ISRO: A Personal History Paperback – February 10, 2017

In the Western world we don't often read about the Indian space programme, and this book fills in a real gap. If anything it understates the tremendous achievements of an almost entirely indigenous development. This book is racy and interesting, and reveals much about the people and politics, and gives a real insight into how they came from bare sandy beaches to successful Mars and Lunar launches

Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book as was always intrigued by how could ISRO perform exceptionally well when several other Givt organizations fail ti achieve their objectives.Highly recommend to be read by school and college going students and also someone wishing ti join ISRO to know insights of how this great organization has reached so far on shoulders of greats like Arvamudam sir

Very informative memoir of a little known organization - perhaps indias best kept secret. I wish he had gone into a little more detail into how some of the big challenges were overcome by ISRO. it's a fleeting look at ISRO's growth over the years with some good anecdotes.

R.Aravamudan, an Engineer with the premier space organization ISRO, writes his experiences in first person singular, in this fascinating book. His history calibrates with the history of ISRO and both grow together and bring laurels to the nation.The story starts when Aravamudan joins Vikram Sarabhai’s team that plans to launch rockets. What a journey from then on!Aravamudan trains with NASA for 2 months along with Abdul Kalam, and then heads to the tranquil Thumba in Kerala for initiating the sounding rockets programme. He, along with Kalam and a few others, under monthly supervision by Vikram Sarabhai builds the TERLS in Kerala.Aravamudan details the different stages of development of ISRO, the nail biting moments during early rocket launches, the leadership of Sarabhai, Satish Dhawan and Kalam and the trials and tribulations of rocket programmes run by a newly independent country.Aravamudan also details the sabotages staged by trade unions and the delays caused by the violent workers who were affiliated with the unions.The sections on the workaholic Vikram Sarabhai who worked until he dropped dead, the sequence of events leading up to the SLV launch ( Kalam was responsible for this), the sequential upgrades to the SLV Programme – all these are so tightly narrated without any letup that you feel the tension building up in you when you read them.What is remarkable is that, page after page, you see the young engineers trying to solve a complex problem with what ever limited resources they had. Without sophisticated technical assistance from abroad, with limited governmental budgetary support, what has been achieved is indeed remarkable.If you need to know about what the US did to scuttle the cryogenic engine technology development in India and how the engineers from ISRO overcame the hurdles, then this book is for you. You get to know about the contributions of often familiar names : Kasturi Rangan, U.R.Rao, Madhavan Nair, Abdul Kalam, Brahm Prakash, Satish Dhawan and a whole list of luminaries from ISRO.In 1962 a batch of 5 Indian engineers land in NASA for a 2 month training, return to India and help set up the ISRO and make the organization what it is today. In the same year, a team from Pakistan also visits NASA. Rest is history.A veritable read that no Indian should miss.

This is an excellent book. It tells the story of the Indian space program from its very inception to modern days. The tale is told simply and modestly, which adds to the charm of the book. In a different way it is also a story of how our country has developed over these years. Those of us who have lived through these times will recollect the country's rise from being an underdeveloped country where everything was in short supply to today's vibrant society, epitomised by our space program.The book has charming vignettes of personalities who are so well known today, particularly our universally beloved late president, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. My favourite is the photograph of the author in his vest accompanied by a future president, Kalam, putting something right. From such modest beginnings to the Mars mission, what a journey it has been.The author and his wife are to be complimented for bringing to us this fascinating story.It is a must read and if not the whole book, excerpts should form a part of our text books.

A very simple and sincere account of Mr. R Aravamudan life journey.Proud to know a dedicated and determined efforts our space engineers are putting in .Bravo ..Vision of Shri Vikaram Sarabhai in those primitive stages of space programis amazing..

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is one the very few government organisation which has given us many moments to be proud of. Moments ranging from making India self reliant in field of space, becoming part of few elite countries in space domain and successfully launching complex projects like Chandrayan and Mars Orbiter Mission (MoM). The journey of this great organisation from its very birth is exciting, inspiring and motivating.The author became part of ISRO when ISRO had not even formally established. He has witnessed the journey of Indian space program from its very nascent stage. Along this journey, he worked with the Father of Indian Space Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, late former president of India Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam and other very eminent personalities in field of space.The author has narrated the story of birth and evolution of ISRO with his personal stories, experiences and exciting anecdotes. The tales of their successful rocket launches and failures during few launches are told with such vividness that you could also feel the same emotions while reading them.ISRO was fortunate to have a visionary leader like Dr. Sarabhai whose long term plans initiated India's space journey. He was very well supported by his subordinates who matched his energy and enthusiasm and shared his vision for India's space programme. The chairpersons of ISRO, who succeeded Dr. Sarabhai after his death, continues the work left by him with same diligence and earnestness.Will recommend to read this book to get a closer look at the awe-inspiring journey of this great organisation from its conception to its transformation into a world class and internationally renowned space organisation.

There are quite a few books on ISRO. This book is written by an Engineer who joined the organization immediately after it was established in 1962. The gripping narrative starts with the interview by Vikram Sarabhai, ‘the man in a hurry’. The chapter narrating how an informal one-to-one-basis ISRO, without any hierarchical structure, was integrated and restructured by Professor Satish Dhawan is fascinating. It is interesting to note that he also initiated in a big way local industry and academia participation. The book covers all the exciting milestones and the importance of team work comes across throughout the book. Read the book to know what makes India tick.