Seekers
A
minor tussle over my services occurred at this time,
between ISRO, which was a little hesitant to relieve me, and
DRDO, which wanted to take me in. Many months went by,
and
many letters were exchanged between ISRO and
DRDO; and meetings were held in the secretariats of the
Defence R&D establishment and the Department of Space
to precipitate a mutually convenient course of action.
Meanwhile, Prof. Ramanna retired from the office of the
Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister. Dr VS
Arunachalam, till then Director of the Defence Metallurgical
Research Laboratory (DMRL) in Hyderabad, succeeded
Prof. Ramanna. Dr Arunachalam was known for his
confidence, and he cared little for the intricacies and
nuances of the scientific bureaucracy. Meanwhile, I
understand that the Defence Minister at that time, R
Venkataraman discussed the matter of my taking over the
missile laboratory with Prof. Dhawan. Prof. Dhawan also
seemed to be waiting for a decisive step at the highest
level in the Defence Ministry. Overcoming the niggling
doubts that had caused delays over the past year, the
decision to appoint me Director, DRDL was finally taken in
February, 1982.
Prof. Dhawan used to visit my room in the ISRO
headquarters and spend many hours in evolving space
launch vehicle projects. It was a great privilege to work with
such a great scientist. Before I left ISRO, Prof. Dhawan
asked me to give a talk on the Space Programme Profile in
India by the year 2000. Almost the entire ISRO
management and staff attended my talk, which was by way
of a farewell meeting.
I had met Dr VS Arunachalam in 1976, when I visited
DMRL in connection with the aluminium alloy investment
casting for the SLV inertial guidance platform. Taking it as
a personal challenge, Dr Arunachalam had the investment
casting, the first of its kind in the country, made in the
incredibly short time of two months. His youthful energy and
enthusiasm never failed to amaze me. This young
metallurgist had within a short span of time lifted the
science of metal-making to the technology of metal-forming
and then to the art of alloy development. With a tall and
elegant figure, Dr Arunachalam was like an electrically
charged dynamo himself. I found him an unusually friendly
person with a forceful manner, as well as an excellent
working partner.
I visited DRDL in April 1982 to acquaint myself with my
potential work site. The Director of DRDL then, SL Bansal,
took me around and introduced me to the senior scientists
in the laboratory. DRDL was working on five staff projects
and sixteen competence build-up projects. They were also
involved in several technology-oriented activities with a
view to gain lead time for the development of indigenous
missile systems in future. I was particularly impressed by
their efforts on the twin 30-ton Liquid Propellant Rocket
Engine.
Meanwhile, Anna University, Madras, co nferred the
honorary degree of Doctor of Science on me. It had been
nearly twenty years since I had acquired my degree in
aeronautical engineering. I was happy that Anna University
had recognized my efforts in the field of rocketry, but what
pleased me most was the recognition of the value of our
work in academic circles. To my delight, the honorary