On 21st of August 2017, IIMRaipur and IIT Bhilai welcomed Mr.A.S Kiran Kumar, the Chairman of ISRO, at GEC Auditorium. Mr. Kumar visited the campus to have an interaction with the best minds of the country and to encourage them to be a part of the nation building process. Dr. Bharat Bhasker (Director of IIM Raipur), Prof. Rajat Moona (Director of IIT Bhilai), Dr. A K Dubey (Principal of GEC Raipur)and Prof Sheo Kumar Pandey (Vice Chancellor of Ravi Shankar Shukla University) shared the stage with Mr. Kumar.
Mr. Kumar began the address by revisiting the colossal achievements of ISRO in the past few years. He explained how ISRO has played a monumental role in bringing India to where it is today. He said, “The art of management lies in our ability to achieve our goals with the help of limited resources that we have at our disposal. When we started our mission of making India self-reliant in the field of Space Technology, we didn’t have the resources to support our goals. But, after years of relentless progress and innovation, we are among the top 5 countries in terms of Space Technology”.
Addressing the students he said, “Studying in IITs and IIMs, you have a definite advantage over you’re your peers. Use this advantage to learn new skills and acquire more and more knowledge. With your valuable contributions, we can reestablish India at its lost position of Vishwa Guru”.
He concluded the speech by thanking the students of IIM Raipur and IIT Bhilai for good listeners and invited questions for further discussion. The students delved into an enrichingquestion and answer session, in which the students got an opportunity todirectly interact with the diplomat.
Dr. Bharat Bhasker delivered the vote of thanks. He expressed his gratitude to Mr. A. S. Kiran Kumar for sensitizing the students about their roles and responsibilities towards the nation. He also thanked Prof. Rajat Moona and Dr. A K Dubey for their valuable contributions in organizing the interaction.
Mr. A S Kiran Kumar is an Indian space scientist, currently serving as the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization. He is credited with the development of key scientific instruments aboard the Chandrayaan-1 and Mangalyaan space crafts. In 2014, he was awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian award, for his contributions to the fields of science and technology.Mr. Kiran Kumar previously served as Director of Ahmedabad Space Applications Centre.
He graduated in Physics (Honors) in 1971, from the National College of Bangalore University followed by MSc in Electronics from the same university, in 1973. He pursued MTech in Physical Engineering from Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Mr. Kiran Kumar started his career in 1975 at Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad, where he worked on Space borne Electro -optical imaging instruments.
