T N Seshan was Isro's administrative director in the 1970s

CHENNAI: About two decades before he became famous as the chief election commissioner who taught politicians to behave, T N Seshan was busy helping India make its first giant strides in space science.

As administrative director of the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) in the 1970s, Seshan drafted the contract signed with SEP, a company that worked for French space agency CNES , to develop Vikas, India’s first liquid propulsion engine. The engine continues to power Isro ’s PSLVs and GSLVs used for missions including Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan .

It was a tough deal to strike as India had no money to offer, just a workforce which had virtually nothing to show. Seshan drafted a contract that offered the French Indian engineering manhours for a fraction of the global cost in return for equal ownership of the technology.

S Nambinarayanan, who led the 50-member Isro team at SEP, France, remembers Seshan dictating the 50-odd page “tricky contract” in one go.

“When stenographer Datta Guru gave him the typed text, Seshan ran a pen through it, the tip touching the paper only a few times to inject a comma or to replace a word. This man was extraordinary,” says Narayanan.

Seshan, who signed the deal with the French on August 24, 1974, was a shrewd negotiator too. A few months after the joint venture took off, Roy Gibson, chairman of the newly-formed European Space Agency (ESA), reviewed contracts of member agencies to ensure countries like India did not use rocket technology for military purposes.

He wanted SEP to change a part of a clause that said Isro should use the technology ‘for its own use’ to ‘for its own peaceful use’. Seshan said no. When the French side appeared to be building a strong case, Seshan decided to break the flow. He said he wanted to consult “the highest office in India,” and the talks could continue the next day.

“I am not sure if he consulted anyone,” said Narayanan who accompanied Seshan for the talks.

“The next day at the meeting, Seshan put his foot down: There will be no change to the original contract. And if this contract is annulled, India will rethink several other contracts that are lucrative for European companies.” SEP conveyed the message to ESA, which relented.

Seshan respected well-meaning bosses and wielded his authority like a sword. Once, when the mild-mannered Isro chairman Satish Dhawan was in one of his rare irritated moods, Seshan suggested India buy cryogenic technology from France. Dhawan told Seshan to mind only administrative matters, not the technology part. Barely 10 minutes later, Dhawan had forgotten about it and asked for Seshan’s opinion on something. “That’s technology, sir,” Seshan said.

For slack officers, Seshan was a terror who sent them running to the dictionary. He once summoned an underperformer and asked if he had drawn the month’s salary. When the employee nodded, Seshan asked him to deposit the money back in Isro’s account. He thundered: “Go jump into the first agglomeration of water that you see.”

Later, the officer told a colleague that he had to look up the term ‘agglomeration of water’. “A pond or lake would’ve been easier,” he quipped years later.

