“You have to dream before your dreams can come true”
Dreaming is the first step towards achieving a goal. This principle has forever inspired humans strive for success. Even before we could barely see Mars, humanity has been planning to set foot on it. Such ambition, such thought drives us towards achieving our goals.
On the 21st of July, 2020, the students of MAHSS were bestowed with the opportunity to interact with Dr. A. Sivathanu Pillai. Dr. Pillai is a world renowned defence technologist and thanks to the efforts of our Director Mr. Vyankatesh Prabhudesai, we students of Class XI had the privilege to interact with this great personality.
Dr. Sivathanu Pillai is an ISRO Emeritus Scientist and was a distinguished professor at ISRO from 2015-2018. He is a top defence technologist and served as the Chief Controller of Research and Development at DRDO from 1996-2014. Dr. Pillai was a main man behind India’s first rocket launch vehicle programme, the SLV, alongside Dr. Kalam. He was the Director of India’s famous Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme and has worked along many visionary leaders like Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Dr. Vikram Sarabhai and Prof. Satish Dhawan, to name a few. He is the founder of BrahMos Aerospace and has played a key role in the indigenisation and development of missile technology in India. Dr. Pillai’s relentless efforts and contributions have not gone unnoticed. He was awarded with numerous national and international awards, including the “Order of Friendship” by the Russian President for his great contribution in strengthening India-Russia ties through the BrahMos project. Dr. Pillai was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri award in 2002 followed by Padma Bhushan in 2013.
Dr. Pillai did his Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Madras University and later did a course on management from Harvard University, USA. He then earned his PhD from Savitribai Phule Pune University in 1996. He was given honorary doctorates by several other universities later. He currently serves as a honorary professor of mechanical engineering at IIT Delhi. He is the author of several books such as “The Path Unexplored”, “Thoughts for Change” and “Technology Leadership”. It was truly a privilege for us to interact with such a great personality.
Dr. Pillai began the session with a presentation. It began with a timeline from the very beginning of the Universe. He pointed out how small we truly are as compared to the mighty, ever expanding Universe. He then told us about the time when humans began inventing. He told us about various inventors and scientists who had played a key role in advancing human intelligence and equipping us with the tools and luxuries we have today. He highlighted that the common thing among these inventors was that they had asked questions. He stressed on the importance of asking questions. Dr Pillai proved his point by narrating the story of C.V. Raman. Young Prof. Raman was travelling when he looked up to the sky and questioned: why is the sky blue? This one simple question led to the discovery of scattering of lightBack in the day scientists did not have modern equipments to carry out studies but this did not hamper their desire for invention and innovation. Dr. Pillai stated that today we have the tools but we only need to use them well.
Dr. Pillai then explained basic rocket propulsion to us. He told us about the various fuels, combustion chambers and applications of rockets. He shared with us a fun fact about the world’s first rocket. The Mysore Rocket, used by Tipu Sultan against the British was the first rocket and it boosted the research about rockets since then. He then proceeded to tell us about the Indian Space Programme and its visionary leader Vikram Sarabhai. Dr. Pillai remembers the time when he first met Dr. Sarabhai. In a science exhibition where Dr. Pillai and his fellow team members had exhibited a gadget. Dr. Sarabhai spent a lot of time inspecting this project and at the end, Dr Sarabhai congratulated young Mr Pillai, and this small incident sparked a fire of inspiration within him and he decided to serve in the field of space research. He stated that the reason ISRO is a world leader today in the space frontier is due to great visionary leaders. He spoke about Vikram Sarabhai’s dream, to make India a self reliant nation and second to none when it came to solving common man’s problems through space technology, a feat ISRO has proudly achieved.
Dr. Pillai highlighted the importance of Satellites and Human Spaceflight Missions. He spoke about how todays satellite technology is helping Indians in every sector: from telecommunications to relief mapping. Setting a base on the Moon, as he stated, is an important milestone we need to achieve. Dr. Pillai talked about why the moon would be essential for future space travel and how we can even generate energy through Helium-3 compound found abundantly on the lunar surface. Then he introduced us to the basic concept of a missile. A scaled down rocket used for warfare. “Strength fights Strength” these words by APJ Abdul Kalam were the driving force behind the missile development programme in India. Dr. Pillai spoke about his experience as the Director of the IGMDP and about the five missiles (Prithvi, Agni, Nag, Akash and Trishul) which were the first indigenously developed missiles. He explained the trajectories of these weapons and how lethal they were in combat. Then he spoke about the BrahMos Missile. BrahMos, the name being inspired by the fury of the Brahmaputra and the flow of the Moskov River, is the world’s fastest and most lethal supersonic cruise missile. It can be launched from any platform and hence is called a Universal Launch Missile. He further went on and talked about the future of warfare and space technology. Subjects like nanotechnology and artificial intelligence were also discussed. He believes that India’s future is bright and is fuelled by the brilliant minds of young Indians.
Dr. Pillai ended the presentation with a quote by Carl Sagan and then was received with an array of questions from students and our Director Vyankatesh Sir. He took up many questions and then finally ended the wonderful session.
Dr. Sivathanu Pillai is truly a great inspiration for everyone across the globe. But it is not his achievements that have set him apart from the common man but his relentless drive for development and his humbleness have played a huge role in making him the personality we all look up to today. On behalf of all the students of MAHSS, I would like to thank Dr. Sivathanu Pillai for taking the time to interact with us. I would also like to thank VPD Sir for giving us this once in a lifetime opportunity t0 meet such eminent personalities. These interactive sessions are truly a morale booster for all of us and give us the motivation to strive for success. The entire session can be summarized by the following quote.
“Your only limitation is your very imagination”
Priyanshu Volvotkar XI Regular