Science, Simplified

Among The Many Lessons That India Can Learn From Vikram Sarabhai’s Life, The Most Important Are Humility And Scientific Temper

- Nandini Oza

In 1966, a 21-year-old boy turned up at the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad, desperate to meet Dr Vikram Sarabhai. The boy, Padmanabh Joshi, had been part of a team from Nehru Foundation, set up by Sarabhai, that was carrying out a socioeconomic survey around Anand, Gujarat. Just as Sarabhai’s secretary was telling Joshi that he could not meet him without prior appointment, Sarabhai walked in. He enquired what was going on and invited Joshi into his room.

“When I told him that I was part of the team that conducted the survey, he was very happy and asked me minute details,” Joshi told THE WEEK, adding that he was in Sarabhai’s room for around 20 minutes. Sarabhai laughed when Joshi asked him how this survey was related to space technology.

“He told me that being chairman of Indian National Committee for Space Research (today, the Indian Space Research Organisation), he was seeing whether satellites can be used for rural education and training of farmers,” said Joshi. The word satellite was alien to Joshi. Sarabhai was quick to pick up the curious boy’s confusion. “He asked me what would happen if you hold a mirror up and project a torch towards it. I replied that the light would come down. In a second, I understood what a satellite is.” Such was the simplicity of the scientist-visionary-industrialist.