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Home , Satish Dhawan

CORRESPONDENCE

Satish Dhawan

The Special Section in Current Science, minded the Cabinet of the pending Committee (ICC) were SD’s initiatives 2020, 119(9), 1417–1488, celebrating the INSAT-I proposal. Instead of asking the and management innovations. SD’s pres- birth centenary of Satish Dhawan (SD), then post-election inactive main group, entation style ‘Red Book’, in A4-size the first Chairman of the Space Commis- the Cabinet, while approving APPLE landscape-orientation, on his group’s re- sion and Secretary, investment, asked DoS to bring up the port and recommendations to the main (DoS), Government of , besides INSAT-I proposal within a month. This group on INSAT-I is a classic document; several other leadership roles that he had was obviously facilitated by the ‘last ahead of its times in a style, that would played in institutions like the Indian In- ICS’ Cabinet Secretary Nirmal Mukher- later be generically known as a ‘power stitute of Science (IISc), , that jee, who as Secretary Civil Aviation – point’ presentation. he headed, served, guided or set-up, is a under which Ministry IMD was then – Another important step for the imple- collector’s item. had got to understand the transformative mentation and oversight of the multi- Here, I would like to add an under- role and function of INSAT while partic- agency INSAT project was the creation recognized dimension to the seminal and ipating actively in the SD-led INSAT-I of the unique INSAT Coordination defining role that SD played in so many System Definition Sub-Group of Secreta- Committee of Secretaries chaired by Sec- aspects of -based services for ries. retary DOS (then SD) through an Order broadcasting, telecommunications and Once he made up his mind, SD had the from the Cabinet Secretariat. It was the weather watch. unique ability to softly but persuasively result of then Cabinet Secretary NM – It is to SD that we owe the fully put his views and proposals across, carry SD collaboration. INSAT-I Space Seg- fleshed-out concept of the first- his institutional peers with him. As he ment was with DOS, Telecom ground- generation multi-functional Indian moved forward with an idea, if SD found segment and utilization with MOC/P&T, National Satellite System (INSAT-I). merits in the ideas and viewpoints of TV and radio ground-segments and utili- The INSAT Group (of Secretaries/ those critiquing it, he acknowledged and zation with MI&B/DD and AIR and Met equivalents) formed by the then Prime incorporated them. ground-segment and utilization with Minister (PM) Indira Gandhi at SD’s in- Apart from providing intellectual, IMD/MCA. Overall coordination and itiative around 1976, had Vasant Rajad- scientific and engineering leadership, SD oversight came from ICC, assisted by a hyaksha of Planning Commission (ex- also had excellent administrative abili- Technical Advisory Committee (TAG) Chairman, Hindustan Unilever Ltd) as its ties, and plied to collective advantage the which was convened by the Programme Chairman; and SD, M. G. K. Menon skills of stalwarts like M. A. Vellodi Director of INSAT in DoS. SD was par- (then Secretary, Electronics), Nirmal (IFS), T. N. Seshan (IAS) and Y.S. Das ticular that ICC members attend meet- Mukherjee (then Secretary, Civil Avia- (IAAS). In the SatCom field, these abili- ings in person; there were occasions tion) as its members alongside Secreta- ties manifested first with 1 kW Kheda when even the Cabinet Secretary and ries of Communications, Information & TV transmitter under ISRO control for Principal Secretary to the PM also parti- Broadcasting (I&B) and Finance. SD the duration of SITE, and the strategic cipated as Invitees. headed the Sub-Group on INSAT-I Sys- placement of an experimental Earth Sta- It is such bureaucratic master strokes tem Definition with S. M. Agarwal (Sec- tion in Malcha Mahal, within Delhi. Both that sometimes make history. Agile retary, Communications), S. M. Burney actions required approval at the highest thinking and nimble footwork was such (Secretary, I&B), Goku Menon (Secre- level, viz. from the then PM Indira that even the then Telecom Minister, tary, Electronics) and Nirmal Mukherjee Gandhi. SD’s planning ahead for INSAT , supported it, and Raj (Secretary, Civil Aviation) as its mem- also manifested in STEP, jointly with Narain (the Health Minister), who was bers and supported by a large group of P&T; STEP was a parallel for SITE but not in favour of ‘hi-tech’, went along. senior experts from India Meteorological in telecommunications services. Cabinet Secretary C. R. Krishnaswamy Department (IMD), Communications SD demonstrated his acumen again by Rao Sahib and SD developed great re- (Posts & Telegraphs, Overseas Commu- convincing the new Government of spect and admiration for each other, and nication Service and Wireless Planning Morarji Desai, to approve, within its first their symphony played out in many other and Coordination Wing), I&B (DD and few months, investment in India’s first areas of national importance, in addition AIR), Planning Commission and DoS/ experimental geo-stationary satellite, to shaping the early governance of over- Indian Space Research Organisation APPLE. He forged a good working rela- all inter-agency INSAT System. (ISRO) as its members. I had the privi- tionship with the Finance Minister, H. M. lege of serving as a non-member Secre- Patel and Cabinet Secretary Mukherjee. JAI P. SINGH tary of this sub-group. SD persuaded the European Space Agen- In 1977, when the Ariane Passenger cy, then led by Roy Gibson, to accept the Former Director, PayLoad Experiment (APPLE) invest- proposal for an experimental communi- SatCom Programmes and Frequency ment decision went before the new Gov- cations satellite to be carried as a pas- Management, ernment of Morarji Desai, and was senger on the third developmental flight ISRO Headquarters, approved after a discussion that took of Ariane as APPLE. Programme Director INSAT, DOS & about 45 minutes, Mukherjee (by then Bringing multiple agencies together Secretary ICC (1977–88) Cabinet Secretary) and SD briefly re- and structuring the INSAT Coordination e-mail: [email protected]

CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 120, NO. 6, 25 MARCH 2021 973