Roddam Narasimha

LIVING LEGENDS IN INDIAN SCIENCE Roddam Narasimha G. S. Bhat and K. R. Sreenivasan Professor Roddam Narasimha, known as hone mastery over a subject by returning are reprinted even today. While RN did ‘Roddam’ to his close colleagues and to it several times over, and the unspoken not learn much science directly from his ‘RN’ to his students, has been an out- moral authority he exerts on his col- father, the latter’s example and attitude – standing teacher1, a world-class res- leagues, are not easy to discern. The pub- scientifically modern, socially liberal and earcher2, a dynamic leader3, and a lic record of his service to the country is culturally conservative – seem to have builder of institutions4; while his profes- somewhat sporadic11. A few autobio- played a great role in shaping the young sional interests are primarily in fluid dy- graphical notes12 that exist shed only RN12. His mother, R. N. Leela Devi, did namics, they extend significantly to other modest light on his formative life and his not attend school beyond age ten, but she areas such as formal aspects of educa- involvement with Indian scientific enter- was well read and sophisticated: the tion5, philosophy6, history and history of prise. One hopes that a comprehensive prayers she taught her children to recite Indian science7, India’s nuclear policy account of all facets of his life and before bed time were for intelligence and and national security8, and others; and he endeavours will appear in the future. knowledge12. has dispensed advice and wisdom to the This short article cannot do full justice to RN studied at Acharya Pathashala, a highest circles in the country and his them and is only a partial account reputed private school in Bangalore13. opinion counted in the USA and Europe focussed on RN’s professional work with C. N. R. Rao also belonged to the same too9. The depth of his contributions to some account of his formative years, in class but studied in a different section. fluid dynamics, a subject that has occu- so far as the latter aids in understanding The school had excellent and dedicated pied his intellectual life from the start of the former. No attempt has been made to teachers, as was the norm those days, his career, is a matter of public record. list all the positions that he held or the despite their paltry salaries. Two books So is the fact that a topnotch research awards he received (those interested may effort has surrounded him for more than visit the webpage http://www.jncasr.ac. four decades without interruption10, no in/roddam/). As RN’s students, we are matter how many diversions were both conscious of the importance of pressed upon him. The rigour and class avoiding superlatives in this writing, and that he brings to his own research is beg the reader’s indulgence for those that much admired, as is his larger influence have crept in. The account is more or even on those who cross his path briefly. less chronological, but some important Altogether, his intellectual impact has and somewhat personalized qualifiers are been remarkable and extensive. provided in the end notes where we felt Yet, RN’s unpretentious style makes it free to express subjective views; they hard to appreciate the full extent of his should be read as part of the text. Two accomplishments without some personal brief overview sections, which are en- knowledge. His tenacity and tendency to tirely personal, are provided at the end. Formative years in Bangalore RN was born (20 July 1933) and grew up in Bangalore13, and sometimes spent summer vacations in his grandfather’s Young Roddam Narasimha. home, not far from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), with which he has been associated for six decades. Home and school environments influenced him pro- foundly12. His father, R. L. Narasim- haiya, was among the early graduates in science in the small town whence he came; he obtained a postgraduate degree from the University of Allahabad where the great Indian physicist Meghnad Saha taught. Returning to Bangalore after a Master’s degree (ca. 1930), his father taught in neighbourhood high schools before joining the Central College as K. Venkata Ramaiah, teacher at Acharya Parents: Smt. Leela Devi and Shri R. L. Physics Professor. He wrote extensively Pathashala who taught RN the impor- Narasimhaiya. on science in Kannada, some of which tance of writing – briefly and honestly. CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 107, NO. 2, 25 JULY 2014 297 LIVING LEGENDS IN INDIAN SCIENCE he received from one of his teachers a tie. This tradition was broken by Satish ordinary camera: Experiments were con- (B. L. Ashwathanarayana Rao) influen- Dhawan who joined the Department of ducted at night, a film roll was manually ced him greatly: Lives of Great Scientists Aeronautical Engineering in 1951 after pulled at constant speed in front of a opened his eyes to the intellectual world obtaining his Ph D from the California camera with an open shutter and deve- of Western science and the Kannada Institute of Technology (Caltech). loped later in a dark room. Hot wires15 trans-creation of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Dhawan was informal and freely inter- were not available in India, and letters Wonderland ignited his imagination. An acted with students and machinists alike from Anatol Roshko, who worked at Cal- event of huge impact was the visit by the (though he became more distant as re- tech, came with a few almost invisible late C. V. Raman, Nobel Laureate and sponsibilities grew), but was extremely wires pasted on their back for use in the biggest name of that day in Indian serious about his work. He built three Bangalore. His two papers on laminar- science. Raman’s speech had an electri- wind tunnels including a small super- turbulent transition16,17, the latter of fying effect on RN who, for a time, con- sonic tunnel for research and demonstra- which was co-authored with Dhawan, are sidered studying physics at college; but tion to students. RN liked the depth of still among the most influential fluid socio-political circumstances of the ideas in fluid mechanics in spite of the dynamics papers to have come from recently independent India eventually led commonness of its occurrences and Bangalore. He has returned to this topic him to pursue a Mechanical Engineering chose to work with Dhawan for the Asso- multiple times; for example, see end- degree from the University of Mysore. ciates thesis. As stated in his autobio- notes and ref. 18. During those undergraduate days, he graphical essay12, he learnt from Dhawan happened to visit IISc on an Open Day, how to do research without being sty- when the institute labs were open to the mied by lack of equipment. For example, Maturing at Caltech public (this tradition continues to this RN found a way to photograph the oscil- day). He saw Spitfire aircraft of World loscope display time series using an Foreign professors and department War II vintage (loaned for the occasion Chairmen at IISc left the country in mid- by the Indian Air Force), standing in the 1950s. Tietjens returned to Germany in quadrangle of the Department of Aero- 1954. Before leaving, he advised RN to nautical Engineering. It was love at first pursue Ph D either at Gottingen or at sight: he was so fascinated by the overall Caltech, but Dhawan preferred Caltech design of the aircraft and the complex and RN went there in 1957. California technology that made it fly that he was very modern even by US standards decided to study aeronautics after his un- in those days and it was a different world dergraduate degree. Despite the discour- for a vegetarian young man from Banga- aging advice he got from a senior person lore. Thanks to a few Indians who were in the field, his father’s encouragement already at Caltech (including Rao enabled him to pursue his dream12. Valluri and Krish Karamchetty), he set- RN joined the Department of Aeronau- tled down soon enough. For his doctoral tical Engineering at IISc for a Diploma thesis, RN started working on aero- in 1953 and followed it with Associates acoustics under the guidance of Hans 19 degree. The Chairman of the department, Liepmann (who was also Dhawan’s O. G. Tietjens, was a student of Ludwig advisor). RN set up a facility (almost 14 single-handedly) for measuring jet Prandtl . Tietjens was inaccessible to students directly but taught a fluid me- noise in an anechoic chamber, and the chanics course regularly, always stress- RN with D. Balasubramanian and C. N. R. findings were published with Mollo- 20 ing basics and depth of understanding, Rao. Christensen . rather than overwhelming students by the breadth of topics that could be covered. The atmosphere on the campus was very formal then – professors drove to the department and were rarely seen without RN with his Caltech colleagues. From left to right: Anatol Roshko, Gary Brown and Hans RN with Satish Dhawan. Liepmann. 298 CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 107, NO. 2, 25 JULY 2014 LIVING LEGENDS IN INDIAN SCIENCE The Advisor felt that thesis would be research that could be done in Bangalore this effort were convective clouds. While done soon but the Student was not satis- with the facilities available or could be there was a plethora of past studies on fied: Liepmann had designed a nozzle for built locally. In a few years’ time there cloud microphysics (dealing with how measuring flow rates from the continuum was a group of outstanding students and cloud droplets form and grow), cloud to molecular limit, and RN began to assistants who quickly became experts in dynamics remained poorly understood, develop a theory using the Boltzmann their subjects.

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