Rocketing through the Skies - 19 Dec 2023

ONLINE EVENT

DEC Discussion on

19

ROCKETING THROUGH THE SKIES An Eventful Life at ISRO

2023 TUESDAY, 11.00 AM - 12.15 PM

G MADHAVAN NAIR AUTHOR

S K DAS, IAS (RETD) HONORARY ADVISOR, ISRO

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SYNOPSIS

Starting from the early days of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) under the guidance of Dr Vikram Sarabhai and Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to leading the organization himself, G. Madhavan Nair has had an eventful tenure at ISRO. Nair’s memoir is not just a chronicle of his own life, but a tribute to the spirit of innovation and exploration that drives the Indian space programme.

This remarkable tale of determination, hard work and unwavering passion begins in a village in Kerala from the halcyon days of pre-independent India. The sleepless nights in Thumba, the devastation of failures and the subsequent learning, the exhilaration of successes—all of these are captured in these pages with insight and candour.

Nair also describes, in terms accessible to the layman, his scientific and managerial contributions to the launch vehicles from SLV-3, building the workhorse launcher PSLV, traversing the path to an indigenous cryogenic engine, bringing an orbiting spacecraft back to Earth and even planting the Indian tricolour on the Moon in Chandrayaan-1.

Challenging episodes are also described from an insider’s perspective. Nair describes the ISRO spy case, along with addressing Nambinarayanan’s involvement in it. He also offers a comprehensive and lucid discussion of the Devas Scam, where the battle is still ongoing.

Rocketing Through the Skies: An Eventful Life at ISRO is a compelling read that shares a philosophy of life and work that led to great strides in ISRO’s progress over many crucial decades.

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11.00 AM

Welcome Address

Gp Capt R Vijayakumar (Retd), VSM Executive Director, Madras Management Association

Chairman's Introductory Remarks

Mr S K Das, IAS (Retd) Former Member (Finance), Space & Atomic Energy Commission & Honorary Advisor, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Dept of Space, Govt of India

Address by the Author

Mr G Madhavan Nair Author Former Chairman, ISRO & Former Secretary, Dept of Space, Govt of India

Chairman in conversation with the Author

Mr S K Das, IAS (Retd)

PROGRAMME

10:45 AM

Q & A Session 12:15 PM

Vote of Thanks

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PROFILE

Renowned rocket technologist G. Madhavan Nair was chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) from 2003 to 2009. His tenure witnessed India’s Chandrayaan-1 mission as well as the seeds of manned missions and the initiation of space-based services like disaster warning, tele-education and tele-medicine. Joining ISRO under Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam in 1967, he worked his way up to become the director of Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) and the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC). He became the first non-American G Madhavan Nair

president of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) and was the general president of the 97th Indian Science Congress. He has been bestowed with several awards, including the National Aeronautical Award, the Padma Bhushan (1998) and the Padma Vibhushan (2009).

Shri S.K.Das belongs to 1970 batch of Indian Administrative Service and was borne on Karnataka cadre. He worked in different capacities in the Government of Karnataka, such as Secretary Education, Cooperation and Social Welfare Departments, and Secretary to the Chief Minister. He retired as Member (Finance) of Space Commission and Atomic Energy Commission, and is

PROFILE

currently an honorary advisor for the Indian Space Research Organization. In the government of India, he worked as Joint Secretary, Additional Secretary and Secretary (Finance) for the Department of Space. He worked in different capacities in the Government of Karnataka, such as Secretary Education, Cooperation and Social Welfare Departments, and Secretary to the Chief Minister. He has successfully published the following: Civil Service Reform and Structural S K Das

Adjustment (1998), Public Office, Private Interest: Bureaucracy and Corruption in India (2001), and Rethinking Public Accounting: Policy and Practice of Accrual Accounting in Government (2006), with Oxford University Press, and Building A World-Class Civil Service For 21St Century India (2010). His experience in the fields of public administration, Indian politics, political economy, development studies, and public policy are extremely valuable for guiding GRAAM’s mission.

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