Although I am a mechanical engineer, Dr Kalam’s decision to develop civilian spinoffs of defence technology led me to work with doctors and biomedical scientists. I was involved in developing a special stainless steel used to make coronary stents. This steel must be entirely free of ferrite, and the microchannels created while the wire is drawn to a diameter of less than 100 microns must be welded by a highly sophisticated heat treatment process. All this trouble is taken to avoid corrosion by the highly oxygen-rich blood arriving from the lungs into the heart. This complex metallurgical processing makes stents an expensive product.

My friend circle expanded in this process and brought me in contact with Bhooshan Sawant, who lived in New Jersey and through him, to a group of highly motivated and talented scientists of Indian origin, most notably Dr Seetharama Acharya, Professor of Oncology and Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, in The Bronx, New York City. I spent one full day at the Institute and felt like a pilgrim where medical science is truly integrated with science and technology. There are 750 M.D. students, and more than   Ph.D. students are enrolled here. 5,000 Einstein alumni are among the nation’s foremost clinicians, biomedical scientists, and medical educators.

I started my career as a teaching associate at my Alma Mater in an accidental manner. A professor was needed to teach Machine Drawing when I completed my graduation. Prof A.K. Dhol, the Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, offered me that position in an out-of-the-box manner. He verified that I secured an ‘A’ grade in that subject and bet on my teaching ability. He also secured a master’s seat for me, and I stayed for 5 years teaching before getting selected to serve the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO).

The teacher in me remained dormant for a long time, but in 2008, I was invited to teach at the MBA class at the School of Management Studies at University of Hyderabad as an Adjunct Professor. By this time, I have established myself as an interdisciplinary man, having developed an indigenous coronary stent and co-founded Cardiac Research & Education (CARE) Foundation. Of course, my association with President Kalam was a great differentiator. I taught Medical Humanities to ten consecutive batches and then retired.

I consider the invitation to deliver the 32^nd Institution Lecture by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Banaras Hindu University (BHU), as the ultimate honour of my life. Prof Rajiv Sangal, the Director of IIT, was the first director of IIIIT, Hyderabad and knew me well from there. He suggested that I speak about the life and work of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, as this was the best inspiration for any engineer in India. The lecture is available on YouTube.

There was no television when I was growing up. The Radio ruled the roost, and life revolved around its bulletins and slots when film songs were played. The newsreaders were celebrities for their voices. I can tell if Ashok Vajpayee or Devaki Nandan Pande was reading the news. Jasdev Singh was synonymous with Cricket Commentary. Ameen Sayani was a legend for Binaca Geetmala, which was aired by Radio Ceylon every Wednesday from 8 – 9 p.m. People used to mimic their voices and style.  So, when I was invited to speak by the All India Radio (AIR), Hyderabad, it was a dream come true.

The AIR, also known as Akashvani (literally ‘Voice from the sky’ or ‘Oracle’), is India’s state-owned public radio broadcaster. Founded in 1936, it operates under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting as Prasar Bharati Corporation. With more than 400 stations programming in 23 languages and 179 dialects, AIR is the largest radio network in the world in terms of the number of languages broadcast, the socioeconomic diversity it serves, and the scale of its broadcasting organisation.

I recorded the Idea of Yoga, a 20-minute Hindi talk, which was broadcast on June 21, 2023, the 9th International Yoga Day. In it, I described yoga as a practice and philosophy that offers a profound understanding of life and the world, leading to a deeper connection with oneself and reality. The attitude of interconnectedness of body, mind, and spirit encourages a way of life that embraces self-acceptance and understanding.

I visited the ‘father of the Zambian nation’ and ‘Gandhi of Africa,’ Dr. Kenneth Kaunda (b. 1924), at his home outside Lusaka. Born to a missionary teacher, Reverend David Kaunda, he started his career as a teacher before getting involved in the struggle for independence from British rule. Later, he founded the Zambian African National Congress, and eventually won independence for his country. In 1964, Dr. Kenneth Kaunda became the first President of independent Zambia and served as Head of the State till 1991.

Saddened by one of his children being claimed by HIV/AIDS in the 1980s, Dr. Kaunda did not hide it out of fear of shame or stigma, but courageously faced the reality of HIV/AIDS and zealously worked in the fight against the spread of the pandemic and considered an Indian contribution in developing low-cost antiretroviral drugs. Indian triple-therapy drug ‘cocktails’ for $350 a year keep HIV-infected patients alive for years. When we met, he got up from his chair and blessed me, reciting the Biblical Prayer, while holding his hand on my head, “For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with as with a shield.” My eyes welled up with tears and I sent a silent prayer to God to protect him too.

I met Prof. C.N.R. Rao (b. 1934) during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad. Conferred with a Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award in India, in 2013, Rao Sir serves as the Head of the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India.

One of the world’s foremost solid state and materials chemists, C.N.R. Sir laments the narrowing of vision among young scientists. He says, “Most of them work for ‘problems of their thesis, project or research grants”. Science does not move on that; this kind of work drags organisations and produces laggards.

The future is to synthesise photosynthesis and generate energy from the sun, as plants do. Fuels like hydrogen or ethanol could be produced ultimately via solar power, as in artificial photosynthesis, so we could continue using liquid fuels with less environmental damage. Let us create a “bionic leaf” that can convert solar energy into hydrogen!

Life unfolds itself through you. There is no rationale behind how I met diamond baron Govindbhai Dholakia, Chairman, Shree Ramkrishna Export (SRK), of Surat. It was 2012, and my friend Mani Iyer, who was trying to start a technology incubation fund, took me to him seeking investment. The fund never materialized but I became a buddy of Govindbhai in this process.

Govindbhai’s rags to riches story enchanted me and I found his practical philanthropy unbelievable. I shared this with Dr Kalam, who came to Surat and met Govindbhai. This meeting led to the creation of the SRK Knowledge Foundation and SRK-Kalam Healthcare project, which was India’s first population health study that covered 100,000 people in the Amreli district of Saurashtra, Gujarat, at their doorstep.

Govindbhai constituted the ‘Santokbaa Humanitarian Award’ in the memory of his mother. It was conferred upon luminaries every year since 2006, including Sam Pitroda (2006), Verghese Kurien (2008), MS Swaminathan (2011), Lord Bhikhu Parekh (2013) and Dalai Lama (2014), amongst others.

In 2016, the Award was conferred upon Ratan Tata. As he was unable to come to Surat at that time (he visited later), Govindbhai took me to Mumbai to personally give him the award (statuette seen on the table) and a cheque of Rupees 1 crore. For me, meeting Ratan Tata was like a dream come true. When I presented my book, ‘APJ Abdul Kalam: A Life’ to him, Ratan Tata said after a long pause, “After JRD, it was Dr Kalam who understood India correctly.”