Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan is an Indian astrophysicist and space scientist who served as the head of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) from 1994 to 2003.
Wiki/Biography
Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan was born on Thursday, October 24, 1940, in Ernakulam, Cochin, Kerala (age 82; as of 2022). His mother died when he was very young. Thereafter, Kasturirangam and his brother Anantanarayan (Ravi) grew up at their grandparents’ house in Ernakulam, while his father remarried and lived in Bombay (now Mumbai). Initially, he attended a girls’ school, which admitted only boys who met the first two criteria. Later, he studied at Sree Rama Varma High School in Ernakulam. In an interview, he described the equality that prevailed during his student days, saying:
There were a few tables reserved for Cochin royalty in our class. The boys used to come to classes in limousines and enter the class one minute before the class started. This is to maintain a degree of separation between the royal children and commoners.”
When Kasturirangan was 10, his grandfather passed away, after which he moved to Mumbai to continue his studies at the South Indian Educational Society High School in Matunga. Thereafter, he joined Ramnarain Ruia Autonomous College, Matunga, where he pursued B.Sc. (Honours) degrees in Physics (Junior Subject) and Mathematics (Secondary Subject).
Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan received his Bachelor of Science degree at the convocation ceremony at Mumbai University. Degree (Honours) 1961
He pursued a master’s degree in physics from the University of Mumbai, completing his studies in 1963 with electronics as an elective subject. After seeing a newspaper advertisement, he applied for a scholarship at the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad. He received his PhD in cosmic X-rays under the supervision of Vikram Sarabhai, considered the father of India’s space programme.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′6″
Hair color: black (semi-bald)
Eye color: black
family
Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan belongs to a Tamil Brahmin family. His ancestors moved to Kerala from Naidu, Tamil Nadu many centuries ago. His maternal grandfather Sri Ananthanarayana Iyer completed his school and college education and became a health inspector in Ernakulam. His grandfather’s name was Chalakudy Manikam Iyer.
Sri Ananthanarayana Iyer, maternal grandfather of Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan
Krishnaswamy Kasturirangam’s grandfather Chalakudy Manikam Iyer
Parents and siblings
His father CM Krishnaswamy Iyer studied chemistry at Maharaja’s College, Ernakulam. He served in various executive positions with Tata Airways and retired as a senior accountant with Air India (now Air India).
Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan’s father, CM Krishnaswamy Iyer
Kasturirangam’s mother Visalakshi died when he was young. After the death of their mother, Kasturirangam and his brother Anantanarayan (Ravi) grew up with their grandparents in Ernakulam. At the same time, his father remarried to Alamelu Ammar. They have two children: Subbaram and Subbalakshmi.
wife and children
In 1969, shortly before completing his PhD, he married Lakshmi, who died in August 1991. He has two sons: Rajesh and Sanjay.
Profession
In 1969, when Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan was completing his PhD thesis, he witnessed the birth of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and in 1971 Vikram Sarabhai offered him a scientist position. His first project at ISRO was the construction of the Rohini satellite. He was also the project director of Bhaskara-I and II, India’s first two experimental Earth observation satellites. Dr. Kasturirangan served as Chairman of ISRO for over 9 years till 2003, directing India’s space programme. He also served as Chairman of the Space Council of the Indian Ministry of Space and Secretary to the Government of India, retiring on August 27, 2003. Under his leadership, ISRO has witnessed various successful operations, including the launch and operation of polar satellites. Satellite launch vehicles, geosynchronous satellite launch vehicles, civil remote sensing satellites IRS-1C and 1D, new generation INSAT communication satellites, and ocean observation satellites IRS-P3/P4. He has made outstanding contributions to the study of cosmic X-ray and gamma ray sources and the effects of cosmic X-rays in the lower atmosphere. These efforts have made India one of the few countries with a major space program, making it a preeminent spacefaring nation. He served as Emeritus Professor of Physics at the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, and the Jawaharlal Nehru Center for Advanced Studies, Bangalore. He has served as chairman of internationally renowned committees such as the International Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS), the COSPAR/ICSU Space Research Group for Developing Countries, and the United Nations ESCAP Senior Officials Committee Meeting. This led to the adoption of the Delhi Declaration (1999-2000) by the ministers of the region. He is a member of the Indian Institute of Science, the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the Astronautical Society of India, the National Telematics Forum, the Meteorological Society of India, the Third World Academy of Sciences, and the National Academy of Sciences. He is a distinguished fellow of the Institute of Electronics and Telecommunications Engineers, a founding member of the Astronomical Society of India, a life member of the Indian Physical Society, the Indian Science Congress Association and the Indian Remote Sensing Society and an honorary fellow of the Indian Aeronautical Society, the Kerala Academy of Science and Cardiff, UK University. He has published more than 200 papers in international and national journals in the fields of astronomy, space science and space applications and edited 6 books. In 2021, he was appointed to head the 12-member steering committee responsible for developing the new National Curriculum Framework (NCF). The committee has a three-year mandate and is responsible for formulating textbooks, syllabuses and teaching practices in schools across the country.
Other positions held
- Director, National Institute of Advanced Study (NIAS), Bangalore (2004-2009)
- Member of the Upper House of the Indian Parliament (2003-2009)
- Member (Science), Planning Commission of India (now defunct)
- Vice President of the International Academy of Astronautics
- Member of the International Astronomical Union
- President, Indian Academy of Sciences (2001-03)
- President, National Academy of Engineering, India (2005-06)
- Fellow of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, Vatican City
- President, Indian Science Congress
- Chairman of the United Nations Center for Space Science and Technology Education (UN-CSSTE)
- Chancellor, Jawaharlal Nehru University
- Chairman, Karnataka State Knowledge Council
- Chancellor, Central University of Rajasthan
- President of NIIT University
- Board Member, Raman Institute Trust, Bangalore
Awards, Honors, Achievements
- Bullock Medal of the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (2004)
- International Astronautical Federation Alan D. Emile Memorial Award (2004)
- Theodore von Karman Prize from the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) (2007),
- Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Engineering Award
- Singapore Asia Pacific Satellite Communications Council Lifetime Achievement Award
- Aryabhata Medal awarded by the National Academy of Sciences of India (2000)
- Ashutosh Mukherjee Memorial Award, Indian Science Congress, Ruiya Gemstone Award, Ruiya College Alumni Association, 2007
- Maharana Udai Singh Award 2007-08, presented by Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation, Udaipur, 2008
- Rajayogindra Award, Maharaja of Mysore, Mysore, 2008
- Vikram Sarabhai Memorial Gold Medal, Indian Science Congress, Shillong, 2009
Facts/Trivia
- As a member of the Lok Sabha, he donated Rs 10 million from the MPLAD fund to the school for the construction of additional academic buildings.
- He has had a keen interest in reading since he was a child. Conan Doyle, Victor Hugo and Alexandre Dumas were his favorite authors.
- In 2007, he was awarded the ‘Gem of Ruya’ award, an award given to alumni of Ram Nala Nruya Autonomous College in Matunga.
- The team led by Dr. Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan drafted the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which introduced a 5+3+3+4 structure, flexible examinations, and open vocational education and training for younger people in the Indian education structure.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education