6 facts about Pokhran nuclear tests under Abdul Kalam's guidance

Dr Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam was born on October 15 1931 in Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu A brilliant child he went on to add a golden page to the glorious history of India and became its 11thPresidentHe specialised in Aeronautical Engineering from Madras Institute of Technology and later joined the Defence Research and Development Organisation DRDO He was also the scientific adviser to Defence Minister and Secretary department of Defence Research amp Development from July 1992 to December 1999PicAFPDuring this time under the leadership of then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee he executed multiple nuclear tests in the Pokhran test range of Rajasthan1 Atal Bihari Vajpayee wanted to execute this mission in 1996 right after he took office but due to political disturbances the mission was stalled for two yearsThe tests in Pokhran in 1998 also showed the difference a strong political leadership can make Proud Day for Every Indian Jai Hind ethAcircAcircu00c2u009fAcircAcircu00c2u0087regethAcircAcircu00c2u009fAcircAcircu00c2u0087sup3ethAcircAcircu00c2u009fAcircAcircu00c2u0087regethAcircAcircu00c2u009fAcircAcircu00c2u0087sup3acircAcircAcircu00c2u009dcurreniumlcedilAcircAcircu00c2u008facircAcircAcircu00c2u009dcurreniumlcedilAcircAcircu00c2u008fethAcircAcircu00c2u009fAcircAcircu00c2u0099AcircAcircu00c2u008fPokhran2agravecurrenordfagraveyenAcircAcircu00c2u008bagravecurrenAcircAcircu00c2u0096agravecurrendegagravecurrenpound pictwittercomBo7bxJ71STmdash agravecurrenordfagravecurreniquestagravecurrenordfagravecurreniquestagravecurrensup1agravecurrendegagraveyenAcircAcircu00c2u0080 agravecurrenmicroagravecurrenfrac34agravecurrenbrvbaragravecurrenAcircAcircu00c2u0095 agravecurrenAcircAcircu00c2u0095agravecurrenfrac34agravecurrensup2agraveyenAcircAcircu00c2u0080 agravecurrenordfagravecurrensup1agravecurrenfrac34agraveyenAcircAcircu00c2u009cagraveyenAcircAcircu00c2u0080 agravecurrenregagraveyenAcircAcircu00c2u008dagravecurrenmacragraveyenAcircAcircu00c2u0082agravecurrenAcircAcircu00c2u009cagravecurreniquestagravecurrenAcircAcircu00c2u0095 agravecurrenAcircAcircu00c2u0086agravecurrendegagraveyenAcircAcircu00c2u008dagravecurrenAcircAcircu00c2u0095agraveyenAcircAcircu00c2u0087agravecurrencedilagraveyenAcircAcircu00c2u008dagravecurrenAcircAcircu00c2u009fagraveyenAcircAcircu00c2u008dagravecurrendegagravecurrenfrac34BMJ upadhyay51 May 11 2020On May 11 1998 Kalam and the team successfully carried out the test firing and hoodwinked the western surveillance over Pokhran issued to monitor Indiarsquos nuclear activities after the 1974 successful PokhranI codenamed lsquoOperation Smiling BuddharsquoThe Shakti3 nuclear site after a nuclear device was detonated underground 11 May 1998 Pic AFP2 PokhranII was a series of five nuclear bomb test explosions It consisted of five detonations of which the first was a fusion bomb and the remaining four were fission bombs3 After the operation was carried out successfully for which Kalam had been camping in the Thar Desert for over a fortnight the then Scientific Advisor to Vajpayee sent a message on the hotline saying Buddha smiles againPicAFP4 Not many know how intensely this operation was kept a secret Owing to surveillance the scientists worked strategically to keep this mission away from the eyes of outsiders and even some insiders including George Fernandes The then defence minister was not made aware of a confidential meeting that took place between Vajpayee Kalam and Rajagopala Chidambaram then atomic energy chief to discuss the nuclear weapon testsIndia conducted five underground nuclear tests at Pokhran test range in May 1113 1998 On the 20th anniversary of Pokhran2 sharing some photographs of the eventIn picture Former PM Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee with Department of Atomic Energy Scientists at PokhranPokhran2 pictwittercomhSQPylJP5tmdash agravecurrendegagravecurrenAcircAcircu00c2u0095agraveyenAcircAcircu00c2u008dagravecurrenmiddotagravecurrenfrac34 agravecurrenregagravecurrenAcircAcircu00c2u0082agravecurrencurrenagraveyenAcircAcircu00c2u008dagravecurrendegagraveyenAcircAcircu00c2u0080 agravecurrenAcircAcircu00c2u0095agravecurrenfrac34agravecurrendegagraveyenAcircAcircu00c2u008dagravecurrenmacragravecurrenfrac34agravecurrensup2agravecurrenmacr RMO India DefenceMinIndia May 12 20185 The scientists worked only at night so that satellites would be unable to capture clear images of the region They would place everything just as the previous day before dawn Abdul Kalam was codenamed Major General Prithvi Raj and Rajagopala Chidambaramrsquos alias was ldquoNatrajrdquo20 Years Ago This Day India Did 3 Successful Nuclear Tests And Became A Nuclear State This Operation Was So Secret Even CIA Was Not Aware Of It Scientists Disguised In Army Dresses To Go To The Sites They Created Their Own Language To Converse Salute To ThemethAcircAcircu00c2u009fAcircAcircu00c2u0099AcircAcircu00c2u008fethAcircAcircu00c2u009fAcircAcircu00c2u0091AcircAcircu00c2u008f Pokhran2 pictwittercomLfucKCuaspmdash Sir Jadeja fan SirJadeja May 11 20186 On May 11 1998 India testfired its lsquoShakti1rsquo nuclear missile in operation called lsquoPokhranIIrsquo also codenamed as Operation Shakti Two days after two more such tests were carried on as part of the same operation The success of this mission made India a part of the elite club of nuclear nationsKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news