Bengaluru: Speaking at a convocation of ceremony of a Jain Deemed-to-be University in the city, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman K Sivan defended the centre’s space projects.
He said, “Today, opportunities are many and people are thinking that India is poor. And why the space technology is required for a poor country like India? Do you think India is poor? India is not at all poor, he said. India’s economy was seventh largest by nominal GDP and third largest by purchasing power.”
He further said in his address that India was number one in remote sensing satellite, second largest producer of wheat and rice, and that our IT industry is enviable. He also stated that every moment of our life in one way or other is connected with space technology. Referring to Dr Vikram Sarabhai, Sivan said beginning a space programme in India in 1960 was a crazy idea but Dr Sarabhai foresaw the potential of the space technology in transforming India. “When the whole world was using space for military domination, Dr Sarabhai thought that for a country like India, which has immense size and diversity, a space technology platform was the only suitable platform to fast track development. The results are for all of you to see,” he said.
He stressed on the importance for our country to make use of the resources for the benefit of the common man. He encouraged the students present by taking about the importance of innovations and told them not to throw away their crazy ideas. He also asked them to get inspired by great people but avoid emulating them.
Defeating personal fear, taking calculated risk and rational thinking would play a major role in students’ lives, Sivan added.