25 years of Pokhran-2: Inside story of India's top secret, audacious 9-year op to build nuclear bomb

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Жыл бұрын

#Pokhran2
Wrapped in secrecy & spanning tenure of seven PMs, India's long march to nuclear weaponisation culminated in Pokhran-2 25 years ago today. In Episode 1128 of Cut The Clutter, Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta recollects the most spectacular & successful secret operation in India’s history.
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Пікірлер: 242

@ThePrintIndia Жыл бұрын

Exclusive content, special privileges & more - Subscribe to ThePrint for Member benefits: theprint.in/subscribe/

@RamanaYarasani Жыл бұрын

I am trying hard to find links, when sekhar sir says links in the description below, but I don’t see them, like kakodar sir walk the talk interview. Could you please help me to locate.

@pradeepsudarshan6117 Жыл бұрын

Vajpayee himself had said that Narsimha Rao was the true father of India's nuclear programme. When Rajiv Gandhi formed the secret committee, Narsimha Rao was India's foreign minister and he was kept informed about it. This turned out to be fortunate as he was able to take it forward when he became Prime Minister. This story is told in detail in the book "Half Lion" which is a biography of Narsimha Rao. The book also refers to Shekhar Gupta's interview with Narsimha Rao shortly before he died.

@saud8329 6 ай бұрын

But didn’t India’s Gandhi start the whole thing by approving the first implosion which was the reason for the first set of sanctions from the west

@yerramillivenkatanarayanam7140 Жыл бұрын

Sir, If at all a ranking is to be given among all CTC episodes so far, this episode stands first rank. I felt very much proud how our scientists worked hard secretly , dedicatedly to keep our nation safe and secure by producing nuclear arsenal as deterrent, and the top bureaucracy supporting them in every way. Another interesting factor was the Politicians support , whatever their idealogy may be, and their party affiliations may be , their action to support the cause in the interest of nation was commendable.

@lawanyaarvind2810 Жыл бұрын

Absolutely 💯 right

@user-lh5nk8io8x Жыл бұрын

Simply beautiful. I am proud of our democracy. I am delighted to hear this CTC.

@AbhishekKumar2015 Жыл бұрын

I feel so proud listening to this story....... May God bless each and every soul involved in this work.... everyone right from its conception to the final outcome......and may God bless our country 🙏

@BilluKhan-df9kr Жыл бұрын

your god is cow hahahah china took ladakh.. cow only pissed

@shyambajekal8084 Жыл бұрын

Really. Whenever I listen to such stories my eyes tear up out of pride for those great people. And by the way, I am lucky to have interacted one on one with Dr Kakodkar in 2019. It was with childlike enthusiasm that I spent the day with him!😁

@georgeramapuram Жыл бұрын

@@BilluKhan-df9kr what is wrong with you?

@BilluKhan-df9kr Жыл бұрын

@@georgeramapuram whats wrong? are you christian? but cow is hindu god

@srinivasraokaruturi9777 Жыл бұрын

truly phenomenal operation...shekar ji, i beg you to a 2 hr documentary on this. If you can get all the visual or audio aids etc, and takes too much effort, dont bother...just your narration on this subject will hold us glued and fill us with pride...Thank you for marking this wonderful anniversary...please do seriously consider doing a longer version. To do justice to the great men and women who were part of this....Phenomenal is an understatement!!! 🙏🙏🙏

@ThePrintIndia Жыл бұрын

It is a wonderful suggestion, Srinivas ji. I will certainly keep it mind. Thank you for this...best wishes, Shekhar

@sankalp6872 Жыл бұрын

Dr. Anil Kakodkar is a Konkani by birth. He hails from India's smallest state. He spent years across many geographies. It's remarkable to see him lead such a vital program.

@anandbs7290 Жыл бұрын

Just one more bit of information... Dr. Anil Kakodkar studied from Karnatak College Dharwad

@Suresh_Kamath Жыл бұрын

Being from Karnataka and Konkani, I am surprised I never knew this.

@rakeshnipanikar2316 Жыл бұрын

He is Marathi.

@sankalp6872 Жыл бұрын

@@rakeshnipanikar2316 Nope. He is a Goan. His father was a Goan freedom fighter. Similar case as Rajdeep Sardesai. You can keep Rajdeep for Maharashtra. Goa will be happy with that.

@va8085 Жыл бұрын

Naman to our patriotic bhoomiputras - Atalji, Kalam sir & rest of our scientific team 🇮🇳

@VikasKumar-co8mr Жыл бұрын

both the test started by farsighted Gandhi

@va8085 Жыл бұрын

@@VikasKumar-co8mr oh please. We saw what the family did with the likes of Bhabha. Indira was the only sane patriotic one but after creating the monster called Bhindrawale, she lost respect.

@abhishekdesai965 Жыл бұрын

Prime example of what happens when people in power keep nation and its interests ahead of politics enimity. Kudos to the team who worked pull of this miracle. Wishing you luck for more achievements 🎉

@mdirtydogg Жыл бұрын

Well said. National interests over political interests.

@shikharsrivastava6263 Жыл бұрын

The journey of Pokharan 2 is an account of how mature our democracy is. We kept the biggest secret hidden in that time when we had worst political instability. A story which brings pride to every Indian ❤

@coolhkj07 Жыл бұрын

Just love it when Shekhar sir goes into story mode. Loved hearing about things that happened when I was 3 years old

@tapemaj Жыл бұрын

Oh Brilliant saga … kept me gripped all through . “ Buddha indeed smiled twice “ without his disciples knowing aa to what’s going on .

@kapiltewari1562 Жыл бұрын

I requested this few weeks back and today SG delivered. Thanks a lot. Najam Sethi in one of his interviews mentioned that you both were in a third country when India announced itself as Nuclear Armed. If You could share few stories from that exact day and how you felt when you heard it for the first time.

@kaushal548 Жыл бұрын

That's out of the box from regular rasgullas you give to your guest. Excellent from @ThePrint .

@vaibhavgupta7197 Жыл бұрын

In India , we may fight brutally amongst ourselves, but when it come's to motherland, no one gives second thought about what's best and necessary for the country. I think, this has made all the difference.

@JohnSmith-vn8dm Жыл бұрын

Pokrahan 2 seems like a great example of what a country can do when its unified with a collective mission. Good lesson for partison politicians today, not just in India, but in the whole world.

@sarvajeetmukherjee3290 Жыл бұрын

... a Beautiful Presentation indeed Sir . As a student of Physics , i happen to know that preparing for a nuclear test and covertly takes a lot of time and effort . i have heard people say that they could have done the test earlier . Unfortunately, they are laymen and should not be blamed , rather they should be politely corrected . Preparing for a nuclear test is nothing like building a new fighter jet , it is far more complex and an extremely complicated matter , especially if one is trying to do one covertly. Thank You Sir , for a lucid Presentation of the entire story which proved the mettle of not only our scientists but also the key Politicians from seemingly rival parties who stood together for the National Cause, a Remarkable example of continuation of National Policy across Governments. They chose to stand together for the National Cause. This is what my India is . Satyameba Jayate . PS : Sir , if it would be possible please take a lecture on the IPKF failure and events leading to it including the reasons for formation of the LTTE . Your Presentation would be of Great help for interested students and people like me to get a lucid overview of the series of Events that ultimately lead to the assassination of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi . Thanking You in Advance .

@tarantinofan8947 Жыл бұрын

oppenheimer dekhna

@sarvajeetmukherjee3290 Жыл бұрын

@@tarantinofan8947 : Thank You for the excellent suggestion Brother . i would , on my part urge you to read the book 'Brighter than a Thousand Suns' by Robert Jungk. This book was suggested to us as a casual read by our Teachers at Presidency College ( now University) Kolkata way back in the early 90's. It reads like a fast paced thriller, a thriller that documents facts . There are some discrepancies , but those are minor . For example, Robert Jungk claims that Warner Heisenberg , who the allies thought was leading the German Atomic Programme , did not sympathize with the dreadful Nazi Idealogy because he hated Hitler. It is true that Heisenberg , who was an advocate of Theoritical Physics hated Hitler. Hitler, an abomination of a Human being ,wanted to destroy all Theoritical Physics because he felt that it was Jewish Science , a claim that is absurd and bizarre. However Heisenberg did sympathize with the horrible Nazi ideology and did it even after the war . These apart , the book is indeed a gratifying read . It tells us a story of team work , and of horrible censorship which left truly noble men like Oppenheimer for ever broken after the war . Einstein, who was not even a part of the team that was involved in the Manhattan Project and therefore not a witness to the test explosion at Almo Gordo Airbase ( recall the famous quote from the Bhagwat Gita as narrated by Oppenheimer who along with his fellow team members were witness to the blast : I am the destroyer of worlds ... ) and whose consent was used as an excuse for using the weapon on the Japanese was extremely disturbed and it affected him for the rest of his life because his name was associated with a crime against humanity. Thanks again Brother for your kind suggestion ...

@sarvajeetmukherjee3290 Жыл бұрын

@@tarantinofan8947 : perhaps the hatred of the Nazis for anything Theoritical involving Science and Mathematics was because they crudely associated Abstract Mathematics and Theoritical Physics with the Jews , something that is not only bizarre but also apalling. The Nazis single handedly destroyed German Science and reduced it to an empty shell . The German loss contributed to the gain of America who sheltered people like Einstein, Gödel , Fermi , John von Neumann, Emily Noether to name a few ...

@ThePrintIndia Жыл бұрын

Thank you for the suggestion, Sarvajeet. It is indeed something to consider. I'm glad you liked this episode. Do keep watching and writing in...best wishes, Shekhar

@sarvajeetmukherjee3290 Жыл бұрын

@@ThePrintIndia: ... Thank You So Much for Your Kind Appreciation, Sir ...

@surendrabarsode8959 Жыл бұрын

Thanks Shekhar for this wonderful recap of the events leading finally to the nuclear tests! A glorious chapter in our recent history.

@mayankgangwal24 Жыл бұрын

There's a visible difference between narration of a cut the clutter episode & a national interest episode. While cut the clutter is more of a spontaneous news reading, National interest is written down and is read as is. This episode of CTC is like National interest.

@pgtvrivall1109 Жыл бұрын

Arunachalam, iyengar, chidambaram, kalam, santhanam, balachandran- all Tamils

@ranjitkamath2417 Жыл бұрын

We love you SG, Thanks for bringing this episode, should have been a 2 series episode, you cut it really short. Kudos too all who made it possible, we are indeed proud of them. Can you do a additional series of on which type of Nuclear Bombs we have vis a via Pakistan

@lotuslotus8207 Жыл бұрын

Comparison Between N Bomb Of Pakistan vs India 🇮🇳

@abhijitdeshmukh6902 Жыл бұрын

Got goosebumps while listening this! Salute to all who were involved!!

@bambu3954 Жыл бұрын

Great stuff SG. You are a master story teller, great to have a senior journalist like you with a repository of such knowledge

@diwakarsharma5542 Жыл бұрын

I feel so proud listening to this. Looks like our politicians realize their responsibility at the highest level. Jai Hind! Jai Bharat!

@sathiskumark7497 Жыл бұрын

Excellent Sir. Listened this multiple times . Goosebumps never came down . One of your best CTC

@abhigyat143 Жыл бұрын

Rocket boys has exponentially increased my interest in this story. Thanks for sharing SG!

@pichumanisankar2617 Жыл бұрын

One of the rare instances of politicians of all hue deserve bouquets.🎉🎉

@bpi8940 Ай бұрын

This episode should be shown in every schools and universities 🇮🇳 🇮🇳 🇮🇳

@neerajbv3596 Жыл бұрын

Shekharji good information. Great presentation 👏

@sudarshanpise8421 Жыл бұрын

this is awesome .. Thanks Sir !! really nice episode !!

@mdirtydogg Жыл бұрын

Thank you, Mr Gupta, for this fascinating and insightful episode. I wish it went on for another hour

@noknok7447 Жыл бұрын

21 thundering guns salute to leaders scientists army and personnel involved for this phenomenal contribution 🇮🇳

@rajeevbhatnagar6495 Жыл бұрын

A story well told. Thanks.

@UPSC_poetry Жыл бұрын

Kudos sir..following you since 2019

@theindian2226 Жыл бұрын

Thanks, Mr. SG for your insightful discourse. We salute all our great leaders from Nehru to Modi who brick by brick have been building our nation India We also salute all Scientists, Civil Servants, Diplomats, and Military Officials for their immeasurable contributions. As far as Nation and its Security and integrity are concerned, we are ONE, no Congress, no BJP only INDIAN Jai Hind Vande Mataram

@harshsatya1982 Жыл бұрын

Fascinating story. I felt good about our political leadership, the bipartisanship political leadership. Thank you for narrating this story.

@prakashyadav9422 Жыл бұрын

simply mesmerizing. What a treat!

@R--AngadSahota Жыл бұрын

That is a great story to tell. Thanks SG

@sven_86 Жыл бұрын

Proud of my country. Jai Hind!

@deepakkatare4879 Жыл бұрын

One of the best episodes 👍

@trs-therightsound3486 Жыл бұрын

Kuchh baat to hai is mitti mein ki kitna bhi bura dost, ristedaar ya smaaj hi kar de apne saath. Is mitti ko daga koi nahi deta. Yahan to bas hindustani bachche paida hotein hain, kuchh acche to kuchhe gande.. Ek baar yeh bachche mitti chhor dein magar even the deadliest of gangsters feels emotional about serving the soil. I am always proud of India and my brothers and sisters.

@kunti_putra Жыл бұрын

I doubt today there is anyone left in Congress that can show this level of integrity and maturity while being in power.

@freesoul3466 Жыл бұрын

There are, it's not always what bjp says about Congress

@animalspirit77 Жыл бұрын

Truly inspiring! 🇮🇳

@Gurmukkh Жыл бұрын

Keeping such a secret for such a long time. Great job.

@AbhishekSharma-sw9rj Жыл бұрын

Not enough like buttons... a very short video for such an elaborate story. Need to have more of it.

@HemantShete Жыл бұрын

So inspiring... Respect 🙏🏼🙏🏼

@pichumanisankar2617 Жыл бұрын

Yet again one more absorbing episode of CTC 👍

@shyambajekal8084 Жыл бұрын

Remarkable. All this has been beautifully depicted in the movie Parmanu, starring John Abraham and others. It's a beautiful film, must watch!! As for the mole, according to the movie it was just negligence on the part of the team and not some one person giving out the secrets. And yes, Shekhar himself should write the book that he mentioned in the beginning.

@pratapmane692 Жыл бұрын

Always love SG’s storytelling, bang on ❤😊

@koibatnahi4683 Жыл бұрын

Wow! It was expected from the scientists but those temporary PMs supporting the largest objective is credit worthy. Hats off to you SG for yet another gripping tale of our country.

@arindamkumar7725 Жыл бұрын

I am so glad that SG made a CTC on the nuclear arms test

@husaindaud5569 Жыл бұрын

The more SG explained the prouder i am, thanks to so many citizens for being so loyal.

@TheOpposition Жыл бұрын

Dear Shekhar Ji, I was deeply intrigued and captivated by your account of India's journey to nuclear self-sufficiency. You are right, it is a saga that deserves its own book. As citizens of this nation, we are all indebted to the brilliant scientists, visionary politicians, and dedicated administrators who made this achievement possible. Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, A.B. Vajpayee, administrators like Chandra ji, Mishra ji and many others played crucial roles in this journey. I am grateful to you for sharing this story with us. It is a reminder of the strength and resilience of our nation, and the power of human ingenuity.

@deeyarshree Жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing 👍

@biluvarghese6371 Жыл бұрын

Great Story

@utkarshsrivastav6693 Жыл бұрын

Very mature politicians and all the working people.. this should be the zeal of finding something

@nitinbhaktavatsal5886 Жыл бұрын

Bugger was condemning this and now praising. What a bloody chameleon.

@gunjaneighteen Жыл бұрын

Wonderful storytelling Shekhar, it's like I'm watching a movie.

@Organic.Mechanic Жыл бұрын

Its clear as water people still live for this great country so that we can roam around freely keeping our heads held high this spirit which lives in the heart of people is why we will go further and become a super power not because we were destined to or because we were a great power in the past but because we owe so much to these people who live on their meagre salaries with no recognition just soldier on to make this country what our forefathers envisioned this country to be saare jahan se achha hindustan hamara.

@jsshenoy204 Жыл бұрын

A great story indeed by the master storyteller. Thanks to Shekhar for remembering the forgotten heroes of May 11, 1998, who made India proud.

@ThePrintIndia Жыл бұрын

Thank you for the kind words. There are some days and incidents that one never forgets. This was one of them. I'm glad you enjoyed this episiode...best wishes, Shekhar

@SimplifyAstrology Жыл бұрын

Good one Shekhar! Only if politicians today could place the nation first, once again like earlier times!

@VijayKumar-dn4pz Жыл бұрын

Fascinating stuff. Thank you.

@ud1976 Жыл бұрын

Super story. Filled with exclusive nuggets and anecdotes. Could you please do an episode analyzing the value of doing the tests in light of the fact that 1. Pakistan did their tests right away and 2. It appears to not have stopped hot wars from occurring.

@rinmulder2008 Жыл бұрын

I congratulate you on doing this 25th anniversary of this landmark event. We were at school and all remember the short but electrifying announcement from Vajpayee

@VijeDerm Жыл бұрын

Sg simply “Wow” to these guys dedication hatsoff. Good that you brought out this CTC

@muralimoghan2168 Жыл бұрын

Great to be a Indian Jai Hind

@sanjaythomasjohn Жыл бұрын

If someone hits a stone 50 times to break it one can't say that it was just the 50th hit that broke the rock. Something people who keep attributing Pokhran 2 to Vajpayee will never understand. Thank You Sekhar Ji for this episode.

@ranjitkamath2417 Жыл бұрын

Good Point,

@pp_01123 Жыл бұрын

But Vajpayee also deserve the credit! As he was perhaps second last after Dr Singh who worked for country above party lines. People also belive that India was nothing before 2014 :P (sometimes we should hear and smile at them)

@indian9632 Жыл бұрын

Agree. Just like some think all credit should go to Gandhi and nehuru for Indias freedom

@bimasu Жыл бұрын

@@indian9632 excellent

@bimasu Жыл бұрын

But surely it took a Vajpayee (and a BJP that had the guts in those days to publicly declare in their manifesto) to actually conduct the tests.

@emporerofindia Жыл бұрын

One of the best CTCs.

@shahstandfortruth5691 Жыл бұрын

Fascinating story

@the_Nameless_One99 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for a great episode, sir. I had hoped that today's episode would be SC focused as we got two important rulings - one regarding the change of government in Maharashtra and one regarding the CM's powers in Delhi. At first glance, it looks like both the rulings went against the BJP's interests. However, it is hard to find unbiased sources regarding these judgements, hence my hopes of a CTC episode on these. Moreover, including the fascinating daily live-telecasted hearings that have been happening on the legalisation of homosexual marriages in the SC, there was more than enough material for an episode, if not more. But, this episode was fascinating enough. Kudos to you and your team. Regards,

@VK-bk7gi Жыл бұрын

6/7 Nuclear Scientists who spearheaded this effort were from TN👏

@Star-ds4sd Жыл бұрын

Colour or Regional Stufff Can't Divide These Huge Achievement

@kunti_putra Жыл бұрын

why stop at state level? you can go ahead and classify them at district level as well.

@vikramganasen Жыл бұрын

Crazy to think about it! Just imagine how limiting it would have been for them to work under duress and absolute secrecy!!

@offred6013 Жыл бұрын

Oh! I thought scientists were from India.

@harisundar8698 Жыл бұрын

Incredible story ❤️

@harshrajsanghvi6723 Жыл бұрын

Remarkable !!

@NaveenKumar-xs5ie Жыл бұрын

Thankyou

@AkashVora Жыл бұрын

Unusual picture of Sonia similing with Chandrshekhar ji. 14.39

@foxbat296 Жыл бұрын

This is one of the best CTC episodes

@manmohanmehta5697 Жыл бұрын

Amazing National Interest true nationalists Thankyou all with bowed head . Shaker ji you are amazing to choose this story on the most appropriate day. Thank you .

@Karthik-cg1dd Жыл бұрын

One of the best CTC episode It would have been even better if it would have been longer.

@JS-zc2jr Жыл бұрын

Fascinating 😎 #ThePrint #ShekharGupta

@stateheadtnmercelys6045 Жыл бұрын

Good reading (hearing) James Hardele Chase. Salute to our matured politician of those years. Good night

@aayushswastik6546 Жыл бұрын

Well I had goosebumps

@JS-zc2jr Жыл бұрын

#ThePrint 👍

@lookingfordevinepeace Жыл бұрын

All of this secrecy in just one sentence. “ desh phehle “ baki sab badme. “Desh rehna chahiye “

@Evan3783 Жыл бұрын

Great content! Two mics?

@anamikasharma537 Жыл бұрын

If only we had more visionaries and sensible people at the higher levels, in all fields of science, sports, medicine. We could be a superpower in all areas.

@nirajdar6343 Жыл бұрын

Jai hind !!!

@voicification Жыл бұрын

Given that Inder Gujral is known to have handicapped R&AW network in Pak during his tenure in a naive misguided attempt to make peace with our neighbor to the west, I find it remarkable that even he managed to keep the nukes secret. Would love to have a CTC on IKG

@ARUNAGURRAM-yd1mq Жыл бұрын

We love story telling

@aniruddhans3033 Жыл бұрын

14:26 that is why I love your show sir

@dineshkumarbharadwaj8036 Жыл бұрын

👍 coverage! Felt 🥹, when a general debate outside IAEA 2003, asking me where Is Buddha 😊 person ? 🙏to Atalji vision…

@shmakn99 Жыл бұрын

Sir bilkul poetic ho jate hai kabhi kabhi

@anupammajmudar6752 Жыл бұрын

Me.Gupta has stressed only administrative issues and how were they overcome, but what about technical/ scientific side. How Plutonium was got hold of in spite of heavy international sanctions, how weapon was fabricated and how it was transported through escaping satellite’s range. How the entire operation was kept secret even from Atomic Energy Sceintific community. We in BREC, did not know of any development till we read next day. It seems that for likes of Mr Gupta, movements of files is the only thing that matters

@AmanChauhan-wy9cb Жыл бұрын

Sir, Did this nuclear test led to shifting of potential FDI away from India towards China, esp electronic and telecom segment related one.

@ranjitpal9937 Жыл бұрын

Please Make A Episode on Pokhran 1 Too

@pankajkaushik5799 Жыл бұрын

Salute to Patriots.

@jiffyjose Жыл бұрын

Can you please share the link of the walk the talk with Dr Kakodkar

@shabarinathrao Жыл бұрын

So less about Atalji n his team.. while so much on others.. interesting

@balkaransidhu5334 Жыл бұрын

It was good move

@ssriramsrs Жыл бұрын

Gupta ji, either you write a book on this or recommend some.

@cvsarat Жыл бұрын

The movie Pokhran even though exaggerated depicts your theory. Do watch it once! brilliant pick of a CTC invoking bipartisan nationalism amidst the current cacophony.

@disha4545 Жыл бұрын

Hi Shekhar, Could you share the link of that walk the talk?

@ThePrintIndia Жыл бұрын

Here are the links: www.ndtv.com/video/shows/walk-the-talk/walk-the-talk-with-anil-kakodkar-part-1-368412 www.ndtv.com/video/shows/walk-the-talk/walk-the-talk-with-anil-kakodkar-part-2-369217 Thank you for writing to us, Disha Regards, ThePrint Team