Q. As a kid, what inspired you the most?

A. I was inspired and enamoured by fighter pilots of our Air Force. My cousin was one and from the day he made me sit in the cockpit of a Vampire fighter aircraft, I was hooked....always dreamt of being one and was lucky that later in life, I became one!

Q. Did you ever think that you would be the first man from India to go to space, while you were in your teens?

A. No. Never. Space flight was all so new then. It had just about begun as I was getting ready to leave school. At that time I was just focussed on making it to the National Defence Academy, en-route to becoming a fighter pilot.

Q. What kind of support you got from your parents and teachers?

A. Every kind. From the parents, the backing and the belief that I will make it through successfully. Even though they feared for my safety, they did not stand in my way. From my teachers, I learnt discipline, respect and values.

Q. How important is it for today's youth to focus on their goals?

A. Extremely important. There are a surfeit of opportunities today. Landing a job is not difficult. Knowing what matches ones personality and available skill sets, is. Competition is severe. One can succeed in a chosen profession only if one is passionate about the kind of activity one is involved in. Passion + Focus = Success, in today's professional work sphere.

Q. What role reading books can play in boosting your career?

A. At a young age, books develop our imagination. Later, our vocabulary and even later, a capacity to read, understand, refer, and apply. Taken together, these are the ingredients required to be a successful professional. 

Q. Have you acheived all that you wanted to in life as a test pilot and astronaut?

A. Not as a test pilot; would have liked to fly the LCA. Not as an astronaut either; would have liked to undertake many more flights and explore our solar neighbourhood!

Q. What's your take on today's youth?

A. They live in very interesting times. Many new technical disciplines driven by exciting new age technologies are in the offing. The youth, before long, will have many challenging careers to choose from - Bio tech, Space, Energy etc.. They just need to make the most of these opportunities for themselves and the country.

Q. Do you think, India needs more inspiring leaders, more leaders with vision?

A. Yes she does. But I do not see them emerging from within the current system headed by the current leadership. Reason: this system does not reward excellence. It ends up shooting the messenger delivering bad news about the degrading health of institutions.
 
Q. What's your message to aspiring pilots and scientists in India?

A. My message is: Your predecessors have done enough for foreign societies. It is time they do something for India. I would like to see young scientists generating IP for India. As for military pilots, all I say is that there is no more rewarding carreer that I know of. Not as well paying as, say, civil aviation but, a whole lot more exciting and fulfilling.
Both, military pilots and scientists will need to put job satisfaction ahead of money.

Q. What do you feel about this novel movement called Inspiring Indian Foundation?

A. Much needed, if our country is to re-discover its former glory. I wish your team God speed in its endeavours.