A man, initially assumed to be an ordinary staff member, reveals that he is a former ISRO scientist who spent 16 years working as an engineer.
A casual chat at a restaurant turned into a viral moment online after a soft-spoken restaurant manager, in conversation with a content creator, revealed he is a former ISRO scientist who spent 16 years working as an engineer at India’s premier space agency.
He opens up about why he walked away from a career many would consider a dream. The reason, he explains, was the “intense pressure” that came with the job. Satellite assembly, he says, demanded near-impossible precision, where the tiniest error could jeopardise years of work. Over time, the relentless stress took its toll.
In the now-viral Instagram video, the former scientist explains the unforgiving nature of his work, “I was earlier at ISRO. I worked there as a scientist engineer. I worked there for 16 years, then I left. There was a lot of pressure there, satellite assembly has very high pressure. The tolerance is 0.001. Just to assemble one full part, there are 10 parts. In those 10 parts, each one comes as 0.001, 0.002, 0.003 like that. You have to know which part goes where and what result it will give."
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He goes on to illustrate the microscopic level of accuracy required, offering a comparison: “One strand of hair has a thickness of about 0.004, around 4 microns. We have to do assembly with a tolerance of 1 micron. If even one hair falls inside after two parts are assembled, it becomes 5 microns. That level of accuracy is needed. There is no pressure in the hotel, I am relaxed. Later, I will join again."
He also reveals how a minor spelling error in official documents derailed a potential opportunity to work in the United States, altering the trajectory of his career. "There was one chance in the US. All documents were done. My initials are KG, Shrikant KG. It became AG there, so there was a small issue. Because of that, I came here to relax."
After leaving ISRO, he chose a different path - managing a restaurant. The simplicity of his current role, he says, has allowed him to breathe again.
