Dr. V. Narayanan: Son of the Soil with Sights on Stars
It's not always that one gets to break bread with the chief of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Dr. V. Narayanan is a man on a mission. Driven by an infectious energy and a sense of passion for nation-building, the time he spent at the Shiv Nadar University campus interacting with students, faculty, staff and over 3000 guests at the 11th convocation revealed a facet of the person who has his sights on the stars yet is firmly grounded in his roots.
In Dr. V. Narayanan's case, it wasn't bread that he broke… it was the humble South Indian rasam (a soup made with tamarind, tomatoes, warming spices and aromatic herbs) and rice. For many from the other side of the Vindhyas, this is the comfort food for a meal, a low-grade fever or a cold! "I prefer to have a light meal at night," said the 61-year-old aerospace engineer.
Using the dinner time to interact, Dr. Narayanan recalled an anecdote about a phone call from the Vice-President's office on May 18, when he was chairing a crucial meeting. "When the voice from the other side wished me 'Happy Birthday.' I was clueless. That's when I told the Vice-President that my birthday was on October 6, and May 18 was the date my parents had given during his school admission. The Vice-President got off the phone, reminding me that I should expect a call from him on his "real" birthday," said Mr. Narayanan.
Born in the small village of Melakattuvilai in Kanniyakumari district, Tamil Nadu, Dr. Narayanan faced numerous challenges. His village lacked a school, so he had to walk to the neighbouring village for primary education. Eventually, he moved to Nagercoil for his high school and subsequent education.
Hardships were a constant companion for Dr. Narayanan. Studying under the dim lamp, he excelled academically, topping his Class 10 exams.
When the discussion veered towards lifestyle and work stress, Dr. V. Narayanan's enthusiasm for his mission and work came out clearly: "I need just three or three and a half hours of sleep to keep my cognitive skills alert," said the alumnus of IIT-Kharagpur. After the dinner, when he was briefed that he would be taken for a campus tour at 7 AM, pat came the reply, "7 AM? Why so late? I will be ready by 6 AM."
The next day, Dr. V. Narayanan and his wife, Dr. Kavitha Raj, toured the campus' Thematic Botanic Garden and visited the stables to meet the three horses. Later in the day, addressing a packed hall, the ISRO chief delivered a lecture on India's space odyssey and answered questions from the audience. Chronicling ISRO's journey from the 1960s and the space agency's plan for the next 22 years, Dr. V. Narayanan said, "Any talk on science and technology is a bit boring, unlike talks on social issues." Displaying a disarming candour, he added, "Usually, I am relaxed while giving such speeches, but I have Kavitharaj in the audience. She is my biggest critic, and this makes me a bit nervous."
During the lecture, the ISRO chief explained the space agency's organisational structure, its manpower of 20,000 staff and what the agency does with its annual outlay of Rs 13,500 crores. Answering a question on how he tackles failure, Dr. Narayanan said, "We at ISRO don't consider failures as setbacks, but I can be very frank with you. When our first cryogenic rockets failed, I wept for an hour. The loss was very personal; we had spent over 10 years developing that engine, but only a few pieces of the rocket left when it blew up. Everything was gone in a few seconds. But, now ISRO has changed, our learning from failures is exponentially high."
Later, addressing a select group of faculty, Dr. Narayanan explained the different avenues for research ISRO offered and the head about the cutting-edge research done by the university.
In the evening, delivering his acceptance speech after receiving his honorary doctorate, which was punctuated with applause, Dr. V. Narayanan thanked his teachers, wife and parents for their support and dedicated the award to the 20,000 employees of the Department of Space. "The degree you hold today is a culmination of efforts by parents, primary, high school and senior school teachers, faculty, staff members, and gardeners. I salute the efforts made by all in helping the students graduate. One should also thank the country's taxpayers; each graduate here is responsible for paying back to society and being an agent of change. It is because of the idea by the great son of India, Mr. Shiv Nadar, that this great university is in place. I commend his visionary leadership in education and philanthropy. He is the son of the soil who has dared to dream and made a remarkable difference to the country," said Dr. Narayanan.
From the sleepy village of Mela Kattuvilai nestled in the heart of Kanyakumari district, the phenomenal journey of Dr. V Narayanan is a narrative of resilience, sacrifice, and unyielding determination. His journey is one of soaring ambition, grounded by an unwavering connection to his roots. Despite his achievements, Narayanan's humility and compassion remain unchanged.