Personality of the Day - Dr. Shantiswarup Bhatnagar

 

Today we pay homage to Padma Bhushan Dr. #ShantiSwarupBhatnagar also known as ‘The Father of Research Laboratories’ on his birth anniversary. He was the founding director of ,which went on to become a prominent research organization in independent India.

Dr Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar was the Founder Director (and later first Director General) of Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) who is credited with establishing twelve national laboratories in as many years. Dr Bhatnagar played a significant role in building of post independent S & T infrastructure and in the formulation of India’s S & T policies. Dr Bhatnagar concurrently held number of important position in the Government. He was the first Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC). He was Secretary, Ministry of Education and Educational Adviser of Government. He was the first Secretary to Ministry of Natural Resource & Scientific Research and also Secretary of Atomic Energy Commission. He played an instrument role in the establishment of the National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) of India. His research contribution in the areas of magneto chemistry and physical chemistry of emulsion were widely recognized. In 1936, Dr Bhatnagar was conferred with Order of British Empire (OBE). He was Knighted in 1941and elected Fellow of Royal Society, London in 1943. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1954 by the President of India.

Dr Bhatnagar passed the Intermediate Examination of the Panjab University in 1913 in the first division and joined Forman Christian College for the BSc degree. After taking the Bachelor’s degree in 1916 he decided to take up his first formal employment as Demonstrator in the Physics and Chemistry Department of the Forman Christian College. Later he became the Senior Demonstrator in the Dyal Singh College. The employment, however, did not hinder Bhatnagar’s efforts in pursuing higher studies. He joined the MSc course in chemistry in the Forman Christian College.

After completing his Master’s degree he went to England to complete his DSc from London University in 1921. Bhatnagar returned to India the same year and joined BHU and later to Panjab University, Lahore in 1928, Bhatnagar jointly invented with Dr N. Mathur an instrument called Bh-M-I-B, which was exhibited at Royal Society, by a company in London.

Dr Bhatnagar provided innovation solution to several industrial problems and persistently refused personal monetary benefit research facilities at universities. Dr Bhatnagar died of heart attack on 1 January 1955.

The prestigious award "Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar (SSB) Prize for Science & Technology" was instituted in his honour.

Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize (SSB) for Science and Technology 2021 List of recipients: https://ssbprize.gov.in/WriteReadData/LatestUpdates/202109260133259214500SSBPrize2021Website.pdf

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Source: 21 Feb 2022, https://ssbprize.gov.in/Content/SSBBio.aspx

33 honoured with India’s most-coveted science prize

Dr Aditi Sen De of Harish Chandra Research Institute, Allahabad, is the only woman among the 33 scientists who were awarded for the year 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave away the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize — India’s most coveted science and technology award — to 33 winners of past three years on the occasion of National Science Day in Delhi on Thursday.(ANI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave away the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize — India’s most coveted science and technology award — to 33 winners of past three years on the occasion of National Science Day in Delhi on Thursday.

Dr Aditi Sen De of Harish Chandra Research Institute, Allahabad, is the only woman among the 33 scientists who were awarded for the year 2016, 2017 and 2018.

De was given the award in the “physical sciences” category for her contributions in quantum communication. She is the only woman to receive the award in this category.The last woman scientist to receive the award was Dr Vidita Vaidya, a neuroscientist from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai. She received the prize in 2015 in the “medical sciences” category.

So far, the award has gone to 16 women and 519 men.

The award was instituted in 1958 in the honour of eminent scientist Dr Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar, who was also the founder director and chief architect of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), a government-funded research and development organisation, which now runs several laboratories and institutes across the country.

The prize comprising a citation and Rs 5 lakh in cash is given each year to outstanding researchers in seven disciplines.

“I feel that the science can be global but the technology should be local, suited to the needs of the people of the country. Our scientists and science organisations should not work in silos, rather they should work together to build a brighter future,” said Modi.

“If this is done, the farmer and the soldier will benefit from science and research,” he added referring to the phrase by Lal Bahadur Shastri “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan” to which former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had added “Jai Vigyan” and in January this year PM Modi added “Jai Anusandhan” during the Indian Science Congress, an annual event.

Addressing the scientists, Modi said, “You all live your lives in laboratories and you have a tradition of pilot projects. After the pilot, a project is made scalable. So, recently there was a pilot project, now we need to do the real thing. Earlier, it was a practice. And the real thing is: today’s winners need a standing ovation.”

The PM went on to say that scientists and scientific institutes should come together to work for India’s future. Speaking at the event, Union science minister Dr Harsh Vardhan commended CSIR for improving its global ranking. “Over the last few years, under the guidance of our prime minister, our scientists have achieved a lot, especially CSIR that was ranked number nine on a list of 1,207 institutes of the world,” he said.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/33-honoured-with-india-s-most-coveted-science-prize/story-dPSaAkYdVxw2qmXiGA439H.html ((Accessed on March 1, 2019)