Indias Nuclear Titans: Biographical Tales

No nation debated more democratically than India on whether to get or give up nuclear power guns, writes George Perkovich, renowned American political scientist.

Right from 1948, when the Atomic Energy Commission was established to the peaceful nuclear explosion in 1974, to Operation Shakti in 1998 when India went overtly nuclear, and then the Indo US Civil nuclear agreement in 2005, every step was arrived at after much debate and deliberation.

Rejecting discriminatory treaties like the NPT, taking a firm stand on the nuclear deterrence theory and standing up to superpowers despite heavy sanctions paved the way for Indias nuclear exceptionalism, thereby revealing not only the astounding brilliance and capability of the leaders and thinkers in the field but also Indias strong moral and ethical value system, which has played a major role in all its decisions.

The book, Indias Nuclear Titans, traces the evolution of India into a nuclear state while analysing the role played by stalwarts like Homi Bhabha, Vikram Sarabhai, Abdul Kalam, Indira Gandhi, K Subrahmanyam, and Arundhati Ghose among others.

Through interesting anecdotes from the lives of these great personalities, the book aims to give a brief but complete picture of Indias nuclear story.