Dharmayoddha Kalki: Avatar of Vishnu

A.P.J. Abdul Kalam is one of India’s most distinguished scientists. He was responsible for the development of India’s first satellite launch vehicle, the SLV-3 and the development and operationalization of strategic missiles. As chairman of the Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council, he pioneered India Vision 2020, a road map for transforming India into an economically developed nation by 2020, focusing on PURA as a development system for countrywide implementation.

The President of India between 2002 and 2007, Kalam has been awarded honorary doctorates from thirty-eight universities and the country’s three highest civilian honours-Padma Bhushan (1981), Padma Vibhushan (1990) and Bharat Ratna (1997).

Yagnaswami Sundara Rajan is a well-recognized authority and a thought leader on technology development, business management and society linkages. He held various positions of responsibility related to science and technology between 1988 and 2002 and has shaped key policies and implemented several successful R&D projects with industry participation. He was responsible for creating a series of documents related to Technology Vision 2020. After a thirty-year stint with the government, he joined the Confederation of Indian Industry in 1996, where he was principal adviser from 2004 to 2010. Currently an honorary distinguished professor at ISRO, Bangalore, he was awarded the Padma Shri in 2012.