Professor Suri Bhagavantam Centenary Celebrations

Abstract

Fourteenth October 2009 wasthe 100th birth anniversary ofProf Suri Bhagavantam, the eminent Scientist, able Administrator, andone of the Principal Architects of Defence R&D Organisation. Hesucceeded Prof DS Kothari, the founder of the DRDO who servedas Scientific Adviser (SA) to Defence Minister and Director General, DRDO for eleven years.In the first fifteen years after independence, Indian security threat perception was quite low and this was reflected in the allocations for Defence by the Government of India. The only perceived threat was from another nascent and much smallernation Pakistan. The Himalayas were considered an impregnable natural barrier and in any case India firmly believed that China would never invade India. If the Defence allocations were low,the finances allotted to DRDO were even lower (percentage-wise). Apart from this low funding Dr Kothari felt in hibited to some extentby the advice given by Prof PMS Blacket that DRDO should not attempt to design and develop such major systems as aircraft, missiles, tanks, radars, etc., in view of the very poor industrial base in the country which did not hold much promise of expansionin the for eseeable future.

Defence Science Journal, 2009, 59(6), pp.553-554, DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/dsj.59.1578