Meet Dr Raghunath Mashelkar, an inspiration to young aspiring scientists, Only on IBN-Lokmat

There is no other path to success than hard work and determination. The statement, as simple as it sounds is filled with meaning and has been proved by none other than Dr Raghunath Mashelkar, one of India’s most eminent and successful Scientists. Born on the 1^st of January 1943, Dr Mashelkar had a difficult childhood. He lost his father when he was a child and in spite of many difficult conditions, his mother encouraged him to study with determination. Dr Mashelkar would study under the street lights of Mumbai chowpatty and successfully graduated from the Mumbai University as a Chemical Engineer. In 1969, he also obtained a PhD from Mumbai University and post this, went on to study and work in the UK initially as a Leverhume Research Fellow and later as a professor at the Chemical Engineering Department, University of Salford. On returning to India, Dr Mashelkar joined the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL), Pune of CSIR eventually becoming its Director. Great Bhet presents an inspiring story of Dr Mashelkar this Saturday, February 8, 2014 at 9.30 pm.

During his term as CISR director, Dr Raghunath made many changes and laid emphasis on national progress through the field of research and innovation. He was responsible for establishing many branches of CSIR, thus giving a number of researchers the opportunity to receive training under his mentorship. His work towards the IPR has been crucial as he was responsible for creating a nationwide movement on Intellectual Property Rights. He emphasised the need for patents and the preservation of knowledge through his alliance with noted Indian academicians, researchers and the corporate sector.

Dr Raghunath Mashelkar is known for many notable accomplishments, he is only the third Indian to have been elected as a Fellow of Royal Society (FRS), London in the twentieth century. He is also the only scientists till today to have won the JRD Tata Corporate leadership award and the Star of Asia award at the hands of George Bush, former president of USA. In 2005, he was also elected as the foreign associate of the United States National Academy of Sciences, only the 8th Indian since 1863 to be selected and in 2008, was elected as the foreign associate of Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. Dr Mashelkar is the first Indian to have received this honour. Many universities like Salford, Pretoria, Wisconsin and Delhi have honoured him with honorary doctorates. Dr Mashelkar has been the recipient of over fifty awards both national and international. The Padmashri and the Padmabhushan, which are two of the highest civilian honours India, were awarded to him by the president of India for his immense contribution in the field of Science and Technology. Apart from this, he has also been awarded the Bhatnagar Medal, Material Scientist of the Year award, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru National Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award by Indian Science Congress Association.

Dr Mashelkar believes in Innovation as a way of life through Science and technology and feels that the solutions to major problems of the world lie in establishing a global network using Innovation and technology. He is truly an Inspiration for millions and has contributed tremendously towards our nation.  

Tune into Great Bhet this Saturday, February 8, 2014 at 9.30 pm to know about this extraordinary man and his remarkable work only on IBN-Lokmat.

Missed this episode? You can catch it on Sunday, 9th February 2014 @ 12 noon and 5:00 pm only on IBN-Lokmat.