Praising Bhabha, Chidambaram acknowledged his ability to combine science with politics, and private enterprise with the government. He said that while in most cases the death of a leader leads to the collapse of the system, the Indian nuclear sector is an exception to this rule, thanks to the foresight and initiative of Bhabha.
“Bhabha created a swarm of leadership around him which ensured that when he died in the Air India air crash on January 24, 1966, the system continued. He found the leader first and then the department,” Chidambaram said.
Recalling his personal association with Bhabha, Chidambaram said when he was a PhD student at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, Bhabha had paid a visit. “While going around he wanted to check if there was any dust and removed them. He was a stickler for cleanliness,” he said.
The author of the book, Dadabhoy, expressed the need for a biopic on Bhabha akin to “Oppenheimer”.