National Technology Day: Significance and reasons why it is celebrated

National Technology Day is celebrated every year in India on May 11 to honour the huge contributions of Indian scientists, engineers, and researchers and everyone who is directly or indirectly associated with the scientific community of India. One of the reasons why May 11 has been selected for celebrating National Technology Day is because the country achieved a series of technological advancements on this particular date decades earlier.

India became nuclear power on May 11

India became a nuclear power on May 11 and became a part of the small group of countries that had successfully tested nuclear weapons. On May 11, 1998, India carried out nuclear tests in Rajasthan's Pokhran and became the 6th country to become a part of the Nuclear Club. At that time late A P J Abdul Kalam was the aero scientist who led this mission from India. He later went on to become the 11th President of the country.

It was the second time that India had tried to do nuclear testing after the first trial called Smiling Buddha in 1974. That is not all, India also tested its first indigenous aircraft Hansa-3 on May 11, 1998, which took its first flight from Bengaluru. This particular aircraft was developed to perform important tasks such as pilot training, surveillance, and several reconnaissance purposes.

Another important thing that happened on this day was the successful test firing of Trishul- the surface-to-air missile. So multiple activities of national interest that boosted the technological strength of the country and established India as one of the fastest developing countries in the world in technology occurred on this day. That is why we started observing May 11 as the National Technology Day in 1999 after the then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpaye e signed and declared it officially.