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ENGLISH => History => Topic started by: MysteRy on May 08, 2012, 09:33:29 AM

Title: ~ Biographies Of Indian Scientists ~
Post by: MysteRy on May 08, 2012, 09:33:29 AM

Indian scientists have played a stellar role in the development of India. In the short span of its post-independence history India has achieved several great scientific achievements. Indian scientists have proved their mettle in the face of international sanctions and have made India one of the scientific powerhouses of the world. Here is a brief profile of famous Indian scientists.


C.V. Raman Biography

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Born: November 7, 1888
Died: November 21, 1970
Achievements: He was the first Indian scholar who studied wholly in India received the Nobel Prize.

C.V. Raman is one of the most renowned scientists produced by India. His full name was Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman. For his pioneering work on scattering of light, C.V. Raman won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1930.

Chandrashekhara Venkata Raman was born on November 7, 1888 in Tiruchinapalli, Tamil Nadu. He was the second child of Chandrasekhar Iyer and Parvathi Amma. His father was a lecturer in mathematics and physics, so he had an academic atmosphere at home. He entered Presidency College, Madras, in 1902, and in 1904 passed his B.A. examination, winning the first place and the gold medal in physics. In 1907, C.V. Raman passed his M.A. obtaining the highest distinctions.

During those times there were not many opportunities for scientists in India. Therefore, Raman joined the Indian Finance Department in 1907. After his office hours, he carried out his experimental research in the laboratory of the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science at Calcutta. He carried out research in acoustics and optics.

In 1917, Raman was offered the position of Sir Taraknath Palit Professorship of Physics at Calcutta University. He stayed there for the next fifteen years. During his tenure there, he received world wide recognition for his work in optics and scattering of light. He was elected to the Royal Society of London in 1924 and the British made him a knight of the British Empire in 1929. In 1930, Sir C.V. Raman was awarded with Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on scattering of light. The discovery was later christened as "Raman Effect".

In 1934, C.V. Raman became the director of the newly established Indian Institute of Sciences in Bangalore, where two years later he continued as a professor of physics. Other investigations carried out by Raman were: his experimental and theoretical studies on the diffraction of light by acoustic waves of ultrasonic and hypersonic frequencies (published 1934-1942), and those on the effects produced by X-rays on infrared vibrations in crystals exposed to ordinary light. In 1947, he was appointed as the first National Professor by the new government of Independent India. He retired from the Indian Institute in 1948 and a year later he established the Raman Research Institute in Bangalore, where he worked till his death.

Sir C.V. Raman died on November 21, 1970.

Title: Re: ~ Biographies Of Indian Scientists ~
Post by: MysteRy on May 08, 2012, 09:41:29 AM

Homi Bhabha Biography

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Born: October 30, 1909
Died: January 24, 1966
Achievements: Founded Tata Institute of Fundamental Research; was the first chairman of India's Atomic Energy Commission;was chairman of the first United Nations Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy, held in Geneva in 1955.

Homi Bhabha, whose full name was Homi Jehnagir Bhabha, was a famous Indian atomic scientist. In Independent India, Homi Jehnagir Bhabha, with the support of Jawaharlal Nehru, laid the foundation of a scientific establishment and was responsible for the creation of two premier institutions, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research and Bhabha Atomic Research Centre. Homi Bhabha was the first chairman of India's Atomic Energy Commission.

Homi Jehangir Bhabha was born on October 30, 1909, in Bombay in a rich Parsi family. After graduating from Elphinstone College and the Royal Institute of Science in Bombay, he went to Cambridge University. He received his doctorate in 1934. During this period he worked with Niels Bohr on the studies that led to quantum theory. Homi Jehnagir Bhabha also worked with Walter Heitler on the cascade theory of electron showers, which was of great importance for the understanding of cosmic radiation. He did significant work in identifying the meson.

Due to outbreak of Second World War, Homi Jehangir Bhabha, returned to India in 1939. He set up the Cosmic Ray Research Unit at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore under C. V. Raman in 1939. With the help of J.R.D. Tata, he established the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research at Mumbai. In 1945, he became director of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research.

Apart from being a great scientist, Homi Bhabha, was also a skilled administrator. After independence he received the blessings of Jawaharlal Nehru for peaceful development of atomic energy. He established the Atomic Energy Commission of India in 1948. Under his guidance Indian scientists worked on the development of atomic energy, and the first atomic reactor in Asia went into operation at Trombay, near Bombay, in 1956.

Homi Bhabha was chairman of the first United Nations Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy, held in Geneva in 1955. He advocated international control of nuclear energy and the outlawing of atomic bombs by all countries. He wanted nuclear energy to be used for alleviating poverty and misery of people.

Homi Bhabha received many honorary degrees from Indian and foreign universities and was a member of numerous scientific societies, including the National Academy of Sciences in the United States. He also authored many articles on quantum theory and cosmic rays. Homi Bhabha died in an aeroplane crash in Switzerland on January 24, 1966.

Title: Re: ~ Biographies Of Indian Scientists ~
Post by: MysteRy on May 08, 2012, 09:49:34 AM

Jagdish Chandra Bose Biography

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Born: November 30, 1858
Died: November 23, 1937
Achievements: He was the first to prove that plants too have feelings. He invented wireless telegraphy a year before Marconi patented his invention.

Jagdish Chandra Bose was an eminent Indian scientist. He was the first to prove that plants and metals too have feelings.

Jagdish Chandra Bose was born on November 30, 1858 in Mymensingh (now in Bangladesh). His father Bhagabanchandra Bose was a Deputy Magistrate. Jagadish Chandra Bose had his early education in village school in Bengal medium. In 1869, Jagadish Chandra Bose was sent to Calcutta to learn English and was educated at St.Xavier's School and College. He was a brilliant student. He passed the B.A. in physical sciences in 1879.

In 1880, Jagdishchandra Bose went to England. He studied medicine at London University, England, for a year but gave it up because of his own ill health. Within a year he moved to Cambridge to take up a scholarship to study Natural Science at Christ's College Cambridge. In 1885, he returned from abroad with a B.Sc. degree and Natural Science Tripos (a special course of study at Cambridge).

After his return Jagadish Chandra Bose, was offered lectureship at Presidency College, Calcutta on a salary half that of his English colleagues. He accepted the job but refused to draw his salary in protest. After three years the college ultimately conceded his demand and Jagdish Chandra Bose was paid full salary from the date he joined the college. As a teacher Jagdish Chandra Bose was very popular and engaged the interest of his students by making extensive use of scientific demonstrations. Many of his students at the Presidency College were destined to become famous in their own right. These included Satyendra Nath Bose and Meghnad Saha.

In 1894, Jagadish Chandra Bose decided to devote himself to pure research. He converted a small enclosure adjoining a bathroom in the Presidency College into a laboratory. He carried out experiments involving refraction, diffraction and polarization. It would not be wrong to call him as the inventor of wireless telegraphy. In 1895, a year before Guglielmo Marconi patented this invention, he had demonstrated its functioning in public.

Jagdish Chandra Bose later switched from physics to the study of metals and then plants. He fabricated a highly sensitive "coherer", the device that detects radio waves. He found that the sensitivity of the coherer decreased when it was used continuously for a long period and it regained its sensitivity when he gave the device some rest. He thus concluded that metals have feelings and memory.

Jagdish Chandra Bose showed experimentally plants too have life. He invented an instrument to record the pulse of plants and connected it to a plant. The plant, with its roots, was carefully picked up and dipped up to its stem in a vessel containing bromide, a poison. The plant's pulse beat, which the instrument recorded as a steady to-and-fro movement like the pendulum of a clock, began to grow unsteady. Soon, the spot vibrated violently and then came to a sudden stop. The plant had died because of poison.

Although Jagdish Chandra Bose did invaluable work in Science, his work was recognized in the country only when the Western world recognized its importance. He founded the Bose Institute at Calcutta, devoted mainly to the study of plants. Today, the Institute carries research on other fields too.

Jagdish Chandra Bose died on November 23, 1937.

Title: Re: ~ Biographies Of Indian Scientists ~
Post by: MysteRy on May 08, 2012, 09:52:48 AM

Meghnad Saha Biography

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Born: October 6, 1893
Died: February 16, 1956
Achievements: Made outstanding contribution to the field of Astrophysics. He put forward an "ionization formula" which explained the presence of the spectral lines.

Meghnad Saha was an outstanding Indian scientist. He made remarkable contribution to the field of Astrophysics.

Meghnad Saha was born on October 6, 1893 in Sheoratali, a village in the District of Dacca, now in Bangladesh. He was the fifth child of his parents, Sri Jagannath Saha and Smt. Bhubaneshwari Devi. His father was a grocer in the village. Meghnad Saha had his early schooling in the primary school of the village. As his family could hardly able to make both ends meet, Meghnad Saha managed to pursue his schooling only due to the generosity of a local medical practitioner, Ananta Kumar Das, who provided him with boarding and lodging in his house.

In 1905, British Government took the decision of partition of Bengal. There was great political unrest in Bengal as popular opinion was against the partition. Sir Bampfylde Fuller was governor of East Bengal at that time. One day he came to visit the Collegiate school. Meghnad Saha along with other students boycotted his visit. As a result he was suspended from the school and his scholarship was terminated. He took admission in the Kishorilal Jubili School and passed the Entrance Examination of the Calcutta University in 1909, standing first among the student from East Bengal obtaining the highest marks in languages (English, Bengali and Sanskrit combined) and in Mathematics. In 1911, he ranked third in the ISc exam while the first position went to another great scientist Satyendranath Bose.

Meghnad Saha took admission in Presidency College Calcutta. In 1913 he graduated from Presidency College with Mathematics major and got the second rank in the University of Calcutta while the first one was taken by S.N. Bose. In 1915, both S.N.Bose and Meghnad Saha ranked first in M.Sc. exam, Meghnad Saha in Applied Mathematics and S.N. Bose in Pure Mathematics.

While studying in Presidency College, Meghnad got involved with Anushilan Samiti to take part in freedom fighting movement. He also came in contact with nationalists like Subhash Chandra Bose and Rajendra Prasad.

In 1917, Meghnad Saha joined as lecturer at the newly opened University College of Science in Calcutta. He taught Quantum Physics. Along with S.N. Bose, he translated the papers published in German by Einstein and Minkowski on relativity into English versions. In 1919, American Astrophysical Journal published - "On Selective Radiation Pressure and it's application" - a research paper by Meghnad Saha. He put forward an "ionization formula" which explained the presence of the spectral lines. The formula proved to be a breakthrough in astrophysics. He went abroad and stayed for two years. He spent time in research at Imperial College, London and at a research laboratory in Germany. In 1927, Meghnad Saha was elected as a fellow of London's Royal Society.

Meghnad Saha moved to Allahabad and in 1932 Uttar Pradesh Academy of Science was established. He returned to Science College, Calcutta in 1938. During this time Saha got interested in Nuclear Physics. In 1947, he established Institute of Nuclear Physics which later was named after him as Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics. He took the first effort to include Nuclear Physics in the curriculum of higher studies of science. Having seen cyclotrons used for research in nuclear physics abroad, he ordered one to be installed in the institute. In 1950, India had its first cyclotron in operation.

In 1952 he stood as an independent candidate for Parliament and was elected by a wide margin. He died on February 16, 1956 due to a heart attack.

Title: Re: ~ Biographies Of Indian Scientists ~
Post by: MysteRy on May 08, 2012, 10:02:40 AM

M. Visvesvaraya Biography

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Born: September 15, 1860
Died: April 14, 1962
Achievements: Architect of Krishnarajasagar Dam; devised steel doors to stop the wasteful flow of water in dams; honored with Bharat Ratna.

Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya was an eminent engineer and statesman and played a key role in building of modern India.

Sir M. Visvesvaraya was born on September 15, 1860 in Muddenahalli village in the Kolar district of the erstwhile princely state of Mysore (present day Karnataka). His father Srinivasa Sastry was a Sanskrit scholar and Ayurvedic practitioner. His mother Venkachamma was a religious lady. He lost his father when he was only 15 years old.

Visvesvaraya completed his early education in Chikkaballapur and then went to Bangalore for higher education. He cleared his B.A. Examination in 1881. He got some assistance from the Government of Mysore and joined the Science College in Poona to study Engineering. In 1883 he ranked first in the L.C.E. and the F.C.E. Examinations (equivalent to B.E. Examination of today).

When Sir M. Visvesvaraya cleared his engineering, Government of Bombay offered him a job and appointed him Assistant Engineer at Nasik. As an engineer, he achieved some marvelous feats. He planned a way of supplying water from the river Sindhu to a town called Sukkur. He devised a new irrigation system called the Block System. He devised steel doors to stop the wasteful flow of water in dams. He was the architect of the Krishnaraja Sagara dam in Mysore. The list is endless.

Sir M. Visvesvaraya lead a very simple life. He was a strict vegetarian and a teetotaler. He was known for his honesty and integrity. In 1912, Maharaja of Mysore appointed Visvesvaraya as his Dewan. Before accepting the position of Dewan of Mysore, he invited all his relatives for dinner. He told them very clearly that he would accept the prestigious office on the condition that none of them would approach him for favours. As Dewan of Mysore, he worked tirelessly for educational and industrial development of the state. When he was the Dewan many new industries came up. The Sandal Oil Factory, the Soap Factory, the Metals Factory, the Chrome Tanning Factory , were some of them. Of the many factories he started the most important is the Bhadravati Iron and Steel Works.

Sir M. Visvesvaraya voluntarily retired as Dewan of Mysore in 1918. He worked actively even after his retirement. Sir M. Visvesvaraya was honored with Bharat Ratna in 1955 for his invaluable contribution to the nation. When he reached the age of 100, the Government of India brought out a stamp in his honor. Sir Visvesvaraya passed away on April 14, 1962 at the age of 101.

Some of the honours and laurels conferred on Sir M. Visvesvaraya

1904: Honorary Membership of London Institution of Civil Engineers for an unbroken period of 50 years
1906: "Kaisar-i-Hind" in recognition of his services
1911: C.I.E. (Companion of the Indian Empire) at the Delhi Darbar
1915: K.C.I.E. (Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire)
1921: D.Sc. - Calcutta University
1931: LLD - Bombay University
1937: D.Litt - Benaras Hindu University
1943: Elected as an Honorary Life Member of the Institution of Engineers (India)
1944: D.Sc. - Allahabad University
1948: Doctorate - LLD., Mysore University
1953: D.Litt - Andhra University
1953: Awarded the Honorary Fellowship of the Institute of Town Planners, India
1955: Conferred ' BHARATHA RATNA'
1958: 'Durga Prasad Khaitan Memorial Gold Medal' by the Royal Asiatic Society Council of Bengal
1959: Fellowship of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore

Title: Re: ~ Biographies Of Indian Scientists ~
Post by: MysteRy on May 08, 2012, 10:13:14 AM

Satyendra Nath Bose Biography

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Born: January 1, 1894
Died: February 4, 1974
Achievements: Famous for "Bose-Einstein Theory". A subatomic particle Boson has been named after him. Honored with "Padma Bhushan".

Satyendra Nath Bose was an outstanding Indian physicist. He is known for his work in Quantum Physics. He is famous for "Bose-Einstein Theory" and a kind of particle in atom has been named after his name as Boson.

Satyendranath Bose was born on January 1, 1894 in Calcutta. His father Surendranath Bose was employed in the Engineering Department of the East India Railway. Satyendranath was the eldest of his seven children.

Satyendra Nath Bose had his schooling from Hindu High School in Calcutta. He was a brilliant student. He passed the ISc in 1911 from the Presidency College, Calcutta securing the first position. Satyendra Nath Bose did his BSc in Mathematics from the Presidency College in 1913 and MSc in Mixed Mathematics in 1915 from the same college. He topped the university in BSc. and MSc. Exams.

In 1916, the Calcutta University started M.Sc. classes in Modern Mathematics and Modern Physics. S.N. Bose started his career in 1916 as a Lecturer in Physics in Calcutta University. He served here from 1916 to 1921. He joined the newly established Dhaka University in 1921 as a Reader in the Department of Physics. In 1924, Satyendra Nath Bose published an article titled Max Planck's Law and Light Quantum Hypothesis. This article was sent to Albert Einstein. Einstein appreciated it so much that he himself translated it into German and sent it for publication to a famous periodical in Germany - 'Zeitschrift fur Physik'. The hypothesis received a great attention and was highly appreciated by the scientists. It became famous to the scientists as 'Bose-Einstein Theory'.

In 1926, Satyendra Nath Bose became a Professor of Physics in Dhaka University. Though he had not completed his doctorate till then, he was appointed as professor on Einstein's recommendation. In 1929 Satyendranath Bose was elected chairman of the Physics of the Indian Science Congress and in 1944 elected full chairman of the Congress. In 1945, he was appointed as Khaira Professor of Physics in Calcutta University. He retired from Calcutta University in 1956. The University honored him on his retirement by appointing him as Emeritus Professor. Later he became the Vice Chancellor of the Viswabharati University. In 1958, he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society, London.

Satyendra Nath Bose was honored with 'Padmabhusan' by the Indian Government in recognition of his outstanding achievement. He died in Kolkata on February 4, 1974.

Title: Re: ~ Biographies Of Indian Scientists ~
Post by: MysteRy on May 08, 2012, 10:15:49 AM

Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar Biography

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Born: October 19, 1910
Died: August 21, 1995
Achievements: Discovery of Chandrasekhar Limit; awarded Nobel Prize in Physics in 1983.

Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar was one of the greatest scientists of the 20th century. He did commendable work in astrophysics, physics and applied mathematics. Chandrasekhar was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1983.

Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar was born on October 19, 1910 in Lahore. His father, Chandrasekhara Subrahmanya Ayyar was an officer in Government Service in the Indian Audits and Accounts Department. His mother Sita was a woman of high intellectual attainments. C.V. Raman, the first Indian to get Nobel Prize in science was the younger brother of Chandrasekhar's father. Till the age of 12, Subramanyan Chandrasekhar had his education at home under his parents and private tutors. In 1922, at the age of 12, he attended the Hindu High School. He joined the Madras Presidency College in 1925. Subrahmanyan Chandrashekhar passed his Bachelor's degree, B.Sc. (Hon.), in physics in June 1930. In July 1930, he was awarded a Government of India scholarship for graduate studies in Cambridge, England.

Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar completed his Ph.D. degree at Cambridge in the summer of 1933. In October 1933, Chandrasekhar was elected to a Prize Fellowship at Trinity College for the period 1933-37. In 1936, while on a short visit to Harvard University, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, was offered a position as a Research Associate at the University of Chicago and remained there ever since. In September 1936, Subrahmanyan Chandra Shekhar married Lomita Doraiswamy. She was her junior at the Presidency College in Madras.

Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar is best known for his discovery of Chandrasekhar Limit. He showed that there is a maximum mass which can be supported against gravity by pressure made up of electrons and atomic nuclei. The value of this limit is about 1.44 times a solar mass. The Chandrasekhar Limit plays a crucial role in understanding the stellar evolution. If the mass of a star exceeded this limit, the star would not become a white dwarf. It would continue to collapse under the extreme pressure of gravitational forces. The formulation of the Chandrasekhar Limit led to the discovery of neutron stars and black holes. Depending on the mass there are three possible final stages of a star - white dwarf, neutron star and black hole.

Apart from discovery of Chandrasekhar Limit, major work done by Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar includes: theory of Brownian motion (1938-1943); theory of the illumination and the polarization of the sunlit sky (1943-1950); theory of the illumination and the polarization of the sunlit sky (1943-1950); the equilibrium and the stability of ellipsoidal figures of equilibrium, partly in collaboration with Norman R. Lebovitz (1961-1968); the general theory of relativity and relativistic astrophysics (1962-1971); and the mathematical theory of black holes (1974- 1983).

Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar was awarded (jointly with the nuclear astrophysicist W.A. Fowler) the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1983. He died on August 21, 1995.

Title: Re: ~ Biographies Of Indian Scientists ~
Post by: MysteRy on May 08, 2012, 10:18:08 AM

Vikram Sarabhai Biography

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Born: August 12, 1919
Died: December 31,1971
Achievements: Considered the Father of the Indian space program; instrumental in establishing the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad in November 1947; was Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission. He along with other Ahmedabad-based industrialists played a major role in the creation of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

Vikram Sarabhai was one of the greatest scientists of India. He is considered as the Father of the Indian space program. Apart from being a scientist, he was a rare combination of an innovator, industrialist and visionary.

Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai was born on August 12, 1919 at Ahmedabad in an affluent family of progressive industrialists. He was one of eight children of Ambalal and Sarla Devi. He had his early education in a private school, “Retreat” run by his parents on Montessori lines. Some of the great men of India such as Gurudev Rabindranath, J. Krishna Murthi, Motilal Nehru, V. S. Shrinivasa Shastri, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sarojini Naidu, Maulana Azad, C. F. Andrews, C. V. Raman et al. used to stay with the Sarabhai family when they visited Ahmedabad. Mahatma Gandhi also once stayed at their house while recovering from an illness. Visits by such great men greatly influenced Vikram Sarabhai.

After his matriculation, Vikram Sarabhai proceeded to Cambridge for his college education and took the tripods degree from St. John's college in 1940. When World War II began, he returned home and joined as a research scholar under Sir C. V. Raman at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore His interest in solar physics and cosmic ray led him to set up many observation stations around the country. He built the necessary equipment with which he took measurements at Bangalore, Poona and the Himalayas. He returned to Cambridge in 1945 and completed his Ph.D in 1947.

Vikram Sarabhai was instrumental in establishing the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad in November 1947. The laboratory was established in a few rooms in M.G. Science Institute of the Ahmedabad Education Society, which was founded by his parents. Subsequently, it got support from the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Department of Atomic Energy.

Vikram Sarabhai did research on the time variations of cosmic rays and concluded that meteorological effects could not entirely affect the observed daily variations of cosmic rays; further, the residual variations were wide and global and these were related to variations in solar activity. Vikram Sarabhai visualized a new field of research opening up in solar and interplanetary Physics.

The year 1957-1958 was designated as International Geo-physical year (IGY). The Indian program for the IGY had been one of the most significant ventures of Sarabhai. It exposed him to the new vistas of space science with the launching in 1957 of Sputnik-I. Subsequently, the Indian National Committee for Space Research was created, of which Vikram Sarabhai became Chairman.

With active support from Homi Bhabha, Vikram Sarabhai, set up the first Rocket Launching station (TERLS) in the country at Thumba near Thiruvananthapuram on the Arabian Coast, as Thumba is very close to the Equator. The first rocket with sodium vapour payload was launched on November 21, 1963. In 1965, the UN General Assembly gave recognition to TERLS as an international facility.

After the sudden death of Homi Bhabha in an air crash, Vikram Sarabhai was appointed Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission in May 1966. He wanted the practical application of science to reach the common man. He decided to acquire competence in advance technology for the solution of country’s problems based on technical and economic evaluation of its real resources. He initiated India’s space programme, which today is renowned all over the world.

Dr. Vikram Sarabhai was awarded with Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Medal in 1962 and Padma Bhushan in 1966. Vikram Sarabhai passed away in his sleep on December 31,1971.

Title: Re: ~ Biographies Of Indian Scientists ~
Post by: MysteRy on May 08, 2012, 10:20:52 AM

Anil Kakodkar Biography

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Born - 11 November 1943
Achievements - Dr Anil Kakodkar is a famous Indian nuclear scientist. Currently, he's the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission of India (AECI) and the Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Atomic Energy. He was also the director of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre at Trombay.

Dr Anil Kakodkar is a very distinguished nuclear scientist of India. He is presently the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission of India (AECI) as well as the Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Atomic Energy. He was the director of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre at Trombay from the year 1996-2000 before being granted the opportunity of leading India's nuclear programme. Read on more about the biography of Anil Kakodkar.

Anil Kakodkar was born on 11 November 1943 in the Barawani village located in the present day Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. He's the son of Mrs Kamala Kakodkar & Mr. P. Kakodkar, both of whom happen to be Gandhian freedom fighters. His early education happened here and at Khargoan. After this, Anil Kakodkar went away to Bombay to pursue his post-matriculation studies. He graduated from the Ruparel College there.

Kakodkar then joined VJTI in Bombay University in 1963 to obtain a degree in Mechanical Engineering. In the year 1964, Anil Kakodkar joined the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC). He also notched a masters degree in experimental stress analysis from the University of Nottingham in the year 1969. The life history of Anil Kakodkar's career as nuclear scientist further saw him join the Reactor Engineering Division of the BARC.

Anil Kakodkar also has the credit of being a member of the core team of architects of India's Peaceful Nuclear Tests that were conducted during the years 1974 and 1998. He also led the indigenous development of the country's Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor Technology. Anil Kakodkar's efforts in the rehabilitation of the two reactors at Kalpakkam and the first unit at Rawatbhatta is noteworthy as it were about to close down.

In the year 1996, Anil Kakodkar became the youngest Director of the BARC after Homi Bhabha himself. From the year 2000 onwards, he has been leading the Atomic Energy Commission of India and playing secretary to the Department of Atomic Energy. Dr Anil Kakodkar has been playing a crucial part in demanding sovereignty for India's nuclear tests. Infact, he is known for being a strong advocate of India's self-reliance by employing Thorium as a fuel for nuclear energy.

Title: Re: ~ Biographies Of Indian Scientists ~
Post by: MysteRy on May 08, 2012, 10:25:12 AM

APJ Abdul Kalam Biography

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Born - 15 October 1931
Achievements - This eminent scientist and engineer has also served as the 11th President of India from the period 2002 to 2007. APJ Abdul Kalam is a man of vision, who is always full of ideas aimed at the development of the country. He firmly believes that India needs to play a more assertive role in international relations.

Apart from being a notable scientist and engineer, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam served as the 11th President of India from the period 2002 to 2007. He is a man of vision, who is always full of ideas aimed at the development of the country and is also often also referred to as the Missile Man of India. People loved and respected Dr APJ Abdul Kalam so much during his tenure as President that was popularly called the People's President.

APJ Abdul Kalam was born on 15 October 1931 at the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu and received honorary doctorates from about 30 universities globally. In the year 1981, the Government of India presented him the nation's highest civilian honor, the Padma Bhushan and then again, the Padma Vibhushan in 1990 and the Bharat Ratna in 1997. Before Kalam, there have been only two presidents - Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and Zakir Hussain - to have received the Bharat Ratna before bring appointed to the highest office in India.

Read on about the life history of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, who's also the first scientist and bachelor to occupy the seat of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. His perspectives on important topics have been enunciated by him in the book 'India 2020'. It highlights the action plans that will help develop the country into a knowledge superpower by the time 2020. One thing for which he received ample kudos is his unambiguous statement that India needs to play a more assertive role in international relations.

And Dr APJ Abdul Kalam regards his work on India's nuclear weapons program as a way to assert India's place as a future superpower. Even during his tenure as President, APJ Kalam took avid interest in the spheres of India's science and technology. He has even put forward a project plan for establishing bio-implants. He is also an ardent advocate of open source software over proprietary solutions to churn out more profits in the field of information technology in India.

Title: Re: ~ Biographies Of Indian Scientists ~
Post by: MysteRy on May 08, 2012, 11:10:59 AM

Birbal Sahni Biography

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Born - 14 November 1891
Died - 10 April 1949
Achievements - Birbal Sahni was a renowned paleobotanist and geologist of India. He is Sahni is credited for setting up the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany at Lucknow in the state of Uttar Pradesh. In the year 1929, he received the degree of Sc. D. from the University of Cambridge. He was also appointed the Fellow of the Royal Society of London (FRS) in the year 1936, which is the biggest British scientific honor.

Birbal Sahni was a renowned paleobotanist of India, who studied the fossils of the Indian subcontinent. Also a great geologist, Sahni is credited for establishing the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany at Lucknow in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Born on 14 November in the year 1891 at Behra in the Saharanpur District of West Punjab, Birbal was the third son of Ishwar Devi and Prof. Ruchi Ram Sahni. Some famous personalities who were regular guests of his parents were Motilal Nehru, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Sarojini Naidu and others.

Read on further about the biography of Birbal Sahni, who received his education at the Government College University of Lahore and later from Punjab University. He attended the Emmanuel College at Cambridge in the year 1914. And after this, he pursued further studies under Professor A.C. Seward and was given the D.Sc. degree from London University in the year 1919. Birbal Sahni then came back to his native country India to work as the professor of Botany at the highly esteemed Banaras Hindu University at the holy city of Varanasi.

Sahni also taught at the Punjab University for about a year. Birbal Sahni's academic background was so strong that he was elected the head of the botany department in Lucknow University in the year 1921. There were numerous such landmarks in the life history of Birbal Sahni, whose fabulous research work was honored by the University of Cambridge that decided to present him with the degree of Sc. D. in the year 1929. In the coming time, Sahni not only continued his own study, but also appointed and guided a number of bright students under him.

He holds the credit of establishing the Paleobotanical Society that went on to set up the Institute of Palaeobotany on 10 September 1946. Professor Sahni was respected by all academicians and scholars of his time both in India and abroad. He was appointed the Fellow of the Royal Society of London (FRS) in the year 1936, which is the biggest British scientific honor. And for the first time since its inception, this award was given out to an Indian botanist.

Title: Re: ~ Biographies Of Indian Scientists ~
Post by: MysteRy on May 08, 2012, 11:13:40 AM

Srinivasa Ramanujan Biography

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Born: December 22, 1887
Died: April 26, 1920
Achievements: Ramanujan independently discovered results of Gauss, Kummer and others on hypergeometric series. Ramanujan's own work on partial sums and products of hypergeometric series have led to major development in the topic. His most famous work was on the number p(n) of partitions of an integer n into summands.

Srinivasa Ramanujan was a mathematician par excellence. He is widely believed to be the greatest mathematician of the 20th Century. Srinivasa Ramanujan made significant contribution to the analytical theory of numbers and worked on elliptic functions, continued fractions, and infinite series.

Srinivasa Aiyangar Ramanujan was born on December 22, 1887 in Erode, Tamil Nadu. His father worked in Kumbakonam as a clerk in a cloth merchant's shop. At the of five Ramanujan went to primary school in Kumbakonam. In 1898 at age 10, he entered the Town High School in Kumbakonam. At the age of eleven he was lent books on advanced trigonometry written by S. L. Loney by two lodgers at his home who studied at the Government college. He mastered them by the age of thirteen. Ramanujan was a bright student, winning academic prizes in high school.

At age of 16 his life took a decisive turn after he obtained a book titled" A Synopsis of Elementary Results in Pure and Applied Mathematics". The book was simply a compilation of thousands of mathematical results, most set down with little or no indication of proof. The book generated Ramanujan's interest in mathematics and he worked through the book's results and beyond. By 1904 Ramanujan had begun to undertake deep research. He investigated the series (1/n) and calculated Euler's constant to 15 decimal places. He began to study the Bernoulli numbers, although this was entirely his own independent discovery. He was given a scholarship to the Government College in Kumbakonam which he entered in 1904. But he neglected his other subjects at the cost of mathematics and failed in college examination. He dropped out of the college.

Ramanujan lived off the charity of friends, filling notebooks with mathematical discoveries and seeking patrons to support his work. In 1906 Ramanujan went to Madras where he entered Pachaiyappa's College. His aim was to pass the First Arts examination which would allow him to be admitted to the University of Madras. Continuing his mathematical work Ramanujan studied continued fractions and divergent series in 1908. At this stage he became seriously ill again and underwent an operation in April 1909 after which he took him some considerable time to recover.

On 14 July 1909 Ramanujan marry a ten year old girl S Janaki Ammal. During this period Ramanujan had his first paper published, a 17-page work on Bernoulli numbers that appeared in 1911 in the Journal of the Indian Mathematical Society. In 191,1 Ramanujan approached the founder of the Indian Mathematical Society for advice on a job. He got the job of clerk at the Madras Port Trust with the help of Indian mathematician Ramachandra Rao.

The professor of civil engineering at the Madras Engineering College C L T Griffith was interested in Ramanujan's abilities and, having been educated at University College London, knew the professor of mathematics there, namely M J M Hill. He wrote to Hill on 12 November 1912 sending some of Ramanujan's work and a copy of his 1911 paper on Bernoulli numbers. Hill replied in a fairly encouraging way but showed that he had failed to understand Ramanujan's results on divergent series. In January 1913 Ramanujan wrote to G H Hardy having seen a copy of his 1910 book Orders of infinity. Hardy, together with Littlewood, studied the long list of unproved theorems which Ramanujan enclosed with his letter. Hardy wrote back to Ramanujan and evinced interest in his work.

University of Madras gave Ramanujan a scholarship in May 1913 for two years and, in 1914, Hardy brought Ramanujan to Trinity College, Cambridge, to begin an extraordinary collaboration. Right from the start Ramanujan's collaboration with Hardy led to important results. In a joint paper with Hardy, Ramanujan gave an asymptotic formula for p(n). It had the remarkable property that it appeared to give the correct value of p(n), and this was later proved by Rademacher.

Ramanujan had problems settling in London. He was an orthodox Brahmin and right from the beginning he had problems with his diet. The outbreak of World War I made obtaining special items of food harder and it was not long before Ramanujan had health problems.

On 16 March 1916 Ramanujan graduated from Cambridge with a Bachelor of Science by Research. He had been allowed to enrol in June 1914 despite not having the proper qualifications. Ramanujan's dissertation was on Highly composite numbers and consisted of seven of his papers published in England.

Ramanujan fell seriously ill in 1917 and his doctors feared that he would die. He did improve a little by September but spent most of his time in various nursing homes. On February 18, 1918 Ramanujan was elected a fellow of the Cambridge Philosophical Society and later he was also elected as a fellow of the Royal Society of London. By the end of November 1918 Ramanujan's health had greatly improved.

Ramanujan sailed to India on 27 February 1919 arriving on 13 March. However his health was very poor and, despite medical treatment, he died on April 6, 1920.

Title: Re: ~ Biographies Of Indian Scientists ~
Post by: MysteRy on May 09, 2012, 11:04:50 AM

Dr. Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Biography

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Born - 21 February 1894
Died - 1 January 1955
Achievements - A noted scientist of India, Dr Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar was appointed the first director-general of the prestigious Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. He also hold the credit of building 12 national laboratories like Central Food Processing Technological Institute at Mysore, National Chemical Laboratory at Pune and so on.

Dr Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar was a distinguished Indian scientist. He was born on 21 February 1894 at Shahpur, which is located in Pakistan in present times. His father passed away sometime after the birth of Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar. As such, he spent his childhood days with his maternal grandfather who was an engineer and it was here that he developed an interest in science and engineering. Read on this biography to know more about the life and professional history of Dr Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar.

As a child, Bhatnagar loved to construct mechanical toys. In the home of his maternal family, he also developed an interest in writing poetry and his one act play in Urdu 'Karamati' won the first prize in a competition. After completing his master's in India, Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar headed to England for a research fellowship. Here he got his D. Sc degree from the London University in the year 1921. When he came back to his native country, Bhatnagar was presented with a proposal of professorship at the renowned Benaras Hindu University.

Dr Bhatnagar was knighted by the British Government in the year 1941 as an award for his research in science, whereas, on 18 March 1943 he was selected as fellow of the Royal Society. Though his area of interest included emulsions, colloids, and industrial chemistry, but his primary contributions were in the spheres of magneto-chemistry. He also made a melodious kulgeet i.e. University song, which is still sung with great pride before any function in his university.

Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru himself was an advocate of scientific development. After India gained freedom from British rule in 1947, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research was established under the chairmanship of Dr. Bhatnagar, who was appointed its first director-general. In the coming years, he set up 12 national laboratories like Central Food Processing Technological Institute at Mysore, National Chemical Laboratory at Pune, the National Metallurgical Laboratory at Jamshedpur and many others.

Title: Re: ~ Biographies Of Indian Scientists ~
Post by: MysteRy on May 09, 2012, 11:07:16 AM

Har Gobind Khorana Biography

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Born - 9 January 1922
Achievements - Har Gobind Khorana is an American molecular biologist, who was born to an Indian Punjabi couple. For his work on the interpretation of the genetic code and its function in protein synthesis, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in the year 1968.

Har Gobind Khorana is an American molecular biologist born on 9 January 1922 to an Indian Punjabi couple. For his work on the interpretation of the genetic code and its function in protein synthesis, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in the year 1968. This award was, however, also shared by Robert W. Holley and Marshall Warren Nirenberg. The very same year, he received another award 'Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize' along with Nirenberg that was presented to them by the Columbia University.

Read this biography to learn more about Har Gobind Khorana, who became a citizen of the United States of America in the year 1966. In present times, he's residing at Cambridge in Massachusetts, United States as a part of the MIT Chemistry faculty. Har Gobind Khorana was also the first to produce oligonucleotides, which is chains of nucleotides. He was also the first person to segregate DNA ligase, an enzyme that connects sections of DNA together.

These custom-designed portions of artificial genes are extensively used in biology labs for sequencing, cloning and engineering new plants and animals. This invention by Dr. Khorana has become automated and commercialized so that anyone now can order a synthetic gene from any of a number of companies. Thus, this is the history of the life of Dr Har Gobind Khorana as a biologist.

Title: Re: ~ Biographies Of Indian Scientists ~
Post by: MysteRy on May 09, 2012, 11:11:42 AM

Raja Ramanna Biography

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Born On: January 28, 1925
Born In: Tumkur, Karnataka
Died On: September 24, 2004
Career: Nuclear Scientist, Nuclear Physicist
Nationality: Indian

Handpicked by the founder of India's nuclear program, Dr. Homi Bhabha, Dr. Raja Ramanna was a celebrated physicist and nuclear scientist that India had ever produced. A multifaceted personality, Dr. Raja Ramanna played the roles of a technologist, nuclear physicist, administrator, leader, musician, Sanskrit literature scholar, and philosophy researcher. To complete the endless list of honors that this nobleman was gifted with, he was a complete human being. Following the steps of his ideals Dr. Homi Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai, Ramanna managed to grab a major position in shaping India's energy and security programs. He is regarded as one of the most successful creators of science and technology in India with the tremendous success of India's peaceful explosion experiment.

Early Life
Raja Ramanna was born to B. Ramanna and Rukminiamma in the busy industrial town of Tumkur in Karnataka. His father was highly reputed and served as a judge in the judicial service of Mysore state. His mother was highly intelligent and loved to read. She often read Shakespeare and Charles Dickens, though her favorite was Sir Walter Scot. Apart from gaining immense influence and inspiration from his parents, Ramanna was greatly touched by his mother's sister Rajamma, who was widowed at an early age but with his grandfather's support, she managed to move ahead and became the headmistress of a Government Middle School earning fifty rupees a month. Ramanna had his early education in Mysore, but when the family shifted to Bangalore, he was admitted to Bishop Cotton Boys' School. On completion of matriculation, he went to St. Joseph's School for his intermediate studies. He joined the Madras Christian College in Tambaram for B. Sc (Hons) degree in physics and graduated in 1945. He later traveled to England to attain his doctoral degree in nuclear physics from King's College, London. In 1948, Ramanna successfully obtained his PhD degree.

TIFR Career
Ramanna was extremely fond and highly influenced by Homi Jehangir Bhabha and was fortunate to meet him in 1944. He was introduced by an examiner at Trinity College of Music, Dr. Alfred Mistowski, who stayed back in India at the outbreak of World War II. Though Ramanna was still a science student, he was sure that this was not his first and only meeting with Homi Bhabha. On his tour to London, Homi Bhabha offered Ramanna a job at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), the cradle of India's atomic energy program. Thus, on his completion of his PhD degree, Ramanna joined TIFR on December 1, 1949. Due to the relocation and renovation of the institute from Cumbala Hills in Mumbai to Yacht Club, Ramanna was offered two adjacent rooms on the fourth floor in Yacht Club by Homi Bhabha, seeing his interest in music. While the first room was for Ramanna, the second one was for his piano. Further, the ground floor became the nuclear laboratory of physics from where he started his project on nuclear fission and scattering. Here, he made several contributions in different areas of neutron, nuclear, and reactor physics.

BARC Career
Ramanna organized physics and rector physics programs at Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC), Trombay. In 1956, when India's first nuclear reactor, Apsara, was commissioned by Homi Bhabha, Ramanna was one of the youngest reactor physicists in the team. However, the major advancement came when BARC Training School was established in 1957 to develop the skilled manpower required for facing the challenging problems in nuclear science and technology under the leadership of Ramanna. It was under his directorship that India carried out the first nuclear test in Pokhran in 1974, nicknamed as Operation Smiling Buddha. He held the position of the Director of BARC from 1972-78 and 1981-83.

Later Life
Raja Ramanna was associated with a number of science academies and learning bodies across India. He helped in setting up the Centre for Advanced Technology at Indore in the early 1980s, which was dedicated towards the development of advanced accelerators, lasers, and other related technologies. Further, he even lent his support in the establishment of Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre (VEC) in Kolkata. He later ended up becoming the founder-Director of National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), an institution set up by JRD Tata in Bangalore. Ramanna served his later years in supporting science institutions throughout the nation as President of Indian National Science Academy, Scientific Advisor Committee to Director General of International Atomic Energy Agency, President of 30th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Vice President of Indian Academy of Sciences, President of Indian National Science Academy, and President of General Conference of Atomic Energy Agency at Vienna. He was honored with numerous accolades during his entire career tenure.

Death
Raja Ramanna passed away on September 24, 2004 in Mumbai after a cardiac arrest. Till date, he is highly honored and respected in India and Pakistan, and often known as the "Father of the Indian Nuclear Program".

Honors
Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award, 1963
Padma Shri Award, 1968
Padma Bhushan Award, 1973
Padma Vibhushan Award, 1975
Meghnad Saha Medal of the Indian National Science Academy, 1984
Om Prakash Bhasin Award, 1985
R.D. Birla Memorial Award, 1986
Asutosh Mookerji Gold Medal, 1996
D.Sc. (Honoris Causa) by several universities

Posts Held
Chairman, Governing Council, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore
Council of Management, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore
Chairman, Board of Governors, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, 1972-78
President, Indian National Science Academy, 1977-78
Vice-President, Indian Academy of Sciences, 1977-79
Scientific Adviser to the Minister of Defence, 1978-81
Director-General of Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) , 1978-81
Secretary for Defence Research, Government of India
Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission, 1983-87
President, General Conference of Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 1986
Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy
Director, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, 1972-78 and 1981-83
Director, National Institute of Advanced Studies, IISC campus, Bangalore, 1987-89 and 1990-97

Timeline
1925: Raja Ramanna was born in Tumkur, Karnataka
1944: Met Homi Bhabha
1945: Obtained B. Sc (Hons) degree in physics from Madras Christian College, Tambaram
1948: Received Ph. D from King's College, London
1949: Joined TIFR on December 1st
1956: India's first nuclear reactor, Apsara, was commissioned, which Ramanna was a part of
1968: Honored with Padma Shri Award
1972-78: Served as Director of BARC
1973: Bestowed with Padma Bhushan Award
1974: Carried out India's first nuclear test at Pokhran
1975: Conferred upon with Padma Vibhushan Award
1981-83: Director of BARC
1996: Presented with Asutosh Mookerji Gold Medal
2004: Died on 24th September aged 79.

Title: Re: ~ Biographies Of Indian Scientists ~
Post by: MysteRy on May 09, 2012, 11:17:50 AM

Ganapathi Thanikaimoni Biography

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Born On: January 1, 1938
Born In: Madras, India
Died On: September 5, 1986
Occupation: Botanist, Palynologist
Nationality: Indian

Ganapathi Thanikaimoni, a successful botanist of his days, is remembered till date for his widespread contribution in the field of palynology. His researches and projects not only helped India to make its presence felt on the world stage of botany, it also furthered public relations between two countries. Ganapathi Thanikaimoni gradually established himself in the role of India's ambassador to other countries to promote the research made in botany in our country. Thani, as he fondly came to be known as, specialized in the research of pollen morphology and phylogeny of the palm tree. After completing his preliminary education in Madras, Ganapathi Thanikaimoni visited Pondicherry to earn his doctorate degree. His research work is still held in high regard. A project that he had started and which had to be put on hold because of his untimely demise is still being pursued by the French Institute in Pondicherry.

Early Life & Education
Ganapathi Thanikaimoni was born on New Year's Day in the year 1938 in Madras. He spent his entire childhood in the city of Madras and passed his school and college years from the same. Madras, at that time, was very important geographically, because of the proximity of ports. He earned a Master's of Science degree in Botany from the University of Madras in the year 1962. Ganapathi Thanikaimoni was taking lessons under Professor B G L Swamy, a famous plant morphologist during that time in the University of Madras. It was in the same year that he received the Fyson Prize for his contribution in the field of natural science. It was after his college years that Ganapathi Thanikaimoni started work on his research paper that eventually earned him a doctorate degree from the University of Montpellier. In 1970, the University authorities decided to grant him the doctorate degree because of his research in pollen morphology and the classification of the evolutionary stages of the palm tree.

Career
Armed with a doctorate degree from the University of Montpellier and the Fyson Prize, Ganapathi Thanikaimoni went ahead to establish himself as a botanist. He joined as a scientist at the French Institute of Pondicherry, joining the palynology laboratory that was set up inside the institute in the year 1960. Thani worked in Pondicherry under the guidance of Dr Professor Guinet. His hard work and dedication were soon identified by the teachers at the institute, who did not waste time to promote Thani to the post of director of the palynology laboratory. Reports claim that Ganapathi Thanikaimoni was not only scientifically sound, but also very organized in his work. It was his administrative capabilities coupled with his huge store of learning that drew the attention of all his seniors and teachers at the French Institute of Pondicherry.

During his initial years at the French Institute of Pondicherry, Thani worked on the Clusiaceae, Araceae, Mimosaceae, Menispermaceae and Sonnera species of plants. His researches with the enlisted species were published in journals that were brought out by the French Institute of Pondicherry from time to time. Though Ganapathi Thanikaimoni worked on a particular set of species within the plant kingdom and based his research on the pollen morphology of this species, he did not flinch from working on all other plants from the large collection in the plant kingdom as well. Thani insisted that all species must be studied if accurate results are to be achieved for a particular set of plants because behavioral patterns of different species are interrelated.

Thani never believed in limiting his research work to only the modern flora. Although pollen morphology as done by him chiefly dealt with the pollen of modern flora, he made it a point to extend his research to fossil pollen as well. It was on the insistence of Thani that a tertiary pollen study was organized at the 7th IPC held in Brisbane, Australia. In the year 1972, he received worldwide recognition when his compilation of morphology of angiosperm pollen was published as the 'Index Bibliographique sur la Morphologic des Pollens d'Angiospermes'. This introduced his studies to a worldwide audience. In the year 1983, as a representative of the French Institute of Pondicherry, Ganapati Thanikaimoni became the head of a workshop that was held in Pondicherry to share botany concepts and pollen morphology ideas with Indian and French palynologists. Thani studied the pollen of plants derived from regions in Africa and India. He had a collection of about 20,000 slides of tropical palynomorphs, which were used for further research work.

Role In Society
Dr Ganapathi Thanikaimoni was not only involved in the study of pollen, but also tried his best to contribute to the wellbeing of the society. Thani tried his best to educate government authorities to take proper care of coastlines and to rehabilitate arid areas across India. It is well known that mangroves play a very important role in balancing the eco system; therefore Thani took steps to educate the society and the government on the necessity of a mangrove. He was also one of the masterminds in the UNESCO developed 'Asia and Pacific Mangrove Project'. There is hardly any doubt about the fact that Ganapathi Thanikaimoni's contribution to the field of pollen studies is immense and all his contribution is recorded in the book 'Palynology Manual' that was printed after his death.

Death
It is sad that Dr Ganapathi Thanikaimoni had to die a sudden and unexpected death. Reports claim that he was on his way to the United States to attend a lecture organized by UNESCO when disaster struck him in the form of a plane hijack. The Pan Am Flight that he was in was hijacked midway in Karachi on September 5, 1986. The Pakistan government had sent commandos on the site to bomb the plane and the terrorists inside and it was reportedly one of the bullets fired by these commandos on duty caused a fatal injury to Thani. The doctor was taken unawares by bullets and shrapnel from a grenade when he was busy helping a child into the covers of safety. Dr Ganapathi Thanikaimoni was supposed to attend the Second International Conference on Paleo-oceanography that took place in Massachusetts, USA from the 6th to the 12th of September, 1986. His studies and unfinished research work are still stored at the French Institute of Pondicherry and further research on his theories is to take place.

Timeline
1938: Ganapathi Thanikaimoni was born on January 1.
1962: Earned a Master of Science degree in Botany from University of Madras.
1962: Won the Fyson Prize.
1970: Earned doctorate degree from University of Montpellier.
1972: Received worldwide recognition for his compilation of morphology of angiosperm pollen.
1983: Convened workshop for Indian and French palynologists at French Institute of Pondicherry.
1986: Died on September 5 in a plane hijack

Title: Re: ~ Biographies Of Indian Scientists ~
Post by: Anu on May 09, 2012, 12:23:26 PM

tnks for sharing .
i read their achievements but  i never seen their pictures..
quite informative.. :) :-*

Title: Re: ~ Biographies Of Indian Scientists ~
Post by: MysteRy on May 09, 2012, 02:03:56 PM

Quote from: Anu on May 09, 2012, 12:23:26 PM

tnks for sharing .
i read their achievements but  i never seen their pictures..
quite informative.. :) :-*

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Title: Re: ~ Biographies Of Indian Scientists ~
Post by: MysteRy on May 10, 2012, 09:27:48 AM

Harish-Chandra Biography

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Born On: October 11, 1923
Born In: Kanpur
Died On: October 16, 1983
Career: Mathematician

For those who quiver at the thought of calculations and numerical deductions, unless when counting money, mathematics can be the equivalent of hell on earth. And for such 'math atheists' a mathematician like Harish Chandra can very well seem like a mirage. Harish Chandra is one amongst those few people who often change tracks in their career and yet reach a glorious destination. Yes, he was a genius who studied theoretical physics but decided to build a career pursuing higher mathematics as he felt that he didn't have the "mysterious sixth sense which one needs in order to succeed in physics". And higher mathematics, as anyone will tell, is that jumble of confusion where alphabets are used more than numbers, X and Y being particularly favorite. In a career spanning to three decades, Harish Chandra had worked with some of the best mathematical minds of this age and whose work in representation theory brought it from the periphery of mathematics to its center stage. Unarguably, he is the second greatest modern mathematician, after Ramanujan, of India.

Childhood
Harish Chandra Mehrotra was born in Kanpur, then known as Cawnpore in British India, to Chandrakishore Mehrotra, a civil engineer and Satyagati Seth, the daughter of a wealthy lawyer. He spent most of his childhood at his maternal grandfather's house where he received his early schooling at home from a tutor. He also learnt dancing and music. He was brilliant in his studies, but was prone to frequent illness and both these aspect of his childhood continued throughout his life. At the age of nine, Harish Chandra was enrolled in a private school and then completed his intermediate schooling from the Scindia School. He joined the University of Allahabad to study theoretical physics in which he proved to be a brilliant student. According to an interesting anecdote when C.V Raman was an examiner at the University, Harish Chandra solved the only question of the acoustic paper, which was on the theory of vibration of the mridangam, on the spot. He was given 100% marks by a highly impressed C.V Raman. Harish Chandra was influenced to study physics after reading the Principles of Quantum Mechanics by Paul Dirac. In 1941, he completed his B. Sc and received his Masters Degree in 1943. He then moved to the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore as a postgraduate research fellow under Homi Bhabha to work on problems in theoretical physics. As a research fellow, Harish Chandra published several research papers along with Bhabha, the first being 'On the Theory of Point Particles' in 1944.

Early Work
In 1945, Harish Chandra was selected as a research student under Paul Dirac and so moved to the University of Cambridge. In Cambridge, he became a lifelong friend of Wolfgang Pauli when during a lecture by the famous physicist, he pointed out a mistake. It was at Cambridge that Harish Chandra became more and more interested in Mathematics. In 1947, after obtaining his Ph. D he moved to the USA, where Dirac was teaching in the Institute of Advanced Studies at Princeton University. At Princeton, he worked as Dirac's assistant. His early influence in mathematics was triggered by the works of Hermann Weyl, Emil Artin and Claude Chevalley who were working at Princeton and subsequently, moved over to mathematics.

As A Mathematician
In 1949, Harish Chandra moved to Harvard and in 1950 he shifted to Colombia University, where he worked as a faculty member. It was in Colombia University during the period 1950 to 1963 that he carried out research on 'semisimple lie groups' which were considered to be his best research. It was also during this period that he studied the 'discrete series representations of semisimple Lie groups' as his special area. He also worked with Armand Borel with whom he founded the theory of arithmetic groups and collaborated numerous papers on finite group analogues. Harish Chandra is also known for enunciating a precursor of the Langlands Philosophy known as 'Philosophy of Cusp Forms'. While still affiliated to Cambridge, he worked at the Tata Institute in Bombay from 1952 to 1953 and then at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton from 1955 to 1956 and as a Guggenheim Fellow in Paris in 1957 to 1958. In 1961, he awarded the Sloan Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study and worked there till 1963. Thereafter, he went back to the Institute of Advanced Study in Princeton till he was appointed the IBM von Neumann professor in 1968 and served till his death.

Awards And Legacy
Harsh Chandra received many prestigious awards during his lifetime. In 1951, he published several papers on 'representations of semisimple Lie algebras and groups' for which, in 1954, he received the AMS Cole prize from the American Mathematical Society. In 1973, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society. The same year, he was awarded with an honorary degree from Delhi University. The Indian National Science Academy in 1974 awarded Harish Chandra the Ramanujan Medal for his work in mathematics. In 1975, he was made a fellow of the Indian Academy of Science and a fellow of the Indian National Science Academy. In 1981, he was made a fellow of the National Academy of Sciences in the United States and was also bestowed with an honorary degree from Yale University. A bust of Harish Chandra was unveiled at the Mehta Institute in his memory. His college, V.S.S.D College, which he attended during his youth, celebrates his birthday every year. The Government of India renamed a premier institute devoted to theoretical physics and mathematics the Harish-Chandra Research Institute (HRI) in his honor.

Personal Life & Death
In 1952, he married Lalitha Kale the daughter of Dr. Kale a botanist when he was serving a stint at the Tata Institute. He had two daughters Premala and Devaki. In 1983, Harish Chandra was attending a conference to in honor of Armand Borel's 60th Birthday in Princeton when he had a heart attack and passed away. He had suffered three heart attacks before. He died before he could attend a similar conference in his honor and so the scheduled event became a memorial conference.

Timeline
1923: Harish Chandra was born
1932: Enrolled in a private school
1941: Completed his B. Sc
1943: Received his Master's Degree; moved to the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore as a postgraduate research fellow under Homi Bhabha
1944: Published several research papers along with Bhabha, the first being 'On the Theory of Point Particles'
1945: Was selected as a research student under Paul Dirac and so moved to the University of Cambridge.
1947: Obtained his Ph. D and moved to USA   
1949: Moved to Harvard
1950: shifted to Colombia University
1950-53: Carried out research on 'semisimple lie groups'
1952-53: Worked at the Tata Institute in Bombay from
1954: Received the AMS Cole prize from the American Mathematical Society for his research on 'semisimple lie groups'
1955-56: Worked at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton
1957-58: Worked as a Guggenheim Fellow in Paris
1961: Was awarded the Sloan Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study
1963: Went back to the Institute of Advanced Study in Princeton
1968: Was appointed the IBM von Neumann professor
1973: Became a Fellow of the Royal Society; awarded with an honorary degree from Delhi University
1974: Indian National Science Academy awarded him the Ramanujan Medal for his work in mathematics
1975: Was made a fellow of the Indian Academy of Science and a fellow of the Indian National Science Academy.
1981: Was made a fellow of the National Academy of Sciences in the United States; was also bestowed with an honorary degree from Yale University.

Title: Re: ~ Biographies Of Indian Scientists ~
Post by: MysteRy on May 10, 2012, 09:32:28 AM

G. N. Ramachandran Biography

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Born On: October 8, 1922
Born In: Kerala, India
Died On: July 4, 2001
Occupation: Scientist

Gopalasamudram Narayana Iyer Ramachandran, popularly referred to as G. N. Ramachandran surely must be included in the list of one of the best scientists that 20th century India had produced. The best known work of G. N. Ramachandran till date is the Ramachandran plot, which the scientist had conceived along with Viswanathan Sasisekharan, to understand the structure of peptides. G. N. Ramachandran was the first scientist to suggest a triple-helical model of collagen structure. G. N. Ramachandran also made important contributions in the field of biology in the length of his career as a scientist.

Early Life & Education
G. N. Ramachandran was born on October 8, 1922 in the small town of Ernakulam in the south Indian state of Kerala in India. His forefathers were natives of the Gopalasamudram village situated in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. In the year 1942, Ramachandran came to Bangalore to seek admission in the Indian Institute of Science. He became a student of the electrical engineering department of the institution, but later switched over to the physics department, realizing that he was more interested in physics than engineering. He completed his master’s degree in Physics in the year 1942 and subsequently enrolled as a thesis student at IISc under the guidance of Nobel Prize winning physicist Sir C V Raman.

Ramachandran opted to specialize in crystal physics and crystal optics in his thesis paper and obtained his doctorate degree from Bangalore in the year 1947. Ramachandran migrated to England after the completion of his DSc from Bangalore and spent two years from 1947 to 1949 at the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge. He chose the subject of X-Ray diffuse scattering and its use to determine the elastic constant as his research subject in Cambridge under professor William Alfred Wooster, one of the best crystallographers of the 20th century world. Having made his own focusing mirror for an X-Ray microscope during his study years in Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, further studies in the field of X-Ray was a natural choice of research for Ramachandran.

Scientific Research
After completing his PhD in two years, Ramachandran returned to India and joined his alma mater the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore in the year 1949 as the assistant professor of Physics. His subject of interest as teacher remained crystal physics. In the year 1952, Ramachandran joined the Madras University as the head of its Physics department. Here, he shifted from crystal physics to biological macromolecules within a few months of joining. In the year 1954, Ramachandran completed his research work with Gopinath Kartha and made known through a published article the triple helical structure of collagen. His next project was to observe the different polypeptide conformations for assessing the structure of peptides.

Ramachandran continued with this research work till the year 1962. The following year, he published his reports in 1963 in the Journal of Molecular Biology, a study which is famously referred to as the Ramachandran Plot today. Thereafter, this ace scientist spent many a years after publishing the Ramachandran Plot in examining the conformation of peptides. Therefore, it may be rightly concluded that G N Ramachandran’s research contributed to the development of molecular biophysics, correlating the concepts of X-Ray crystallography, peptide synthesis, physico-chemical experimentation, NMR and additional optical studies. G N Ramachandran set up a molecular biophysics unit in the Center of Advanced Study in Biophysics at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore in 1970.

The following year, Ramachandran quit the Madras University to join IISc in Bangalore yet again. The chief reason for his resignation was the drop in the standards of Madras University as an educational institution. The succession of N. D. Sundaravadvelu in place of A. L. Mudaliar as vice chancellor of Madras University had resulted in the deterioration of the institute’s standards. From 1971, Ramachandran was involved in the research of convolution-backprojection algorithms in the field of X-Ray tomography, along with fellow scientist A. V. Lakshminarayana. The algorithms suggested by Ramachandran and Lakshminarayana were successful in more numerically correct images and also saved time on computer processing for image reconstruction. The research was published in a paper the same year.

Awards and Recognition
G. N. Ramachandran was a loved and respected scientist during his tenure both in IISc, Bangalore and Madras University. Some awards which he received for his scientific contributions are:

- Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award for contribution in the field of Physics in India in 1961.
Fellowship of the Royal Society of London.

- Ewald Prize from the International Union of Crystallography for his outstanding contribution to crystallography in the year 1999.

Later Life
G. N. Ramachandran spent a sad and despondent personal life during his last years. The death of his wife Rajalakshmi in the year 1998 left him very lonely. His health gradually deteriorated. A few years before his death in 2001, G. N. Ramachandran suffered a massive stroke, after which he never fully recovered, contracting Parkinson’s disease the same year. G. N. Ramachandran died on July 4, 2001 at his residence in Bangalore. He was 79 years of age at the time of death.

Timeline
1922: G N Ramachandran was born on October 8.
1942: Became a student of the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore.
1942: Completed his master’s degree in Physics from IISc.
1947: Completed the DSc degree, his thesis paper under Sir C V Raman.
1947: Went to Cambridge for PhD.
1949: Returned from Cambridge to join as assistant professor of Physics in IISc, Bangalore.
1952: Joined Madras University as head of Physics department.
1954:  Proposed and published triple helical structure of collagen.
1963: The Ramachandran Plot was published.
1970: Set up the molecular biophysics unit at the IISc, Bangalore.
1971: Quit Madras University to join IISc, Bangalore again.
1971: Study on convolution-backprojection algorithms in X-Ray tomography was published.
1998: His wife Rajalakshmi passed away.
2001: Ramachandran breathed his last on July 4.

Title: Re: ~ Biographies Of Indian Scientists ~
Post by: MysteRy on May 10, 2012, 09:36:32 AM

Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis Biography

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Born On: June 29, 1893
Born In: Calcutta
Died On: June 28, 1972
Career: Scientist and Statistician

Economic census, population census, agricultural surveys and various other large scale and in depth samples and surveys that have been admired the world over for their scope and accuracy owes its popularity and worldwide acceptance to the grit, determination and genius of one man, Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis. His knack and passion for graphs and numbers made him a leading light in the field of statistics. In India, his contribution to this field has been immense. From giving birth to the Indian Statistical Institute to guiding the newly independent nation of India on its first stride towards a glorious era, it is the contribution of Mahalanobis that brought the mapping of this diverse nation, which helped its leaders to formulate policies and schemes for the benefit of the people and propel the story of India on its growth trajectory. Indeed only a cursory glance at the formation era of this nation will show how the data collected through his organizations using his techniques has influenced the decision makers of India. And his works are still relevant and widely used in present times. And since brilliance, like a glowing light, cannot be confined so has the works of Mahalanobis been admired, used and influenced the policies of various other nations.

Childhood
PC Mahalanobis was born into a family of social reformers and intellectuals. His father, Prabodh Chandra Mahalanobis, was a professor of Presidency College and was much respected as an educationist. Mahalanobis spent his early childhood in Cornwallis Street at the house of his grandfather, Gurucharan Mahalanobis who was an active member of the Brahmo Samaj. As such, since childhood, young Mahalanobis was in the thick of social and political activity.

Early Life
Mahalanobis received his schooling from the Brahmo Boys School, from which he graduated in 1908. He then completed his B. Sc from the Presidency College after which he joined Cambridge, England. Other than pursing his honors in physics he also took an avid interest in punting on the river and cross-country walking. It was also at Cambridge that Mahalanobis met the famous mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan. In 1915, he completed his 'Tripos’ in physics. Mahalanobis also worked for a short duration at the Cavendish Laboratory with C. T. R. Wilson. It was during this time that he took a short break and went to India, where he was introduced to the Principal of Presidency College and was invited to take classes in physics. Upon returning to England, he was introduced to the journal Biometrika. The journal interested him so much that he purchased the complete set and took them to India. On his way back to India, he discovered the utility of statistics to problems in meteorology, anthropology and began working on the same. Statistics later became his lifelong love and passion and he pursued statistical work in India mentored by Acharya Brajendranath Seal.

Work In Statistics
Mahalanobis is remembered for the Mahalanobis distance, a statistical measure which is independent of measurement scale introduced by him. Mahalanobis’s work in statistics started by analyzing university exam results, anthropometric measurements on Anglo-Indians of Calcutta and also, meteorological problems. He also contributed significantly in developing schemes to prevent floods but his most important contributions came with the large scale sample surveys. He is recognized as the first statistician to introduce pilot surveys and advocating the usability of sampling methods. Early surveys were conducted from 1937 to 1944 and included topics such as consumer expenditure, tea-drinking habits, public opinion, crop acreage and plant disease. Additionally, Mahalanobis also introduced a a method for estimating crop yields which involved statisticians sampling in the fields by cutting crops in a circle of diameter 4 feet. However, difference in opinion with P. V. Sukhatme and V. G. Panse, who began to work on crop surveys with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and the Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute, upon the usage of the existing administrative framework, caused bitterness.

Indian Statistical Institute
At Presidency College, Mahalanobis formed a group of academics interested in statistics. This group met at his room in the college. At a significant meeting of the group, held on December 17, 1931, the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) was born, and was formally registered on April 28, 1932. Mahalanobis served as its secretary and director.  Initially headquartered in the Physics Department of the Presidency College, it gradually grew. Contribution from S. S. Bose, J. M. Sengupta, R. C. Bose, S. N. Roy, K. R. Nair, R. R. Bahadur, G. Kallianpur, D. B. Lahiri and C. R. Rao helped ISI to make significant progress. Assistance from Pitamber Pant, who was a secretary to the Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, further propelled the success. Founded along the lines of Karl Pearson's Biometrika, the Institute started a training section in 1938. ISI was conferred upon with a deemed university status and was declared as an institute of national importance in 1959.

Later Life
After the independence of India, Mahalabonis established the Central Statistical Unit, and under his guidance and supervision it later became the Central Statistical Organization (CSO). This organization was set up to facilitate the coordination among different ministries engaged in statistical activities and also to provide statistical inputs.  He also chaired the National Income Committee which recommended the formation of the National Sample Survey to fill up the data gaps in socio-economic progress. This organization came into being in 1950 and in 1970 it was established as the National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO). Later in life, Mahalanobis was appointed as the member of the planning commission and greatly influenced the development of the five-year plans, starting from the second. His Mahalanobis model, a variant of Wassily Leontief's Input-output model, worked towards the rapid industrialization of India. Apart from this, Mahalanobis was also deeply inspired by culture and thus, served as a secretary to Rabindranath Tagore. This solved dual purpose as his cultural pursuits also were satisfied. Mahalanbis also served a stint at the Viswa-Bharati University. Till his death, he was also the Honorary Statistical Advisor to the Cabinet of the Government of India. It was in recognition of his contributions to science and national service that Mahalanobis was conferred upon with India’s highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan. The Government of India declared 29th June, the day he was born, as National Statistical Day.

Awards & Honors
Weldon Medal from Oxford University (1944)
Fellow of the Royal Society, London (1945)
President of Indian Science Congress (1950)
Fellow of the Econometric Society, U.S.A. (1951)
Fellow of the Pakistan Statistical Association (1952)
Honorary Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society, U.K. (1954)
Sir Deviprasad Sarvadhikari Gold Medal (1957)
Foreign member of the Soviet Academy of Sciences (1958)
Honorary Fellow of King's College, Cambridge (1959)
Fellow of the American Statistical Association (1961)
Durgaprasad Khaitan Gold Medal (1961)
Padma Vibhushan (1968)
Srinivasa Ramanujam Gold Medal (1968)

Personal Life
Mahalanobis married Nirmalkumari, daughter of Herambhachandra Maitra, a leading educationist and member of the Brahmo Samaj, on February 27, 1923. 

Death
Mahalanobis passed away on 28th June, 1972 just a day short of his seventy-ninth birthday.

Timeline
1893: Mahalanobis was born to Prabodh Chandra Mahalanobis and Nirodbasini.
1908: Completed his schooling from Brahmo Boys School.
1912: Graduated in Physics from Presidency College.
1913: Mahalanobis left for England to pursue higher education from Cambridge.
1915: Returned to India and joined Presidency College.
1922: Started working as a meteorologist and published his first scientific statistical research paper.
1923: Mahalanobis married Nirmalkumari.
1931: Established the Indian Statistical institute.
1944: Received the Weldon medal from Oxford.
1945: Was elected the Fellow of Royal Society of London. 
1947: Was appointed Chairman of the United Nations Sub-Commission on Statistical Sampling.
1948: He retired as principal of Presidency College.
1949: Mahalanobis was appointed the Honorary Statistical Advisor by the Government of India
1950: Was elected as the president of the Indian Science Congress.
1951: Established the Central Statistical Institute.
1951: Became a Fellow of Econometric Society of America.
1952: Became a fellow of Pakistan Statistical Association.
1953: Was inducted as a member of the Planning Commission.
1954: Was elected as Honorary Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society of England.
1959: Became a Foreign Member of the Soviet Academy of Sciences.
1961: Fellow of the American Statistical Association.
1968: Conferred upon with the Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India.
1972: Professor Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis breathed his last.

Title: Re: ~ Biographies Of Indian Scientists ~
Post by: MysteRy on May 10, 2012, 09:43:33 AM

Kotcherlakota Rangadhama Rao Biography

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Born On: September 9, 1898
Born In: Vizianagaram, Andhra Pradesh, India
Died On: June 20, 1972

Kotcherlakota Rangadhama Rao was one of the greatest physicists of 20th century India. His work in spectroscopy led to the development of the Nuclear Quadrupole Resonance in Physics. Kotcherlakota Rangadhama Rao is also known for his long association with the Andhra University in which he served as professor of Physics and subsequently, became the Principal of all the colleges under the institution. Apart from his role as physicist, Kotcherlakota Rangadhama Rao has always been known as a nationalist for his simple tastes in lifestyle and clothing. In spite of being professionally successfully, family was the first priority for Kotcherlakota Rangadhama Rao. He always wore khaddar and loved the company of people. And this is why Kotcherlakota Rangadhama Rao is known not only as a physicist but also a delightful companion.

Early Life
Kotcherlakota Rangadhama Rao was born on September 9, 1898 in a Hindu Brahmin family residing in the small town of Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh. His father was a post master in various cities across the state of Andhra Pradesh. He was a very devout Hindu who followed religious rites with the utmost care. Being a Brahmin, Kotcherlakota Rangadhama Rao was deeply influenced by religion and had to practice vegetarianism. Young Rao attended the Maharaja High School in Vizianagaram till he completed his fifth standard studies in the year 1906. His subsequent years of schooling till the completion of his intermediate examinations in the twelfth standard took place in a number of schools including the London Mission High School, the Hindu High School, the C B M High School and the A V N College.

The family was settled in Tamil Nadu and Rao was forced to undertake the B A degree in Physics in the year 1920 in college as a B. Sc degree was unheard of in Madras University during his college days. Rao completed his masters in Physics in 1923 from Tiruchirapalli in Tamil Nadu. Meanwhile, in the same year, when Kotcherlakota Rangadhama Rao was a 25 year old, his mother Ramayamma passed away. Once Rao earned a D. Sc degree after completing his research paper from Madras University, he was selected as part of a group of students to be sent abroad to complete their studies by the Andhra University in the year 1928. The opportunity to travel abroad for completion of his studies opened new doors in the career of Kotcherlakota Rangadhama Rao.

Career
In the year 1924, when Kotcherlakota Rangadhama Rao was completing his research to earn the D. Sc degree from Madras University, he joined hands with research scholar A L Narayan to set up a high quality spectroscopic laboratory in India. Dr Kotcherlakota Rangadhama Rao's aim was to build such a laboratory which would be equipped to conduct the most effective researches in the field of spectroscopy in the future. However, he and his partner had very low dispersion and low resolving power of constant deviation, small quartz and medium quartz spectrographs. There were no funds to purchase the alternative. Therefore, it was Dr Rao who took the initiative to travel to Calcutta. He arrived at the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science in Calcutta and continued his research on spectra in visible and ultraviolet regions.

In the year 1928, Dr Rao was sponsored to be sent to England for further studies by the Andhra University. From 1930 to 1932, he conducted a research on atomic spectra at the Imperial College of Science and Technology in London under the guidance of Professor A Fowler. He was awarded a D. Sc degree from London University at the end of two years. In the year 1930, Dr Rao also traveled to European countries Germany and Sweden to explore the possibilities of research in spectroscopy in the countries. He worked under Professor F Paschen of the Physikalische Technische Reichsanstalt in Berlin, Germany for six months. Rao then visited Upsala, Sweden to study vacuum spectroscopy under the guidance of Professor Manne Seigbahn.

It is said that his interest in the field of spectroscopy was so high that Kotcherlakota Rangadhama Rao built a vacuum spectrograph spending his own money and had it installed in Potsdam, Germany. Dr Kotcherlakota Rangadhama Rao subsequently returned to India to start research work on the nuclear quadrupole resonance in the laboratories of the Andhra University. He was appointed the Principal of the Andhra University colleges in the year 1949, a post that he held till the year 1957. He was also the special officer managing the establishment of the Sri Venkateswara University in Tirupathi in 1954. He later became the Emeritus Professor of Physics at the Andhra University from 1966 to 1972.

Contributions
Professor Kotcherlakota Rangadhama Rao's contribution to the world of physics in general and spectroscopy in particular is immense. He remains one of the most respected physicists in India and around the world. Some of the notable contributions made by Kotcherlakota Rangadhama Rao are:

Development of diatomic and polyatomic molecular spectroscopy laboratory which deals with
high resolution vibrational structure in electronic transitions.

Crystal spectra

U V Absorption

Raman scattering

Infrared absorption

Fluorescence and Phosphorescence

Construction of microwave test benches to further investigations in dielectrics.

Development of radio frequency spectroscopy.

Nuclear Quadrupole Resonance

Electron Spin Resonance

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

Kotcherlakota Rangadhama Rao also established scholarships in the name of his father to aid talented economically backward classes of the society study Physics. The Kotcherlakota Venkata Narasinga Rao Research Scholarship allowed a stipend of rs 30 per month for a period of two years, which could be extended to two more successive years.

Dr Kotcherlakota Rangadhama Rao was one of the founding members of the A P Akademi of Sciences in Andhra Pradesh, established in 1963.

Distinctions
Being an imminent name in the history of physics in the country, Kotcherlakota Rangadhama Rao is remembered through awards and honors named after him. The Indian National Science Academy distributes the Memorial Lecture Award in honor of Kotcherlakota Rangadhama Rao since 1979. The Professor Kotcherlakota Rangadhama Rao Memorial Lecture Award is distributed to celebrate outstanding contribution in the field of spectroscopy in Physics. Well known publications both in India and abroad had articles on the research work of Dr Kotcherlakota Rangadhama Rao during the days he conducted important research in the field of spectroscopy. These publications may still be available in library archives.

Personal Life
Kotcherlakota Rangadhama Rao married Vaddadi Perramma in a Hindu ceremony on December 6, 1925 and two years later the couple saw the birth of their first child Ramakrishna Rao. Over the 18 years of their marriage, Kotcherlakota Rangadhama Rao and his wife had seven more children, four sons and three daughters. Records claim that Kotcherlakota Rangadhama Rao was a very jovial person by nature and hardly ever lost his temper. He loved the company of his friends and spent hours laughing and talking to them. Though his first love was physics and he loved working in his laboratory for hours, Kotcherlakota Rangadhama Rao never ignored the well being of his family. His greatness as a physicist goes unquestioned, but Rao never lost an opportunity to praise even the minor efforts of his colleagues and friends. He also willingly helped many of his juniors with ideas and suggestions in a research work but refused to take any credit in the form of reference to his name in the published work.

Death
The eminent physicist and Professor Kotcherlakota Rangadhama Rao breathed his last on June 20, 1972.

Timeline
1898: Kotcherlakota Rangadhama Rao was born on September 9.
1920: Earned a B A in Physics degree from Madras University.
1923: Earned masters in Physics degree from Madras University.
1923: His mother Ramayamma passed away.
1924: Joined Madras University as research scholar.
1925: Married Vaddadi Perramma on December 6.
1927: His wife gave birth to their first child Ramakrishna Rao.
1928: Selected by Andhra University for further studies abroad.
1930: Started research in atomic spectra in London.
1930: Visited Germany and Sweden for research and study.
1949: Joined as Principal of Andhra University colleges.
1954: Appointed special officer for establishment of Sri Venkateswara University.
1963: Founded the A P Akademi of Sciences in Andhra Pradesh.
1966: Appointed the Emeritus Professor of Physics of Andhra University.
1972: Kotcherlakota Rangadhama Rao died on June 20.
1979: The Memorial Lecture Award is instituted in his honor.

Title: Re: ~ Biographies Of Indian Scientists ~
Post by: MysteRy on May 10, 2012, 09:49:21 AM

Salim Ali Biography

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Born On: November 12, 1896
Born In: Mumbai, Maharashtra
Died On: July 27, 1987
Career: Ornithologist, Naturalist

Almost every one of us is interested in watching colorful and distinct birds crossing us. But very few are passionate about studying them in detail. One such man who took extreme interest and excitement in studying birds closely and categorizing them was Dr. Salim Ali. One of the greatest biologists of all times, Salim Ali meticulously observed and documented the birds of the sub-continent for around 80 years, thereby making immense contribution to the field of ornithology. It was his phenomenal and path-breaking work in the related field that he was bestowed with the nickname of "birdman of India". Besides, he was fondly known as the "grand old man of Indian ornithology" as well. Such was his extraordinary work in the distribution and ecology of over 1000 bird species inhabiting South Asia that he created history and made significant contributions in conserving the fauna, which in an integral part of a mosaic of landscapes.

Early Life
Salim Moizuddin Abdul Ali, or Salim Ali as he is better known as, was born as the ninth and youngest child in a Sulaimani Bohra Muslim family. He was born in Mumbai to Moizuddin and Zeenat-un-nissa. Losing his father at the age of one and mother at three, Salim Ali and other kids were brought up by his maternal uncle, Amiruddin Tyabji, and childless aunt, Hamida Begum. He was also surrounded by another maternal uncle, Abbas Tyabji, a prominent Indian freedom fighter. He attended primary school at Zanana Bible Medical Mission Girls High School at Girgaum and was later admitted to St. Xavier's College at Mumbai.

However, due to his frequent chronic headaches, he was forced to drop out of school every now and then since he was 13 years old. He was sent to Sind to stay with his uncle with hopes of the dry air making an improvement in his health. Thus, on returning, he just managed to clear his matriculation examination from Bombay University in 1913. Since childhood, Salim Ali gained an interest in observing birds closely and had a hobby of shooting birds with his toy air gun. With the help of W.S. Millard, secretary of Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), the bird was identified as Yellow-throated Sparrow, which further increased his seriousness towards ornithology.

Life in Burma and Germany
After spending a difficult first year in Xavier's College, Mumbai, Salim Ali dropped out of college and went to Tavoy, Burma to care of his family's Wolfram mining and timber business. The forests surrounding the area helped him further develop his naturalist and hunting skills. He developed good relations with J.C. Hopwood and Berthold Ribbentrop who worked with the Forest Service. On returning to India in 1917, he decided to complete his studies. Hence, he studied commercial law and accountancy from Davar's College of Commerce. He used to attend morning classes at Davar's College and go to St. Xavier's College to attend zoology classes to complete his course in zoology. Apart from his interest in birds, Salim Ali was also fascinated by motorcycles and hence, owned his first motorcycle, 3.5 HP NSU while he was in Tavoy.

He later went on to possess Sunbeam, Harley-Davidson (three models), Douglas, Scott, New Hudson, and Zenith, amongst other models. He went further to get his Sunbeam shipped to Europe on being invited to the 1950 Ornithological Congress at Uppsala, Sweden. While touring France, he even injured himself in a minor accident and cobbled several times in Germany. He was rumored to have ridden on his bike all the way from India, when he finally reached Uppsala. Coming back to his interest in ornithology, he was rejected a position at the Zoological Survey of India due to lack of a formal university degree. With this, he began studying further when he was hired as a guide lecturer in the newly opened natural history section at Prince of Wales Museum in Mumbai in 1926 with a salary of Rs. 350 per month.

Being fed up with the monotony of the job, he decided to go on a break and went to Germany in 1928 on a study leave. He worked under Professor Erwin Stresemann at Zoological Museum of Berlin University. He was also required to examine the specimens collected by J.K. Stanford, a BNHS member. Stanford was supposed to communicate with Claud Ticehurst at the British Museum who did not like the idea of involving an Indian in his work. Hence, he kept distance with Stresemann. Salim Ali then moved to Berlin and associated with popular German ornithologists, such as Bernhard Rensch, Oskar Heinroth, and Ernst Mayr. Apart from his usual ornithology experience, he also gained knowledge in ringing at the Heligoland observatory.

Contribution to Ornithology
After studying ornithology in Germany, Salim Ali returned to India in 1930 and started looking for a job. However, to his surprise, the position of a guide lecturer had been dropped off from universities due to lack of duns. Left with no option, Salim Ali, along with wife Tehmina, moved to Kihim, a coastal village near Mumbai. This place gave him another opportunity to observe and study birds very closely, including their mating system. He then spent a few months in Kotagiri on being invited by K.M. Anantan, a retied army officer who served in Mesopotamia during World War I. He also met Mrs. Kinloch and her son-in-law R.C. Morris, who lived in the Biligirirangan Hills.

Gradually, on traveling places, Salim Ali got an opportunity to conduct systematic bird surveys in the princely states of Hyderabad, Cochin, Travancore, Gwalior, Indore, and Bhopal. He was financially supported by Hugh Whistler who had previously conducted surveys in various parts of India. Although Whistler initially resented Salim Ali for finding faults and inaccuracies in the early literature, he later re-examined his specimens and accepted his mistakes. With this, began a close friendly relationship between Ali and Whistler. He introduced Ali to Richard Meinertzhagen and the two went on an expedition to Afghanistan. Initially, Meinertzhagen was also critical of Ali's views but later, the two became close friends.

Salim Ali was more attracted towards studying birds in the field rather than getting into the details of bird systematics and taxonomy. However, he did show some interest in bird photography with the help of his friend Loke Wan Tho, a wealthy businessman from Singapore. Ali and Loke were introduced by JTM Gibson, a member at BNHS and Lieutenant Commander of Royal Indian Navy, who had also taught English to Loke in Switzerland. Hence, Loke provided financial support to both Ali and BNHS. Ali talked about the history and importance of bird study in India in Sunder Lal Hora memorial lecture in 1971 and again in Azad memorial lecture in 1978.

Literary Career
Salim Ali was not only passionate about studying birds in general; he also showed equal interest in capturing his views on them in words. With the help of his wife Tehmina, a learned scholar from England, Ali improved his English prose. Thus, began Ali's writing career, particularly journal articles for Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. One of his most popular articles was "Stopping by the woods on a Sunday morning" in 1930 which was reprinted again in Indian Express on this birthday in 1984. He penned several books as well, the most prominent of them being "The Book of Indian Birds" in 1941, which was inspired by Whistler's "Popular Handbook of Birds". It was later translated into several languages and saw more than 12 editions. However, his masterpiece was the 10 volume "Handbook of the Birds of India & Pakistan", written along with Dillon Ripley and was often known as "The Handbook".

The first edition began in 1964 and was completed in 1974. The second edition came from contributions by J.S. Serrao of BNHS, Bruce Beehler, Michel Desfayes, and Pamela Rasmussen. This was completed after Ali's death. Besides the national and international bird books, Ali also authored several regional field guides, like "The Birds of Kerala" (first edition was titled "The Birds of Travancore and cochin" in 1953), "The Birds of Sikkim", "The Birds of Kutch" (later renamed as "The Birds of Gujarat"), "Indian Hill Birds", "Field Guide to the Birds of Eastern Himalayas". He penned his autobiography "The Fall of a Sparrow" in 1985 where he included his vision for BNHS and the importance of conservation related activities. One of his last students, Tara Gandhi, published a two-volume compilation of his shorter letters and writings in 2007.

Personal Life
On his return from Burma, Salim Ali was married off to his distant relative, Tehmina, in December 1918 in Bombay. She accompanied him to all his expeditions and surveys. But his life came to a halt when she suddenly died following a minor surgery in 1939. Ali then started living with his sister Kamoo and brother-in-law.

Death
After battling with prostate cancer for a very long duration, Salim Ali died on July 27, 1987 in Mumbai at the age of 90.

Honors & Memorials
Salim Ali was honored and credited with several honorary doctorates and awards during his lifetime, though this journey began late. Starting with "Joy Gobinda Law Gold Medal" in 1953 by the Asiatic Society of Bengal, he went on to receive numerous accolades. It was based on the appreciation he received from Sunder Lal Hora. Thus, in 1970, he was conferred upon with the Sunder Lal Hora Memorial Medal of the Indian National Science Academy. He was bestowed with honorary doctorate degrees from Aligarh Muslim University in 1958, Delhi University in 1973, and Andhra University in 1978. On receiving the Gold Medal from the British Ornithologists' Union in 1967, Salim Ali became the first non-British citizen to be bequeathed with such an honor. He received the John C. Philips Memorial Medal of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources in the same year.

In 1973, he received the Pavlovsky Centenary Memorial Medal from the USSR Academy of Medical Science and was made the Commander of the Netherlands Order of the Golden Ark by Prince Bernhard of Netherlands. He was honored with Padma Bhushan Award in 1958 and Padma Vibhushan Award in 1976. The Government of India established the Salim Ali Center for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) in Coimbatore in 1990. Further, Salim Ali School of Ecology and Environmental Sciences has been established by Pondicherry University. The Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary in Goa and Thattakad Bird Sanctuary near Vembanad, Kerala have been set up in his honor. The place where BNHS was located in Bombay was renamed as "Dr Salim Ali Chowk".

Timeline
1896: Born on November 12 in Mumbai
1913: Completed matriculation from Bombay University
1914: Admitted to St. Xavier's College and went to Burma
1917: Returned to India
1918: Married distant cousin, Tehmina in December
1926: Employed as guide lecturer in Prince of Wales Museum, Bombay
1928: Left the job and went to Germany
1930: Came back to India
1939: Wife Tehmina died
1941: Wrote first book "The Book of Indian Birds"
1953: Awarded with Joy Gobinda Law Gold Medal by Asiatic Society of Bengal
1958: Received doctorate degree from Aligarh Muslim University
1958: Honored with Padma Bhushan Award
1970: Bestowed with Sunder Lal Hora Memorial Medal from INSA
1973: Received honorary doctorate from Delhi University
1976: Conferred upon with Padma Vibhushan Award
1978: Received honorary doctorate from Andhra University
1985: Penned autobiography "The Fall of a Sparrow"
1987: Died on July 27 in Mumbai from prostate cancer, aged 90
1990: Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History established at Coimbatore

Title: Re: ~ Biographies Of Indian Scientists ~
Post by: MysteRy on May 10, 2012, 09:54:18 AM

Yellapragada Subbarao Biography

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Born On: January 12, 1895
Born In: Bhimavaram, Andhra Pradesh
Died On: August 9, 1948
Career: Biochemist

"You've probably never heard of Dr. Yellapragada Subba Rao, yet because he lived you may be well and alive today; because he lived you may live longer". A famous adage quoted by American author, Doron K. Antrim, Yellapragada Subbarao was one of those rare people who made several significant contributions, yet was not honored with a Nobel Prize or even its equivalents. With a large number of discoveries made over fifty years of his life, this magnificent and legendary scientist transformed science and changed the lives of the general public, only to be forgotten to date. Probably it was his distinguishing feature of keeping away from publicity that his excellence in the field of investigation was a secret from the world. However, with his discoveries and inventions of various antibiotics to save people from deadly diseases, this legend came into limelight, thereby allowing thousands of people to enjoy their lives day after day and year after year.

Early Life
Yellapragada Subbarao was born in a poor Telugu 6000 Niyogi Brahmin family in Bhimavaram district in Old Madras Presidency, now in West Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh. He was born as the fourth child amongst seven children to Y. Jagganatham and Y. Venkamma. Though his father worked as a revenue inspector, the family suffered from many hardships of poverty due to the loss of several of his close relatives at a young age. As such, his schooling at Rajahmundry went through a traumatic phase, leading to his completion of matriculation in the third attempt from Hindu High School in Madras. He attained his intermediate education from Presidency College and took admission in Madras Medical College, his education being financed by his friends and Kasturi Suryanarayana Murthy. He later went on to marry Murthy's daughter.

During the freedom movement, Subbarao was so influenced by Mahatma Gandhi that he gave up using British goods and started wearing khadi surgical dress. This displeased his Anglican partial racist professor, M.C. Bradfield who qualified him for a lesser LMS degree instead of a full MBBS degree, although he fared well in all written examinations. He tried to get through Madras Medical service but failed. Hence, he started working as an anatomy lecturer in Dr. Lakshmipathi's Ayurvedic College at Madras. After gaining much interest in Ayurveda, he diverted his interest towards conducting his research in this field. But he was soon on track after he met an American doctor who was touring India for Rockefeller Scholarship. With financial support from his father-in-law Murthy and promise of support from Satyalinga Naicker Charities and Malladi charities, he sailed to Boston in US on October 26, 1922.

Life in America
Subbarao took admission in Harvard School of Tropical Medicine and on completing the diploma; he took up the job of a junior faculty member at Harvard. Living in poverty, he managed to work two or three jobs in shifts. This gained him appreciation from professors and won many scholarships. For the first time, Subbarao gained public attention with the discovery of the estimation of phosphorus in body fluids and tissues, along with Cyrus Fiske. This discovery came to be known as Fiske-Subbarao method, though it was technically named Rapid Calorimetric Method. Next came the accidental discovery of physiology in the body based on Adenosine Triphosphate and Phosphocreatine (ATP), which are the sources of energy in human body. With this, Subbarao's name was listed in the biochemistry textbooks in 1930s for the first time. In the same year, he obtained his PhD degree. He worked at Harvard till 1940 and later joined Lederle Laboratories, a division of American Cyanamid, as the Director of Research, after he was denied the post of a regular faculty at Harvard.

Contributions to Medicine
At Lederle, Subbarao discovered many more antibiotics for a wide range of cures, other than the already discovered penicillin and streptomycin. His research led him to the discovery of polymyxin which is still used in cattle-feed. This led to laying the foundation for the isolation of vitamin B9, the antipernicious anemia factor, based on the work conducted by Lucy Wills in 1945. He applied different inputs given by Dr. Sidney Farber to develop an anti-cancer drug Methotrexate, one of the first cancer chemotherapy agents, which is still used worldwide. He was also credited with the discovery of drug Hetrazen, a cure for filariasis at Lederle. Today, this drug is the most widely used medicine for treating filariasis, including World Health Organization. Under his directorship, Benjamin Duggar gave birth to his discovery of the world's first tetracycline antibiotic, Aureomycin in the same year. This resulted as one of the largest distributed scientific experiments till date with American soldiers being asked to collect soil samples during World War II and deposit them at Lederle Laboratories for anti-bacterial agents from natural soil fungi. Another medicine that he discovered was Isonicotinic acid Hydrazide, an effective cure for tuberculosis.

Recognition
With so many discoveries and developments to his credit, Subbarao never marketed his work and hence, was always left behind in terms of work recognition and appreciation. He always sat in the audience and had to be pushed to the stage by a colleague or a collaborator to take a bow as each of his researches was revealed to the public. Further, he was seen giving interviews to the press or visiting nations on lecture tours. When his colleague George Hitchings won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, along with Gertrude Elion, in 1988, he stated that some of the works initiated by Subbarao had to be rediscovered for the simple reason that his partner Fiske did not allow his contributions earn name and fame, probably out of jealousy. American Cyanamid honored Subbarao by naming a new fungus under his name "Subbaromyces splendens".

Personal Life
On being persuaded by his family, Subbarao was married to his distant cousin Seshagiri, daughter of Kasturi Suryanarayana Murthy, on May 10, 1919. She belonged to Anaparthi vllage in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. After the couple went to America, his wife gave birth to a son in a couple months. However, the son died at nine months due to the dreadful disease "Sappi".

Death
Yellapragada Subbarao spent most of his career life in America without a green card. Thus, he remained an alien in America, although he performed several important medical researches during World War II. But he had always hoped of shedding the stigma of being an alien amidst people with whom he spent over 25 years. With this, he filed the "Declaration of Intention" to get the ruling of the Immigration and Naturalization Service that he has been legally admitted to United States. Despite getting the American citizenship, Subbarao was an Indian at heart and died as an Indian. On his death on August 9, 1948 in USA due to a massive heart attack, numerous obituaries appeared in Science, New York Times, New York Herald-Tribune, and several other newspapers and journals across the world in honor of this distinguished scientist. He was bestowed upon with "one of the most eminent medical minds of the Century" by Herald-Tribune.

Timeline
1895: Born on January 12 in Bhimavaram, Andhra Pradesh
1919: Married Seshagiri on May 10
1922: Went to America and took admission in Harvard School of Tropical Medicine
1930: Discovered the role of ATP and obtained PhD degree
1940: Joined Lederle Laboratories at Director of Research
1945: Discovered world's first tetracycline antibiotic, Aureomycin and method to synthesize folic acid
1948: Died on August 9 in America, aged 53

Title: Re: ~ Biographies Of Indian Scientists ~
Post by: MysteRy on May 10, 2012, 09:59:03 AM

Sam Pitroda Biography

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Born On: 4th May, 1942
Born In: Titlagarh, Orissa
Career: Entrepreneur, Advisor to the Prime Minister

Satyanarayan Gangaram Pitroda is a famous Indian and a renowned inventor, entrepreneur and policymaker who currently serves as an advisor to the Prime Minister of India, Mr. Manmohan Singh. His work revolves around Public Information Infrastructure & Innovations. He is respected for being a technological intellect who is responsible for India's latest revolution in communications and the IT field. He plays a pivotal role in creating IT infra-structure thereby enhancing services to the common man. Sam Pitroda has extended his services to many areas of IT. He was appointed the Chairman of the National Knowledge Commission during the year 2005-2008, which is a high level advisory board to the Prime Minister of India. The Board works for improving knowledge related institutions as well as infrastructure in the country. Mr. Pitroda holds around 100 key technology patents, has been involved in several start-ups, and has given lectures extensively around the world. He is a proven entrepreneur as well who had founded C-SAM, Inc. with its headquarters in Chicago. With his unparalleled technological and administration skills he redefined the role of technology in a developing country like India and also managed to deliver better services to the under privileged people of the country.

Early Life
Sam Pitroda was born into a Gujarati family on 4th May, 1942 in Titlagarh, Orissa. His parents, who migrated from Gujarat to Orissa were staunch followers of Mahatma Gandhi, and deeply influenced by his philosophies. They sent Sam Pitroda and his brother to Gujarat to learn more about Gandhian philosophy. Sam Patroda did his schooling in Vallabh Vidyanagar in Gujarat and finished a Master's degree in Physics and Electronics from Maharaja Sayajirao University, Vadodara. He then went to the United States of America to pursue a Masters in electrical engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago. He was religiously involved in technology research work during the 1960s and 1970s, stressing on telecommunication.

Career
Sam Pitroda founded a digital switching company called Wescom Switching in 1974 and that was one of the first in that category. He invented many revolutionary systems and electrical accessories and has many patents too his credit. His invention, the 580 DSS switch became a hit across the world in 1978. However, his company Wescom was later acquired by Rockwell International and Pitroda became its President. He developed a new computer theme card game called Compucards in 1983, which functioned by making use of binary codes. He is a good orator and has been invited to many international events.

In 1984, the erstwhile Prime Minister of India, Mrs. Indira Gandhi invited Mr. Petrodato the country. Thus, he started the Center for Development of Telematics C-DOT in India, which is an autonomous telecom R&D organization. He surrendered his US citizenship and acquired an Indian citizenship to work in the government and thus took the post of advisor to Mr. Rajiv Gandhi and contributed much to shape foreign and domestic telecommunications policies. Sam Pitroda headed six major technology missions in Rajiv Gandhi's term and also founded India's Telecom Commission and served as its first Chairman. Though he returned to Chicago in 1990s, Pitroda returned to India upon receiving a call from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2004 and thus became the head of the National Knowledge Commission of India. Sam Pitroda became the head of an expert committee of the railways in July 2009. He was asked to take up the position of advisor to the Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh on Public Information Infrastructure and Innovations in 2009 and was also given the rank of Cabinet Minister. He played an important role in the formation of the National Innovation Council, aimed for the development of micro, small and medium enterprises. This was a notable achievement of Sam Pitroda.

Contributions
Sam Pitroda has against his name many notable achievements in the field of telecommunication as well as the technological sector of India. He established the Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Tradition (FRLHT) near Bangalore in India in 1993. He played a pivotal role in changing the face of Indian telecommunication and the information technology sector. As Chairman of the National Knowledge Commission, he guided the body and submitted around 300 recommendations over 27 focus areas. He has been appointed as an advisor to the UN as well.

Legacy
Introduction of microprocessors in the telephone took Sam Pitroda name to the peaks of fame. He invented the Electronic Diary in the year 1975 and it is an example of hand-held computing. He has 100 patents to his credit and thus has become the leading name in telecommunications and IT. His latest invention covers a major spectrum of transactions, both financial and non-financial, and works by using the cell-phone to advantage.

Awards And Accolades
International Telecommunication Union (ITU), 2011
D.Sc. from Sambalpur University, 2010.
Rajiv Gandhi "Global Indian" award, 2009.
Padma BhushanPuraskar, 2009
Skoch Challenger Lifetime Achievement Award,2009
D.Sc. from Andhra University, 2008
Dataquest IT Lifetime Achievement Award, 2002

Timeline
1947: Born at Titlagarh, Orissa.
1974: Founded Wescom Switching.
1978: Invented 580 DSS switches.
1983: Developed games called Compucards.
1984: Returned to India on receiving an invitation from Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
2004: Returned to India on receiving a call from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
2005: Appointed as Chairman of the National Knowledge Commission.
2009: Appointed as advisor to Indian Prime Minister.

Title: Re: ~ Biographies Of Indian Scientists ~
Post by: MysteRy on May 10, 2012, 10:02:44 AM

Venkataraman Ramakrishnan Biography

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Born On: 1952
Born In: Chidambaram in Cuddalore District, Tamil Nadu
Career: Structural Biologist
Nationality: American

Indian born American, Venkataraman Ramakrishnan is a senior scientist in the Structural Division at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, in Cambridge, England. This great scholar has worked in various fields of biology during the earlier part of his career. However, Venkat along with Thomas A. Steitz and Ada E. Yonath were honored with the Nobel Prize for their spectacular work in cellular machines called ribosomes. Ramakrishnan started out as theoretical physicist before his interest shifted to organelles. Previously, he had also worked closely with histone and chromatin structures that earned him much success. Over the years, he has been the co-author of more than a few scientific journals on ribosomes and its structure. Although Mr. Venkataraman migrated to the U.S., his name still shines among the people in India, for his contributions to science. Apart from his interest in scientific research, he loves to listen to Carnatic music. To know more on Venkataraman Ramakrishnan, go through the sections below.

Early Life
Venkataraman Ramakrishnan was born to C.V. Ramakrishnan and Rajalakshmi in a town called Chidambaram belonging to the Cuddalore District of Tamil Nadu. Both his parents were scientists and lecturers in Biochemistry at the Maharaj Sayajirao University in Baroda, Gujarat.

He did his schooling from Convent of Jesus and Mary in Baroda. After his preliminary education, he continued his pre-university at the Maharaja Sayajirao University. From here, he obtained an undergraduate degree in Physics in 1971. He also received the National Science Talent Scholarship.

Later, Venkataraman migrated to America to continue his further studies. In 1976, he earned his Ph.D. in Physics from Ohio University. He changed his field into biology at the University of California, San Diego. Here, he conducted research along with Dr. Mauricio Montal.

During this time, Venkataraman got married to Vera Rosenberry, an author of children's' books. The couple has two children - a step daughter, Tanya Kapka who is a doctor in Oregon and a son, Raman Ramakrishnan, a cellist who plays with Daedalus Quartet.

Career
Venkataraman Ramakrishnan began his career as a postdoctoral fellow with Peter Moore at Yale University, where he worked on ribosomes. After completing this research, he applied to nearly 50 universities in the U.S. for a faculty position. But he was unsuccessful. As a result of this, Venkataraman continued to work on ribosomes from 1983 to 1995 in Brookhaven National Laboratory.

In 1995, he got an offer from University of Utah to work as a professor of Biochemistry. He worked here for almost four years and then moved to England where he started working in Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology. Here, he began a detailed research on ribosomes.

In 1999, along with his fellow mates, he published a 5.5 angstrom resolution structure of 30s subunit of ribosome. In the subsequent year, Venkataraman submitted a complete structure of 30s subunit of ribosome and it created a sensation in structural biology. Following this, he conducted several studies on these cell organelles and its mechanism. Recently, he determined the complete structure of ribosomes along with the tRNA and mRNa.

Awards And Accolades
Venkataraman earned a fellowship from the Trinity College, Cambridge and the Royal Society. He is also an honorary member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. In 2007, he was awarded with the Louis-Jeantet Prize for his contribution to Medicine.

In 2008, he was presented with Heatley Medal of British Biochemistry Society. In 2009, Venkataraman Ramakrishnan, along with two other scientists were awarded with the Nobel Prize for their major breakthrough made in the area of ribosomes.

For his contribution to Science, he was conferred with India's second highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan in 2010.

Timeline
1952: Venkataraman Ramakrishnan was born in a small district of Tamil Nadu.
1971: He obtained an undergraduate degree in Physics.
1976: Received a Ph.D. from Ohio University.
1983-1995: Continued his studies on ribosomes in Brookhaven National Laboratory.
1995: Got an offer to work as a professor of Biochemistry in the University of Utah.
1999: Published a 5.5 angstrom structure resolution structure of 3s subunit of a ribosome.
2007: Awarded the Louis-Jeantet Prize for his work in Medicine.
2008: Given the Heatley Medal of British Biochemistry Society.
2009: Received Nobel Prize for his work on ribosomes.
2010: Recipient of the Padma Vibhushan for his contributions to Science.