Uranium is a heavy metal, mined from the ground like any other essential commodity, such as coal or iron ore. It is not of much importance when it is first mined, but becomes important when it has gone through a process inside a nuclear reactor wherein its atoms split apart in a process called fission, and that reaction releases an enormous amount of heat. Illustration by The Geostrata Heat boils water into steam, then the steam spins a turbine, which then generates electrici

After independence when India was just starting its nuclear program, the country’s infrastructure and industrial set were basic and there...