1st November 2006
It was truly an “out-of-the world” experience. The excitement and anticipation of days culminated at the Sri Krishna Hall today when Dr. K. Kasturirangan, whose name has almost become synonymous with India’s space programme took time off from his hectic schedule to spend some time with us. The day also marked the long anticipated re-launch of our website, the launch of our e-magazine “ASB-ian”, and the inauguration of the Systems forum “Technocrats”. Perhaps the most proud moment was the release of a book written by one of our faculty members Dr. Biresh. K. Sahoo. He was given a standing ovation and I must say he totally earned it.
After the official launches and inaugurations, the former ISRO Chairman rose to speak. He started off with saying that he preferred an interactive session and introduced himself by saying that he had no formal education in management, making light of almost a decade of experience he has heading one of the most esteemed organizations in India where even the smallest decisions can have the gravest of consequences if not handled properly. And then as if on an afterthought he added, “but still I think I do a lot of what you might call management”.
The students were eager and prompt in coming out with questions but more related to space programmes and research than with management as our esteemed guest later remarked. The first question put forward to him was about the problems he had to face during the initial stages of the space programme in India. He started off by saying that space explorations were and still are a very risky venture. But the great visionaries of the time like Prime Minister Nehru , Vikram Sarabhai and Homi J Bhaba were ready to take the risks and went ahead to fulfill their dream for modern India. Although they had to face numerous problems in the initial stages of launching, their hard work and persistence paid off. They knew the value of the information that came out of failures, he said. He had with him a team that did not believe in giving up, come what may!!
When asked about the recent comment by our Prime Minister that India is lagging behind in matters of research in fundamental sciences, he replied by saying that there was indeed a relative paucity of research and publications in our country. There is still a lack of infrastructure and environment for research. The number of people coming forward for research in these areas is also dwindling day by day. And very low remuneration and the challenges to be faced discourage most people from turning to research. He also pointed out that there was a lack of awareness of the importance of Science. He commended the government’s efforts in establishing more institutions like the Indian Institute of Science in places like Pune and Kolkata. He also appreciated the decision of the government to increase its spending on research and development from 1% of GDP to 3%.
Another question was about his experiences as a member of the Rajya Sabha. To this question our esteemed guest came up with a very modest answer saying that he has had only 3 years of experience there!! He said that the main function of the Rajya Sabha was to ensure an independent debate on any topic before it is actually approved by the Lok Sabha. And since the house consists of people from all fields of life, the decisions are taken after long and fruitful deliberations. And unlike the upper house where most often discussions take on a political flavor, the discussions in the Rajya Sabha are unbiased and liberal and hence the decisions taken are better and much more relevant.
Our guest was also questioned about the Chandrayaan mission that is being planned by the government, whether it was just an ego booster or did it actually mean anything to India. Dr. Kasturirangan answered by saying that every country at some point has to take a decision about what it wants to be at a later point in time. And this decision by the government is a vision of what India could be and will be in the near future. We have the capabilities and the opportunities, and if the economy also remains stable, we will do it, said he. He said that he saw Chandrayaan as an investment for stretching the boundaries of science and a very small, modest step for a large country like India, which, he said will very soon be a major player in planetary exploration. Great words coming from a great visionary who was at the helm of our space programme for almost a decade.
He was also asked about the government’s plans for the overall development of our country since most often the rural population is left out. He agreed with us saying that the condition of the rural sector in our country still leaves much to be desired. A lot more has to be done to improve their living conditions. In fact the government has come up with a whole gamut of programmes in this regard including better roads, drinking water, complete electrification of all villages in India by 2010 etc. And with top rung of society earning more as the days go by there are greater opportunities for the rural population to grow. The government has also come up with programmes to improve the skills of people working in the rural areas and helping them attain economic prosperity, he said.
The last question of the day came from our Vice Chancellor who asked him about the management culture of ISRO. The question invoked in our guest a feeling of nostalgia I am sure!! He started off talking about how the organization came into being. The vision of one man who drew inspiration from the launch of Sputnik, the first satellite ever, and dreamed of the same happening in his country. Yes!! It was the brainchild of Vikram Sarabhai -entrepreneur cum scientist - who was also incidentally the man behind the setting up of IIM-A, one of the premier B-schools of the country. He recalled fondly his first meeting with Sarabhai in 1963 when he wanted to join ISRO for research. After a stressful interview and very persistent questioning I got through, he said. About Sarabhai Dr. Kasturirangan said, “More than a famous personality, he was my teacher. He knew all our names, what we had done the past week and we were up to now.” He was an exceptional leader and he led by example.
Our guest described MBA as more being the ability to lead than the ability to manage. “We had to be scientists, managers, leaders and we were also expected to know the development needs of our country and its psychology, and act accordingly,” he said. He also talked about another one of his contemporaries Dr. Satish Dhawan who, he recalled was a stickler for details and would not proceed on any project until and unless all details were furbished.
He concluded by saying that the success of any programme depends on the degree of professionalism you bring to it and that in turn depends on your level of commitment. He also pointed out the need to constantly update your knowledge base and last of all asked us not to forget our roots or our culture. You may learn umpteen number of management theories by western authors but ultimately in your workplace it’s your knowledge of your culture that will help you the most. And that is exactly what our institution stands for!!!
Poornima Rajan
CPG06BM079
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