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In addition he set a very high ethical and moral standard for himself and for others around him. He did this not by
preaching or talking about morality and ethics but by setting a personal example. In the words of Prof.R.Narasimha
(Reference 1) "He was, most of all, the undeclared but widely accepted moral and social conscience of the scientific

community. He was a great man".

FAMILY BACKGROUND, EARLY EDUCATION & PERSONAL LIFE

Satish Dhawan was born on 25th September 1920 in Srinagar. He graduated from the University of Punjab (Lahore):
BA in Mathematics, MA in English and a BE in Mechanical Engineering. He spent a year on the shop floor of
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) working as a technician and a mechanic. This experience of working with his

hands seems to have had a major impact on Prof. Dhawan. His respect for and fascination with people who could
do things with their hands was a kind of personal hallmark. Prof. Dhawan could also fix and repair many things on
his own. Many of us at ISRO who worked with him closely, often saw him carrying out minor repairs on many things

including the air conditioner in his room. His daughter told me recently that when they collected his personal
belongings from his room in ISRO, there were small knives, screwdrivers and other small tools. Smt. Kausalya
Ramaseshan also told me that just a few weeks before his demise Prof.Dhawan had designed a special chair for his
friend Dr.S.Ramaseshan. This lifelong respect for manual craftsmanship and actual engineering execution also
came through in his worldview as an organizational head both at IISc and ISRO. He respected the workers and

devised methods for their career advancement and welfare.

After his stint at HAL he left for the USA on a government scholarship and obtained an MS in Aeronautical

Engineering from the University of Minnesota and a PhD in Aeronautics and Mathematics in 1951 from the
California Institute of Technology (Caltech). He then returned to India.

There are writings about Prof Dhawan that cover different facets of his life and work. Details of his academic career

at the Indian Institute of Science, his directorship of "the Institute" from 1962 to 1980 and his role as Chairman
ISRO from 1972 onwards are well covered in these publications (References 1 & 2). An article by Y.S.Rajan
(Reference 3) covers the period during which Prof. Dhawan headed the space programme. It provides considerable

information and insights into Prof. Dhawan's leadership style, his managerial and organizational contributions, his
philosophy and other related aspects.

It is not my intention to cover the same ground again. This article will therefore cover aspects of Prof. Dhawan's life,
contributions and interests that are not so well known. It will touch upon certain special events that occurred after
1984 when Prof. Dhawan relinquished his direct leadership of the Indian space effort. Through this approach we
try to add to and enrich our understanding of this great humanist.

Two unique features of Prof.Dhawan's style was the inherent respect he accorded to the views of others and his
ability to blend change with continuity. Though he held very powerful positions (Chairman Space Commission,
Director IISc) he never ever used his position to make the point that "he knew better because he was so and so". He

could be tough and rigorous in how he viewed what you said but never overbearing or condescending. This was his
attitude not only to his peers but to everybody around him. This inherent modesty, often bordering on humility,
seems to have been born out of a blending of a kind of scientific temper and an almost Buddha like approach to life
and knowledge.

Two extracts from his description of his predecessor Dr.Vikram Sarabhai and his colleague and "number two"
Dr.Brahm Prakash, both of whom had a major hand in shaping ISRO, are note worthy.

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