Dr. Rajagopala's Biography
- Dr. Rajagopala was born in Chennai in 1936. He completed his studies from Presidency College, Chennai and Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.
- Dr. Rajagopala played an important role in the 1974 nuclear testing team.
- He led the team in Pokhran Nuclear Test-2 in 1998.
- Dr. Rajagopala was awarded Padma Shri in 1975 and Padma Vibhushan in 1999.
- In 1990, he also took over the responsibility of Director of Bhabha Atomic Research Center.
- Dr. Rajagopala also became the Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission in 1993. He remained on this post till 2000. He has also been the Chief Scientific Advisor of India.
- Dr. Chidambaram had said that Britain is also involved in America’s Manhattan Project. Russia-China, China-Pakistan, America-France, France-Israel also have a nuclear relationship, but India has been doing its nuclear project alone.
- Dr. Chidambaram said that India has never needed to spy on the nuclear projects of other countries. Nor is there a need to steal the technology of other countries. We have our own team of world class experts.
India’s senior scientist Dr. Rajagopala Chidambaram died on Saturday. He was 88 years old. The official of the Department of Atomic Energy said that Rajagopala breathed his last at 3:20 pm in Mumbai’s Jaslok Hospital.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the death of Dr. Rajagopala. He said, “Dr. Rajagopala played an important role in strengthening India’s scientific and diplomatic power. He was one of the architects of India’s nuclear program. Future generations will take inspiration from his work.”
Dr. Rajagopala played an active role in nuclear weapons development in the country. He also played an important role in the Pokhran test of 1974. He led the team of scientists in the Pokhran test of 1998. Dr. Rajagopala was awarded the Padma Shri in 1975 and the Padma Vibhushan in 1999. Dr. Chidambaram told in an interview that transporting plutonium was a challenging task. Dr. Chidambaram further said that plutonium was packed in such a way that it looked like any ordinary item. These containers were safe from radiation. Not even a minute was wasted. This operation was kept completely secret so that the international community and intelligence agencies would not get a clue about it. Plutonium was sent from Mumbai’s Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC) to Pokhran through a military truck.
At night, the convoy carrying plutonium stopped at a place, then Dr. PR Roy (who had made plutonium) and I slept near the same box. The army had made separate sleeping arrangements. The soldiers in the convoy were surprised to know what was in that box.
Dr. Rajagopala also became the Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission in 1993. He remained on this post till 2000. He has also been the Chief Scientific Advisor of India.
Dr. Chidambaram had said that Britain is also involved in America’s Manhattan Project. Russia-China, China-Pakistan, America-France, France-Israel also have a nuclear relationship, but India has been doing its nuclear project alone.
Dr. Chidambaram said that India has never needed to spy on the nuclear projects of other countries. Nor is there a need to steal the technology of other countries. We have our own team of world class experts.
Dr. Chidambaram said in an interview in June 2024 that in the whole world, only India stands alone in its nuclear technology and projects. Different countries play their respective roles in the projects of the rest of the world.