'If an average student like me can achieve, everyone can', ISRO scientist's old speech goes viral

In ISRO, P Veeramuthuvel worked in project engineering, remote sensing, and scientific satellite fields, besides working for the Mass Orbiter Mission. He was also in charge of nano satellites.

“I was an average student during my school days…I am a simple person. When I can achieve high in life, everyone can…Hard work will never go unrewarded.”

This was P Veeramuthuvel, the ISRO scientist who along with his team made a billion Indians proud on Wednesday by successfully landing the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft on the south polar region of the moon, just a few months ago.

Veeramuthuvel was invited to speak at a career guidance event for students by his former ISRO colleague Mylswamy Annadurai, who was project director of Chandrayaan-1, in 2022 to share his experiences and give a pep talk on how to achieve high in life.

The 3-minute video where Veeramuthuvel speaks in Tamil has now gone viral with hundreds of people sharing it on various social media platforms. In the video, the ISRO scientist talks about his school days during which he was an “average student” to drive home the point even “late starters” can make accomplishments in life.

Choosing a diploma course after completing his 10th standard in Villupuram in Tamil Nadu as there was none to provide him career guidance, the ISRO scientist said he developed an avid interest in engineering and pursued his dream from then on.

“I was an average student during my school days,” Veeramuthuvel said. After scoring 90 per cent marks in diploma in mechanical engineering, he joined Sairam Engineering College in Chennai and excelled in all semester exams.

“I never used to study all the time. But when I took the book, I always with full concentration, and 100 per cent focus. I used to understand the subject and study,” Veeramuthuvel said.

Later, he completed his ME from the Regional Engineering College, Tiruchirapalli, now known as National Institute of Technology and got place in Lakshmi Machine Works in Coimbatore. However, his interest in aerospace research continued and Veeramuthuvel moved to Bengaluru to join the helicopter division of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited as design engineer.

“But I kept dreaming of joining ISRO and finally I made it. I worked in many projects and continued my Ph. D on a novel topic ‘Vibration and suppression of electronic package in satellite’ from IIT-Madras,” he said.

In ISRO, Veeramuthuvel worked in project engineering, remote sensing, and scientific satellite fields, besides working for the Mass Orbiter Mission. He was also in charge of nano satellites.

“I am simple person. If I can achieve high in life, everyone can. Opportunity knock at everyone’s door and we should utilize it. I believe self-discipline, 100 per cent involvement without any expectation, hard work, and uniqueness will bring success. Hard work will never go unrewarded,” the Chandrayaan-3 project director concluded.