Remembering Ramanna

P. K. Iyengar

It is difficult to give _expression to my feelings after a long and close association with an illustrious scientist such as Raja Ramanna, who expired yesterday in Mumbai.

Dr. Ramanna was born in Tumkur in Karnataka on January 28, 1925. He had his early education in Mysore and Bangalore, his B. Sc. Honours in Physics from the Madras Christian College in Tambaram, and his Ph.D. from King's College, London, as a Tata Scholar. In London, he also developed an interest in Western classical music, and learnt to play the piano. He returned to India in 1949 to join the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, as one of the few scientists introduced to nuclear physics in those days.

I joined Ramanna in 1952, after doing my M.Sc. in Physics from Trivandrum. We were both young, in our twenties, and shared many experiences, both in academic life and in social life. His early training in England sensitised him to Western culture and science, but at the same time, he could see the intellectual degradation of colonialism. I was greatly influenced by his synthesis of Western thought and technology with Indian philosophy, society and developmental needs. We were keenly bent on the indigenous development of science and technology, and the resultant applications.

Right approach

What I cherished most in our 50-year association was his ability to look at problems rationally: scientific, technical and managerial. He not only chose the right approach, but even convinced others of the correctness of his approach. This is what earned him a reputation as a most successful creator of science and technology in the country. These qualities he shared with our founder Homi Bhabha, and the others who followed him: Vikram Sarabhai and Homi Sethna. All of them had a high regard for his abilities, and therefore very willingly passed on to him greater responsibilities as he grew in stature.

The testaments to his success are many: He held many responsible positions within the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, and was its Director from 1972 to 1984; in between, from 1978-81, he went away as Director-General of the Defence Research & Development Organization; he was Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission from 1984-87. Subsequently he was Minister for Defence from 1990-92 and, till recently, was a Member of the Rajya Sabha. He has been given numerous awards, most significantly the Bhatnagar Award in 1963, and the Padma Vibhushan in 1975.

In the 50s, the challenge of doing high quality science and developing advanced nuclear technologies was daunting, given the poverty of the country and the lack of expertise. But Dr. Ramanna was never intimidated by this challenge. He believed in choosing the right people, encouraging and supporting them to perform, and cutting down bureaucratic delays and unnecessary rules and regulations in administering science. His science policies were directed towards encouraging creativity in order to make advances in technology at the most sophisticated level. To develop the skilled manpower required for this task, he, with Homi Bhabha, started the BARC Training School, in which every year 200 scientists and engineers were recruited, tutored for a year, and then absorbed into the laboratories and in projects. This was started in 1957, and is still continuing, and much of the strength of the Department derives from this seed that Dr. Ramanna planted.

Proud legacy

Out of the uncertain beginnings in the 1950s, if we have today achieved the status of a "developed country" in nuclear science and technology, it is in large measure a consequence of Dr. Ramanna's ideals, policies and efforts. He certainly leaves behind the proud legacy of a magnificent edifice of scientific and technological achievements and attainments, particularly towards the country's energy and national security. But perhaps the even more important legacy is his uncompromising belief in intellectual clarity and rational thinking in every facet of life, and his unwavering belief (which he inherited from Jawaharlal Nehru and Homi Bhabha) that the nation could progress only by embracing science and scientific thinking. The best way to honour his memory is not through eulogies, but by rededicating ourselves to his policies and beliefs.

(The writer is a former Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission.)

Courtesy : The Hindu, Sept 25, 2004