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It is a matter of proud privilege and honour for me to be invited to deliver the 2006 Narayanan Oration at the Australia South Asia Research Centre (ASARC) of The Australian National University (ANU). It is with profound regret and sorrow that we had to confront Mr. K R Narayanan’s demise recently on 9th November 2005. Whenever I met him, he left in me an indelible impression of his awe inspiring and deep erudition and his extraordinary passion and commitment to uplift underprivileged segments of the society. Nonetheless, he also pursued relentless efforts to achieve excellence in all walks of life. His holistic approach to science and technology has been candidly revealed in his speech on the eve of Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Indian Republic
We cannot and ought not halt movement in the trajectories of our modern progress. Factories will and must rise, satellites must and will soar to the heavens, and dams over rivers will rise to prevent floods, generate electricity and irrigate dry lands for cultivation. But that should not cause ecological and environmental devastation and the uprooting of human settlements, especially of tribals and the poor. Ways and methods can be found for countering the harmful impact of modern technology on the lives of the common people. I believe that the answer to the ill-effects of science and technology is not to turn our back on technology, but to have more science and technology that is directed to human needs and for the betterment of the human condition.
It is my good fortune that I could pay my own humble tribute to this noble soul through this oration instituted in his honour. I also thank the ASARC of ANU and its Executive Director, Professor Raghbendra Jha for this invitation.
Modern Space science had its beginnings around 1946 when scientists started the deployment of instruments to the outer fringes of the earth’s atmosphere using balloons and rockets to study radiations from outer space as well as geophysical phenomena. In spite of the professed scientific goals for the first earth satellite missions, the launch of SPUTNIK on 4 October, 1957 by the then Soviet Union added a new dimension (Logsdon 2001) to the cold war between the US and the Soviet Union. The early scientific satellite missions of the US also had implicit goals of pursuing US interest in establishing the international legal principle that national sovereignty did not extend to the altitudes at which the satellite would orbit. Thus there was no obstacle in international law to the over flight of a reconnaissance satellite over Soviet territory. Against this back drop, it is significant to note that the early inspiration for the Indian space program came not from any military objectives, but from the interests of a large scientific community who have been actively engaged in research programs related to geophysics and astrophysics. When Vikram Sarabhai and Homi Bhabha suggested support to space science and technology for possible application to Indian problems, in 1962, the Sputnik era was just five years old. Pandit Nehru’s approval for the application of space technology in India was an act of extraordinary foresight and courage. This decision in the absence of experience with operational systems, the newness and complexity of the technology and the high risks involved, could have only been based on a vision of the future and an abiding faith and confidence in the Indian scientists and people.