Bengaluru, May 11 (PTI): If India has 10 Abdul Kalams, we can really bring about a change in the way we approach research and development, said former DRDO scientist Prahlada Ramarao on Sunday.

Bengaluru-based Ramarao was part of the missile-building team put together by India's "Missile Man" and former President A P J Abdul Kalam.

The indigenous surface-to-air missile system, famously called Akash, that he and his team worked on for nearly 15 years, since 1983, is having its moment of glory, as it withstood the onslaught of Pakistani missiles and drones, especially on May 8 and 9.

"The biggest difficulty for India is that we are individually good, but cannot work together as a team. Kalam was very good at addressing this. He taught me how to bring the energy of individuals synergistically to achieve a purpose. That is why I feel, if we have 10 Kalams, India will truly lead," Ramarao told PTI.

Ramarao said he was only 34 years old when he was made the project director for the surface-to-air missile project, originally called SAM X and later renamed as Akash system.

"To make it happen, we had to make hardware, software prototypes, and then test it out. When it didn't work, go back, review the design, change the design and so it went on for two, three iterations. Only after 15 years, we could show that to the reluctant Army, who never really believed we could pull this off," he said.

The scientist said India is now in a better place, and the young scientists today are better equipped to arm India with indigenous innovations.

"I am sure if you want to make another missile system, it will take maybe five years because the foundation has been laid," Ramarao said.

He also pointed out that the capability of Indian manufacturers too has grown tremendously.

"Earlier, say around 1984-85, Indian industries were doing what is called build to print. Then we moved on to build to design and then build to concept. Now, Indian industries are so smart that they can build, if you just give a concept," he said.

Although he admitted that India has matured in the last 25 years when it comes to guided missiles and rockets, it still has a long way to go to claim absolute dominion in that.

Just as we improved, the technology capability of all our adversaries too have improved, he pointed out.

"I interact with a number of young students. They are highly competent and very, very ambitious. They want to do something different, something fantastic. All they need now is direction and support," Ramarao said.

The scientist said it is now up to the policymakers to harness this huge resource for the good of the country.

"We certainly need someone like Kalam, who managed to inspire a motley team like ours, young and inexperienced, to pull off the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme, one of the India's ambitious projects that is serving India well even today," Ramarao said.

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London, Aug 5 (PTI): An Indian-origin taxi driver based in Ireland for over 23 years has become the latest to be targeted in an unprovoked attack in the capital Dublin, with local police (Gardai) launching an investigation into the violent assault.

Lakhvir Singh, in his 40s, told local media that he picked up two young men in their 20s on Friday night and dropped them at Poppintree, in the Ballymun suburb of Dublin.

Upon arriving at the destination, the men are said to have opened the vehicle door and struck him twice on the head with a bottle. As the suspects fled, they reportedly shouted: "Go back to your own country".

"In 10 years I've never seen anything like this happen," Singh told ‘Dublin Live’.

"I'm really scared now and I'm off the road at the moment. It will be very hard to go back. My children are really scared," he said.

A Dublin police spokesperson said Singh was taken to the city's Beaumont Hospital with injuries determined as not life-threatening.

"Gardaí are investigating an assault reported to have occurred in Poppintree, Ballymun, Dublin 11 at approximately 11:45 pm on Friday, 1st August 2025. A man, aged in his 40s, was brought to Beaumont Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injury. Investigations are ongoing," the spokesperson said.

The incident followed an Indian Embassy advisory, also issued on Friday, expressing safety concerns following recent attacks in and around the capital Dublin and urging Indian citizens to take safety precautions.

"There has been an increase in the instances of physical attacks reported against Indian citizens in Ireland recently,” states the advisory.

“The embassy is in touch with the authorities concerned in Ireland in this regard. At the same time, all Indian citizens in Ireland are advised to take reasonable precautions for their personal security and avoid deserted areas, especially at odd hours," the statement reads, adding emergency embassy contact details as 0899423734 and cons.dublin@mea.gov.in.

It came in the wake of a brutal attack on a 40-year-old Indian man at Parkhill Road in the Tallaght suburb of Dublin on July 19, described as “mindless, racist violence” by locals.

The Gardai had opened an investigation into the case and Indian Ambassador to Ireland Akhilesh Mishra was among those who took to social media to express shock over the attack.

“Regarding the recent incident of physical attack on an Indian national that happened in Tallaght, Dublin, the embassy is in touch with the victim and his family. All the requisite assistance is being offered. The embassy is also in touch with the relevant Irish authorities in this regard,” the embassy said in a social media post days after the incident.

A Stand Against Racism protest was also held by the local community in condemnation of what was described as a "vicious racist attack" and to express solidarity with migrants.

Last week, Dr Santosh Yadav took to LinkedIn to post details of a “brutal, unprovoked racist attack”.

The entrepreneur and AI expert stressed that it was not an isolated incident and called for “concrete measures” from the governments of Ireland and India to ensure Indians feel safe to walk the streets of Dublin.

His post revealed that a group of six teenagers attacked him from behind as he walked to his apartment in Dublin.

“This is not an isolated incident. Racist attacks on Indian men and other minorities are surging across Dublin — on buses, in housing estates, and on public streets. Yet, the government is silent. There is no action being taken against these perpetrators. They run free and are emboldened to attack again,” reads Yadav's post.

Fine Gael party Councillor for Tallaght South, Baby Pereppadan, was among those who expressed concern following last month’s attack.

“People need to understand that many Indian people moving to Ireland are here on work permits, to study and work in the healthcare sector or in IT and so on, providing critical skills,” he said.