Some Leaders Who Helped Shape Science in India and Who Left Us Recently
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
SOME LEADERS WHO HELPED SHAPE SCIENCE IN INDIA AND WHO LEFT US RECENTLY Prof. K. VijayRaghavan Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India HE COVID-19 pandemic has Mitra, and Dr Shailja Vaidya Gupta for Prof. Shashikumar wreaked havoc in India and all the concept and content. Madhusudan Chitre over the world. Many scientists The Prime Minister Shri Narendra T (7 May 1936-11 January 2021) passed away in 2020 and 2021; some Modi, when he addressed the nation due to COVID-19 complications and during Mann Ki Baat on National some due to other causes. When we Science Day 2021 said: Prof. Shashikumar Madhusudan lose people in our communities, we Chitre, known as Kumar Chitre to his always meet to share memories and friends, was born in Bandra, Mumbai to grieve. This pandemic has not only “The way we know of other (then Bombay) in 1936. He did his killed many but has also disrupted our scientists of the world, in the schooling in Mumbai itself and went to grieving and mourning and made these same way, we should also obtain a B.A. in Mathematics from the a remote exercise. We should not let know about the scientists of Elphinstone College, Mumbai, in 1956. this de-humanising of interactions — India... I definitely would He then won the Duke of Edinburgh a compulsion of the times — become want that our youth know, Scholarship to study at Cambridge, St. the new normal. It is important that understand and read a lot Peter’s College (Peterhouse) where he we remember each of these lives and about the history of science obtained the Mathematical Tripos in celebrate them while mourning their of India; about our scientists 1959. While at Peterhouse, he wrote departure and being supportive of as well.” an essay on “Why are sunspots dark?” family and friends. It is in that spirit that for his final Tripos. Reading this, Fred this collection — not comprehensive, Hoyle suggested he develop this into a not complete — is to be viewed. Here are a few who left us but not PhD thesis and this earmarked a life- I would like to acknowledge the before they gave us lessons, we will live long affair with the Sun. For his PhD, support and efforts of my colleagues by and not without leaving an impact on he moved to Churchill College and was Dr H.S. Sudhira, Gubbilabs, Dr Siuli the global scientific community. neighbours with Stephen Hawking. August 2021 | Science Reporter | 9 eldest son of RL Narasimhaiah and ‘Kumar’ Chitre was a scholar, scientist, and a thoughtful colleague. There Leelavati. His father was a professor in was, and still is, collegiality, and only a modest level of hierarchy at the [Tata Physics at Bengaluru’s Central College Institute of Fundamental Research] and, much interaction over tea, across and among one of the early science disciplines. Kumar nucleated these with his understated wit and insights. communicators in Kannada. His father At a personal level, I owe him a lot. My Molecular Biology Unit PhD had a significant influence on Roddam. interview, which had him on the panel, focused on fluid mechanics, of which His younger brother, Prof. RR Simha I had a very modest understanding; and not on biology, of which I had no was a mathematician and a faculty at training, poor knowledge, and no understanding. TIFR, Mumbai. He is also known My fortuitous entry into TIFR, a scientific paradise, a biology questioner for his work on Simha – Narasimhan would not have permitted, was facilitated by this gentle and understanding measures on Riemann surfaces. interviewer… A big loss. Narasimha studied in Acharya - Prof. K. VijayRaghavan tweeted Pathashala, Bengaluru, the same school where Prof. CNR Rao also studied as batchmates. He later went on to obtain a Bachelor of Engineering degree His PhD thesis was on the structure of his group was in the mapping of in Mechanical Engineering from the Sunspots with Fred Hoyle. differential rotation of the solar interior University Visvesvaraya College of Chitre then worked as a Lecturer and the measurement of heavy element Engineering in Bengaluru. After his at the University of Leeds and then abundances in the solar interior. He was graduation, he was initially unsure and went to Caltech for his post-doctoral also interested in gravitational lensing one visit to IISc (then, Tata Institute) research. While at Caltech, a meeting and carried out studies through his changed the course of his life. When with S.K. Bhattacharjee, a nuclear students. During his research career, he visited for the first time, he was physicist from TIFR, resulted in him he collaborated with his colleagues at mesmerized with the Spitfire aircraft applying to TIFR for a position in TIFR and abroad as well. that was on display in front of the 1966, the year when Homi Bhabha had After his retirement at TIFR as a Department of Aerospace at IISc, which passed away in an accident. However, Senior Professor in 2001, he shifted Prof. MGK Menon, the Director of his focus to science communication TIFR then, offered him a position and and outreach. He was instrumental in Chitre came back to Mumbai in 1967 to setting up the Centre for Excellence spend the rest of his life. in Basic Sciences, for which he was During his career at TIFR, the Academic Chairperson, until his he primarily worked on the demise. Chitre received numerous magnetohydrodynamics of the Sun. honours during his vast career. He was One of the major contributions from a Fellow of the Third World Academy of Sciences, Royal Astronomical Society, and all three Indian science academies. He also served as the President of the Astronomical Society of India. He was also awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2012. Chitre also served 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. Prof. Roddam Narasimha (20 July 1933-14 December 2020) helped him to resolve his decision to pursue studies at IISc. He obtained a Prof. Roddam Narasimha was an Master's (then, Diploma) in 1955 and eminent scientist who worked on worked under Prof. Satish Dhawan. On aerospace and particularly on fluid Prof. Dhawan’s insistence, he went to dynamics. He was also referred to as Caltech to pursue his doctoral research Roddam in professional circles and under Hans Liepmann, which he Simha in family circles. He was the obtained in 1961. He returned to IISc 10 | Science Reporter | August 2021 “Deeply pained by the demise of noted aerospace scientist Prof. Roddam holding several positions including Narasimha today who contributed immensely to space technology. His that of the Director during 1980-1997. research in parallel processing, aerospace electronics, surface technologies, She has also contributed her efforts and computational fluid dynamics, leadership at National Aerospace as a member of many national and Laboratories, and policy contributions to aerospace technology proved to international committees. be the stepping-stones to make India self-reliant in civil aviation. Indian Dr Shanta was born on 11 March science is indebted for his remarkable contributions to many of India’s 1927, in Chennai in an illustrious major scientific programs from issues of climate change, the design and family that boasted of two Nobel development of civilian aircraft programs, and of the Light Combat Aircraft, Laureates, C.V. Raman (grand uncle) Tejas. His passing away creates a void in the scientific community globally and S. Chandrasekar (uncle). She and in India.” studied at the National Girls High School, Chennai. Completing her pre- - Prof. K. VijayRaghavan wrote in his obituary for Prof. Narasimha university course at Presidency College in Madras, India, Dr Shanta went on in 1962 as a faculty that he remained Dr V. Shanta to pursue her ambition to become a until his retirement in 1999. While at doctor. She then graduated in MBBS (11 March 1927-19 January 2021) IISc, he was instrumental in setting up in 1949, and MD in obstetrics and the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences gynaecology in 1955. A chance meeting Dr V. Shanta was an Indian oncologist (now, Centre for Atmospheric and during her last year of MBBS drew her well known for her efforts in making Oceanic Sciences) in the early 1980s. towards cancer. But the key moment cancer treatment affordable. She was the His interest in the atmosphere, and was when Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy, chairperson of Adyar Cancer Institute, more particularly the monsoon and the first woman house surgeon in India, Chennai. She has been associated with clouds, continued to drive his research set up the cancer centre in Chennai. the Adyar Cancer Institute since 1955, interests till his final years. She was looking for a medical officer While being the Professor at IISc, and Dr Shanta jumped in. he served as the Director of CSIR- And the rest is history. National Aerospace Laboratories Dr Shanta dedicated all (NAL) on deputation from 1984-1993. her life at the Cancer Post his retirement from IISc, he Institute to support served as the Director of the National cancer patients, studying Institute of Advanced Studies until the disease, its detection, 2004. He was then affiliated with the and its treatment. Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Dr Shanta was Scientific Research (JNCASR), where elected as a fellow of he continued his research. During all the National Academy these years, he published extensively. of Medical Sciences. He also served as a visiting faculty and She has received several held various positions during his career. accolades in recognition While at the CSIR-National for her work including Aerospace Laboratories, he was the Magsaysay Award instrumental in setting up of a parallel (2005) and Padma computing system, which was not Vibhushan (2016).