sorrow . He offered no explanation of how he knew that I was sad and I did not ask .
I told him about my unsuccessful attempt to join the Indian Air Force and my long-cherished desire to fly . He smiled , washing away all my anxiety almost instantly . Then he said in a feeble , but very deep voice ,
Desire , when it stems from the heart and spirit , when it is pure and intense , possesses awesome electromagnetic energy . This energy is released into the ether each night , as the mind falls into the sleep state . Each morning it returns to the conscious state reinforced with the cosmic currents . That which has been imaged will surely and certainly be manifested . You can rely , young man , upon this ageless promise as surely as you can rely upon the eternally unbroken promise of sunrise ... and of Spring .
When the student is ready , the teacher will appear — How true ! Here was the teacher to show the way to a student who had nearly gone astray ! “ Accept your destiny and go ahead with your life . You are not destined to become an Air Force pilot . What you are destined to become is not revealed now but it is predetermined . Forget this failure , as it was essential to lead you to your destined path . Search , instead , for the true purpose of your existence . Become one with yourself , my son ! Surrender yourself to the wish of God ,” Swamiji said .
I returned to Delhi and enquired at the DTD & P ( Air ) about the outcome of my interview . In response , I was handed my appointment letter . I joined the next day as Senior Scientific Assistant on a basic salary of Rs 250 / - per month . If this was to be my destiny , I thought , let it be so . Finally , I was filled with mental peace . No more did I feel any bitterness or resentment at my failure to enter the Air Force . All this was in 1958 .
At the Directorate , I was posted at the Technical Centre ( Civil Aviation ). If I was not flying aeroplanes , I was at least helping to make them airworthy . During my first year in the Directorate , I carried out a design assignment on supersonic target aircraft with the help of the officer-incharge , R Varadharajan , and won a word of praise from the Director , Dr Neelakantan . To gain shop-floor exposure to aircraft maintenance , I was sent to the Aircraft and Armament Testing Unit ( A & ATU ) at Kanpur . At that time , they were involved in a tropical evaluation of Gnat Mk I aircraft . I participated in the performance assessment of its operation systems .
Even in those days , Kanpur was a very populous city . It was my first experience of living in an industrial town . The cold weather , crowds , noise and smoke were in total contrast to what I was used to in Rameswaram . I was particularly troubled by the ubiquitous presence of potatoes on the dining table , right from breakfast to dinner . To me , it seemed that a feeling of loneliness pervaded the city . The people on the streets had all come from their villages in search of jobs in factories , leaving behind the smell of their soil and the protection of their families .
On my return to Delhi , I was informed that the design of a DART target had been taken up at the DTD & P ( Air ) and that I had been included in the design team . I completed this task with the other team members . Then , I undertook a preliminary design study on a Human Centrifuge . I later carried out the design and development of a Vertical Takeoff and Landing Platform . I was also associated with the development and construction of the Hot Cockpit . Three years passed . Then the Aeronautical Development Establishment ( ADE ) was born in Bangalore and I was posted to the new establishment .