The students who aspire to become engineers should think of mastering the marvels of engineering science and not just dream of becoming ‘software coolies’, said G Madhavan Nair, former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
He was delivering the inaugural address at a function organised by the Vikram Sarabhai Science Initiatives to honour the top 10 rank holders in the state engineering entrance examination on Saturday.
Maintaining that a well-trained and innovative group of engineers is needed for the development of a country, he said: “The country needs engineers like A P J Abdul Kalam, who used multi-disciplinary approach in engineering research and changed the technological landscape of India. youngsters should creatively innovate and break the conventions to become outstanding engineers.”
Recalling the contributions made by former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in developing science and technology , he said that a committed political leadership has a crucial role to play in developing engineering innovations. “The visions of Nehru resulted in the establishment of Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and other scientific institutions,” he said.
“Even if India improves its status in science and technology, it has to travel a lot to compete with the developed countries. We have to grow from lowest level of infrastructure. We also have to address the rural-urban gap in the development of science and technology,” he said. He said that it is crucial to create an atmosphere for young trained scientists and engineers to stay back in the country.