Dr P Nilakantan
Dr S R Valluri
Professor R Narasimha
Dr K N Raju
Professor Satish Dhawan
Dr R A Mashelkar
Dr PRamamoorthy
Prof U R Rao
Dr B R Somashekar
Mr K Venkatachalam
Dr K S Yajnik
Dr M V V Murthy
Dr A C Raghuram
Dr Indira Rajagopal
Dr M Shivakumara Swamy
Dr S Nagabhushana
Dr J P Pichamuthu
Dr S Srinathkumar
Dr Srinivas Bhogle

Mr Venkatachalam's last five years at NAL have been especially eventful; he played pivotal roles in the computer controlled autoclave and other LCA-related projects.

Mr K Venkatachalam
A tribute by R V M Chokkalingam on the eve of Mr Venkatachalam's retirement in August 1996.

My first contact with Mr Venkatachalam goes back to the early 1970's when I was at VITM (then under CSIR) and Mr Venkatachalam, as a member of several VITM advisory committees, was actively involved in the Museum's activities. I can hardly believe that this active and youthful gentleman is already 60 and retiring this weekend. I see no difference in the K Venkatachalam of the 1970's and now: the attitude, attire, cordial disposition and outspoken nature have not changed one bit!.

As Deputy Director and Head of NAL's Engineering Services Division, Mr Venkatachalam was very much in the thick of things at NAL. His last five years at NAL have been especially eventful; he played pivotal roles in the computer controlled autoclave and other LCA-related projects. Mr Venkatachalam has also been closely associated with projects such as the fullscale fatigue test facility, polar filament winding machine, high pressure lab facilities etc. NAL will also gratefully recall his outstanding contribution in setting up modern fabrication facilities including CNC machines and other CAD/CAM facilities. On the eve of his retirement, Mr Ventakachalam was awarded the title of "Professional Engineer" by the Institute of Engineers; a worthy honour for someone who practised outstanding engineering at NAL for 36 years! We will miss Mr Venkatachalam.