In 1982, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam was
appointed Director, Defence Research Development Laboratories. His
appointment established the country’s resolve and commitment to space
exploration. On 27 July, 1983, India launched the most advanced missile
mission “Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme” (IGMDP). The
IGMDP mission was undertaken “ in the spirit of India’s self-reliance”
policy, wrote Kalam in his Wings of Fire.
In technological development the IGMDP “was like a bright flash on the
Indian scientific firmament.” Until then the Missile Technology was the
domain of a few advanced countries. No one believed that with what India
had at that point of time, it could achieve all that was promised. Dr.
Kalam rightly observed that the magnitude of the IGMDP was really
unprecedented in India, and the schedules projected were quite quixotic
by the norms and standards prevailing in the Indian Research and
Development establishments. “The crux was going to be our mastery over
missile technology”, and as Kalam rightly said “we expected nothing from
the advanced countries.” On 23 May 1989, India demonstrated its missile
technological capability by successful launch of its Advanced
configurated missile system named Agni (Fire).
Entire nation hailed the missile launch without debating long-term
ramification of such a technical development. Noone asked where would
Agni lead us or what benefit or what returns the nation would receive
from this venture? No political leader and/or party asked a relevant
policy questions. And Kalam gave no details of the rocket launch – its
cost-benefit analysis and that the launch would take the poor country
India to which heavens? My critical policy critique was published in the
national media and comfortably ignored by the establishment. And I was
termed a habitual anti-establishment who cannot even appreciate a
national achievement.
However I was surprised to receive an invitation to a gathering
organized at a laboratory of DRDO, New Delhi. It was at this meeting
that the chief guest during the tea sought out the anti-missile man. For
the first time an establishment scientist was speaking to me face -to
–face. And I took the opportunity of inviting him to Indian Science
Writers’ Association for discussion. To my surprise the Missile Man of
India unhesitatingly accepted the invitation of the president of Science
Writers’ Association. He visited us more than three times, and the
Bharat Ratna, Dr. Kalam became Honorary Fellow of the Indian Science
Writers’ Association.
