Kasturirangan waxes eloquent on Sarabhai's vision

Bangalore, Apr 16 (UNI) The success achieved by the Indian space programme is solely due to the vision of Dr Vikram Sarabhai, the renaissance man of Indian science and founder of Indian space programme, former ISRO Chairman and Rajya Sabha member K Kasturirangan said today.

Speaking after releasing a book, 'Vikram Sarabhai: A Life', written by noted journalist Amrita Shah, here, he said the country's space development programme fraternity was proud of realising the vision of Dr Sarabhai.

He said Dr Sarabhai had given a conceptual framework for India's space programme in 1953 when he had joined the National Physical Research Laboratory (NPRL), founded by Dr Sarabhai himself in Ahmedabad, known as the Mecca of Indian space programme. ''Dr Sarabhai, who was the chief of the lab, was inspiration personified and we, which included Dr U R Rao and President Abdul Kalam, benefitted the most.'' Dr Kasturirangan said the most amazing thing about Dr Sarabhai was that he used his business acumen in bringing out scientific output. He was a practical person and particular that financial implications of the space programme was properly understood.

''The space budget during those years was just Rs four crore. He said that for India, the space programme was to give timely and accurate information on resources. It should be of big help and bring revolutionary changes in communication, agriculture, education and health. He always believed that rocket and satellite technology will bring immense benefits to the country,'' he said.

Dr Kasturirangan said the space programme during the time of Dr Sarabhai, in its first ten years from 1962, was powered by his extraordinary vision that he had not seen in any other scientific endeavour in the country.

''In 2003 when I laid down office as Chairman of ISRO, I sat back and reflected on what I had achieved during the previous ten years.

Infact what Dr Satish Dhawan, Dr U R Rao and I had achieved was all expected of us. We had rockets and satellites that were operational.

But this was only due to Dr Sarabhai's vision and his dream and we were able to fulfil it,'' he said.

UNI