LAUNCHES ONLY PART OF THE JOB; OUR CORE IS TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT

A man waited outside a hall in Kochi. Inside, members of The Institution of Engineers were listening to ISRO Chairman S. Somanath deliver a keynote address.

- NIRMAL JOVIAL

The waiting man was dressed smartly in a checked shirt and cream trousers. I felt that I had seen him somewhere and then recognised him in a flash—A.P. Velappan, a retired sub-inspector of the Kerala Police and Somanath’s classmate from school. I had met him while researching this article.

Velappan said that he was waiting outside as he felt out of place at the engineers' event, but could not pass up the rare chance to see his old friend. As we waited together, I wondered whether Somanath would notice him, surrounded as he surely would be by a gaggle of excited engineers. He was indeed mobbed when he came out, but he did notice his friend. “Velappan”, he called out joyously, before gathering him in a bear hug and pulling him aside for a brief chat and a selfie.

Later, during our car ride to the Grand Hyatt Kochi, where our interview had been arranged, Somanath spoke in detail about how Velappan was a constant source of support in school. In fact, Somanath does remember a lot. He was visibly excited when I mentioned that I had met one of his primary school teachers, K.J. Chitrangadamma. “Teacherne kando (Oh, did you meet teacher?),” he asked excitedly, before sharing his memories about her. His keen recollection of even minor events, attention to detail, and clarity of thought are remarkable—qualities that are clearly serving him well in his career, too.

In a candid interview, Somanath opened up about his journey and explained India's ambitious space endeavours, both present and future. Edited excerpts:

Was the success of Chandrayaan-3 the pinnacle of your career?