The book looks at the life of one of India's foremost scientists, Dr R. Chidambaram, who served as principal scientific advisor (PSA) to the Government of India and as chairman of the Scientific Advisory Committee to the Cabinet (SAC-C) from November 2001 to March 2018. As one of India's most distinguished experimental physicists, Dr Chidambaram has made outstanding contributions to many aspects of basic science and nuclear technology. A Padma Vibhushan awardee, he played a leading and integral role in the design and execution of the peaceful Nuclear Explosion experiment at Pokhran in 1974 and led the team of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), which designed the nuclear devices and carried out in cooperation with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) the Pokhran tests in May 1998. During his stewardship of the DAE, the nuclear power programme got a big boost and the capacity of the nuclear power plants increased sharply. Ruminating about his interactions with the scientific community and the political leadership, Dr Chidambaram describes key events in India's journey to self-reliance in nuclear energy.
R. Chidambaram is one of India's most distinguished experimental physicists. He has made outstanding contributions to many aspects of basic science and nuclear technology. He joined the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in 1962 and became its director in 1990. He was chairman, Atomic Energy Commission of India, from 1993 to 2000.
Dr Chidambaram was the chairperson of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency during 1994-95. He was a member and later vice-president of the Executive Committee of the International Union of Crystallography during 1990-99. He has won many scientific awards, including the Homi Bhabha Lifetime Achievement Award of the Indian Nuclear Society (2006), the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Indian National Academy of Engineering (2009) and the C.V. Raman Medal of the Indian National Science Academy (2013). Dr Chidambaram was awarded the Padma Shri in 1975 and the Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian award in India, in 1999.
He is currently chairman (Hon), School for Advanced Studies in Nuclear Science & Technology, BARC.
Suresh Gangotra is a gold medallist in metallurgical engineering from MS University Baroda. He graduated from BARC Training School in 1984. He has worked in nuclear fuel fabrication, post irradiation examination, nuclear safeguards, nuclear security, nuclear non-proliferation and negotiations of international cooperation agreements. He has represented India in many international forums, including the Nuclear Security Summit. He has co-authored the biography of Dr Anil Kakodkar titled Fire and Fury: Transforming India's Strategic Identity.
