Friday, June 8, 2007

Vikram Sarabhai ~ A life - By Amrita Shah:The fascinating journey of an Indian Scientist

India is a country of uncanny diversity and riveting uniqueness ‘Indian’. We, the people of India realized this during our revolt against colonial powers. This long cherished mantra is again sweeping over this country and that is why the developed world unequivocally termed the present century as ‘Century of India’. A country which was ravaged and plundered to dust some 60 years back is making waves in the Global arena. How?

The seeds that our legendary visionaries sowed in beginning of the last century have ripened into harvest. The list of these great souls is endless, if Tata’s, Birla’s proved their mettle in business then it is scientists like S S Bhatnagar, Homi J Bhava and Vikram Sarabhai who chalked out the flight trajectory for Indian scientific growth.

The days I remember like the faces of long lost friends, when in the early morning I used to glue to TV screen to witness the launch of ISRO built satellite to orbit by European Space Agency from Kourou Space Centre, French Guiana. A mysterious question always disturbed me at that time, how a country where half of citizens do not have a square of meal a day can build such a complex engineering? The answer is obvious and clear, where our political clan failed miserably, our scientist fraternity achieved their vision. In all the subsequent press meets I found a name uttered in reverence by all the heads of ISRO and he was no other than Vikram Sarabhai, the Scientist, Visionary, Architect and Manager of Indian Space Research and many more institution, which no one could have dreamt as his contemporary. I had more insights about him from the anecdotes shared by A P J Abdul Kalam on various occasions but the book by Amrita Shah is a guileless account of a great soul.

Vikram Sarabhai – the renaissance man of India

The life of this charismatic, energetic and good looking leader of Indian Scientific revolution was a chequered. The kaleidoscope of his life can never be drawn on a single plane. A brief account of his various life stages would be better a option to capture few glimpses of this extraordinary personality.

His parents, early childhood and education

Vikram born to an affluent businessman Ambalal Sarabhi of Ahmedabad in the year 1919. Ambalal lost his both the parents in an early age and it is his uncle who brought him up to the brink of adulthood. At an age of 18, Ambalal was the owner and mentor of Sarabhai clan with immense fortune inherited from his father. A self made religious man, Ambalal has sowed the seeds of self-respect, self-reliance and self-evolution into the members of Sarabhai family. The reverberation of which can be felt in generations of Sarabhai. As the owner of Mills he was pioneered the idea of forming a Millowner’s Association to protect their interest against sinister designs of colonial rulers. At one hand while furthering the interest of Mill owners he also provided few essential facilities to the workers hitherto not known in Indian business context.

Ambalal chose Sarla Devi as his life partner defying the social conventions, as she was not of the same Jain Community as Ambalal was, and actively supported the Indian freedom movement through funds and sundry means. Sarla Devi like her husband was a great soul. A daughter of widower, so maturity came to her much earlier than her age. This shows both Ambalal and Sarla Devi had a lot in common which made them to think in unison on varied issues. Sarla Devi was always a front runner in Indian Freedom struggle through her direct action against slaves of British Monarch.

Born as sixth offspring to such parents in 1919, Vikram inherited virtues of both of his parents and a reflection of which can be seen in his entire professional and personal life. As a child with sharp physical features he remained a cynosure and after he grew up remained as an unfulfilled dream for many.

When all the toddlers of Sarabhai family grew up, for their parents the next big challenge was to provide them with a kind of education which will develop them into humans’ not just individuals. On a voyage to Europe, both Ambalal and Sarla Devi stumbled upon a revolutionary idea of education preached by Maria Montessori, the Italian Physicist, who said’ First the education of the senses and, then the education of the intellect’. The foundation of the school was laid in the sprawling house of Ambalal ‘The Retreat’ and a brigade of intellectuals in various disciplines were given the duty to shape up eight lives. The curriculum included Gujurati, Sanskrit, Hindi, English, Bengali, history, geography, mathematics, physics, chemistry, drawing, painting, dancing, music, pottery, handicrafts and sculpture in addition to various forms of physical education, having no categorical distinction between work and play. Furthermore children were encouraged to help in daily chores and in varied house hold duties. The underlying principle was to develop an intellectual not a monolithic intelligent. The necessary for examination would only felt when majority would judge that the child is ready for matriculation. The exams were conducted through Government run high school.

In addition, the family would embark on long vacations to several places in India and abroad. Ambalal as a father had an unusual concern for his children and took care of their all needs however small or big those might be. What ever may be the circumstances he had always ensured to keep in touch with children either through letters or through a comical daily newsletter called as ‘Tirangi Samachar’.

Groomed in such an ambience, though did not have similar results on all the siblings. The eldest Mridula and Vikram left family nest in early stage of their life and stayed away. Their appeal was more towards mass – based ideals, whereas other siblings pursued their own dreams in their own way but remained aloof from each other and instances of broken marriage and alcoholism found their foot print in ‘The (broken) Retreat’.

Secondary education and beginning of scientific life

In childhood, Vikram’s teachers observed his inclination towards pure science. Latter Vikram had collaborated with Khimjibhai Mistry, a carpenter to build a steam engine with tracks. This prompted his parents to add a workshop in The Retreat followed by a Physics and Chemistry lab.

Once he completed his basic education he joined Gujarat College. He spent two years there to complete his intermediate and as per his predilection stood first in Chemistry and missed the same feat in physics due to ‘oversight’ of an examiner. Since his childhood days he had a great enamor for Sanskrit poems and in his entire life he was a devout lover of this ancient Indian language. Thus, frequently quoting from Kalidasa’s ‘Meghadootam’ and ‘Vikramorvasiyam’ in all his speeches and interactions. But like his older siblings it was time for him to move abroad to pursue his studies. Along with a recommendation letter from Ravindranath Tagore he sailed to London to join Cambridge. He remained there from 1937-40. With intensity of 2nd World war rising he had to return to India to team up with C V Raman at Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore.

Vikram was working on Cosmic Ray for his Post Graduate Degree, a lesser known area in Physics and as C V Raman was pre-occupied with his studies on sound waves, was of little help and guidance. So Vikram continued with his studies on his special way. A major change was just about to happen in his life in Bangalore which had to play a pivotal role in his latter professional life. Here in IISc he met the most formidable Homi J Bhava, the future founder of Indian atomic energy mission. It was a mere coincident or otherwise that this two souls were working in Cambridge before the war broke out and latter on joined IISc to pursue their scientific studies and having a common interest in Cosmic Rays, if for former it has importance in study of outer space then for latter the atomic particle thrown away by them.

Other than their academic similarities they had a startling resemblance in social standings as well. Thus, it took no time for them to strike a friendship and to enjoy their evenings together with few more friends. This is the time when Vikram bought himself a house on the northern part of Bangalore, and named it as ‘Premalaya’. Since, his childhood he had taste for Philosophy, Art and Music. Thus, when he had leisure he used to travel to a nearby Vedic school to discuss Hindu philosophy. Probably, this is the time when he started inculcating the virtues of a Leader and the attributes of Leadership.

Vikram and Mrinalini

Vikram had penchant for performing arts like music, dance which brought him closure to renowned Bharatanatyam dancer, Ram Gopal where he met his prospective wife Mrinalini. Though this was not for the first time they met, as Vikarm’s mother and Mrinalini’s mother had a common interest in politics and they were known to each other. Both Vikram and Mrinalini had their first loves in forms of science for former and Bharatanatyam for latter, but they courted each other during their stay in Bangalore. The change in Vikram’s approach towards his growing sisters was a clear hint about his inner transformation about love and marriage.

The love was intense on both sides but their families had some apprehension about this relationship and what is more intriguing that at a time when this relationship was glowing like full moon, India was burning in the fire of Quit India movement. But it appears this insecure atmosphere forced Vikram to take a drastic step to advance his marriage against all odds. In a small but aesthetic marriage ceremony two souls joined together for a journey of eternity.

The moment when the newly wed reached ‘The Retreat’ it had a long drawn face with most of the women of Sarabhai clan were languishing in jail for their active participation in Quit India movement and more worse was the eldest of the sarabhai son Suhrid was bed ridden. However, all these never intimidated him from pursuing his scientific studies and he continued on his trail for Cosmic Rays. It is time when he was delivered his great managerial skills by arranging a trip to Kashmir to study the nature of Cosmic Rays in high altitudes.

Even though Ambalal and Sarla encouraged their children to think differently, but they never accepted Mrinalini in the same spirit they known for. This period was a challenge for Mrinalini to find her feet right in ‘The Retreat’. More disaster was about to strike. A misfired burning canister of a marriage procession came and hit Mrinalini on her eye. A long convalescence to follow which broke Mrinalini in body and mind. When Mrinalini was recovering Suhrid died.

During Mrinalini’s illness Vikram showed exemplary care and concern for Mrinalini, one of the attributes he inherited from his father. After a brief stay in ‘The Retreat’ the couple returned to ‘Premalaya’. He encouraged Mrinalini to concentrate on her career and, hence, added a new floor in Premalaya for her dance practice. In between his busy schedule, taking every minute care in her stage shows about the arrangements. One more virtue acquired from his father, fastidiousness.

Indian independence and dreams to achieve

Under the tutelage of Nehru, India relied on path of Industrial and Scientific development as guiding factor for economic growth. This was the time when Homi J Bhava’s reputation as a scientist increased manifold under patronage of Nehru. Around this time rise of one more leading Gujurati business man Kasturbhai Lalbhai had a long term impact on Vikram and his future endeavors. Ambalal and Kasturbhai were good friends and neighbors as well. Other than his social stature Kasturbhai was himself a great admirer of Philosophy and probably these are the reasons which prompted Vikram to forge a good relationship with this philanthropic gentleman. Vikram had business acumen of different kind. He always tried to impress upon such person or persons who can guide and help him in furtherance of his visions for community well being and scientific development.

The Ahmedabad Textile Industry’s Research Association (ATIRA) was the first institution started by Vikram with tacit support of Kasturbhai and the beginning was a modest one. It was housed in AMA building and latter on moved to Gujarat University Campus. The Institute started with four staffs. While ATIRA was taking shape Vikram had something else in his mind. A Research Laboratory for Cosmic Ray and Nuclear Physics. Once again this had the footprints of Vikram’s business acumen. The beginning was with financial support from Sarabhai’s own Karmakshestra Educational Foundation and land was provided by The Ahmedabad Education Society run by Kasturbhai. Students who had a penchant to work on the field of Nuclear Physics and Cosmic Ray started to pour in. Slowly and slowly the reputation of the Institute spread and in 1952 the foundation stone of a new laboratory was laid in presence of S S Bhatnagar, Homi J Bhava and Kasturbhai Lalbhai.

When Vikram was busy in his research works one more Institute took shape Tata Institute of Fundamental Research by Homi J Bhava and in August 1948, An Atomic Energy Commission was constituted later to be known as DAE (Department of Atomic Energy).

Meanwhile, his dancer wife had her own set of fortune waiting to embrace her. After her motherhood she had once again started stage shows both inland and abroad along with her Troupe ‘Darpan’.

If the things were moving in favour of Vikram and Mrinalini so also for Ambalal. His fortune was multiplying and the Chemical business mantle was passed on to Vikram after a detailed discussion in the family with some specific goal to achieve, apparent from the circumstances that had to follow.

The Institutes constituted or managed by Vikram had a distinct feature in common and that was belief in Organizational Culture, presence or lack of which inherited by the organizations from their founders. When ATIRA had finally started to contribute in terms of technical know how and process re-engineering, the very patrons of ATIRA started to buzz away from the suggestions. The reason was Gujurati businessmen rely more on their hunch than systematic/scientific deductions in maters concerning to their business. This was the time when Vikram was under considerable pressure from activities concerning ATIRA, PRL and Sarabhai Chemicals and more so as a lonely soul at home as Mrinalini was busy on her foreign dance trips.

Vikram and his other love

In ATIRA the Industrial Psychology segment was looked after by a young woman Kamla Chodhury, a widow of ICS Officer. Unperturbed by untimely demise of her husband she decided against the social customs to make herself educated and thereby completing her study in Psychology with a PhD degree from Michigan University. The time when she took over the charge of Industrial Psychology department of ATIRA, the scientists were facing profuse hostility from textile workers and their owners. So, the responsibility given to her was to allay the fears of workers and collect as many information so as to suggest concrete steps to improve productivity in textile mills. In this juncture Vikram used to take a great care of her.

Caring for his employees or relatives came natural to Vikram from his father but in case of Kamla there is something else. Kamla and Mrinalini were friends from Shantiniketan and had relationship even after they part their way.

The hostility shown by workers thawed by the relentless pursue by ATIRA team under able leadership of Vikram. The time remains always one step ahead than us, which makes it the most invincible force of our age. When Mrinalini was away on her tours, Kamla and Vikram started to share chemistry beyond boundary of the professional relationship.

This was a kind of allegiance difficult to understand and equally difficult to explain. But, for a person with such complex reasoning and loyal lover, this was very rare and unexpected. This is a reason for which Vikram Sarabhai had to pay a great price. Even though there is no written account of Mrinalini’s reaction towards this relationship but her novel was a silent account of her pain and suffering. Moreover, Mallika Sarabhai daughter of Vikram had stopped talking to her father after she came to know about this relationship.

The people’s man

As the professional activities of Vikram were now in and around Ahmedabad he preferred to stay in outskirts of Ahmedabad in a newly built house designed by his sister Gira and called as ‘Chidamvaram’. His all ventures were doing brisk business. The reason behind his success was to touch upon nerve of people.

When he took over the reins of Sarabhai Chemicals he knew India needs brilliant managers to push this country into high growth trajectory. He also advocated that developing countries should skip the long tiresome journey undertaken by developed countries to the success rather they should ‘leapfrog’ and jump to higher echelon. In this direction one of his long cherished dreams was to have a modern management institute to impart world-class knowledge on business management. After a long drawn battle and fighting out all odds finally he could manage to have his dream fulfilled. IIM-A was formed with Kamla as the senior professor. The focus behind such an institute was to embark on a journey of education on experience and pragmatic solutions to the problems beyond the boundaries of conventional teaching pattern. Keeping this dream in horizon all the new recruits were sent for teachers training at Harvard.

One more striking features of his management style was competition. The small time statistical organization Operation Research Group (ORG) carved out from ATIRA to provide statistical inputs of Market was made into a separate profit centre. Thereby, giving other competitors accessibility of the data hitherto property of Sarabhai Chemicals. There was resentment among staff with regard to this decision but Vikram’s goal was simple, to foster a culture of competitiveness to have productivity and profitability. This was a virtue, he even practiced on his team members during his association with Indian Space programme and his other ventures.

India’s flight into outer space

When the world was euphoric about the launch of manned mission to space India was not isolated from this celebration. Though sending animals or man to space has never fancied Vikram but he always had his set of goals to be achieved through peaceful space programme.

On request of Homi J Bhava, Government of India identified an area known as ‘space research and the peaceful uses of outer space’ and placed in the jurisdiction of DAE. In turn DAE identified PRL as the appropriate Institute for execution of this dream. In February 1962, DAE created the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) under the Chairmanship of Vikram Sarabhai.

It is in this responsibility that his skill to judge talents had fully bloomed and left its footprint all around. All the present or retired leaders of Indian space research were his choice and Dr. K Kasturirangan, Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam are to name a few. After a rigorous search for an appropriate place for launch of Rocket, a fishing village called Thumba on the outskirts of Trivandrum was zeroed in as the prospective launch center. On 21st November 1963, at 6.25 PM the NASA supplied Nike-Apache whizzed into the sky, like a fish into the ocean, leaving behind a serpentile trail of gases, marking India’s inclusion in an elite list of countries that have capability and credibility to achieve this feat.

The role of rocket science at that point of was only utilized or viewed in prospective of weapons. But Vikram had other motives in his mind as far as India is concerned. He envisioned about bringing the distance hamlets closure to mainstream cities and developing them into clusters of knowledge center. Though the little success of Indian scientists encouraged all who had a role to play in the first flight of Nike-Apache, Vikram started to dream about Indian Satellites and own launch vehicle to put those into orbits.

The humiliation of Indian forces by Chinese army had left a scar on Indian defense strategy. Thus, on the rhetoric of Group Captain V S Narayanan about having a minimum deterrent against missiles fired from foreign land, Vikram spontaneously invited him to have a meeting to discuss the issue in detail. This chapter has its own reflection of Vikram’s thought about the pragmatic approach to problems and their solutions. Though, Ambalal and Vikram were followers of Jain sect but never relented from taking steps which seems to be violent from one perspective but necessity from societal outlook.

The rising crest and falling trough

When Vikram’s life was buzzing with activities of his choice, those had their own cost. His association with diverse activities of science and business had reduced him to a guest at home. His exhausted foreign tours, business meetings and visit to PRL and Thumba Space Centre sets in fatigue on him. He was unable to spare time for his growing kids and failing to keep the promises made to them. His loneliness aggrieved further with prolong absence of Mrinalini from home and the distance resulted between Kamla and him on account of professional reasons concerning IIM-A. These are the toughest time for Vikram to manage between his personal self and professional roles.

New roles and new challenges

Life always moves ahead at one time as a whole and at some other time in bits and pieces. The life for Vikram was going on in its own pace but the sad demise of Nehru and Homi J Bhava in quick succession turned upside down the whole scenario for him. After Lal Bahadur Shastri’s small stint as Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi still a naiveté in Indian politics assumed the mantle of her father.

Then DAE was apparently headless and a suitable person to head the organization was imperative. Though, the renowned Indian Scientist Chandrasekhar was first choice but as he had a US citizenship at that time he could not took over the mantle. The next and obvious choice was Vikram Sarabhai. After a lot of deliberation and discussion with family members he consented to accept the offer. Taking over the role of an ‘Individual Leader’ by a ‘Team Leader’ was not easy. Why Vikram choose to take up that challenge was an unanswered question for many even for his family members but one plausible reason may be ‘natural progression’ and somewhere trying to unify the individual ambitions with that of the country.

The path in DAE was not rosy. At one end he had to fight a battle with international community in convincing them about transfer of nuclear technology for peaceful purpose against the pseudo non-proliferation advocacy forwarded by developed countries and at the other hand trying to overcome the internal resistance offered by Homi Ashthna, the self proclaimed successor of Dr Bhava.

The world had witnessed the catastrophic capabilities of a nuclear bomb but equally amused by the promise it held for development of mankind whether it is inform of energy, medicine, industrial usage etc. Vikram had always abhorred the use of nuclear technology as a weapon of mass destruction rather preferred it as an alternate and formidable energy source for a power-starve India. After two nuclear explosions no one knows how India got benefitted from those experiments, when we do not have a safe delivery system penetrating boundaries of our Enemy but the dream of achieving an alternate power source for 43,000 MW by 2000 had gone awry since then. This is apart from the tangible and intangible loss on economic front.

In these busy days one solace came to him from his daughter Mallika. The relationship between Kamla and Vikram was never acceptable to Mallika but a trivial school matter broke the ice between father and daughter.

In between his busy schedule he had never distanced himself from Thumba. He would pack of to Space centre once in a fortnight, spending a busy forty eight hours, studying about 45 reports of 6000 pages, monitoring the developments and running through several meetings.

His vision to exploit outer space technology in spreading education, awareness had taken a concrete step forward when America offered a satellite for a year. Through an extensive planning and meticulous design of activity the community agriculture programme was beamed to villages to give a boost to agrarian economy. The dream took a shape in form of ‘Krishi Darshan’. While going ahead with this plan he had taken a holistic approach to Indian security through Self- reliance in food thus countering the western blackmail and augmenting Indian defense capability through a planned increase of weaponry systems.

Though Vikram had his own goals to meet, a covert attempt was on to develop nuclear explosion capability under the aegis of Homi Ashthana. The same was in knowledge of Vikram, albeit he never thwarted this activity of insubordination. Putting forth any convincing reason towards this approach by Vikram is not easy and simultaneously intriguing. But by 1968 Vikram had changed his stance from earlier doctrine of no nuclear to mind-full nuclear weaponry.

In between all these busy schedule he never halted for a moment. Project at BARC was on to develop a Fast breeder reactor, at Sriharikota a Satellite launch strip was under development, in Thumba the progress of SLV-3 was catching up pace. Further, ISRO was constituted after restructuring of INCONSPAR. In spite of these busy schedules, he always found time for societal and other obligations. This near machine existence was eroding him from inside. Something more disturbing happened during this time, a rift between himself and Indira, the apparent reason for difference was ideology, when Vikram had his focus on long-term sustainability through a holistic development of India, Indira had already made up her mind to join mindless lobby of show-casing military supremacy.

The end of a great soul

The New Year was approaching and Vikram promised Mallika for a grand celebration at Ahmedabad with all family members. Meanwhile, against wishes of others, Mallika had decided to try her luck in Mumbai film industry. As per the culture of Sarabhai family she had a tacit support from her father and mother. On 28th December morning, father and daughter left house at the first glimpse of light, one to board a flight for Thumba and the other for an early morning shoot.

The two days in Thumba witnessed a flurry of activities and on 30th Morning he had to catch a flight for Mumbai.

The room was silence, Vikram was lying on the bed with an open book on chest and by the time the rising sun trying to force through his room, his soul had already on a voyage to eternity.

The Review

Most of the time I found Biographies as Hagiographical account of an individual justifying every act, however, good or bad it may be. But this book is unique and so also Amrita Shah, the author. This book is a true tribute to a great Indian soul.

The author has collated the information from all the reliable sources and later arranging them like beads in jewelry. The flow of Vikram’s life was like a river which enriches the civilization of all riparian states on its bank, so also the book, every chapter adding a new insight to his character. The rise of Vikram as a scientist, then as an entrepreneur and finally like a visionary leader is a mesmerizing saga of an Indian scientist who built a castle out of dust.

The description of Gujurati society and its impact on his parents and Vikram is a vivid representation of facts. Those are the key factors that latter helped Vikram in imbibing Indian values and ethos. The book has made an honest effort in bringing forth the support and hostility faced by Vikram on his journey to fulfill his dreams.

While describing about the relationship between Kamla and Vikram, the author has taken a great care to decipher the reasons behind such an affair, not easily acceptable to society and his family members. But those views are based on personal explanation offered by Vikram on various accounts to Mrinalini and Mallika.

The book has its own pace and charm which makes it enchanting. The final chapter describing the farewell offered to Vikram is the most striking account of emotion towards this soul, may be because of her feelings towards Vikram Sarabhai.

The strength of Vikram was to see 50 years beyond his time and it was only possible because of his ability to dream and believe in people. Once French author Anatole France said “To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe”.

It is 25 long year years since Vikram had left this world to abode heaven but still remembered and revered as a star in the sky giving strength and guidance to our future generations.

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