India's nuclear champion

From nuclear power to policy gaps and female literacy, former principal scientific advisor Rajagopala Chidambaram's memoir leaves readers with a lot to think about

Rajagopala Chidambaram joined Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (Barc) in the early 1960s. He retired as Principal Scientific Advisor in 2018. The 87-year-old has served as the director of Barc, and chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, as well as chairman of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). He is one of a handful of people involved in both Pokhran-I (1974) and Pokhran-II (1998).

His memoirs are arranged into chapters according to topics of interest. Much of it is first-person reminiscences, and thoughts on various subjects.  There are also anecdotes about dealings with several Prime Ministers, managing India’s interactions with the IAEA,