From Temples to Turbines An Adventure in Two Worlds

About the Book

Science enriches society through technology. How does a society develop technologies and what ingredients are necessary for such integrations? This is the problem Dr VS Arunachalam discusses in this text. Instead of building a formal structure of technology, Dr Arunachalam discusses his experience of four decades in integrating science and technology as anecdotes. Most of these are drawn from defence research organizations as they are rich in tales, from a mechanic developing diminutive magnets that revolutionized the design of a machine gun to an impressive consortium of scientists and engineers designing and building a modern fighter aircraft. There are also stories of Indian leaders in science and to hear of their achievements; for history gets written through such anecdotes.

About the Author

Dr VS Arunachalam graduated in Physics and Materials Science and Engineering in Mysore, Sagar, and at North Wales where he obtained his PhD. He was selected as a trainee at the Atomic Energy Establishments and was a research scientist at the Metallurgy Division there before becoming a Director at the Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory in Hyderabad. He was selected as Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister; Secretary, Department of Defence Research and Development (DRDO). Concurrently, he was also appointed as Director General of   Defence Research and Development. During his tenure DRDO grew  many folds from building indigenous missiles to advanced radars, with a number of scientists and engineers impressively increasing.  He has been recognized for his achievements by the government with Padma Vibhushan and Padma Bhushan National Awards, Shanthi Swarup Bhatnagar Award for Engineering and DRDO's Lifetime Achievements Award in 2014. He is recipient of honorary doctorates and fellowships of learned societies. He was also a visiting professor at the University of Warwick. He has also contributed working as Editor for Materials Research Society and has co-edited special issues on Energy issues and Materials. He is Founder Chairman of the Center for Study of Science, Technology & Policy,  a Think-Tank with a focus on technology in Bengaluru.