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February 2013 Cover English.CDR R.N. 70269/98 Postal Registration No.: DL-SW-1/4082/12-14 ISSN : 0972-169X Date of posting: 26-27 of advance month Date of publication: 24 of advance month February 2013 Vol. 15 No. 5 Rs. 5.00 Ramanujan's legacy: Another cryptic clue of Ramanujan solved Editorial: Renewed impetus for 31 Science and Technology Initiative in India Anna Modayil Mani: A Visionary 30 Scientist with Boundless Energy Ramanujan's legacy: Another 27 cryptic clue of Ramanujan solved Water and Biodiversity: 25 Two sides of the same coin Ways to Win Over 23 Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia Recent developments 21 in science and technology VP News 18 Editorial Renewed impetus for Science and Technology Initiative in India Dr. R. Gopichandran he hallmark of success of the 100th Indian Science scientific progress voiced by other leaders too, from TCongress was the inclusive approach announced across the country. The latter was evident through the through India’s most recent Science Technology and interactions organised by the Indian Science Congress Innovation Policy. Importantly, it appears to have Association at more than a score of locations across generated significant enthusiasm in the hearts of India. A special publication on 21 women scientists, researchers in our country. Innovation receives a specific released at the inaugural of the conference, highlighted highlight, aligned with India’s efforts to consolidate the convergence and mainstreaming of equity and her position through a strategic knowledge niche that gender balance considerations, central to sustainable will enable locally relevant and feasible action with development. implications for quality of life; much as she marches The Science, Technology and Innovation Policy ahead through the present decade and onwards. of our country has therefore set the context for The policy statement reflects renewed rigour inclusive action so that the science and technology for technical and institutional support in the form of fraternity can deliver value added and strategically additional institutions for focussed research that will be in important services for the benefit of her people. response to the felt needs for scientific and technological The Indian Science Congress also saw an attractive, support in various sections in our country. The fact educative and focussed display of all institutions of that a 100 years of scientific pursuit has progressed the Department of Science and Technology through through various phases of knowledge consolidation and a snapshot exhibition. This was truly inspiring. The leadership in traditional, and emerging areas of research way forward should actually see synergies and targeted and development, signifies India’s spread and depth of human resources and institutional development preparedness to suitably adapt and evolve in the present initiatives with awareness as a forerunner to appropriate milieu. capacity building and applications. There is space for Hundreds of scientists including six Nobel all institutions to deliver through mutually reinforcing laureates, decisions makers from governments and cooperation. This coming together has to be guided by students converged at the 100th Indian Science a logical framework that suitably integrates empirical Congress. The fact that the President and the Prime evidences of needs and impacts. minister launched the deliberations, amply resonated with the spirit of the call for value added research and Email: [email protected] n Editor : Subodh Mahanti Vigyan Prasar is not responsible for the statements/opinions Associate editor : Rintu Nath expressed and photographs used by the authors in their articles/ write-ups published in “Dream 2047” Production : Manish Mohan Gore and Pradeep Kumar Articles, excerpts from articles published in “Dream 2047” may Distribution : Harish Goyal be freely reproduced with due acknowledgement/credit, provided Expert member : Biman Basu periodicals in which they are reproduced are distributed free. Address for Vigyan Prasar, C-24, Published and Printed by Dr. Subodh Mahanti on behalf of correspondence : Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi-110 016 Vigyan Prasar, C-24, Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi - Tel : 011-26967532; Fax : 0120-2404437 110 016 and Printed at Aravali Printers & Publishers Pvt. Ltd., e-mail : [email protected] W-30, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase-II, New Delhi-110 020 website : http://www.vigyanprasar.gov.in Phone: 011-26388830-32. 31 Dream 2047, February 2013, Vol. 15 No. 5 Anna Modayil Mani A Visionary Scientist with Dr. Subodh Mahanti Boundless Energy E-mail: [email protected] “It was to her (Anna Mani’s) credit that India was among the five countries in the world to have its ozonesondes. The data collected by the Indian ozonesonde over two decades enabled a clear picture of the seasonal and geographical variation of ozone in the upper atmosphere over the tropics. She helped to publish a number of papers on the ozone climatology over the tropics in reputed journals.” C. R. Sreedharan in Resonance, November 2008 “Her (Anna Mani’s) formative years were spent engrossed in books. By the age of eight, she had read almost all the books in Malayalam and, by the time she was twelve, all the books in English at the public library. On her eighth birthday, she declined to accept her family’s customary gift of a set of diamond earrings, opting instead for a set of Encyclopedia Britannica. The world of books opened her mind to new ideas and imbued in her a deep sense of social justice.” Abha Sur in Resonance, November 2008 “In the 1950’s when Homi Bhabha was setting up the infrastructure for atomic energy Anna Mani’s feminist sensibilities were searching for solar and wind energy. Mani made sterling contributions to the development of meteorology in Independent India. Arvind Gupta in Bright Sparks: Inspiring Indian Scientists from the Past, 2009 nna Modayil Mani (commonly known developed an avid interest in reading in her Aas Anna Mani) is one of the most childhood. distinguished Indian scientists. She greatly In 1939, she obtained her BSc contributed to India’s self-sufficiency in (Honours) degree in Physics and Chemistry meteorological instruments. On realising the from the Madras Presidency College. She potential of solar energy as an alternate source got a scholarship for graduate studies in of energy for a tropical country like India she the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in took upon herself the task of generating data Bengaluru. Anna Mani started working on seasonal and geographical distribution for her PhD degree under the supervision of solar energy in India. She worked on a of C.V. Raman at the IISc. She worked on number of projects for harnessing wind the spectroscopy of diamonds and rubies. energy. Much before the role of ozone She conducted elaborate and painstaking in shielding all life forms on Earth was experiments and often spent long hours in understood, Anna Mani started working on the laboratory, stretching to late in the night. atmospheric ozone. In recognition of Anna Commenting on the work done in Raman’s Mani’s phenomenal contribution to ozone laboratory, Abha Sur, a science historian studies, she was made a member of the at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, International Ozone Commission. Anna Mani wrote: “Anna Mani recorded and analysed Anna Mani was greatly influenced fluorescence, absorption and Raman spectra by the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi who She had friends from all walks of life all over of 32 diamonds. She studied temperature led the India’s freedom struggle. She wore the world. She was a good communicator dependence and polarisation effects in khadi all her life. She is regarded an early and made conscious effort to keep with her these spectra…Between 1942 and 1945 she feminist. Describing her personal attributes friends.” She did not marry and devoted her published five single-authored papers on C.R. Sreedharan of India Meteorological to pursuit of scientific studies. luminescence of diamonds and ruby.” Department (IMD), Pune, wrote: “Although Anna Mani was born on 23 August Anna Mani submitted her PhD she belonged to an ancient Christian 1918 in a wealthy family in Peermedu in dissertation to the Madras University, as Church, she was an agnostic. She never Kerala, then part of the state of Travancore. in those days it was the Madras University distinguished between people of different She was the seventh of eight children of her which formally granted degrees to the faiths. Nature was her passion. She loved parents. Her father was a successful civil research students working at the IISC. going to mountains, to the sea, enjoyed engineer and an owner of cardamom estates. However, she never got the PhD degree. bird-watching, reading, and listening to Unlike her other sisters, who got married The reason for not awarding her a PhD music. She was emotional and sensitive to early as it was the custom in those days, degree had nothing to do with the quality the sufferings of others. She loved dogs and Anna Mani decided to pursue higher studies. of her work. The university took a view that always used to keep one or two with her. In this respect she followed her brothers. She she did not qualify for PhD degree as she Dream 2047, February 2013, Vol. 15 No. 5 30 History of Science did not have an MSc degree. people were not to be found of Anna Mani’s notable contribution to Commenting on the Madras in the country. In those days radiation measurements in the tropics she University’s decision Abha even simple meteorological was made Chairperson of the CIMO (The Sur wrote: “They (the Madras instruments like barometers Commission for Instruments and Methods of University authorities) chose and thermometers were Observations) Working Group on radiation to overlook that Anna Mani imported. Not much could instruments. She also became a Member of had graduated with honours be expected from the private the International Radiation Commission.
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