“My professor advised me to join MIT......but I was too ashamed to tell him I did not know about the college. A friend told me it was the Madras Institute of Technology”

His decision to join MIT led him to study aerospace engineering and subsequently join ISRO where he made a mark in launch vehicle systems and rose to become chairman

- RAJ CHENGAPPA

K.SIVAN, 63

Few can forget the sight of Dr Kailasavadivoo Sivan, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), weeping on the shoulders of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the mission control centre after India’s moon lander failed to land in the final phase of its descent on the lunar surface. As the prime minister consoled the ISRO chief, the scene, telecast live on national television, saw a wave of sympathy for Sivan and his colleagues despite the setback in their ambitious goal to make India the fourth nation to successfully land a spacecraft in the moon.

Yet, while Sivan may wear his heart on his sleeve, his determination and zeal to achieve impossible missions remains undiminished. Recalling the incident, Sivan says, “Whatever I felt was momentary. That setback gave me more energy to aggressively find out what went wrong and correct it. This attitude has always helped me throughout my career.” Sivan speaks with a conviction borne by experience and practice and says one of the big lessons that life has taught him is, as he puts it, “Whenever something is denied to you, something bigger is waiting for you.”