There are some people whose work and contribution to society speaks for itself, and one such person is Prof. H.S. Mukunda- a scientist who has dedicated himself to the field of combustion. We, the students of MAHSS, had heard a lot about Sir and his work from our director – Sir VPD, and simply could not wait for this session. On the 9th of August 2021, we finally got the golden opportunity to interact with Professor Mukunda.

Professor Mukunda obtained his Ph.D. within 5 years from IISc itself, which, at the time, was no mean feat. He worked at a high-profile Aerospace Engineering department at IISc for 34 years and spent an additional 10 years as an advisor to advance bio-residue energy technology at IISc. Professor’s work ranges from successful projects in Aerospace sciences to energy in biomass, involving areas of combustion. Our very own director, Sir VPD, has done 2 ME courses under Professor’s guidance at IISc, which he described as 2 of the best courses he has ever done.

Professor begun by giving us a valuable piece of advice, that we, as young minds aspiring to bring about changes in the world, must know that we are different from others, that we will have to work hard to achieve our goals and aspirations, and that we would get there by simply staying focussed and patient.

Sir next expressed his opinions about changes in the field of science with more technological advancements and stuck to the fact that regardless of the quality of external information sources available, the key element here is the thought process and the ability to question Science, that holds most important.

We then had a lively discussion on the scope of careers in the field of propulsion. Prof. advised us to experiment, and settle on the field that truly fascinated us, and the tiny experiments under which we would thoroughly enjoy. Sir said that job opportunities must not be chased, for if one genuinely enjoyed one’s work, it would unfold to become a successful job anyways.

Sir further shared with us his experiences at LPSC and DRDO, and stories and incidences from his interaction with Prof. Satish Dhawan. We learnt that it was Prof. Dhawan’s pattern of thinking and analysing problems that made him stand out, which made us realise the significance of HOW one approaches a problem.

Sir also beautifully addressed a topic of conflict – ‘Pure sciences or Engineering,’ by saying that they go hand-in-hand, and one is incomplete without the other. He also gave us insights on differences in Aerospace in India, as compared to NASA Langley, besides brilliantly answering all questions posed by students.

Within a span of 45 minutes, Sir imparted volumes of knowledge and experience, all of it put across simply yet crisply, which kept us all captivated throughout the session.

On behalf of us Aryaanites, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to our director, Sir VPD, for continuously bringing such enriched and experienced minds to interact with us and guide us.

~Nidhi Thakur

Class XI