01 feb 2012
Bangalore Space scientist A Bhaskaranarayana, one of the four former ISRO scientists blacklisted from government jobs on the controversial Antrix-Devas deal, today said the action has left him feeling miserable and worried over his standing in society.
"We feel miserable. We have worked for 37 years... average nine to ten hours a day including Sundays, and one day we get such a notice (barring us from government jobs)," an anguished Bhaskaranarayana, a former Scientific Secretary at ISRO, told PTI here.
"Such urgency and emergency only for the four of us? We are not the only ones in the country," he said. "I am not doing any government work right now but in society what's our value?" he asked. "We feel miserable, don't get sleep at night."
Asked why he thought the four had been "singled out" for the action, Bhaskaranarayana said: "Four of us were occupying some positions important at that time which are relating to this area (Antrix-Devas deal).
On whether he saw a conspiracy against the four or somebody behind the move, he said he did not want to guess at all. "It's very difficult to say. People like us who are scientists, we don't know politics. We do our work and get out," he said.
Bhaskaranarayana had quit his visiting professorship (after retirement from ISRO), six months before the two-year tenure was to come to an end, following the change of guard at the space agency with K Radhakrishnan taking over from G Madhavan Nair as Chairman.
"I had my own personal reasons (to quit before completion). When Chairman changes, some important positions have to change," he said, seeking to blame Radhakrishnan indirectly.
Former ISRO Chief Nair, who has also been barred from occupying government posts, had accused Radhakrishnan of being responsible for the punitive action against him and the three others because of a "personal agenda."
Kasturirangan makes emotional appeal to end row
Veteran space scientist K Kasturirangan today made an emotional appeal for an amicable end to the ISRO row so that the agency is "back on track", drawing a parallel between the current episode and mid-90s' "espionage case" to stress the gravity of the situation now.
"I hope this gets defused as early as possible so that we are back on track on which we are supposed to be travelling," Kasturirangan, who headed ISRO for more than nine years till G Madhavan Nair succeeded him in 2003, told PTI.
"I am very keen that the entire matter blows over and defuses," Kasturirangan, a Planning Commission member, said.
His voice choking at times, he said: "Like any other member of the country's scientific community, more importantly of ISRO, I would very much wish this happens."
Kasturirangan's passionate appeal comes amid the full-blown row over government's action to debar Nair and three other top scientists from holding any government posts over the controversial Antrix-Devas deal.
The action which has outraged the scientific community has seen a bitter Nair persistently attacking the decision for which he has blamed ISRO Chairman K Radhakrishnan.
Kasturirangan said there there was a parallel (to the present imbroglio) in the "spy case" when he was agency chief. "And we took a resolve in the organisation (at the time) that a programme (space mission) which was supposed to be launched in August, we will try to do it in July (to show) that we mean business and we did it," Kasturirangan said.
Kasturirangan, who had served the space agency for 40 years, said he wants ISRO to continue its progress and projects properly and maintain its pre-eminent position.
"After all, we have built it (ISRO) over four decades with a lot of effort. Lot of handicaps we had to face. But we have built it up. That's the feeling I have," he said.
He said he would like the issues to be resolved "as amicably as possible, and ISRO gets on with the task of continuing its ambitious programme and succeeds".
Kasturirangan, however, refused to comment on the merits of the Antrix-Devas deal as well as the action against the scientists.
"First of all I should admit that my own knowledge of the entire episode in the context on which it's being discussed in the country is extremely poor because I was not a party in this entire thing at any point of time," Kasturirangan said.
On Radhakrishnan's statement yesterday revealing intentions to make public the two key reports based on which the action was taken against the scientists, he said: "It again relates to the totality of the circumstances. How do you comment on a part of it when I don't know the whole of it."
Asked if he would contribute towards ending the row, he said: "Whatever little I can do, without being obvious to the country, I will continue to try to do."
Bangalore Space scientist A Bhaskaranarayana, one of the four former ISRO scientists blacklisted from government jobs on the controversial Antrix-Devas deal, today said the action has left him feeling miserable and worried over his standing in society.
"We feel miserable. We have worked for 37 years... average nine to ten hours a day including Sundays, and one day we get such a notice (barring us from government jobs)," an anguished Bhaskaranarayana, a former Scientific Secretary at ISRO, told PTI here.
"Such urgency and emergency only for the four of us? We are not the only ones in the country," he said. "I am not doing any government work right now but in society what's our value?" he asked. "We feel miserable, don't get sleep at night."
Asked why he thought the four had been "singled out" for the action, Bhaskaranarayana said: "Four of us were occupying some positions important at that time which are relating to this area (Antrix-Devas deal).
On whether he saw a conspiracy against the four or somebody behind the move, he said he did not want to guess at all. "It's very difficult to say. People like us who are scientists, we don't know politics. We do our work and get out," he said.
Bhaskaranarayana had quit his visiting professorship (after retirement from ISRO), six months before the two-year tenure was to come to an end, following the change of guard at the space agency with K Radhakrishnan taking over from G Madhavan Nair as Chairman.
"I had my own personal reasons (to quit before completion). When Chairman changes, some important positions have to change," he said, seeking to blame Radhakrishnan indirectly.
Former ISRO Chief Nair, who has also been barred from occupying government posts, had accused Radhakrishnan of being responsible for the punitive action against him and the three others because of a "personal agenda."
Kasturirangan makes emotional appeal to end row
Veteran space scientist K Kasturirangan today made an emotional appeal for an amicable end to the ISRO row so that the agency is "back on track", drawing a parallel between the current episode and mid-90s' "espionage case" to stress the gravity of the situation now.
"I hope this gets defused as early as possible so that we are back on track on which we are supposed to be travelling," Kasturirangan, who headed ISRO for more than nine years till G Madhavan Nair succeeded him in 2003, told PTI.
"I am very keen that the entire matter blows over and defuses," Kasturirangan, a Planning Commission member, said.
His voice choking at times, he said: "Like any other member of the country's scientific community, more importantly of ISRO, I would very much wish this happens."
Kasturirangan's passionate appeal comes amid the full-blown row over government's action to debar Nair and three other top scientists from holding any government posts over the controversial Antrix-Devas deal.
The action which has outraged the scientific community has seen a bitter Nair persistently attacking the decision for which he has blamed ISRO Chairman K Radhakrishnan.
Kasturirangan said there there was a parallel (to the present imbroglio) in the "spy case" when he was agency chief. "And we took a resolve in the organisation (at the time) that a programme (space mission) which was supposed to be launched in August, we will try to do it in July (to show) that we mean business and we did it," Kasturirangan said.
Kasturirangan, who had served the space agency for 40 years, said he wants ISRO to continue its progress and projects properly and maintain its pre-eminent position.
"After all, we have built it (ISRO) over four decades with a lot of effort. Lot of handicaps we had to face. But we have built it up. That's the feeling I have," he said.
He said he would like the issues to be resolved "as amicably as possible, and ISRO gets on with the task of continuing its ambitious programme and succeeds".
Kasturirangan, however, refused to comment on the merits of the Antrix-Devas deal as well as the action against the scientists.
"First of all I should admit that my own knowledge of the entire episode in the context on which it's being discussed in the country is extremely poor because I was not a party in this entire thing at any point of time," Kasturirangan said.
On Radhakrishnan's statement yesterday revealing intentions to make public the two key reports based on which the action was taken against the scientists, he said: "It again relates to the totality of the circumstances. How do you comment on a part of it when I don't know the whole of it."
Asked if he would contribute towards ending the row, he said: "Whatever little I can do, without being obvious to the country, I will continue to try to do."
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