VIRTUAL INTERACTIVE SESSION WITH PADMAVIBHUSHAN DR. ANIL KAKODKAR

 

‘A DREAM IS NOT SOMETHING WHICH YOU SEE WHILE SLEEPING. IT IS SOMETHING THAT DOES NOT LET YOU SLEEP.’

~DR. A.P.J ABDUL KALAM

On the 22nd of June, we the class 11 students of Mushtifund Aryaan Higher Secondary School (MAHSS), had a wonderful opportunity of interacting with one of the most brilliant minds in our country.

Padma VibhushanDr. Anil Kakodkar is an accomplished Indian Nuclear Physicist and Mechanical Engineer. He was the director of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Trombay (from 1996 to 2000), and was the chairman of The Atomic Energy Commission of India (from 2000 to 2009).

For his great work, Dr. Kakodkar received the Padma Shri (in 1988), the Padma Bhushan (in 1999) and the Padma Vibhushan (in 2009). Apart from these prestigious, national awards he has also received the Maharashtra Bhushan Award, the Gomant Vibhushan Award and the Homi Bhabha Lifetime Achievement Award.

Dr. Kakodkar started his journey from the Ruparel College and then went on to graduate from VJTI, University of Mumbai with a Degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1963. He had an innate desire to do something different, which would benefit the society as well as our country. Due to his interest in Atomic Energy, Dr. Kakodkar joined the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in 1964. He attended a one-year Orientation Programme there, at the end of which, he excelled and topped in the BARC Training School. For this achievement, he received an award at the hands of Homi Bhabha (The Father of the Indian Nuclear Programme). Dr. Kakodkar’s mentor, Dr. Raja Ramanna, guided him in his journey and helped him in the path of achieving success. Later, he obtained a master’s degree in Experimental Stress Analysis from the University of Nottingham in 1969.

Dr. Anil Kakodkar played a key role in the design and construction of the Dhruva Reactor, which was a high-tech project. He was a part of the core team of architects of India’s Peaceful Nuclear Tests: Pokhran 1 (in 1974) and Pokhran 2 (in 1998). He worked in the rehabilitation of the two nuclear reactors at Kalpakkam and the first unit at Rawatbhata, which at that stage were about to be written off. In 1996, he became Director of BARC and then from 2000 also led the Atomic Energy Commission of India.

His experience and expertise has led him to publish over 250 scientific papers.He continues to engage in designing the Advanced Heavy Water Reactor, that uses Thorium-Uranium 233 as the primary energy source with plutonium as the driver fuel. As our country has large deposits of thorium, Dr. Kakodkar is promoting the idea of harvesting our national resources, so that India becomes self-reliant in Nuclear Energy Production.

‘DREAM BIGGER.DO BIGGER’

Dr. Kakodkar told us: “A moment comes in everyone’s life, when you recognise that it is the time to make a good career decision. Develop your aptitude. If you do this, your success is guaranteed. If you like the discipline or field you have chosen with all your heart, you will surely achieve success. That is why it is important to Follow Your Inner Calling. While pursuing what you like, see that it benefits the society and the country.”

  • He received many questions regarding Nuclear Energy Production in India. He explained to us that through Nuclear Fission, we can use just one kilogram of Uranium (U-235), to generate millions of times more energy than the same amount of coal. In addition to this, Nuclear energy is clean energy; it doesn’t release carbon-dioxide into the atmosphere (thus reducing global warming and minimising climate change). Also, the nuclear reactors in our country run 24*7, and continuously produce huge amount of energy.
  • He also threw light on the fact, that Nuclear Fusion generates much more energy than Nuclear Fission. But, all over the world Fission is being used to generate electricity because we have not yet found a way to control the Fusion reaction, though progress is being made to find a solution for this.
  • When Dr. Kakodkar was asked why Thorium is not being used to its full potential as a fuel in nuclear reactors in India, he responded that U-235 is the only fissionable isotope of Uranium available in nature, whereas Thorium by itself is not fissionable. Thorium can be put in a reactor with a neutron to form U-233 (which is fissionable), but that would mean two reactors would be required for the reaction instead of one. But, the KAMINI reactor still uses this U-233 to produce energy, but it is purely on experimental basis only.
  • Anil Kakodkar believes in the disarmament of nuclear weapons (which are used for violence) and says that there is a huge difference between Nuclear Energy Production and a Nuclear weapon. Today we all hear that nuclear energy is a dangerous form of energy, if not controlled it can result in fatal accidents like the Chernobyl Disaster that took place years ago in Russia. But in reality, nuclear energy is the safest form of energy we have today. The reactors today are made with extreme precautions. According to a study conducted, it was found that people living in an area with slightly higher radiation level than the surroundings, had no adverse medical or genetic effect on their body. Also, fatalities per kilowatt hours of Nuclear Energy produced are the least compared to their energy sources. Despite accidents, we still continue to use nuclear energy as its benefits far outweigh its drawbacks.
  • He also narrated to us the experience which he had with Homi Bhabha and Dr. Raja Ramanna. He told us that both of them were fascinated by music. Homi Bhabha loved painting and music, while Dr. Raja Ramanna was an accomplished pianist. Both of them inspired him to achieve greatness.
  • When the discussion shifted to Nuclear Waste Disposal, Dr. Kakodkar told us that while most countries in the world don’t recycle spent fuel, very few countries like India, France and Russia utilise and recycle the same spent fuel (which contains 95% uranium and some plutonium) and recover valuable products.

He told us that out of ‘x’ tonnes of Uranium, 99.5% material can be recycled. The rest is immobilised in a number of canisters. Hence, Nuclear waste produced in India is minimal.

  • The reactors used today in India are Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors. The moderator used here is heavy water (contains deuterium) at room temperature, which provides a lot of safety. The people who come into close contact with radiation, use shields to protect themselves. Also, various types of Personal Protection Equipment are required.

At the end of the session, Dr. Anil Kakodkar wished all of us the Best of Luck in our future endeavours. Truly a humble role model, he taught us that we could achieve whatever we wanted, if only we believed in ourselves and strived hard for it. Thus, ended a truly interesting and inspiring interactive session.

All the Class 11 Students of Mushtifund Aryaan Higher Secondary School(MAHSS) are extremely thankful to our Director, Sir. Vyankatesh Prabhudessai for providing us with such a fabulous opportunity to interact with one of India’s top Nuclear Physicists. We also thank Dr. Anil Kakodkar for taking time out of his busy schedule, and inspiring us with his positive energy.

‘NEVER GIVE UP’

Written by: Anmol Bhat

Class 11 (MAHSS)