National Technology Day: Marking India's brilliance in field by remembering Pokhran test

India, every year, on May 11 celebrates National Technology Day to mark the anniversary of Operation Shakti, also known as Pokhran nuclear test, which was conducted on this day in 1998. Various events such as competitions, quizzes, lecture, interactive sessions, and presentations are organized on the day in different technical institutes and engineering colleges of the nation to mark the day.

The aim of the celebration is to highlight the achievements of our scientists and engineers that are actively engaged in nation-building. The day also signifies the importance of science in our day-to-day life.

OPERATION SHAKTI

Operation Shakti is a Pokhran nuclear test in which successive tests were carried out in the Pokhran test range of Rajasthan. The first test Pokhran was carried out in May 1974. Following this, the second test conducted was Pokhran II that includes five tests. Out of these five tests, the first one was a fusion bomb while rests are fission bomb.

Though several names were attributed to these tests, the original name was kept intact as 'operation Shakti-98', while the five nuclear devices were classified Shakti I to Shakti V. The term Shakti has been taken from the Sanskrit language which means 'power'. At present, the whole operation is called Pokhran II.

With this advancement in nuclear energy, India became the 6th nuclear state of the world on that day.

But this was not the only thing that India has attained on that day. Besides 'Shakti' on the same day, 'Hansa -3' the foremost Indian aircraft developed by National Aerospace laboratory was flown in Bengaluru.

Happy National Technology Day!!