constraints as a college student — why should these be of any interest to the general public ? In the end , I was convinced that these were relevant , if not for anything else but because they tell something of the story of modern India , as individual destiny and the social matrix in which it is embedded cannot be seen in isolation . Having been persuaded of this , it did seem germane to include the accounts of my frustrated attempt to become an Air Force pilot and of how I became , instead of the Collector my father dreamed I would be , a rocket engineer .
Finally , I decided to describe the individuals who had a profound influence on my life . This book is also by way of a submission of thanks , therefore , to my parents and immediate family , and to the teachers and preceptors I was fortunate to have had , both as a student and in my professional life . It is also a tribute to the unflagging enthusiasm and efforts of my young colleagues who helped to realise our collective dreams . The famous words of Isaac Newton about standing on the shoulders of giants are valid for every scientist and I certainly owe a great debt of knowledge and inspiration to the distinguished lineage of Indian scientists , that included Vikram Sarabhai , Satish Dhawan and Brahm Prakash . They played major roles in my life and in the story of Indian science . I completed sixty years of age on 15 October 1991 . I had decided to devote my retirement to fulfilling what I saw as my duties in the sphere of social service . Instead , two things happened simultaneously . First , I agreed to continue in government service for another three years and , next , a young colleague , Arun Tiwari , requested me to share my reminiscences with him , so that he could record them . He was someone who had been working in my laboratory since 1982 , but I had never really known him well until the February of 1987 when I visited him at the Intensive Coronary Care Unit of the Nizam ’ s Institute of Medical Sciences in Hyderabad . He was a mere 32 years old , but was fighting valiantly for his life . I asked him if there was anything he wanted me to do for him . “ Give me your blessings , sir ,” he said , “ so that I may have a longer life and can complete at least one of your projects .”
The young man ’ s dedication moved me and I prayed for his recovery all night . The Lord answered my prayers and Tiwari was able to get back to work in a month . He did an excellent job in helping to realise the Akash missile airframe from scratch within the short space of three years . He then took up the task of chronicling my story . Over the last year , he patiently transcribed the bits and pieces of my story and converted them into a fluent narrative . He also went through my personal library meticulously and selected from among the pieces of poetry those that I had marked while reading , and included them in the text .
This story is an account , I hope , not just of my personal triumphs and tribulations but of the successes and setbacks of the science establishment in modern India , struggling to establish itself in the technological forefront . It is the story of national aspiration and of cooperative endeavour . And , as I see it , the saga of India ’ s search for scientific self-sufficiency and technological competence is a parable for our times .
Each individual creature on this beautiful planet is created by God to fulfil a particular role . Whatever I have achieved in life is through His help , and an expression of His will . He showered His grace on me through some outstanding teachers and colleagues , and when I pay my