“The Drone Man of India”, Milind Raj is a Scientist, a humanitarian and CEO of Mondatech. He is a tech pro who’s added to India’s Crown of Glory. Milind has been constantly churning out efforts to build top notch Indian technology and robots, to serve our people and the Nation in its entirety. Here’s an abstract of his interaction with Ishika Sethi.

Ishika Sethi: What got you interested in this field of work and what is the most exciting discovery that you’ve made till date?

Milind Raj: I have always been highly fascinated with tech science and robotics since my late childhood. When I was in second grade in school, I made an electricity operated sharpener. In grade four, I designed my first drone. Also, when I was in seventh grade, I stood second in a Robotics event which further on developed my interest. After years of rigorous toil, I was very much interested in designing technology for Indian Army, for the defence. And I put in all my blood and sweat to design it.

Now coming to the most exciting discovery that I’ve made till date, it’s a Sanitization Drone which is saving the lives of thousands of people during this corona time.

Ishika Sethi: Can you throw some light on the ‘sanitization drone’ that you’ve made in order to retard the oscillating threats caused by coronavirus pandemic?

Milind Raj: I designed a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) which is one of a kind concept of ‘aerial disinfectant spray technology’. It is an ‘anti-corona drone’ prototype, also known as the ‘sanitization drone’ and it has the capabilities of carrying out a comprehensive sanitation process. According to WHO, the virus can sustain up to 72 hours on surfaces like metal, plastic and glass. So, in order to avoid the transmission of virus, drone spray technology is used to sanitize vehicles, gates, outdoor boundaries, narrow lanes and high structures. The current drone can spray 8-10 liters of disinfectant at a time and I am working on the upgraded version. Besides this I would also like to add that with this technology, India became the second country in the World to use Sanitation Drone during Corona pandemic.

Ishika Sethi: That’s such an amazing invention, Milind. Would you like to share some of your recognized work or some achievements of yours with us?

Milind Raj: I made an Indigenous Operational drone in 2014 which was inaugurated by DR. APJ ABDUL KALAM. This is one amongst my biggest achievements. Also, I made an Intelligent Humanoid Robot which can converse in both Hindi and English in 2018 who greeted the President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, UP’s CM Yogi Adityanath and other honorable ministers present at India’s Biggest Investors Summit in Lucknow, 2018. Besides this, in 2018 I made a drone which rescued a stranded puppy from a 20-feet drain in the middle of a road. In addition, built exclusive technologies like Automated Robotics, Artificial Intelligent, Flying Robots, Amphibian Robots, Humanoids, Defense Robots, Policing Robots, Flying Ambulance Technology, Automated Agriculture Robots, Underwater Robots and much more. Last but not the least, I also teach kids, especially the ones stemming from underprivileged backgrounds without charging a single penny.

Ishika Sethi: The Future of the country is in safe hands, I must say, Milind. Moving onto the next question, Describe your meeting with ‘THE MISSILE MAN OF INDIA’ and his words of wisdom.

Milind Raj: One fine day I wrote to DR. APJ ABDUL KALAM to come to Lucknow. Fortunately, he accepted my invitation and came to Lucknow on 23rd December 2014 and launched the First Indigenous Operational Drone which was made by me. He was very impressed by my invention and that is when he crowned me with the title of “Drone Man of India”. He was the one who gave me the vision and the mission. He held my hand and I can still feel the warmth in my palm. Also, I feel that winning the heart of a person such as Dr. Kalam is like a dream come true. And it was the first time in the history of India that a president launched an Indigenous Drone.

Ishika Sethi: Any message that you would like to give to the budding scientists?

Milind Raj: All I want to say is, just fall in love with science because it is science that can transform us, our society and which can make us a better Human being. Also, here I would like to quote a statement which Dr. Kalam mentioned to me “If you want to shine like a Sun, you need to first burn like a Sun”.

Ishika Sethi: Thank you very much Milind for your time. It was an absolute pleasure to have a conversation with you.