National Technology Day: 10 Interesting Facts About Pokhran II

Bhubaneswar: This day, 20 years ago, India created history in technological inventions and knowledge with successful nuclear bomb testing at Pokhran (Rajasthan), with the CIA getting no inkling of it. Being the second nuclear test of the country, it was named Pokhran II. May 11, thus, is observed as the National Technology Day.

Also on this day, Hansa-3, India’s first indigenous aircraft was test flown from Bengaluru and a test firing of the Trishul missile was performed successfully.

Here are 10 interesting things to know about Pokhran II, which has been a turning point in India’s technological advancements.

1. May 1998, at 15.45 hours, India conducted three underground nuclear tests at the Indian Army’s Pokhran Range.

2. A sequence of five nuclear bomb test explosions was conducted with a fission device, a low-yield device and a thermo-nuclear device.

3. Following the tests, powerful countries like the United States and Japan refused to have any dialogue with India, which was also warned of sanctions.

4. Known as ‘Operation Shakti’, it was initiated with the detonation of one fusion and two fission bombs. Two days later, another two fission devices were detonated.

5. It was led by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who in a press conference said, “Today at 15.45 hours, India conducted three underground nuclear tests from the Pokhran range. These tests conducted today were with a fission device, a low-yield device and a thermo-nuclear device. The major yields are in line with an expected value. Measurements have also confirmed that there was no radioactive material released into the atmosphere. These were contained explosions like experiments conducted in May 1974. I warmly congratulate the scientists and engineers who have carried out these successful tests.”

6. There were secret plans for nuclear tests since 1974 by Rajiv Gandhi and VP Singh. Narasimha Rao gave a thumbs up to the tests but India soon received a warning from CIA whose spy satellites detected nuclear activities.

7. April 27 was decided date for Nuclear Tests but it was changed later due to Dr R Chidambaram’s (the then Atomic Energy Chief) daughter’s wedding as his absence would have led to suspicion.

8. The equipment was flown from Bhabha Atomic Research Center to Jaisalmer Airport and Army trucks later took them under the command of Col Umang Kapur.

9. The satellite positions over India was examined and the team was successful in deceiving the CIA. They would work at night in the disguise of soldiers when the detection chances were low. They also had code names, for example, Dr APJ Adbul Kalam was called Major General Prithviraj.

10. After India’s success, CIA admitted their failure in detecting India’s guile. “We have been following the Indian nuclear programme for several years but there’s no getting around the fact that in this instance we missed and did not predict the particular tests in place. Simply stated, we did not get it right. It is my responsibility to stand up and tell the American people that we did not get it right,” said George Tenet, Director, CIA (1996-2004).

The first nuclear test, however, was conducted on May 18, 1974, under Indira Gandhi’s prime ministership, in Pokhran. The code name assigned to it was ‘Smiling Buddha’ for its success and India became the sixth nation to join the nuclear bomb group, after the US, Soviet Union, Britain, France and China.