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Satish Dhawan and science
By N. Gopal Raj
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Satish Dhawan believed that there were inherent dangers in the large-scale application of new technologies without very careful prior planning and assessments.
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SATISH DHAWAN is no more. But as India strives to turn its scientific capabilities into assets for economic growth, his ideals and large vision, his understanding of the complex relationships between science and society, and his ways of managing people and organisations continue to be relevant.
In the public mind, Prof. Dhawan will be remembered as the man who took charge of the space programme when it was still in its infancy and moulded its character, making it a self-confident and vibrant organisation. But he was one of those rare individuals whose perception of himself was not based on the high positions he held or honours bestowed on him. Rather, he always saw himself as an academic and a teacher.
As those who knew him well testify, Prof. Dhawan never thought he had the answers. Rather, his was always a quest of discovery, whether it be a scientific problem or what the Indian Space programme ought to do next. He was always well aware of the larger dimensions and implications of that quest, and imparted that sense of purpose to those who worked with him. A man of immense integrity, he never compromised on intellectual standards. He was quick to spot weak points when a matter was presented to him, and his penetrating questions and observations usually pushed people to greater endeavour.
Providing convincing answers to Prof. Dhawan was never easy. When the ISRO began thinking about building remote sensing satellites, he posed the question as to why India needed its own satellites when data from the U.S. Landsat satellite was available, recalls Y. S. Rajan, who was the Indian Space Research Organisation's Scientific Secretary at the time. It wasn't that Dr. Dhawan doubted the ISRO's ability to build the satellite — he always had great faith in Indian capability — but wanted to make sure that all issues relating to its configuration and use had been thought through carefully. It took an enormous amount of work before the need for what became the Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites was proven to Prof. Dhawan's satisfaction, says S. Chandrashekar of IIM Bangalore who was then on the ISRO Headquarters staff.
Prof. Dhawan was always open to discussion and differing opinions. Indeed, he went out of his way to talk to a wide range of people about issues. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, whom Prof. Dhawan selected to head the project to build India's first launch vehicle, remembers: "He never pretended to know more than he did. Instead, when something appeared ambiguous, he would ask questions and discuss his doubts frankly... His mind used to be very firm once it had decided on any issue. But before taking a decision, it used to be like clay, open to impressions."
Reviews and criticism were to be welcomed with an open mind, and not taken as an affront. Once asked how he avoided the perils of sycophancy, Prof. Dhawan replied that he was fortunate to have friends who did not hestitate to tell him what they thought. Prof. Dhawan often institutionalised such review processes. As director of the Indian Institute of Science, he established a periodic review process so that meritorious academic staff could be rewarded with promotions, points out B. S. Ramakrishna who has known him closely for many decades.
After he took over the space programme, there were periodic reviews of all ongoing projects. Although such reviews initially placed a heavy load on people and created some resentment as well, it was found that a consensual sense of direction often emerged naturally in the course of these meetings, says Mr. Rajan. ISRO insiders believe that this extensive review system has been a major factor in the organisation's success.
Prof. Dhawan was a "critical optimist", says Roddam Narasimha, director of the National Institute of Advanced Studies. He was always optimistic and open to new ideas. But he would subject these ideas to the most stringent of scrutiny. The atmosphere of critical openness which Prof. Dhawan created in the ISRO allowed technological innovation to take place. It had its impact on the administrative side too, and the Department of Space became one of the first organisations in the country to attempt zero-based budgeting.
In stark contrast to many people who assume positions of importance, Prof. Dhawan tried to avoid concentrating decision-making and power at the top. The rules in the Department of Space were framed in such a way that almost all the power that the head of the organisation enjoyed could be — and, in practice, was — delegated to various executives within the system. For instance, once a project had been cleared, the project director could go ahead and spend the money allocated.
Prof. Dhawan disempowered himself, but without abdicating responsibility, observes Mr. Rajan. He was "a genuine leader" who knew what he wanted done and how to delegate work, says T. N. Seshan, former Chief Election Commissioner, who served as a senior IAS officer in the Department of Space for eight years.
Prof. Dhawan believed in collective wisdom and the value of wide-ranging discussion and debate. In Space, he strived for institutional mechanisms, such as committees, which would bring together differing strands of opinion and then try to achieve a collective view. These committees were not, as is far too often the case in many government departments, just talking shops. Instead, a great deal of analysis was carried out by them and their views influenced decision-making.
In using science and technology to address societal problems, Prof. Dhawan recognised that it was not enough to simply provide innovative solutions. If these novel systems were to be truly effective, user communities had to feel comfortable with them. For both the Insat satellites (which combined communications, direct TV broadcasting and meteorology) and the IRS remote sensing satellites, formal and informal mechanisms were used to ensure the involvement of user agencies.
At the informal level, Prof. Dhawan maintained close links with many senior government officials and kept them informed of his thinking. At the formal level, the users were prepared well in advance by involving them in preparatory studies and initial experiments. The detailed analysis which Prof. Dhawan always insisted upon, covering more than just technical issues, also helped in securing support for Space programmes.
Later on, when the Insat Coordination Committee and the National Natural Resources Management Systems were set up to oversee the operational services provided by Indian satellites, the users were given a substantial voice in these bodies too. As a result, the Indian satellites were put to use as soon as they were launched. In addition, it created stakeholders willing to support the Space programme.
Prof. Dhawan was a very compassionate human being who went out of his way to help people and be fair to them, no matter what their social position was. He would treat everyone, down to the lowest employee, with equal friendliness and was approachable to all, recalls G. D. David, who was his secretary at the Indian Institute of Science and later in the ISRO.
A humanist, Prof. Dhawan did not believe that science alone had all the answers. In a talk more than a decade back, he pointed out that there were inherent dangers in the large-scale application of new technologies without very careful prior planning and assessments. "While science and technology can be powerful tools for development, they need to be grown and handled and applied with care to better the lives of people as a whole, and not merely used for enhancing market profits or to serve a small elite section of society."
That was always Prof. Dhawan's goal and it is a message which remains pertinent for India in the years to come.
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