He started out as a newspaper vendor. He earned a degree in aeronautical engineering at a technology institute in Chennai (Madras). He joined the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Kerala in the 1960s as one of its first engineers. He played a major role in the center's evolution as a key hub of space research in India, helping to develop the country's first indigenous satellite-launch vehicle.
He worked for the Defence Research and Development Organization and the Indian Space Research Organization.