Fifty-two years ago, India detonated a nuclear device in Rajasthan's Thar desert, codenamed 'Smiling Buddha'. This event, coinciding with Buddha Purnima, marked India's entry into the nuclear club. Despite being officially termed a 'peaceful nuclear explosion', the test ignited debate and reshaped India's global standing, demonstrating scientific self-reliance and announcing strategic intent. NEW DELHI: On the morning of May 18, 1974, deep beneath the sands of Rajasthan’s Thar desert, India detonated a nuclear device that would alter the country’s strategic trajectory forever. At 8.05 am, a controlled underground explosion shook the Pokhran test range, sending tremors far beyond India’s borders….