When The Buddha Smiled on India...

On 12^th October 1973, David Davies-a geophysicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who worked on seismic detection of underground nuclear tests- predicted that India would be the sixth country to conduct nuclear weapon tests. After 7 months he was proven correct by the ingenuity of Indian scientists and the fortitude of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Canada sold a 40 megawatt Canadian-Indian Reactor, U.S. (CIRUS) to India in 1956. India had the necessary manpower and capacity to develop and test a nuclear weapon. The heavy water needed to control Nuclear Fission had been provided by the US. So what made India abstain from performing the nuclear test and from becoming the first Nuclear Power? It is probably the chaste intention to maintain a mellow camaraderie with the other countries or a mere lack of grit in the Indian leadership. Meanwhile India refused to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation treaty in 1970.

 When questioned over it, our ambassador to the UN answered, “We will sign the Non Proliferation Treaty if everybody gives up any kind of, what you call, horrible weapons they have got, and everybody settles down to peaceful use of atomic energy, but the Non Proliferation Treaty was so discriminatory we could not accept it. If everybody says that we shall give up atomic energy for destructive purposes, we shall be the first one to sign.”

 Two years later Indian scientists designed a nuclear device capable of a high explosion. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi visited the BARC on 17^th September 1972. Conferring complete faith in the work of the BARC scientists she courageously gave a “go ahead” for the development of the device. All she demanded of her people was outright secrecy until it was developed and tested. And indeed our scientists then industriously honoured her command. Nothing was known about the development of such a device in the BARC to anyone besides the 75 scientists working on it and the three lions of India, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, her adviser P.N.Haskar and the then principal secretary D.P.Dhar. Whats more! Even the Defence Minister was kept uninformed. Such was the grandeur of our leaders back then.

Time passed by and the plans began to materialize. The test site was surveyed and finalised. The design was coming into reality under the able leadership of Raja Ramanna and P.K.Iyengar. In February 1974 Ramanna said, “We are ready to tickle the dragon’s tail”. Various simulations of the tests were conducted and proved successful in the course of time. After the review of the simulations Haskar and Dhar were sceptical about carrying out the main test for strong political reasons. But P.M Indira Gandhi said, “Go ahead. Do it.” And after that India as a country was changed forever.

18th May, 1974, PMO (Prime Minister’s Office)

Prime Minister Indira Gandhi received a call from a village near Pokhran.

It was Sethna one of the main scientists. He said, "Madam the Buddha has finally smiled."

With these words, India became the worlds 6th country to develop nuclear weapon and the 1st outside The United Nations Security Council.

The project was given a code name "SMILING BUDDHA "Nuclear test. There are two convincing reasons why it should have been named so. One is it was an indirect indication to China that India is building up its nuclear power and second that it was conducted on the day of Buddha Jayanti. India became the only known country with nuclear weapons which was not a party to the Non Proliferation Treaty. India described its Smiling Buddha blast as a “Peaceful Nuclear Explosion,” but predictably, as soon as Pakistan saw that India had the Bomb, it put its CANDU reactor to work developing its own nuclear weapons. The Nuclear Suppliers’ Group was founded in 1974 in response to the Indian nuclear test to limit the export of nuclear equipment, materials or technology.

There was a chaos all around the world once the news of India’s successful nuclear test broke through. Two days later i.e. 20^th May 1974, a CBC reporter called Barbara Frum conducted an interview with the Indian Ambassador to the UN Samar Sen. Here are some striking excerpts of the same:

BF -Ambassador Sen, did India not violate some agreements with Canada in developing its atom bomb?

SS -India did not develop an atom bomb.

BF -What did it develop?

SS -India just exploded an atomic device, nothing to do with a bomb. It is just one of the processes which is necessary for using atomic energy. How did you get the idea for an atom bomb?  J

BF -Could that device not be used as a bomb?

SS -Of course it could be used as a bomb, but why should it be used as a bomb? Why voice this distrust?

BF -I believe your own Prime Minister described this as being a “peaceful bomb.” I think that turned up in the news.

SS -I haven’t seen the text, but I think she has made it quite clear that if she means by bomb, that it makes a lot of noise and explosion, then of course one could call it a bomb, but I think she has made it amply clear that this is to be used for peaceful purposes, for economic development.

BF -So you would have no objection if Pakistan developed its own nuclear devices?

SS -If Pakistan, or any other country, including the USA or the USSR, or any other country wishes to find nuclear energy, or any other form of energy for exploiting its natural resources by peaceful means, then we are all for it.

          The ambassador showed great valour and poise while he was being questioned in front of the whole world. He was a true representative of India and showed tremendous faith and respect towards his country and the P.M. Such is the dignity of Indian leaders and today if we citizens stand up to say that we are proud of our country then it is because of these dauntless leaders who worked day in and day out for the strengthening of the country. A salute to all those who contributed to this deed and