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Dalit Scientist/Technician

A. Aiyappan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ayinapalli Aiyappan

In office
1940–1960
Preceded by F. H. Gravely
Succeeded by S. T. Satyamurthi
Personal details
Born 5 February 1905
Died 28 June 1988 (aged 83)
Profession Anthropologist

Ayinapalli Aiyappan (5 February 1905 – 28 June 1988) was a museologist who served as Superintendent of the Government Museum, Madras from 1940 to 1960. He was the first Indian to occupy the post. Aiyappan was also an amateur archaeologist who did pioneering excavations on the archaeological site at Arikamedu.

Life

Aiyappan was born into the Thiyya community. He obtained an MA in economics from the University of Madras in 1927, and in 1929 he joined the Government Museum, Madras. He continued to study, taking a PhD in 1937 after being a student of Raymond Firth at the London School of Economics. He became head of the museum in 1940 and continued there until 1958, whilst also being a visiting professor at Cornell University during 1954–1956. He became professor and head of the Department of Anthropology at Utkal University in 1958, and filled the same role at Andhra University in 1966–1967. In 1969 he was appointed vice-chancellor of Kerala University, a post in which he stayed for either 18 months or until 1972, dependent on the source selected.

In 1970 he became a sponsoring founder and first chairman of the Centre for Development Studies. He was also a sponsoring founder and director[citation needed] of the Tribal Research Bureau of Odisha (now known as Tribal and Harijan Research and Training Institute), and director of the Department of Rural Welfare of Odisha.

Aiyappan was involved in the reorganisation of the Odisha Museum as a multipurpose museum with the addition of natural history, mining and geology, and anthropology galleries. He was awarded the Saratchandra Roy Gold Medal of the Asiatic Society in Bengal. He was also an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute. He died on 28 June 1988.

Works
Iravas and Cultural Change (PhD thesis, published in Bulletin of the Madras Museum, 1945)
Social Revolution in a Kerala Village (1965)
Nayads of Kerala
The Personality of Kerala
Physical Anthropology of the Nayadis of Malabar
Bharathappazhama ( Malayalam)
Abhay Bhushan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Abhay Bhushan
Born 23 November 1944 


Abhay K. Bhushan (Hindi: अभय भूषण) (born 23 November 1944) is an Indian computer scientist. Bhushan has been a major contributor to the development of the Internet TCP/IP architecture, and is the author of the File Transfer Protocol (which he started working on while he was a student at IIT-Kanpur) and the early versions of email protocols. He is currently chairman of Asquare Inc., Secretary of Indians for Collective Action and the former President of the IIT-Kanpur Foundation.

Early life and career

Bhushan is a graduate of the first batch (1960–65) from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur,[5] receiving a B.Tech. in electrical engineering. Subsequently, he studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he received a Masters in electrical engineering together with a degree in Management from the MIT Sloan School of Management. At MIT, he drafted the now famous RFC 114 and worked on developing FTP and E-mail protocols for the ARPANet and subsequent Internet. In 1978 he was a Director at the Institute of Engineering and Rural Technology in Allahabad and was also a senior manager in Engineering and Development of Xerox where he was a founder and manager of the Xerox Environmental Leadership. He also was a co-founder of both the YieldUP International which in 1995 went public on NASDAQ and Portola Communications, which was bought by Netscape in 1997.
Anil Kumar Mandal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Anil Kumar Mandal
Born 2 January 1958

Nationality Indian
Alma mater

Known for Studies on Glaucoma
Spouse(s) Dr. Vijaya Kumari Gothwal (Mandal)
Awards

2000 ICMR Medical Research Prize
2000 AAO Achievement Award
2003 AIOS Col. Rangachari Award
Scientific career
Fields

Institutions


Anil Kumar Mandal is an Indian ophthalmologist and a consultant at L. V. Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad. Known for his research on glaucoma, Mandal is an elected fellow of the National Academy of Medical Sciences. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards, for his contributions to Medical Sciences in 2003.

Biography
Acute angle closure glaucoma

Anil K. Mandal was born in a village named Ghanashyambati, South 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal to Jayalaxmi and Manik Chandra Mandal.He did his primary education in Parvati FP School under guidance of his father who was Headmaster of the same school. His secondary education was in Bawali Higher Seconadry School. He graduated in medicine in 1981 from Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital of the University of Calcutta and moved to Dr R.P. Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi from where he secured an MD in 1986. Subsequently, he did his senior residency at Dr. R. P. Centre itself and earned a Diplomate of National Board from the National Board of Examinations in 1987. Later, he joined L. V. Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad where he is a consultant specializing in cataract, glaucoma and pediatric ophthalmology. In between, he had two sabbaticals as a visiting research fellow at Kellogg Eye Centre, Michigan, and Doheny Eye Institute He also serves as a faculty of the Indian Association of Community Ophthalmology (INACO).

Mandal has done extensive studies on glaucoma and is credited with the development of an alternative surgical protocol for treating pediatric glaucoma. He developed an integrated approach for treating glaucoma which incorporated choosing the right surgical method, preservation of residual vision, studying genetic aspects and imparting genetic counselling. His studies assisted in widening the understanding of glaucoma, particularly developmental glaucoma and pediatric glaucoma. His studies have been documented by way of over 75 articles and he also serves as a reviewer for the Indian Journal of Ophthalmology.

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research awarded him Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, one of the highest Indian science awards in 2003, making him the first ophthalmologist to receive the honor. The National Academy of Medical Sciences elected him as a fellow in 2009. He is also a recipient of the Medical Research Prize of the Indian Council of Medical Research (2000 ), Achievement Award of American Academy of Ophthalmology (2000) and Col. Rangachari Award of All India Ophthalmological Society (2003) and the award orations delivered by him include the 1977 Dr. P. Siva Reddy Gold Medal Oration of All India Ophthalmological Society.
Annamalai Ramanathan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Annamalai Ramanathan (29 August 1946 – 12 March 1993) was an Indian mathematician in the field of algebraic geometry, who introduced the notion of Frobenius splitting of algebraic varieties jointly with Vikram Bhagvandas Mehta in (Mehta & Ramanathan 1985). The notion of Frobenius splitting led to the solution of many classical problems, in particular a proof of the Demazure character formula and results on the equations defining Schubert varieties in general flag manifolds.

Research career

Ramanathan got his B.Sc in Mathematics at Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda College, and was recruited to attend TIFR, where he got his Ph.D. in Mathematics in 1976. His thesis on moduli for principal bundles was published in 1996 in two papers in Proc. Indian Acad. Sci. three years after his death.

Ramanathan, was a Professor of Mathematics at the TIFR in Bombay, India. He has also been employed at University of Bonn, Johns Hopkins University and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Ramanathan made significant contributions to many areas of mathematics, including moduli of vector bundles, Gauge theory, algebraic geometry in positive characteristic and representation theory.

Awards

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research awarded he and his collaborator Vikram Bhagvandas Mehta the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology ( the Indian Presidential award for achievement in the mathematical sciences) in 1991 for his work in algebraic geometry.

Personal life

Ramanathan was third of four children born to a Tamil family S. RM. CT. Annamalai and Lakshmi. Ramanathan was crippled by adult onset polio in his late teens, and he used a crutch for the rest of his life.

During his tenure as a visiting professor at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Ramanathan died in Chicago, Friday, 12 March 1993, of complications following treatment for a heart attack.
Ajit Ram Verma
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ajit Ram Verma
Born 20 September 1921

Dalmau, India
Died 4 March 2009 (aged 87)
Nationality Indian
Known for Crystallography
Scientific career
Fields Physics
Institutions Delhi University
Doctoral students Onkar Nath Srivastava


Ajit Ram Verma (1921-2009) was an Indian physicist. For his work in crystallography, he was awarded the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize in 1964. He was Director of the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) for almost seventeen years (1965-1982). In 1982, the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian award, was conferred on him by the President of India.

Early life

Ajit Ram Verma was born on 20 September 1921 at Dalmau near Lucknow to Hans Raj Verma, a Railway official, and Devi Rani. After early education at several places including Allahabad and Meerut, he enrolled in Allahabad University, where he took his BSc (1940) and MSc (1942) degrees.

Career

Verma taught briefly at Delhi University before moving to the University of London, where he earned his PhD working on unimolecular growth spirals on the surfaces of crystals. On his return to India, he served as Reader in Physics at Delhi University for four years (1955-1959). In 1959 he moved to BHU, Varanasi, as Professor and Head of Department. In 1965, he was appointed as Director, NPL where he remained until 1982, making him the longest-serving Director of NPL. Subsequently, for three years, he served as Visiting Professor at IIT Delhi. Later, he was Emeritus Scientist of CSIR and INSA Senior Scientist at NPL.

Scientific Contributions

Verma's early work on spiral growth of crystals has been featured on the Nature physics portal under the Looking Back section.

Society for Scientific Values

Verma was one of the founding members of the Society for Scientific Values (SSV), a voluntary body set up to emphasise "the need to promote integrity, objectivity and ethical values in the pursuit of science". The first meeting of SSV was held in June 1984, and it was formally registered as a Society under the Societies Registration Act (1860) on 18 August 1986. P. N. Tiwari, the founder Secretary of SSV, writes, "Dr. Verma, not only expressed his clear and certain views about the ethical and spiritual values that one has to have for doing genuine and good science but he also expressed his equally certain, frank and strong views about the kind of action that should be taken against a scientist who is found guilty of misconduct in research and publication."

Awards and honours

Padma Bhushan, Government of India, 1982
Fellow, Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore
Fellow, National Academy of Sciences of India, Allahabad
Member, Board of Editors – Solid State Communications, Pergamon Press
Elected member of International Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM), Paris 1966-1982
Ashwin Ram

American computer scientist
Ashwin is a pioneer in applied research at the intersection of human-centered computing and interactive AI. With entrepreneurial experience, a strong academic background, and business strategy and product management expertise, he brings his distinguished experience to the Office of the CTO for Google Cloud.

In this role, he engages with the leadership of top companies to reimagine their businesses using the power of AI. He also works with Google’s own AI teams to drive new technologies.

His core technical strengths are in artificial intelligence, machine learning, cognitive science, and human-centered design and, on the business side, in product innovation, entrepreneurship, startups, business strategy, and team leadership.

Ashwin's talks and publications can found at ashwinram.org

Ashwin Ram
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ashwin Ram
Born July 27, 1960

New Delhi, India
Nationality Indian-American
Scientific career
Institutions PARC, Georgia Tech, OpenStudy

Ashwin Ram (born July 27, 1960) is an Indian-American computer scientist. He was chief innovation officer at PARC from 2011 to 2016, and published books and scientific articles and helped start at least two companies.

Biography

Ashwin Ram was born in New Delhi, India, on July 27, 1960. He is a great-grandson of Sir Ganga Ram and is the eldest of three children. He grew up in New Delhi with a brief stint in Bombay, and attended one of India's oldest boarding schools, Mayo College.[citation needed]

Ram received his B.Tech. in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, in 1982, where he received the President of India's Gold Medal for best undergraduate performance. He then traveled to the US, graduating with his M.S. in computer science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1984. He received his Ph.D. degree from Yale University for his dissertation on "Question-Driven Understanding: An Integrated Theory of Story Understanding, Memory, and Learning" in 1989, under advisor Roger Schank and Gerald DeJong.

Georgia Tech

He joined the faculty at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in 1989.[3] He was associate professor in the School of interactive computing in the College of Computing, an associate professor of cognitive science, an adjunct professor in the School of Psychology, and an adjunct professor in math and computer science at Emory University.

In 1995 Ram co-edited (with David B. Leake) a book on goal-oriented learning. He co-edited (with Kenneth Moorman) a book on natural language understanding.

Ram founded Enkia Corporation in 1998 (which was purchased by Sentiment360 in 2011). He then co-founded Inquus Corporation, which operated OpenStudy, an online social learning network for students and faculty, and medical information company Cobot Health Corporation. OpenStudy was acquired in 2016 by Brainly.

Ram directed the Cognitive Computing Lab at the Georgia Institute of Technology starting around 2006. He led research in artificial intelligence (AI) and cognitive science. His projects focused on AI for computer games and virtual worlds, consumer health and wellness, and educational technologies. Topics included knowledge-based machine learning, case-based reasoning, cognitive modeling, and natural language processing.

He was program chair and conference co-chair of the Sixteenth Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (CogSci) in 1994, conference co-chair of the Third International Conference on the Learning Sciences (ICLS) in 1998, and program co-chair of the International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Pattern Recognition in 2008.

PARC

Ashwin Ram became an innovation fellow at PARC (formerly Xerox PARC), around September 2011, and then chief innovation officer. His team created social computing technologies to augment human cognition in application areas including health and wellness. He was program co-chair of the International Conference on Case-Based Reasoning (ICCBR) in November 2011, with Nirmalie Wiratunga. In June 2013, he was interviewed on Australian radio about the trends toward finding medical information on the Internet, and was invited as a keynote speaker at the Amplify Festival.

Amazon

In May, 2016, he joined the Amazon Alexa development team as head of artificial intelligence.

Google

In 2018 he left Amazon and joined Google as technical director of AI for Google Cloud.

Anil Kumar Das
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Anil Kumar Das
Prof. Anil Kumar Das
Born 1 February 1902

Died 18 February 1961 (aged 59)

Alma mater

Chuadanga High School
Berhampore College
Known for
helioseismology investigations
Awards

Fellow of the National Institute of Science, now known as Indian National Science Academy, 1943
Padma Shri, (1960)
Scientific career
Fields
Institutions

Institut für theoretische physik, Göttingen
Geophysikalisches Institut, Göttingen
Solar Physics Observatory, Cambridge, 1934
Upper Air Observatory, Agra
Assistant director of Kodaikanal Solar Observatory, (1937 - 1946)
Director of Kodaikanal Solar Observatory, (1946 - 1960)
Professor of astronomy in Osmania University, 1961
Director of the Nizamia Observatory, Hyderabad, 1961
Academic advisors

Signature


Anil Kumar Das FRAS, FNI (1 February 1902 - 18 February 1961) was an Indian scientist, astronomer. During the International Geophysical Year, observatories in Madrid, India, and Manila were responsible for monitoring solar effects. The Kodaikanal Solar Observatory in South India performed this monitoring using their recently built solar tunnel telescope. Das was the director of the Kodaikanal observatory at this time. In 1960 he was responsible for installing a tower/tunnel telescope at the facility that would be used to perform some of the first helioseismology investigations.[1] The crater Das on the far side of the Moon is named after him.

Biography

Solar Tunnel Telescope at Kodaikanal

After graduating ( Master of Science ) from the University of Calcutta, he studied spectroscopy with Charles Fabry at the Sorbonne in Paris. After obtaining his doctorate he was in Göttingen where he worked with Max Born at the Institut für Theoretische Physik and subsequently with Gustav Augenheister at the Geophysikalisches Institut and for a short period at the Solar Physics Observatory in Cambridge . He later worked at the Indian Meteorological Department in 1930 and then moved to the Kodaikanal observatory in 1937 as assistant director and director since 1946 and where he remained until his retirement in 1960.

Scientific contributions

Most of his scientific contributions were in the field of solar physics mainly as an experimenter in the spectrophotometric study of sunspots and the chromosphere . He contributed significantly to the development of the equipment present at the Kodaikanal Observatory and to the growth of numerous young researchers.

Award and Honors

Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1935
The lunar crater Das (crater) dedicated to him by IAU

आर्यभट्ट

The Genius Indian Mathematician-Astronomers

जन्म: 476 कुसुमपुर अथवा अस्मक
मृत्यु: 550

कार्य: गणितग्य, खगोलशाष्त्री

आर्यभट्‍ट प्राचीन समय के सबसे महान खगोलशास्त्रीयों और गणितज्ञों में से एक थे। विज्ञान और गणित के क्षेत्र में उनके कार्य आज भी वैज्ञानिकों को प्रेरणा देते हैं। आर्यभट्‍ट उन पहले व्यक्तियों में से थे जिन्होंने बीजगणित (एलजेबरा) का प्रयोग किया। आपको यह जानकार हैरानी होगी कि उन्होंने अपनी प्रसिद्ध रचना ‘आर्यभटिया’ (गणित की पुस्तक) को कविता के रूप में लिखा। यह प्राचीन भारत की बहुचर्चित पुस्तकों में से एक है। इस पुस्तक में दी गयी ज्यादातर जानकारी खगोलशास्त्र और गोलीय त्रिकोणमिति से संबंध रखती है। ‘आर्यभटिया’ में अंकगणित, बीजगणित और त्रिकोणमिति के 33 नियम भी दिए गए हैं।

आज हम सभी इस बात को जानते हैं कि पृथ्वी गोल है और अपनी धुरी पर घूमती है और इसी कारण रात और दिन होते हैं। मध्यकाल में ‘निकोलस कॉपरनिकस’ ने यह सिद्धांत प्रतिपादित किया था पर इस वास्तविकता से बहुत कम लोग ही परिचित होगें कि ‘कॉपरनिकस’ से लगभग 1 हज़ार साल पहले ही आर्यभट्ट ने यह खोज कर ली थी कि पृथ्वी गोल है और उसकी परिधि अनुमानत: 24835 मील है। सूर्य और चन्द्र ग्रहण के हिन्दू धर्म की मान्यता को आर्यभट्ट ने ग़लत सिद्ध किया। इस महान वैज्ञानिक और गणितग्य को यह भी ज्ञात था कि चन्द्रमा और दूसरे ग्रह सूर्य की किरणों से प्रकाशमान होते हैं। आर्यभट्ट ने अपने सूत्रों से यह सिद्ध किया कि एक वर्ष में 366 दिन नहीं वरन 365.2951 दिन होते हैं।

प्रारंभिक जीवन

आर्यभट्ट ने अपने ग्रन्थ ‘आर्यभटिया’ में अपना जन्मस्थान कुसुमपुर और जन्मकाल शक संवत् 398 (476) लिखा है। इस जानकारी से उनके जन्म का साल तो निर्विवादित है परन्तु वास्तविक जन्मस्थान के बारे में विवाद है। कुछ स्रोतों के अनुसार आर्यभट्ट का जन्म महाराष्ट्र के अश्मक प्रदेश में हुआ था और ये बात भी तय है की अपने जीवन के किसी काल में वे उच्च शिक्षा के लिए कुसुमपुरा गए थे और कुछ समय वहां रहे भी थे। हिन्दू और बौध परम्पराओं के साथ-साथ सातवीं शताब्दी के भारतीय गणितज्ञ भाष्कर ने कुसुमपुरा की पहचान पाटलिपुत्र (आधुनिक पटना) के रूप में की है। यहाँ पर अध्ययन का एक महान केन्द्र, नालन्दा विश्वविद्यालय स्थापित था और संभव है कि आर्यभट्ट इससे जुड़े रहे हों। ऐसा संभव है कि गुप्त साम्राज्य के अन्तिम दिनों में आर्यभट्ट वहां रहा करते थे। गुप्तकाल को भारत के स्वर्णिम युग के रूप में जाना जाता है।

कार्य

आर्यभट्ट के कार्यों की जानकारी उनके द्वारा रचित ग्रंथों से मिलती है। इस महान गणितग्य ने आर्यभटिय, दशगीतिका, तंत्र और आर्यभट्ट सिद्धांत जैसे ग्रंथों की रचना की थी। विद्वानों में ‘आर्यभट्ट सिद्धांत’ के बारे में बहुत मतभेद है । ऐसा माना जाता है कि ‘आर्यभट्ट सिद्धांत’ का सातवीं शदी में व्यापक उपयोग होता था। सम्प्रति में इस ग्रन्थ के केवल 34 श्लोक ही उपलब्ध हैं और इतना उपयोगी ग्रंथ लुप्त कैसे हो गया इस विषय में भी विद्वानों के पास कोई निश्चित जानकारी नहीं है।

आर्यभटीय

आर्यभटीय उनके द्वारा किये गए कार्यों का प्रत्यक्ष विवरण प्रदान करता है। ऐसा माना जाता है कि आर्यभट्ट ने स्वयं इसे यह नाम नही दिया होगा बल्कि बाद के टिप्पणीकारों ने आर्यभटीय नाम का प्रयोग किया होगा। इसका उल्लेख भी आर्यभट्ट के शिष्य भास्कर प्रथम ने अपने लेखों में किया है। इस ग्रन्थ को कभी-कभी आर्य-शत-अष्ट (अर्थात आर्यभट्ट के 108 – जो की उनके पाठ में छंदों कि संख्या है) के नाम से भी जाना जाता है। आर्यभटीय में वर्गमूल, घनमूल, समान्तर श्रेणी तथा विभिन्न प्रकार के समीकरणों का वर्णन है। वास्तव में यह ग्रन्थ गणित और खगोल विज्ञान का एक संग्रह है। आर्यभटीय के गणितीय भाग में अंकगणित, बीजगणित, सरल त्रिकोणमिति और गोलीय त्रिकोणमिति शामिल हैं। इसमे सतत भिन्न (कँटीन्यूड फ़्रेक्शन्स), द्विघात समीकरण (क्वड्रेटिक इक्वेशंस), घात श्रृंखला के योग (सम्स ऑफ पावर सीरीज़) और ज्याओं की एक तालिका (Table of Sines) शामिल हैं। आर्यभटीय में कुल 108 छंद है, साथ ही परिचयात्मक 13 अतिरिक्त हैं। यह चार पदों अथवा अध्यायों में विभाजित है:

गीतिकपाद
गणितपाद
कालक्रियापाद
गोलपाद
आर्य-सिद्धांत

आर्य-सिद्धांत खगोलीय गणनाओं के ऊपर एक कार्य है। जैसा कि ऊपर बताया जा चुका है, यह ग्रन्थ अब लुप्त हो चुका है और इसके बारे में हमें जो भी जानकारी मिलती है वो या तो आर्यभट्ट के समकालीन वराहमिहिर के लेखनों से अथवा बाद के गणितज्ञों और टिप्पणीकारों जैसे ब्रह्मगुप्त और भास्कर प्रथम आदि के कार्यों और लेखों से। हमें इस ग्रन्थ के बारे में जो भी जानकारी उपलब्ध है उसके आधार पर ऐसा प्रतीत होता है कि यह कार्य पुराने सूर्य सिद्धांत पर आधारित है और आर्यभटीय के सूर्योदय की अपेक्षा इसमें मध्यरात्रि-दिवस-गणना का उपयोग किया गया है। इस ग्रन्थ में ढेर सारे खगोलीय उपकरणों का भी वर्णन है। इनमें मुख्य हैं शंकु-यन्त्र, छाया-यन्त्र, संभवतः कोण मापी उपकरण, धनुर-यन्त्र / चक्र-यन्त्र, एक बेलनाकार छड़ी यस्ती-यन्त्र, छत्र-यन्त्र और जल घड़ियाँ।

उनके द्वारा कृत एक तीसरा ग्रन्थ भी उपलब्ध है पर यह मूल रूप में मौजूद नहीं है बल्कि अरबी अनुवाद के रूप में अस्तित्व में है – अल न्त्फ़ या अल नन्फ़। यह ग्रन्थ आर्यभट्ट के ग्रन्थ का एक अनुवाद के रूप में दावा प्रस्तुत करता है, परन्तु इसका वास्तविक संस्कृत नाम अज्ञात है। यह फारसी विद्वान और इतिहासकार अबू रेहान अल-बिरूनी द्वारा उल्लेखित किया गया है।

आर्यभट्ट का योगदान

आर्यभट का भारत और विश्व के गणित और ज्योतिष सिद्धान्त पर गहरा प्रभाव रहा है। भारतीय गणितज्ञों में सबसे महत्वपूर्ण स्थान रखने वाले आर्यभट ने 120 आर्याछंदों में ज्योतिष शास्त्र के सिद्धांत और उससे संबंधित गणित को सूत्ररूप में अपने प्रसिद्ध ग्रंथ ‘आर्यभटीय’ में प्रस्तुत किया है।

उन्होंने गणित के क्षेत्र में महान आर्किमिडीज़ से भी अधिक सटीक ‘पाई’ के मान को निरूपित किया और खगोलविज्ञान के क्षेत्र में सबसे पहली बार यह घोषित किया गया कि पृथ्वी स्वयं अपनी धुरी पर घूमती है।

स्थान-मूल्य अंक प्रणाली आर्यभट्ट के कार्यों में स्पष्ट रूप से विद्यमान थी। हालांकि उन्होंने शुन्य दर्शाने के लिए किसी प्रतीक का प्रयोग नहीं किया, परन्तु गणितग्य ऐसा मानते हैं कि रिक्त गुणांक के साथ, दस की घात के लिए एक स्थान धारक के रूप में शून्य का ज्ञान आर्यभट्ट के स्थान-मूल्य अंक प्रणाली में निहित था।

यह हैरान और आश्चर्यचकित करने वाली बात है कि आजकल के उन्नत साधनों के बिना ही उन्होंने लगभग डेढ़ हजार साल पहले ही ज्योतिषशास्त्र की खोज की थी। जैसा कि हम पहले ही बता चुके हैं, कोपर्निकस (1473 से 1543 इ.) द्वारा प्रतिपादित सिद्धांत की खोज आर्यभट हजार वर्ष पहले ही कर चुके थे। “गोलपाद” में आर्यभट ने सर्वप्रथम यह सिद्ध किया कि पृथ्वी अपने अक्ष पर घूमती है।

इस महान गणितग्य के अनुसार किसी वृत्त की परिधि और व्यास का संबंध 62,832 : 20,000 आता है जो चार दशमलव स्थान तक शुद्ध है। आर्यभट्ट कि गणना के अनुसार पृथ्वी की परिधि 39,968.0582 किलोमीटर है, जो इसके वास्तविक मान 40,075.0167 किलोमीटर से केवल 0.2 % कम है।

The greatest scientist of India was a dalit
('where there is a will there is a way')
 by Ultimate Dalit

It is true that the great astronomer-mathematician-scientist of India Aryabhata was a dalit. Although 'bhatta' implies a brahmin, Aryabhata spells his own name as 'bhata' in his writings and this is also how he is spelled by other Indian scientists like Varahmira and Brahmagupt in their works. Now the name 'bhata' implies a dalit.

Since dalits were not getting an education in Aryabhata's days how did he manage to become such a great scientist? The speculative answer is: by becoming a budhist. There was a physician-scientist called Vagabhata who made original contributions to Indian medicine and is believed to have been a dalit who later converted to Budhism. Presumably, Aryabhata was also able to gain a good education by the same method.

This reminds one of the old adage 'where there is a will there is a way'.

 Aryabhata

Indian astronomer and mathematician
Written By:

Takao Hayashi

Alternative Titles: Aryabhata I, Aryabhata the Elder

Aryabhata, also called Aryabhata I or Aryabhata the Elder, (born 476, possibly Ashmaka or Kusumapura, India), astronomer and the earliest Indian mathematician whose work and history are available to modern scholars. He is also known as Aryabhata I or Aryabhata the Elder to distinguish him from a 10th-century Indian mathematician of the same name. He flourished in Kusumapura—near Patalipurta (Patna), then the capital of the Gupta dynasty—where he composed at least two works, Aryabhatiya (c. 499) and the now lost Aryabhatasiddhanta.

Aryabhatasiddhanta circulated mainly in the northwest of India and, through the Sāsānian dynasty (224–651) of Iran, had a profound influence on the development of Islamic astronomy. Its contents are preserved to some extent in the works of Varahamihira (flourished c. 550), Bhaskara I (flourished c. 629), Brahmagupta (598–c. 665), and others. It is one of the earliest astronomical works to assign the start of each day to midnight.

Aryabhatiya was particularly popular in South India, where numerous mathematicians over the ensuing millennium wrote commentaries. The work was written in verse couplets and deals with mathematics and astronomy. Following an introduction that contains astronomical tables and Aryabhata’s system of phonemic number notation in which numbers are represented by a consonant-vowel monosyllable, the work is divided into three sections: Ganita (“Mathematics”), Kala-kriya (“Time Calculations”), and Gola (“Sphere”).

In Ganita Aryabhata names the first 10 decimal places and gives algorithms for obtaining square and cubic roots, using the decimal number system. Then he treats geometric measurements—employing 62,832/20,000 (= 3.1416) for π—and develops properties of similar right-angled triangles and of two intersecting circles. Using the Pythagorean theorem, he obtained one of the two methods for constructing his table of sines. He also realized that second-order sine difference is proportional to sine. Mathematical series, quadratic equations, compound interest (involving a quadratic equation), proportions (ratios), and the solution of various linear equations are among the arithmetic and algebraic topics included. Aryabhata’s general solution for linear indeterminate equations, which Bhaskara I called kuttakara (“pulverizer”), consisted of breaking the problem down into new problems with successively smaller coefficients—essentially the Euclidean algorithm and related to the method of continued fractions.

With Kala-kriya Aryabhata turned to astronomy—in particular, treating planetary motion along the ecliptic. The topics include definitions of various units of time, eccentric and epicyclic models of planetary motion (see Hipparchus for earlier Greek models), planetary longitude corrections for different terrestrial locations, and a theory of “lords of the hours and days” (an astrological concept used for determining propitious times for action).

Aryabhatiya ends with spherical astronomy in Gola, where he applied plane trigonometry to spherical geometry by projecting points and lines on the surface of a sphere onto appropriate planes. Topics include prediction of solar and lunar eclipses and an explicit statement that the apparent westward motion of the stars is due to the spherical Earth’s rotation about its axis. Aryabhata also correctly ascribed the luminosity of the Moon and planets to reflected sunlight.

The Indian government named its first satellite Aryabhata (launched 1975) in his honour.

Aryabhata Biography

Aryabhata was an ancient Indian mathematician-astronomer. This biography profiles his childhood, life, works, achievements and timeline.

Quick Facts
Born: 476
Nationality: Indian
Famous: Astronomers Mathematicians
Died At Age: 74
Born in: Assaka
Died on: 550

Aryabhata was an acclaimed mathematician-astronomer. He was born in Kusumapura (present day Patna) in Bihar, India. His contribution to mathematics, science and astronomy is immense, and yet he has not been accorded the recognition in the world history of science. At the age of 24, he wrote his famed “Aryabhatiya”. He was aware of the concept of zero, as well as the use of large numbers up to 1018. He was the first to calculate the value for ‘pi’ accurately to the fourth decimal point. He devised the formula for calculating areas of triangles and circles. He calculated the circumference of the earth as 62,832 miles, which is an excellent approximation, and suggested that the apparent rotation of the heavens was due to the axial rotation of the earth on its axis. He was the first known astronomer to devise a continuous counting of solar days, designating each day with a number. He asserted that the planets shine due to the reflection of sunlight, and that the eclipses occur due to the shadows of moon and earth. His observations discount the “flat earth” concept, and lay the foundation for the belief that earth and other planets orbit the sun.


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Childhood & Early Life

Aryabhata’s birthplace is uncertain, but it may have been in the area known in ancient texts as Ashmaka, which may have been Maharashtra or Dhaka or in Kusumapura in present day Patna.

Some archaeological evidence suggests that he came from the present day Kodungallur, the historical capital city of Thiruvanchikkulam of ancient Kerala - this theory is strengthened by the several commentaries on him having come from Kerala.

He went to Kusumapura for advanced studies and lived there for some time. Both Hindu and Buddhist traditions, as well as Bhāskara I, the 7th Century mathematician, identify Kusumapura as modern Patna.

Career & Later Life

A verse mentions that Aryabhata was the head of an institution (kulapa) at

Kusumapura. Since, the University of Nalanda was in Pataliputra, and had an astronomical observatory; it is probable that he was its head too.

Direct details of his work are known only from the Aryabhatiya. His disciple Bhaskara I calls it Ashmakatantra (or the treatise from the Ashmaka).

The Aryabhatiya is also occasionally referred to as Arya-shatas-aShTa (literally, Aryabhata’s 108), because there are 108 verses in the text. It also has 13 introductory verses, and is divided into four pādas or chapters.

Aryabhatiya’s first chapter, Gitikapada, with its large units of time — kalpa, manvantra, and Yuga — introduces a different cosmology. The duration of the planetary revolutions during a mahayuga is given as 4.32 million years.

Ganitapada, the second chapter of Aryabhatiya has 33 verses covering mensuration (kṣetra vyāvahāra), arithmetic and geometric progressions, gnomon or shadows (shanku-chhAyA), simple, quadratic, simultaneous, and indeterminate equations.

Aryabhatiya’s third chapter Kalakriyapada explains different units of time, a method for determining the positions of planets for a given day, and a seven-day week with names for the days of week.

The last chapter of the Aryabhatiya, Golapada describes Geometric/trigonometric aspects of the celestial sphere, features of the ecliptic, celestial equator, shape of the earth, cause of day and night, and zodiacal signs on horizon.

He did not use a symbol for zero; its knowledge was implicit in his place-value system as a place holder for the powers of ten with null coefficients.

He did not use the Brahmi numerals, and continued the Sanskritic tradition from Vedic times of using letters of the alphabet to denote numbers, expressing quantities in a mnemonic form.

He worked on the approximation for pi thus — add four to 100, multiply by eight, and then add 62,000, the circumference of a circle with a diameter of 20,000 can be approached.

It is speculated that Aryabhata used the word āsanna (approaching), to mean that not only is this an approximation, but that the value is incommensurable or irrational.

In Ganitapada, he gives the area of a triangle as: “for a triangle, the result of a perpendicular with the half-side is the area”. He discussed ‘sine’ by the name of ardha-jya or half-chord.

Like other ancient Indian mathematicians, he too was interested in finding integer solutions to Diophantine equations with the form ax + by = c; he called it the kuṭṭaka (meaning breaking into pieces) method.

His contribution to the study of Algebra is immense. In Aryabhatiya, Aryabhata provided elegant results for the summation of series of squares and cubes through well tried formulae.

His system of astronomy was called the audayaka system, in which days are reckoned from uday, dawn at lanka or “equator”. His later writings, which apparently proposed the ardha-rAtrikA, or midnight model, are lost.

He correctly believed that the earth rotates about its axis daily, and that the apparent movement of the stars is a relative motion caused by the rotation of the earth, challenging the prevailing view.

In Aryabhatiya, he writes that ‘setting and rising of planets’ is a perception similar to that of someone in a boat going forward sees an unmoving (object) going backward.

He correctly asserted that the planets shine due to the reflection of sunlight, and that the eclipses occur due to the shadows of moon and earth, and not caused by a demon called “Rahu”!

He correctly deduced that the orbits of the planets are ellipses; this is another great discovery not credited to him but to Johannes Kepler (a German astronomer, born AD 1571).

Major Works

Aryabhata’s major work, Aryabhatiya, a compendium of mathematics and astronomy, was extensively referred to in the Indian mathematical literature, and has survived to modern times. The Aryabhatiya covers arithmetic, algebra, and trigonometry.

Personal Life & Legacy

Aryabhata’s work was of great influence in the Indian astronomical tradition and influenced several neighboring cultures through translations. Some of his works are cited by Al-Khwarizmi, and in the 10th century by Al-Biruni.

The Aryabhata Knowledge University (AKU), Patna, has been established by the Government of Bihar in his honor for the development and management of educational infrastructure related to technical, medical, management and allied professional education.
India’s first satellite Aryabhata is named in his honor.
At the Aryabhata Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIOS) near Nainital, India, research in astronomy, astrophysics and atmospheric sciences is conducted.

Trivia

Named after the great Indian astronomer of the same name, India’s first satellite’s image used to appear on the reverse of Indian 2 rupee banknotes.
Named after the great Indian astronomer is the remnant of a lunar impact crater located in the eastern Sea of Tranquility on the Moon. Submerged by lava-flow, now only an arc-shaped ridge remains.

Top 10 Facts You Did Not Know About Aryabhata

Aryabhata is credited to have set up an observatory at the Sun temple in Taregana, Bihar.
Some sources suggest that Kerala was Aryabhata's main place of life and activity but others refute this statement.
He served as the head of an institution (kulapa) at Kusumapura and might have also been the head of the Nalanda university.
Some scholars claim that the Arabic text ‘Al ntf’ or ‘Al-nanf’ is a translation of one of his works.
His most famous text, ‘Aryabhatiya’, consists of 108 verses and 13 introductory verses.
Aryabhata did not use the Brahmi numerals; he used letters of the alphabet to denote numbers.
It is probable that he might have come to the conclusion that 'pi' is irrational.
He discussed the concept of ‘sine’ in his work by the name of “ardha-jya”, which literally means "half-chord".
Calendric calculations devised by Aryabhata are used for fixing the ‘Panchangam’ (the Hindu Calendar).
He correctly stated that the earth rotates about its axis daily.

Adinath Lahiri

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Adinath Lahiri
Born 24 August 1916

Pabna, British India (now Bangladesh)
Died 26 August 1975 (aged 59)
Occupation Geochemist
Fuel technologist
Years active 1942–1975
Known for Institution builder
Researches on Coal
Imperial College Judd Memorial Prize
Signature

Adinath Lahiri (1916–1975) was an Indian geochemist and fuel technologist, known for his efforts in developing Central Fuel Research Institute, Dhanbad (CFRI) into one of the premier research institutions in India. He was the director of the National Coal Development Corporation (NCDC) and contributed towards the establishment of the Central Mining Research Station, which was later merged with CFRI to form the present day Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research). The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri in 1960 and followed it up with the third highest honour of the Padma Bhushan, in 1969, for his contributions to Science and Technology.

Biography

Adinath Lahiri was born on 24 August 1916. After completing his master's degree in geology and geochemistry from the University of Calcutta, he obtained Sir Palit Foreign Fellowship of the university and did his doctoral studies at the Imperial College of the University of London to secure a PhD, winning the Judd Memorial Prize for the best thesis in geochemistry. He started his career as a research associate at the Department of Chemical Technology at Imperial College in 1942, but joined the Royal Air Force during World War II to serve as a Scientific Officer and, later, as the Head of the Fuel and Oil Research Section at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough airfield. After the war was over, he returned to India, in 1945, to take up the position as the Assistant Director (Planning) at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) when he contributed to the planning and establishment of the Central Fuel Research Institute (CFRI), Dhanbad. He joined the institute after its inception as the Deputy Director and when the founder director, J. W. Whitteker left, he took over as the director in 1953 to stay with the institute till his superannuation in 1974. In between, he also underwent training under a Summer Fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science in 1950. After his retirement from CFRI, he joined the United Nations as an advisor and served in Chile when he died on 26 August 1975, two days after his 60th birthday, succumbing to a cardiac arrest.

Lahiri's research interests covered the fields of petrography, oxidation mechanisms, solvent extraction, surface chemistry of coal, catalysts and adsorbents and he was credited with several innovations in fuel technology, which earned him over 90 patents. His contributions have been reported in the development of beehive coke oven, process technologies for the isolation and recovery of useful chemicals from the byproducts of coal, process technologies for the production of resins and other compounds, and active carbon and ion exchangers for determination of water-based coal. He published his research and professional experiences by way of over 500 articles, Reaction of coals under plasma conditions: direct production of acetylene from coal, National Coal Development Corporation A New Approach, and Trekking on the Southern Bhutan Frontier counting among them. During his tenure with CFRI, he proposed the setting up of Central Mining Research Station for overcoming the coal mining issues faced in India and served as the director of the National Coal Development Corporation. In 1954, he proposed energy studies, a pioneering effort in India, and served the Indian Energy Survey Committee of 1965 and the National Fuel Policy Committee of 1974, as a member.

Lahiri was an elected Fellow of the Institution of Engineers, Institute of Fuels (London) and the Indian National Science Academy (INSA), and served as a member of the INSA council from 1968 to 1970. In 1960, the Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri. Nine years later, he was included in the Republic Day Honours list again, this time for the third highest honour of the Padma Bhushan.[3] Central Fuel Research Institute, the institute he helped found, have since renamed their conferencing facility as Adinath Lahiri Hall, in his honour.
B. Paul Thaliath
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
B. Paul Thaliath
Born 18 September 1952

Kerala, India
Occupation Oncologist
Spouse(s) Mary Paul
Children Augustine Paul; Dr Sebastian Paul
Awards Padma Shri

B. Paul Thaliath is an Indian radiation oncologist from the South Indian state of Kerala. He is the additional director of the Regional Cancer Centre and the Head of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Kamla Nehru Memorial Hospital, Prayagraj. He is known to be involved with several cancer awareness programs and has been a part of the Cancer and Women programme in connection with the National Cancer Awareness Day of 2006. Thaliath was honored by the Government of India, in 2007, with the fourth highest Indian civilian award of Padma Shri.
B. L. K. Somayajulu
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
B. L. K. Somayajulu
Born 5 March 1937

Died 19 December 2016 (aged 79)
Alma mater
Known for Studies on marine processes
Awards
1981 Hari Om Ashram Prerit Award
2006 MoES National Award for Ocean Science and Technology
Scientific career
Fields

Institutions

BARC Training School


Bhamidipati Lakshmidhara Kanakadri Somayajulu (1937-2016) is an Indian geochemist and a CSIR Emeritus Scientist at Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad. He is known for his studies on ancient and contemporary marine processes and is an elected fellow of several science societies such as the National Academy of Sciences, India, Geological Society of India, Indian Geophysical Union, American Geophysical Union, European Association for Geochemistry, Indian Academy of Sciences and the Indian National Science Academy. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards for his contributions to Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean and Planetary Sciences in 1978.

Biography
Physical Research Laboratory

B. L. K. Somayajulu, born on 5 March 1937 in the port city of Visakhapatanam in the south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, completed his graduate studies (BSc hons) from Andhra University in 1956. Subsequently, he joined BARC Training School, simultaneously enrolling at Bombay University for pursuing his doctoral studies. During the course of his PhD studies, he moved to Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) and had a three-year stint at Scripps Institution of Oceanography before securing a PhD in 1969 from Bombay University. His post-doctoral work was also at Scripps Institution and on his return to India, he joined Oceanography and Climate Studies Area, Earth Sciences and Solar System Division of Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in 1972. He served the institution for the whole of his career till his superannuation in 1997 and post-retirement, he continues his association with PRL as an honorary professor and a CSIR Emeritus Scientist.

Legacy

Somayajulu is known to have done extensive researches on the physico-chemical reactions within the oceans and the water-sediment interface and has developed many research methodologies which include the nuclear methods for the determination of the growth rates of manganese nodules, advection-diffusion mixing of ocean waters, cosmic ray-produced 32Si and 10Be in studies for determining the calculation of sediment accumulation rates and geochemical methods for studying reactive elements in sea water. He conducted beryllium-10 studies on manganese nodules which helped establish the slow rate of growth of the nodules.His researches have been documented as chapter in a book, The Indian Human Heritage, and as several peer-reviewed articles, the article repository of the Indian Academy of Sciences has listed 100 of them. He has also edited a book, From Mantle to Meteorites: A Garland of Perspectives - A Festschrift for Devendra Lal, published by Indian Academy of Sciences in 1990 and his work has been cited by several authors.

Somayajulu served as the chief scientist for many studies conducted in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal and was a part of the Antipode expedition to the South Pacific and the GEOSECS Indian Ocean Expedition. He was among the scientists who established the Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Facility at the Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar. He has been a member of the governing council of the National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research, the research advisory committee of the Department of Ocean Development, and the executive committee of the International Association of Physical Sciences of the Ocean (IAPSO). He has been involved in the organization of many seminars, served as a member of the Indian National Science Academy during 1988–90 and has mentored 7 doctoral scholars in their studies.

Awards and honors

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research awarded Somayajulu the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, one of the highest Indian science awards, in 1978. He received the Hari Om Ashram Prerit Award in Oceanology in 198 and the National Award for Ocean Science and Technology of Ministry of Earth Sciences in 2006. The Indian Academy of Sciences also elected him as a fellow in 1980 and the Indian National Science Academy followed suit three years later. He became an elected fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India, American Geophysical Union and the European Association of Geochemistry in 1989, 2003 and 2004 respectively. He is also a fellow of the Geological Society of India and the Indian Geophysical Union. The award orations delivered by him include Jawaharlal Nehru Birth Centenary Lecture Award of the Indian National Science Academy in 1997 and the Prof. K. R. Ramanathan Memorial Lecture of Physical Research Laboratory in 2001.

Selected bibliography

Books
K. Gopalan; Vinod K. Gaur; B.L.K. Somayajulu; J.D. MacDougall, eds. (1990). From Mantle to Meteorites: A Garland of Perspectives - A Festschrift for Devendra Lal. Indian Academy of Sciences. p. 322. ISBN 978-0-19-562581-3. ASIN 0195625811.

Chapters
D. Balasubramanian; B. L. K. Somayajulu (1998). "Contributions of Chronology to Indian Human Heritage". The Indian Human Heritage. Universities Press. ISBN 978-81-7371-128-2.

Articles
B. L. K. Somayajuu; T. J. Walsh; C. Radhakrishnamurthy (1975). "Magnetic susceptibility stratigraphy of Pacific Pleistocene sediments". Nature (published February 1975). 253 (5493): 616–617. doi:10.1038/253616a0. S2CID 4276167.
BLK Somayajulu; R Rengarajan; D Lal; RF Weiss; H Craig (1987). "GEOSECS Atlantic 32 Si profiles". Earth and Planetary Science Letters (published October 1987). 85 (4): 329–342. doi:10.1016/0012-821X(87)90131-2.
BLK Somayajulu; R Rengarajan; D Lal; H Craig (1991). "GEOSECS Pacific and Indian Ocean 32 Si profiles". Earth and Planetary Science Letters (published October 1991). 107 (1): 197–216. doi:10.1016/0012-821X(91)90055-M.
Somayajulu, B. L. K., Srinivasan, M. S. (2000). "Paleoceanography". Proceedings of the Indian National Science Academy: 77–85.
R Rengarajan; MM Sarin; BLK Somayajulu; R Suhasini (March 2002). "Mixing in the surface waters of the western Bay of Bengal using 228Ra and 226Ra". Journal of Marine Research. 60 (2): 255–279. doi:10.1357/00222400260497480.
BLK Somayajulu; R Rengarajan; RA Jani (2002). "Geochemical cycling in the Hooghly estuary, India". Marine Chemistry (published October 2002). 79 (3): 171–183. doi:10.1016/S0304-4203(02)00062-2.
M. Tiwari; R. Ramesh; B. L. K. Somayajulu; A. J. T. Juli; G. S. Burr (2005). "Paleomonsoon precipitation deduced from a sediment core from the equatorial Indian Ocean". Geo-Mar Lett. (published 2006). 26: 23–30. doi:10.1007/s00367-005-0012-0. S2CID 129925442.

Dr. B. E. Vijayam

Full Name: Bunyan Edmund Vijayam Born: 20 November 1933, Giddaluru, Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh (then Madras Presidency) Died: 30 January 2019, Hyderabad (aged 85) Religion: Telugu Protestant Christian (converted family background) Education

  • B.Sc. & M.Sc. Geology – Andhra University
  • Ph.D. Geology – Andhra University
  • Post-doctoral research – Northwestern University, USA (Fulbright Scholar, 1967–68)

Academic & Scientific Career

  • Joined Osmania University, Hyderabad, in 1958 as lecturer
  • Professor & Head, Department of Geology, Osmania University (1970s–1995) – served for over 30 years
  • Published more than 60 research papers in national and international journals on mineralogy, petrology, and groundwater geology
  • Guided several Ph.D. students
  • Awarded “Scientist of the Year” by the Indian National Science Academy (1995) – the first geologist from Andhra Pradesh to receive this honour

Rural Development & Social Activism (1978 onwards)

Dr. Vijayam is equally remembered for leaving the comfort of academia to work full-time among the poorest villages of drought-hit Rayalaseema.

Key initiatives he founded and led:

  1. MERIBA (Movement for Eco-Rural Integrated Development & Basic Action) – 1978
  2. PROGRESS (People’s Rural Organisation for Grass-Root Rural Education and Socio-Economic Service) – 1982
    • Watershed development, check dams, percolation tanks, and afforestation in Anantapur, Kurnool, and Prakasam districts
    • Trained thousands of villagers in sustainable agriculture and water conservation
    • Empowered Dalit and backward-caste women through self-help groups and micro-credit
    • Built over 1,500 rainwater harvesting structures that still benefit hundreds of villages

His model combined scientific geology (identifying groundwater recharge zones) with grassroots mobilisation against caste oppression and landlord exploitation.

Recognition & Awards

  • Scientist of the Year – Indian National Science Academy (1995)
  • Jamnalal Bajaj Award for Application of Science & Technology for Rural Development (2002)
  • Padma Shri (declined the award in 2005 on principle, stating he did not want state honours while working against systemic injustice)
  • Lifetime Achievement Award – Andhra Pradesh Academy of Sciences
  • Several state and NGO awards for watershed development

Personal Life

  • Father: Bunyan Joseph (well-known Telugu Christian evangelist and writer)
  • Mother: Susheela
  • Married: Dr. Nirmala Vijayam (medical doctor)
  • Children: Two sons and one daughter (all settled in the USA)
  • Lived a simple life in Hyderabad; cycled to Osmania University even as HoD

Legacy

After his death in 2019, his family and followers founded the B. E. Vijayam Foundation Trust to continue watershed, education, and Dalit empowerment work. The villages he transformed still call him “Vijayam Garu” with reverence.

Dr. B. E. Vijayam remains one of the rare Indian scientists who used his knowledge not just for academic excellence but to directly liberate the poorest and most marginalised communities from centuries of drought and caste oppression.
Bhaskar Saha
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bhaskar Saha
Born 2 January 1964 

Kolkata, India
Nationality Indian
Scientific career
Fields

Institutions


Bhaskar Saha (born 2 January 1964) is an Indian immunologist, cell biologist and a senior scientist at National Centre for Cell Science, Pune. He is known for his contributions in the fields of immunology and cell signaling . He is an elected fellow of two of the major Indian science academies, National Academy of Sciences, India and Indian Academy of Sciences. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards, in 2009, for his contributions to biological sciences.

Biography

Bhaskar Saha obtained his PhD from Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Calcutta (1993). He did his postdoctoral fellowship at Naval Medical Research Institute and also served as Principal Investigator at NMRI, and Faculty, Dept of Medicine, USUHS, Bethesda, USA (1996–97). He joined National Centre for Cell Science in 1998 where he serves as a Scientist-G and carries out his researches on immunology and cancer biology. His early researches were focused on immunology and he has since shifted his focus to explore that therapeutic uses of his findings. At NCCS, he is involved in five projects viz. Leishmania-macrophage interaction, CD40 signaling, DC subset mediated priming against prostate cancer, Development and regulation of regulatory T cells in leishmaniasis and DC subsets in leishmaniasis and regulation of T cell response. He has published several research articles, reviews and book chapters that could be found in Pubmed. He has also served as a faculty member of Pune University and Vidyasagar University.

Saha, who is known to have a calm and composed personality, was in the news in 2013 when he staged a hunger strike in protest against the mismanagement of research programs at National Centre for Cell Science. He is married to Ratna, a school teacher at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and the couple has a son, Baibaswata and a daughter, Saptaparnee. The family lives in Pune.

Awards and honors

Saha's contributions to the biological sciences earned him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research in 2009. He was elected as a fellow by the National Academy of Sciences, India in 2011 and a year later, he became an elected fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences. He is also recipient of National Bioscience Award for Career Development of the Department of Biotechnology in 2007.
B. K. Anand
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
B. K. Anand
Born 18 September 1917

Died 2 April 2007 (aged 89)
Nationality Indian
Citizenship India
Alma mater King George Medical College, Lucknow
Awards Padma Shri
Scientific career

Professor Bal Krishan Anand (1917–2007), better known as B. K. Anand, was an Indian physiologist and pharmacologist. He was credited for the discovery of the feeding center in the hypothalamus in 1951. He is considered the founder of modern Neurophysiology in India.

He was born in Lahore as Bal Krishan Anand in 1917. He was graduated from King George Medical College in 1940 and obtained his M.D. degree in 1948. He joined in 1949 the Lady Hardinge Medical College as Professor of Physiology.

He went to Yale University as a Fellow of the Rockefeller Foundation in 1950 and worked with John Brobeck. They had published their research work in 1951. He \ returned to India in 1952 and continued his research in Lady Hardinge Medical College.

He joined the All India Institute of Medical Sciences as its first professor in the Department of Physiology in 1956. He was instrumental in establishing the guidelines of education for M.B., B.S. and Postgraduate students. He became Dean of that Institute.

He was instrumental in the establishment of Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences in 1982.

Bibliography
B. K. Anand and J. R. Brobeck: Hypothalamic control of food intake in rats and cats. Yale J. Biol. Med. 24:123-40, 1951.
B. K. Anand and S. Dua: Hypothalamic involvement in the Pituitary Adrenocortical Response. Journal of Physiology. I955. I27, I53-I56.
B. K. Anand and S. Dua: Circulatory and Respiratory changes induced by Electrical stimulation of Limbic system (Visceral brain). Journal of Neurophysiology. 19: 393-400, 1956.
B. K. Anand, S. Dua and Baldev Singh. Electrical activity of the hypothalamic 'feeding centres' under the effect of changes in blood chemistry, Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology. Volume 13, Issue 1, February 1961, Pages 54–59.
B. K. Anand, G. S. Chhina, and Baldev Singh. Effect of Glucose on the Activity of Hypothalamic "Feeding Centers". Science 2 November 1962: Vol. 138. no. 3540, pp. 597 – 598.

Awards
He was awarded the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology in Medical Sciences in 1963.
Government of India awarded him Padma Shri in Medicine in 1969.
The Medical Council of India awarded him the Dr. B. C. Roy Award in 1984.
Biswa Ranjan Nag
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Biswa Ranjan Nag
Born 1 October 1932

Died 6 April 2004 (aged 71)

Nationality Indian
Alma mater

Known for Studies on semiconductors
Awards

1964 BIRE J. C. Bose Memorial Prize
1993 INSA Materials Science Prize
Scientific career
Fields

Institutions


Arun K. Choudhury

Biswa Ranjan Nag (1 October 1932 – 6 April 2004) was an Indian physicist and the Sisir Kumar Mitra chair professor at Rajabazar Science College, University of Calcutta. Known for his research in semiconductor physics, Nag was an elected fellow of Indian National Science Academy and Indian Academy of Sciences. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards for his contributions to Physical Sciences in 1974.

Biography
Nag completed his master's degree and served as faculty in University of Calcutta's Institute of Radiophysics and Electronics (IRE).

Born on 1 October 1932 to Sailabala and Satyaranjan Nag at Comilla, a city along the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway in the undivided Bengal of the British India (presently in Bangladesh), B. R. Nag did his graduate studies at Presidency College, Calcutta during 1949–51 and earned a master's degree in technology (M.Tech.) from the Institute of Radiophysics and Electronics (IRE) at the Rajabazar Science College campus of the University of Calcutta in 1954. He started his career in 1956 as a faculty member at IRE and simultaneously pursued doctoral studies, mentored by Arun K. Choudhury. In between, he spent one year at University of Wisconsin obtaining an MS in 1959. Mr. Nag returned to Calcutta to resume his doctoral work, and earned his PhD in 1961. Continuing his teaching career, he became a full professor in 1968. Further research which earned him a Doctor of Science degree from Calcutta University in 1972. He served out his regular academic career at the university and continued his association past his superannuation in 1997 as its Sisir Kumar Mitra professor. In between, he also served as a Commonwealth Visiting Professor at Bangor, Gwynedd.

Nag was married to Mridula Roy Choudhury and the couple had two children, Biswadeep and Mriduchanda. He died on 6 April 2004 in Kolkata, at the age of 71.

Legacy
Silicon crystals, a common semiconducting material

Nag's work focused on semiconductors and it helped in widening our understanding of the electrical transport phenomena in those high electrical resistant solids. During his early years at Calcutta University, he led a group of students who were engaged in the studies on microwave measurements of semiconductor properties and did advanced research on Gunn effect and microwave radiation. He demonstrated the temperature independence of Two-dimensional electron gas and its alloy scattering limited mobility which was a first time discovery. His studies revealed the non-parabolic nature of electron energy dispersion in narrow quantum wells and this modified the theory of interface roughness scattering limited mobility for Quantum Wells with finite barrier height and Well width. Liquid phase Epitaxy Semiconducting III–V compounds, acousto-electric effect and free carrier absorption, Gini ratio and Si coefficient related to hot-electron galvanomagnetic transport were some of the other areas of his research. He contributed to the development of electron transport theory related to semiconductors and developed a Monte Carlo method for the computation of coefficients related to velocity correlation, diffusion and noise parameters. His body of work is reported to have relevance to the fields of microwave communications and radar, especially in the development of microwave semiconductor devices. His studies have been documented by way of a number of articles and the article repository of the Indian Academy of Sciences has listed 190 of them. He authored three monographs, Theory of electrical transport in semiconductors, Physics of Quantum Well Devices and Electron Transport in Compound Semiconductors of which the last mentioned is reported to be a significant reference text for researchers. He also contributed chapters to books published by others and his work has drawn citations in a number of books.

Awards and honors

Nag, a founder fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering, received the J. C. Bose Memorial Prize of the British Institution of Radio Engineers in 1964. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, one of the highest Indian science awards in 1974. He was selected for the Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship in 1975 and the Indian National Science Academy elected him as a fellow in 1978; the academy would honor him again in 1993 with the INSA Prize for Materials Science. He became an elected fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences. The department of radio physics and electronics of the University of Calcutta instituted an annual conference, International Conference on Computers and devices for Communication (CODEC), in his honor in 1998, a year after Nag retired from academic service
Benjamin Banneker

Benjamin Banneker (November 9, 1731 – October 25, 1806) was a free African American polymath known for his work as an astronomer, mathematician, surveyor, almanac author, and farmer. Born in Baltimore County, Maryland, he overcame significant racial and socioeconomic barriers to make groundbreaking contributions, including helping survey the original boundaries of Washington, D.C., and publishing widely respected almanacs. His life is a testament to intellectual resilience in the face of systemic oppression.



Early Life and Background

  • Birth and Family: Banneker was born on November 9, 1731, in Baltimore County, Maryland, to Robert Banneky, a formerly enslaved African from Guinea who gained his freedom, and Mary Banneky, the daughter of a free African man and Molly Welsh, an Englishwoman who arrived in America as an indentured servant. This mixed heritage placed the family in a unique but marginalized position.
  • Socioeconomic Status: The Bannekers owned a 100-acre tobacco farm, a rarity for African Americans, as most were enslaved. Tobacco farming was grueling and yielded modest income, positioning them in the lower socioeconomic class. Free Black families like Banneker’s faced legal restrictions (e.g., on land ownership and voting) and social hostility in a slaveholding society.
  • Disadvantaged Community: As a free Black man, Banneker belonged to a disadvantaged group. Free African Americans, though not enslaved, were subject to discriminatory laws, social exclusion, and economic limitations. Anti-free Black sentiment grew in Maryland during his lifetime, forcing families like his to navigate a precarious existence.

Education and Self-Learning

  • Limited Formal Education: Banneker briefly attended a Quaker-run school, a rare opportunity for a Black child, where he learned reading, writing, and basic arithmetic. Quakers were more progressive, but such schools were uncommon, and his education ended early due to farm responsibilities.
  • Self-Taught Genius: Largely self-educated, Banneker studied advanced mathematics, astronomy, and mechanics through borrowed books and personal observation. His intellectual curiosity led him to master complex subjects despite lacking access to formal institutions, a remarkable feat for someone of his background.

Major Achievements

  1. Wooden Clock (c. 1752):
    • At around age 21, Banneker built one of the first clocks in America entirely from wood, carving the gears himself after studying a pocket watch. The clock, which kept accurate time for decades, showcased his mechanical ingenuity and is considered a pioneering engineering achievement.
  2. Astronomical Almanacs (1792–1797):
    • Banneker authored six almanacs, published annually, containing astronomical calculations, tide tables, weather predictions, and essays. His calculations of lunar and solar cycles, including ephemerides (planetary positions), were highly accurate.
    • His first almanac, Benjamin Banneker’s Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia Almanack and Ephemeris for the Year of Our Lord 1792, gained widespread acclaim and was distributed in multiple states.
    • These almanacs included social commentary, such as essays advocating for racial equality, making them significant cultural as well as scientific works.
  3. Survey of Washington, D.C. (1791):
    • Banneker was appointed by President George Washington to assist in surveying the land for the new U.S. capital, Washington, D.C., working under Major Andrew Ellicott. His role involved astronomical observations to establish precise measurements.
    • While some myths exaggerate his contribution (e.g., claims he single-handedly redrew plans from memory), his participation as a Black man in such a high-profile project was extraordinary and symbolically significant.
  4. Correspondence with Thomas Jefferson (1791):
    • Banneker wrote a famous letter to Thomas Jefferson, then Secretary of State, challenging Jefferson’s views on race and slavery. He enclosed a manuscript of his almanac as proof of Black intellectual capacity, arguing for equality and citing Jefferson’s own words from the Declaration of Independence.
    • Jefferson responded courteously, acknowledging Banneker’s talent, though he did not fully engage with the critique. The exchange, later published, became a powerful statement against racial prejudice.

Scientific and Intellectual Contributions

  • Astronomy: Banneker’s almanacs required precise calculations of celestial events, such as solar and lunar eclipses, using limited tools. His work rivaled that of professional astronomers, earning praise from contemporaries.
  • Mathematics: He solved complex mathematical problems, including those related to logarithms and trigonometry, which underpinned his astronomical predictions.
  • Advocacy for Equality: By publishing his almanacs and engaging with figures like Jefferson, Banneker used his scientific achievements to challenge stereotypes about African American intellectual inferiority.

Challenges and Context

  • Racial Barriers: As a free Black man, Banneker faced systemic racism. Free African Americans were often denied legal protections, and their achievements were dismissed or scrutinized. His almanacs, for instance, were initially questioned for authenticity until verified by white scholars.
  • Economic Struggles: The family farm provided a modest living, but tobacco farming was labor-intensive and vulnerable to market fluctuations. Banneker’s scientific pursuits were a side endeavor, as he relied on farming for survival.
  • Social Isolation: Living in a rural area with few intellectual peers, Banneker’s self-education required immense discipline. His interactions with Quakers and the Ellicott family (prominent white neighbors) provided some support, but he remained an outsider in elite scientific circles.

Later Life and Death

  • Declining Health: By the late 1790s, Banneker’s health deteriorated, possibly due to the physical toll of farming and his rigorous intellectual work. He published his final almanac in 1797.
  • Death: Banneker died on October 25, 1806, at age 74, in his Maryland home. Tragically, many of his papers and possessions, including his wooden clock, were destroyed in a fire shortly after his death, likely arson, reflecting the hostility he faced even posthumously.
  • Legacy Preserved: Some of his writings, including his almanacs and the Jefferson correspondence, survived and were later archived, cementing his historical significance.

Legacy and Recognition

  • First African American Scientist: Banneker is celebrated as a pioneer whose work in astronomy and mathematics challenged racial stereotypes and laid groundwork for future Black scientists.
  • Cultural Impact: His letter to Jefferson is a landmark in African American intellectual history, blending science with advocacy for civil rights.
  • Modern Tributes:
    • The Benjamin Banneker Museum in Maryland preserves his legacy.
    • Schools, parks, and streets across the U.S. bear his name.
    • In 1980, the U.S. Postal Service issued a stamp in his honor as part of its Black Heritage series.
  • Historical Debate: Some myths, like Banneker designing Washington, D.C., have been debunked, but his verified contributions remain monumental. His story is often taught to highlight resilience against systemic barriers.

Clarification on “Aswet Scientist”

The term “Aswet Scientist” doesn’t appear in historical records related to Banneker. It may be a typo for “American Scientist” or a misinterpretation of another term. If you meant something specific by “Aswet,” please clarify, and I can tailor the response further. For now, I’ve assumed you’re referring to his status as the first African American scientist.

Historical Context of Disadvantage

As noted in your previous query, Banneker’s community was undeniably disadvantaged:

  • Racial Oppression: Free Blacks were a small minority (about 10% of Maryland’s Black population in the 1790s), facing laws that restricted their rights and constant threats of re-enslavement.
  • Class Status: His family’s small farm placed them among the working poor, reliant on manual labor in a society where wealth was concentrated among white landowners.
  • Systemic Barriers: Lack of access to formal education, scientific networks, or funding meant Banneker’s achievements were self-driven, making his success even more remarkable.

Sources and Verification

This information is drawn from historical records, including:

  • Banneker’s almanacs and surviving correspondence (e.g., with Jefferson).
  • Biographical works like Silvio Bedini’s The Life of Benjamin Banneker (1972), a definitive source.
  • Public domain materials from the Library of Congress and Maryland Historical Society.
  • Web sources, such as the National Museum of African American History and Culture, corroborate his life details. No X posts or recent web searches were needed, as Banneker’s story is well-documented. If you’d like me to search for specific modern discussions or perspectives on X, let me know.

Conclusion

Benjamin Banneker was a trailblazing figure whose scientific achievements in astronomy, mathematics, and engineering defied the racial and class constraints of his time. Born into a free but disadvantaged African American family in colonial Maryland, he leveraged self-education and determination to produce almanacs, assist in surveying Washington, D.C., and advocate for equality. His legacy endures as a symbol of intellectual excellence and resilience. If you have specific aspects of his life (e.g., his almanacs, Jefferson letter, or community context) you’d like me to explore further, or if “Aswet” refers to something particular, please let me know!

Chitra Mandal
Chitra Mandal , Ph.D.
SERB Distinguished Fellow
Cancer Biology & Inflammatory Disorder
Born : 5 May 1934
CV
Research Interest

The main aim of our laboratory is to understand the mystery of glycosylation of biomolecules with special emphasis on the role of sialoglycoconjugates in different disease models and its potential applications in disease management, its specificity and recognition in immune responses mainly in the field of cancer biology/tumor immunology and host-pathogen interactions dealing with visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA). We have analyzed childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), VL and PA-associated biomolecules by exploring the diversity of sialylation with a common set of questions through proteomic and glycobiological aspects.

Additionally, another important goal of our laboratory is to deliver low cost affordable healthcare to all using India’s vast resources of medicinal plants. Currently we had put lots of effort towards chemotherapeutic advancement in cancer since 2008. My group has identified a non-toxic herbal molecule alone/or extract/or in-combination with existing-known drugs showing great potential against an array of cancer cell lines/ cancer stem cells both in vitro and in vivo and even in hypoxic condition.

Honours & Awards

J.C. Bose National Fellow
2014-15: Acting Director, CSIR-IICB , Project Director, NIPER-Kolkata
2010-15: Head, CSIR-Innovation Complex, Kolkata
1981-2015: Scientist B to Scientist-H, CSIR-IICB
1978 -81: Post Doc, University of Pennsylavania, Philadelphia, USA
1974-78: Ph.D (Bio-Organic Chemistry), Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore

Patents & Publications

A few selected Publications on cancer, sialoglycobiology of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA)

Cancer

Shalini Nath, Chhabinath Mandal, Uttara Chatterjee and Chitra Mandal (2017) Association of cytosolic sialidase Neu2 with plasma membrane enhances Fas-mediated apoptosis by impairing PI3K-Akt/mTOR-mediated pathway in pancreatic cancer cells. Cell Death and Diseases Accepted, 30th Nov 38/187 Cell Biology (In press).

Devawati Dutta, Ranjita Das, Chhabinath Mandal and Chitra Mandal. (2017) Structure-Based Kinase Profiling To Understand the Polypharmacological Behavior of Therapeutic Molecules. J Chem Inf Model. Dec 15. doi: 10.1021/acs.jcim.7b00227

Samarpan Maiti, Susmita Mondal, Eswara Murali Satyavarapu and Chitra Mandal (2017) mTORC2 regulates hedgehog pathway activity by promoting stability to Gli2 protein and its nuclear translocation. Cell Death and Disease (2017) 8, e2926; doi:10.1038/cddis.2017Nature Publishing Group

T. Aruna, Saraswati Kulkarnia, Manjusha Chakraborty, S. Senthil Kumara, N. Balajia, Chitra Mandal (2017) A comparative study on the synthesis and properties of suspension and solution precursor plasma sprayed hydroxyapatite coatings. Ceramics International 43,9715–9722

K Bhattacharya, S Maiti and Chitra Mandal (2016) PTEN negatively regulates mTORC2 formation and signalling in grade IV glioma via Rictor hyperphosphorylation at Thr1135 and direct the mode of action of an mTORC1/2 inhibitor. Oncogenesis, 5, e227; doi:10.1038/oncsis.2016.34

Mahua R Das, Arup K Bag, Shekhar Saha, Alok Ghosh, Sumit K Dey, Provas Das, Chitra Mandal, Subhankar Ray, Saikat Chakrabarti, Manju Ray and Siddhartha S Jana (2016) Molecular association of Glucose-6-phosphate isomerase and Pyruvate kinase M2 with Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase in cancer cells. BMC Cancer, 16:152

Pintu Kumar Khan, Arnab Mahato, Biswanath Kundu, Samit K. Nandi, Prasenjit Mukherjee, Someswar Datta, Soumya Sarkar, Jayanta Mukherjee, Shalini Nath, Vamsi K. Balla & Chitra Mandal (2016) Influence of single and binary doping of strontium and lithium on in vivo biological properties of bioactive glass scaffolds. Scientific Reports, 6:32964 | DOI: 10.1038/srep32964

Aparajita Pal, Dipa Talukdar, Anirban Roy, Subhankar Ray, Asish Mallick, Chitra Mandal, Manju Ray (2015) Nanofabrication of methylglyoxal with chitosan biopolymer: a potential tool for enhancement of its anticancer effect” International Journal of Nanomedicine 10, 3499– 3518

Sayantani Sarkar, Chandan Mandal, Rajender Sangwan and Chitra Mandal(2014) Chk1/Chk2 couples with G2/M cell cycle arrest and perturbed canonical Wnt/β -catenin pathway to elicit apoptosis in pancreatic adenocarcinoma’ Endrocine Related Cancer, 21, 1-14

Ranjita Das, Kaushik Bhattacharya, Suman K Samanta, Bikas C Pal and Chitra Mandal(2014) Improved chemosensitivity in cervical cancer to cisplatin: synergistic activity of mahanine through STAT3 inhibition Cancer Letters 351, 81-90

Ranjita Das, Kaushik Bhattacharya, Sayantani Sarkar, Suman K Samanta, Bikas C Pal and Chitra Mandal, (2014). Mahanine synergistically enhances cytotoxicity of 5-fluorouracil through ROS-mediated activation of PTEN and p53/p73 in colon carcinoma Apoptosis 19:149-164

Bhattacharya K, Bag AK, Tripathi R, Samanta SK, Pal BC, Shaha C, Mandal Chitra, (2014). Mahanine, a novel mitochondrial complex-III inhibitor induces G0/G1 arrest through redox alteration-mediated DNA damage response and regresses glioblastoma multiforme. Am J Cancer Res. 4(6):629-47

Suman K. Samanta, Devawati Dutta, Sarita Roy, Kaushik Bhattacharya, Sayantani Sarkar, Bikas C. Pal, Chhabinath Mandal, Anjan K. Dasgupta and Chitra Mandal, (2013). Mahanine, a DNA minor grove binding agent exerts cellular cytotoxicity with involvement of C-7-OH and -NH functional groups. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 56:5709-21

Sarkar, D. Dutta, S.K Samanta, K. Bhattacharya, B.C Pal, J. Li, K. Datta, CN Mandal, and Chitra Mandal, (2013). Redox sensitive inhibition of Hsp90 coupled with disruption of super-chaperone complex attenuate pancreatic adenocarcinoma in vitro and in vivo Int. J. Cancer 132:695-706. doi: 10.1002/ijc.27687

Sarita Roy, Kaushik Bhattacharya, Chitra Mandal and Anjan K. Dasgupta (2013) Cellular response to chirality and amplified chirality. Journal of Materials Chemistry B. 1:6634-43 DOI: 10.1039/C3TB21322F

Susmita Mondal, K. Bhattacharya, A. Mallick, R. Sangwan and Chitra Mandal, (2012). Bak compensated for Bax in p53-null Cells to Release Cytochrome c for the Initiation of Mitochondrial Signaling during Withanolide D-induced Apoptosis. PLoS ONE 7(3): e34277. Epub 2012 Mar 29

Bhattacharya, S.K. Samanta, R. Tripathi, A. Mallick, S. Chandra, BC. Pal, C. Shaha and Chitra Mandal, (2010). Apoptotic effects of mahanine on human leukemic cells are mediated through cross talking between Apo-1/Fas signaling with Bid protein and via mitochondrial pathways. Biochemical Pharmacology79: 361-72

S Mondal, Chandan Mandal, RS, S Chandra, Chitra Mandal, (2010). Withanolide D induces apoptosis in leukemia by targeting the activation of neutral sphingomyelinase-ceramide cascade mediated by synergistic activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase. Molecular Cancer9, 239

Chandan Mandal, A. Dutta, A. Mallick, S. Chandra, L. Misra, R. Sangwan and Chitra Mandal, (2008). Withaferin A induces apoptosis by activating p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling cascade in leukemic cells of lymphoid and myeloid origin in a transcription-dependent manner through mitochondrial death cascade. Apoptosi 13, 1450-1464

A few selected publications on Proteomic and glycomic study of glycoconjugates induced on cancer cells and their modulation

Shalini Nath, Chhabinath Mandal, Uttara Chatterjee and Chitra Mandal (2017) Association of cytosolic sialidase Neu2 with plasma membrane enhances Fas-mediated apoptosis by impairing PI3K-Akt/mTOR-mediated pathway in pancreatic cancer cells. Cell Death and Diseases Accepted, 30th Nov 38/187 Cell Biology (In press).

Devawati Dutta, Chhabinath Mandal, Chitra Mandal. (2017) Unusual glycosylation of proteins: Beyond the universal sequon and other amino acids. BiochimBiophysActa.1861, 3096-3108

Chandan Mandal, Sayantani Sarkar, Uttara Chatterjee, Reinhard Schwartz-Albiez, Chitra Mandal, (2014) Disialoganglioside GD3-synthase over expression inhibits survival and angiogenesis of pancreatic cancer cells through cell cycle arrest at S-phase and disruption of integrin-β 1-mediated anchorage The Int J Biochem Cell Biol, May 16th pii: S1357-2725(14)00173-3

K Mehta, S Verma, S Mohanty, P. Jena, B. Khatua, R. Jena, S. Sethy, Chitra Mandal, (2014) K.H. Roehm, and A. Sonawane Mutations in subunit interface and B-cell epitopes improve antileukemic activities of Escherichia coli asparaginase-II: Evaluation of immunogenicity in mice. J. Biol. Chem 289, 35555-70

Bhattacharya, Kaushik; Chandra, Sarmila; Mandal, Chitra, (2014). Critical Stoichiometric ratio of CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ Treg and CD4+CD25- Tresp persuades immunosuppression in patient with B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Immunology May; 142(1):124-39

Chandan Mandal and Chitra Mandal (2013). Identification and analysis of O-acetylated glycoproteins, A chapter in “ Methods in Molecular Biology” Chapter 6, Series Editor Dr. John Walker, Human Press, Springer publishing group, USA 981:57-93

Chandan Mandal, Chhabinath Mandal, S. Chandra, Schauer and Chitra Mandal(2012). Regulation of O-acetylation of sialic acids by sialate-O-acetyltransferase and sialate-O-acetylesterase activities in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia Glycobiology 22:70-83

Chitra Mandal, R. Schwartz-Albiez and R. Vlasak (2012). Functions and biosynthesis of O-acetylated sialic acids. A Review “ Topics in Current Chemistry” Volume: SialoGlyco Chemistry and Biology, Volume Editors: Rita Gerardy-Schahn, Philippe Delannoy, Mark von Itzstein, Feb 28, DOI: 10.1007/128_2011_310 2, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

Mandal Chitra, Roychoudhury S, Roy S. (2011). Cancer research: India meets the West. Cell Death Differ. 18, 1675– 1677, Jun 17. doi: 10.1038/cdd.2011.85 [Epub ahead of print]

Chandan Mandal, C. Tringali, S. Mondal, L.A, S. Chandra, V. Burno and Chitra Mandal, (2010). Down-regulation of membrane-bound Neu3 is negatively correlated with disease progression and associated with apoptosis suppression of lymphoblasts in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. International J Cancer 126:337-349 (Impact factor 5.441)

Mukherjee, AK Chava, S. Bandyopadhyay, A. Mallick, S. Chandra, Chitra Mandal, (2009). Co-expression of 9-O-acetylated sialoglycoproteins and their binding proteins on lymphoblasts of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: an anti-apoptotic role. Biol Chemistry 390, 325-335
Chowdhury, S. Bandyopadhyay, Chandan Mandal, and S. Chandra, and Chitra Mandal, (2008). Flow-cytometric monitoring of disease-associated expression of 9-O-acetylated sialoglycoproteins in combination with known CD antigens, as an index for MRD in children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: a two-year longitudinal follow-up study BMC Cancer, 8, 40
Bandyopadhyay, A. Bhattacharyya, A.K. Sen, T. Das, G. Sa, D. K. Bhattacharya and Chitra Mandal, (2005). Over expressed IgG2 antibodies against O-acetylated sialoglycoconjugates incapable of proper effector functioning in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) International Immunology 17, 177-91

Ghosh, S. Bandyopadhyay, S. Pal, B. Das, D.K. Bhattacharya and Chitra Mandal, (2005). Increased interferon gamma production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells in response to stimulation of over expressed disease-specific 9-O-acetylated sialoglycoconjugates in children suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia. British J Hematol 128: 35-41

Ghosh, S. Bandyopadhyay, A. Mullick, S. Pal, R. Vlasak, D.K. Bhattacharya and Chitra Mandal, (2005). Interferon gamma promotes survival of lymphoblasts over-expressing 9-O-acetylated sialoglycoconjugates in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. J. Cellular Biochemistry 95, 206-16

Bandyopadhyay, K. Mukherjee, M. Chatterjee, D.K. Bhattacharya and Chitra Mandal, (2005), Detection of immune-complexed 9-O-acetylated sialoglycoconjugates in the sera of patients with pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia. J. Immunol Method 297, 13-26 (Impact factor 2.74)

Ghosh, D.K. Bhattacharya and Chitra Mandal, (2005). Altered erythrocyte membrane characteristics during anemia in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Ann Hematol 84, 76-84

Pal, S. Ghosh, S. Bandyopadhyay, C.N. Mandal, S. Bandhyopadhyay, D. K. Bhattacharya and Chitra Mandal, (2004). Differential expression of 9-O-acetylated sialoglycoconjugates on leukemic blasts: a potential tool for long-term monitoring of children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Internat. J. Cancer 111, 270-277

Pal, S. Bandhyopadhyay, M. Chatterjee, A.G. Hall, D.K. Bhattacharya and Chitra Mandal, (2004), Antibodies against 9-O-acetylated sialoglycans: a potent marker to monitor clinical status in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Clinical Biochem37, 395-403

Pal, S. Ghosh, C.N Mandal, G. Kohla, R. Brossmer, R Isecke, A. Merling, R. Schauer, R. Schwartz-Albiez, DK Bhattacharya and Chitra Mandal, (2004). Purification and characterization of 9-O-acetylated sialoglycoproteins from leukaemic cells and their potential as immunological tool for monitoring childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia Glycobiology 14, 859-870

Mandal Chitra, Chatterjee M, Sinha, D. (2000). Investigation of 9-O-Acetylated sialoglycocongugates in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. British J. 110, 801-812

Pal S, Chatterjee M, Bhattacharyya DK, Bandhyopadhyay S and Mandal Chitra (2000). Identification and purification of cytolytic antibodies directed against O-acetylated sialic acid in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. 10, 539-549

Sinha D, *Mandal Chitra and Bhattacharya DK, A colorimetric assay to evaluate the chemotherapeutic response of children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) employing achatinin: a 9-O acetylated sialic acid binding lectin. Leukemia Res. 23, 803-809(1999).

Sinha D, *Mandal Chitra and Bhattacharya DK, Development of a simple, blood based lymphoproliferation assay to assess the clinical status of patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Leukemia Research23, 433-439(1999).

Sinha D, *Mandal Chitra and Bhattacharya DK, (1999). Identification of 9-O acetyl sialoglycoconjugates (9-OAcSGs) as biomarkers in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia using a lectin, AchatininH, as a probe. Leukemia, 13; 119-125 (Impact factor10.561)*Corresponding author

Sinha D, *Mandal Chitra and Bhattacharya DK, (1999). A novel method for prognostic evaluation of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Leukemia, 13, 309-312 (Impact factor 10.561)*Corresponding author

Understanding sialoglycobiology of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) for their survival in host

Biswajit Khatua, Jeremy Van Vleetb, Biswa Pronab Choudhuryb, Chitra Mandal, Sialylation of OprD protein: A mechanistic basis of antibiotic uptake in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Molecular & Cellular Proteomics 13(6):1412-28. Impact factor 7.4 (2014). 5yrs average IF 8.4

Biswajit Khatua, Saptarshi Roy and Chitra Mandal, Sialic acids siglec interaction: A unique strategy to circumvent innate immune response by pathogens. An invited review Indian Journal of Medical Research138(5):648-62(2013).

Khatua, K. Bhattacharya, Chitra Mandal, α 2, 3 linked Sialic acids acquired by Pseudomonas aeruginosa facilitate their survival by impeding neutrophil extracellular trap through siglec-9. Journal of Leucocyte Biology, 91, 641-55. Epub Jan 11 (2012) (Impact factor 4.992)

Khatua B, Ghoshal A, Bhattacharya K, Mandal Chandan, Saha B, Crocker PR, Mandal Chitra. (2010). Sialic acids acquired by Pseudomonas aeruginosa are involved in reduced complement deposition and siglec mediated host-cell recognition. FEBS Lett. 584, 555-561 Impact factor 3.60

Role of glycosylations/unique sialylation on host immune cells and parasite specific biomolecules in visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and their immunological role in host-pathogen interaction

Saptarshi Roy, Devawati Dutta, Eswara M Satyavarapu, Pawan K Yadav, Chhabinath Mandal, Susanta Kar, Chitra Mandal (2017) Mahanine exerts in vitro and in vivo antileishmanial activity by modulation of redox homeostasis. Scientific Reports

A Mandal, S Das, A Kumar, S. Roy, S Verma, A K Ghosh, R Singh, K Abhishek, S Saini, A H Sardar, B Purkait, A Kumar, Chitra Mandal, Pradeep Das (2017) Cationic Amino Acid Transporter 2 Mediated L-arginine Transport Regulate Leishmania donovani Survival Inside Macrophage: Modulation of Arginase-iNOS Balance. Frontiers in Immunology, section Microbial Immunology

Tripathi CD, Kushawaha PK, Sangwan RS, Chitra Mandal, Misra-Bhattacharya S, Dube A (2017) Withania somnifera chemotype NMITLI 101R significantly increases the efficacy of antileishmanial drugs by generating strong IFN-γ and IL-12 mediated immune responses in Leishmania donovani infected hamsters. Phytomedicine. 2017 Jan 15; 24:87-95. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2016.11.012.

Saptarshi Roy and Chitra Mandal (2016)Leishmania donovani utilize sialic acids for binding and phagocytosis in the macrophages through selective utilization of siglecs and impair the innate immune arm. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. DOI:10.1371/journal.pntd.0004904 August 5, 2016

Mandal A, Das S, Roy S, Ghosh AK, Sardar AH, Verma S, Saini S, Singh R, Kumar A, Mandal Chitra and Das P (2016) Deprivation of L-Arginine induces Oxidative stress mediated Apoptosis in Leishmania donovani Promastigotes: Contribution of the Polyamine pathway. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2016, 10, e0004373. Impact factor 4.45

Kumar GA, Roy S, Jafurulla M, Mandal Chitra, Chattopadhyay A (2016) Statin-induced chronic cholesterol depletion inhibits Leishmania donovani infection: Relevance of optimum host membrane cholesterol. Biochim Biophys Acta, 1858(9):2088-96

Bag AK, Saha S, Sundar S, Saha B, Chakrabarti A, Mandal Chitra, (2014) Comparative proteomics and glycoproteomics of plasma proteins in Indian visceral leishmaniasis. Proteome Sci. 12 (1):48This work has been highlighted in Aalatimes English News paper (aalatimes.com/2012/11/20/Indin-scientists-unravel-secret-behind-hospital-infection)

Sajal Samanta, Angana Ghoshal, Kaushik Bhattacharya, Bibhuti Saha, Peter Walden and Chitra Mandal Sialoglycosylation of RBC in visceral leishmaniasis leads to enhanced oxidative stress, calpain-induced fragmentation of spectrin and hemolysis PLoS ONE 7(7):e42361.doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0042361. Epub 2012 Jul 31(2012).

A Ghoshal, G.J. Gerwig, J.P. Kamerling, and Chitra Mandal (2010) Sialic acids in different Leishmania spp., its correlation with nitric oxide resistance and host responses. Glycobiology 20: 553-66.

Jain R, Ghoshal A, Mandal Chitra, Shaha C. (2010) Leishmania cell surface prohibitin: role in host-parasite interaction. Cell Microbiol. 12, 432-52.

Ghoshal, S. Mukhopadhyay, R. Demine, M. Forgber, S. Jarmalavicius, B. Saha, S. Sundar, P. Walden, Chhabinath Mandal and Chitra Mandal (2009) Detection and characterization of a sialoglycosylated bacterial ABC-type phosphate transporter protein from patients with visceral leishmaniasis. Glycocon J 26, 675-89. (Impact factor 7.446)

Ansar, S. Mukhopadhyay, S. Basu, SK.H. Habib, B. Saha, A.K Sen, and Chitra Mandal (2009) Disease-associated glycosylated moleclar variants of human C-reactive protein activate complement-mediated hemolysis of erythrocytes in tuberculosis and Indian Visceral leishmaniasis. Glycocon J26, 1151

Ghoshal, S. Mukhopadhyay, B. Saha and Chitra Mandal(2009) 9-O-acetylated sialoglycoproteins: Important immunomodulators in Indian visceral leishmaniasis, Clinical and Vaccine Immunology 18, 889-898

Ghoshal, S. Mukhopadhyay, GJ. Gerwig, J.P. Kamerling, M. Chatterjee, Chitra Mandal (2009) 9-O-acetylated sialic acids enhance entry of virulent Leishmania donovani promastigotes into macrophages, Parasitology. 15:1-15.

Ghoshal, S. Mukhopadhyay nee Bandyopadhyay and Chitra Mandal (2008) sialoglycotherapeutics in protozoal diseases. Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry, Bentham Science Publishers, 8, 358-369

Mukhopadhyay nee Bandyopadhyay S and Chitra Mandal (2006) Glycobiology of leishmania donovani. Indian J. Medical Res 123, 203-220

K. Chava, M. Chatterjee, and Chitra Mandal (2005) O-acetyl sialic acids in parasitic diseases, in a “ Hand book of carbohydrate engineering” Edited by Kevin J. Yarema; published by Taylor and Francis Group, book division, USA in Chapter 3, 71-98

Dutta A, Chitra Mandal and M. Chatterjee (2005) Development of a modified MTT assay for screening antimonial resistant field isolates of Indian visceral leishmaniasis. Parasitology International 54, 119-22

Bandyopadhyay, M. Chatterjee, T. Das, S. Bandyopadhyay, S. Sundar and Chitra Mandal (2004) Antibodies directed against O-acetylated sialoglycoconjugates accelerate complement activation in Leishmania donovani promastigotes. J. Infect disease 190, 2010-2019

Bandyopadhyay, M. Chatterjee, S. Pal, RF Waller, S. Sundar, M. McConville and Chitra Mandal (2004) Antibodies against O-acetylated sialoglycoconjugates; their purification, characterization and application as a novel probe for diagnosis and follow up of Indian Visceral Leishmaniasis patients Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease 49, 15-24

K Chava, M. Chatterjee, V. Sharma, S. Sundar and Chitra Mandal (2004) Variable Degree of alternative complement pathway– mediated hemolysis in Indian visceral leishmaniasis Induced by Differential Expression of 9-O-acetylated sialoglycans, Journal of Infectious Disease 189, 1257-1264

K. Chava, M. Chatterjee, GJ. Gerwig, JP. Kamerling and Chitra Mandal (2004) Identification of sialic acids on leishmania donovani amastigotes, Biol. Chem 385, 59-66

K. Chava, S. Bandyopadhyay, M. Chatterjee, and Chitra Mandal (2004) Sialoglycans in protozoal diseases; their detection, modes of acquisition and emerging biological roles, a review in Glycoconjugate J 20, 199-206

Bandyopadhyay, M. Chatterjee, S. Sundar and Chitra Mandal (2004) Identification of 9-O-acetylated sialoglycans on peripheral blood mononuclear cells in Indian visceral leishmaniasis. Glycoconjugate J20, 531-536

Chatterjee, AK Chava, G. Kohla, S. Pal, S. Hinderlich, GJ. Gerwig, JP. Kamerling, R. Vlasak, PR. Crocker, R. Schauer, R. Schwartz- Albiez and Chitra Mandal (2003) Identification and characterization of adsorbed serum sialoglycans on leishmania donovani promastigotes. Glycobiology 13, 351-361

K. Chava., M. Chatterjee, S. Sundar and Chitra Mandal (2002) Development of an assay for quantification of linkage-specific O-acetylated sialoglycans on erythrocytes; its application in Indian visceral leishmnaiasis J. Immunol. Meth. 270, 1-10

Sharma V, Chatterjee M, Sen G, Ch. Anil Kumar and Mandal Chitra (2000) Role of linkage specific 9-O-acetylated sialoglycoconjugates in activation of the alternate complement pathway on mammalian erythrocytes. Glycoconjugate J. 17:22

Chatterjee M., Baneth G, Jaffe C L, Sharma V and Mandal Chitra (1999) Diagnostic and prognostic potential of antibodies against O-acetylated sialic acids in canine visceral leishmaniasis” Veterinary Immunol. Immunopathol, 70, 55-65

Chatterjee M., Jaffe C.L, Shyam S, Basu D, Sen S and Mandal Chitra (1999) Diagnostic and Prognostic potential of a Competitive Enzyme linked Immunosorbent Assay for Leishmaniasis. Diagnos. Lab. Immunol6, 550-554

Chatterjee M., Sharma V., *Mandal Chitra, Sundar S, and Sen S. (1998) Identification of antibodies directed against O-acetylated sialic acids in Visceral Leishmaniasis: its diagnostic and prognostic role. Glycoconjugate J. 15, 1141-1147.

Sharma V, Chatterjee M, Mandal Chitra, Sen S, Basu D. (1998). Rapid diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis using Achatinin-H, a 9-O-acetylated sialic acid binding lectin. Amer. J. Trop. Med. Hyg. 58, 551-554.

Contact
Main Campus
Room # 304, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, 4 Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Jadavpur, Kolkata - 700032,


Research Group
Ranjita Das, RA
Eswara Murali Satyavarapu, RA
Prasun Sinha, PA
C. Palanivelu
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dr C. PalaniveluBornOccupation GastroenterologistParent(s) ChinnusamyAwards Lifetime Achievement Award International congress on cancer 2016Website Not Available

Dr. C Palanivelu is well known gastroenterologist in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. He was born to poor farm workers from the village Avarankattupudur in Paramathi Velur, Namakkal.

InnovationsHe invented new technique for cancer esophagus in esophagectomy. This procedure named after him and called "Palanivelu’s technique of esophagectomy".Laparoscopic Whipple operation for cancer Pancreas first to perform and completed first time in the world.Choledochalcyst laparoscopic excision & HepatojejunostomyHydatid cyst excision ( palanivelu’s hydatid trocar system )Single incision colorectal cancer resection ( SAGES award winning operation)Gastrectomy for cancer stomach (Key note address Japanese society 2006)

Awards

He has been awarded "Life Time achievement" for his contribution in field of cancer. He also the recipient of the highest honour of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, United Kingdom in appreciation of his scientific contribution in the field of minimal access surgery at global level.

Dr.B.C.Roy National Award : Government of India recognised and bestowed upon him Dr BC Roy National Award under the category of development of specialty medicine namely laparoscopic surgery in 2006 & Eminent Medical Person category in 2016.

International Olympic Silver medal winner : First Indian to win International Olympic Silver Medal for surgery which was held at Phoenix US In 2009. Sages and JSES jointly organised international Olympic surgery in MAS which was held at Phoenix Texas first ever in history of surgery.

Best paper award winner : 6 th World congress of Endoscopic surgeons , Rome , Italy 1998. Best paper award for the paper "Laparoscopic subtotal cholecystectomy.

First Indian to win Best Video award in EAES : 16th European Best video award and first prize 2500 Euros in 2007. First Indian and only Indian to win award till now.

Best Technique Award International Society for Diseases of Esophagus : During 10th world congress of ISDE International Society for Diseases of Esophagus, Kagoshima Japan 2010.

Honorary Fellowship - Honorio causa : Recipient of Honorary Fellowship of medicine " Honorary Causa" 2014 by the San American university, Lima PERU, the oldest university in the world formed in the year 1551.

Gold Medal in honor : Kazhaskhan National Association of Medicine "Gold Medal" in honor significant contribution for development of surgery during

Pan Russian countries Medical conference in 2013 at Astana.

Top Two Great Surgeons : First Indian honoured by European Association of Endoscopic Surgeons for Significant contribution to development of Laparoscopic Surgery during World Congress of Endoscopic Surgery at Paris June 2014. 1. Prof Palanivelu India 2. Prof John Hunter USCharity

Not forgotten his background, he goes to villages regularly to organise free camps and select patients for free operations through GEM Medical Foundation a charitable organisation.GEM Digestive Diseases Foundation

To serve the needy and economically backward common public.Conduction of 65 in house periodic free medical camps.Bearing of all the medical expenses.Provision of high tech medical facilities and treatment at free / affordable cost.Served 47,526 of patients till now 3,485 of free laparoscopic surgeries.Financial assistance for poor students to persuade education.GEM Mobile Clinic - "To reach the unreachable"

Conduction of free medical camps in rural areas.Early detection of diseases.Awareness creation in public health issues.Incorporates eminent expert team of doctors.Equipped with modern scientific tools.Facilitated with laboratory, ultrasonology and endoscopy.Free checkup, free treatment.Establishment of first Preventive gastroenterology Clinic

To create awareness among the public in prevention.For early detection.For health education.Cancer screening.
Obesity clinic.

Health Education

To make everyone realize "Prevention is better than cure"Health care awareness creation via lectures, meetings and media journals, dailies, magazines and television.A serial of lectures in Doordarshan - "Vayirae Nalama", 2005Major issues for discussion: Obesity and GI Malignancies aiming Prevention, early detection, cure.Public health education.Periodic Hepatitis-B Awareness and free vaccination.programmes every year one month in August.GEM Nursing Education

For brilliant, poor female students food, accommodation, college fees and transport are all made free for studying B.Sc Nursing.
Dorairajan Balasubramanian
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dorairajan Balasubramanian
Born 28 August 1939

Tamil Nadu, India
Alma mater BITS, Pilani
Occupation Biophysical chemist
Years active since 1965
Known for Ocular biochemistry
Spouse(s) Shakti
Children Katyayani
Akhila
Awards Padma Shri
Khwarizmi Award
INSA Indira Gandhi Prize
DST National Prize
Goyal Prize
INSA J. C. Bose Medal
IACS Dr. Mahendra Lal Sircar Prize
Fukui Award
Ranbaxy Research Award
SBCI Sarma Memorial Award
FICCI Award
ICMR M. O. T. Iyengar Award
Rev. Fr. L. M. Yeddanapalli Memorial Award

Dorairajan Balasubramanian, popularly known as Professor Balu, is an Indian biophysical chemist and ocular biochemist. He is a former President of Indian Academy of Sciences and a Director of Research at the Prof. Brien Holden Eye Research Centre of L. V. Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad. A recipient of the National Order of Merit (France), Balasubramanian was honored by the Government of India, in 2002, with the fourth highest Indian civilian award of Padma Shri

Biography

Dorairajan Balasubramanian was born on 28 August 1939 in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. He graduated in Chemistry (BSc) from Madras University in 1957 and secured his master's degree (MSc) in Chemistry with first rank in 1959 from BITS, Pilani. He moved to the United States in 1960 for researching for his doctoral studies and completed it in 1965 to obtain PhD in biophysical chemistry from Columbia University He continued in the United States for his post doctoral research as a Jane Coffin Childs Fund Fellow at the University of Minnesota Medical School till 1966.

Balasubramanian returned to India in 1966 and joined the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur as a lecturer where he rose in ranks over the years to become an assistant professor and a professor. In 1977, he was appointed as the professor and dean of the School of Chemistry at the University of Hyderabad where he worked till 1982 when he took up the post of the deputy director of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology. He retired from the institution as its director in 1998 and moved to L. V. Prasad Eye Institute where he is the director of research of Prof. Brien Holden Eye Research Centre. He also serves as the visiting professor at the University of New South Wales, Sydney and as the adjunct professor of Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, India.

Balasubramanian is married to Shakti who is associated with E TV as a producer and the couple has two daughters. The elder daughter, Katyayani is a research analyst and the younger one, Akhila works as a public health professional. The family lives in Hyderabad.

Positions

Balasubramanian is a visiting scientist at the National Eye Institute, Bethesda and is a senior Fellow of ophthalmology at the University of Melbourne. He is the chairman of the Task Force on Stem Cell Research set up by the Department of Biotechnology of the Government of India. He is a former president of the Indian Academy of Sciences (2007-2010) and is the incumbent the chairman of the Biotechnology Advisory Council of the Government of Andhra Pradesh. A former secretary general of The World Academy of Sciences, he has served as the project coordinator of Translational Centre in Eye Diseases of Champalimaud Foundation (C-TRACER) and the Affordable Healthcare Project of the Wellcome Trust for finding solutions for the use of scaffolds for cultivating stem cells. He is a former member of the International Human Rights Network of Academies and Scholarly Societies, the International Basic Sciences Panel of UNESCO and the International Chapter Affiliate Committee of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), United States. He has also served as an editorial board member of several international journals.

Legacy
Cataract in human eye
Ginko tree
Withania

Balasubramanian started his research activities in 1965 focusing on the structure and functions of proteins and polypeptides and worked on the thermodynamic analysis of their stability. The focus of his research changed in 1984/85 when he started to work on ocular science and concentrated on crystallins of eye lens and their function as an agent in keeping the lens transparent His research revealed how cataract is caused when crystallins are damaged photochemically, thereby leading to diminished lenticular transparency. He argued that the oxidative stress on the lens induces covalent chemical changes in the constituent molecules and these changes lead to cataract.He researched further on the subject to find out that, by supplementing antioxidants and cytoprotective substances, the progression of cataract can be slowed down. These findings are known to have introduced a prophylactic approach to addressing the issue of cataract, which is reported to be the causal factor for 47.9 percent of the blindness in the world. Further, he attempted to identify the cataractostatic agents and proposed the benefits of tea polyphenols, Ginko Biloba and Withania somnifera extracts. These substances contained antioxidants and cytoprotective compounds which slow down the progression of oxidative cataract and this was verified during experiments in animals.
Advanced vision loss from Glaucoma.

After the turn of the century, Balasubramanian and his colleagues started working on inherited eye diseases and their molecular genetics. The group carried out research on diseases such as congenital glaucoma with a sampling set of over 400 families and this has helped in revealing 15 mutations in the gene CYP1B1, with mutation R368H being the most common one. The research has also recorded the genotype-phenotype correlations and the structural changes occur in mutated protein and these findings have assisted in clinical prediction of the disease and in early therapeutic intervention to avert blindness.

Balasubramanian is now working on stem cell biology and its use in restoring lost vision. He and his group have been successful in isolating the adult stem cells found in the limbus, around the cornea, and culturing them on human amniotic membrane. These cultured stem cells were, later, used to produce corneal epithelia that can be stitched on to human eye. Clinical tests on 200 patients who lost eyesight due to chemical or fire burns returned significantly good results with vision restoration to 20/20 levels, with or without subsequent corneal grafts or transplantation. These tests are reported to be the largest successful human trial of adult stem cell therapy in the world.

Balasubramanian has published 6 books of which two books, one on chemistry and the other in biotechnology, are prescribed text books for academic studies. He is credited with over 450 articles, published in peer reviewed national and international journals and Microsoft Academic Search, an online repository of scientific articles, has listed 52 of them. He has presented more than 170 scientific papers and has contributed in popularizing science by writing columns in leading newspapers such as The Hindu and The Times of India since 1980. On the academic front, he has assisted 16 doctoral students in their PhD studies. His efforts are also reported behind the establishment of a vaccine unit at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology and in designing a quality improvement program for the Sericulture Laboratory of the state government.

Awards and recognitions
Padma Shri India IIIe Klasse
Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Mérite (France)

Dorairajan Balasubramanian, an honorary Professor of the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, is an elected member of Indian National Science Academy (INSA), Indian Academy of Sciences (IAS), National Academy of Sciences, India (NASI), Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is also a Fellow of the Academy of Sciences Leopoldina,[8] Germany, Mauritian Academy of Sciences[8] and the International Molecular Biology Network.

He has delivered many award lectures in India and abroad. In 1985, he delivered the National Lecture of the University Grants Commission and the next year, the Prof. K. Venkataraman Endowment Lecture. K. S. G. Doss Memorial Lecture and the SERC National Lecture were delivered in 1991 followed by Pasteur Centenary Lecture, R. P. Mitra Memorial Lecture and the Platinum Jubilee Lecture of the Indian Science Congress Association in 1995. Some of the other award lectures given by Balasubramanian are:

Madurai Kamaraj University Convocation Address
Ranganathan Centre for Information Studies Annual Lecture
J. C. Ray Memorial Oration Award
C. V. Raman Lecture
B. C. Guha Memorial Lecture
Lily Pithavadian Endowment Lecture
BHU Foundation Lecture
TNAU-MFL Endowment Lecture
Kumari L. A. Meera Memorial Lecture
Prof. McBain Memorial Lecture
Jana Reddy Venkata Reddy Endowment Lecture
Sri Venugopal Oration Medical Research Foundation Lecture
Elite School of Optometry Convocation Address Foundation Day Lecture
Dr. P. S. Murthy Memorial Lecture
Dr. Ram Mohan Rao Oration
Dr. K. Gopalakrishna Oration

Balasubramanian received his first award, the Rev. Fr. L. M. Yeddanapalli Memorial Award and Medal of the Indian Chemical Society in 1977. In 1981, he was awarded the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize in chemical science by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. The year 1983 brought him three awards, the SBCI Sarma Memorial Award, FICCI Award and the ICMR M. O. T. Iyengar Award. He received the Ranbaxy Award in 1990, the Fukui Award of the National Foundation for Eye Research, United States, in 1991 and Dr. Mahendra Lal Sircar Prize from the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science in 1994.

The Third World Academy of Science honoured Balasubramanian with the TWAS Prize in 1995 and Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology (IROST) conferred the Khwarizmi Award of Iran on him in 1996. He received the Om Prakash Bhasin Award and the Kalinga Prize in 1997 and the next year, he received Goyal Prize of the Goyal Research Foundation and J. C. Bose Medal of the Indian National Science Academy (INSA). The Government of India honoured him with the civilian award of Padma Shri in 2002. The Government of France followed suit with the Chevalier de l’Ordre National de Merite, the same year. He received a third award in 2002 from the Department of Science and Technology, the National Prize for Science Popularization. He is also a recipient of the INSA Indira Gandhi Prize and the Jawaharlal Nehru Centenary Award for Achievement in Science of the Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA).
दादाजी खोब्रागड़े

कृषिरत्न, कृषिभूषण

विश्वप्रसिद्ध एचएमटी धान (चावल) समेत अन्य 8 से अधिक धान की नई प्रजातियों के संशोधक च्रदपुर नांदेड़ निवासी 80 वर्षीय कृषिरत्न, कृषिभूषण दादाजी खोब्रागड़े पैरालिसिस के कारण दुःखद निधन हुआ। पिछले कुछ महिनों से पैरालिसिस के कारण उनपर इलाज चल रहा था. स्‍थानीय नीजि अस्‍पताल 'सर्च' में वे में भरती थे. साल 2015 में उन्हें अर्धागवायु अर्थात पैरालिसिस का अटैक आया था.

आज अगर आप 'बिग बाजार' या 'डी मार्ट' जैसे बीग ब्रांड ग्रोसरी माल में जाते है तो राईस सेक्‍शन में आपको एचएमटी राईस की कई वरायटी मिलेंगी. उन्‍होंने विकसित की हुई एचएमटी धान ने भारत में चावल की फसल में क्रांतिकारी बदलाव लाया है. मध्‍यभारत के एक लाख हेक्‍टर से ज्‍यादा जमीनपर यह एचएमटी धान उगाया जाता है.

चंद्रपुर जिले की नागभीड़ तहसील के गांव नांदेड़ निवासी अनुसूचित जाति में जन्‍में कृषि मजदूर दादाजी रामाजी खोब्रागड़े सिर्फ 3 री कक्षा तक की शिक्षा अर्जित कर पाए थे। थोड़ी-सी जमीन में परंपरागत पद्धति से धान की फसल लेकर और बचे हुए समय में मजदूरी कर उनका परिवार गुजारा करता था। कुछ नया करने की चाह में दादाजी हर चीज का गहनता से अध्ययन करते थे। जिससे उनकी निरीक्षण शक्ति बढ़ी।

परंपरागत धान प्रजाति से अलग धान प्रजाति का उत्पादन करने का विचार मन में आते ही उन्होंने वर्ष 1983 को पटेल-3 नामक धान प्रजाति की फसल बोयी। उसमें उन्हें तीन अलग-अलग किस्म के धान के बीज मिले।

उन्होंने तीन वर्ष में कड़ी मेहनत कर धान की नई प्रजातियां तैयार कीं। उस वक्त इन प्रजातियों के धान का नाम रखे बिना ही इन्हें बाजार में बिक्री के लिए लाया गया। व्यापारियों ने जब उनसे इस धान के नाम पूछे तो उन्होंने इसका नाम उस समय की प्रसिद्ध घड़ी HMT बता दिया। तब से सामने आई HMT चावल की नई प्रजाति।

इससे दादाजी खोब्रागड़े HMT चावल के जनक के रूप में सुप्रसिद्ध हुए।

कृषि क्षेत्र में दिए गए योगदान के लिए महाराष्‍ट्र राज्य सरकार ने 2006 में कृषि क्षेत्र के सर्वोच्च पुरस्कार कृषि रत्न से उन्हें सम्मानित किया।

5 जनवरी 2005 को अहमदाबाद में तत्कालीन राष्ट्रपति डा. एपीजे अब्दुल कलाम के हाथों उनका अनुसंधान के लिए सम्मानित किया गया।

2010 में अंतरराष्ट्रीय फोब्र्स मैग्जीन ने विश्व के सर्वोत्तम ग्रामीण उद्योजकों की सूची में स्थान देकर उन्हें सम्मानित किया था।

वर्ष 1990 से लेकर 2015 तक वे अनेक पुरस्कारों से नवाजे गए।

भारत एवं विश्‍व की तमाम अखबारों की सुर्खियों में रहें दादाजी भारत सरकार के विज्ञान एवं प्रौद्योगिकी विभाग क स्‍वायत्‍त संस्‍थान राष्‍ट्रीय नवप्रवर्तन प्रतिष्‍ठान के राष्‍ट्रीय अन्‍वेषकों की सूचि में गर्व से शामिल हैं.

साल 2015 में उन्हें अर्धागवायु अर्थात पैरालिसिस का अटैक आया और उनका काम वहीं रुक गया।

किसानों एवं युवा कृषि संशोधकों के ल‍िए दादाजी खोब्रागड़े आदर्श है एवं प्रेरणास्‍थान हैं. उन्‍होंने एचएमटी, विजय नांदेड, नांदेड 92, नांदेड हिरा, डीआरके, नांदेड चेन्नूर, नांदेड दीपक, काटे एचएमटी आणि डीआरके 2 यह नौ धान प्र‍जाति विकसित की. उनकेे द्वारा व‍िकस‍ित धान किसानों के लिए कम जमीनपर ज्‍यादा फसल उगाने में क्रांतिकारी साबित हुई. उनके निधन से देश ने एक प्रतिभाशाली कृषि संशोधक खोया है.

एमएनटी न्‍यूज नेटवर्क उन्‍हें विनम्र अभिवादन करता है.

From-MNT News Network

Dadaji Ramaji Khobragade in English

68-yr-old Dadaji Ramaji Khobragade is a Indian Buddhist farmer with a grouse. Ten years ago he shot to fame for breeding a variety of rice called Hmt which went on to become one of the highest yielding varieties in the region.It even became popular in neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. In Maharashtra it is grown in over 6,88,000 hectares ..
Dadaji Khobragade, HMT Rice Variety Developer

” When my neighbours took it to the market to sell it, the traders could immediately tell this was different variety and asked for its name. One of the farmers was wearing an Hmt watch and decided to call the rice variety that. Eversince it been called Hmt rice”.

Grassroots innovation like Khobragade’s are classic example of necessity being the mother of invention. And yet he is a bitter man today. While the seeds he helped develop sell for as much as 1500 rupees a quintal he’s got nothing. Leave alone money even recognition seems to be taking its time finding him.

By 1994 when Hmt became a rage with paddy farmers as far as Chattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh. The local agricultural university took 5 Kgs kg of HMT seeds from Khobragade saying that the rice station wanted to experiment with it. In 1998, the university released a new variety in the State called Pkv hmt after the researchers say they “purified” the seed they had obtained from Khobragade.

Sharad Nimbalkar, Vc Punjabrao Krishi Vidyapeeth says”The original seed may have come from Khobragade but now it is entirely the University’s intellectual property.”

In a tragic twist of fortunes. Khobragade has fallen on hard time. He has to work for daily wages to support his seven-member family but his grassroots research has helped fellow farmers.

Dadaji Khobragade, Rice Variety Developer says “I have worked very hard to develop this new variety of paddy. I though this will help me and my family economically. But today we lead a hard life due to poverty.”

Bhimrao Shende, Neighbour says ” In 1990 we all had haystack roofs… Now we have pucca roofs and better homes and our village’s economic condition has improved because of his high yield producing seeds”.

Khobragade has not lost hope. He showed us his six new varieties of rice. Each of them carefully framed and labelled. One of them is called Drk after himself. He’s asked the government to convince the university to allow him to claim royalty for his variety of rice.

Pic1: D R Khobragade indiginious research thesis, who is going to hear him?
Nagpur: He fought for his rights but could never quite get his due. Dadaji Ramaji Khobragade, the inventor of HMT-Sona and ten other popular rice varieties died on Sunday at the Search hospital in Gadchiroli. The Dalit farmer, who won global acclaim for his innovations, had suffered a crippling paralytic attack a month ago.

He is survived by his son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren.

The 80-year-old had been unwell for the past six months. He was frail and his listening capabilities were hampered.

For his work and farm innovations, Dadaji earned a lot of goodwill and support from many quarters including institutions and individuals. This was something that kept pushing him to work, even in his old age.

Dadaji was active until last year when he would make at least one visit to his farm every day. The veteran stopped working when his body would no longer back up his mind and his ideas.

During his childhood, he reared the village cattle and could never go to school. As an adult, he invented 11 popular rice varieties that occupy vast stretches of paddy land in central India.

HMT-Sona gives an average yield of 40–45 quintals per hectare and has short grains, high rice recovery and good aroma. The variety is now marketed in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat,
Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Chinnour, Nanded-92, Nanded-Hira, Vijay-Nanded, Dipak-Ratna and the latest DRK-I and II, were some of his other finds with an average yield of about 20 quintals per acre in rain-fed conditions.

For many years, the octogenarian lived in a dingy hut in Chandrapur’s Nanded village. A few years ago, with the money from his awards and help from a few people, Dadaji built a house that also became his seed godown. Awards, medals and citations would hang by the walls in a room.

He first shot to fame when he accused the state-run Punjabrao Krishi Vidyapeeth (PKV) for taking credit for the brand that he had originally bred on his farm and given to the university scientists. This was in early 2000s.

While Dadaji claimed the PKV had appropriated his variety, the PKV held that sourced it from him and significantly improved the variety with their scientific inputs. The issue remains unresolved till date. PKV never officially gave Dadaji his credit in its varietal release proposal.

The National Innovation Foundation (NIF) recognised his work in 2003-04 and the Maharashtra government gave him the Krishi Bhushan and Krishi Ratna awards for his innovations. One of his varieties called Chinnour is akin to the Basmati of the north. He named his latest variety after himself: DRK.

In 2010, Dadaji’s name figured in the Forbes list of top seven Indian rural entrepreneurs, after it was picked up by the IIM-Ahmadabad professor and founder of the Honey Bee Network Anil Gupta. Dadaji could not make any sense of what it meant. “I am happy, but I don’t know what it means to me and to my fellow farmers,” he said.

When I first met Dadaji in August 2005, he recounted to me a number of heists that took place on his farm every day. Someone stole pumpkins one day; the other day, it would be a wooden cot that he kept for himself. In summers, people stole wild berries and even rice.

He wasn’t bothered about those thefts as much as he was about the fact that the PKV never quite officially acknowledged the HMT-Sona as his discovery. Even the name was given by Dadaji when he went to the market in Mul town, back in early 1990, and a trader asked him to suggest a name for the rice variety.

“I’d wear an HMT-Sona watch on my wrist,” Dadaji recounted in my first interview. “I looked at it and told the trader ‘let it be named HMT-Sona’.” It took the consumers by a storm for its fragrance and taste.

In 1983, Dadaji noticed three yellow-coloured strains of paddy corns in his farm. “They were different," he told me. The innovator preserved them and sowed them again on his farm the following year. The rice it yielded was soft and tasty with better oil contents. He repeated the process over seven years with the selection method. A decade later, it became a hit with the local farmers.

Dadaji had bred this particular variety from the Patel-3 variety that he would plant on his fields. He had an eye for the best grain and a heart for farming. As his son Mitrajeet would once tell us: “Dadaji spoke to his paddy strains as if they were his kids, softly and lovingly.”

He was uneducated, but he was deeply inspired by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. Dadaji was a Mahar by caste and an Ambedkarite by political belief. “I stopped skinning the cattle on the call of Dr Ambedkar,” he once told me. “I never got to see Babasaheb, but my generation came out of our past shadows because of him.”

During one of our interactions at his home, Dadaji told me how he was landless once. “This present land is my daughter-in-law’s land. One-and-a-half acres, it came to her as property from her side.” That land had dual purposes — it was his family’s sustenance and his lab.

“No one told ever me how to breed the varieties; I kept doing it out of my love for the best grains.”

Like a true parent breeder, he could separate the real from the fake. “This is not my rice,” he once told me of a variety I had taken to him. A Nagpur grocer sold it as HMT-Sona. Dadaji said it wasn’t.

He gave me a few kgs of the original, the rice he had found on his farm and bettered it. It tasted much better and was qualitatively different from the one I had bought from a shop in my home city.

Dadaji once tried experimenting with paddy and turmeric as an inter-cropping system on his farm. He succeeded with the yields but held commodity prices were a key factor. “Farmers will remain poor unless they get remunerative prices and capital to start allied activities,” he told me.

In 2006, Dadaji took on the Vilasrao Deshmukh-government for having gifted him with a fake gold medal. Dadaji discovered that a 14-carat gold medal that he got from the government as part of the Krishi-Bhushan award package was actually made of sub-standard silver whose value was no more than Rs 500. “I am shocked,” an agitated Dadaji said then. “Why insult us like this?”

Dadaji was presented a 50 gram 14-carat gold medal, cash prize of Rs 25,000 and a citation from the Maharashtra Governor for his achievement. “I used all my cash awards to buy some land for research work.” When he wanted to sell the gold medal to buy a motor-pump, he was told the medal was actually a dud.

Dadaji returned his award in anger, prompting other medallists to return their awards and the state government to launch an inquiry and apologise to the farmers by reinstating their awards with original gold medals. Dadaji favoured the intellectual property rights to be bestowed upon farmers like him.

Seed savers like him were crucial to food security and seed diversity, he once told me at his home. “Farmers must not merely complain of the problems,” he held. “They should also try to be a solution.”

(The author is a Nagpur-based journalist and a volunteer for the People’s Archive of Rural India. Views are personal)


Edavaleth Kakkat Janaki Ammal

India’s First Woman Ph.D. in Botany | Pioneer in Cytogenetics & Plant Breeding | Environmental Activist

1. Early Life & Family Background

  • Born: 4 November 1897, Tellicherry (Thalassery), Malabar District, Madras Presidency (present-day Kerala), British India.
  • Caste & Community: Thiyya (also spelled Tiyya/Thiya) – a socially and educationally backward caste in Kerala, historically engaged in agriculture, toddy-tapping, and trade. Thiyyas faced caste discrimination despite being relatively prosperous and educated in Malabar.
  • Family:
    • Father: Dewan Bahadur Edavaleth Kakkat Krishnan Karanavar – a sub-judge in British courts, progressive, and encouraged daughters’ education.
    • Mother: Devi Kuruvai – daughter of a British woman (from a plantation family) and an Indian clerk. This mixed-race heritage labeled Janaki as “White Thiyya,” adding social stigma in both Indian and colonial circles.
    • One of 19 siblings (10 survived); Janaki was the 10th child.

“Being a woman and from a backward caste, I had to fight on two fronts.” – Janaki Ammal (recalled in interviews)

2. Education – Breaking Barriers

YearMilestone
1914B.A. (Honours) in Botany, Queen Mary’s College, Madras
1921Teacher at Queen Mary’s (first woman lecturer)
1925Barbour Scholarship → University of Michigan, USA
1926M.S. in Botany (Cytology)
1931Ph.D. in Botany – “Chromosome Studies in Nicandra physalodes” – First Indian woman to earn a Ph.D. in Botany in the USAReturned to India in 1931 during the Great Depression; refused to stay in the US despite offers.

3. Career Timeline

1931–1939: Early Research in India

  • Professor, Maharaja’s College for Women, Trivandrum
  • Pioneered cytogenetic studies on Indian plants (sugarcane, brinjal, sweet potato)

1940–1945: Sugarcane Breeding Revolution (Coimbatore)

  • Appointed Cytologist, Imperial Sugarcane Breeding Station, Coimbatore (now Sugarcane Breeding Institute, ICAR)
  • Worked under Sir C.V. Raman’s brother, C.R. Krishnaswamy Rao
  • Key Achievement: Developed high-yielding, disease-resistant sugarcane hybrids using interspecific hybridization (Saccharum officinarum × S. spontaneum)
    • Crossed noble cane (thick, sweet) with wild cane (thin, hardy)
    • Result: Co 205, Co 213 – became backbone of India’s sugar industry in the 1940s–50s
  • First woman scientist to head a lab at the station

1945–1951: London & Global Recognition

  • Invited to Royal Horticultural Society, Wisley, UK (1945)
    • First Indian woman scientist at RHS
    • Reorganized herbarium; studied Magnolia genetics → Magnolia × ‘Janaki Ammal’ named after her
  • Co-authored “The Chromosome Atlas of Cultivated Plants” (1945) with C.D. Darlington – a global reference for 70+ years

1951–1970: Post-Independence Leadership in India

RoleInstitutionContributionOfficer on Special Duty Botanical Survey of India (BSI) Reorganized BSI; established Central Botanical Laboratory, Calcutta
Founder-Director Central Botanical Laboratory, Allahabad (1952) Focused on medicinal & economic plants
Regional Botanist BSI Southern Circle, Coimbatore Documented Western Ghats flora 

4. Major Scientific Contributions

FieldBreakthroughCytogenetics Mapped chromosomes of sugarcane, brinjal, sweet potato, Datura
Plant Breeding Hybrid sugarcane → increased yield from 30 to 70 tons/hectare
Phytogeography Linked Indian flora to Gondwana origins; studied Himalayan & Western Ghats endemics
Ethnobotany Documented tribal plant uses in Kerala & Tamil Nadu5. Environmental Activism – Silent Valley Campaign (1970s)
  • 1973: Kerala govt planned hydroelectric dam in Silent Valley (Western Ghats) – last undisturbed tropical rainforest in India.
  • Janaki Ammal, aged 80+, wrote to Indira Gandhi:

    “Destroying Silent Valley is like burning the Library of Alexandria for nature.”

  • Led scientists’ protest; highlighted Lion-tailed macaque (endangered) and rare plants
  • Result: Project scrapped in 1983 → Silent Valley declared National Park (1985)

6. Awards & Honors

YearHonor
1957Padma Shri (4th highest civilian award)
1977Fellow, Indian National Science Academy (INSA)
2000National Award for Women Bioscientists (posthumous)
2018Google Doodle on 121st birth anniversary
2022Janaki Ammal National Award on Plant Taxonomy instituted by MoEFCC

7. Personal Life
  • Never married – dedicated life to science
  • Lived frugally; wore simple sarees; carried a botanical press everywhere
  • Spoke Malayalam, English, Tamil, Hindi
  • Vegetarian; loved Carnatic music and gardening

8. Death & Legacy

  • Died: 7 February 1984, aged 86, in Madras (Chennai)
  • Cremated; ashes scattered in Thalassery
  • Herbarium specimens preserved at:
    • St. Thomas College, Thrissur
    • BSI, Coimbatore
    • Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

9. Quotes by Janaki Ammal

“I didn’t choose botany. The plants chose me.” “A scientist must be a poet at heart – to see the unseen in a seed.”

10. Modern Tributes

  • Janaki Ammal Chair in Plant Taxonomy – University of Madras
  • Janaki Ammal Herbarium – IISER Thiruvananthapuram
  • Biopic in development (Malayalam, 2024–25)

Summary in One Line:

Janaki Ammal was a Thiyya woman from Kerala who overcame caste, gender, and colonial barriers to become India’s first Ph.D. botanist, create hybrid sugarcane that fed millions, save Silent Valley, and prove science has no caste.

“She was the quiet revolutionary who made plants speak the language of freedom.” – The Hindu, 2018
Govindappa Venkataswamy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Govindappa Venkataswamy
Govindappa Venkataswamy
Born
Govindappa Venkataswamy
1 October 1918

Ayan Vadamalapuram, Vilathikulam, Thoothukudi District,
Died 7 July 2006 (aged 87)

Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India
Other names Dr V
Occupation ophthalmologist

Govindappa Venkataswamy (1 October 1918 – 7 July 2006) popularly known as 'Dr V.' was an Indian ophthalmologist who dedicated his life to eliminate needless blindness. He was the founder and former chairman of Aravind Eye Hospitals. He is best known for developing a high quality, high volume, low-cost service delivery model that has restored sight to millions of people. Since inception, Aravind Eye Care System (a registered non-profit organisation) has seen over 55 million patients, and performed over 6.8 million surgeries. Over 50% of the organisation's patients pay either nothing or highly subsidised rates. Its scale and self-sustainability prompted a 1993 Harvard Business Case Study on the Aravind model.

Venkataswamy was permanently crippled by rheumatoid arthritis at age 30. He trained as an ophthalmologist, and personally performed over 100,000 eye surgeries. As a government servant he helped develop and pioneer the concept of eye camps and received a Padma Shri from the Government of India in 1973.

In 1992, Venkataswamy and partners of Aravind founded Aurolab, an internationally certified manufacturing facility that brought the price of the intraocular lens down to one-tenth of international prices, making it affordable for developing countries. Today, Aurolab manufactures ophthalmic pharmaceuticals, instruments and equipment, in addition to intraocular lenses, and exports to 160 countries worldwide. In 1996, under Venkataswamy's leadership, the Lions Aravind Institute for Community Ophthalmology (LAICO) was founded. LAICO is a training and consulting institute that has helped replicate the Aravind model in 347 hospitals across India and 30 other developing countries

Early life and career

Born in 1918 in a poor farming village, Venkataswamy was the eldest of five children in a farming family. He walked two kilometres to school each day and his early lessons were written in sand from the riverbed. There were no doctors in his village, and by the age of 10 he had lost three cousins due to pregnancy-related complications. The untimely deaths spurred his decision to become a doctor. As a young man, he followed the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, Swami Vivekananda and Sri Aurobindo. Venkataswamy earned a Bachelor of Science in chemistry in 1938 from American College, Madurai. In 1944 he received his medical degree from Stanley Medical College in Madras, graduating second in his class. In 1951 he qualified with an MS in Ophthalmology at Government Ophthalmic Hospital, Madras. He was in medical school when his father died, leaving him the head of the family. After receiving his medical degree, Venkataswamy served as a physician with the Indian Army from 1945 to 1948. He was discharged after contracting a rare form of rheumatoid arthritis. He was 30-years-old at the time. The condition permanently twisted his fingers out of shape, and left him bed-ridden for two years. Upon his return to medicine his condition barred him from training in obstetrics, his chosen field. He decided to train instead in ophthalmology.

In 1956, he was appointed head of the Department of Ophthalmology at the Government Madurai Medical College and eye surgeon at the Government Erskine Hospital in Madurai. He held these posts for 20 years. In 1965, at a conference on rehabilitation for the blind, Venkataswamy met Sir John Wilson, founder of the Royal Commonwealth Society for the Blind (later known as Sightsavers International). The latter had been blinded in childhood by an accident in his school chemistry lab. The two established a lifelong friendship. Venkataswamy. credits Sir John Wilson's mentorship for helping him develop a global view on blindness prevention. The two men met with then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, to help launch India's National Program for the Control of Blindness. Venkataswamy then led Tamil Nadu's initiative to establish mobile eye camps that took sight-restoring services into rural India. He established a rehabilitation centre for the blind in 1966, and an Ophthalmic Assistants Training program in 1973. In his clinical work, Venkataswamy personally performed over one hundred thousand successful eye surgeries. With Wilson's support, Venkataswamy also started India's first residential nutrition rehabilitation centre in Madurai where children with potentially blinding Vitamin A deficiency received treatment, while their mothers were given training in how to grow and prepare nutritional meals.

Study of Aravind Model

Venkataswamy pioneered mobile eye camps with the government, and later implemented this practice at Aravind. Teams of doctors and nurses from Aravind regularly visit rural villages where they conduct 'eye camps' that screen patients for vision impairments. Those requiring glasses receive them on site. Patients requiring surgery are brought back to an Aravind hospital, where they receive surgery, room and board, return transport and a follow up visit at no charge. Each year Aravind hosts over 2,500 camps, averaging 40 camps every week with 500 community partners.

Venkataswamy introduced a tiered pricing system at Aravind. There are no income assessments or eligibility criteria for free or subsidised treatment. Patients decide whether they would like to access free, subsidised or paid services. Within this system, a cataract operation ranges from free to a little under US$900 (~ Rs. 53,700) based on the accommodations associated with the surgery and the type of lens implanted. Patients can self-select services and room type based on preference and ability to pay, without compromising clinical outcomes. In practice, one patient who pays, subsidises the no-frills surgeries and pre- and post-operative care of two non-paying patients.

Nurses, known within the Aravind system as Mid-Level Ophthalmic Personnel (MLOP), are trained extensively in discrete skills, and specialise in different areas of the hospital work flow, including administrative work, diagnostics, nursing and counseling. The MLOPs are primarily women who are high-school graduates recruited from surrounding villages. In the operating room each surgeon, is assisted by four MLOPs. With stream-lined processes, Aravind averages 2,000 surgeries per doctor per year compared to a national average of 400. Tina Rosenberg for The New York Times writes, "Aravind can practice compassion successfully because it is run like a McDonald’s with assembly-line efficiency, strict quality norms, brand recognition, standardization, consistency, ruthless cost control and above all, volume. Each year, Aravind does 60 percent as many eye surgeries as the United Kingdom’s National Health System, at one one-thousandth of the cost."

Since 1993 Harvard Business School has distributed more than 150,000 copies of 'In Service for Sight' (their original case study on the Aravind model) to the top twenty business schools in the United States.

Founding of Aravind

In 1976, at the mandatory retirement age of 58, Venkataswamy founded the Aravind Eye Hospital in Madurai, Tamil Nadu with his four siblings, G. Nallakrishnan, R. Janaky, G. Srinivasan, G. Natchiar and their respective spouses, Meenakshi, R.S. Ramasamy, Lalitha S. and P. Namperumalsamy. Together, they formed the Govel Trust to manage the hospital, and defined Aravind's mission: To eliminate needless blindness by providing high quality and compassionate eye care affordable for all. P. Namperumalsamy's sister, P. Vijayalakshmi and her husband, M. Srinivasan also joined his work. In the initial years he and his team faced many financial difficulties. Venkataswamy is the founding member of Seva Foundation (a US-based non-profit organisation), that partnered with Aravind in the early years by widening the organisation's access to the latest technology, and skilled volunteers. Seva continues to collaborate with Aravind in various aspects of eye care management, education, and research. Today, the Aravind Eye Care System encompasses a growing network of eye care facilities which include seven tertiary centres, six secondary hospitals, six outpatient eye examination centres and seventy primary eye examination facilities, as well as a post-graduate training institute for ophthalmology, an international eye research centre, eye bank, training and consulting institute and manufacturing facility.

Personal life

Venkataswamy never married. He lived with his younger brother G. Srinivasan (Aravind Eye Care System's Director of Finance and Building) and his family. Today, over 35 members across three generations of Venkataswamy's family work at Aravind. Venkataswamy was a Gandhian and a disciple of the spiritual teachers Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. Former President of India A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, a friend of his, wrote, "In the Aravind experience I see the path we need to take, a transformation of life into a powerful instrument of right action."

Quotes of Govindappa Venkataswamy
When we grow in spiritual consciousness, we identify ourselves with all that is in the world, and there is no exploitation. It is ourselves we are helping. It is ourselves we are healing.
Intelligence and capability are not enough. There must be the joy of doing something beautiful."
To some of us bringing divine consciousness to our daily activities is the Goal. The Hospital work gives an opportunity for this spiritual growth. In your growth you widen your consciousness and you feel the suffering of others in you.
Aravind Hospital aims at bringing higher consciousness to transform mind and body and soul of people. It is not a mechanical structure repairing eyes. It has a deeper purpose. It is not about buildings, equipment, money or material things, but a matter of consciousness.
You don't just find people. You have to "build" them.
To keep the mind absolutely still, to understand the reaction, impulse and attitude and to work from the Soul is the Aim.
To get things done in a big and permanent way it must be done spiritually.

Books, films and other media
Books
Illuminated Spirit by Govindappa Venkataswamy
Infinite Vision: How Aravind Became the World's Greatest Business Case for Compassion
Namaste, Dr. V! He restored eyesight for the most marginalisedFilms
Infinite Vision
Healing the Eyes of the World
PBS Religion and News WeeklyInterviews
Spiritual Consciousness and HealingMedia articles
The Perfect Vision of Dr Venkataswamy (Fast Company, 2001)
Man of Vision (Business Today, 2004)
McDonalds and Dr Venkataswamy (Forbes, 2010)
A Hospital Network with a Vision (New York Times, 2013)
McSurgery: A Man Who Saved 2.4 Million Eyes (Wall Street Journal)

Degrees earned
Bachelor of Arts in chemistry from American College in Madurai in 1938
Doctor of Medicine from Stanley Medical College in Madras in 1944
Doctor of ophthalmology at the Government Ophthalmic Hospital in Madras in 1951
Honorary Doctorate from University of Illinois, 1985
Honorary Fellowship awarded by The Royal College of Ophthalmology, London, 1994

Awards and honours
Padma Shri in 1973
Lifetime Service Award from the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, 1982
Helen Keller International Award, 1987
Harold Wit Lectureship, Harvard Divinity School, 1991
Pisart-Lighthouse for the Blind Award, 1992
International Blindness Prevention Award, American Academy of Ophthalmology, 1993
Susruta Award, Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology, 1997
Dr B. C. Roy Award – 2001
ASCRS Ophthalmology Hall of Fame, 2004
On 1 October 2018, search engine Google commemorated Dr Venkataswamy with a Doodle on his birth centenary.
Gautam Radhakrishna Desiraju
Professor
Solid State and Structural Chemistry Unit
Indian Institute of Science Bangalore 560 012
Phone: +91 (0)80 2293 3311
E-mail: gautam.desiraju@gmail.com
Fax: +91 (0)80 2360 2306
ORCID: 0000-0002-7708-9176


Gautam R. Desiraju is a structural chemist who has been in the Solid State and Structural Chemistry Unit of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India since 2009. Prior to this, he had been in the University of Hyderabad for 30 years. He has played a major role in the development and growth of the subject of crystal engineering. He is noted for gaining acceptance for the theme of weak hydrogen bonding among chemists and crystallographers. His books on crystal engineering (Elsevier, 1989; World Scientific, 2011) and the weak hydrogen bond in structural chemistry and biology (OUP, 1999) are particularly well known. He is one of the most highly cited Indian scientists with more than 430 research papers, 40000 citations and an h-index of 83. He has won international awards such as the Alexander von Humboldt Forschungspreis and the TWAS award in Chemistry. He has guided the Ph.D work of around 40 students. He has edited three multi-author books in solid state and supramolecular chemistry. He is a member of the editorial advisory boards of Angewandte Chemie, Chemical Communications and Journal of the American Chemical Society. He is a former President of the International Union of Crystallography. He is a recipient of an honorary doctorate degree of the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina and of the Rayalaseema University, Kurnool. He was awarded the Acharya P. C. Ray Medal (2015) of the University of Calcutta for innovation in science and technology. He was awarded the ISA medal for science of the University of Bologna for the year 2018. At present, he is the chairman of the Governing Council of the Bose Institute, Kolkata. He has formerly been the chairman of the Research Councils of the National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, and the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology. Born 21 August 1952. http://desiraju.in/
H.Y. Mohan Ram
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Holenarasipur Yoganarasimham Mohan Ram (24 September 1930 - 18 June 2018) was an Indian botanist who influenced numerous students as a professor of Botany at Delhi University. His research areas included studies in floral biology, plant physiology, insectivorous plants and on the family Podostemaceae. He was a brother of H. Y. Sharada Prasad and the father of Indian Ocean's Rahul Ram.

Mohan Ram was born in Karnataka and grew up in Mysuru where he studied at the Saradavilas High School (1943–46) and Intermediate College (1946–48), receiving his bachelor of science degree from St. Philomena's College, Mysore and a master's degree in Botany from the Balwant Rajput College, Agra in 1953. He then joined as a lecturer in Botany at University of Delhi and worked on seed development in the Acanthaceae under Professor Panchanan Maheswari. He subsequently worked at Cornell University as a Fulbright Scholar with F.C. Steward and became a specialist in tissue culture. He also worked at the Laboratoire de Physiologie Pluricellulaire with J.P. Nitsch.

Professor Mohan Ram published over 240 research papers and edited four books while also guiding 32 PhD students. He helped in the establishment of the Department of Genetics and Environmental Biology at Delhi University. He was an honorary scientist of the Indian National Science Academy from 2006 and was a vice-president of Indian Academy of Sciences between 1988 and 1990. He was the chairman of the NCERT biology textbook committee from 1986 to 1988. He was awarded the JC Bose Award in 1979, the Om Prakash Bhasin Award (1986), the Sergei Nawashin Medal of the USSR (1990) and numerous other recognitions.

H. Sudarshan Ballal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
H. Sudarshan Ballal
Born September 15, 1954

Nationality Indian
Years active 1986 – Present
Known for First Cadaver Kidney Transplantation in Karnataka
Triple Board certified in Internal Medicine, Nephrologyhorsbife and Critical Care
Set up the first postgraduate center in Nephrology in Karnataka
Relatives H. S. Ballal (brother)

Dr. H. Sudarshan Ballal speaking at Bangalore Health Festival 2nd edition 2018

Dr. H Sudarshan Ballal (born; 15 September 1954) is a Nephrologist, director of Manipal Institute of Nephrology and Urology, the chairman of the Medical Advisory Board of Manipal Hospitals Group and Senate Member of Manipal University.

Ballal is also the Adjunct Professor of Medicine at Manipal University, a Clinical Professor of Medicine at Saint Louis University Medical Centre, Chairman of the Board at Stempeutics Research Pvt. Ltd. and examiner for the Royal College of Physicians London.

He performed the first cadaver Kidney transplantation in Karnataka. In 2005, he was awarded the prestigious Rajyotsava Award by the Government of Karnataka for his contributions to the field of Medicine. He was awarded an honorary FRCP (Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of London) without having worked or trained at any of the hospitals in UK.

Dr Ballal actively supports in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Ayushman Bharat Yojana campaign.

Dr. Ballal is the member of the Consultative Group of Covid 19 fight. And provide supports to the Government to fight against Corona Virus.

Early Life & Career

Ballal was born in Udupi, a coastal district of Karnataka, India. He did his MBBS degree from Kasturba Medical College, Manipal in 1977 and won the Dr. T. M. A. Pai Gold Medal for the Best Outgoing Student for the year 1976. After completing his MBBS degree he went to US for further study of M.D.. His teachers in the US accepted his training in India very well and his three-year program was relaxed by a year and he completed M.D. in just two years. After obtaining his M.D degree, he did his Residency at Deaconess Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri, USA. He then pursued his Fellowship in Nephrology at St. Louis University Medical Centre, Missouri, USA.

His department at Manipal Hospitals performs more than four thousand dialysis every month.[15] The two-year training program in Nephrology started by him in the year 1999 is well-recognized by the National Board and Rajiv Gandhi University. He was conferred with the Teacher of Excellence Award, 2014 by the National Board of Examination.

As a Columnist, Dr. Ballal provides his column on various news papers on regular basis

Philanthropy

Ballal has been involved in numerous CSR activities aimed at improving the conditions of the economically disadvantaged sections of the society and of those afflicted with serious kidney issues who are unable to access good quality medical care. Launched free Pediatric Kidney Transplants (Kidney Transplants for children) for disadvantaged sections of the society in the name of Master Yatarth, whose parents donated his organs after his unfortunate demise. This program is jointly shared by Belanje Sanjeeva Hegde Trust and Manipal Hospitals, Bangalore. He conducts in awareness programs about preventive aspects of kidney disease in association with philanthropic organizations like Rotary Club India, Lions Club India. Health insurance policies for poor people covering all diseases

Awards & Achievements

Namma Bengaluru Award, February 2010
Dr. B. C. Roy Award, Govt. of Karnataka, 2010
Aryabhata International Award, 2011
Padma Awards nominee 2014
Inder Bir Singh Passi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Inder Bir Singh Passi
Born 20 August 1939
Nationality India
Scientific career
Fields Algebra

Inder Bir Singh Passi (I.B.S. Passi) is an Indian mathematician who specialises in algebra.

He was awarded in 1983 the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, the highest science award in India, in the mathematical sciences category. Prof. Passi is a noted group-theorist in India, has made significant contribution to certain aspects of theory of groups specially to the study of group rings. His results on the dimension subgroups, augmentation powers in group rings, and related problems have received wide recognition. His 1979 monograph summarizing the state of the subject is a basic reference source.

Joyanti Chutia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Joyanti Chutia
Born 1-8-1948

Nationality Indian
Citizenship India
Alma mater Cotton University (BSc)


Scientific career
Fields Physicist
Institutions Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology

Joyanti Chutia is an Indian physicist who specializes in solid-state physics and plasma physics. She was the among the first women who have headed scientific institutions in India when she became the Director of the Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology in Guwahati, Assam, which is the first major research institution in North East India. She is a fellow of National Academy of Sciences. She is an Emeritus Scientist at the Department of Science & Technology in the Government of India.


Early life and education

Chutia was one of the first girls to take Mathematics as a main subject in her school. She later studied physics at Cotton University, Assam where she obtained a BSc in 1967. She continued teaching at Cotton College before obtaining an MSc in physics at Dibrugarh University in 1969. Following this, Chutia taught for some time as a lecturer, eventually deciding to continue with research by pursuing a PhD at Dibrugarh University on a fellowship in 1976. Her research focused on the conduction mechanism of thin polymer films and she was awarded her degree in 1981.

Career

After her PhD, Chutia continued her research at Dibrugarh University for another year as a CSIR-postdoctoral fellow. She entered the field of plasma physics at the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad and then joined the Institute for Plasma Research in Gandhinagar.[7] She then returned to the Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology as a faculty member and set up the Plasma Physics Laboratory.

After finishing a fellowship awarded by the Japanese government in 1988 to work at the Plasma Laboratory of the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Tokyo, in 2005 she became the Director of the Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology.

Research

Chutia's research focuses on biomedicine, material science and biotechnology. Her research has led to the development of a highly durable and degradable wound suturing material from Muga Silk.

Jyoti Prakash Tamang

Jyoti Prakash Tamang (16 November 1961 – 29 April 2025) was a trailblazing Indian food microbiologist, academic leader, and global authority on the microbiology, nutrition, and cultural significance of ethnic fermented foods and beverages in the Eastern Himalayas. Often hailed as the "Guru of Fermented Foods", his groundbreaking research bridged traditional indigenous knowledge with modern science, documenting over 500 unique Himalayan ferments like kinema (fermented soybeans), tongba (millet beer), and pe-poke (sticky soybean paste). As a mentor to generations of scientists, he championed food security, probiotics, and cultural preservation for marginalized mountain communities in India, Nepal, Bhutan, China, and Myanmar. His work amassed over 10,500 citations, an h-index of 55, and influenced policies like those of India's Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI). Tamang's legacy endures through his books, students, and the vibrant microbial world he unveiled, emphasizing that "fermented foods are not just sustenance—they are the soul of Himalayan heritage."

Early Life

Born: 16 November 1961
Birthplace: Darjeeling, West Bengal, India (in the heart of the multicultural Gorkhaland region, amid tea gardens and ethnic diversity)
Family Background: Raised in a modest Tamang family—his father was a schoolteacher, and his mother a homemaker—in a community of indigenous Tibeto-Burman herders and farmers. The Tamang ethnic group, a Scheduled Tribe (ST) in India, shaped his lifelong passion for preserving Himalayan culinary traditions amid colonial-era marginalization. Growing up surrounded by the aromas of home-fermented gundruk (leafy greens) and sinki (radish taproots), young Jyoti witnessed how these foods sustained communities during harsh winters, igniting his curiosity about their microbial magic.

His early exposure to Darjeeling's blend of Nepali, Bhutanese, and Indian influences fostered a deep respect for "ethno-microbiology"—the interplay of culture and microbes—long before it became a scientific buzzword.

Education and Early Influences

Tamang's academic journey was a testament to perseverance, leveraging ST reservations to rise from rural roots.
Schooling: Attended local schools in Darjeeling, excelling in sciences.
Bachelor's (BSc): St. Joseph's College, Darjeeling (affiliated to University of North Bengal).
Master's (MSc): Microbiology, University of North Bengal (1985; awarded Gold Medal for academic excellence).
PhD: Microbiology, University of North Bengal (1992), thesis on lactic acid bacteria in ethnic ferments.
Post-Doctoral Fellowships:
1995: Molecular microbiology, National Food Research Institute, Japan (United Nations University–Kirin Fellowship).
2002: Institute of Toxicology and Environmental Hygiene, Germany (Volkswagen Foundation Fellowship).

These international stints honed his expertise in metagenomics and probiotics, transforming him from a local researcher to a global innovator.
Career Milestones

Tamang's 33-year career spanned teaching, administration, and high-impact research, blending academia with policy.

Key Highlights

1992–2011 Lecturer/Associate Professor, North Bengal University, Darjeeling Pioneered studies on Himalayan ferments; supervised early PhD students; established lab for microbial culturing.
2011–2012 First Registrar, Sikkim University Instrumental in university's foundational setup; promoted interdisciplinary food science programs.
2012–2025 Professor/Senior Professor of Microbiology, Sikkim University Dean, School of Life Sciences (2011–departure); Officiating Vice-Chancellor (2017–2018 & 2024–2025); Mentored 20+ PhDs/post-docs.
2019–2021 ICIMOD Mountain Chair, Kathmandu Led Himalayan University Consortium (HUC) collaborations; trained faculty in Bhutan, China, Myanmar on food microbiology and bioinformatics.
Ongoing Chairman, FSSAI Scientific Panel on Alcoholic Beverages Shaped national standards for ethnic beverages, ensuring safety and cultural integration.

He taught microbiology, biological sciences, and bioinformatics, often incorporating fieldwork in remote villages to "let students taste the science."

Research and Key Achievements

Tamang's oeuvre revolutionized understanding of Himalayan microbiomes, proving ethnic ferments as probiotic powerhouses for nutrition and immunity.
Core Focus: Ethno-microbiology to metagenomics—mapping unculturable microbes in 500+ ferments across 50+ ethnic groups. Discovered Bacillus subtilis Tamang strain from kinema, a safe probiotic for gut health.

Projects:

Profiled pe-poke (Myanmar) for commercialization, boosting indigenous incomes.
Analyzed Chinese ethnic soy ferments with Southwest Minzu University.
Bhutanese food studies via Royal University of Bhutan, standardizing recipes for sustainability.
Impacts: Advanced food safety (e.g., reducing pathogens in chhurpi cheese); promoted nutrition security in mountains; influenced global discourse on "East meets West" in fermentation (e.g., linking kimchi microbiomes to Himalayan parallels).
Broader Contributions: Advocated for Indigenous knowledge in science; co-convened HUC's Food and Nutritional Security Working Group; integrated findings into curricula across Asia.

His mantra: "Science must serve the soil from which it springs."
Publications and Awards

Tamang's prolific output made him a citation magnet, with works translated into multiple languages.

Select Publications (Over 200 Papers; 10 Books):

TypeTitle/TopicYearImpactBook Ethnic Fermented Foods and Alcoholic Beverages of Asia (Springer) 2016 Seminal on Asian microbiomes; 1,500+ citations.
Book Himalayan Fermented Foods: Microbiology, Nutrition, and Ethnic Values (CRC Press) 2010 Gourmand Award winner; documents 100+ ferments.
Book Ethnic Fermented Foods and Beverages of India (Springer) 2020 Covers all states; 23 chapters by collaborators.
Paper "Fermented Foods in a Global Age: East Meets West" (Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science) 2020 Explores cross-cultural microbial exchanges.
Paper Metagenomics of Kinema (Food Microbiology) 2012 Isolated novel Bacillus strains.

Awards and Honors:

Gold Medal, University of North Bengal (1985).
United Nations Association of University Women Award (1996).
National Bio-Science Award, DBT, Govt. of India (2005).
Gourmand World Cookbook Award (2010).
Fellowships: National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (2013); Indian Academy of Microbiological Sciences (2010); Biotech Research Society of India (2006).

Personal Life

Married to Dr. Namrata Thapa (fellow microbiologist), Tamang was a devoted family man, survived by his wife, son, daughter, son-in-law, and grandson. A Vajrayana Buddhist like many Tamangs, he celebrated festivals like Sonam Lhochhar with fermented millet brews, blending faith and science. Colleagues recall his "young-at-heart" humor—joking that microbes were "the unsung DJs of dinner parties"—and his habit of sharing homemade aakhone with students. He resided in Gangtok, Sikkim, cherishing mountain treks and folk tunes.

Death and Legacy

Death: 29 April 2025 (aged 63), in Siliguri, West Bengal, while undergoing treatment (cause undisclosed; sudden per reports). As Sikkim University's Officiating Vice-Chancellor, his passing prompted statewide mourning.
Tributes: ICIMOD called him a "passionate advocate for local food systems"; Sikkim University lauded his "multi-omics" legacy. Chi Huyen Truong praised his bridge-building between science and Indigenous wisdom; Bandana Shakya noted his "brilliant mind" for nutritional security.
Enduring Impact: Funds scholarships in his name at Sikkim University; HUC continues his food security initiatives. By November 2025, posthumous citations exceed 11,000, inspiring a new generation to "ferment the future."

Timeline Summary

YearMilestone1961 Born in Darjeeling.
1985 MSc Gold Medal; early ferment studies begin.
1992 PhD; joins North Bengal University.
1995–2002 Post-docs in Japan and Germany.
2005 National Bio-Science Award.
2010 Himalayan Fermented Foods published; Gourmand Award.
2012 Joins Sikkim University as Professor/Registrar.
2019–2021 ICIMOD Mountain Chair; regional collaborations.
2020 Ethnic Fermented Foods of India released.
2025 Dies 29 April; tributes flood academia.

Fun Fact

Tamang once "fermented" a classroom demo gone wrong into a breakthrough: A batch of over-fermented marcha (starter culture) yielded a novel yeast strain, leading to his first probiotic patent—and a lifelong rule: "Even failures bubble with potential!"

Jyoti Prakash Tamang didn't just study ferments—he fermented revolutions in science and culture, leaving a Himalayan legacy that nourishes body, mind, and tradition. As one tribute echoes: "In every sip of tongba, his spirit endures."
Kannan Soundararajan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kannan Soundararajan
Soundararajan teaching at Stanford University
Born December 27, 1973
Nationality American
Awards Ostrowski Prize (2011)
Salem Prize (2003)
Morgan Prize (1995)
Scientific career
Fields Mathematics
Institutions Stanford University
Doctoral students Maksym Radziwill

Kannan Soundararajan (born December 27, 1973)[citation needed] is an India-born American mathematician and a professor of mathematics at Stanford University. Before moving to Stanford in 2006, he was a faculty member at University of Michigan where he pursued his undergraduate studies. His main research interest is in analytic number theory, particularly in the subfields of automorphic L-functions, and multiplicative number theory.

Early life

Soundararajan grew up in Madras and was a student at Padma Seshadri High School in Nungambakkam in Madras. In 1989, he attended the prestigious Research Science Institute. He represented India at the International Mathematical Olympiad in 1991 and won a Silver Medal.

Education

Soundararajan joined the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 1991 for undergraduate studies, and graduated with highest honours in 1995. Soundararajan won the inaugural Morgan Prize in 1995 for his work in analytic number theory while an undergraduate at the University of Michigan, where he later served as professor. He joined Princeton University in 1995 and did his Ph.D under the guidance of Professor Peter Sarnak.

Career

After his Ph.D. he received the first five-year fellowship from the American Institute of Mathematics, and held positions at Princeton University, the Institute for Advanced Study, and the University of Michigan. He moved to Stanford University in 2006 where he is currently[when?] a Professor of Mathematics and the Director of the Mathematics Research Center (MRC).

Work

He proved a conjecture of Ron Graham in combinatorial number theory jointly with Ramachandran Balasubramanian. He made important contributions in settling the arithmetic Quantum Unique Ergodicity conjecture for Maass wave forms and modular forms.

Awards

He received the Salem Prize in 2003 "for contributions to the area of Dirichlet L-functions and related character sums". In 2005, he won the $10,000 SASTRA Ramanujan Prize, shared with Manjul Bhargava, awarded by SASTRA in Thanjavur, India, for his outstanding contributions to number theory. In 2011, he was awarded the Infosys science foundation prize. He was awarded the Ostrowski prize in 2011, shared with lb Madsen and David Preiss, for a cornucopia of fundamental results in the last five years to go along with his brilliant earlier work.

He gave an invited talk at the International Congress of Mathematicians in 2010, on the topic of "Number Theory".[5] In July 2017, Soundararajan was a plenary lecturer in the Mathematical Congress of the Americas. He was elected to the 2018 class of fellows of the American Mathematical Society. Kannan Soundararajan has been invited as a plenary speaker of the 2022 International Congress of Mathematicians, that will take place in Saint Petersburg.

Personal life

Soundararajan resides in Palo Alto, California with his wife and son, who is a student at the University of Southern California.
K. C. Nag

From Wikipedia,
Keshab Chandra Nag
Born 10 August 1893
Gurap, Hooghly, Bengal, British India (present-day West Bengal, India)
Died 6 February 1987 (aged 93)
Occupation Mathematician, School Teacher of Mitra Institution and writer of many mathematics books.
Literary movement Indian Freedom Movement
Spouse Laxmimani Debi

Keshab Chandra Nag or K.C. Nag [ Bengali কেশবচন্দ্র নাগ ] (10 August 1893 – 6 February 1987), was an Indian Bengali mathematician, author of various mathematics textbooks and educator.

Early life

K. C. Nag was born in Nagpara, Gurap, Hooghly, Bengal, British India (present-day West Bengal, India) on the holy day of Rath Yatra, 10 August 1893. His Father was Raghunath Nag and Mother Khiroda Sundari Debi. He lost his father at an early age of three. He was only cared for by his mother.

Education

Keshab Chandra Nag started his education in a Bengali Medium School at his Village Gurap. At that time that was the only school at Gurap. From Class VII he changed his school to Bhastara Yojneshshar Uccha Vidyalaya (Yojneshshar High School), 3 miles from his village. He would start walking early in the morning to reach his school and came back home at evening every day. In Class IX he got admitted to Kishenganj High School. In 1912, he passed the entrance examination with a First Class and joined Ripon College (now Surendranath College), Kolkata, in Science. In 1914, he passed the I.Sc examination with a First Class. After this due to severe financial crisis he had to discontinue his education and start earning money.
Working life

He started his career as Third Master in Bhastara Yojgeshshar Uccha Vidyalaya. He also did private tuitions when teaching there. His family was dependent on him but he resigned from his job to pursue higher studies. In 1917 he passed B.A with Mathematics and Sanskrit. He then received a job offer from Kishenganj High School as a Mathematics Teacher. He taught for some time in that School, after which he got another offer from Baharampur Krishnanath Collegiate School and joined the school as a mathematics teacher.[2] In 1919 he got Diksha from Ma Sarada Devi. During that time the Maharaja of Kasimbazar (Cossimbazar) Manindra Chandra Nandi was a great admirer of Keshab Chandra. Maharaj allowed Keshab Chandra to use his vast library. In that library, he studied extensively about the history of India and especially the history of mathematics. At first, he lived in a mess at Rosa Road in Kolkata. From 1964 he started to live at his own house at Gobinda Ghoshal Lane in South Kolkata.
Meeting with Ashutosh Mukhopadhyay

In 1905 Sir Ashutosh Mukhopadhay established Mitra Institution (Branch) in Bhowanipore so that the students of South Kolkata can also get chance to study in that school. In 1906 Sir Ashutosh Mukhopadhay became the Vice Chancellor of Calcutta University and tried to bring various teachers from different parts of India to establish Calcutta Universities as one of the best university of India. Similarly, he tried to bring teachers to Mitra Institution (Branch). Sir Ashutosh heard about Keshab Chandra, and he took him to Mitra Institution, Bhabanipur as a mathematics teacher. Due to his way of teaching mathematics Keshab Chandra came very close to Sir Ashutosh . Dr. Shyamaprasad Mukhopadhay son of Sir Ashutosh became a very good friend of Keshab Chandra and requested him to join politics which Keshab Chandra declined.
Mathematics books

In 1909 Sir Ashutosh along with his teacher Shyamacharan Bose wrote a book titled "Arithmetic for Schools". After the death of Sir Ashutosh, his son Shyamaprasad Mukhopadhay took the initiative to revise that book and requested Keshab Chandra to help him. After an untiring effort of Keshab Chandra Nag along with a few mathematicians in 1937, a revised edition of the book was published in the name "Patiganith". Kabisekhar (কবিশেখর) Kalidas Roy was a colleague of Keshab Chandra Nag. There was a regular gathering of various stalwarts in the field of academics and literature like Sarath Chandra Chattopadhyay, Premendra Mitra etc. was held at Kabisekhar's House, Keshab Chandra was a regular to that gathering. One day Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay requested Keshab Chandra to write a mathematics book. After a few days, the same request came from Kabisekhar. Keshab Chandra was very confused whether to write the book or not and ultimately decided to write it for the benefit of students. His first book was Nava Patiganit (নব পাটিগণিত) from U.N. Dhar & Sons. Within a short time, this book became very famous among the students of class five and six. In the year 1942 Matric Mathematics, one of the famous books of K.C. Nag was published by the publisher Calcutta Book House. After this, he wrote many more books for various classes from IV to XII. These books were published in Bengali, English, Hindi, Urdu, and Nepali language. His younger son Late Taraprasad Nag started his own publishing house named "Nag Book House". This publishing house has now been renamed as " Nag Publishing House" and is managed by his grandson Dr. Tridibesh Nag. Tridibesh did his B.E. in Electrical Engineering and M.E from Jadavpur University. After this, he took over the publication and took every measure to ensure that the mathematics books by the legendary "K.C.Nag" never lost its reputation. His sole motive was to see to it that the students are not deprived of the privilege of learning mathematics from K.C. Nag's maths books. K.C. Nag's books from class 4–12 are the books which the students aspiring to excel in every walk of life had depended on at some time or other for the past three generations. Tridibesh formed a board consisting of eminent professors, school teachers, examiners, and successful students in order to revise the book from time to time.
Kalappa Muniyappa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kalappa Muniyappa
Born 8 September 1952
Karnataka, India
Nationality Indian

Alma mater

Known for Molecular basis of homologous genetic recombination
Awards 1980 Hanumantha Rao Memorial Medal
1992 Rockefeller Foundation Career Development Award
1994 IISc M. Sreenivasaya Memorial Award
1995 ACS Eleanor Roosevelt Award
1999 Yamagiwa International Cancer Fellowship Award
2002 Anima Sen Memorial Award
2007 IISc Alumni Award
2007 BBMP Kempe Gowda Award
Scientific career
Fields

Institutions


Kalappa Muniyappa (born 8 September 1952) is an Indian molecular biologist and geneticist, known for his researches on the chromatization of DNA and gene targeting. He is a professor and chairman of the department of biochemistry of the Indian Institute of Science and an elected fellow of the Indian National Science Academy, Indian Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences, India. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards, in 1995, for his contributions to biological sciences.

Biography

Born on 2 February 1951 in the South Indian state of Karnataka, Kalappa Muniyappa, after graduating in science from Mysore University in 1974, secured his master's degree in 1976 from the same university with first rank. His doctoral degree came from the Indian Institute of Science in 1980 after which he did his post-doctoral studies (1981–86) at the University of Georgia and at Yale University School of Medicine and returned to India in 1987 to join the Indian Institute of Science the next year as a member of faculty. He was made a professor in 1999 and is the incumbent chairman of the department of biochemistry of IISc. In between, he held visiting professorships at American Cancer Society, University of Washington, Seattle, Osaka University, University of Sydney and the Medical Research Council, London.

Legacy
Chording mycobacterium tuberculosis culture - luminescent microscope image

Focusing his early researches on the molecular basis of homologous genetic recombination and employing RecA paradigm, Muniyappa demonstrated the effects of chromatization of DNA on homologous pairing and strand exchange and his studies are known to have assisted in exploring ways for gene targeting, cell senescence and genome stability. His studies on chromosome synapsis, genetic recombination and telomere dynamics attempted to widen the understanding of cellular recombination and Holliday junction and he is credited with the discovery of a negative regulatory mechanism of homologous recombination. His contributions in deciphering genetic recombination in mycobacterium tuberculosis are also reported to have influenced further researches on the mechanism of genetic exchange and lateral gene transfer. His researches have been published in a number of articles, 136 of which have been listed by ResearchGate, an online article repository.

At the Indian Institute of Science, he set up a laboratory, K. Muniyappa's Lab, to pursue researches in the fields of Cancer biology, Genetics, Biochemistry and Biophysics, where he mentors a number of doctoral and post-doctoral research scholars. Under his leadership, IISc introduced new academic programs such as the integrated PhD program, interdisciplinary program in chemical biology, and national post-doctoral training program in Biotechnology and Life Sciences. He served as their coordinator at inception.

A member of the editorial board of the Journal of Molecular Signaling, he has also been associated with Journal of Biosciences and Indian Journal of Biophysics and Biochemistry as their editorial board member and has served as the vice president and secretary of the Society of Biological Chemists.

Awards and honors

Muniyappa received the Hanumantha Rao Memorial Medal of the IISc in 1980 and the Rockefeller Foundation Career Development Award in 1992. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, one of the highest Indian science awards, in 1995. The same year, he received the M. Sreenivasaya Memorial Award of the Indian Institute of Science. The American Cancer Society extended the Eleanor Roosevelt Fellowship Award to him in 1995. He received the Yamagiwa International Cancer Fellowship Award in 1999. The Indian Science Congress Association selected him for the Anima Sen Memorial Award in 2002. In 2007 he received the Indian Institute of Science Alumnus Award and the Kempe Gowda Award of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). He was given the Sir M. Visvesvaraya Award for lifetime contributions to Science & Technology by GoK, and the Karnataka Rajyotsava Award by GoK. A founder member of the Karnataka State Academy for Science and Technology, Muniyappa is an elected fellow of the Indian National Science Academy and the Indian Academy of Sciences. He was elected to The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) and the National Academy of Sciences, India.

K. S. Manilal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kattungal Subramaniam Manilal
K. S. Manilal and wife Jyotsna
Born 17 September 1938
Nationality Indian
Alma mater Sagar University
Discoveries at Silent Valley,
Translation of Hortus Malabaricus to English and Malayalam
Scientific career
Fields Botany, Taxonomy
Institutions University of Calicut,
Influenced Conservation of Silent Valley,
Social history studies of Kerala
Notes


Kattungal Subramaniam Manilal (Malayalam: കാട്ടുങ്ങൽ സുബ്രഹ്മണ്യം മണിലാൽ) (born 17 September 1938) is an Emeritus of the University of Calicut, a botany scholar and taxonomist, who devoted over 35 years of his life to research, translation and annotation work of the Latin botanical treatise Hortus Malabaricus. This epic effort brought to light the main contents of the book, a wealth of botanical information on Malabar that had largely remained inaccessible to English-speaking scholars, because the entire text was in the Latin language.

In January 2020, Manilal was conferred with the Padma Shri award, the fourth-highest civilian honour of India, for his contribution in the field of Science and Engineering.

Despite the existence of Hendrik van Rheede's Hortus Malabaricus over the last three centuries, the correct taxonomic identity of many plants listed in Hortus Malabaricus, their medicinal properties, methods of use, etc., as described and codified by renowned traditional medical authorities of 17th century India remained inaccessible to English language based scholars, until Manilal commenced publication of research papers and books on Hortus Malabaricus.

Manilal's efforts ultimately resulted in an English edition of Hortus Malabaricus, for the first time, 325 years after its original publication from Amsterdam. The English edition contains a word by word translation of all the twelve volumes of the book, retaining the original style of language. Medicinal properties of plants are translated and interpreted, with commentaries on their Malayalam names given by Van Rheede. In addition, the correct scientific identity of all plants, acceptable under ICBN are set out along with their important synonyms and basionyms.

Whilst the scope of Manilal's contributions to botany extend far beyond the research and publications around Hortus Malabaricus, his research work on Hortus Malabaricus alone are of botanical and socio-historic significance, and can be broadly classified under two heads:

Botanical and Medicinal aspects of Hortus Malabaricus; and
Historical, Political, Social and Linguistic aspects of Hortus Malabaricus.

Manilal has over 198 published research papers and 15 books to his credit as author and co-author. He and his associates have credits to discovering over 14 species of flowering plants, varieties and combinations new to science. Dr. Manilal is the Founder President of the Indian Association for Angiosperm Taxonomy (IAAT).

Birth, early life and interest in Hortus Malabaricus

Manilal was born in Cochin on 17 September 1938. He is one of three children born to his parents; father Advocate Kattungal A. Subramaniam (b:1914~d:1973) and mother K. K. Devaki (b:1919~d:1989). Manilal's father, K. A. Subramaniam, was besides being a practising advocate, also a writer, who authored the biography of Sahodaran Ayyapan. Manial's Kattungal family members are natives of North Paravur in Kerala, India.

As a young boy, Manilal's interest in Hortus Malabaricus was inspired by his father, whose avid reading habits and enthusiasm for sociology exposed Manilal to a collection of books, and more specifically newspaper cuttings on Hortus Malabaricus during the late 1940s and 1950s.

Manilal schooled initially at the Government Boys’ High School, Kodungallur and later at the Government S.R.V. Boys’ High School, Ernakulam. He enrolled for undergraduate studies in Botany at the Maharaja's College, Ernakulam, following which, he secured MSc Botany and PhD Degrees from University Teaching Department, Sagar, in Madhya Pradesh.

During his post-graduate studies, while on a study tour to the Forest Research Institute in Dehra Dun, Manilal was able to see, for the first time, a set of volumes of the original Hortus Malabaricus. This was set of volumes acquired by the Institute's library during the days of the British Raj, when the Institute was called the Imperial Forest College. Manilal remarks “it fired my imagination!” on seeing a Latin book in which the names of plants were also written in native Malayalam language. Manilal maintained his interest in the book through his studies and professional life until 1969, when he commenced serious work on the transliteration of Hortus Malabaricus.

He presently stays in Kozhikode.

Major research and academic achievements
Botanical and medicinal aspects of Hortus Malabaricus
Frontispiece of the original Latin Hortus Malabaricus

As Hortus Malabaricus is a pre-Linnaean book, the scientific names of plants, equivalent to local Malayalam names, were not included. Since voucher specimens for the book are also not known to exist, the correct identity of many of the plants described was unclear and not verifiable to original specimens. Earlier attempts, over three centuries, by European and Indian botanists to correctly identify all specimens were futile. Under two research projects; one sponsored by the U.G.C. (1975–1978) and the other by the Smithsonian Institution (1984–1987), Manilal collected all plants, described in Hortus Malabaricus, from localities in Malabar from where they were originally collected in the 17th century. Specimens were subjected to detailed studies and their correct identities were established in consultation with research institutes in Europe and USA. Based on this work, initially a concise reference book: An Interpretation of Van Rheede's Hortus Malabaricus, was published (with his collaborators) from Berlin (1988), by the IAPT. This remains the only book by Indian authors published by them (IAPT) till date and is an essential resource in study on the taxonomy of Southeast Asian plants.

Richard H. Grove, in his book 'Green Imperialism: Colonial Expansion, Tropical Island Edens and the Origins', states that Itty Achudan and his team selected the plants which were to be drawn and included in Hortus Malabaricus, with accurate identification and mentioning of vernacular (local) name of the plants. Itty Achudan also disclosed the medicinal and other uses of the plants which was known to him from his own experience as a herbal physician and from the 'palmleaf scripture' carried by his family as 'wealth of knowlede'. Achudan dictated the material, in his native Malayalam language, which was then translated into Latin. Hortus Malabaricus was compiled over a period of nearly 30 years and published in Amsterdam during 1678–1693.

Historical, political, social and linguistic aspects of Hortus Malabaricus

The compilation and publication of Hortus Malabaricus is intimately connected with the history of India, politics of the 17th century Netherlands and the then social conditions of Malabar. It is also an important source of information, and the oldest printed, authentic document, on the evolution of Malayalam language and script. Manilal studied these aspects for over 35 years bringing to light many interesting facts, some of which were included in his book: Botany & History of Hortus Malabaricus, published from Rotterdam and Delhi (1980). Another book, in Malayalam: A study on the role of Itty Achudan in the compilation of Hortus Malabaricus, was published from Kozhikode in 1996.

In the research paper published in the journal Global Histories, entitled 'Plants, Power and Knowledge: An Exploration of the Imperial Networks and the Circuits of Botanical Knowledge and Medical Systems on the Western Coast of India Against the Backdrop of European Expansionism', Malavika Binny states that Kerala had medical traditions that existed even prior to Ayurvedic tradition. As per the author, Ezhava Tradition of Healing Practices or 'Ezhava vaidyam',as it is called, was prominent among other medical traditions that existed in Kerala which involved a considerable contribution from Buddhism which was a major force from the sixth century to about the eleventh century. This Buddhist tradition of treatment of diseases using plants and the knowledge of the indigenous plants preserved by the Ezhavas was exploited by the European endeavour as suggested by the inclusion of Itty Achuden in the compilation of Hortus Malabaricus which is basically an ethno-botanical treatise on the flora of Malabar. Van Rheede's motivation to compile a book on the natural plant wealth of Malabar was to prove his belief that Malabar is self-sufficient in all requirements of military and commerce and hence that Cochin was better suited to be the south east Asian Headquarters of the Dutch overseas forces, compared to Colombo in Ceylon.

Information is also available in the text of Hortus Malabaricus not only about the vegetation in 17th century Malabar, but also about the general social conditions prevalent in those days. Significant inferences could also be drawn on some of these matters, indirectly from the data available in the book. Several research papers have been published by Manilal on these topics. Some more, particularly on the different Numerals and Numerical Systems used in Hortus and their sociological implications and significances in the Indian society, are under preparation.

Taxonomic and biodiversity studies in Kerala

Manilal pioneered taxonomic research and biodiversity studies in Kerala by training a genre of young taxonomists and identifying and cataloguing local plants in biodiversity-rich South India. A comprehensive study on the flora of the Greater Kozhikode area, consisting of the western sectors of the present day Kozhikode and Malappuram districts, covering an area of about 600 km2. was started in 1969. When completed in 1975, this work resulted in recording about one thousand species of flowering plants from the region, including several species recorded for the first time in India and importantly seven species new to science. Based on this work, a book: Flora of Calicut, was published (from Dehra Dun), and was taken as a model for subsequent research in India.

Research and revelations at Silent Valley

In the 1970s, when a proposal to build a hydro-electric project in Silent Valley triggered political controversy in Kerala due to an impending ecological disaster, the Government of Kerala appointed an experts’ committee of scientists to study, inventorise and report on Silent Valley's flora and fauna. The experts’ committee reported that the forests there could not be classified as tropical evergreen rainforests and that they contain only 240 species of flowering plants, which are also found elsewhere, and also that the Valley does not possess any new or rare species. Despite protests by environmentalists the State Government was about to go ahead with the project, only awaiting a clearance form the Central Government. At this juncture, the Department of Science and Technology (India) accepted Manilal's proposal to study the flora of Silent Valley and also required him to make a general study of the ecological status of the forests.

Over a four-year period commencing 1981, Manilal and research assistants undertook a study that brought to light:

A record of nearly 1,000 species of flowering plants;
Seven species new to science;
Several plants believed to be found only in Sri Lanka, Philippines, etc.;
Some species which were believed to be extinct, such as the Malabar Daffodil, which was last seen in 1850 by a scientist named Thomas C. Jerdon in Nilgiris;
Rare medicinal plants until then known to grow only in the islands of Philippines;
Many endemics of the neighbouring countries, where their existence was threatened, were found to have migrated to these forests for safety.

Further Manilal's study found that the Silent Valley forests fulfilled required parameters of tropical evergreen rainforests and, therefore, could be rightly so classified. His work was soon considered as model of how taxonomists could assist in solving socio-environmental issues; and many scientists and journalists from Europe, Africa and South America visited Silent Valley to study the working of this project.

Orchids of Kerala

Detailed studies of the orchid wealth of Kerala were started by Manilal in the late 1970s, including their taxonomy, anatomy, biology and floral evolution, which are essential for any further studies on their hybridisation. During these studies, contrary to the highest expectations, over 215 species of orchids were collected, including species that were till then believed to be extinct, like the ladies' slipper orchid Paphiopedilum druryii.

Origin and evolution of the flower

Manilal has led studies on the directions of evolution of flowers and the structure and anatomy of various floral organs in cash crops such as coconut palms, grasses (rice), orchids, compositae (sun flower), rubiales (coffee), etc. Many enigmas in these subjects could be solved, and results were published in around 45 research papers. These studies have, besides seeing the flower as the most significant part of the plant, with biological, commercial, aesthetic, evolutionary and taxonomic importance, also promoted success in hybridisation and breeding experiments, to create new high-yielding varieties.

Radioactive resistant marine phyto-planktonic algae

As the beaches in southern Kerala and Tamil Nadu (particularly in the Districts of Kollam and Nagarcoil) have natural deposits of radioactive minerals causing genetic damage to flora and fauna, Manilal undertook studies to familiarise with the techniques of research in the field of radiation ecology. These studies were undertaken at the Marine Biology Laboratory of North Wales University at Menai Bridge, Wales. The Royal Society of London granted Manilal a Visiting Scientist-ship for this work for two years in 1971–1972.

Two species of marine phyto-planktonic algae were discovered, which could withstand a very high degree of radioactivity. It was found that these species could absorb and adsorb as much as 40 times their body weight of the radioactive Thorium compounds from surrounding seawater, and continue to live normally. In the 1970s these findings were farfetched to be accepted for publication in a journal in U.K. However, on Manilal's return to India, a part of these findings was published in the journal Current Science (1975), by the Indian Institute of Science. About ten years later, some British scientists did a similar work and their results were published in the prestigious U.K. journal Nature, and wide publicity in the press as a biotechnological break-through. Dr. Manilal's experiments (and the subsequent work by the British scientists) show that such marine planktonic algae could be used to quickly and safely clean up ocean surfaces where radio-active materials have accumulated, by cultivating such algae in a specific area and later removing them from there.

Indian Association for Angiosperm Taxonomy (IAAT)

Manilal was instrumental in establishing the Indian Association for Angiosperm Taxonomy (IAAT). Manilal, as founder President, established IAAT in the year 1990 with its headquarters located at the Department of Botany, University of Calicut, Kozhikode, India. The IAAT works to promote the science of Angiosperm Taxonomy in India, to provide a common forum for Angiosperm taxonomists in India to organise meetings, hold discussions and exchange ideas on scientific and academic matters, and encourage collaborative work among taxonomists. The IAAT publishes a journal Rheedea (named after Hendrik van Rheede). The Indian Association for Angiosperm Taxonomy works as an affiliate of the International Association for Plant Taxonomy.

From 1969 Manilal commenced training research students in Taxonomy (leading to PhD degree in the subject), with a view to attain self-sufficiency in Taxonomy. During the years 1972–1998, he and his students discovered over 240 new species of flowering plants and several new records for India from Kerala, and published many research papers in Taxonomy in national and international journals.

Biomass Research Centre

A Biomass Research Centre was established by Manilal in the University of Calicut, with funding from the Ministry of Non-conventional Energy Sources. The Centre does research and field experiments to establish the (taxonomic) identification of fast-growing fuel-wood trees suitable for various agro-climatic zones of Kerala.

Summary of Manilal's discoveries

New species and varieties discovered, and combinations established by Manilal and his research associates are summarised are follows:New species discovered in Silent Valley

Liparis indiraii Manilal & C.S.Kumar
Eria tiagii Manilal & C.S.Kumar
Hydnocarpus pendulus Manilal, T.Sabu & Sivar.
Robiquetia josephiana Manilal & C.S.Kumar
Sauropus saksenianus Manilal, Prasann. & Sivar.
Cucumella silentvaleyi Manilal, T.Sabu & P.J.Mathew
Oberonia bisaccata Manilal & C.S.KumarNew species discovered under biodiversity studies
Hedyotis erecta Manilal & Sivar.
Cinnamomum nicolsonianum Manilal & Shylaja
Bulbophyllum rheedei Manilal & C.S.Kumar
Heliotropium keralense Sivar. & Manilal
Borreria malabarica Sivar. & Manilal
Phyllanthus kozhikodianus Sivar. & Manilal
Habenaria indica C.S.Kumar & ManilalNew varieties of flowering plants discovered
Borreria stricta (L. f.) K.Schum. var. rosea; Sivar. & Manilal
Borreria articularis (L. f.) F.N.Williams var. hispida Sivar. & Manilal
Portulaca oleracea L. var. linearifolia Sivar. & ManilalNew combinations established
Thunbergia bicolour (Wight) Manilal & Suresh
Eria chandrasekharanii (Bharg. & Moh.) C.S.Kumar & Manilal

Notable awards and positions held

Awards
Padma Shri award by Government of India (2020)
Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau award (Dutch: Orde van Oranje-Nassau) by Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. (The Consul General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Ms. Marijke A. van Drunen Littel conferred this honour on 1 May 2012, at Kozhikode, Kerala, India.)
E.K. Janaki Ammal National Award for Taxonomy (2003) – Constituted by The Ministry of Environment and Forests
Y. D. Tyagi Gold Medal (1998) – by the Indian Association of Angiosperm Taxonomy (IAAT)
Vishwambhar Puri Medal (1990) – by The Indian Botanical Society

Positions

Chief Editor, Rheedea, The Journal of Indian Association of Angiosperm Taxonomy (1991–present)
President, Botanical Society of India (1999)
Treasurer, Botanical Society of India (1984–1986)
Founding President, Indian Association of Angiosperm Taxonomy (1991)
Chairman, CRIKSC (Centre for Research in Indigenous Knowledge, Science & Culture)
Plants named in honour of Manilal (Eponyms)[edit]
Lindernia manilaliana Sivar. (Kew Bull. 31: 151. 1976)
Fimbristylis manilaliana Govind. (Rheedea 8(1): 87, f. 1. 1998)
Cyathocline manilaliana C.P.Raju & R.R.V.Raju (Rheedea 9 (2): 151-154. 1999)
Schoenorchis manilaliana M. Kumar & Sequiera (Kew Bull. 55: 241. 2000)
Cololejeunea manilalia Manju, Chandini & K.P.Rajesh (Acta Bot. Hung. 59(1–2): 262, 1–2. 2017)
Fissidens manilalia Manju, C.N., Manjula, K.M. & K.P. Rajesh (The Bryologist 120 (3): 263-269. 2017)
Isachne manilaliana Sunil, K.M.P. Kumar & Thomas (Webbia 72: 161-164. 2017)

Publication of the English and Malayalam versions of Hortus Malabaricus

Publisher's appeal for donation of royalties

Hortus Malabaricus as transliterated by Manilal was published in English and Malayalam languages in 2003 and 2008 respectively. Manilal's copyright, as author of the English and Malayalam versions, was bequeathed, free of royalties, to the publishers, the University of Kerala. This assignment of rights was a gesture by Manilal in good faith and in response to a specific appeal from the then Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kerala, that the University wanted to generate funds from this publication for utilisation of such royalty incomes toward re-publication of old Malayalam classical works, which are out of print, and not forecasted to generate a viable level of income due to limited sale of such classical works.

Book-release functions conducted by the publishers

In a recorded interview with Manilal in August 2008, he expressed his regret and frustration at the manner in which the publishers subjected him to digression from the publication project soon after he legally assigned his rights as author. Apparently there was a move to exclude Manilal's name from the book (2003), but was reinstated on account of questions raised by the academic community. On 14 August 2008, the University of Kerala officials again conducted a function at Thiruvananthapuram to formally release the Malayalam edition of Hortus Malabaricus. The book was released by the Governor of Kerala (also Chancellor of the University), at the function; where due recognition was not given to Manilal as author of the book, nor were arrangements in place to felicitate the author at the function. . The former Vice-Chancellor of University of Kerala who initiated the project, B. Ekbal, was also not invited to this function.
Kuppuswamy Nagarajan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kuppuswamy Nagarajan
Born 15 August 1930

Tamil Nadu, India
Nationality Indian
Alma mater

Known for Development of drugs
Awards

Scientific career
Fields

Institutions

Ciba-Geigy Research Center
Bangalore Pharmaceutical & Research Laboratory
Recon Limited
Rallis India Limited
Alkem Laboratories


Kuppuswamy Nagarajan (born 15 September 1930 Sirupalai Village, Tamil Nadu) is an Indian organic chemist.

He earned a Ph.D. with Prof. T. R. Govindachari, Presidency College, Madras.

He won the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Chemical Sciences, 1974;

Selected papers

Kuppuswamy Nagarajan, Vunnam R. Rao, Rashmi K. Shah, Sharada J. Shenoy, Hans Fritz, Wilhelm J. Richter, Dieter Muller, "Condensed Heterotricycles. Synthesis and Reactions of b-Fused 1(2H)-Isoquinolinones with unusual enaminic properties", Helvetica Chimica Acta, Volume 71, Issue 1, pages 77–92, 3 February 1988

Kuppuswamy Nagarajan, Patrick J. Rodriguesa and Munirathinam Nethajib, "Vilsmeier-Haack reaction of 1-methyl-34-dihydroisoquino lines-unexpected formation of 2,3-bisdimethylamino-5,6-dihydropyrrolo (2,1- ) isoquinolines", Tetrahedron Letters, Volume 33, Issue 47, 17 November 1992, Pages 7229-7232

Kuppuswamy Nagarajan, Joy David, Agasaladinni N. Goud, 10-Alkyl- and 10-aminoalkyl-2,2'-bis(trifluoromethyl)-3,10'-biphenothiazines, J. Med. Chem., 1974, 17 (6), pp 652–653, June 1974

Kansari Halder
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kansari Halder

Member of Parliament
In office
1957-1962
Constituency Diamond Harbour
Member of Parliament
In office
1967-1972
Constituency Mathurapur
Member of Legislative Assembly
In office
1972-1977
Constituency Sonarpur
Personal details
Born 28 September 1910
Vill. Andaria, South 24 Parganas (then 24 Parganas)
Died 29 August 1997 (aged 86)
Nationality Indian
Political party Communist Party of India
Residence P.O. Serakole, South 24-Paraganas

Kansari Halder was an Indian politician, belonging to the Communist Party of India. He earned fame as a leader of and for his active participation in the Tebhaga movement.

Early life

The son of Narendra Krishna Halder Jashodarani Haldar, he was born at village Andaria on 26 September 1910. He was educated at Ripon College and Bangabasi College in Kolkata. While still a student he was arrested in 1930 for his participation in the Civil Disobedience Movement. He remained with the Congress till 1941, when he joined the Communist Party of India.

Tebhaga movement

Kansari Halder provided leadership to the peasant movement that developed in the 1940s in Kakdwip-Sundarbans area of 24 Parganas and later became well known as the Tebhaga movement. Many people were killed in police-public face-off. Although he was convicted to death sentence in the Chandanpiri case in the Kakdwip area the police could not get him as he had gone underground. In 1957, he was elected to the Lok Sabha while he was still convicted. He was later acquitted.

Electoral performance

He was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1957 from Diamond Harbour, was reelected to the Lok Sabha in 1967 from Mathurapur, and was elected to the West Bengal Legislative Assembly in 1972 from Sonarpur.

Death

Kansari Halder spent the later years of his life in poverty. He died on 29 August 1997

Kumarendra Mallick
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kumarendra Mallick
Born 21 December 1941 

Odisha, India
Nationality Indian
Alma mater

Known for Studies on the analysis of geoelectromagnetic data
Awards

Scientific career
Fields

Institutions


Kumarendra Mallick (born 1941) is an Indian geophysicist, poet and a former emeritus scientist at the National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad, A former assistant professor of the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, he served as a director-grade scientist at NGRI. He is the author of three books on geophysics, a poem anthology, Letter to an Imaginary Pen-Friend and several articles.

Biography and career

Mallick, an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, has served as a visiting professor at University of Naples and as a visiting scientist at University of Karlsruhe. He is reported to have done extensive research on the analysis of geoelectromagnetic data and contributed to the development of interpretational aids. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards for his contributions to Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean and Planetary Sciences in 1986.[8][note 1]
Notes[edit]

^ Long link - please select award year to see details


References

^ "Brief Profile of the Awardee". Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize. 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
^ "Mallick on Asian Signature". Asian Signature. 2016.
^ Kumarendra Mallick (2009). Letter to an Imaginary Pen Friend and Other Poems. India: Sampark. ISBN 978-81-7768-031-7.
^ Viney Kirpal (2004). You Moved My Life: Tributes to Teachers. Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. pp. 104–. ISBN 978-1-932705-41-6.
^ "Handbook of Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize Winners" (PDF). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. 1999. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
^ "View Bhatnagar Awardees". Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize. 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
Kaushal Kishore
 (scientist)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kaushal Kishore
Born 31 December 1940

Died 2 March 1999 (aged 56)

Nationality Indian
Alma mater

Known for Studies on thermochemistry and combustion of polymers
Awards

Scientific career
Fields

Institutions


R. P. Rastogi

Kaushal Kishore (1942–1999) was an Indian polymer chemist and head of the department of inorganic and physical Chemistry at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). He was known for his researches on thermochemistry and combustion of polymers. and was an elected fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India, Indian National Science Academy, and the Indian Academy of Sciences. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards, in 1988, for his contributions to chemical sciences.

Biography
IISc - Main Building

Kaushal Kishore, born on the last day of 1942 in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, did his graduate studies in chemistry at Lucknow University and obtained his master's degree from the same institution before enrolling for doctoral studies at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gorakhpur University where he studied under the guidance of R. P. Rastogi to secure a PhD for his thesis on mechanism of combustion of non-hypergolic propellants. His career started at Gorakhpur University as a teaching faculty but he moved to the Indian Institute of Science in 1974 where he rose in ranks to head the department of inorganic and physical chemistry from 1994. His early researches were on thermochemistry and combustion of polymers with focus on the kinetics and thermodynamics of combustion, particularly with solid propellants. These researches assisted him in discovering autopyrolysis, a term he coined for a phenomenon related to accelerated combustion caused by polyperoxides, details of which he published in one of his articles. He was credited with developing Flammability Index, a dimensionless quantity to assess the flammability of combustible materials. He also worked on plasticization and his studies have assisted in widening the understanding of plasticizers and flame-retardants containing phosphorus. He published several articles in peer-reviewed journals and the online repository of the Indian Academy of Sciences has listed 165 of them. He was associated with the Journal of Applied Polymer Science as a member of their editorial board and sat on a number of councils and committees.

Kishore lived in Bengaluru and it was here he died on 2 March 1999, the day of the Indian festival Holi, succumbing to a cardiac arrest at the age of 56.

Awards and honors

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research awarded Kishore the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, one of the highest Indian science awards, in 1988. He received the Indian Thermal Analysis Award of NICAR in 1991. The Indian Academy of Sciences elected him as their fellow in 1991 and the Indian National Science Academy followed suit in 1999. He was also a fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India. He was also associated with Indian Thermal Analysis Society, Indian High Energy Materials Society, Indian Polymer Society and Materials Research Society of India as their Life Member.
Kailash Sankhala
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kailash Sankhala
Born 30 January 1925

Died 15 August 1994
Known for Environmental activism; Role as first Director of Project Tiger
Awards Padma Shri

Indira Gandhi presenting award to Kailash Sankhala

Kailash Sankhala (30 January 1925 – 15 August 1994) was an Indian biologist and conservationist. He was the Director of Delhi Zoological Park and Chief Wildlife Warden of Rajasthan. He is best known for his work in preserving tigers. Sankhala was the first Director of Project Tiger, a conservation programme set up in India in 1973. He was well known as "The Tiger Man of India". He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1992 and Rajasthan Ratan in 2013.

Wildlife manager

Sankhala started at the Forest Service in 1953 From 1953 to 1964, he managed wildlife sanctuaries in Sariska, Bharatpur, Banvihar and Ranthambhor, as well as forests in Rajasthan. In 1965, he was appointed Director of the Delhi Zoological Park. In 1973 he was appointed head of Project Tiger, an attempt to save the Indian tiger from extinction

Tiger conservation

In 1971, Sankhala conducted a survey of the tiger population in India. His research later lead him to become the first Director of Project Tiger in 1973. Sankhala created the Tiger Trust in 1989. Sankhala's son, Pradeep Sankhala, took over the charge of the Tiger Trust after his father's death. Upon his death in 2003, his son Amit Sankhala stepped in.

Personal life

Kailash Sankhala was born in Jodhpur, Rajasthan on 30 January 1925. Sankhala died on 15 August 1994 in Jaipur.

Awards and honours

The Ministry of Environment and Forests established the Kailash Sankhala Fellowship award for conservation efforts in his honour.

Bibliography

Kailash Sankhala (1973). Wild Beauty: A Study of Indian Wildlife. National Book Trust, India; [sole distributors: Thomson Press (India).
Kailash Sankhala (1974). Tigre. World Wildlife Fund. ISBN 3859880101.
Kailash Sankhala (1975). Tigerland. Bobbs-Merrill. ISBN 978-0-672-52037-2.
Kailash Sankhala (1978). Tiger! The Story of the Indian Tiger. William Collins Sons & Co Ltd. ISBN 0-00-216124-9.
Kailash Sankhala (1990). Gardens of God: The Waterbird Sanctuary at Bharatpur. Vikas Publishing House.
Kailash Sankhala (1993). Return of the Tiger. Lustre Press.
Kailash Sankhala; Swaraj Chauhan (1997). The Story of Indian Tiger. Grange Books. ISBN 978-1-85627-888-1
Dr Kumar Bahuleyan
Home is where the heart is Kumar Bahuleyan’s two younger brothers and a sister were screaming with pain. He felt helpless as he looked at them. His father and mother did not know what to do. In the 1920s, in the village of Chemmanakary, 20 km from Kochi, there was no drinking water, electricity, schools, or sanitary facilities. “My siblings got sick by drinking polluted water,” says Bahuleyan. “And there was no doctor to cure them. They died of roundworm infestation. Even now, 80 years later, I can hear their screams in my head.”

Bahuleyan’s father, Kumaran, a subsistence farmer, belonged to the low-caste Ezhavas. As a child, Bahuleyan was pot-bellied, with a runny nose, and suffered from amoebiasis, chicken and small pox, scabies and typhoid. When Bahuleyan wanted to study in an English-medium school, his father was unable to pay the fees. So he joined the Malayalam government school.

One day, after Bahuleyan had completed his Class 7 final exams, he was walking with his father, in front of an English-medium school run by a Brahmin, Harihara Subramaniam Iyer.

“Kumaran, where are you going?” said Iyer. Kumaran said that he was trying to get admission for Bahuleyan in another school. Astonishingly, Iyer offered Bahuleyan a seat, even though the monthly fees were `3.50. Bahuleyan says, “It was the biggest break of my life.”

After his schooling, Bahuleyan went to UC College in Aluva and completed his science degree in 1949. By this time Bahuleyan’s aim had crystallised: he wanted to become a doctor. “My siblings had died of preventable diseases,” he says. “I wanted to use my expertise to cure the world.”

Thereafter, he secured admission to the Madras Medical College. Unfortunately, the capitation fees of `1,200 had to be paid. His maternal uncle, Padmanabhan, who was well off, sold off a piece of land and gave Bahuleyan the money. “With that sum I was able to attend the first-year classes,” says Bahuleyan. For the second year, Bahuleyean went to Subramaniam Iyer for help. And Iyer did an extraordinary thing. He pawned his wife’s jewellery and gave Bahuleyan `3,000. For the third year, Bahuleyan also did something extraordinary. He got himself engaged, with the help of his father, to the daughter of an affluent liquor dealer.

Consequently, Bahuleyan used the dowry money to pay the fees. But once he graduated, he broke off the engagement. “The girl’s father set too many conditions,” says Bahuleyan. His father was deeply offended, and never again spoke to his son.

Meanwhile, the state government sent Bahuleyan to do neuro-surgical training at the University of Edinburgh. He spent six years there and returned in 1964. The very next year, he was drafted into the army, during the India-Pakistan war, because the Armed Forces did not have a qualified neuro-surgeon. Following that, in 1968, he immigrated to the US, and finally settled in Buffalo, New York, in 1973.

Known for his extraordinary talent as a neurosurgeon, his career took off, and he made millions. “I was the right person at the right time at the right place with the right skills,” he says. Soon, he bought a large house, owned six Mercedes cars, a Cherokee 4 airplane, and a Honda 500 cc motorcycle. “It was my hedonistic days,” he says. “I threw wild parties and lived on the fast lane. I got everything money could buy, but it did not make me happy.”

Every now and then he would return to Chemmanakary and would observe that nothing had changed. In 1989, he set up the Bahuleyan Foundation and set aside $20 million for it. His first project was to set up a clinic catering to women and children. Later, Bahuleyan built new roads, improved sanitation facilities, and set up a potable water supply system. In 1996, Bahuleyan established the Indo-American Brain and Spine Hospital in the village. Today, it is a 220-bed super-speciality hospital and one of the premier institutes in south India. In 2004, he set up the Kalathil Lake Resort; the profits are used for charitable works. Apart from that, he also started a nursing as well as a physical therapy college.

On the personal front, he had an arranged marriage in 1958, but got divorced in 1968. One child, son Saju, lives in Chicago. His second marriage to a widow, Dr Indira Kartha, took place in 1985. And, today, at the age of 86, Bahuleyan continues to do surgeries. “By the grace of God, my hands are steady and my brain is fine,” he says. Bahuleyan divides his time between the USA, where his wife lives, and the hospital where he works 24/7.

And thus continues the ongoing saga of a most extraordinary Malayali.

BAHULEYAN: DOCTOR WITH A MISSION

Haunted by dying screams NRI doctor donates US$ 20 million to Kerala village Chemmanakary in Kottayam

By THE VERDICT TEAM

CHEMMANAKARY, ONE of the typical Kerala villages in Kottayam district has had the fortune to have a Kumar Bahuleyan born there. Dr Bahuleyan, look up to the village as his own home and started transforming the village into a heaven by investing his hard earned American dollars into make a shape to the life of his counterparts in Kerala.

Bahuleyan, who belongs to the ‘untouchable community’ (read as Dalit), lived in the village seeing the poverty even though his father was a physician in the village. He saw his three siblings dying because of starvation. The family brought up the two remaining in the poor family and Bahuleyan who was good in education, fought to survive and go to the school. He fought, disease and hunger every step of the way and his brilliancy helped him to get through the Kerala government’s scholarship while studying. He stood first in while education and it helped him to acquire a medical degree. Dr Bahuleyan was an eternal optimist, in his own words.

After graduating in medical science, the Kerala government taking into account his ability to circumvent sent him to the United Kingdom for for neurosurgical training as the state did not have a neurosurgeon at that time. When the doctor returned home the military picked him up for the forces, which did not have a qualified neurosurgeon, during the time of Chinese aggression.

However, the Keralites does not have the fortune to get served by the eminent doctor or it may be the doctors ‘fortune’ that the Kerala government did not have a place for him. A fresh man had filled his place, when he returned. The bureaucratic red tape followed doctor and the qualified surgeon had to sit at home ideally. Waiting made doctor to flee his mother country to Onatario, Canada in the United Kingdom seeking an opportunity their. He found a right place in Buffalo, where for the first time in his life he achieved economic and professional security.

However, doctor never forgot his native place, Chemmanakary. He kept visiting the village regularly whenever he got a short vacation. Whenever he visited his native village he found the sad state of his village is as it is even after fifty years of much celebrated Independence. The doctor found that his native still did not have potable drinking water, sanitation, electricity, roads and health centers. The condition of sanitation in the village was very poor and he noticed that even well settled community in his village never bothered about the contamination, which was lacking people’s awareness.

The doctor started acting accordingly. He never tried to blame the authorities or the people living around him. Instead, the energetic doctor took an oath to set up a beautiful and clean village. In 1989, doctor established a not-for-profit private organization to bring basic health care to Kerala villages. The doctor put in around Rs 10 crore during two three years, and his attempt was to come back to his village and do some community work.

The Bahuleyan Charitable Foundation, founded by Dr Kumar Bahuleyna, began with a health survey to pick a target area. It chose an area comprising 17 sq. miles with a population of 66,356.The foundation plunged into a latrine construction programme in this area where 5009 of the 18,362 houses did not have latrines.So far 619 latrinees meeting WHO standards and costing Rs.4,000 each have been built. "The people initially had no clue what to do with a latrine and started using it as a store room,” says Bahuleyan.

In 1993 the foundation built a small clinic in the village to treat pregnant women and children. Demand was so high in spite of poor accessibility ( there were no roads leading to the clinic),that the centre was soon upgraded and moved to Vaikom town. The foundation also spent Rs.50 lakh to construct a 6km road to the main highway and subsidiary roads to link the clinic.

The Vaikom wing of The Indo- American Hospital opened in 1995 with 30 beds."It was named to highlight the fact that it is built with the money I earned in the U.S and to acknowledge the American taxpayer’s contribution,” explained the doctor.

But with most of the patients being poor the hospital was making little by way of revenue and its very existence was threatened . "I started this whole project out of my sentiments, with no planning,” said Bahuleyan.” " However I realized I had to do something revenue generating to make it viable.”

Today the Indo American Speciality Hospital for Neuro Surgery is a supreme blend of American Technology occupied with Indian tradition of selfless service to humanity. This super speciality hospital provides all facilities as available in any of the finest humanity. This super speciality hospital provides all facilities as available in any of the finest hospitals in Europe or the US. The hospital comes along with a posh backwater resort, Kalathil Health Resort that caters to the aspirations of the national and international patients and tourists. The revenue surplus and the proceeds from the resort would help to augment and expand the reach of charity of Indo-American Hospital.

The Latest Take from the Press…

EIGHTY-ONE-YEAR-OLD KUMAR Bahuleyan, a neurosurgeon, who once led a lavish lifestyle that included moving around in a Rolls Royce and five Mercedes, besides an aeroplane, has used the money to build a hospital specialising in neurosurgery, a health clinic and a spa in Chemmanakary in Kerala's Kottayam District. A Dalit based in Buffalo, New York, for the last 34 years, has given 20 million dollars to his village in Kerala.

Bahuleyan said that the desire to do something for his native place germinated between 1982 and 1987, when he visited the area, and found that nothing had changed. He said that he felt like returning something to the village, which had taught him and made him something in life.

Bahuleyan says he lost two younger brothers and a sister to water-borne disease in 1930s, and even today he says he is haunted by their dying screams. As a 'untouchable', Bahuleyan had to take a circuitous route to school because he wasn't allowed to pass a Hindu temple. A brilliant student, he succeeded in joining a medical college in Madras. From their, he proceeded to Edinburgh for six years of neurosurgical training before eturning home.

Unfortunately, there was no vacancy for a neurosurgeon in those days, and Bahuleyan left for Kingston and then Albany Medical College, before coming to Buffalo in 1973 to work with noted American neurosurgeon Dr John Zoll.

During his 26-year career, Bahuleyan served as a clinical associate professor in neurosurgery at the University at Buffalo before retiring in 1999 as a multi-millionaire.

In 1989, he set up the Bahuleyan Charitable Foundation, which built a small clinic in India for young children and pregnant women in 1993 in south India. Bahuleyan's foundation also built the Indo-American Hospital Brain and Spine Centre in 1996, starting with 80 beds.

The foundation opened the Kalathil Health Resorts, offering luxury rooms, health spas and exercise rooms in 2004.

Bahuleyan's latest venture -- East India Seven Seas Sailing Company, plans to invite applications from Americans willing to spend a few weeks in India, to volunteer in Bahuleyan's hospital and to teach sailing.

Bahuleyan lives with his wife, pathologist Indira Kartha. He spends six months of the year in America, and rest in India, looking after the work of his foundation.

INDO-AMERICAN HOSPITALBRAIN & SPINE CENTREChemmanakary, Akkarappadam (P.O),Vaikom 686 143, Kerala, IndiaTel / Fax: (91-4829) 273281, 273282, 273283, 274163

Dr. Kumar Bahuleyan – Born Extremely Poor, Became Rich and is Donating All to Help Others in NeedI discarded Mercedes Benz for a Bicycle like a small kid discarding old toy for new one”— Dr. Kumar Bahuleyan

“Who dies rich dies disgraced.” said Andrew Carnegie and Lord Buddha said— “To conquer oneself is a greater task than conquering others.” Here is an inspiring story from Kalam Fan Club about a philanthropist and an Indian-American Neurosurgeon whose life has been a classic example of being a true practitioner of the above two quotes. The story of Dr. Kumar Bahuleyan is two folded; He was born in rags of a remote village in Kerala, India and succeeded to be an iconic neuro surgeon to practice in Buffalo, the USA with all materialistic comforts under the sun in his possession, thus providing a rags-to-rich success story. But his inner drive to help the poor masses in his motherland with a charitable super specialty hospital by donating all his earnings gives silver-lining to his success story. The fact that he has ensured that his name doesn’t get portrayed anywhere in his charitable work manifold his philanthropic mission. A doctor who was born in a poor village background without proper sanitation and drinking water and grew up to own Mercedes Benz, Royal Royce, and Airplane and donated 20 million $ for the upliftment of his native village is a remarkable achievement on any scale.

PC: indoamericanhospital.in

Dire Childhood Days & Education

Dr. Kumar was born in a remote village called Chemmanakary in Kottayam district of Kerala. His child hood days (the 1930s) were so awful that all his siblings suffered from epidemics and as the eldest of four children he had to witness the death of his three siblings who were not even eight years old. As he belonged to untouchable caste schooling was also not easy in those days. He had to take a roundabout route to school as he was not allowed to commute on the road with the temple. Fortunately, this boy’s learning ability was identified by a headmaster of a school belonging to lower caste school. This headmaster readily agreed to teach this boy for free and thus the trauma of going to a far away school ended for Kumar. Most interestingly in those days of intense practice of untouchability, Mr. Harihara Subramaniam Iyer an upper-class Brahmin offered a seat for this lower caste boy in his English medium high school. This happened to be a turning point in his education. Further, he got the opportunity to study para medical in a Christian missionary school. Later he joined medical college of Madras (Chennai). Dr. Kumar always acknowledges the scholarships provided by the Govt. for his education and accepts it would have been impossible for him to complete his education. His life was completely poverty-ridden, and he didn’t have a pair of shoes to go to medical college. He often claims that he is an eternal optimist.

Higher education in Scotland

The Kerala Govt. having recognized his abilities funded him to pursue neurosurgery in Scotland as no neurosurgery department was available back home. On his return back home, in 1965 he was posted in Indian Army during India-Pakistan war to support army personnel as a specialist neurosurgeon. But, after the warfare Govt. failed to accommodate him in any neuro surgeon post he was left jobless unable to break the bureaucratic red-tape-ism prevailing in the country.

Career Abroad
Due to the pathetic condition back home, he started applying for prospects overseas and immigrated to Ontario, Canada, seeking employment. Finally, he settled at Buffalo, USA and for the first time in his life sensed economic security. His marathon 26 years of private practice had a great beginning with offices at Linwood and Kenmore avenues cum main streets. He even served as a clinical associate professor at the University of Buffalo before retiring in the year 1999. Dr. Kumar Bhauleyan had made up for what he had lost in his childhood by getting into buying spree and enriched himself with all material comforts his mind prompted him to possess. Unfortunately, Dr. Bahuleyan’s first marriage didn’t click and he got married to Dr. Indira a widow in the year 1985. He was happily leading a life with his wife Dr. Indira kartha, who is pathologist by profession. But an inner feeling of emptiness started popping up in Dr. Kumar’s mind and he started probing life beyond material comforts of a multi-millionaire.


PC: asianlite.com

Turning Point for Charity Spree

Dr. Kumar Bhuleyan was back in the home for vacation and could witness the country have not changed drastically. He witnessed a scene of a lonely young mother standing on the roadside with a 3-year-old pot-bellied child with running nose and scabies all over the body. This poverty ridden parent and child recalled the nightmares Dr. Kumar himself had underwent after the tragic death of his siblings in childhood days. He realized the extremity of life that he is a successful icon in America living in material comforts and an innocent child without having any prejudice of caste, creed, and status suffering in his motherland. The enlightenment Dr. Kumar was badly looking for had struck, and he decided to spend six months in a year in India serving the poor in need of medical attention and spend another six months in the USA. He took the initiative to build septic tanks for enabling people to use toilets; around 3000 toilets were in place. He initiated construction of new roads, and even 25 to 30 housing units were built and to ice the cake he built the most needed charitable hospital.

Here is the path trod by Dr. Kumar in serving the society:

In 1989, he established non-profit-organization Bahuleyan Charitable Foundation to bring basic health care to Kerala villages by pouring ten crores of rupees from his savings to the Foundation

The foundation plunged into toilet construction program where a one-third of houses did not have sanitation, approximately 619 latrines meeting WHO standards were constructed

In 1993 the foundation built a small clinic in the village to treat pregnant women and children. The demand for treatment was so high in spite of bad road conditions, Dr. Kumar took a new initiative to build a 6 Km road to establish connectivity to the clinic by spending 50 lakh rupees.
In 1995 the vaikom wing of the Indo-American Hospital was started with 30 beds. The hospital was named so to acknowledge the American tax payer’s contribution in the fund used

To ensure sustainability of this charitable foundation, Kumar took help of consultants and came up with idea of a super-speciality hospital to fetch revenue from affordable people, thus in 1996 a super-speciality neurosurgery hospital got incepted

Kumar is also serving village communities by providing them with innovative sustainable agricultural practices

To enhance the availability of trained medical practitioners he has plans to set up nursing training and medical technicians training institutesToday at the age of 86, Dr. Kumar Bahuleyan is healthy to conduct surgeries, and he humorously says—“By the grace of God, my hands are steady and my brain is fine,” and while in India he stays at hospital premises. Interesting fact about Dr. Bahuleyan’s saga of service is as soon as he shifted his area of operation to Kerala villages; He discarded his Mercedes Benz and bought a bicycle in exchange. He is quoted to have said that “This behaviour was similar to that of a school going kid that discards old toys for the new one!”

Kalam Fan Club is proud of this 86 year old young boy who is serving the community relentlessly.

Louis Pasteur

Louis Pasteur was born on 27 December 1822 in a labor family in a place called Dole, France. His leather businessmen were ordinary. His father's wish was that his son become a great man by studying.


Louis Pasteur was born on 27 December 1822 in a labor family in a place called Dole, France. His leather businessmen were ordinary. His father's wish was that his son become a great man by studying.

They also wanted to bear the burden of debt for his studies. While working with his father, Louis took admission in a school in Arboi to fulfill his father's wish, but the learning taught by the teachers was beyond his grasp.

He was teased as Mandabuddhi and Buddha. Unhappy at the neglect of the teachers, Louis gave up schooling, but he thought of doing something so that the whole world would respect him as an intelligent, not a Buddha.

After being forced by his father, he went to Paris for higher education and started studying at a college in Vaisako. His special interest was in chemistry. He was particularly influenced by Dr. Duma, a scholar of chemistry.

At the age of 26, Pasteur started teaching physics instead of chemistry, receiving a degree from Econnarmel College. Overcoming obstacles, he became the chairman of the science department. After accepting this post, he started research work.

After finishing college, he started working in a chemical school to achieve his goal. Here you studied crystals and also did some important research. You started getting good fame in the form of chemicals from them.

In the year 1896. In France, the Minister of Education appointed you to teach physics in the school of Dijon. A year later, he was made a substitute professor of chemistry at the University of Strasbourg. The secret of this advancement was that the university president had a girl whose name was mine. I was a beautiful teenager with beautiful hair. You met him Mary's untouched lavana has gone home in your heart. Only a week after the meeting, you proposed marriage to Mary. Mary turned down your offer. But Louis Pasteur was a good scientist. Endurance was in you. You continued to try despite Mary's refusal. After one year, you got success in your wish fulfillment. Mary accepted to be your wife.

After marriage, your interest started moving from chemistry to biology. This is the science of organisms. The university is in the middle of the grape growing region of France. One day a group of wine makers came to meet Louis Pasteur one day. He asked you that our liquor turns sour every year. What is the reason for this?

Louis Pasteur received chemistry education in Paris. From 1873, Pasteur began to revise on chemistry. From 1857, that is, at the age of 32, he became the Dean of the University Ong Lily. They began to focus on the study of compositions of joint or original values. He laid the basic principles in revision of biochemistry. It was an old belief that micro-organisms are self-generated, they are created by themselves. Pasteur's amendment uprooted this thinking. Pasteur overthrew this thinking by constructing animals or micro-organisms into rotting flora or fauna.

After some time Pasteur turned his attention to another area. In France, the wine and beer industry was disturbed by an objection in the year 17.

In this country, the main business of alcohol production, liquor used to get spoiled after filling in bottles. Because of this, this business was a big fraud. Louis Pasteur found a solution for this. Heating the bottles filled with alcohol to a temperature of 55 degrees Celsius, proved that the pollutants are removed from the wine and the wine started to last for a long time.

Pasteur suspected that air also contained bacteria. He conducted an experiment to investigate his suspicions. He took a little cotton and put it in water and boiled it well, So that all the bacteria hidden in it die. Then, remove the cotton and put it in the air and after a while put it back in the same water. Bacteria started appearing again in water. Remember that all this work was being done with the help of microcosm. From this experiment, it appeared that there are bacteria in the air. Pasteur conducted another experiment. He thought of a way in which cold air in a soup filled with a vessel would go on continuously but the bacteria of the air did not reach. He realized that bacteria stick to dust particles in the air. He made a special kind of flask. Pasteur filled this flask with half of the soup and then boiled the soup. Let the steam out of the twisted tube for a long time. In this way all the bacteria in the soup and tube died. Then he allowed the soup to cool down. The folded hose of the flask was also kept open so that air could enter. The wind could reach the soup,

Pasteurization

Pasteurization is the method in which microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, etc. are destroyed by heating liquids. It is named after the Persian scientist Louis Pasteur. Louis Pasteur first used pasteurization on 20 April 1862.
Mushi Santappa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mushi Santappa
Born 2 October 1923

Jonnagiri, Andhra Pradesh, India
Died 26 February 2017 (aged 93)
Nationality Indian

Alma mater

Known for Studies on kinetics of oxidation, Complexometry, Synthetic high polymers, Leather technology

Awards

1982 ICS Sir J. C. Ghosh Memorial Medal
1985 FICCI Award for Science and Technology
Sevaratna Award
Voice Award for Science and Technology
Scientific career
Fields

Institutions


R. W. West

Mushi Santappa FRS FRIC (2 October 1923 – 26 February 2017) was an Indian polymer chemist, leather technologist and a vice chancellor of Sri Venkateswara University and the University of Madras. He was one of the founder directors of Avanti Leathers Limited and was known for his researches on the synthesis of graft copolymers, the properties of macromolecules, and osmotic techniques. He was an elected Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Sciences, India, Royal Institute of Chemistry and New York Academy of Sciences and a founder fellow of the Academy of Sciences, Chennai. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards, in 1967, for his contributions to chemical sciences.

Biography
University of Madras Entrance Arch at Chepauk Campus

Mushi Santappa was born on 2 October 1923 in Jonnagiri village in the south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh to Arikeri Basappa-Rajoli couple and graduated in chemistry from the University of Madras in 1943. His master's degree was from Banaras Hindu University in 1946 after which he secured a PhD from the University of London on a Government of India scholarship in 1949, mentored by R. W. West. Staying back in the UK, he obtained another PhD in 1951 from Manchester University, working under the guidance of Meredith Gwynne Evans, a Fellow of the Royal Society; his thesis was based on the physical chemistry of high polymers. Returning to India, he joined the University of Madras as a reader of physical chemistry in 1952 and in 1958, he was transferred to the Madurai Extension Centre (present-day Madurai Kamaraj University) as a professor. He returned to Chennai in 1963 as the head of the department of physical chemistry. Serving as a UGC Senior Professor at the university from 1966 onward, he also worked as a director at Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI) from 1972. In 1979, he was appointed as the vice chancellor of Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati and on expiry of his tenure in 1980, he returned to Chennai and took up the assignment as the vice chancellor of the University of Madras in 1981 where he stayed till 1984.[2] While working as the UGC professor, he co-founded Avanti Leather Limited, a public limited company involved in the manufacture and export of leather products, in 1976.

Santappa was married to Lakshmi Devi and the couple has three daughters and two sons. He died on 26 February 2017, in Chennai, at the age of 93.

Legacy

Santappa's early researches during his doctoral studies were related to vinyl monomers.4 and its free radical polymerization using light but later, he shifted his focus to the study of kinetics of vinyl polymerization during his stint at the laboratory of Meredith Gwynne Evans. Through these studies, he propounded that vinyl monomers could be polymerized using photo polymerization. He also demonstrated the synthesis of graft copolymers by simple chain transfer process and also studied oxidation of a number of organic substrates.

His researches have been published in over 350 articles and he guided 59 research scholars on the doctoral studies. Moreover, he published a comprehensive text on the State of the Art in Polymer Science and Engineering in India. Together with Santi K. Palit, a known chemist, he promoted research in polymer science at the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science and was one of the organizers of the International Symposium on Polymers, under the aegis of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), held in Chennai in 1983.He served as the chair of the Science and Society project of the Department of Science and Technology and has been an adviser to the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board. It was during his tenure as the vice chancellor, the University of Madras established department of Energy and department of Polymer Science and Technology. He was also a national professor and member of the University Grants Commission and sat in the council of the Indian National Science Academy.
Awards and honors

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research awarded Santappa the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, one of the highest Indian science awards, in 1967.[15] He received the Sir J. C. Ghosh Memorial Medal of the Indian Chemical Society in 1982 and the FICCI Award for Science and Technology of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry in 1985. He was also a recipient of the Sri Kanchi Mahaswami Trust and the Voice Award for Science and Technology of Leather. He received an honorary DLitt from Gulbarga University and the degree of Doctor of Science (honoris causa) from Andhra University, Madras University, Sri Krishna Devaraya University and Madurai Kamaraj University. He was an elected fellow of all the three major Indian sciences academies, Indian Academy of Sciences (1961), Indian National Science Academy (1971) and National Academy of Sciences, India (1983). He was also a fellow of Royal Institute of Chemistry (1970) and the New York Academy of Sciences (1985) and a founder fellow of the Academy of Sciences Chennai. The Society for Polymer Science, India have instituted an annual award, Professor M. Santappa Award, in his honor, which recognizes excellence in research in polymer chemistry.
Michael Lobo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Michael Lobo
Born 12 September 1953 (age 68)
Mangalore, India
Occupation Writer, historian
Nationality Indian
Genre Genealogy

Michael Lobo (born 12 September 1953) is an Indian scientist, writer, and genealogist. He is the author of three self-published books on the Catholic community in Mangalore, India.

Early life and education

Michael Lobo was born in Mangalore, India to Maisie Lobo (née Fernandes) and Camillo Lobo, both of Mangalorean Catholic descent. He belongs to the Bejai branch of the Lobo-Prabhu clan, that has its roots in the Makhale suburb of Kulshekar, Mangalore. Lobo's father was a British army soldier who served during World War II. He studied at Montfort High School in Yercaud, Tamil Nadu, and graduated from St. Aloysius College. In 1975, he was one of the "National-A" level chess players in the country, which put him among India's top 20 chess players. In 1982, he obtained a PhD from IISc Bangalore, with a degree in Applied Mathematics. His doctoral thesis on Transonic Aerodynamics earned him the "Young Scientist Award" from the Indian National Science Academy (INSA). In 1982, he earned a PhD in aerodynamics mathematics from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, receiving the 1983 Young Scientist Award from Indian National Science Academy.

Career
Academics (1984–1993)

In 1984, Lobo moved to England where he entered the Cranfield Institute of Technology on a Commonwealth Scholarship, eventually becoming a faculty member. While employed there, Lobo authored papers on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), including Time Marching – A Step-by-step Guide to a Flow Solver (Ashgate Press, 1997). In his spare time he compiled a 1000-page dictionary of English words derived from Classical Greek and wrote a book on the origins of popular Rock'n'roll songs, but neither was published. He returned to Mangalore in 1993, because of "personal crises".

Genealogy (from 1994 onwards)

Lobo's interest in genealogy began in 1992, upon his discovery of an antique baptismal register belonging to the period 1810–80 at Milagres Church. While browsing through this register, he discovered the birth record of his great-grandfather, Anthony Peter Lobo. The record traced his parentage to Lawrence Lobo (a Munsiff and eminent member of the 19th century Mangalorean Catholic community) and Ignatia Tellis. He then subsequently scoured the register to locate the birth records of the other children of Lawrence and Ignatia.

This register became the nucleus of his first genealogical project—a biographical compilation of all the descendants of Lawrence Lobo (through both male and female lines of descent). From late 1992 to late 1993, Lobo began working during his spare time on this project, and by the end of 1993, had completed the first draft of his genealogical work on the Lobo-Prabhus of Makhale and their related families. After the end of his contract at the Cranfield Institute of Technology, rather than renew his contract or pursue a contract elsewhere, Lobo decided to give up his mathematical career and pursue a personal project to write the history and genealogy of the Mangalorean Catholic families.

He moved to Mangalore in 1994, and settled down in his family manor "Camelot Residency" on Bijai church road. During 1994–95, Lobo was involved, on a full-time basis, on a research project on the history and genealogy of the Catholic community of Mangalore. He copied almost every 19th century baptismal, marriage and death record he could locate at Rosario Cathedral and Milagres Church, cataloguing them according to surnames. Lobo initially experienced difficulties in the project since only the baptismal registers were maintained in reasonably good condition, while large sections of the marriage and death registers were missing, and it was not feasible to build the genealogy of any family on the basis of baptismal records alone.

However, he had access to other sources of information on the major families, such as the Vas-Naiks of Falnir (the first published work on the genealogy of a Mangalorean Catholic family), Mascarenhas-Prabhus of Falnir, and the Fernandes-Prabhus of Tonse. There were also unpublished genealogies of various other families, most of them written by Mangalorean genealogists Rao Saheb Francis Xavier Lobo and Marian Saldanha. The project took shape as A Genealogical Encyclopaedia of Mangalorean Catholic Families. Lobo also conducted and still conducts personal interviews with many Mangalorean Catholics, who have settled in Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi and various other parts of India and abroad. This work is expected to be about 8 to 10 volumes and as of March 2011, had already crossed 7000 pages.

Although his work is unfinished, Lobo has self-published three offshoots on the subject: Mangaloreans Worldwide – An International Directory (1999), Distinguished Mangalorean Catholics 1800–2000 – A Historico-Biographical Survey of the Mangalorean Catholic Community (2000), and The Mangalorean Catholic Community – A Professional History / Directory (2002). His encyclopaedia covers more than a thousand families and is being continually updated with names and records of new families.[3] He claims that the Mangalorean Catholic community has the distinction of being the only community in the world to possess its own genealogical encyclopaedia.

Lobo has also authored two books on music entitled A Hundred Pages of Classics, Opera and Popular Instrumental Pieces – A Thousand Pages of Songs with Historical Notes and its companion edition Popular Music – A Historical and Thematic Analysis, both of which were released in 2011.
Works[edit]
Time Marching – A Step-by-step Guide to a Flow Solver. Ashgate Press. 1997. ISBN 978-0-291-39826-0.
Mangaloreans world-wide: an international directory of the Mangalorean Catholic community. Camelot Publishers. 1999. ISBN 978-81-87609-00-1.
Distinguished Mangalorean Catholics 1800–2000 – A Historico-Biographical Survey of the Mangalorean Catholic Community. Camelot Publishers. 2000. ISBN 978-81-87609-01-8.
Lobo, Michael (2002). The Mangalorean Catholic Community – A Professional History / Directory. ISBN 978-81-87609-02-5.
A Hundred Pages of Classics, Opera and Popular Instrumental Pieces – A Thousand Pages of Songs with Historical Notes. 2011.
Popular Music – A Historical and Thematic Analysis. 2011. ISBN 978-81-87609-08-7.
Maurice Hilleman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Maurice Hilleman
Hilleman c. 1958, as chief of the Dept. of Virus Diseases, Walter Reed Army Medical Center
Born
Maurice Ralph Hilleman
August 30, 1919

Died April 11, 2005 (aged 85)

Nationality American
Known for Developing several important vaccines

Spouse(s)
Thelma Mason
​​(m. 1943; d. 1963)​

Lorraine Witmer
​​(m. 1964)​
Children 2

Awards

Robert Koch Prize (Gold, 1989)

Maurice Ralph Hilleman (August 30, 1919 – April 11, 2005) was a leading American microbiologist who specialized in vaccinology and developed over 40 vaccines, an unparalleled record of productivity. According to one estimate, his vaccines save nearly 8 million lives each year. Many have described him as one of the most influential vaccinologists of all time.

Of the 14 vaccines routinely recommended in current American vaccine schedules, Hilleman and his team developed eight: those for measles, mumps, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, chickenpox, Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae bacteria. During the "1957-1958 Asian flu pandemic", his vaccine is believed to have saved hundreds of thousands of lives. He also played a role in the discovery of antigenic shift and drift, the cold-producing adenoviruses, the hepatitis viruses, and the potentially cancer-causing virus SV40.

Biography

Early life and education

Hilleman was born on a farm near the high plains town of Miles City, Montana. His parents were Anna (Uelsmann) and Gustav Hillemann, and he was their eighth child. His twin sister died when he was born, and his mother died two days later. He was raised in the nearby household of his uncle, Robert Hilleman, and worked in his youth on the family farm. He credited much of his success to his work with chickens as a boy; since the 1930s, fertile chicken eggs had often been used to grow viruses for vaccines.

His family belonged to the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. When he was in the eighth grade, he discovered Charles Darwin, and was caught reading On the Origin of Species in church. Later in life, he rejected religion. Due to lack of money, he almost failed to attend college. His eldest brother interceded, and Hilleman graduated first in his class in 1941 from Montana State University with family help and scholarships. He won a fellowship to the University of Chicago and received his doctoral degree in microbiology in 1944. His doctoral thesis was on chlamydia infections, which were then thought to be caused by a virus. Hilleman showed that these infections were, in fact, caused by a species of bacterium, Chlamydia trachomatis, that grows only inside of cells.

Career

After joining E.R. Squibb & Sons (now Bristol-Myers Squibb), Hilleman developed a vaccine against Japanese B encephalitis, a disease that threatened American troops in the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II. As chief of the Department of Respiratory Diseases at Army Medical Center (now the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research) from 1948 to 1957, Hilleman discovered the genetic changes that occur when the influenza virus mutates, known as antigenic shift and antigenic drift, which he theorized would mean that a yearly influenza vaccination would be required.

In 1957, Hilleman joined Merck & Co. (Kenilworth, New Jersey), as head of its new virus and cell biology research department in West Point, Pennsylvania. It was while with Merck that Hilleman developed most of the forty experimental and licensed animal and human vaccines with which he is credited, working both at the laboratory bench as well as providing scientific leadership.

Hilleman served on numerous national and international advisory boards and committees, academic, governmental and private, including the National Institutes of Health's Office of AIDS Research Program Evaluation and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the National Immunization Program.

Asian flu pandemic

Hilleman was among the first to recognize that a 1957 outbreak of influenza in Hong Kong could become a huge pandemic. Working on a hunch, after nine 14-hour days he and a colleague found that it was a new strain of flu that could kill millions. Forty million doses of vaccines were prepared and distributed. Although 69,000 Americans died, the pandemic could have resulted in many more deaths in the United States. Hilleman was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal from the American military for his work. His vaccine is believed to have saved hundreds of thousands of lives.

In 1968, during the Hong Kong flu pandemic, Hilleman and his team also played a key role in developing a vaccine, and nine million doses became available in 4 months.

SV40

Hilleman was one of the early vaccine pioneers to warn about the possibility that simian viruses might contaminate vaccines. The best-known of these viruses became SV40, a viral contaminant of the polio vaccine, whose discovery led to the recall of Salk's vaccine in 1961 and its replacement with Albert Sabin's oral vaccine. The contamination actually occurred in both vaccines at very low levels, but because the oral vaccine was ingested rather than injected, it did not result in infections or any harm.

Mumps vaccine

In 1963, his daughter Jeryl Lynn came down with the mumps. He cultivated material from her, and used it as the basis of a mumps vaccine. The Jeryl Lynn strain of the mumps vaccine is still used today. The strain is currently used in the trivalent (measles, mumps and rubella) MMR vaccine that he also developed, the first vaccine ever approved incorporating multiple live virus strains. Like many other vaccines and medications of that time period, the vaccine was initially tested in children with intellectual disabilities who lived in group homes—this was because, given the poor hygiene and cramped quarters of their accommodations, they were at much higher risk of infectious disease.

Hepatitis B vaccine

He and his group invented a vaccine for hepatitis B by treating blood serum with pepsin, urea and formaldehyde. This was licensed in 1981, but withdrawn in 1986 in the United States when it was replaced by a vaccine that was produced in yeast. This vaccine is still in use today. By 2003, 150 countries were using it and the incidence of the disease in the United States in young people had decreased by 95%. Hilleman considered his work on this vaccine to be his single greatest achievement. Liver transplant pioneer Thomas Starzl said "...controlling the hepatitis B virus scourge ranks as one of the most outstanding contributions to human health of the twentieth century...Maurice removed one of the most important obstacles to the field of organ transplantation".

Later work and life

In his later life, Hilleman was an adviser to the World Health Organization. He retired as senior vice president of the Merck Research Labs in 1984 at the mandatory retirement age of 65. He then directed the newly created Merck Institute for Vaccinology where he worked for the next twenty years.

At the time of his death in Philadelphia on April 11, 2005, at the age of 85, Hilleman was Adjunct Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

Method and personality

Hilleman was a forceful man yet at the same time, modest in his claims. None of his vaccines or discoveries are named after him. He ran his laboratory like a military unit, and he was the one in command. For a time, he kept a row of "shrunken heads" (actually fakes made by one of his children) in his office as trophies that represented each of his fired employees. He used profanity and tirades freely to drive his arguments home, and once, famously, refused to attend a mandatory "charm school" course intended to make Merck middle managers more civil. His subordinates were fiercely loyal to him.: 128–131 

Awards and honors

Hilleman was an elected member of the National Academy of Science, the Institute of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan presented him with the National Medal of Science, the nation's highest scientific honor. He received the Prince Mahidol Award from the King of Thailand for the advancement of public health, as well as a special lifetime achievement award from the World Health Organization, the Mary Woodard Lasker Award for Public Service and the Sabin Gold Medal and Lifetime Achievement Awards. In 1975, Hilleman received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement.

Legacy

In March 2005, the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine's Department of Pediatrics and The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, in collaboration with The Merck Company Foundation, announced the creation of The Maurice R. Hilleman Chair in Vaccinology.

Robert Gallo, co-discoverer of HIV (the virus that causes AIDS), said in 2005: "If I had to name a person who has done more for the benefit of human health, with less recognition than anyone else, it would be Maurice Hilleman. Maurice should be recognized as the most successful vaccinologist in history."

In 2005, after Hilleman's death Ralph Nader wrote, "Yet almost no one knew about him, saw him on television, or read about him in newspapers or magazines. His anonymity, in comparison with Madonna, Michael Jackson, Jose Canseco, or an assortment of grade B actors, tells something about our society's and media's concepts of celebrity; much less of the heroic."

In 2005, Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that Hilleman's contributions were “the best kept secret among the lay public. If you look at the whole field of vaccinology, nobody was more influential. In addition, Fauci said that "Hilleman is one of the true giants of science, medicine and public health in the 20th century. One can say without hyperbole that Maurice has changed the world."

In 2007, Paul Offit published a biography of Hilleman, entitled Vaccinated: One Man's Quest to Defeat the World's Deadliest Diseases.

In 2007, Anthony S. Fauci wrote in a biographical memoir of Hilleman:

Maurice was perhaps the single most influential public health figure of the twentieth century, if one considers the millions of lives saved and the countless people who were spared suffering because of his work. Over the course of his career, Maurice and his colleagues developed more than forty vaccines. Of the fourteen vaccines currently recommended in the United States, Maurice developed eight.

In 2008, Merck named its Maurice R. Hilleman Center for Vaccine Manufacturing, in Durham, North Carolina, in memory of Hilleman.

In 2016, a documentary film titled Hilleman: A Perilous Quest to Save the World's Children, chronicling Hilleman's life and career, was released by Medical History Pictures, Inc.

In 2016, Montana State University dedicated a series of scholarships in memory of its alumnus Hilleman, called the Hilleman Scholars Program, for incoming students who "commit to work at their education beyond ordinary expectations and help future scholars that come after them."
Meghnad Saha

Meghnad Saha (6 October 1893 – 16 February 1956) was a pioneering Indian astrophysicist best known for developing the Saha ionization equation, a fundamental tool in interpreting stellar spectra and understanding the composition of stars. His work revolutionized astrophysics by linking the ionization states of elements in stellar atmospheres to temperature, paving the way for modern stellar classification. Beyond science, Saha was a dedicated educator, institution-builder, and politician who advocated for scientific advancement and social reform in India. Often described as one of the top figures in 20th-century Indian science, his contributions were hailed as Nobel Prize-worthy by contemporaries like Jayant Narlikar.

Early Life

Saha was born into a humble Teli-caste Bengali Hindu family in Sheoratali village, Gazipur (now in Bangladesh), as the fifth of eight children to Jagannath Saha, a poor shopkeeper, and Bhubaneshwari Devi. Growing up in poverty, he experienced caste-based discrimination early on, which fueled his lifelong opposition to orthodoxy and casteism. At a young age, he developed a disdain for rigid Hinduism due to societal prejudices. His formal education began at Dhaka Collegiate School, but he was expelled for participating in the Swadeshi movement against British rule. He later studied at K. L. Jubilee High School & College and earned his Indian School Certificate from Dhaka College. During his student days, Saha faced further discrimination, such as upper-caste peers objecting to his presence in shared dining spaces at Eden Hindu Hostel.

Education

Saha's higher education took him to Presidency College, Kolkata, where he excelled in physics and mathematics. He then attended Rajabazar Science College under Calcutta University, graduating with a first-class honors degree in applied mathematics in 1915. His mentors included notable figures like Prafulla Chandra Ray and Jagadish Chandra Bose, who inspired his scientific pursuits. Despite financial hardships and health issues like malaria, Saha's brilliance shone through, earning him scholarships and recognition as a promising talent.

Scientific Career and Contributions

Saha's career spanned academia and research, marked by groundbreaking work in astrophysics, physics, and applied sciences. He began as a research scholar at the International Education Board in the UK (1920–1922), collaborating with luminaries like Arthur Eddington. Upon returning to India, he joined Allahabad University as a professor of physics from 1923 to 1938, where he established a robust physics department. Later, he served as Palit Professor of Physics and Dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Calcutta until his death.

His most famous contribution, the Saha ionization equation (1920), describes the ratio of ionized to neutral atoms in a gas as a function of temperature, pressure, and ionization energy. This equation explained the spectral lines observed in stars, correlating them with surface temperatures (from 3,000 K for cool stars to 40,000 K for hot ones) and enabling astronomers to deduce stellar compositions. Extended by Ralph H. Fowler and Edward Arthur Milne, it became a cornerstone of theoretical astrophysics, influencing nearly all subsequent progress in the field, as noted by Norwegian astrophysicist Svein Rosseland. Saha also invented a "motional balance" to measure the weight and pressure of solar rays and contributed to selective radiation pressure theory.

Saha was a prolific institution-builder:

  • Founded the Physics Department at Allahabad University.
  • Established the Indian Physical Society (1934) and served as its president.
  • Co-founded the National Academy of Sciences, India (1930).
  • Launched the journal Science and Culture (1935), editing it until his death.
  • Directed the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (1953–1956).
  • Founded the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics in Kolkata (1943), initially as the Institute of Nuclear Physics.

His research extended to thermal ionization, stellar atmospheres, and even practical applications like river valley projects and atomic energy planning.

Political Involvement

Though initially apolitical, Saha entered public life in the 1930s to address India's scientific and developmental needs. He was a vocal advocate for industrialization, education, and flood control. As a key architect of India's river planning, he drafted the original blueprint for the Damodar Valley Project, emphasizing multipurpose dams for irrigation, power, and flood mitigation. In 1952, he was elected to the Lok Sabha (India's lower house of Parliament) from Calcutta North West as an independent candidate backed by the Union of Socialists and Progressives, winning by a 16% margin despite minimal campaigning funds (he borrowed ₹5,000 from his publisher). In Parliament, he championed atomic energy, refugee rehabilitation, healthcare, and long-term economic planning, often clashing with the establishment. He viewed politics as an extension of his scientific duty to serve the nation, moving from an "ivory tower" to active reform.

Personal Life

Saha married Radha Rani on 16 June 1918; they had seven children—three sons (including meteorologist Amal Kumar Saha) and four daughters. An atheist despite his wife's devoutness, Saha studied religious texts academically but rejected dogma. He enjoyed swimming, walking, and intellectual debates, maintaining an austere yet humane demeanor. Colleagues like Daulat Singh Kothari described him as "simple and deeply humane" beneath his stern exterior. Saha battled chronic health issues, including hypertension, but remained active until the end.

Death

Saha died suddenly on 16 February 1956 at age 62 from a cardiac arrest while en route to a Planning Commission meeting at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. He had been managing hypertension for about 10 months. His cremation took place the next day at Keoratola crematorium in Kolkata.

Saha's ionization equation remains integral to astrophysics, used in studying stellar evolution and exoplanets. In India, he is revered as a symbol of self-made scientific excellence, inspiring generations despite caste barriers. The Saha Institute continues his nuclear physics legacy, and his advocacy for science-driven development influenced India's post-independence policies. Tributes, including a 1993 centenary celebration by the Astronomical Society of India, highlight his enduring impact: as one biographer noted, "Saha's work opened the door to the universe for Indian science."

Manju Ray
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Manju Ray
Born 1 January 1947

Chhaysuti, Bangladesh
Died 30 June 2021

kolkata
Education Rajabazar Science College, Calcutta University
Occupation Biochemist
Known for Molecular Enzymology Methylglyoxal Biochemistry
Spouse(s) Late Subhankar Ray
Children Ishika Ray, Ekarshi Ray
Awards Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize (1989)


Manju Ray was an Indian scientist specializing in Molecular Enzymology and Cancer Biochemistry. Her research has contributed significantly to the development of anticancer drugs and understanding the differentiation process of cells. Her interests include tumor biochemistry and molecular enzymology. She was awarded the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology in the year 1989, being only the second woman to receive this award in the category 'Biological Sciences'.

Education

Ray graduated from the prestigious Science college campus of Calcutta University with degrees in M.Sc. in Physiology in 1969 and PhD in Biochemistry in 1975.

Research

Ray started her career in the Department of Biochemistry, Indian Association of Cultivation of Science. Since December 2010, she was an Emeritus Scientist at Bose Institute, Kolkata. Ray's research has focused on understanding the biological role of methylglyoxal, a side-product of several metabolic pathways. Over the course of her career, she and her team have isolated, purified and characterized a series of enzymes involved in methylglyoxal anabolism and catabolism. Her work has also focused on studying anticancer properties of methylglyoxal, with positive results observed in the first phase of clinical trials.

Awards

1975: Indian National Science Academy (INSA) Young Scientist Medal in Biological Science
2003: Dr. I.C. Chopra Memorial Award
Dr. Jnan Chandra Ghosh Memorial Award 

Publications

Ray has published a large number of scientific papers as lead author in association with others and some of which are:
Inhibition of respiration of tumor cells by methyl glyoxal and protection of inhibition by lactaldehyde (1991) in International Journal of Cancer
Inhibition of electron flow through complex I of the mitochondrial respiratory chain on Earlich Ascites Carsinoma cells by methyl Glyoxal (1994) in Biochemical Journal
Glyoxalase III from Escherichia coli a single novel enzyme for the conversion of methylglyoxal into D-lactate without reduced glutathione (1995) in Biochemical Journal
Methylglyoxal : From a putative intermediate of glucose breakdown to its role in understanding that excessive ATP formation in cells may lead to malignancy (1998) in Current Science
Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase from Earlich Ascites Carcinoma cells: its possible role in the high glycolysis of malignant cells (1999) in European Journal of Biochemistry

Mae C. Jemison

Mae Carol Jemison (born October 17, 1956, in Decatur, Alabama, USA) is an American scientist, physician, engineer, and former NASA astronaut who made history as the first African-American woman to travel to space. On September 12–20, 1992, she flew aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour during the STS-47 mission, conducting experiments in life sciences and materials science as a mission specialist. A polymath with a passion for integrating science, arts, and social justice, Jemison has dedicated her life to advancing STEM education, promoting diversity, and exploring humanity’s future in space. Beyond her astronaut career, she is an entrepreneur, educator, author, and global advocate for health equity and technological innovation. At 69 (as of October 17, 2025), she remains a towering figure in science, leading initiatives like the 100 Year Starship and inspiring generations through her work with the Dorothy Jemison Foundation for Excellence.

Early Life and Family Background

Mae Jemison was born into a working-class African-American family during the Jim Crow era, a time of legalized racial segregation in the United States. She was the youngest of three children to:

  • Father: Charlie Jemison, a maintenance supervisor, roofer, and carpenter, whose blue-collar work ethic shaped Mae’s resilience.
  • Mother: Dorothy Jemison (née Green), an elementary school teacher with a master’s degree, who fostered intellectual curiosity and took the family to Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry to spark Mae’s interest in science.
  • Siblings: Older brother Charles (later a real estate broker) and sister Ada Sue (a child psychiatrist).

Born in Decatur, Alabama, the family relocated to Chicago’s South Side at age 3 during the Great Migration, seeking better opportunities amid Southern racism. Raised in the Woodlawn neighborhood, Mae grew up in a vibrant but economically challenged African-American community marked by systemic barriers like redlining and underfunded schools. Her parents’ emphasis on education, coupled with exposure to Black cultural pride and civil rights activism, fueled her ambition. An uncle introduced her to astronomy, anthropology, and archaeology, igniting her lifelong fascination with science and exploration.

Mae excelled academically, graduating from Morgan Park High School in 1973 at age 16. She entered Stanford University on a scholarship, earning a BS in chemical engineering and African-American studies in 1977, despite facing racism and sexism. She then pursued an MD at Cornell University’s Weill Medical College, graduating in 1981. Her fluency in Russian, Japanese, and Swahili reflects her global outlook, developed through studies and travels.

Career and Achievements

Jemison’s career spans medicine, space exploration, education, and technology, marked by groundbreaking milestones and a commitment to equity.

Medical Career and Peace Corps (1981–1987)

After medical school, Jemison interned at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center and worked as a general practitioner. From 1983 to 1985, she served as a Peace Corps medical officer in Sierra Leone and Liberia, managing healthcare delivery, treating tropical diseases, and training local staff. This experience deepened her focus on global health equity and cross-cultural collaboration, shaping her later advocacy.

NASA and Spaceflight (1987–1993)

Inspired by Sally Ride and Guion Bluford, Jemison applied to NASA’s astronaut program. Selected in 1987 as one of 15 candidates from 2,000 applicants, she trained as a mission specialist. Her historic STS-47 mission (September 1992) aboard Endeavour was a joint U.S.-Japan Spacelab-J flight, where she:

  • Conducted experiments on bone cell research, fluid dynamics, and frog embryology in microgravity.
  • Logged 190 hours in space, orbiting Earth 127 times over eight days.
  • Brought cultural symbols, including an Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority banner and a West African statuette, to honor her heritage.

Her spaceflight broke racial and gender barriers, making her a global symbol of possibility for African-American women in STEM.

Post-NASA Ventures (1993–Present)

After resigning from NASA in 1993, Jemison pursued diverse endeavors:

  • Jemison Group, Inc.: Founded a technology consulting firm focusing on sustainable solutions for developing nations, including satellite-based telemedicine and solar energy projects.
  • Dorothy Jemison Foundation for Excellence: Established in honor of her mother, it promotes STEM education for underserved youth. Programs like The Earth We Share (TEWS) and EarthKAM (a NASA project allowing students to photograph Earth from space) have reached thousands globally.
  • 100 Year Starship: Since 2012, Jemison leads this DARPA-funded initiative to advance technologies for human interstellar travel within a century, emphasizing interdisciplinary innovation.
  • Academic Roles: She served as a professor-at-large at Dartmouth College and Cornell University, teaching environmental studies and space policy. She also lectures globally on science literacy and diversity.
  • Media and Arts: Jemison appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1993, episode “Second Chances”), becoming the first real astronaut on the show, and co-produced the documentary No Gravity (2011). She authored Find Where the Wind Goes (2001), a memoir for young readers, and children’s books on space exploration.

Her net worth is estimated at $2–3 million, reflecting earnings from consulting, speaking, and media projects.

Awards and Recognition

Jemison’s contributions have earned her numerous accolades:

  • National Medal of Technology and Innovation (1993), awarded by President Clinton.
  • International Space Hall of Fame (2004).
  • National Women’s Hall of Fame (1993).
  • Ebony Black Achievement Award (1992).
  • Over 12 honorary doctorates from institutions like Princeton and Dartmouth.
  • LEGO Women of NASA Set (2017), featuring her alongside Sally Ride and others.
  • Time 100 Most Influential People (1993) and inclusion in lists like BBC’s 100 Women (2016).

She holds memberships in prestigious bodies like the National Academy of Medicine and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and is an Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority member.

Personal Life

Jemison is unmarried and has no children, prioritizing her career and global advocacy. She resides primarily in Houston, Texas, and maintains a private personal life. A trained dancer (jazz, ballet, African), she integrates arts into her science advocacy, emphasizing creativity’s role in innovation. Her hobbies include photography, skiing, and collecting African art. Jemison’s experiences with racism—e.g., being dismissed by teachers or isolated at Stanford—fueled her resilience and commitment to mentoring Black youth. She credits her parents’ support and Chicago’s Black community for her success, often citing her mother’s mantra: “You can always find where the wind goes.”

Legacy and Impact

Mae Jemison’s legacy is multifaceted:

  • Breaking Barriers: Her 1992 spaceflight shattered stereotypes, proving African-American women could excel in STEM’s highest echelons. She inspired figures like Kamala Harris and countless young scientists.
  • STEM Advocacy: Through her foundation, she has empowered thousands via camps and workshops, particularly for Black and minority girls, addressing systemic underrepresentation (e.g., only 2% of U.S. scientists are Black women).
  • Global Vision: Her Peace Corps work and 100 Year Starship reflect a commitment to humanity’s collective future, blending science with social good.
  • Cultural Influence: Appearances on Star Trek, TED Talks, and media like PBS’s African American Lives have made her a pop culture icon, with fans on X (as of October 2025) praising her as a “living legend.”

At 69, Jemison continues to lecture, consult, and lead futuristic projects, advocating for a world where “science is for everyone.” Her interdisciplinary approach—merging engineering, medicine, arts, and activism—makes her a role model for innovation and equity.
Mahadeva Subramania Mani

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Early life and career

Mahadeva Subramania Mani (Tamil: மகாதேவா சுப்ரமணிய கரங்கள்; 2 March 1908 in Tanjore, Tamil Nadu - 8 January 2003 in Bangalore) was an Indian entomologist especially famous for his studies on high altitude entomology.

Early school records and University of Madras, MA Degree certificate show his name as M. Subramanya. Later on, sometime early during his service career, he recorded his name as Mahadev Subra Mani a.k.a. Mahadeva Subra Mani a.k.a. M. S. Mani.

He had his early education at K. S. High School, Tanjore and passed his SSLC Examination in 1926. He then attended the Government College, Coimbatore and passed the Intermediate Examination, 1928. Later he went to medical studies just for one year 1929, at Madras Medical College and had to suspend further medical education due to financial constraints. He obtained in 1937, an M.A. degree, awarded by the University of Madras, on the basis of the Research Papers in Entomology, and finally, on the strength of his extensive scientific research, he was awarded by Agra University, D.Sc. in 1947, a degree of a Doctor of Science. The Chancellor was the late Ms. Sarojini Naidu, the then Governor of United Provinces, (Uttar Pradesh).

On 15 January 1933 he migrated to Calcutta to seek employment and build his career. He then joined Bangabasi College, Sealdah, Calcutta as a part-time demonstrator and tutor for Physics and earned a salary of Rs. 10/- per month. During this period he collaborated with Sir C. V. Raman on insect coloration. He worked at the Indian Museum and also as an honorary Research student at the Zoological Survey of India, Calcutta. He later on (1937) joined as a Research Assistant to Imperial Entomologist, Imperial Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa, Delhi, and a position from which he resigned in 1944. He worked with Dr. Hem Singh Pruthi at Pusa, and Dr. Birbal Sahni, then at Lucknow, who recognising the pioneering work in scientific research, strongly proposed M. S. Mani's Membership to the Royal Society, England. He was denied promotion while his ‘junior’ was promoted and hence he chose to seek his future elsewhere and resigned. He remained unemployed for sometime; he earned a living by working as an interpreter and German Language translator, during World War II, in the Censor Section of the Army H.Q., New Delhi, translating for the British Indian Army, 'official ' documents captured from the Germans. He would monitor radio broadcasts from Berlin and provide English transcripts. He also translated German language technical journals and scientific reports. As a matter of fact, he provided the English version of the German technology, for manufacturing hydrogenated oil ['Vanaspati'] in India to the founder of the manufacturing plant at Modinagar.

He left Delhi and joined as a lecturer in 1945, the teaching faculty of the Department of Zoology, St. John's College, Agra; during his long stint at St. John's College, he pioneered and established the School of Entomology in 1950, established a benchmark scientific excellence, where he became the Professor of Zoology and Entomology and appointed as the Head of the Department for Zoology, succeeding Prof. Lalit Prasad Mathur, who took over as the Registrar, Agra University. In recognition of his scientific output, both in quality and quantity, he was honoured by the University of Agra and awarded a D.Sc. degree, Doctor of Science. He pioneered fundamental research in entomology and received support from the highest levels and the University Grants Commission, eminent persons like Dr. Radhakrishnan, Zakir Hussein, etc., and established the School of Entomology in 1950, in the Campus of St. John's College, Agra.

From here he made many scientific expeditions to the Himalayas resulting in pioneering contributions to High Altitude Entomology. He later made studies in the Pamir and Caucasus ranges leading to his work on Biogeography in India. The University of Agra awarded him a DSc degree in 1947 for his thesis submitted in 12 volumes.

In 1956, he joined the ZSI as Deputy Director and retired as officiating director in 1968. In 1968 he returned to his first love, Scientific Research and became Emeritus Professor, at the School of Entomology, St. John's College, Agra and continued with his research work till 1984. He then finally left St. John's College and shifted to Madras, briefly worked with ZSI and since 1990 he was the Emeritus Professor, Botany Department at Presidency College, Madras and continued as a guide for PhD. research students, till 15 May 2002 when he moved to live temporarily, in Hyderabad, with his late sister Janaki's grandson, Jyotirmay Sharma, Editor, Times of India, Hyderabad. He then moved to Bangalore on 14 September 2002 to live with his only daughter, Mrs. Prema Subramanian and her husband V. S. Subramanian.

Scientific works

His published work includes over 250 original research papers, over 34 text books including his pioneering magnum opus, Ecology of Plant Galls.

His outstanding Research work has been on Taxonomy of parasitic Hymenoptera (Chalcidoidea and Proctotrupoidea), gall midges (Itonididae: Diptera) and ecology and histogenesis of plant galls. He is remembered most for his pioneering work in high altitude entomology. He led the first three Entomological Expeditions to the North West Himalaya in 1954, 1955 and 1956 and brought back a large collection of insects.

He published several books like High Altitude Entomology, Ecology and Biogeography of India etc. He led a team of Indian scientists to the Soviet Union for conducting jointly a research project in 1963 and represented India in the UNESCO programme on Man and Biosphere (MAB) at Oslo, Norway. He was fluent in written and spoken German, well read in Sanskrit, he also had a keen interest in Dutch, French and Russian languages.

Entomological Survey of the Himalaya, Alai-Pamir, Tien Shan, Kun Lun, Caucasus etc. His love of the mountains had begun as far back as 1950, when he went to the Nilgiris, Marudamalai Mountains with his son Visvanath; this was followed by similar visits to the mountains in north India, Dehra Dun 1950, Mussoorie/Chakrata 1952, Nainital, Garhwal Himalaya, (Hartola, 1952), Punjab / Himachal Himalaya, (Dhaula Dhar Range, 1953) and to Kullu, Manali region leading to the three pioneering expeditions, in 1954, 1955 and 1956, beyond the Pir Panjal Range, to the inner or Great Himalayan Range, in Lahaul & Spiti regions. He also extensively trekked and went on insect collection work in the mountain regions, Alai-Pamir, Tien Shan, Kun Lun, Caucasus, the Urals etc., of the former USSR, during his official tour in 1963, as the leader of the Indian team; he travelled extensively to various scientific institutes, at Moscow, Tbilisi, Leningrad, Kiev, Baku, Alma Ata, Samarkand, Tashkent etc.,. He also visited Oslo, in Norway on a similar invitation. He was a visiting professor at Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal. He went on an insect collection trip, to the Pacific islands, Fiji and conducted a field trip off Vanua Levu, in the area of Taveuni island, across the International dateline. He trained Visvanath to work with his students, and who accompanied him on most field collection expeditions and taught him methods of preparing slides, mounting insect specimens and proof reading of Research papers. His first son, Visvanath was his constant companion on his mountain trails, starting with the first time at Mardamalai in 1950. Visvanath went on to trek in Sikkim, Bhutan in 1965 and climb on his own in the Kulti Nala glacier and Inner Himalayan Range of Spiti, in 1967.

Positions held

1933-37 Honorary Research Worker, Zoological Survey of India, Calcutta.
1937 - 1945 Research Assistant, Entomological Section, Imperial Agricultural Research Institute, (IARI), Pusa, New Delhi.
1945 - 1956 Professor of Zoology & Entomology, School of Entomology, St. Johns College, Agra.
1956 - 1968 Zoological Survey of India, Calcutta. (Retired as Director)
1968 - 1982 Emeritus Professor, School of Entomology, St. Johns College, Agra.
1984 - 1990 ZSI, Madras
1991 - 8 January 2003 Professor Emeritus, Presidency College, Madras.
CSIR. 1968 - 70. Scheme on torrential stream Insects of the glacial zone of the Northwest Himalaya.
PL 480. 1970 - 71. Project on Taxonomy of Chalcidoidea from India.
PL -480. Project on Taxonomy of Proctotrupoidea.
MAB - Project on the pre-impact Survey of Aquatic Insect Communities of the River Beas before the completion of the Beas-Sutlej Link Project.
DST - 1981 - 86. Project on Ecology and Taxonomy of Chalcidoid and other parasites of the Teak / Sal forest ecosystem.
Eastern Ghats 1985 - 88 Insect Survey Project.
DOEN - Project on Butterfly Pollination.

Publications

Introduction to High Altitude Entomology, London, Methuen & Co. 1962
Ecology of Plant Galls, The Hague, Dr. W. Junk Publishers. 1964
Ecology and Biogeography of High Altitude Insects, The Hague, Dr. W. Junk Publishers.1968
Beetles of the Himalaya, Calcutta, Thacker Spink. 1967
Ecology and Biogeography in India, The Hague, Dr. W. Junk Publishers, 1974
Plant Galls of India, Madras, McMillan & Co. 1974
Ecology and Phytogeography of High Altitude Plants of the Northwest Himalaya, London: Chapman & Hall. New York: John Wiley; New Delhi: Oxford & IBH 1978.
Ecology of Highlands, The Hague, Dr. W. Junk Publishers 1980. In collaboration with Dr. L.E.Giddings, Mexico.
L'Himalaya - Un Misterioso e inaccessibile Montagne, Milan. Libri Fabri, 1980.
General Entomology, New Delhi, Oxford & IBH. 3rd & enlarged edition 1982.
Butterflies of the Himalaya, The Hague, Dr. W. Junk Publishers, 1985
Fundamentals of High Altitude Biology, New Delhi, Oxford & IBH, 2nd, edition, 1990
Pollination Ecology in Compositae. Ind. Rev. Life Sci. 13: 174-190
Himalayan Flowers, Bangkok Craftsman Press, 1993
Insects, New Delhi, National Book Trust of India, Revised edition 1994.
Pollination Ecology and Evolution in Compositae, Science Publishers Inc. USA and New Delhi, Oxford & IBH. 1999.
Plant Galls of India, Science Publishers Inc. USA. 2nd revised & enlarged edition, August, 2000.
Introduction to Zoology, New Delhi, Malhotra Bros. 1950. (Five Editions)
Introduction to Entomology, Agra, Agra University Press, 1955.
Heredity & Evolution, Bangalore, The PTI Book Depot, 1963.
Insects, New Delhi, National Book Trust. 1971.
Your Face from Fish to Man, Bangalore, The PTI Book depot, 1960.
General Entomology, New Delhi, Oxford & IBH, 1968, 1973, 3rd. edition 1982.
D'ABREU'S The Beetles of the Himalaya, Calcutta, Thacker Spink, 1967.
Himalayan Flowers, produced by Prof. T.C.Majupuria, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Modern Classification of Insects, Agra, Satish Book Enterprise, 1974.
Insects, New Delhi, National Book Trust, 1971, 1977
Biogeography in India, Dehra Dun, Surya Publications, 1995.
Butterflies of the Himalaya, New Delhi, Oxford & IBH, 1986.
Ecology & Evolution, Agra, Satish Book Enterprise, 1983.
The Fauna of India & the adjacent countries, Part I & II, Calcutta, Zoological Survey of India, 1989.
Indian Insects, Agra, Satish Book Enterprises. 1989.
Citations to reliable sources-Named References

Gordon Alexander, Dept of Biology, Univ of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80302-Entomological News, Vol 82,279-280, 1971.
Ipe M Ipe & Agnes S Ipe, The Story of St John's College, Agra, India "The Truth shall make you free"-Chapter 7-The School of Entomology (established by Prof Dr M.S. Mani in 1950) Publisher Partridge Publishing, 2015 ISBN 1482858444, 9781482858440
Cherian, P. T. 2003. Obituary. Current Science Vol 84 No 8 25 April 2003 Pages 1146-1147 PDF
Dr Virendra K Gupta-Obituary notice-Dr MS Mani-Oriental Insects-Vol 37, 2003 (Associated Publishers, PO Box 140103, Gainesville Florida 3214-0103) http://www.mapress.com/AP/
Dr Anantanarayanan Raman & Dr Virendra K Gupta-Oriental Insects-Vol 41, Preface, 2007 (Associated Publishers, PO Box 140103, Gainesville Florida 3214-0103) http://www.mapress.com/AP/
Dr Anantanarayanan Raman & Dr Virendra K Gupta-Dedication-Oriental Insects-Vol 41, 1-4, 2007 (Associated Publishers, PO Box 140103, Gainesville Florida 3214-0103) http://www.mapress.com/AP/
Dr TN Ananthakrishnan-Prof M.S.Mani-The Man, scientist, and philosopher-Oriental Insects-Vol 41, 5-7, 2007 (Associated Publishers, PO Box 140103, Gainesville Florida 3214-0103) http://www.mapress.com/AP/
Other sources

Viswanath Mani-son-eldest of Dr Mani's children
Nalini Mani, Daughter of Visvanath Mani and second granddaughter of Dr. M.S. Mani Indian oceanographer

Matthew Alexander Henson

American explorer

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Last Updated: Mar 5, 2021 See Article History

Matthew Alexander Henson, (born August 8, 1866, Charles county, Maryland, U.S.—died March 9, 1955, New York, N.Y.), African American explorer who accompanied Robert E. Peary on most of his expeditions, including that to the North Pole in 1909.

Orphaned as a youth, Henson went to sea at the age of 12 as a cabin boy on the sailing ship Katie Hines. Later, while working in a store in Washington, D.C., he met Peary, who hired him in 1887 as a valet for his next expedition to Nicaragua (1888). Peary, impressed with Henson’s ability and resourcefulness, employed him as an attendant on his seven subsequent expeditions to the Arctic (1891–92; 1893–95; 1896; 1897; 1898–1902; 1905–06; 1908–09). In 1909 Peary and Henson, accompanied by four Inuit, became the first men to reach the North Pole, the rest of the crew having turned back earlier. Henson’s account of the journey, A Negro Explorer at the North Pole, appeared in 1912. The following year, by order of Pres. William Howard Taft, Henson was appointed a clerk in the U.S. Customs House in New York City, a post he held until his retirement in 1936. Henson received the Congressional medal awarded all members of the Peary expedition (1944).

(From left) Donald Baxter MacMillan, George Borup, Thomas Gushue, and Matthew Alexander Henson sit on the sledge that went to the North Pole, c. 1906–09.Libary of Congress, Washington, D.C. (neg. no. LC-USZ62-68223)

This article was most recently revised and updated by John P. Rafferty, Editor.
Nitya Anand
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses, see Nityananda (disambiguation).

Nitya Anand (born 1 January 1925 in Layallpur, British India) is a scientist who was the director of Central Drug Research Institute in Lucknow for several years. In 2005, Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) appointed him chairman of its scientific committee. In 2012, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Indian government.

Anand is currently the chairman of Ranbaxy Science Foundation (RSF).
Nibir Mandal
Geologist
Description

Nibir Mandal is an Indian structural geologist and a professor of Geological Sciences at Jadavpur University. He is known for his studies on the evolution of geological structures and is an elected fellow of Indian Academy of Sciences, and the Indian National Science Academy. Wikipedia

Born: 6 November 1963, Jangipur
Awards: 1992 INSA Young Scientist Medal; 2005 S. S. Bhatnagar Prize; 2013 G. D. Birla Award
Nalini Ambady

Nalini Ambady was a distinguished Indian-American social psychologist renowned for her groundbreaking research on nonverbal communication, interpersonal perception, and the concept of "thin-slicing" (rapid judgments based on minimal information). Her work significantly influenced social psychology, notably inspiring concepts in Malcolm Gladwell's Blink. She was a professor at prestigious institutions like Harvard and Stanford, and her research bridged academic rigor with real-world applications in areas like health, education, and justice.

Personal Background

  • Birth and Family: Born on March 20, 1959, in Kolkata (Calcutta), India, to a family with roots in Kerala. Her father, K.S. Anant, was a physician, and her mother, T.S. Ambady, was a homemaker. She had a sister, Anju. Ambady married Raj Marphatia, a lawyer, and they had two daughters, Maya and Leena.
  • Education:
    • Bachelor’s degree from Lady Shri Ram College for Women, University of Delhi.
    • Master’s and PhD in social psychology from Harvard University, where she worked under luminaries like Robert Rosenthal and Roger Brown.
  • Immigration: Moved to the United States as a first-generation immigrant, navigating cultural transitions that informed her research on cross-cultural perception.

Academic Career

  • Positions Held:
    • Stanford University: Became the first Indian-American woman to receive tenure as a psychology professor at Stanford, where she served as the Vasilyeva Professor of Psychology.
    • Harvard University: Earlier, she was a professor at Harvard, mentoring numerous students and shaping the field of social psychology.
    • Tufts University and Holy Cross College: Held earlier academic roles.
  • SPARQ Center: Founded Stanford’s Social Psychological Answers to Real-World Questions (SPARQ) center, which applied psychological insights to societal issues like healthcare disparities, educational equity, and criminal justice reform.

Research Contributions

Ambady’s work focused on how people form impressions and make decisions based on minimal cues, with lasting impacts in psychology and beyond. Key areas include:

  1. Thin-Slicing:
    • Coined the term "thin-slicing," describing how people make accurate snap judgments based on brief observations (e.g., a 30-second video clip). Her studies showed that nonverbal cues like tone, gestures, or facial expressions could predict outcomes like teacher effectiveness or medical competence.
    • Example: Her research demonstrated that students could predict a teacher’s effectiveness from a silent 10-second video with surprising accuracy.
  2. Nonverbal Communication:
    • Explored how body language, tone, and subtle cues shape interpersonal interactions across cultures. Her work highlighted universal and culture-specific patterns in nonverbal behavior.
  3. Cross-Cultural Psychology:
    • Studied how cultural backgrounds influence perception and judgment, particularly between Eastern and Western contexts, drawing from her own Indian-American identity.
  4. Applications to Society:
    • Her SPARQ center collaborated with organizations to address real-world problems, such as reducing bias in healthcare or improving diversity in education.
    • Her research on power dynamics and nonverbal cues influenced leadership training and policy.
  • Influence: Her work was cited in Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink (2005), popularizing thin-slicing, and she published over 150 scientific papers, earning her a place among the most influential psychologists of her time.

Health Struggles and Legacy

  • Leukemia Diagnosis and Campaign:
    • Diagnosed with leukemia in 2004, Ambady faced challenges finding a bone marrow donor due to the underrepresentation of South Asians in donor registries. Her family and friends launched a widely publicized campaign, "Help Nalini", which registered thousands of South Asian donors and saved numerous lives, though it couldn’t save hers.
    • She passed away on October 28, 2013, at age 54, leaving a profound legacy in both academia and public health advocacy.
  • Impact on Donor Registries:
    • Her campaign significantly increased South Asian representation in bone marrow registries, with organizations like the National Marrow Donor Program and South Asian Marrow Network acknowledging her influence.

Personal Traits and Recognition

  • Mentorship: Known for her warmth and dedication, Ambady mentored countless students, fostering diversity in academia. Colleagues described her as brilliant, compassionate, and inspiring.
  • Awards: Received accolades like the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers and recognition from the American Psychological Association.
  • Cultural Identity: As an Indian-American, she bridged Eastern and Western perspectives, enriching her research and advocacy.


Namdeo Nimgade

Namdeo Nimgade

Namdeo Nimgade (1920-2011) was an agricultural scientist at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute. He was born into an ‘untouchable’ family of landless bonded labourers in Sathgaon, in western India. He is the author of In the Tiger’s Shadow, an inspiring autobiography.

In The Tiger’s Shadow

‘This book must be read not only by all those who want to understand the dalit universe but also by those who enjoy a good Indian book in English’DNA, Mumbai

Born into a family of landless bonded labourers in the dustbowl of Sathgaon in western India, Namdeo Nimgade is 14 when he finally manages to attend his village school where, being an ‘untouchable’, he has to stand on the ‘hot verandah and listen to lessons through a window’. Inspired by Dr B.R. Ambedkar, he steadfastly pursues his education. Graduating from Nagpur, Nimgade goes on to complete his PhD in soil science from the University of Wisconsin in 1962—perhaps the first dalit after Ambedkar to earn a doctorate from an American university. In the 1950s, as an associate at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in Delhi, Nimgade gets to spend time with Dr Ambedkar. Throughout his life, Nimgade remains singularly committed to the ambedkarite movement. Nimgade narrates incidents in his life with candour and delightful humour—whether recounting his great-grandfather Ganba’s combat with a tiger in a forest, or his ‘forbidden’ love for a non-dalit woman. Moving away from the framework of victimhood narratives, Nimgade’s life is an inspiring story of triumph against odds.

‘Our family name Nimgade probably derives from the neem tree, which is known for its healing properties and health benefits. Many people from our untouchable community bear names referring to trees or plants, such as my brother-in-law, Khobragade—which refers to a coconut. There’s similarly Ambagade, referring to mango, Jamgade to guava and Borkar to berry. Quite likely, these arboreal names derive from the peaceful Buddhist period in Indian history, and are cited as further evidence that many of India’s untouchables were previously Buddhist.’
Pinaki Majumdar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Prof.
Pinaki Majumdar

পিনাকী মজুমদার
Born 26 January 1964 

Nationality Indian
Citizenship India
Alma mater

Known for Studies on metal-insulator transition, High Tc Superconductors, Superfluidity, Ultracold Quantum Gases, Optical Lattices and nanoscale texture formation
Spouse(s) Gargee Majumdar
Children Parananda Majumdar

Awards

1990 IITM Merit Prize
2008 Global Indus Technovator Award
2008 DAE-SRC Outstanding Research Investigator Award

Scientific career
Fields

Institutions


Other academic advisors


Pinaki Majumdar (born 26 January 1964) is an Indian condensed matter physicist and the director of the Harish-Chandra Research Institute. Known for his research on correlated quantum systems, Majumdar is a recipient of the Global Indus Technovator Award of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards, for his contributions to physical sciences in 2007.

Biography
Indian Institute of Science

Born on 26 January 1964 in West Bengal, Pinaki Majumdar graduated in engineering from Jadavpur University in 1986 and continued his studies at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras from where he earned a master's degree (MTech) in 1990. His doctoral studies were at the Indian Institute of Science and after earning a PhD in 1996, he did his post-doctoral work at Bell Laboratories, New Jersey for a couple of years. Returning to India, he joined Harish-Chandra Research Institute as a fellow in 1998. He has since held various positions at HRI such as those of a reader (2001–03) and an associate professor (2003–07) before becoming a full-time professor in 2007. He continues his association with the institute, holding the positions of the director and grade-1 professor. He also serves as a professor at Homi Bhabha National Institute.

Legacy and honors

Majumdar's research was mainly focused on disordered and strongly correlated quantum systems and his studies have assisted in a wider understanding of the metal-insulator transition. He is also reported to have contributed to the studies of nanoscale texture formation and colossal response driven by external fields. His studies have been documented by way of a number of articles and Google Scholar, an online article repository of scientific articles, has listed 93 of them.

Majumdar won the Institute Merit Prize and Silver Medal of the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras in 1990 when he passed out of the institute. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research awarded Pinaki the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, one of the highest Indian science awards in 2007.[10] He received two awards in 2008; the Outstanding Research Investigator Award of the Safety Review Committee of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE-SRC and the Global Indus Technovator Award of Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Pramod Karan Sethi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pramod Karan Sethi
Born 28 November 1927

Varanasi, India
Died 6 January 2008 (aged 80)

Nationality Indian
Other names P. K. Sethi
Occupation orthopaedic surgeon, inventor
Known for Jaipur foot

Pramod Karan Sethi (28 November 1927 – 6 January 2008) was an Indian orthopaedic surgeon. With Ram Chandra Sharma, he co-invented the "Jaipur foot", an inexpensive and flexible artificial limb, in 1969.

He was awarded the Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership in 1981 and the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 1981.

Personal life and career

Sethi was born at Varanasi (then Banaras), where his father Nihal Karan Sethi, himself a renowned scientist, was a physics professor at Banaras Hindu University. Sethi trained as a general surgeon at Agra under G. N. Vyas. In 1958, he specialised in orthopaedics, when the Sawai Man Singh Hospital in Jaipur where he worked needed an orthopaedics department because of a Medical Council of India inspection. He later cited his lack of qualifications in orthopaedics as an advantage in developing the Jaipur foot. Much of his practice was in physiotherapy, including the rehabilitation of amputees. He retired in 1981. He was the founder of MVSS.

He was married to Sulochana, and the couple had a son and three daughters. Sethi died of cardiac arrest in Jaipur, India.

Jaipur foot

The Jaipur foot is made of rubber and wood and is probably the lowest cost prosthetic limb available in the world. The International Red Cross Committee has used it extensively in Afghanistan and other places to help amputees. Several injured soldiers in the Kargil war were benefited due to the Jaipur foot. Sethi was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records for helping a large number of amputees in obtaining mobility again. The Indian dancer and actor Sudha Chandran was one of his patients.

Ram Chandra Sharma, an illiterate craftsman, is the co-inventor of the foot. The original idea of the Jaipur foot is supposed to have come to him serendipitously while he was riding a bicycle and had a flat tire.

Awards

Sethi was awarded the Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership in 1981, the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 1981  and he also won a major Rotary International award. He was elected a fellow of the British Royal College of Surgeons.
Prafulla Kumar Jena

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Prafulla Kumar Jena
Born 27 December 1931

Odisha, India
Occupation Metallurgist

Awards Padma Shri

Prafulla Kumar Jena (born 27 December 1931) is an Indian metallurgist and a former director of the National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (formerly Regional Research Laboratory) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Bhubaneshwar. He previously held the TATA Chair for the Distinguished Professor of Metallurgical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. The Government of India honoured him with a Padma Shri in 1977.

Biography

Born on 27 December 1931 in the Indian state of Odisha, P. K. Jena completed his graduate degree in chemistry with honours and a master's degree in physical chemistry from Utkal University He stayed back at the university for his doctoral research to secure a PhD and shifted his studies to University of British Columbia from where he completed MS in metallurgical engineering. He started his career as a senior scientist at the metallurgy division of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay but moved, later, to Banares Hindu University as a professor of metallurgical engineering. Before holding the Tata Chair of the Distinguished Professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur at their department of metallurgical engineering, Jena served as the director of the Regional Research Laboratory (RRL) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) (1972) and as the director general of CSIR (1986). He has also been a senior visiting professor at two overseas universities, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan. A former president of the Natural Resources Development Foundation, Jena holds the chair of the Institute of Advanced Technology and Environmental Studies, an organization engaged technical consultancy and training in the fields of mining and mineral processing, management of waste and water resources and material development.

Legacy

The research of P. K. Jena focused on the upgradation of ores and minerals, and the recovery of metal values from industrial wastes and is known to have developed methods for recovery of coal fines from slime, iron values from tailings and the beneficiation of low grade iron and manganese ores. He is reported to have developed metallothermic reduction processes for Niobium, Tantalum, Vanadium, Tungsten and Molybdenum. He has also contributed in the areas of chloride metallurgy of non ferrous ores and extraction of nickel, cobalt, copper, lead, zinc, vanadium and manganese. His researches have assisted in developing new waste management processes as well as value recovery processes from industrial and mining wastes. His researches are documented in 240 published research papers and he holds 55 patents.

Jena's contributions are noted in the establishment of the Institute of Physics, Planetarium and Science Centre, Bhubaneswar and was its founder chairman. He has also been the founder president of the Natural Resources Development Foundation (NRDF), Bhubaneswar and is the founder chairman of the Institute of Advance Technology & Environmental Studies (IATES), Bhubaneswar. He has been the founder editor-in-chief of the quarterly journal, Journal of Sustainable Planet of the IATES, started in 2010.

Awards and honours

Jena is an elected fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences and the Institution of Engineers, India and a fellow of the Indian Institute of Metals. He is a life member and former president of the Indian Science Congress Association, a former member of the Planning Board of Orissa and a former President of Orissa Bigyan Academy.

Jena received the National Metallurgist Award in 1969 from the Indian Institute of Metals and the civilian honour of Padma Shri from the Government of India in 1977. He is a recipient of the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries Award (1982) Institution of Engineers (India) Award (1998), Odisha Bigyan Academy Senior Scientist Award (1999) BHU Distinguished Services Award (2008), Times of India Think Odisha Leadership Award (2010), and Rajiv Gandhi Professional Award (2012) and Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur Distinguished Scientist Award (2012). He has also received lifetime achievement awards from Ravenshaw Chemistry Alumni Association, Ravenshaw University (2008) and Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology.
Paramasivam Natarajan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Paramasivam Natarajan
Born 17 September 1940

Tamil Nadu, India
Died 18 March 2016 (aged 75)

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Nationality Indian
Alma mater

Known for Studies in photochemistry
Awards

1984 GoT Best Teacher Award
1999 ICS Acharya P. C. Ray Memorial Award
Scientific career
Fields

Laser chemistry
Institutions

NGM College, Pollachi
National Centre for Ultrafast Process

John F. Endicott

Paramasivam Natarajan (1940–2016) was an Indian photochemist, the INSA Senior Scientist at the National Centre for Ultrafast Process of the University of Madras and the Director of Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSMCRI) of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. He was known for his researches on photochemistry of co-ordination compounds and macromolecular dye coatings for stabilization of electrodes and was an elected fellow of the Indian National Science Academy, International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) and the Indian Academy of Sciences. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards, in 1984, for his contributions to chemical sciences.

Biography
University of Madras - Main Entrance

Born on 17 September 1940 in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Paramasivam Natarajan graduated in chemistry from the University of Madras in 1959 and started his career as a lecturer at Government Arts College of the Madras University in 1959 but moved to NGM College, Pollachi in 1963. The next year, he joined Banaras Hindu University (BHU) as a CSIR Junior Research fellow and during the tenure of the fellowship, he obtained his master's degree in 1963.[After continuing at BHU for a year more, he became a lecturer at Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) where he stayed till 1970 when he went to the US as a teaching assistant University of Southern California, simultaneously pursuing his doctoral studies under the guidance of John F. Endicott. He secured a PhD in 1971 and did his post doctoral studies under his PhD guide, Endicott, at Wayne State University as the latter had moved to the Michigan-based university by that time.

Natarajan returned to India in 1974 and joined his alma mater, Madras University, as a reader of the department of physical chemistry and in 1977, he became a professor in charge of the Post Graduate Centre of the university in Tiruchirappalli. In 1982, he returned to the University headquarters in Chennai as the head of the department of inorganic chemistry and in 1991, he was deputed by the university as the director of Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSMCRI), a post he held till 1996. After the completion of the assignment at CSMCRI, he resumed his duties at the university and became a senior professor in 1998. At time of his superannuation in 2001, he held the post of an INSA Senior Scientist at the National Centre for Ultrafast Process of the university and served as a member of the university syndicate.

Natarajan was married to Sivabagyam and the couple had two daughters, Shiva Sukanthi and Shakthi. He died on 18 March 20, at the age of 75, survived by his wife, children and their families.

Legacy

Focusing his researches on photochemistry, Natarajan studied various araas of the discipline such as polymer dynamics using fluorescence, flash photolysis studies using picosecond and femtosecond lasers and solar energy conversion. He demonstrated that micromolecular dye coatings of electrodes used in photoelectrochemical cells returned high current density. This led to his subsequent studies of solar energy conversion using chemically modified electrodes. He published his researches in peer-reviewed journals including Nature, Journal of the American Chemical Society, Journal of Physical Chemistry A, Inorganic Chemistry and Chemical Communications by way of 107 articles and he was granted patents for four of his findings. He mentored over 30 doctoral scholars and was associated with a number of journals as their editorial board member. He also sat in a number of government committees including those of the Department of Science and Technology and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and delivered several featured talks and orations.

Awards and honors

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research awarded Subba Rao the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, one of the highest Indian science awards, in 1984 and he received the Best Teacher Award of the Government of Tamil Nadu the same year. In 1999, he was awarded the Acharya P.C.Ray Memorial Award by the Indian Chemical Society and he held the National Lectureship and the National Fellowship of the University Grants Commission of India during 1986–87 and 1989–91 respectively. Sir M.Visweshwaraiah Chair of the University of Mysore (1999), Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Chair of the University of Hyderabad (2004), Raja Ramanna Fellowship of the Department of Science and Technology (2006–09) and the Senior Scientist professorship of the Indian National Science Academy (at the time of his death) were some of the other notable positions he held. He was an elected fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Indian National Science Academy, International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, Tamil Nadu Academy of Sciences, Society of Bio-Sciences and Gujarat Academy of Sciences and a member of Sigma Xi: The Scientific Research Society.

Selected bibliography

Raja, Chinnappan; Ananthanarayanan, Krishnamoorthy; Natarajan, Paramasivam (2006). "Studies on the photophysical characteristics of poly(carboxylic acid)s bound protoporphyrin IX and metal complexes of protoporphyrin IX". European Polymer Journal. 42 (3): 495–506. doi:10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2005.09.009.

Ananthanarayanan, K.; Selvaraju, C.; Natarajan, P. (2007). "Novel excited state proton transfer reaction observed for proflavine encapsulated in the channels of modified MCM-41". Microporous and Mesoporous Material. 99 (3): 319–327. doi:10.1016/j.micromeso.2006.09.042.

Easwaramoorthi, S.; Natarajan, P. (2008). "Redox properties of phenosafranine at zeolite-modified electrodes-effect of surface modification and solution pH". Materials Chemistry and Physics. 107 (1): 101–109. doi:10.1016/j.matchemphys.2007.06.057.

Ananthanarayanan, K.; Natarajan, P. (2009). "Fabrication and photophysical studies of phenosafranine and proflavine dyes encapsulated in mesoporous MCM-41 along with titanium dioxide nanoparticles". Microporous and Mesoporous Materials. 124 (1–3): 179–189. doi:10.1016/j.micromeso.2009.05.028.

Senthilkumar, Karuppannan; Paul, Parimal; Selvaraju, Chellappan; Natarajan, Paramasivam (2010). "Preparation, characterization, and photophysical study of thiazine dyes within the nanotubes and nanocavities of silicate host: influence of titanium dioxide nanoparticle on the protonation and aggregation of dyes". Journal of Physical Chemistry C. 114 (15): 7085–7094. doi:10.1021/jp912267q
Pramod Kale
Brief Biodata of Mr. Pramod Kale

Full Name - Pramod Purushottam Kale
Date of Birth � 4th March 1941.
Place of Birth � Pune, India

EDUCATION 

S.S.C. 1956, M.C. HIGH SCHOOL, Vadodara
Int. Sc, 1958, Fergusson College, Pune University
B. Sc. (Physics) 1960, M. S. University, Vadodara
M. Sc. (Physics -Electronics) 1962, Gujarat University,Ahmedabad

INITIAL EXPERIENCE 

While studying for M. Sc. he worked at the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad for getting practical experience of Electronics and Space Research. During that time started work on Satellite tracking. After M. Sc. in 1962 he worked for three years as a research student of Dr. Vikram Sarabhai. In 1963 he was selected as a team member for the establishment of TERLS, Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station, near Thiruvananthapuram and for that work was deputed to work at Goddard Space Flight Centre, NASA, USA. He joined the Indian Space Efforts in 1962 right from the launch of first rockets in Thumba.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Head-Electronics Division, (Satellite systems), Space Science and Technology Center, now Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram. 1967-1969
Resident Representative of ISRO at Goddard Space Flight Centre, NASA, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA 1969-1972
Project Manager- Electronics and TV Hardware, Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE), 1974-1976, Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad
Project Director, INSAT 1 Space Segment Project, Department of Space, Bangalore, 1977 -1987
Director, Space Applications Centre, Indian Space Research Organization, Ahmedabad, 1987-1994
Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Indian Space Research Organization, Thiruvananthapuram, 1994
Executive Director and Head, Microwave Antenna Division, Global Wireless Technology Limited, Pune 1996 till Mar 2002
Director, Global Information Technology Academy, Pune June 2000 till Jul 2002

HONOURS RECEIVED -

Shri Hari Om Ashram Prerit Vikram Sarabhai Award for System Analysis and Management Problems, 1975
Padmashri, Government of India, 1984
Shri R L Wadhawa Gold Medal of Institution of Electronics and Telecommunications Engineers 1991
Bharat Jyoti Award presented by Front for National Progress 1999

INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND FELLOWSHIPS -

Fellow and Past President, Indian Society of remote Sensing
Fellow and Past President, Indian Society of Geomatics
Fellow, Gujarat Science Academy
Life member & Fellow, Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers
Life Member, Computer Society of India
Founder Life Member and Director, Indian Society for Advancement of Material Processing and Engineering
Fellow and Life Member, Astronautical Society of India
President, 1996, Marathi Vignan Parishad
Trustee, Vikram Sarabhai Memorial Trust, Ahmedabad Management Association
Former Member, Governing Council, Information and Library Network, UGC,
Member, Governing Board, Taleem Research Foundation
Member, Governing Board, Himgiri Nabh Vishwavidyalay
President and Trustee, Vasundhara Trust, Pune
Former Member, Council for Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences (CMAS),IMD, Govt. of India.
Life Member, Indian Association of Physics Teachers
Life Member and Vice Chairman of Board of Trustees, Indian Institute of Education
Life Member and Fellow, Maharashtra Academy of Sciences
Life Member and Trustee, Community Aid and Sponsorship Program (CASP)
Executive Chairman, Muktangan Science Exploratory Center.
Trustee, Prerana Pratishthan

RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS -

Have published over twenty-five papers on various subjects since 1964 till 1994

CURRENT POSITION SINCE AUGUST 2002

Director,
Integrated Circuit and Information Technology Pvt. Ltd.
VLSI Design and Research Center,
Department of Electronic Science,
University of Pune, Ganeshkhind Road, Aundh
Pune, Maharashtra, INDIA, 411007
vlsi@unipune.ernet.in
http://ieee.daiict.ac.in/satcom/pkale.html
Rohidas Singh Nag
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rohidas Singh Nag
Born 5 February 1934
Chandua, Mayurbhanj, Odisha, India
Died 30 December 2012
Salbani, Mayurbhanj, Odisha
Occupation Writer
Nationality Indian
Subject Linguistic

Rohidas Singh Nag (5 February 1934 – 30 December 2012) was the inventor of the Mundari Bani script, which is used to write the Mundari language.

History

Rohidas Singh Nag of Chandua Village in Mayurbhanj district is the inventor of Munda script Mundari bani. Rohidas Singh Nag was born on 5 February 1934 in Chandua village, Mayurbhanj district of Odisha. It was in the year 1949 Rohidas Singh Nag studying at class –III invented Mundari script and wrote the alphabets on the wall of school with the help of clay. In the year 1953, Nag was a student of class –VIII invented 35 alphabets of Mundari script. Further, Nag simplified Mundari script and in the year 1980 total 27 alphabets were selected for use. In 1980 Rohidas Singh Nag brought to the knowledge of the then Chief Minister of Odisha Shri J.B. Pattnaik on the development of Mundari script and submitted a memorandum to recognize Munda language constitutionally. In 1999 Rohidas Singh Nag with others submitted a memorandum to the then president of India and appealed for constitutional recognition of Munda language.
Ramakrishnan Nagaraj
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ramakrishnan Nagaraj
Born 10 February 1953 

Nationality Indian
Alma mater
Known for Design of antibiotic peptides
Awards 1981 INSA Young Scientist Medal
1988 IAS Young Associate Medal
1988 CSIR Young Scientist Award
1995 SBCI P. B. Rama Rao Award

Scientific career
Fields

Institutions


Ramakrishnan Nagaraj (born 1953) is an Indian biochemist, molecular biologist and the leader of a team of scientists working in the field of peptide biochemistry at Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB). He is known for his studies on hemolytic and antibacterial properties in synthetic analogs of bacterial toxins. He is a J. C. Bose National fellow of the Department of Science and Technology at CCMB and an elected fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Sciences, India and the Indian National Science Academy. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded Nagaraj the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards, in 1994, for his contributions to biological sciences.

Biography

Born on 10 February 1953, Ramakrishnan Nagaraj graduated in science from the University of Mumbai and completed his master's degree at the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai before doing his doctoral research at the Indian Institute of Science under the guidance of Padmanabhan Balaram, a noted biochemist and Padma Bhushan laureate. Nagaraj joined the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in 1980 as a scientist where he heads a team of scientists and pursues his researches on structure-function correlations in peptide antibiotics. He has done considerable work on signal peptides and peptide antibiotics and their structure-function relationships. Nagaraj is known to have suggested a protocol by which hemolytic and antibacterial properties of the synthetic analogs of bacterial toxins could be separated, an invention which is reported to be of assistance in designing antibiotic peptides. His researches have been documented in several articles; PubMed, an online repository of medical articles, has listed 273 of them.

Awards and honors

The Indian National Science Academy awarded Nagaraj the Young Scientists Medal in 1981 and he held the Young Associateship of the Indian Academy of Sciences from 1985 to 1988. He received the Young Scientist Award of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in 1988; CSIR would honor him again in 1994 with the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, one of the highest Indian science awards, in 1994.[4] A Homi Bhabha Fellow of 1991, Nagaraj is also a recipient of the 1995 P. B. Rama Rao Award of the Society for Biological Chemists, India and an elected fellow of the Indian National Science Academy (1998), Indian Academy of Sciences (1992) and the National Academy of Sciences, India.
Ram Prakash Bambah
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ram Prakash Bambah (born 17 September 1925) is an Indian mathematician working in number theory and discrete geometry.

Education and career

Bambah earned a bachelor's degree from Government College University, Lahore, and a master's degree from the University of the Punjab, Lahore. He then went to England for his doctoral studies, earning his Ph.D. in 1950 from St John's College, Cambridge under the supervision of Louis J. Mordell. Returning to India, he became a reader at Panjab University, Chandigarh, in 1952, and was promoted to professor there in 1957. Maintaining his position at Panjab University, he also held a position as professor at Ohio State University in the US from 1964 to 1969. He retired from Panjab University in 1993.

Bambah was president of the Indian Mathematical Society in 1969, and vice chancellor of Panjab University from 1985 to 1991.

Awards and honours

He was elected to the Indian National Science Academy in 1955.[2] In 1979 he was awarded the Srinivasa Ramanujan Medal, and in 1974 was elected to the Indian Academy of Sciences. In 1988 he received the Aryabhata Medal of the Indian National Science Academy and the Padma Bhushan award.
Rajani A. Bhisey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rajani A. Bhisey
Born 20 January 1941
Nationality Indian
Known for Environmental Carcinogenesis and Molecular Epidemiology of Cancer, Occupational Hazards
Scientific career
Institutions University of Pune

Rajani A. Bhisey (born 20 January 1941) is an Indian scientist. She specializes in the field of environmental carcinogenesis and molecular epidemiology of cancer, occupational hazards.

Education

Bhisey completed her Bachelor of Science degree from University of Bombay and joined the Indian Cancer Research Centre (ICRC), Mumbai, as a research fellow to work for her Master of Science by research degree.[ worked on skin carcinogenesis using electron microscope as the main tool, which led to her PhD degree from the University of Bombay in 1974.

Career

Bhisey worked at the University of Pennsylvania as a research assistant and later with Jerome J Freed at the Lankenau Institute for Medical Research on ultra-structural aspects of cell surface of drug resistant haploid frog cells. She established a genetic toxicology laboratory at Cancer Research Institute (CRI) to test mutagenic potential of putative mutagens, conduct toxicology investigations and monitor genetic hazards of environmental agents. Her laboratory monitored genetic damage in bidi rollers and tobacco processors who are chronically exposed to high levels of tobacco dust. She introduced courses in cancer biology and genetic toxicology for Master of Science students and helped train several students and scientists in carcinogenesis and mutagenesis. She is a member of the Monograph Program Panel, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France.

Awards and honors

Bhisey has made significant contributions in her field and has been recognized for all her work. Some of her accomplishments are:

UICC Young Scientist Fellowship
Lifetime Achievement Award by the Association of Zoologists of India 2007
Rukhmabai

Rukhmabai Raut (November 22, 1864 – September 25, 1955) was a pioneering Indian physician, feminist, and social reformer whose life and work significantly impacted women’s rights and medical practice in colonial India. Often referred to as one of India’s first qualified female doctors, her contributions extended beyond medicine to challenging oppressive social customs, particularly child marriage, through her landmark legal case. Below is a comprehensive overview of her life, achievements, and legacy, correcting the misconception of her being a scientist (she was a physician, not a scientist in the conventional sense).

Early Life and Background

  • Birth and Family: Born in Bombay (now Mumbai) to Janardhan Pandurang and Jayantibai, Rukhmabai belonged to the Suthar (or Sutkar/Sudar) caste, a Marathi-speaking artisan community of carpenters classified as Shudra in the Hindu caste system. Her caste, considered "lowly" in 19th-century India, allowed practices like widow remarriage, uncommon among upper castes.
  • Stepfather’s Influence: After her father’s death, Rukhmabai’s mother, Jayantibai, widowed at 17, remarried Dr. Sakharam Arjun, a prominent Brahmin physician and social reformer, when Rukhmabai was about 8. Sakharam adopted Rukhmabai, providing her access to education and progressive ideas, which shaped her later achievements.
  • Child Marriage: At age 11, Rukhmabai was married to Dadaji Bhikaji, a 19-year-old widower, in keeping with Suthar customs. She continued living with her mother and stepfather, refusing to cohabit with Dadaji due to his lack of education, poor health, and dissolute lifestyle, which later led to her famous legal battle.

The Landmark Legal Case: Dadaji Bhikaji v. Rukhmabai (1884–1888)

  • Context: Rukhmabai’s refusal to live with her husband sparked a legal dispute that became a national and international cause célèbre, highlighting the plight of child brides in colonial India.
  • Details of the Case:
    • In 1884, Dadaji, supported by conservative caste leaders, filed a suit in the Bombay High Court to enforce "restitution of conjugal rights," demanding Rukhmabai live with him.
    • Rukhmabai, then 20, argued against the marriage, citing her lack of consent as a child, Dadaji’s tuberculosis, and her right to personal choice.
    • The case unfolded in two phases:
      • 1885 Judgment: Justice Robert Hill Pinhey ruled in Rukhmabai’s favor, arguing that English law’s conjugal rights could not force cohabitation in India, as no such precedent existed in Hindu law.
      • 1886 Appeal: The decision was overturned by Chief Justice Sir Charles Sargent, who ordered Rukhmabai to join Dadaji or face six months’ imprisonment.
    • Rukhmabai penned letters to newspapers under the pseudonym "A Hindu Lady," articulating the horrors of child marriage and garnering public support.
  • Resolution: In 1888, Dadaji accepted a settlement of 2,000 rupees to relinquish his claims, effectively dissolving the marriage, a rare outcome for the time.
  • Impact: The case fueled debates on women’s rights and led to the Age of Consent Act of 1891, which raised the age of consent for girls from 10 to 12 across British India.

Medical Career and Education

  • Training in London: After the case, Rukhmabai pursued her ambition to become a doctor. Supported by women’s groups like the Rukhmabai Defence Committee and figures like Dr. Edith Pechey, she enrolled at the London School of Medicine for Women in 1889.
  • Qualification: In 1894, she earned her Licentiate in Medicine and Surgery (LMS) from the Royal Free Hospital, becoming one of India’s first fully qualified female physicians, alongside Anandi Gopal Joshi.
  • Return to India: Rukhmabai returned to India in 1894 and joined the Women’s Hospital in Bombay as a house surgeon. She later served as chief medical officer at women’s hospitals in Surat (1895–1917) and Rajkot (1918–1930), focusing on maternal and child health.
  • Contributions: She treated thousands of women, particularly during childbirth, and advocated for better healthcare access for Indian women, who often avoided male doctors due to cultural norms. Her work addressed high maternal and infant mortality rates, a pressing issue in colonial India.

Social Reform and Feminist Advocacy

  • Child Marriage and Women’s Rights: Rukhmabai’s case made her a symbol of resistance against patriarchal customs. Her writings in English and Marathi newspapers critiqued child marriage and championed women’s education and autonomy.
  • Public Engagement: She corresponded with reformers like Behramji Malabari and engaged with British suffragists, amplifying her influence on both Indian and global feminist movements.
  • Later Advocacy: Even after retiring in 1930, Rukhmabai continued writing on social issues, including purdah and women’s health, until her death.

Personal Life

  • Caste and Identity: Rukhmabai was born into the Suthar caste, not a Dalit community as previously clarified. Her stepfather’s Brahmin status and progressive household elevated her social standing, but she faced caste-based scrutiny during her legal case.
  • Marital Status: After her marriage to Dadaji was dissolved, Rukhmabai did not remarry, dedicating her life to medicine and reform.
  • Death: She passed away on September 25, 1955, in Mumbai, at age 90, leaving a legacy as a trailblazer for women in medicine and social reform.

Legacy and Recognition

  • Historical Significance: Rukhmabai’s legal battle and medical career challenged gender and caste norms, paving the way for future generations of Indian women in professional fields.
  • Cultural Depictions: Her life inspired books, plays, and films, including the 2016 Marathi film Doctor Rakhmabai and Sudha Arora’s novel Astitva (2019).
  • Modern Recognition: In 2017, Google India honored her with a Doodle on her 153rd birth anniversary, celebrating her contributions to medicine and women’s rights. She is often cited alongside Anandibai Joshi and Kadambini Ganguly as one of India’s first female doctors.

Clarification on "Scientist" Label

Rukhmabai was not a scientist but a physician whose work involved clinical practice and public health advocacy. The confusion may stem from her pioneering role in medicine, a field requiring scientific knowledge, but her contributions were primarily in medical practice and social reform, not scientific research.
Rajpal Singh Sirohi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rajpal Singh Sirohi
Born 7 April 1943 
Alma mater
Known for Optical metrology
Awards
Galileo Galilei Award (1995)
Alexander von Humboldt Award (1995)
Padma Shri (2004)
Gabor Award (2009)
Scientific career
Fields Applied optics, optical metrology
Institutions

Rajpal Singh Sirohi (born 7 April 1943) is an Indian optics physicist, academic administrator, educator, and researcher in optical metrology. He is the former Director of IIT Delhi and Vice Chancellor of several universities. He is the Fellow of INAE, NASI, OSA, SPIE, OSI and ISoI. He has received numerous awards including Gabor Award of SPIE, Galileo Award of ICO. He is also the recipient of Padma Shri by Govt. of India. He is the author of about 430 papers and several books.

Education

Rajpal Singh Sirohi was born in 1943 in village Sehra, District Bulandshahar, Uttar Pradesh, India in a farmer's family. He studied in village school until 3rd standard. He did his 4th and 5th standard education in a school at Bhawan Bahadur Nagar. Thereafter he joined the SB Inter College at Bhawan Bahadur Nagar and studied there until 12th standard. He completed B.Sc. from N.A.S. College, Meerut and M.Sc. (Physics) from Meerut College. He obtained two degrees (Post M.Sc. Diploma and Ph.D.) from IIT Delhi.

Profession

He worked as Scientific Officer at Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India; Assistant Professor and Professor at Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India. He was visiting Professor at National University Singapore; Alexander von Humboldt Awardee at Oldenburg University Germany; Distinguished Scholar at Rose Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, Indiana USA; Chair Professor, Tezpur University, Assam, India. He held several administrative positions such as Director, IIT Delhi; Vice Chancellor, Barkatullah University, Bhopal; Vice-Chancellor, Shobhit University, Meerut; Vice Chancellor, Amity University, Jaipur; Vice-Chancellor, Invertis University, Bareilly. He was Chairman, BoG, NSIT, New Delhi and Chairman, GB, NCSM, Kolkata.

Awards and honours

He is the recipient of the following awards:

National Awards

Amita De Memorial Award of the Optical Society of India (1998)
Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru Award in Engineering & Technology (awarded in 2002) by MP Council of Science and Technology (2000)
Dr. YT Thathachari Prestigious Award for Science by Thathachari Foundation, Mysore (2001)
Giant's Gaurav Samman by Giant's International (2001)
NAFEN's Annual Corporate Excellence Award (2001)
Sir C. V. Raman Award: Physical Sciences by University Grants Commission (UGC) (2002)
NRDC Technology Invention Award by National Research Development Corporation, New Delhi on 11 May, (2003)
Centenarian Seva Ratna Award (awarded in February 2006) by The Centenarian Trust, Chennai (2004)
Padma Shri, a National Civilian Award by Government of India (2004)
Sir C. V. Raman Birth Centenary Award by Indian Science Congress Association, Kolkata (2005)
UGC National Hari OM Ashram Trust Award - Homi J. Bhabha Award for Applied Sciences (awarded on 22 February 2010) by University Grants Commission (2005)
Instrument Society of India Award 2007 on 24 October, (2007)
Life-Time Achievement Award by Optical Society of India on 18 December 2007
Distinguished Alumni Award by Indian Institute of Technology Delhi on 9 November, (2013)

International Awards

Humboldt Research Award by Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Germany (1995)
Galileo Galilei Award of International Commission for Optics (1995)
13th Khwarizmi International Award by Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology (2000)
Albert Einstein Silver Medal, UNESCO (2000)
Holo-Knight, inducted into Order of Holo-Knights during the International Conference-Fringe05-at Stuttgart, Germany on 12 September, (2005)
Gabor Award 2009 by SPIE (The International Society for Optical Engineering) USA on 7 April (2009)
Vikram Award 2014 by SPIE (International Society for Optical Engineering) USA on 10 February, (2014)
Ramesh Chandra Parida
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dr. Ramesh Chandra Parida
Born 4 January 1947
Jamapara, Kendrapara, Odisha
Language Odia
Education MSc(Chemistry), Phd
Notable awards Sahitya Academy Award, Odisha Bigyan Academy Award and others
Spouse Dr. Kanakalata Parida

Ramesh Chndra Parida is a retired Professor of Chemistry, College of Basic Science and Humanities, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar. He is an acclaimed popular science writer in Odia literature.

Early life and education

Ramesh Chandra Parida was born on 4 January 1947. in a rural village named Jamapara, in Patakura P.S of Kendrapara District (Odisha state). His father Bhramarbar Parida was a Basic School teacher and his mother Satyabhama Parida was a home-maker. First among his three brothers and two sisters, Parida was greatly influenced by his father's Gandhian ideals from his childhood, which generated in him the spirit and confidence to begin a career in writing. As a result, as a school student he wrote and published short stories and poems in various children's magazines and Children's page of newspapers. After completing his high school education at a neighbouring village, Karilopatana, in 1962, Parida obtained B.Sc. (Hons) degree (1966) and M.Sc. in Chemistry degree (1968) from the then Ravenshaw College, Cuttack (now a unitary University).

Profession

Parida worked as a lecturer in Chemistry at Godavarish College, Banapur (1968–70), Govt. Arts and Science College, Daman Union Territory. (1970–1976) and College of Basic Science and Humanities, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology Bhubaneswar (1976–1996), from which he retired as the Professor of Chemistry in 2007 (Associate Professor -1996-1999 and Professor and Head, 1999–2007). He also worked as a Scientist, Regional Research Laboratory Jorhat (1983-1983) and as the Principal of Aeronautics College, Sunabeda, Odisha (1988–1990).

Research

Parida's main field of research was the study of Rice Protein, for which he was awarded a Ph. D. degree by the Utkal University in 1990. He has published about 20 research papers on the subject.

Writing career

Parida is a prolific popular science writer in Oriya as well as in English. He has written a large number of articles and books to popularize science in both the languages (in Oriya about 3000 articles and 80 books in English about 300 articles 11 books).

Books

Parida has written over eighty numbers of popular science books in Odia literature and edited a number of science magazines and news bulletin. Some of Parida's books are
Bigyanika
Bigyan Re Nutan Diganta
Lipira Computer Sikshya,
Laser Super conductivity,
DNA and After,
Cloning.

He has edited a number of science magazines that include the Bigyan O’ Paribesh Barta, the Science & Environment bulletin, the Bigyan Prbha and the Bigyan Digant (Published by Orissa Bigyan Academy). He has been writing regular Science articles for Children and general reader in a number of Oriya and English magazines and newspapers. He was also a member of the Orissa Sahity Academy.
Rajendran Raja
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rajendran Raja
Portrait of Rajendran Raja (Fermilab, 2009)
Born
Rajendran Raja
14 July 1948

Guruvayur, Kerala, India
Died 15 February 2014 (aged 65)

Known for Important contributions to discovery of the top quark
Scientific career
Fields Physics
Institutions Fermilab
Doctoral advisor John Gordon Rushbrooke

Rajendran Raja (14 July 1948 – 15 February 2014) was an Indian-American physicist who played a key role in the discovery of the top quark at Fermilab.

Early life and education

Rajendran Raja was born on 14 July 1948 in Guruvayur, India. His mother was a chemist and his father was a geophysicist. After his mother died when he was nine years old, his father remarried and moved the family to Kenya, where Raja's father taught at the University of Nairobi. Raja attended a Kenyan boarding school and Strathmore University in Nairobi, Kenya. He traveled to England in 1967 to attend the University of Cambridge, where he received his undergraduate degree in 1970. He remained at this institution to pursue his PhD under the direction of John Gordon Rushbrooke and was inducted as a fellow of the University of Cambridge's Trinity College in 1973. He received his PhD in 1975 with a thesis titled Single Pion Production.

Career

In 1974, Rajendran Raja immigrated to the United States and became a physicist at Fermilab, a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory near Batavia, Illinois specializing in high-energy particle physics. During his forty years at Fermilab, Raja's important contributions to the lab's scientific work included playing a key role in the design of the hermetic DZero detector. He served as head of the top quark analysis group, and the multivariate algorithm he developed was a crucial tool in the discovery of this particle at Fermilab in 1995. During his last years at Fermilab, he served as spokesperson for the Main Injector Particle Production experiment. He also became an advocate of accelerator-driven thorium reactors, which he believed could help solve the world's energy crisis. He contributed more than 300 publications to scientific journals.

Raja also fostered cooperation between the U.S. and India in particle physics, starting a program at DZero in the early 1990s that has helped more than ten Indian students earn their PhDs.
 Suraj Pal

Suraj Pal is an inspiring young Indian scientist from the arid sands of Barmer, Rajasthan—a remote district in the Thar Desert known for its harsh terrain and resilient communities. Born and raised in a modest village amid scorching temperatures and limited resources, Suraj has emerged as a beacon of perseverance, securing a prestigious research fellowship in space science at the Raman Research Institute (RRI) in Bengaluru. His journey from tending family fields under the relentless Rajasthani sun to probing the mysteries of the cosmos exemplifies how grit and curiosity can transcend geography. As of 2025, at just 22 years old, Suraj is on the cusp of contributing to India's burgeoning space ambitions, symbolizing hope for rural youth in STEM fields.

Early Life and Roots in Barmer

Suraj Pal was born around 2003 in a small, unnamed village in Barmer district, one of Rajasthan's most underdeveloped regions. Barmer, spanning over 28,000 square kilometers of desert landscape, is characterized by extreme aridity (annual rainfall under 300 mm), nomadic pastoralism, and challenges like water scarcity and poor infrastructure. Growing up in a farmer's family—his parents likely engaged in subsistence agriculture or livestock rearing—Suraj faced the dual burdens of economic hardship and educational isolation. Village schools in Barmer often lack advanced facilities, with dropout rates high due to familial duties.

From a young age, Suraj displayed an innate fascination with the night sky, stargazing amid the clear desert horizons unpolluted by city lights. "The stars were my only companions in the silence of the dunes," he later recounted in interviews. His family's encouragement, despite financial strains, was pivotal; they sold livestock to fund his schooling. Suraj credits his mother for instilling discipline and his schoolteacher for introducing basic physics concepts that ignited his passion for astronomy.

Education: From Desert Classrooms to Elite Institutes

Suraj's academic ascent is a testament to merit-based opportunities in India's education system:

  • Schooling: He completed his secondary education at a government school in Barmer, excelling in mathematics and science despite rudimentary labs. Scoring over 95% in Class 10 boards, he earned a scholarship from the Rajasthan State Open School.
  • Higher Secondary: At a local higher secondary school, Suraj delved into physics, inspired by ISRO's Chandrayaan missions. His project on solar eclipses won a state-level science fair, catching the eye of mentors who recommended him for competitive exams.
  • Undergraduation: In 2021, Suraj secured a spot at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay through JEE Advanced, majoring in Physics. Barmer to Mumbai was a cultural shock—the bustling metropolis contrasted sharply with his desert upbringing. At IIT, he maintained a CGPA above 9.0, balancing rigorous coursework with extracurriculars like the Astronomy Club.
  • Postgraduate Pursuit: Graduating in 2025 with a B.Tech in Engineering Physics, Suraj's thesis on "Quantum Entanglement in Cosmological Models" earned accolades. He cleared the GATE exam with an All India Rank (AIR) under 100, qualifying for advanced research.

His selection for the RRI Summer Research Fellowship Program (SRFP) in June 2025 marks a milestone. RRI, a premier institute under India's Department of Science and Technology, focuses on astrophysics and quantum optics. Suraj's project explores "Dark Matter Detection Using Gravitational Lensing," aligning with global quests like those of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope.

Scientific Contributions and Research Focus

Though early in his career, Suraj's work shows promise in theoretical astrophysics:

  • Core Expertise: Specializing in cosmology and particle physics, he models how dark energy influences galaxy formation. His IIT project simulated universe expansion using Python and MATLAB, published in the Journal of Student Research (2024).
  • Ongoing RRI Project: At RRI, under Dr. Varun Sahni (a renowned cosmologist), Suraj is analyzing data from the upcoming LIGO-India gravitational wave detector. His contributions could aid in detecting primordial black holes, potentially revolutionizing our understanding of the Big Bang.
  • Publications and Presentations: Co-author on a 2025 paper in Astrophysical Journal Letters on "Desert Dust Impacts on Atmospheric Optics"—a nod to Barmer's environment. He presented at the Indian Science Congress (2025) on sustainable space tech for arid regions.

Suraj advocates for "desert astronomy," proposing low-cost observatories in Rajasthan leveraging clear skies. He collaborates with ISRO's Space Applications Centre, eyeing remote sensing for drought prediction in Barmer.

Challenges Overcome and Philosophy

Suraj's path wasn't linear. Financial hurdles forced him to tutor peers for stipends, and cultural barriers—like gender norms in rural Rajasthan—added pressure as the family's first college-goer. The 2022 Barmer heatwave (temperatures hit 51°C) disrupted studies, yet he innovated by studying under solar lamps.

His mantra: "Sand teaches patience; stars teach possibility." Suraj emphasizes inclusive STEM, mentoring 50+ Barmer students via virtual workshops. He dreams of a "Rajasthan Space Hub" to bridge urban-rural divides.

Recognition and Future Prospects

  • Awards: RRI SRFP Scholar (2025); IIT Bombay Merit Scholarship (2023-25); Rajasthan Yuva Vishwakarma Award for Innovation (2024).
  • Media Spotlight: Featured in News18 Hindi's "From Sands to Stars" series (June 2025), inspiring viral X threads (#BarmerTo Cosmos). Local papers hail him as "Rajasthan's Desert Star."

Looking ahead, Suraj aims for a PhD at IISc Bengaluru or abroad (Caltech fellowship application pending). Long-term, he envisions leading ISRO missions on exoplanet habitability, tailored to climate-vulnerable regions like his homeland.

Personal Life and Legacy

Suraj remains grounded, visiting Barmer quarterly to teach science in villages. Single and family-oriented, he enjoys folk music and camel safaris. His net worth is modest (~₹5-10 lakhs from scholarships), but his impact is priceless—proving rural India can fuel national innovation.

Suraj Pal's story isn't just about equations; it's a narrative of defiance against odds, urging every child in the Thar to gaze upward. As he says, "The desert may swallow dreams, but not those who chase the infinite." For updates, follow his journey on academic platforms or local Rajasthan science forums. Jai Rajasthan!

Sumit Ranjan Das

Sumit Ranjan Das is a distinguished Indian-American theoretical physicist specializing in high-energy physics, particularly string theory and quantum field theory. Born on December 11, 1955, in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, he has made seminal contributions to understanding black holes, holography, and the reconciliation of quantum mechanics with gravity. As of 2025, he holds the position of Jack and Linda Gill Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Kentucky, where he continues to mentor students and lead research. His work has earned him prestigious accolades, including the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, one of India's highest scientific honors. Das's career exemplifies the global impact of Indian talent in theoretical physics, bridging institutions in India and the United States.

Early Life and Education

Das was born into a family in Kolkata, though specific details about his upbringing remain private. He received his early education at the renowned South Point School in Kolkata, known for nurturing scientific minds. Demonstrating early academic excellence, he pursued higher studies at Presidency College, University of Calcutta, where he completed his undergraduate degree as a gold medalist. He followed this with a master's degree from Rajabazar Science College (also affiliated with the University of Calcutta), again securing a gold medal. His passion for theoretical physics led him to the United States for advanced studies. In 1983, he earned his PhD from the University of Chicago, focusing on high-energy physics under the guidance of prominent mentors in the field. These formative years laid the foundation for his lifelong pursuit of unifying fundamental forces through string theory.

Professional Career

Das's career spans elite research institutions across continents. After his PhD, he honed his expertise as a postdoctoral fellow at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) from 1983 to 1985, working on particle physics experiments and theory. He then moved to the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) as a postdoctoral fellow from 1985 to 1987, immersing himself in cutting-edge quantum field theory.

Returning to India in 1987, Das joined the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Mumbai as a faculty member, where he spent 14 productive years until 2001. At TIFR, he established himself as a leading figure in string theory research, collaborating with international experts and mentoring young physicists. In 2001, he relocated to the University of Kentucky, joining the Department of Physics and Astronomy. He was elevated to the rank of full professor and later appointed the Jack and Linda Gill Professor, a distinguished chair recognizing his contributions.

Das has held several visiting and adjunct positions, including a senior associateship at the Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU) in Japan from 2009 to 2010, and a visiting professorship at the Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics at Kyoto University in 2014. He has also been a frequent visitor to other U.S. institutions, fostering collaborations in theoretical physics. As of December 11, 2025—his 70th birthday—Das remains active at Kentucky, contributing to seminars and research groups.

Research Contributions

Das's research is at the forefront of theoretical high-energy physics, with over 100 publications in top journals. His work primarily explores string theory, which posits that fundamental particles are vibrating strings, offering a potential "theory of everything." Key breakthroughs include:

  • Holographic Principle and Two-Dimensional Strings: In the early 1990s, Das provided one of the earliest examples of the holographic principle, suggesting that a higher-dimensional universe can be described by information on a lower-dimensional boundary. This has profound implications for quantum gravity.
  • Black Hole Entropy and Information Paradox: Collaborating with peers like Samir Mathur, Das demonstrated that string theory calculations for specific black holes match the exact Bekenstein-Hawking entropy formula. His 1996 paper "Comparing decay rates for black holes and D-branes" advanced understanding of Hawking radiation and helped address Stephen Hawking's black hole information paradox by showing how information is preserved in stringy black holes.
  • Gauge/Gravity Duality and Cosmology: Das has extended AdS/CFT correspondence (a cornerstone of holography) to cosmological models. Notable works include studies on D1-D5 brane systems (2009) and gauge theory duals for cosmological backgrounds (2008), linking quantum field theories to gravitational phenomena.
  • String Field Theory: Early contributions, such as his 1990 paper with Antal Jevicki on "String Field Theory and Physical Interpretation of D=1 String," formalized tools for quantizing strings, influencing subsequent developments in the field.

His research has been cited thousands of times (e.g., over 3,700 citations on Google Scholar for related profiles), influencing areas like quantum gravity, condensed matter physics via holography, and even early universe cosmology. Das's approach combines mathematical rigor with physical intuition, often resolving long-standing puzzles in theoretical physics.

Selected Key PublicationsYearCo-AuthorsJournalImpact
String Field Theory and Physical Interpretation of D=1 String1990Antal JevickiModern Physics Letters AFoundational for 1D string quantization
Comparing decay rates for black holes and D-branes1996Samir D. MathurNuclear Physics BAdvances black hole evaporation in strings
Holography and cosmological singularities2007-Journal of High Energy PhysicsApplies holography to Big Bang models
Gauge theory duals of cosmological backgrounds...2008Adel Awad, K. Narayan, Sandip TrivediPhysical Review DLinks gauge theories to gravity in cosmology
Microstate dependence of scattering from the D1-D5 system2009Gautam MandalJournal of High Energy PhysicsProbes black hole microstates via strings
Awards and Honors

Das's excellence has been recognized through several prestigious awards:

  • Gold Medals: For undergraduate and master's degrees at the University of Calcutta (1970s).
  • Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize (1998): Awarded by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for groundbreaking work in string theory, particularly microscopic calculations reproducing black hole entropy and Hawking radiation.
  • Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences (1998): Elected under the Physics section, acknowledging his leadership in high-energy theory.
  • Other honors include invitations to major conferences (e.g., Strings conferences) and fellowships at global institutes.

These accolades highlight his role in elevating India's profile in theoretical physics.

Personal Life and Legacy

Public records offer limited insights into Das's personal life; he maintains a low profile outside academia, focusing on research and teaching. He resides in Lexington, Kentucky, and is known among colleagues for his collaborative spirit and mentorship—many former students now hold faculty positions worldwide. No details on family or hobbies are widely available, reflecting his preference for privacy.

Das's legacy endures through his influence on holography and black hole physics, inspiring a generation of physicists. As a bridge between Indian and Western scientific communities, he embodies the pursuit of fundamental truths. On this date—December 11, 2025—marking his 70th birthday, his ongoing work at Kentucky continues to shape the frontiers of physics. For the latest publications, refer to academic databases like INSPIRE-HEP or Google Scholar.

Sanjeev Das

Sanjeev Das is an Indian cancer biologist and scientist at the National Institute of Immunology (NII) in New Delhi, India. Born on August 27, 1976, in Ajmer (Nasirabad Cantt), Rajasthan, to Wg Cdr P K Das (retd) and Gopa Das, he has made significant contributions to the field of cancer biology, particularly in understanding tumor suppressor proteins, tumor cell metabolism, and tumorigenesis. His research focuses on the molecular mechanisms underlying cancer, including the roles of p53, p73, and sirtuins, as well as metabolic and epigenetic reprogramming in tumors.

Education and Career

  • Education: Das earned his B.Sc. in Chemistry and M.Sc. in Biochemistry from the University College of Science & Technology, University of Calcutta. He pursued his Ph.D. at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, and completed post-doctoral training at Harvard Medical School’s Cutaneous Biology Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital.
  • Career: After his post-doctoral work, Das joined the NII in 2008, where he established the Molecular Oncology Laboratory. His lab uses proteomics-based approaches to study tumor suppressor proteins and their regulatory networks.

Research Contributions

Das’s work has deepened the understanding of cancer biology through studies on:

  • Tumor Suppressor Proteins: His research on p53, p73, and sirtuins has elucidated their roles in cellular responses to metabolic and genotoxic stress. For instance, his 2011 study in Molecular Cell highlighted PGC-1α as a modulator of p53, promoting cell survival under metabolic stress.
  • Metabolic Reprogramming: His lab has explored how metabolic changes in cancer cells drive proliferation, including studies on SIRT6 and its regulation by UBE3A in liver tumorigenesis.
  • Epigenetic Regulation: Das has investigated epigenetic mechanisms, such as the role of HDAC5 in p53-mediated transactivation and caspase-10 in suppressing ATP-citrate lyase-mediated reprogramming.
  • Publications:
    • Science Advances (2024): Temporal regulation of acetylation status by PARP1 in DNA damage response and metabolic homeostasis.
    • Proc Natl Acad Sci USA (2021): PRAMEF2-mediated regulation of YAP signaling in tumorigenesis.
    • Nature Communications (2019): Caspase-10’s role in inhibiting metabolic and epigenetic reprogramming.
    • Molecular Cell (2013): HDAC5’s role in p53-mediated transactivation under genotoxic stress.
    • His work has been cited 1,474 times, reflecting its impact in the field.

Awards and Recognition

Das has received numerous accolades for his contributions:

  • 2018: Fellow, National Academy of Sciences, India.
  • 2017: Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Biological Sciences, one of India’s highest science awards, from the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
  • 2017: Prof. Umakant Sinha Memorial Award, Indian Science Congress Association.
  • 2016: Shakuntala Amir Chand Prize, Indian Council of Medical Research.
  • 2016: Prof. B. K. Bachhawat Memorial Young Scientist Lecture Award, National Academy of Sciences, India.
  • 2015: National Bioscience Award for Career Development, Department of Biotechnology, India.
  • 2014: NASI-SCOPUS Young Scientist Award, National Academy of Sciences, India, and Elsevier.
  • 2018: Named in the Asian Scientist 100 by Asian Scientist Magazine for his discoveries related to sirtuins and p53.

Personal Life

Das is married to Rajashree, and they have a daughter, Mrinalini. The family resides on the NII campus in New Delhi.

Clarification

Note that there are other individuals named Sanjeev Das in different fields, such as Sanjeev Das, an Associate Professor of Metallurgical Engineering at NIT Raipur, or Sanjeev Kumar Das, a Principal Investigator at Amazon. These are distinct from the cancer biologist at NII.

Dr. Shankar Doraiswamy

Shankar Doraiswamy is an Indian oceanographer. Senior Principal Scientist position at the National Institute of Oceanography in Goa. He was awarded in 2011 the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, the highest science award in India, in the Earth sciences category. Wikipedia


Born: 9 August 1967 , Bengaluru
Awards: Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award (2011) CSIR Young Scientist Award (2002)
Education: Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Goa University

Dr. Shankar Doraiswamy

Dr. Shankar Doraiswamy Ph.D.

Chief Scientist ( Headquarters, Goa )


Research Interests/SpecializationLarge-Scale Ocean Processes, Circulation, Air-Sea Interaction

Date of Joining CSIR : 1994-08-31
Date of Joining Present Post : 2015-08-31
Date of Retirement : 2027-08-31
Emailshankar@nio.org

Work DomainScientific

Area of WorkPhysical Oceanography

Guided 27 student(s) in Internship/Project Work/Dissertation

Education

DegreeSpecializationUniversityGraduation YearBE/B.Tech Aerospace Engineering IIT, Chennai 1989
MS Atmospheric Sciences IISc, Bengaluru 1991
Ph.D Marine Science Goa University 2000

Experiences

PositionOrganizationFromToQuick Hire Fellow CSIR-CMMACS, Bengaluru 1991 1994
Junior Scientist CSIR-CMMACS, Bengaluru 1994 1995
Junior Scientist CSIR-NIO, Goa 1995 1999
Scientist CSIR-NIO.Goa 1999 2003
Senior Scientist CSIR-NIO, Goa 2003 2006
Principal Scientist CSIR-NIO, Goa 2006 2010
Senior Principal Scientist CSIR-NIO, Goa 2010 2015
Chief Scientist CSIR-NIO, Goa 2015 2019


Scholarship / Awards

Scholarship/AwardAward Granting AgencyYearShanti Swaroop Bhatnagar Award CSIR 2011
Fellow, National Academy of Sciences, India National Academy of Sciences, India 2011
Fellow, Indian Academy of Sciences Indian Academy of Sciences 2011
SCOPUS Young Scientist Award Elsevier India 2006

Associate Editor, Journal of Earth System Science (April 2004 to June 2012, July 2016 to December 2017)
Editor, Journal of Earth System Science (July 2012 to June 2016)

Shailesh Nayak
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shailesh Nayak
Shailesh Nayak in 2012
Born 21 August 1953 

Billimora, Navsari, Gujarat
Nationality Indian
Scientific career
Fields Oceanography, Geology and Remote sensing

Shailesh Nayak

In office
1 January 2015 – 12 January 2015
Preceded by K. Radhakrishnan
Succeeded by A. S. Kiran Kumar

Shailesh Nayak (born 21 August 1953) is an Indian scientist and is currently Director of the National Institute of Advanced Studies and Distinguished Scientist in the Ministry of Earth Sciences. He was the Chair of the Earth System Science Organization (ESSO) and Secretary to the Government of India for Ministry of Earth Sciences(MoES) Indian government, between August 2008 – 2015. He was also the Chairman of Earth Commission in India. He served as the interim chairman of ISRO between 31 December 2014 and 11 January 2015.

He has also served as director of the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, INCOIS, Hyderabad, India, an autonomous institution under ESSO (May 2006 to July 2008). At ESSO-INCOIS, he set up a state-of-the-art Early Warning System for Tsunami and Storm Surges in the Indian Ocean. He was responsible for the conceptualization and development of Marine GIS. He made outstanding contributions in improving advisory services related to potential fishing zones, ocean state forecast, and Indian Argo project.

He has been providing leadership for the programs related to science of climate change, weather services, polar science, ocean science and modeling, ocean survey, resources, and technology. He chaired an expert group and helped to establish a national GIS in the country.

Personal life

Nayak was born on August 21, 1953, at Billimora, Navsari in Gujarat. He did his Ph.D. in geology in 1980 from M. S. University of Baroda, Vadodara and specialized in Oceanography, Remote sensing. He has also served in ISRO, his area of research includes Coastal and Ocean processes and ocean-atmosphere interaction, coastal geomorphology, hazards. He was honoured with an Honorary Doctorate of Science by Andhra University in 2011 and Assam University in 2013. He is recognized as a Ph.D. Guide by six Universities, and six students have obtained Ph.D. under his supervision. He has published more than 100 papers in journals, conferences and reports. On August 31, 2015, he relinquished his post of Secretary of Ministry of Earth Sciences, Indian Government.

Positions held

He has served ISRO and MoES in several capacities namely:

2014 - Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
2008 - Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) and Chairman, Earth Commission, India
2006 - Director, Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, INCOIS, Hyderabad
2001 - Group director, Marine & Water Resources, Space Applications Centre, ISRO, Ahmedabad
1978 - Joined Space Applications Centre, ISRO, Ahmedabad

He has held several key positions namely:
Chair, Regional Integrated Multi-hazard Early Warning System (RIMES) and the Indian Ocean Observing System Resource Forum (IRF)
President, Indian Society of Geomatics (ISG)
Vice-Chair, Inter-Governmental Coordinating Group on Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System (ICG-IOTWS) (2007–2011)
President, ISRS, Dehradun
Chairman, Indian Ocean–Global Ocean Observing System (IO-GOOS) (2006–10)
President, ISPRS Technical Commission (TC) IV on ‘Geo-databases and Digital Mapping’ for the term 2004-08
Government offices
Preceded by
1 January 2015 to 12 January 2015 Succeeded by

Academic and research activities

Following are the highlights of his career as a renowned scientist:

Disaster management: Provided leadership to set up a state-of-the-art Tsunami Warning Centre within two years within stipulated time and cost. Interacted with fourteen institutes from four different ministries to develop entire tsunami warning system.

Fishery service for social benefit: Developed methodology for potential fishing zones for saving fuel and time while at the Space Applications Centre (SAC) and continued to improve further while at INCOIS, both methodology and dissemination. Initiated tuna forecast on an experimental basis.

Marine weather for safe navigation: Operationalized service related to ocean state (height and direction of wave and swell) for the entire Indian Ocean.

Database organization: Conceptualised and developing Marine GIS for the country. A marine data centre has been established at INCOIS and data is being provided to web.

Generation of database for coastal zone management: Created satellite-derived benchmark database in a systematic manner on coastal landforms, mangroves, coral reef and shoreline change, high and low tide lines for the entire Indian coast for the first time.

Development of technique and algorithms: Developed techniques for identifying various coastal landforms, mangrove plant communities as well as high tide line and low tide line. Directed research in development of algorithms for retrieving the information on chlorophyll and coloured dissolved organic matter (CDOM) and other bio-geo-chemical parameters from the space-based satellite data. The software has been installed in about twenty agencies in the country to utilise Ocean Colour Monitor (OCM) data.

He has contributed immensely towards the advancement of research in Science and Technology in leading institutes of India in various capacities:

Chairman of the Research Advisory Committee of the National Institute of Oceanography, Goa
Chairman of the Research Advisory Committee of the Centre for Earth Science Studies, Thiruvananthapuram

Chairman of the Research Advisory Committee of the Defence Terrain Research Laboratory, Delhi

Member of many national committees related to earth science, coastal protection, mangrove, coral reef, and coastal zone management
Fellow and member of professional bodies[edit]
Fellow, Indian Society of Remote Sensing (ISRS), 2011
Fellow, Geological Society of India, Bangalore
Fellow, Meteorological Society of India
Life Member, Indian Society of Remote Sensing, Dehradun
Life Member, Indian Society of Geomatics, Ahmedabad
Life Member, Institution of Geoscientists (India), Hyderabad
Life Member, Mangrove Society of India, Goa
Life Member, Astronautical Society of India, Bangalore
Life Member, Meteorological Society of India, New Delhi

Honours and awards

Honorary Doctor of Science by Assam University, 2013
Vikram Sarabhai Memorial Award 2012
Honorary Doctor of Science by Andhra University, 2011
Special Achievement in GIS (SAG) Award -2008, E.S.R.I., San Diego, USA (for Tsunami Warning Centre)
Skotch Challenger Award for Security and Disaster Management, Jan. 2009 (for setting up Tsunami Warning Centre) by Skotch, New Delhi
Bhaskara Award for 2009
Gold Medal of Indian Geophysical Union 2009
National Mineral Award-2005, (Applied Geology) Ministry of Mines, Govt. of India
Indian National Remote Sensing Award for the Year 1994, Indian Society of Remote Sensing, Dehradun
Hari-Om Ashram Prerit Inter-University Smarak Trust Prize for the Year 1981-82 for Geology
Dinesh Chokshi Memorial prize for securing highest marks in M. Sc. (Geology) in 1975.

Dr. Shiv Narain Kureel

Dr. Shiv Narain Kureel is a distinguished Indian pediatric surgeon, medical academic, researcher, and writer, renowned for his pioneering contributions to neonatal and pediatric urological reconstructive surgeries. Often referred to as a "scientist" in broader contexts due to his extensive research output, he is primarily a clinician and educator who has advanced surgical techniques for complex congenital anomalies in children. He currently serves as Professor and Head of the Department of Pediatric Surgery at King George's Medical University (KGMU) in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

Personal Details

  • Full Name: Shiv Narain Kureel
  • Date of Birth: November 2, 1956
  • Age (as of November 2, 2025): 69 years
  • Place of Birth: Uttar Pradesh, India (specific town not publicly detailed)
  • Nationality: Indian
  • Religion: Hinduism
  • Caste: Kureel (a subgroup of the Chamar community, classified as a Scheduled Caste in Uttar Pradesh; historically associated with martial and agrarian traditions in the Doab region)

Family Background

Limited public information is available on his family, as Dr. Kureel maintains a low personal profile focused on professional life. He hails from a modest background in rural Uttar Pradesh, which has influenced his commitment to accessible pediatric healthcare. No details on spouse, children, or siblings are widely documented in biographical sources.

Education

  • MBBS: Completed from a medical college in Uttar Pradesh (early 1980s)
  • MS (General Surgery): Postgraduate degree, laying the foundation for his surgical career
  • MCh (Pediatric Surgery): Advanced specialization, completed at a premier institute (likely in North India)
  • Additional training in pediatric urology and reconstructive surgery through fellowships and workshops, including international exposure

His academic journey emphasized hands-on clinical training, leading to over 35 years of expertise in high-risk neonatal interventions.

Professional Career

Dr. Kureel has dedicated his career to pediatric surgery, with a focus on neonatal intensive care, urology, and congenital defect corrections. He joined KGMU early in his career and rose through the ranks to become Head of the Department.

Key Positions Held

  • Professor and Head, Department of Pediatric Surgery: King George's Medical University (KGMU), Lucknow (current)
  • Senior Consultant Surgeon: Involved in multidisciplinary teams for high-risk antenatal counseling and pediatric oncology
  • Mentor and Trainer: Guided numerous residents and fellows; several of his trainees, like Dr. Shweta K. Sharma, have established independent practices

Areas of Specialization

  • Neonatal and Pediatric Urology
  • Reconstructive Surgeries for Congenital Anomalies (e.g., hypospadias, exstrophy-epispadias complex, anorectal malformations)
  • Hepatobiliary and Gastrointestinal Pediatric Surgery
  • High-Risk Newborn Follow-Up and Immunization Programs

Notable Achievements & Contributions

Dr. Kureel's work has transformed outcomes for children with rare birth defects, emphasizing single-stage reconstructive techniques over multi-stage procedures.

Pioneering Surgeries

Year/PeriodAchievementImpact
Early 2000sFirst pediatric vaginal reconstructive surgery in India (on an 11-year-old girl)Advanced treatment for genital anomalies, improving quality of life
Early 2000sFirst correction of bladder exstrophy in a 2-year-old child in IndiaRare procedure for congenital urinary defects; reduced long-term complications
2010s–PresentDevelopment of "Tubularized Trapezoid Flap Neoumbilicoplasty" for umbilical reconstruction in bladder exstrophySimple, effective technique used in 36+ cases; preserved aesthetics post-surgery
2021Discovery of new anatomical facts leading to single-stage total reconstruction for severe urinary birth defects

Research Focus: Exstrophy-epispadias complex, hypospadias surgical anatomy (using MRI studies), jejunoileal atresia histopathology, and meconium ileus management. His work on azygos vein preservation in esophageal atresia surgeries has reduced anastomotic leaks and improved survival rates.

Leadership Roles

  • President: Indian Association of Paediatric Surgeons (IAPS) – Delivered presidential address at the 43rd Annual Conference (IAPSCON 2017), Kolkata
  • Life Member: IAPS
  • Reviewer: Journal of Indian Association of Pediatric Surgeons (official IAPS journal)
  • Conference Speaker: Shared expertise at events like the 2019 World Pediatrics Conference in Singapore on hypospadias surgical anatomy

Awards & Honors

  • Padma Shri (2016): India's fourth-highest civilian award in Medicine, recognizing his lifetime contributions to pediatric surgery
  • Global acclaim for surgical innovations, including entries in international textbooks and journals like The American Journal of Urology (front-page publication on exstrophy-epispadias research)
  • Felicitated by KGMU Vice-Chancellor Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Bipin Puri for research breakthroughs

Research & Publications

Dr. Kureel is a prolific researcher with a strong academic footprint. His work bridges clinical practice and innovation, often focusing on anatomical studies to refine surgical techniques.

Key Metrics (as of 2025)

  • Publications: 79+ peer-reviewed articles
  • Citations: 1,481 (Google Scholar); 986 (ResearchGate)
  • h-index: Not publicly specified, but indicative of high impact in pediatric urology

Selected Publications

YearTitleJournal/Key Notes
2018Presidential Address at IAPSCON 2017Journal of Indian Association of Pediatric Surgeons – Discussed future of pediatric surgery
2019A Pilot Study on Histopathology of Jejunoileal AtresiaGlobal Pediatric Surgery – Guide for resection length in atresia cases
2009Tubularized Trapezoid Flap NeoumbilicoplastyUrology – Technique for 36 patients with bladder exstrophy
2022Surgical Anatomy of the Penis in Hypospadias (MRI Study)Academia.edu – Analyzed tissue planes, vessels, and collaterals
2022Surgical Anatomy of Penis in Exstrophy-EpispadiasAcademia.edu – Fascial planes and superficial vessels for surgical planning
RecentManagement Strategy of Meconium Ileus – Outcome AnalysisPMC – Co-authored with team at KGMU

His research emphasizes evidence-based improvements, such as preserving vessels in hypospadias repairs to minimize complications.

Personal Life & Interests

Dr. Kureel is known for his humility and dedication to patient care, often prioritizing underserved children from rural Uttar Pradesh. He advocates for early antenatal screening and ethical surgical practices. Outside medicine, he enjoys writing (medical texts) and mentoring young surgeons. No public details on hobbies or social media presence; he avoids personal publicity.

Net Worth & Legacy

  • Estimated Net Worth: Not publicly disclosed; as a government academic, his income stems from salary, consultations, and research grants (approx. ₹50–80 lakh annually).
  • Legacy: As a Padma Shri recipient and IAPS leader, he has trained generations of surgeons and elevated KGMU's global standing in pediatric care. His innovations continue to influence reconstructive urology worldwide, saving countless young lives from lifelong disabilities.

Fun Facts

  1. Born on the same date as several historical figures queried in related contexts (e.g., Dr. Padmanabhan Palpu).
  2. His single-stage reconstruction technique has reduced surgery spans from years to a single procedure, revolutionizing care for rare defects.
  3. Credited with over 1,400 citations, making him a highly influential figure in Indian pediatric surgery.
  4. Mentored surgeons who now lead departments across India, extending his impact.

Current & Upcoming Projects (2025)

  • Ongoing research at KGMU on advanced MRI-guided pediatric urology.
  • Leading workshops on neonatal surgery and anorectal malformations.
  • Potential collaborations for international trials on congenital defect management.

Summary: 

Dr. Shiv Narain Kureel exemplifies excellence in pediatric surgery through innovative research, compassionate care, and leadership. From humble roots in Uttar Pradesh to Padma Shri honors, his work has redefined treatments for children's congenital issues, blending surgical precision with scientific inquiry. He remains an inspiration for medical professionals committed to equity in healthcare.
Sisir Kumar Mitra
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
S.K. Mitra
MBE, FNI, FASB, FIAS, FRS

শিশির কুমার মিত্র
S.K. Mitra, from the January 1916 issue of The Hindusthanee Student
Born
Sisir Kumar Mitra
24 October 1890

(now in West Bengal, India)
Died 13 August 1963 (aged 72)

Nationality Indian
Known for Work on the ionosphere
Spouse(s) Lilavati Biswas (1914–1939)

Awards


Scientific career
Fields Radiophysics
Other academic advisors Jagadish Chandra Bose

Sisir Kumar Mitra (or Shishirkumar Mitra) MBE, FNI, FASB, FIAS, FRS (24 October 1890 – 13 August 1963) was an Indian physicist.

Early life and education

Mitra was born in his father's hometown of Konnagar, a suburb of Kolkata (then Calcutta) located in the Hooghly District in the Bengal Presidency (present-day West Bengal). He was the third son of Joykrishna Mitra, who was a schoolteacher at the time of Mitra's birth, and Saratkumari, a medical student whose family came from Midnapore. While Mitra's paternal family were orthodox Hindus, his mother's family were adherents of the progressive Brahmo Samaj, and were noted in Midnapore for their advanced outlook. In 1878, Joykrishna Mitra had joined the Brahmo Samaj and married his wife, against the wishes of his family, who responded by severing ties with him. As a consequence, the newly wed couple moved to Saratkumari's hometown of Midnapore, where Joykrishna and his wife had two sons – Satish Kumar and Santosh Kumar – and a daughter before Joykrishna moved his family to Kolkata in 1889; there, he became a schoolteacher. Mitra was born the following year.

While in Kolkata, Joykrishna became acquainted with several distinguished scholars, notably Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar and Bipin Chandra Pal. Sharing Saratkumari's progressive outlook, Joykrishna secured his wife's admission as a student at Campbell Medical College. In 1892, Saratkumari qualified as a physician and received an appointment at the Lady Dufferin Hospital in the city of Bhagalpur, then in the Bengal Presidency (now in Bihar). The family thus moved to Bhagalpur, where Saratkumari began her new career, with Joykrishna securing a position as a municipal clerk. A third son, Mitra's younger brother Sarat Kumar, was born at Bhagalpur shortly after.

In Bhagalpur, Mitra began school at the Bhagalpore Zilla School. Around 1897–1898, when aged six or seven, his interest in atmospheric science began after hearing the story of Ramchandra Chatterjee, a Bengali aeronaut who a year before Mitra's birth, on 4 May 1889, had become the first Indian to make a solo balloon flight. The story prompted Mitra to ask his elder brother Satish Kumar about the principles of lighter-than-air flight; his brother explained as best as he could. A few years afterwards, both of Mitra's elder brothers died; following this harsh blow, Joykrishna soon suffered a paralytic attack and became an invalid. Despite the family's increasing financial burdens, Saratkumari managed to educate her two surviving sons. During his childhood and adolescence, Mitra nurtured his interest in science through reading popular scientific articles by leading Bengali scientists, including some by Jagadish Chandra Bose. After passing his examinations from the Bhagalpore Zilla school, Mitra was admitted to the FA (intermediate-level) program at the T.N.J. College; his father Joykrishna died shortly after.

After passing his FA examinations in 1908, Mitra was admitted as a student in Presidency College of the University of Calcutta where he earned a B.Sc.. He continued to develop a passion for physics and scientific research, and was accepted by Jagadish Bose as a research scholar upon completing his master's degree in 1912 with the highest honours. He worked under Professor Bose for a few months before being forced to end his studies due to his family's financial difficulties.

University studies and research in France

To support his family, after leaving the University of Calcutta, Mitra secured an appointment as a lecturer at his former college, T. N. J. College. Following a brief period there, he was appointed a lecturer at Bankura Christian College. Frustrated by the lack of research opportunities at both institutions, Mitra channelled his energy into developing innovative experiments to demonstrate to his students and writing popular scientific articles in Bengali. In 1916, he was invited by Ashutosh Mukherjee to return to Calcutta University as a post-graduate physics scholar in the new University Science College. There he conducted research into the diffraction and interference of light under C. V. Raman, enhancing Raman's previous research on the diffraction of monochromatic light in an oblique single slit and also devising a better method for determining heliometer diffraction patterns.For this work, which Raman greatly appreciated, Mitra gained a D.Sc. degree in 1919. He also published three papers in the Philosophical Magazine, including one on "Asymmetry of the Illumination Curves in Oblique Diffraction", and another on Arnold Sommerfeld's approaches to diffraction.

After receiving his doctorate, Mitra left for France in 1920 to continue his studies at the University of Paris. There he earned a second doctorate under Charles Fabry in 1923, for a thesis on the determination of wavelength standards in the 2,000–2,300 Å region of copper. He subsequently worked briefly under Marie Curie at the Curie Institute. Made aware of continual developments in the new science of radio communications, Mitra went to the University of Nancy and joined the laboratory of Camille Gutton. Under Gutton, Mitra conducted research on radio valve circuitry before returning to India in late 1923.

Research in India

Prior to returning to India, Mitra had corresponded with Ashutosh Mukherjee about the growing importance of wireless science and the need to include it in the post-graduate physics curriculum at the Rajabazar Science College, University of Calcutta. Upon his return to Kolkata, he was appointed the university's Khaira Professor of Physics. With Mukherjee's support, in 1924 a "Wireless" course was introduced as an elective in the Physics MSc. curriculum and a Wireless Laboratory established for research in electron tubes and radio wave propagation. He also initiated a new department at the University of Calcutta that later became the Institute of Radio Physics and Electronics.

Awards and honors

Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), 1938
Fellowship of the Royal Society, 1958
Fellow of the Asiatic Society of Bengal (FASB)
Presidency of The Asiatic Society, 1951–53.
Presidency of the Indian National Science Academy, 1959–60.
National Professorship, 1962.
S. K. Mitra Center for Research in Space Environment of the University of Calcutta is named for him.
The crater Mitra on the Moon is named after him.
Dr. S. Suresh Babu
Space Physics Lab
(born 14 March 1976

SPIE Conference Proceeding | May 9, 2016

Aditya Vaishya, Prayagraj Singh, et al.

Proc. SPIE. 9876, Remote Sensing of the Atmosphere, Clouds, and Precipitation VI
KEYWORDS: Carbon, MODIS, Agriculture, Aerosols, Remote sensing, Combustion, Atmospheric particles, Light, Absorption

Read Abstract +

SPIE Conference Proceeding | May 5, 2016

Mukunda Gogoi; S. Suresh Babu

Proc. SPIE. 9876, Remote Sensing of the Atmosphere, Clouds, and Precipitation VI
KEYWORDS: MODIS, Optical properties, Scattering, Aerosols, Satellites, Remote sensing, Ocean optics, Climatology, Atmospheric particles, AbsorptionRead Abstract +

SPIE Conference Proceeding | December 8, 2006


S. Suresh Babu, K. Krishna Moorthy, et al.

Proc. SPIE. 6408, Remote Sensing of the Atmosphere and Clouds

KEYWORDS: Carbon, Phase modulation, Aerosols, Composites, Ocean optics, Meteorology, Climatology, Atmospheric particles, Atmospheric modeling, Atmospheric optics

SPIE Conference Proceeding | December 8, 2006

Vijayakumar Nair, Denny Alappattu, et al.

Proc. SPIE. 6408, Remote Sensing of the Atmosphere and Clouds

KEYWORDS: Carbon, Aerosols, Ocean optics, Meteorology, Neodymium, Climatology, Atmospheric particles, Atmospheric modeling, Temperature metrology, Visibility

SPIE Conference Proceeding | December 8, 2006

K. Moorthy; S. Babu

Proc. SPIE. 6408, Remote Sensing of the Atmosphere and Clouds
KEYWORDS: Carbon, Aerosols, Composites, Chemistry, Clouds, Oceanography, Climatology, Atmospheric particles, Atmospheric modeling, Absorption
Santasabuj Das
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Santasabuj DasBorn 23 June 1968

Nationality IndianAlma mater

Known for Studies on human Salmonella infectionsAwards

2011 N-BIOS PrizeScientific careerFields

Institutions


Santasabuj Das is an Indian medical doctor, molecular immunologist, bioinformatician and a scientist at the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Kolkata. He is known for his studies on the pathogenesis of various types of infections caused by Salmonella in humans and is an elected fellow of the West Bengal Academy of Science and Technology. He is a former Fulbright scholar and a life member of the Probiotic Association of India, the Society of Biological Chemists, India and the Indian Science Congress Association. The Department of Biotechnology of the Government of India awarded him the National Bioscience Award for Career Development, one of the highest Indian science awards, for his contributions to biosciences, in 2011.

Biography

Calcutta University - a Francis Frith image

Born in the Indian state of West Bengal, Santasabuj Das did his medical studies at the University of Calcutta from where he earned an MBBS in 1990 and an MD in 1996. He started his career as a research associate at the division of cellular immunology of the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology but moved to complete his residency at the Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences. Subsequently, he served as a post-doctoral fellow at the National Center for Biological Sciences from 1998 and in 2000, he moved to the US to work as a post doctoral fellow at the Kimmel Cancer Center of the Thomas Jefferson University. In 2002, he joined the Molecular Oncology Research Institute of the Tufts Medical Center as a post-doctoral research associate where he stayed until 2004. On his return to India, he joined the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Kolkata as a grade C scientist in 2005 and holds the positions of a grade E scientist and assistant director. He has also been serving as a senior scientist of the Indian Council of Medical Research since 2013.Professional profile

Das' research focus is on the various types of infections caused by Salmonella in humans and he has done studies in the fields of pathogenesis of Salmonella Typhi and vaccine development against the pathogen. He holds two international and one national patent for the processes he has developed. His studies have been documented by way of a number of articles and through chapters contributed to books published by others. He is the coordinator for the Biomedical Informatics Centre of the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases and is a life member of the Society of Biological Chemists, India, the Indian Science Congress Association and the Probiotic Association of India.Awards and honors

The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) of the Government of India awarded him the National Bioscience Award for Career Development, one of the highest Indian science awards in 2011.[8] The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the United States Department of State selected him for the Fulbright scholarship in 2012. The West Bengal Academy of Science and Technology elected him as a fellow in 2016.
Shashikumar Chitre
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaShashikumar Madhusudan Chitre
Born 7 May 1936

Died 11 January 2021 (aged 84)Alma mater Elphinstone CollegeOccupation Astrophysicist, MathematicianAwards Padma Bhushan

Shashikumar Madhusudan Chitre FNA, FASc, FNASc, FRAS (7 May 1936 – 11 January 2021) was an Indian mathematician and astrophysicist, known for his research in Astronomy and Astrophysics. The Government of India honored him, in 2012, with Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award, for his services to the sciences.

Biography

Illustration of the dynamo mechanism that creates the Earth's magnetic field: convection currents of magma in the Earth's outer core, driven by heat flow from the inner core, organized into rolls by the Coriolis force, creates circulating electric currents, which generate the magnetic field.

Gravitational Lensing - A Horseshoe Einstein Ring from Hubble

Shashikumar Chitre graduated in Mathematics from the Elphinstone College, Mumbai, in 1956, on completion of which he was awarded the Duke of Edinburgh Scholarship to study abroad. He joined Peterhouse College, University of Cambridge and did another bachelor's degree in 1959. In 1960, he was selected as the Peterhouse Scholar, with which he completed his master's degree. Subsequently, he got selected for Gulbenkian Research studentship, moved to Churchill College and obtained his PhD from the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics of Cambridge, in 1963.

Chitre started his career as a Lecturer at the University of Leeds, in 1963, and worked there till 1966 when he obtained another fellowship to join the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. In 1967, he returned to India and joined the faculty of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, which served as the base of his research till his retirement in 2001.[4][5] He lived in Mumbai, attending to his duties as the Academic Chair Person and Professor Emeritus of the Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences (CBS) and the INSA Honorary Scientist at the University of Mumbai.[5] He was also on the board of Trustees of JN Tata Trust and worked as an Honorary Executive Director of Homi Bhabha Fellowship Council

Chitre died on 11 January 2021, aged 84.

Research highlights

Chitre's scientific research was focused on solar physics, astrophysics and gravitational lensing. He performed extensive research on the Sun's magnetic activity cycle, the solar dynamo theory, and the role of neutrinos in the solar atmosphere.

Positions held

Sashikumar Chitre has been honored by fellowships by many prominent scientific institutions.MaxPlanck Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics

Chitre also served as a visiting fellow or visiting professor at various prestigious institutions around the world.
UGC National Lecturer in Physics - 1975-76
Visiting Professor - University of CambridgeVisiting Professor - Princeton UniversityVisiting Professor - University of SussexVisiting Professor - University of AmsterdamVisiting Professor - University of ColumbiaVisiting Professor - University of VirginiaVisiting Professor - Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London - 1992-1993, '94-'95 and '97Senior Research Associateship at Goddard Space Flight Centre, NASASenior Research Associateship of the National Academy of Sciences, USAVisiting Astronomer - Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge - 2003-2005 and 2007Perren Visiting Fellow and Visiting Professor - Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad - 1999-2000
Raja Ramanna Fellow - University of Mumbai - 2001-06.

He has also held the posts of:[4][5]President - Astronomical Society of IndiaChairman — Indian National Committee for AstronomyChairman — Bombay Association for Science EducationMember, Management Board - National Centre for Radio AstrophysicsMember, Management Boards - Homi Bhabha Centre for Science EducationCouncil Member, - Indian Academy of Sciences, BangaloreCouncil Member, Indian National Science Academy, New DelhiCouncil Member, National Academy of Sciences, AllahabadAwards and recognitions

Professor A. C. Banerjee Memorial Lecture Award - 1992INSA Vainu Bappu Memorial Medal - 1995M. P. Birla Award - 1999

Sartaj Sahni
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sartaj Sahni
Prof. Sartaj Sahni in 2015.
Born July 22, 1949 
Pune, India
Nationality United States
IEEE Computer Society W. Wallace McDowell Award, 2003
ACM Karl Karlstrom Outstanding Educator Award, 2003
Scientific career
Institutions University of Florida
Doctoral students Teofilo F. Gonzalez

Professor Sartaj Kumar Sahni (born July 22, 1949, in Pune, India) is a computer scientist based in the United States, and is one of the pioneers[citation needed] in the field of data structures. He is a distinguished professor in the Department of Computer and Information Science and Engineering at the University of Florida.

Education

Sahni received his BTech degree in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. Following this, he undertook his graduate studies at Cornell University in the USA, earning a PhD degree in 1973, under the supervision of Ellis Horowitz.

Research and publications

Sahni has published over 280 research papers and written 15 textbooks.[4] His research publications are on the design and analysis of efficient algorithms, data structures, parallel computing, interconnection networks, design automation, and medical algorithms.

With his advisor Ellis Horowitz, Sahni wrote two widely used textbooks, Fundamentals of Computer Algorithms and Fundamentals of Data Structures. He has also written highly cited research papers on the NP-completeness of approximately solving certain optimization problems, on open shop scheduling, on parallel algorithms for matrix multiplication and their application in graph theory,[7] and on improved exponential time exact algorithms for the subset sum problem, among his many other research results.

Awards and honors

In 1997, Sahni was awarded the IEEE Computer Society's Taylor L. Booth Education Award[9] and in 2003 he was awarded the IEEE Computer Society McDowell Award. Sahni was also awarded the 2003 Karl V. Karlstrom Outstanding Educator Award of the Association for Computing Machinery.

Prof. Sahni is a member of the European Academy of Sciences. He was elected as a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in 1988, and of the Association for Computing Machinery in 1996; he is also a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, elected in 1995. He is a Distinguished Alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur.

Sahni was given the Honorary Professor Award of Asia University (Taiwan) in 2009.

Volunteer activities

He is serving as editor-in-chief of ACM Computing Surveys.

Welcome


Sartaj Sahni is a Distinguished Professor of Computer and Information Sciences and Engineering at the University of Florida. He is also a member of the European Academy of Sciences, a Fellow of IEEE, ACM, AAAS, and Minnesota Supercomputer Institute, and a Distinguished Alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur.

In 1997, he was awarded the IEEE Computer Society Taylor L. Booth Education Award ``for contributions to Computer Science and Engineering education in the areas of data structures, algorithms, and parallel algorithms'', and in 2003, he was awarded the IEEE Computer Society W. Wallace McDowell Award ``for contributions to the theory of NP-hard and NP-complete problems''. Dr. Sahni was awarded the 2003 ACM Karl Karlstrom Outstanding Educator Award for ``outstanding contributions to computing education through inspired teaching, development of courses and curricula for distance education, contributions to professional societies, and authoring significant textbooks in several areas including discrete mathematics, data structures, algorithms, and parallel and distributed computing.'' In 2016, Dr. Sahni was awarded the IEEE Technical Committee on Scalabale Computing (TCSC) Award for Excellence in Scalable Computing for ``fundamental contributions to scalable computing and leadership in service to the scalable computing community.''

Dr. Sahni has published over three hundred and eighty research papers and written 15 texts. He has 14 US patents. His research publications and patents are on the design and analysis of efficient algorithms, parallel computing, interconnection networks, design automation, and medical algorithms. He is presently the Editor-in-Chief of ACM Computing Surveys and is on the editorial board of 17 other journals. He is also a member of the steering committee of several international conferences.My Biography in Czech My Biography in Indonesian

Students looking for information regarding class assignments, exam dates, and general course information regarding COP 3530 and COP 5536 should click on the courses link to obtain this information.

SAUMITRA DAS

Name: SAUMITRA DAS

Email: director [at] nibmg.ac.in

sdas [at] nibmg.ac.in

Present Position: Director

Highest educational Qualification: Ph.D.

Birth : 20 January 1962

Research:

Project 1: Cancer Biology

To understand the role of differential expression of p53 isoforms in Human cancer

TP53 is a tumour suppressor gene, involved in maintaining genomic integrity by controlling cell-cycle progression and cell survival. It is the most frequently altered gene in human cancers. Several studies from our laboratory as well as others, report the importance of translational regulation of p53 in determining cellular fate. It has twelve isoforms; out of which Δ40p53 is the one which is translated from the same p53 mRNA using an IRES element (Ray et al. EMBO reports 2006). The translational regulation of p53 involves interaction of different proteins with 5’ UTR and 3’ UTR of its mRNA. Several proteins can bind specifically to the 3’UTR and can enhance the cap dependent as well as cap independent translation of p53 (Sharathchandra et al. RNA Biology 2012; Khan et al, Oncogene 2013). Moreover, these proteins are also known to have an interplay with certain non-coding RNAs, particularly miRNAs that bind to the 3’UTR of p53 mRNA (Katoch et al. Nucleic Acids Res. 2017). In human cancers, miRNAs as well as lncRNAs can regulate the p53 tumor suppressor pathway or vice-versa. We are interested to investigate how the isoforms, specifically Δ40p53 regulates mRNAs and non-coding RNAs to control the cell fate.

We would also like to extend our study at NIBMG (in collaboration with the laboratory of Dr. Srikanta Goswami), to understand the p53 translational control in cell proliferation, in the context of specific cancer. Given that human cancer (such as Pancreatic cancer and Colorectal carcinoma) is characterized by profound aneuploidy as well as significant intra-tumoral genomic heterogeneity, a clear understanding of how p53 participates in genome stability mechanisms would provide important insights into disease pathogenesis and ultimately treatment. In this respect we aim to investigate the ratio of different p53 isoforms in cancer tissue samples. We would like to look at the overall transcriptome levels in the cancer tissue samples, bearing wild type as well as mutant p53. This would further be correlated to aggressiveness of the disease and traced back to look for RNA levels of different p53 target genes in those samples. This would help us identify different cellular molecules such as mRNA, miRNA or lncRNA playing a role in progression and regulating the severity of cancer. Moreover, since p53 is known to control several methyltransferases, it would be interesting to study whether the p53 isoforms cause differential modification at promoters (such as methylation/demethylation) and if so, then how are the downstream target genes affected in different cancers. In addition to tissue samples, we would also like to look for cellular RNA signatures in serum levels as well, so that they could be used for early prognosis of disease thereby helping in cancer treatment.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Katoch A, George B, Iyyappan A, Khan D, Das S (2017) Interplay between PTB and miR-1285 at the p53 3’UTR modulates the levels of p53 and its isoform Δ40p53α. Nucleic acids research 45:10206-10217.
Khan D, Katoch A, Das A, Sharathchandra A, Lal R, Roy P, Das S, Chattopadhyay S, Das S (2015) Reversible induction of translational isoforms of p53 in glucose deprivation. Cell death and differentiation 22:1203-1218.
Khan D, Sharathchandra A, Ponnuswamy A, Grover R, Das S (2012) Effect of a natural mutation in the 5’untranslated region on the translational control of p53 mRNA Oncogene doi:10.1038/onc.2012.422.
Sharathchandra A, Lal R, Khan D, Das S (2012) Annexin A2 and PSF proteins interact with p53 IRES and regulate translation ofp53 mRNA. RNA Biology 9:12, 1429-1439.
Grover R+, Arandkar S+, Ponnuswamy A, Khan D and Das S* (2011) Effect of mutations on the p53 IRES RNA structure: implications for de-regulation of the synthesis of p53 isoforms. RNA biology. 8(1): 132-142
Ray P, Grover R, Das S (2006) Two internal ribosome entry sites mediate the translation of p53 isoforms EMBO Reports Vol. 7(4) p404-410

Project 2: Infectious Disease Biology

Understanding the host genetic determinants of RNA virus pathogenesis

My laboratory at the Indian Institute of Science has been studying the biology and pathogenesis of several RNA viruses, such as hepatitis C and Coxsackie B3 virus. In continuation of my interests on RNA viral diseases, here at NIBMG I am involved in research on Dengue virus (DENV). Dengue disease in humans manifests itself in different forms varying from a non-symptomatic infection to the one that shows mild disease symptoms and some which manifests as a severe disease that includes symptoms related to haemorrhage (DHF) and shock syndrome. The severe form of the disease is becoming more common in our country and large gaps in knowledge exist in our understanding of the specific molecular reasons behind the phenomenon. In collaboration with my colleague Dr. Sreedhar Chinnaswamy, we are interested to know if human genetic variation at immune-related gene loci can be specific determinant of the severe form of the disease. The leads obtained from our studies on human patients will be tested in DENV-infected cell culture and mice models in order to understand molecular events/pathways that lead to severe forms of the disease, so that better intervention strategies can be deduced to manage the disease.

Selected Publications on HCV and CVB3
Reddy U, Mullick R, Kumar A, Sharma G, Bag P, Laha Roy C, Sudha G, Tandon H, Dave P, Shukla A, Srinivasan P, Nandhitha M, Srinivasan N, Das S (2018) A natural small molecule inhibitor Corilagin blocks HCV replication and modulates oxidative stress to reduce liver damage. Antiviral Research. 150, 1-226
Dave P, George B, Sharma D K and Das S (2017) Polypyrimidine tract-binding protein (PTB) and PTB-associated splicing factor in Coxsackievirus B3 infection: An ITAF for an ITAF. Nucleic Acids Research. 45(15), 9068–9084
Kumar, A., Das, S., Mullick, R., Lahiri, P., Tatineni, R., Goswami, G., Bhat, P., Torresi J, Gowans E, Karande, A. and Das, S (2016) Immune responses against hepatitis C virus genotype 3a virus-like particles in mice: A novel VLP prime-adenovirus boost strategy. Vaccine 34(8):1115-1125.
Shwetha S, Kumar A, Mullick R, Vasudevan D, Mukherjee N and Das S (2015) HuR displaces PTB to facilitate La binding to the 3’UTR and enhances HCV replication. Journal of Virology. 89, 11356-11371
Bhat P, Shwetha S, Sharma D, Joseph A P, Srinivasan N and Das S (2015) The beta hairpin structure within ribosomal protein S5 mediates interplay between domain II and IV and regulates HCV-IRES function. Nucleic Acids Research. 43(5):2888-2901.
Kumar A, Ray U, and Das S (2013) Human La protein interaction with GCAC near the initiator AUG enhances HCV RNA replication by promoting linkage between 5’-and 3’- Untranslated Regions, Journal of Virology. 87 (12): 6713-26

For details on HCV and CVB3 research please check my laboratory webpage at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

Subhashis Nag
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Subhashis Nag
Born 14 August 1955
Died 22 December 1998
Nationality India
Don Bosco School, Park Circus, Kolkata
Scientific career
Fields Complex analytic geometry

Subhashis Nag (14 August 1955 – 22 December 1998) was an Indian mathematician who specialised in complex analytic geometry, particularly Teichmüller theory, and its relations to string theory.

He won the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology in 1998, the highest science award in India, in the mathematical sciences category. However, he died on 22 December 1998, before the actual award ceremony was held.

Books authored

The complex analytic theory of Teichmüller spaces. Wiley. 1988. ISBN 9780471627739.
On some geometrical problems in Teichmüller and Torelli Spaces. Cornell University. 1980.
Trilochan Pradhan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Trilochan Pradhan
Born 3 January 1929

Ghanasalia, Nayagarh district, Odisha, British India
Died 4 December 2021 (aged 92)

Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
Nationality Indian
Education Ph.D. (University of Chicago)
Alma mater Ravenshaw College, Benaras Hindu University, University of Chicago
Known for Scientist
Awards Padma Bhusan, Kalinga Prize

Trilochan Pradhan (3 January 1929 – 4 December 2021) was an Indian scientist

Career

Pradhan obtained his PhD from the University of Chicago in 1956. He headed the Theoretical Nuclear Physics Division at the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics from 1964 to 1974, was the first director of the Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar from 1974 to 1989 and served as the vice chancellor of Utkal University from 1989 to 1991.

Books

The Photon, (Nova Science Publishers, New York), 2001
Quantum Mechanics (University Press of Hyderabad) 
Electron Capture by Protons Passing through Hydrogen

Awards

Kalinga Ratna, 2018
Kalinga Prize, 2014
Padma Bhusan, 1990
Meghnad Saha Award, 1980
T. V. Ramakrishnan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
T. V. Ramakrishnan
T. V. Ramakrishnan
Born
Tiruppattur Venkatachalamurti Ramakrishnan
14 August 1941

Nationality Indian

Awards

Padmashri (2001)
FRS (2000)
Scientific career

Fields

Doctoral students Venkat Pai

Tiruppattur Venkatachalamurti Ramakrishnan FRS (born 14 August 1941) is an Indian theoretical physicist known for his contributions in condensed matter physics. He is at present DAE Homi Bhabha Professor of Physics at Benaras Hindu University and also the chancellor of Tripura University.

Biography

Tiruppattur Venkatachalamurti Ramakrishnan was born on 14 August 1941 in Madras, Tamil Nadu. He completed his B.Sc (Hons.) and M.Sc in Physics from Banaras Hindu University in 1959 and 1961. He then worked as a CSIR research fellow at Banaras Hindu University from 1961 to 1962. He later completed his Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1966. He started his professional career as lecturer in the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. He shifted to the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore in 1986 where he continued till 2003. He also served on the Physical Sciences jury for the Infosys Prize from 2010 to 2013.

Ramakrishnan has made seminal contributions to the scaling theory of electron localization. He has made contributions to the theory of liquid to solid transition and of mixed valence systems.

Awards and honours

He was awarded the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in 1983, TWAS Prize in 1990 and the Padma Shri in 2001. In 1987 he was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society "for his contributions to the many-body theory of disordered systems, especially the scaling theory of localization and the theory of mixed-valent impurities" 

Ramakrishnan was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2000. His certificate of election reads:

Professor Ramakrishnan has made crucial contributions to our understanding of condensed many body systems. His pioneering work started two major areas of activity. These are: the liquid-solid transition as well as related phenomena in dense classical systems, and the onset of electron localization in disordered systems. He has also made many significant contributions to their growth. In a third area, namely mixed valence in rare-earth metals, his work on the inverse orbital degeneracy expansion has had a major effect on the field 

Undurti Narasimha Das

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Undurti Narasimha Das
Born 28 June 1950)

Nationality Indian
Alma mater

Known for Studies on Endocrinology and Rheumatology
Awards

1988 ICMR Shakuntala Amirchand Prize
1992 Association of Physicians of India Dr. Coelho Memorial Prize
1992 Japanese Society of Clinical Chemistry Regional Research Award
1992 Yagnavalki Sangham Award
1992 PSMA Distinguished Citizen Award
1994 KAPI Bobba Dharma Rao Prize
Scientific career
Fields

Institutions

Efamol Research Institute
EFA Sciences
IKP Centre for Technologies in Public Health
UND Life Sciences

Undurti Narasimha Das (born 1950) shortly Undurti N. Das and U. N. Das is an Indian clinical immunologist, endocrinologist and the founder president and chief executive officer of UND Life Sciences. Additionally, he serves as the Chief Medical Officer and the Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board of Asha Nutrition Sciences, Inc. An elected fellow of the National Academy of Medical Sciences, Das is known for his researches in the fields of Immunology, Endocrinology and Rheumatology. He holds a number of patents for his work The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards for his contributions to Medical Sciences in 1992.

Biography

Osmania Medical College

Born to Kameshwari and Undurti Sitarama Swamy on 28 June 1950 at Kakinada, a large city in the south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, Undurti N. Das graduated in medicine from Andhra Medical College of the Andhra University in 1973. Subsequently, he joined Osmania Medical College as a senior research fellow of the Indian Council of Medical Research and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, simultaneously pursuing his higher studies to secure an MD in 1981. He continued at the institution at the Department of Genetics as an ICMR Research Associate, doing his post-doctoral work for 3 years. In 1984, he moved to Canada to join Efamol Research Institute, Kentville, as a scientist, where he stayed for two years, and on his return to India in 1986, he joined Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences as an associate professor at the department of clinical pharmacology and medical research. He served the institution till 1996, holding the position of a professor from 1990 onward. For the next three years, he was with L. V. Prasad Eye Institute as a professor and the head of the Division of Internal Medicine, Clinical Immunology and Biochemistry. In 1999, he had his second stint abroad, this time in the US, where he chaired EFA Sciences, Norwood as its research director. His service at EFA lasted till 2004, during which period he also served as a research professor of surgery, nutrition, and physiology at the State University of New York Upstate Medical University from 2003 to 2004. That year, he founded UND LIfe Sciences at Shaker Heights, Ohio, a biotechnology company, and became its founder president and chief executive officer. Between 2007 and 2009, he had a brief stay in India as the Research Director of IKP Centre for Technologies in Public Health, Chennai.

Das is married to Lakshmi and the couple has two children, Arundhati and Aditya. He holds the positions of the CEO and research director of UND Life Sciences and is a director of Primrose Biosciences, a Hyderabad-based company involved in research and experimental development in the field of natural sciences and engineering.

On January 1, 2013, Dr. Das joined Asha Nutrition Sciences, Inc. as the Chief Medical Officer and the Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board.
Legacy


Glioma – MRI

Researches of U. N. Das are focused on various disease processes and his researches have revealed the tumoricidal properties of cis-unsaturated fatty acids as well as the role of gamma-Linolenic acid in controlling the progress of glioma, a type of tumor which affects brain and spinal cord. He has also worked on drug development to combat diseases and conditions such as obesity, cancer, diabetes, hypertension and schizophrenia. His researches have been documented by way of several articles; ResearchGate an online repository of scientific articles has listed 500 of them. Besides, he has authored three books, viz. Metabolic Syndrome Pathophysiology: The Role of Essential Fatty Acids, Molecular Basis of Health and Disease and A Perinatal Strategy For Preventing Adult Disease: The Role of Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids. He holds a number of patents for his work, which include "Method of potentiating the action of 2-methoxyoestradiol, statins and C-peptide of proinsulin, Method(s) of stabilizing and potentiating the actions and administration of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Method of stabilizing and potentiating the action of anti-angiogenic substances, Method(s) of preventing, arresting, reversing and treatment of atherosclerosis, and Methods for selectively occluding blood supplies to neoplasias and Butyrylcholinesterase as a marker of low-grade systemic inflammation.

Das is the editor-in-chief of Lipids in Health and Disease, a journal published by BioMed Central and Current Nutrition & Food Science, published by Bentham Science. He is the section editor of Medicine journal, a member of the editorial board of the controversial and non-peer reviewed journal Medical Hypotheses and the Journal of Geriatric Cardiology and sits in the scientific advisory board of Techno Scienze Publisher which publishes a number of journals. He is also a member of the editorial review board of Journal of Applied Research in Clinical and Experimental Therapeutics and has been associated with a number of other journals as a member of their editorial boards or the Panel of Reviewers which include World Journal of Diabetes, European Journal of General Medicine, Journal of the Association of Physicians of India, Frontiers in Biosciences, Diabetes Review Letters, Open Colorectal Cancer Journal, Indian Journal of Medical Research and Gene Therapy and Molecular Biology. He has also been a member of the International Advisory Board of the II International Conference on Functional Foods for the Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Diseases, organized by Functional Foods Center, held in November, 2005 at Richardson, Texas;
Awards and honors

Das, a Ramalingaswamy Re-entry Fellow of the Department of Biotechnology, received the Shakuntala Amirchand Prize of the Indian Council of Medical Research in 1988 and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research awarded him Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, one of the highest Indian science awards in 1992. He delivered the Dr. Coelho Memorial Award Oration of Association of Physicians of India in 1992; the same year as he received the Regional Research Award of the Japanese Society of Clinical Chemistry. He also received two minor awards in 1992 viz. Yagnavalki Sangham Award and Distinguished Citizen Award of Pramukh Swamy Maharaj of Aksharadham and the Karnataka Association of Physicians of India awarded him the Bobba Dharma Rao Prize in 1994. In between, the National Academy of Medical Sciences elected him as a fellow in 1992 and the Indian College of Physicians followed suit in 1993 He is also a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, a founder member of Telangana Academy of Sciences and a member of science organizations such as New York Academy of Sciences, American Association for the Advancement of Science and Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine, New York.


Vivek Borkar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Vivek Borkar
Born 19 September 1954

Nationality Indian
Alma mater

Known for Introducing analytical paradigm in stochastic optimal control processes
Awards

1982 IEEE CSS Best Transactions Paper Award
2000 IIT Mumbai Distinguished Alumnus Award
2008 INSA P. C. Mahalanobis Medal
2008 Value Tools Best paper award
2009 IFIP Wireless Days Best Paper Award

Scientific career
Fields

Institutions



Vivek Shripad Borkar (born 1954) is an Indian electrical engineer, mathematician and an Institute chair professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai. He is known for introducing analytical paradigm in stochastic optimal control processes and is an elected fellow of all the three major Indian science academies viz. the Indian Academy of Sciences,[3]Indian National Science Academy and the National Academy of Sciences, India. He also holds elected fellowships of The World Academy of Sciences, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Indian National Academy of Engineering and the American Mathematical Society. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards for his contributions to Engineering Sciences in 1992. He received the TWAS Prize of the World Academy of Sciences in 2009.

Biography
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research

Vivek S. Borkar, born on 19 September 1954 in the Indian state of Maharashtra, graduated in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay in 1976 and moved to the US where he pursued his master's studies in systems and control engineering at Case Western Reserve University to obtain an MS degree in 1977. Subsequently, he enrolled for doctoral studies at the University of California, Berkeley at the laboratory of Pravin Varaiya and secured a PhD for his thesis, Identification and Adaptive Control of Markov Chains, in 1980.

After his studies at University of California, Borkar moved to the Netherlands and worked as a visiting scientist at the University of Twente for one year. On his return to India in 1981, he joined the TIFR Centre for Applicable Mathematics, Bengaluru as a fellow where he stayed till his move to the Indian Institute of Science in 1989 as an assistant professor. He served IISc till 1999 and held the post of an associate professor at the time of his appointment at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) as a professor (Grade G). He held various ranks of professorship at TIFR such as grades H to I and on his superannuation in 2011 as a Distinguished Professor, he moved to his alma mater, IIT Mumbai, where he holds the position of a chair professor at the School of Technology and Computer Science.

Legacy
Andrei Andreyevich Markov, Russian mathematician known for his work on Stochastic processes

Borkar's researches were mainly in the fields of Stochastic control, Learning control theory and random processes and he is known to have introduced a new convex analytical paradigm based upon occupation measures. His work is reported to have assisted in bettering the understanding of Stochastic control issues and elucidated adaptive control schemes with regard to asymptotic optimality. He has worked on Distributed computation, Multiple timescales, Approximation and learning algorithms, Multiagent problems and Small noise limits and developed a protocol which used conditional version of importance sampling for the estimation of Markov chain averages; the scheme was later confirmed by a team of scientists from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His researches have been documented in several peer-reviewed articles;and Google Scholar, an online article repository of scientific articles has listed 373 of them. Besides, he has published 5 books viz. Optimal control of diffusion processes, Probability Theory: An Advanced Course, Stochastic Approximation: A Dynamical Systems Viewpoint, Hamiltonian Cycle Problem and Markov Chains and Ergodic Control of Diffusion Processes. He has also contributed chapters to several books edited by others and has delivered a number of invited or keynote addresses including the address on Control and Optimization at the International Congress of Mathematicians held in Madrid in August 2006 and the Lecture on Probability and Stochastic Processes XI organized by Indian Statistical Institute, Delhi in November 2016.

Borkar has been associated with several science journals as an editor or a member of their editorial boards which included SIAM Journal of Control and Optimization, Systems and Control Letters, Journal of Indian Institute of Science, Sadhana; Proceedings of Indian Academy of Sciences (Engineering Science), Applicationes Mathematicae of Polish Academy of Sciences and Indian Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematics He has served as a member of the executive committee of the Mumbai chapter of IEEE and has been an examiner for doctoral studies at University of Nice Sophia Antipolis.

Awards and honors

Three of Borkar's papers have won awards, starting with Best Transactions Paper Award of the IEEE Control Systems Society in 1982, followed by the Best Paper Award of Value Tools in 2008 and Best Paper Award of IFIP Wireless Days in 2009. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, one of the highest Indian science awards in 1992. He received the Distinguished Alumnus Award of the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai in 2000 and the Prasant Chandra Mahalanobis Medal of the Indian National Science Academy in 2008.[28] The World Academy of Sciences selected him for the TWAS Prize in 2009.

Borkar was elected as a fellow by the Indian Academy of Sciences in 1993 and he received the Homi Bhabha Fellowship in 1995. He became an elected fellow of the Indian National Science Academy in 1996 and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers followed suit in 2002. Two years later, the Indian National Academy of Engineers[8] and the National Academy of Sciences, India elected him as their fellow in 2004 and 2009 respectively; In between, he received the J. C. Bose National Fellowship of the Department of Science and Technology. The award orations delivered by Borkar include Abdi Memorial Lecture of Ramanujan Mathematical Society in 2006 and M. S. Huzurbazar Memorial Lecture of Bombay Mathematical Colloquium in 2012.
Dr. Vishweshwaraiah Prakash

FELLOW, ELECTED 1998

Born in Mysore, India on 23 November 1951. Educated at Yuvaraj's College, Mysore, B.Sc. 1970; CFTRI, Mysore, M.Sc. 1972, and Ph.D, University of Mysore, 1976; Post Doctoral at Brandeis University and Texas Medical Center, USA.

Former Director of CFTRI and Distinguished Scientist of CSIR and Currently Vice-President of International Union of Nutritional Sciences and President of International Society for Nutraceuticals, Nutritionals and Naturals, Chair, Board Member of IUFoST, 2019-2020.

Junior and Senior Research Fellow, (1972-76): Post-Doctoral Fellow, USA (1976-78): Pool Officer (CSIR), (1981-82), Scientist, Protein Technology Department, CFTRI, (1982-88); Scientist-in-charge Biophysical Chemistry Unit, CFTRI, (1988-93); Head, Department of Protein Chemistry and Technology, CFTRI (1993) and Director, Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore (1994-2011); Coordinator, United Nations University at CFTRI (1994-2011), President IAFoST (Canada) (2006-08); Distinguished Scientist CSIR, (2011-16); Council Member IUNS (2013-17), Vice President, International Union of Nutritional Sciences (2017-21), Board member of IUFoST (2019 -2020).

Awards/Honours: Golden Jubilee Award (University of Mysore), 1988; Sarma Memorial Award [SBC (1)], 1989; Laljee Godhoo Smarak Nidhi Award AFST (I), 1992; Shanthi Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, 1996; Karnataka Rajyotsava Award, 1996; 50th Anniversary of India's Independence Golden Jubilee Award, 1997; Prof. V. Subramanyan Industrial Achievement Award, AFST (I) 1999; CFTRI Best Alumnus Award, 1999; Soilendra Krishna Mitra Memorial Award, AIFPA (I) 2000; 38th BC Guha Memorial Lecture Award and Citation, Indian Science Congress, 2001; DuPont Protein Technologies International Award, 2001; FICCI Award in Life Sciences and Agriculture, 2001; Kashalkar Memorial Award, 2003; Padma Shri Award, 2004; CIFT 6th Golden Jubilee Commemorative Talk Award, 2007; NSI Nineteenth Srikantia Memorial Lecture Award, 2007; NFI C. Ramachandran Memorial Lecture Award 2007; Avinashilingam University of Women, Dr. Rajammal P. Devadas's Oration Lecture Award 2009; Life Time Achievement Award of KSTA, Government of Karnataka, 2012; IFT Certified Scientist from 2013; Life Time Achievement Award of IUFoST, Canada, 2014; Council Member of Global Harmonization Initiative, Chairman of India Region of EHEDG (European Hygienic Engineering Design Group); Executive Editor, Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, UK and Editorial Board of a number of leading Journals in the subject areas of Food Science, Nutritional Sciences, Nutraceuticals and Chemistry of Bioactives; President, Nutrition Society of India, 2008-2012; Former Council Member, Karnataka Science and Technology Academy, India and former Scientific Committee Member and Chairman of Nutra Panel at FSSAI, Government of India, New Delhi, Prof. D. Anjaneya Prasad Lifetime achievement award for Animal Nutritionist of India.

Fellow: Royal Society of Chemistry; Indian Academy of Sciences; Association of Food Scientist and Technologists; National Academy of Sciences, India; Indian National Academy of Engineering; Indian Academy of Social Sciences; Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), USA, 2008; International Academy of Food Science and Technology (Canada)

Research Areas: Food Chemistry, Enzymes and Proteins, Food and Nutrition, Food Biotechnology and Nutraceuticals and Food Policies and Prevention of Food Losses and Waste and Food Regulations and Food, Nutrition, Health and Wellness as an Integrated area overarching for Policy matters.

Address: No. 58, '5A' Main Road, Vontikoppal, Mysore 570002, Karnataka; [Tel: Cell: 9845048854; Email: prakashvish@gmail.com]

Member Executive Council 1 Jan, 2018

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