The Apsara reactor at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Trombay was Asia's first outside the USSR. It was indigenously designed and built in 1955, though its fuel was imported from the UK. But its small size made it ideal for research rather than weapons or generating electricity. The reactor is operational.
The uranium mill at Jadugoda and reserves elsewhere in Bihar and other parts of the country are critical for India's independent nuclear posture. The ore is milled and then sent for purification to plants in Hyderabad and Trombay and fabricated into uranium oxide fuel bundles at Hyderabad's Nuclear Fuels Complex.
The Dhruva reactor, built at Trombay, became fully operational only in 1988. It is used to irradiate the fuel bundles to create the kind of plutonium needed for nuclear weapons. India used the smaller Cirus reactor to make the plutonium for its "peaceful" nuclear test in 1974 though it had given Canada, who helped to build it, a commitment to use it for "peaceful" purposes only.
Plutonium reprocessing plants in Trombay, Tarapur and Kalpakkam create the metal that requires
extremely accurate machining to fabricate the spherical 6 kg-8 kg ball which is the core of a
nuclear weapon. This is now done by the DRDO which handles weapons fabrication activity at secret
facilities.
The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre is the heart of India's nuclear set-up. It is named after Homi
J. Bhabha, father of the country's nuclear programme which laid emphasis on self-reliance at every
stage of the nuclear cycle. Bhabha's offer to make the atom bomb in the '60s was turned down.
Currently there are 10 nuclear reactors supplying electricty (every now and then), two boiling
water reactors (constructed by General Electric) and 8 heavy water reactors (first two supplied by
Canada (AECL withdrew cooperation after India's first test in 1974).
World Nuclear Industry Handbook 1998 / The Times of India, 4 May 1998
Reactions in India on N-tests May 11. The immediate reaction from the
Indian elites and middle class residing in the cities was one of pride and euphoria that India had
done it. Some people blared trumpets, burst crackers and distributed sweets. The ruling party BJP
tried to take immediate political advantage by organising Gaurav Divas (The day of Pride)
celeberations in various cities. Opposition political parties felt cheated since they claimed that
they too deserved the "credit" since they had supported the scientists whilst they were in power.
Ex Prime Minister Gujaral said that obviously these devices had been kept at the ready for a long
time and had not been made just in the last two months that BJP was in power. There was lot of talk
about the ability of Indian scientists and engineers to deliver the "goods". This actually shows
the level of scientific illitracy in the country that it takes such pride in an achievement of
repeating an experiment first done five decades ago elsewhere. The Times of India conducted a
survey in which it said that 91 percent of the respondents welcomed the move. However, a lot of
this euphoria is a city bred phenomena while more than 70 percent of India's population is rural
and large numbers remain blissfully unaware of these blasts.
The chorus of approval for the tests was not universal. There were protests. 300 citizens of Delhi
marched in the scorching afternoon heat in a protest against India's nuclear testing and aggressive
posture in the subcontinent. The demonmstrators wore black bands and held placards that read "We
don't want Nuclear Bombs in Gandhi's India", "Remember Hiroshima", "We Want Peace" and "We are
Clear, No Nuclear". A little girl on her father's shoulder carried a placard that said "No Bombs".
The march was covered extensively by both print and electronic media and featured prominently in
the evening television News. "What does this demonstration hope to achieve? " one demonstrator was
asked. "We don't want the world to think that all Indians support the nuclear testing," she said
"this is for all the peoples of the subcontinent - we are saying we wan't peace and not war." There
were also letters of protest from scientists in prestigious institutes and universities in India.
Over two hundred Indians and Pakistanis living in the United States signed a petition pledging to
work together toward peace and harmony in the region, notwithstanding the jingoistic rhetoric of
leaders.
Anumukti, 18 May 1998
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