most powerful method to treat cancer”!

With this, sir ended his presentation. It was then followed by a question answer session, where a wide variety of interesting and thoughtful questions were put forward by our students.

One of the interesting topics that were brought forward was on the potential hazards of nuclear energy. While it certainly is a clean fuel, but what about the risks that accompany it?

To this, sir had a very interesting answer.

“The question has a very philosophical answer. It really depends on whether the person handling the energy has a benevolent or malevolent mind. If it is the former, mankind will benefit but if it is the latter, then it can lead to its destruction”

He further spoke on the topic by saying that nuclear energy has been historically connected with the disasters of Hiroshima, Nagasaki and the incident of Fukushima. But today’s technology has certainly learnt to make better use of the energy by developing to use it in a more controlled manner.

Another highlight of the session was when sir shared his experience of having the privilege to work with distinguished personalities like Dr Homi Baba, Dr Rajaramanna and also, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.

Dr Anil Kakodkar sir was the director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre when India conducted nuclear tests in Pokhran in May 1998. VPD Sir requested Dr Kakodkar to share his experience of being such an integral part of the test.

Sir spoke about an interesting dilemma they faced- deciding what the yield of the nuclear test should be so as to avoid damage to a nearby village of Khetolai, informing the people at the right time but at the same time maintaining utmost secrecy as long as possible. In the end however, we all can proudly say that the mission was a complete success! He also spoke about how in the background, APJ Abdul Kalam was always cheering for them.

With a vast expanse of knowledge and his refreshing ideas, Dr. Kakodkar was the perfect source of inspiration for students and faculty alike. His speech shall undoubtedly be one of the highlights of our year! We are really grateful to Dr Kakodkar for having taken time out of his busy schedule to interact with us. We are also immensely thankful to VPD sir for his relentless efforts to expand our horizons by providing us such great opportunities.

Written by:

Siya Thamban

Class 11