The Tango of Science (Brownian Motion) and Art (Virar Fast - Art Installation of Valay Shinde): A Personal Experience Working with Science and Art Museums.

 

After my retirement from service as the Director of Nehru Science Centre, Mumbai after a brief stint in Delhi and a break, I joined the CSMVS, Mumbai, as an Advisor. Contrasting experience of working with the science museums for 35 years and now - for nearly three years - with the CSMVS has been quite enriching and educative. It is this tango of science and art that has come my way and motivated me to pen this article, differently!

One of the many new exhibitions that the CSMVS has completed and thrown open to the public is the Mumbai Gallery, which was opened on 14 October 2024. This gallery is dedicated to the city of Mumbai. It features historical artefacts that narrate the story of the people of Mumbai who have made this city the economic capital of India and a cosmopolitan city, which is also a dream city and a city of opportunity, for those who wish to dream. One of the significant artefacts in the Mumbai gallery is the “Virar Fast” art installation created by Valay Shende, which is prominently displayed at the entrance to the Mumbai gallery.

Mumbai, a cosmopolitan city of hope and aspiration for millions is majorly dependent on the suburban electric local rail transport for commute. The Mumbai Suburban Rail (Central, Western, and Harbour line) on an average commute 7.24 million commuters daily and is inextricably linked to most Mumbaikars, for whom Rail is their lifeline. The crowded suburban trains in Mumbai are sites that Mumbaikars experience daily. Virar Fast local during peak hours, quintessentially represents this scene. This daily phenomenon, experienced by Mumbaikars has motivated artist Valay Shende to craft his beautiful art installation “Virar Fast” which now finds a pride of place in the Mumbai gallery at the CSMSV Museum. This installation, no wonder made it prominently to the headlines in the Times of India, which covered the Mumbai gallery. The concept note provided by the artist for his work “Virar Fast’ describes his work of art as a representation of the “essence of relentless battle faced by the working class in their daily grind (travel)”.

The EMU (Electric Multiple Unit) that is used to run the Mumbai suburban trains is a household name in Mumbai. Mumbai electric rail transport began almost a century ago, on February 3, 1925, when the Great Indian Peninsular Railway (GIPR) introduced the first electric run trains that ran between Bombay VT (now CSMT) and Kurla Harbour. Incidentally one of these earliest electric engines that ran the trains in Mumbai (Bombay then) is in the collections of the Nehru Science Centre, Mumbai, and this pride collection was restored to its pristine beauty during the COVID pandemic period.

The heading for this article - “The Tango of Science and Art” - comes from my experience from one of those typically crowded peak time travel days in the Virar Fast local (Western Railways) that I used for commuting to Church Gate from Andheri. Most rail commuters by the Virar Fast local, during the peak hours, are confronted with the challenge of searching for foot space in a train that does not even have an additional square inch of space left. Although it is a usual occurrence for daily commuters, however, for me who uses the Virar Fast rarely, something profound struck me while travelling in this crowded local. As I stood, barely able to move amidst the sea of passengers on the Virar Fast local - which I had boarded at Andheri for travelling to Church Gate - the familiar jostling, swaying, and chaotic shuffle of bodies, its indescribable odour, the sound, and noise, which I was experiencing, reminded me of something unexpectedly scientific: the Brownian motion.

For over 35 years, I worked with science museums, dedicated to science communication, immersed in the language of molecules, atoms, and scientific phenomena through my work with science museums across India. Creating exhibits to explain the microscopic world of science to the uninitiated visitor in science, almost always, makes a science museum curator rely on analogies. Brownian motion is one such scientific phenomenon, which was one of the first exhibits that I had developed as a young curator way back in 1988. I vividly remember having used a mechanical analogy to explain the complicated motions of molecules that constitute the Brownian motion. Post my retirement, I found myself stepping into a different realm - an art museum, the CSMVS Museum in Mumbai. At first, this transition was like moving to an entirely different universe. CP Snow’s essay on “The Two Cultures”—the stark divide between the world of sciences and that of the arts—suddenly made perfect sense to me. I felt the chasm between the analytical, data-driven logic of science and the subjective, emotional world of arts and literature. Yet, as the months passed, I began to realize that perhaps these two worlds weren't as distinct as they first appeared. Slowly, I started seeing how creativity was the common thread weaving them together, regardless of their different forms of expression or understanding.

But it wasn’t until that epiphanic moment in the Virar Fast Local train—a crowded, bustling, Mumbai local—that everything truly crystallized for me. The human movement in that compartment was not unlike the random motion of particles in Brownian motion, which Einstein predicted. In this seemingly chaotic environment, every jolt, every push, every nudge appeared to be dictated by some kind of an invisible force: the crowdedness of the train, the positioning of passengers, and their collective aim to reach their workplace – destination, in time. That instant of epiphany helped me see some kind of a parallel between the everyday scene of Mumbai peak time local travels and the microscopic world of science, Brownian motion.

Just like molecules in a substance, the crowd in the Virar Fast Local was densely packed, with passengers barely moving, constrained by those around them, pushing and shoving each other. This reminded me of how molecules in a solid vibrate but are confined to fixed positions, unable to move freely. As the density of the crowd decreased slightly at each station – with people alighting, it felt akin to the molecular behaviour in a liquid state—where the passengers (like molecules) could now flow past each other, with more freedom of movement, though still closely bound by the space limitations. Finally, as the train neared Churchgate, passing through intermittent stations at Bandra, Dadar, Mumbai Central, Grant Road, Churni Road, and Marine Line where more and more people alighted, few boarded, the compartment felt almost gaseous as it passed Charni Road, with passengers dispersed, with an ability to move freely and randomly in any direction, unlike what they could do earlier at Andheri, or Bandra and to some extent at Dadar. This experience helped me understand the Brownian motion as a fascinating and relatable way to conceptualize the movement of particles in different states of matter, described below

Solids and Packed Crowds: In peak hours, when the train is densely packed, people have minimal space to move, much like particles in a solid. Here, movement is constrained, and individuals can only shift slightly, often bouncing off each other within the confined space—analogous to the restricted vibrational motion of particles in a solid.

Liquids and Moderate Crowding: As more passengers alight at Bandra, Dadar, and Mumbai Central, and few board, there’s a slight increase in movement of people. The density of commuters is lower than in the packed train, providing a bit more freedom for the commuters to navigate within the coach. This state is comparable to the behaviour of particles in a liquid, where movement is still random but particles can flow past each other within a confined space.

Gases and Spacious Trains: As the train nears the destination (Church Gate) the number of passengers in the coach decreases, and people have ample space to move freely. This situation mirrors the random, high-energy movement of particles in a gas, where they occupy more space and move independently without frequent interactions.

The Virar Fast train ride became a living analogy for me—a vivid, real-life comparison to the randomized movement of particles in different states of matter. The random movements of people mirrored the Brownian motion described by Einstein in the Annus Mirabilis year, 1905, in one of his five acclaimed papers, which were published in that year. Although Brownian motion, had been observed before Albert Einstein’s time, what made Einstein’s 1905 paper "On the Movement of Small Particles Suspended in Stationary Liquids Required by the Molecular-Kinetic Theory of Heat," the third of his five papers written in May 1905, remarkable was that the paper provided a theoretical explanation and a mathematical framework for understanding the motion of the particles in the fluid. His paper was one of the five revolutionary papers in Einstein's annus mirabilis (1905). The Brownian Motion - the random movement of particles in fluids - was already identified by physicists before Einstein. However, Einstein used the knowledge of this phenomenon to prove the existence of atoms, through his paper.

My personal experience of the movement of passengers in the Virar Fast Local and the clarity it provided for the Brownian motion, wasn’t just about physics or the scientific explanation of the movement of molecules in fluid. It made me realize how science and art—two seemingly separate worlds—intersect in ways I hadn’t previously considered. The Virar Fast Local art installation of Valay Shinde, displayed in the Mumbai Gallery, perhaps, helped me look at the experience of Mumbai local travel differently. Art, with its focus on the human experience and creativity, can be found in the very randomness of the movement in that train. Science, with its focus on understanding phenomena, finds itself expressed in the chaotic yet measurable motions of people.

As someone who has spent years working in a science museum including a few years heading an art institution – NGMA Mumbai, and now working at the CSMVS, I now fully appreciate the delicate balance between the world of science and arts, two worlds. They are intertwined more intricately than CP Snow’s "Two Cultures" would suggest. Art and science, both expressions of human creativity, aren’t just complementary—they are essential to one another. My experience in science helped me understand the structure and patterns of the physical world, while my exposure to art at the CSMVS Museum opened my eyes to the beauty and meaning that lie within those structures.

Today, as I stand at the crossroads of science and arts, I see the power of interdisciplinary understanding. My epiphany on the crowded Mumbai local has given me a profound appreciation for how science and art come together, just as the motion of particles can be beautifully reflected in the movement of people in the everyday chaos of life. Through this lens, I can see how the randomness of life—whether in a crowded train or a scientific phenomenon—holds both scientific explanation and artistic beauty, as articulated by Valay Shinde in his art installation. And in that realization, I feel more connected to both fields than ever before.

Long live Sciences and Arts and their practitioners and may they come closer than ever before.

Images: Courtesy CSMVS, Mumbai and After my retirement from service as the Director of Nehru Science Centre, Mumbai after a brief stint in Delhi and a break, I joined the CSMVS, Mumbai, as an Advisor. Contrasting experience of working with the science museums for 35 years and now - for nearly three years - with the CSMVS has been quite enriching and educative. It is this tango of science and art that has come my way and motivated me to pen this article, differently!

One of the many new exhibitions that the CSMVS has completed and thrown open to the public is the Mumbai Gallery, which was opened on 14 October 2024. This gallery is dedicated to the city of Mumbai. It features historical artefacts that narrate the story of the people of Mumbai who have made this city the economic capital of India and a cosmopolitan city, which is also a dream city and a city of opportunity, for those who wish to dream. One of the significant artefacts in the Mumbai gallery is the “Virar Fast” art installation created by Valay Shende, which is prominently displayed at the entrance to the Mumbai gallery.

Mumbai, a cosmopolitan city of hope and aspiration for millions is majorly dependent on the suburban electric local rail transport for commute. The Mumbai Suburban Rail (Central, Western, and Harbour line) on an average commute 7.24 million commuters daily and is inextricably linked to most Mumbaikars, for whom Rail is their lifeline. The crowded suburban trains in Mumbai are sites that Mumbaikars experience daily. Virar Fast local during peak hours, quintessentially represents this scene. This daily phenomenon, experienced by Mumbaikars has motivated artist Valay Shende to craft his beautiful art installation “Virar Fast” which now finds a pride of place in the Mumbai gallery at the CSMSV Museum. This installation, no wonder made it prominently to the headlines in the Times of India, which covered the Mumbai gallery. The concept note provided by the artist for his work “Virar Fast’ describes his work of art as a representation of the “essence of relentless battle faced by the working class in their daily grind (travel)”.

The EMU (Electric Multiple Unit) that is used to run the Mumbai suburban trains is a household name in Mumbai. Mumbai electric rail transport began almost a century ago, on February 3, 1925, when the Great Indian Peninsular Railway (GIPR) introduced the first electric run trains that ran between Bombay VT (now CSMT) and Kurla Harbour. Incidentally one of these earliest electric engines that ran the trains in Mumbai (Bombay then) is in the collections of the Nehru Science Centre, Mumbai, and this pride collection was restored to its pristine beauty during the COVID pandemic period.

The heading for this article - “The Tango of Science and Art” - comes from my experience from one of those typically crowded peak time travel days in the Virar Fast local (Western Railways) that I used for commuting to Church Gate from Andheri. Most rail commuters by the Virar Fast local, during the peak hours, are confronted with the challenge of searching for foot space in a train that does not even have an additional square inch of space left. Although it is a usual occurrence for daily commuters, however, for me who uses the Virar Fast rarely, something profound struck me while travelling in this crowded local. As I stood, barely able to move amidst the sea of passengers on the Virar Fast local - which I had boarded at Andheri for travelling to Church Gate - the familiar jostling, swaying, and chaotic shuffle of bodies, its indescribable odour, the sound, and noise, which I was experiencing, reminded me of something unexpectedly scientific: the Brownian motion.

For over 35 years, I worked with science museums, dedicated to science communication, immersed in the language of molecules, atoms, and scientific phenomena through my work with science museums across India. Creating exhibits to explain the microscopic world of science to the uninitiated visitor in science, almost always, makes a science museum curator rely on analogies. Brownian motion is one such scientific phenomenon, which was one of the first exhibits that I had developed as a young curator way back in 1988. I vividly remember having used a mechanical analogy to explain the complicated motions of molecules that constitute the Brownian motion. Post my retirement, I found myself stepping into a different realm - an art museum, the CSMVS Museum in Mumbai. At first, this transition was like moving to an entirely different universe. CP Snow’s essay on “The Two Cultures”—the stark divide between the world of sciences and that of the arts—suddenly made perfect sense to me. I felt the chasm between the analytical, data-driven logic of science and the subjective, emotional world of arts and literature. Yet, as the months passed, I began to realize that perhaps these two worlds weren't as distinct as they first appeared. Slowly, I started seeing how creativity was the common thread weaving them together, regardless of their different forms of expression or understanding.

But it wasn’t until that epiphanic moment in the Virar Fast Local train—a crowded, bustling, Mumbai local—that everything truly crystallized for me. The human movement in that compartment was not unlike the random motion of particles in Brownian motion, which Einstein predicted. In this seemingly chaotic environment, every jolt, every push, every nudge appeared to be dictated by some kind of an invisible force: the crowdedness of the train, the positioning of passengers, and their collective aim to reach their workplace – destination, in time. That instant of epiphany helped me see some kind of a parallel between the everyday scene of Mumbai peak time local travels and the microscopic world of science, Brownian motion.

Just like molecules in a substance, the crowd in the Virar Fast Local was densely packed, with passengers barely moving, constrained by those around them, pushing and shoving each other. This reminded me of how molecules in a solid vibrate but are confined to fixed positions, unable to move freely. As the density of the crowd decreased slightly at each station – with people alighting, it felt akin to the molecular behaviour in a liquid state—where the passengers (like molecules) could now flow past each other, with more freedom of movement, though still closely bound by the space limitations. Finally, as the train neared Churchgate, passing through intermittent stations at Bandra, Dadar, Mumbai Central, Grant Road, Churni Road, and Marine Line where more and more people alighted, few boarded, the compartment felt almost gaseous as it passed Charni Road, with passengers dispersed, with an ability to move freely and randomly in any direction, unlike what they could do earlier at Andheri, or Bandra and to some extent at Dadar. This experience helped me understand the Brownian motion as a fascinating and relatable way to conceptualize the movement of particles in different states of matter, described below

Solids and Packed Crowds: In peak hours, when the train is densely packed, people have minimal space to move, much like particles in a solid. Here, movement is constrained, and individuals can only shift slightly, often bouncing off each other within the confined space—analogous to the restricted vibrational motion of particles in a solid.

Liquids and Moderate Crowding: As more passengers alight at Bandra, Dadar, and Mumbai Central, and few board, there’s a slight increase in movement of people. The density of commuters is lower than in the packed train, providing a bit more freedom for the commuters to navigate within the coach. This state is comparable to the behaviour of particles in a liquid, where movement is still random but particles can flow past each other within a confined space.

Gases and Spacious Trains: As the train nears the destination (Church Gate) the number of passengers in the coach decreases, and people have ample space to move freely. This situation mirrors the random, high-energy movement of particles in a gas, where they occupy more space and move independently without frequent interactions.

The Virar Fast train ride became a living analogy for me—a vivid, real-life comparison to the randomized movement of particles in different states of matter. The random movements of people mirrored the Brownian motion described by Einstein in the Annus Mirabilis year, 1905, in one of his five acclaimed papers, which were published in that year. Although Brownian motion, had been observed before Albert Einstein’s time, what made Einstein’s 1905 paper "On the Movement of Small Particles Suspended in Stationary Liquids Required by the Molecular-Kinetic Theory of Heat," the third of his five papers written in May 1905, remarkable was that the paper provided a theoretical explanation and a mathematical framework for understanding the motion of the particles in the fluid. His paper was one of the five revolutionary papers in Einstein's annus mirabilis (1905). The Brownian Motion - the random movement of particles in fluids - was already identified by physicists before Einstein. However, Einstein used the knowledge of this phenomenon to prove the existence of atoms, through his paper.

My personal experience of the movement of passengers in the Virar Fast Local and the clarity it provided for the Brownian motion, wasn’t just about physics or the scientific explanation of the movement of molecules in fluid. It made me realize how science and art—two seemingly separate worlds—intersect in ways I hadn’t previously considered. The Virar Fast Local art installation of Valay Shinde, displayed in the Mumbai Gallery, perhaps, helped me look at the experience of Mumbai local travel differently. Art, with its focus on the human experience and creativity, can be found in the very randomness of the movement in that train. Science, with its focus on understanding phenomena, finds itself expressed in the chaotic yet measurable motions of people.

As someone who has spent years working in a science museum including a few years heading an art institution – NGMA Mumbai, and now working at the CSMVS, I now fully appreciate the delicate balance between the world of science and arts, two worlds. They are intertwined more intricately than CP Snow’s "Two Cultures" would suggest. Art and science, both expressions of human creativity, aren’t just complementary—they are essential to one another. My experience in science helped me understand the structure and patterns of the physical world, while my exposure to art at the CSMVS Museum opened my eyes to the beauty and meaning that lie within those structures.

Today, as I stand at the crossroads of science and arts, I see the power of interdisciplinary understanding. My epiphany on the crowded Mumbai local has given me a profound appreciation for how science and art come together, just as the motion of particles can be beautifully reflected in the movement of people in the everyday chaos of life. Through this lens, I can see how the randomness of life—whether in a crowded train or a scientific phenomenon—holds both scientific explanation and artistic beauty, as articulated by Valay Shinde in his art installation. And in that realization, I feel more connected to both fields than ever before.

Long live Sciences and Arts and their practitioners and may they come closer than ever before.edia

Tata Mumbai Marathon 2025: Fund Raiser for ADHAR

Tata Mumbai Marathon 2025: Fund Raiser for ADHAR (Association of Parents of Mentally Retarded Children).

https://www.unitedwaymumbai.org/fundraiser/23375

 

Over the years, the Tata Mumbai Marathon has grown beyond a running event. It has evolved as a celebration of a unique, quintessential spirit of Mumbai embodied in its exemplary diversity, determination, and most importantly philanthropy. It exhibits the power of sports (marathons) to unite people, promote healthy living, and drive positive change in society by contributing to social causes.

Going beyond that magic finish line, the impact of the Tata Mumbai Marathon is felt through the wide-ranging charitable initiatives, the TMM 2025 supports, contributing to enriching the lives of the special needs community. As the Tata Mumbai Marathon continues to inspire, unite, and make a difference, it stands as a shining example of how sports can transcend human-made boundaries to create a lasting positive change. 

The Tata Mumbai Marathon has gained international recognition for its impeccable organization, strong participation, and its unique blend of competitive and community-oriented aspects. The race has attracted elite athletes worldwide, contributing to its reputation as one of Asia's leading marathons. This international appeal enhances Mumbai's global sports and cultural hub status.

 One of the NGOS that has been actively participating in the Tata Mumbai Marathon is the Association of Parents of Mentally Challenged Children – ADHAR www.adhar.org The Tata Mumbai Marathon helps the NGO not only in raising donations for the institution but also, most importantly, in creating public awareness on issues like the incurable mental disabilities. Adhar is an NGO that began with the vision of its founder to provide lifetime care and shelter to those adult mentally challenged adults who would need lifetime care and support to survive in society. This NGO ever since its foundation has been striving hard to serve the needs of such mentally challenged adults and their parents and caregivers.

Fund Raiser Appeal for Adhar – TMM 2025 

Last year, I was one of the members who joined the TMM 2024 campaign for raising funds for ADHAR – The Association of Parents of Mentally Retarded Children, which has changed the lives of 350 plus mentally challenged adults and brought in smiles and respite on the lives of their parents and caregivers.

 Some segments often go unnoticed and underserved in a society striving for inclusivity and compassion. Among these are mentally challenged adults, who require specialized care and support throughout their lives. ADHAR is one such organization that prides itself in providing meaningful lifetime care and shelter and makes these special children live a life of love, care, and dignity all through their lives. 

 I am using the platform of Tata Mumbai Marathon 2025 to make this humble appeal, seeking support for ADHAR, from friends, family, acquaintances, and colleagues, and appeal to you all to please contribute to this institution. Donations qualify under 80G of the Income Tax. Here is a link to my TMM 2025 pledge page for your kind consideration.

 https://www.unitedwaymumbai.org/fundraiser/23375

The Ratan (Jewel) in the Crown of the Tata Group - Ratan Tata – has Passed Away, Long Live his Legacy.

 

Ratan Tata, the man who steered the Tata Group to become a global brand with its acquisition of global companies such as Corus, Jaguar Land Rover, and Tetley and helped the Tata Conglomerate become a globally trusted brand, passed away on Wednesday at 11.30 PM – 9 October 2024, at the Breach Candy Hospital, Mumbai marking an end to an era that will be remembered not only for his outstanding contributions to Indian industry and nation building but also for his illustrious philanthropy and for the values he upheld throughout his life. He was 86.

I was among one of tens of thousands of people who lined up to pay respects to Ratan Tata, whose mortal remains, befittingly draped in the national flag, were placed for the public to pay their respect at the lawns of the National Centre for Performing Arts, Mumbai. The organisers had made excellent arrangements for the public to pay their respects to Ratan Tata by arranging an adequate water supply and very cordial volunteers and police who guided the people who stood in line in long queues to reach the place to pay their respects. There was a separate gate for VIPs to pay their respect, and another gate for the public, notwithstanding a temptation to use some contacts to pass through the VIP gate, I preferred standing in the public Q and paid my last respects by offering flowers and bowing down to bid goodbye to the true “Ratan of India” – Jewel - the one and only Ratan Tata. 

His humility and simplicity - and that too at a time when ostentatious living receives global headlines and who’s who line up for such events, as witnessed in the recent event that unfolded in Mumbai - stands testimony to the man, whose exemplary achievements notwithstanding, who earned the unending love and respect among his countrymen. This was evidenced by the rich tributes that have continued flowing in since his passing. Everyone, starting from the Honourable President of India to the Prime Minister and almost all Chief Ministers and innumerable other politicians, every businessman, celebrity, and hundreds of thousands of ordinary citizens - including yours truly - who paid their tribute to Ratan Tata. On his passing away, an era has ended. 

I am personally privy to the exemplary simplicity and humility of Ratan Tata, which I witnessed in December 2013, during the inauguration of an exhibition titled “The Cyrus Cylinder and Ancient Persia” at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) Mumbai. This exhibition was organised by the CSMVS in partnership with the British Museum and Sir Dorabjee Tata Trust, Sir Ratan Tata Trust, and Navajbai Ratan Tata Trust. The Cyrus Cylinder is one of the most significant objects to have survived from the ancient world. This historically important clay cylinder object with inscriptions in Babylonian cuneiform, which is from the collections of the British Museum, evidences the proclamation of the Achaemenid King Cyrus the Great (539 BCE) at the time of his conquest of Babylon. This object has great significance to the Parsi community, many of who, including Ratan Tata, have made Mumbai their home.

It was for the first time that the Crus Cylinder was traveling to India from the British Museum as a part of the exhibition. Mr Mukherjee, DG of CSMVS, informed me how Mr Ratan Tata came to the rescue of the CSMVS Museum when they were finding it difficult to arrange financial resources for the exhibition. Mr. Mukherjee, met Mr. Ratan Tata at the Tata House soliciting his support for the exhibition. Mr Tata’s words made a huge difference and the Sir Dorabjee Tata Trust, Sir Ratan Tata Trust, and Navajbai Ratan Tata Trust came forward to support this exhibition and the rest is history. In December 2013 when this exhibition was inaugurated at CSMVS, I was the Director of NGMA Mumbai. CSMVS had invited the then Honourable Culture Minister, Ms. Chandresh Kumari Katoch for the opening of the exhibition and I was tasked to be the nodal officer in Mumbai for the Ministry of Culture, and I had to accompany the Minister and make all the arrangements as per the protocol. The inaugural event went off smoothly and during the vote of thanks Mr Mukherjee, rightly heaped praises on Ratan Tata and recalled how his support made this exhibition possible. Lo and behold, to all our surprise and also the surprise of everyone sitting on the dais, including the Hon. Culture Minister, someone mentioned that Ratan Tata was present in the audience and he was somewhere in the back rows. This exemplifies the simplicity and humility par excellence of the man. Although the exhibition was funded by the Tata Trusts, and Ratan Tata was the Honorary Chairman of the Tata Group, yet Ratan Tata preferred to be in the audience like any other common invitee. It was only after the appeal and request by Mr. Mukherjee and Ms. Katoch, the Honourable Minister, that Mr. Ratan Tata hesitantly walked towards the front rows and received a warm welcome and appreciation from the Minister, Mr. Mukherjee, and other dignitaries from the dais and I was one of those who had the honour to shake hands with him on that day. This event and the simplicity and humility exhibited by Ratan Tata have remained etched in my memory.

As the torchbearer of the illustrious Tata group leadership legacy that began with the legendary founder of the Tata Group – Sir Jamshedji Tata (1868-1904) who founded the company in 1868, and passed the baton to his able son Sir Dorab Tata (1904–1932), followed by Sir Nowroji Saklatwala (1932–1938) and JRD Tata  (1938–1991) – Ratan Tata who served as the Chairman of the Tata Group from 1991-2012, has upheld the ideals set by his worthy predecessors while steering the Tata Group to new heights with grace, humility, and a deep commitment to philanthropy not just for human society but also for animals, and societal welfare. He was also a great supporter of art and culture and the CSMVS Museum is one of the major beneficiaries of the Tata philanthropy.

Ratan Tata’s leadership is best defined by a rare combination of business acumen and genuine care for people. Whether it was his audacious decision to take over international brands like Jaguar Land Rover and Tetley Tea, or his relentless push for the "people's car," Tata Nano, his vision extended far beyond immediate profits. Though the Nano project faced several hiccups including a shutdown in Singur, West Bengal, and may not have achieved the financial success he had hoped for, the Nano car sparked a culture of innovation within Tata Motors, laying the groundwork for a range of world-class vehicles the Tata Motors produces today. I am privy to the extraordinary quality of Tata Motors courtesy of my close friend Mr Sangamnath Digge, who was the plant head at Tata Motors in Pune. Ratan Tata’s ability to dream big, coupled with his perseverance in pursuing even the most challenging goals, was a testament to his unwavering belief in Indian industry and ingenuity.

Ratan Tata's legacy goes beyond the boardroom and financial bottom lines. His decision to acquire Corus Steel was more than a strategic move —it was a symbolic moment of redemption for India and for the founder of the Tata group, Sir Jamshedji Tata, who had faced humiliation when he proposed to establish a Tata Steel Company to the British who were then ruling us in the early 1900s. An apocryphal belief has it that when Jamshedji Tata approached the British to start the steel company, he was challenged by a British Officer, that if Tata could produce steel to the exacting standards of British Steel, he would be happy to chew that steel. Lo and Behold within a few years of this humiliation, Tatas successfully established their Tata Steel plant in Jamshedpur, under the able leadership of Dorabjee Tata, Tata Steel was able to produce tonnes and tonnes of steel. It was providential justice that Tata Steel under the leadership of Ratan Tata ended up buying Corus Steel a company that had acquired British Steel company. Tata Steel company grew in stature under the leadership of Ratan Tata from a company that was once ridiculed by the British to one that could stand toe-to-toe with its former colonial rulers. Ratan Tata’s business moves were not just about growth—they were about restoring pride and building on the indomitable spirit of Indian enterprise, which has not only paid off for the Tata Group but also has helped in establishing brand India globally whose benefits the Indian Industry is now reaping. 

What truly set Ratan Tata apart was his humility, simplicity, and his grounded nature, besides his philanthropy and compassion for the poor and marginalised and so also for animals – street dogs, in particular. In a world where wealth often leads to extravagance, Ratan Tata remained humble, living a life that was in stark contrast to the ostentatious lifestyles of many of his peers. His decision to appoint Natarajan Chandrasekaran as the Chairman of Tata Sons, someone from outside the Tata family, speaks volumes about his meritocratic approach and his desire to see the Tata Group thrive under capable leadership, irrespective of lineage.

It was providential that Ratan Tata was handed over the baton of the Chairmanship of Tata Group from another legendary Tata – Bharat Ratna, JRD Tata, in 1991, a period when India opened up its economy to the world and an era of economic liberalisation was set in courtesy the policies of the Narasimha Rao Government, under Dr. Manmohan Singh, who was then the Finance Minister responsible for economic liberalisation. At that time, the Tata Group was mostly an Indian conglomerate with annual revenues of around 4.5 billion, US $. Under the visionary leadership of Ratan Tata, the Group expanded to over 100 billion US $ in revenue by the time he passed on the baton to his immediate successor, in 2012.

Ratan Tata also played a crucial role in shaping Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) into a global IT powerhouse. He had the foresight to support leaders like Ramadorai, under whose leadership TCS would become a beacon of Indian technological prowess. Ratan Tata must also receive due credit for TCS's rise to international prominence and for shaping the IT industry in the country, which is now a force to reckon with in international forums. Incidentally, TCS Foundation has supported CSMVS, where I work now as an Advisor, in the major restoration of the CSMVS building and also in modernising the two Tata galleries. Courtesy of the support of TCS, the CSMVS was awarded the highest Award of Excellence at the UNESCO Asia Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation 2022. Today, the Tata Group, leveraging on the foresight and visionary leadership of Ratan Tata, operates in over 100 countries, with a strong presence in industries, ranging from steel and automobiles to IT services and consumer goods, 

Through all these achievements, Ratan Tata remained the same person, a man of vision, compassion, wisdom, and extraordinary leadership. Ratan Tata was not only a giant in business in which he excelled but also a philanthropist who true to the ideals of the founder – Jamshedji Tata - believed that businesses must serve society. The Tata Group, under his leadership, continued its long-standing tradition of philanthropy, contributing to education, healthcare, and rural development, ensuring that the company’s growth always had a positive impact on society, which it continues to do so.

Ratan Naval Tata was born in Mumbai on 28th December 1937 to Naval Tata (the adopted son of Sir Ratan Tata - son of the founder of the Tata group Jamsetji Tata and younger brother of Sir Dorabji Tata) and Sonoo Tata. Unfortunately, when Ratan Tata was just 10 years old, his parents got divorced. Ratan Tata and his brother, Jimmy Tata, were brought up by his paternal grandmother, Lady Navajbai, wife of Sir Ratan Tata. Navajbai Tata and her husband, Sir Ratan Tata were connoisseurs of art. They acquired best of art collections of jade and European, paintings and other artefacts from across the world, which they travelled extensively. After the death of her husband, who died at a young age of 41, Navajbai Tata donated most of their art collections to the CSMVS (formerly the Prince of Wales Museum) when it was opened to the public in January 1922. One large exhibition hall on the second floor of the CSMVS museum, which has completed its centenary, befittingly called the Sir Ratan Tata gallery, houses these art collections that have been seen been tens of millions of visitors ever since the opening of the CSMVS museum in 1922. Navajbai Tata, after the death of her husband settled in Mumbai in the house which we know today as Tata House, and lived there for the rest of her life. It was here in the Tata House that young Ratan Tata and his brother grew up under the motherly love and care of their grandmother, Navajbai Tata.

Navajbai Tata was a great philanthropist whose philanthropy extended beyond the donations of art which she made to the CSMVS Museum. In fact, she also bore all the expenses for the best of display cases where these arts could be displayed in the museum. Her philanthropy went beyond donating her art collections to the CSMVS Museum. She gifted in charity various houses which she inherited from Sir Ratan Tata for the aged and poor Parsi women. Navajbai became the Chairperson of the Sir Ratan Tata Trust, and also a key member of the Tata Sons board. Using resources from the Trust, she undertook several philanthropic initiatives in various spheres to alleviate poverty and improve the quality of life of the economically challenged. Perhaps these philanthropic attributes and love and compassion for the poor and marginalised, which Ratan Tata exhibited all through his life was imbibed in him from his younger days living with his grandmother, Navajbai Tata, whom he loved immensely.

Young Ratan Tata bloomed under the love and care of his loving grandmother Navajbai Tata. He completed his early schooling at Campion School and John Connon School in Mumbai. He then left Mumbai for the US to pursue his graduation. He was advised by his father to pursue his engineering degree, although architecture was what he wished to study. Ratan Tata completed both his engineering degree and also received his degree in Architecture with structural engineering from Cornell University, U.S.A. Later he also completed an advanced management programme at the Harvard Business School. 

Life in the US, Los Angeles, where Ratan Tata lived fascinated him and he had more or less decided to settle in Los Angeles, California. It must be remembered that the decades of the later part of the 50s and sixties were a fascinating time in the now famous Bay Area, Silicon Valley, California. Nobelist, William Shockley had started his Shockley Semiconductor company in the Bay area and eight of his best engineers and scientists deserted Shockley to start Fair Child Semiconductor company which became the starting point for the growth of unending innovation in the area which believed in a completely different lifestyle under which creativity and innovation thrived leading to the Silicon Valley which we see today that has given birth to giant companies like Google, Apple, Facebook and many others. Ratan Tata must have been witness to this culture in his days in the US.

His life in the US was short-lived. In early 1962, Ratan Tata got a message that his grandmother, Navajbai Tata was unwell motivating Ratan Tata to change his mind and return back to India to be with his grandmother. Incidentally, on his return to India, Ratan Tata wanted to join IBM Company. In one of his interviews, he talked about this and said that he did not even have a CV when he went for a Job at IBM, which he had to share with the company for his interview. He had to type out his CV on the spot. However, his interest in joining IBM was interrupted when he was asked to join the Tata Group company. 

Ratan Tata started his career in the Tata Group companies in 1962. His first job was to work on the shop floor. From the kind of Hippie culture that he was becoming habitual of living in Los Angeles, he had to adapt to this new lifestyle of a strenuous and difficult shop floor job in Tata. This experience later came in handy for Ratan Tata in gaining experience and understanding of the business from bottom up.  Ratan Tata got his first opportunity to exhibit his leadership qualities when he was made the Director-in-charge of the NELCO (National Radio and Electronics Company Ltd) in the year 1971. NELCO was passing through a phase of financial crisis phase. Although, Ratan Tata worked hard to build an improved consumer electronics division, but the problems that the company faced due to unyielding union issues, and also the extant economic recession, made it impossible for the company to succeed.

He got another opportunity to prove his efficiency in management, when he was transferred to Empress Mills, in the year 1977. This was another struggling Tata Group unit. Although Ratan Tata tried his best to revive this century old textile company by working out a plan for its revival, the existing union issues and so also non-cooperation from the company executives in accepting his plans resulted in yet another failure for Ratan Tata and the result was the mill had to shut down. 

This led to Ratan Tata moving back to the Tata Industries. In 1981, he was named Chairman of Tata Industries, the group’s other holding company, where he was responsible for transforming it into a group strategy think tank and a promoter of new ventures in high-technology businesses. This experience helped Ratan Tata to be recognised by the legendary JRD Tata who mentored Ratan Tata. JRD Tata had led the Tata group from 1938, when he had become the Chairman of the group at a young age. One fine day, after JRD Tata was discharged from the Breach Candy Hospital where he was admitted for an ailment, he called Ratan Tata to his office in the Tata House and expressed his desire to anoint him as his successor to be the Chairman of the Tata Group. It was a momentous occasion for Ratan Tata, who willingly agreed to the advice of his mentor. JRD Tata took his recommendation to the Board and convinced them to accept Ratan Tata, his choice, to be his successor as the Chairman of the Tata Group. There were murmurs of objections from other executives amid concern regarding his ability to manage the responsibilities, which were short-lived.

On becoming the head of the Tata Group in 1991, he used the opportunity of economic liberalisation, which was beginning to unfold in India, to chalk out plans and strategy to successfully improve the organisation’s overall position. He modified the management and vision of the division and also managed to increase the dividends. His achievements as the Chairman of the Tata Group have been elaborately listed earlier in this essay. He expanded the vision of the group and helped the Tata group to go global. Among the global companies that Ratan Tata helped Tata’s acquire, during his leadership include the acquisition of Tetley the British tea giant, which was acquired by Tata’s for 450 million US $. This was one of the first major overseas purchases by an Indian company. This marked Tata's entry into the global beverage market. In the year 2007, Tata Steel acquired Corus for 13 billion US $. The acquisition of Corus made Tata one of the world's largest steel producers. Tata Motors acquired the internationally famed automobile company, Jaguar Land Rover in the year 2008. With this 2.3 billion US $ acquisition, Ratan Tata transformed Tata Motors into a global automotive player in control of these iconic British car brands. This deal helped Tata Motors resurrect the luxury car brands.

Mr Ratan N. Tata was the Chairman of Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata group, from 1991 till his retirement on December 28, 2012. During his tenure, the group’s revenues grew manifold, totalling over $100 billion in 2011-12. After retirement, Mr Tata was conferred the honorary title of Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons, Tata Industries, Tata Motors, Tata Steel and Tata Chemicals. He also served as the Chairman of the Sir Ratan Tata Trust and Allied Trusts, and the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and the Allied Trusts. He was also the Chairman of the Council of Management of the premier research institute in India, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR). He also served on the board of trustees of Cornell University and the University of Southern California.\

For his yeomen service to the nation, he was awarded innumerable awards and recognitions including the coveted Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan awards from the Government of India. The Government of Maharashtra has unanimously moved a resolution to nominate his name for the highest honours of the country, Bharat Ratna, posthumously. He richly deserves this recognition from the country for whose development he has strived all through his life contributing immensely in nation building the fruits of which India is beginning to harvest.

Ratan Tata’s legacy will endure in the institutions he nurtured, the lives he touched, and the countless innovations that bear his hallmark. In his demise India and the world has lost not just a great industrialist, but a greatest of human being. His vision, humility, and contributions to the nation will be remembered for generations to come.

Rest in Peace respected Ratan Tata.

Om Shanti. 

Image Credits :

First Image : Courtesy CSMVS, Mumbai

Second Image : Wikipaedia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

15 September, Engineers Day

15 September, Engineers Day - Remembering Bharat Ratna Sir MV: The Legendary Engineer and a Statesman Par Excellence, on his Birth Anniversary.

15 September is celebrated as Engineers Day in India in memory of the legendary Engineer, Statesman and a great nation builder, Bharat Ratna, Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya (Sir MV) who was born on this date in 1861 - as per the official records in his passport, some scholars say that he was born on 15th September 1860. The Government of India, in the year 1968, decided to befittingly celebrate the legendary Sir MV’s birth anniversary - 15 September, as the Engineers Day. Ever since, this day is celebrated as Engineers Day to honour and acknowledge the contributions of engineers in nation building, which Sir MV exemplified. 

I had the honour to lead the team in Visvesvaraya Museum, Bangalore, when I was posted as its Director, to curate an exhibition on the life and works of Sir MV, entitled ‘Sir MV: The Legendary Nation Builder’. The year 2011 was special. It was the sesquicentennial year of birth of Sir MV and also the fiftieth year of his punyatithi. This exhibition was opened at the Visvesvaraya Museum in August 2011. It received an outstanding media coverage a glimpse of which can be seen in the images which accompany this post. Subsequently, on my transfer from Bangalore to Mumbai, I had the honour to obtain financial support from JSW for publishing a well-researched and a richly illustrated exhibition catalogue, which I had the honour to author and publish in the year 2015. This exhibition was befittingly featured in the prestigious India Science Congress in Mumbai in 2015. Here is a link for downloading the soft copy of this exhibition catalogue.

https://www.nehrusciencecentre.gov.in/pdf/Sir%20M%20Visvesvaraya%20%E2%80%93%20The%20Legendary%20Nation%20Builder.pdf 

In the annals of human history very few people have had the honour of celebrating their own birth centenary; from amongst those few who have, there are no parallels to the veritable and a nation building life that Sir M Visvesvaraya lived for all of 100 plus years (died on 14th April 1962). His achievements as a nation builder both as an engineer and as an administrator, were truly incredible. Sir M Visvesvaraya, popularly referred to as Sir MV, was an engineer par excellence, statesman, visionary, a staunch votary for industrialization, proponent of education and women empowerment, a visionary who started the Mysore Bank - which later became the State Bank of India - the man who improved transportation, the father of planned economy etc. Sir MV has made enduring contributions, not just as a civil engineer with the British Government - two plus decades in the Maharashtra province - but also for the development of the state of Mysore, where he worked as the Chief Engineer and the Diwan of Mysore (1912-1918) and for his many other contributions in regions of the sub-continent including Karachi and Hyderabad, which are now in Pakistan and so also in Aden, which is now in Syria. Sir MVs works remain eternally etched in the annals of Indian history. There, are very few fields of thoughts and constructive endeavours, of technical advancement and nation building, in which Sir MV has not made a significant contribution in his nearly eight decades long service to the nation. 

It is therefore no wonder that Sir MV was bestowed with the highest national honours, the Bharat Ratna, in the year 1955, which he shared with Pandit Nehru and Bhagwan Das. 

Engineers are among those beautiful minds who harvest the applications of science for the benefit of human society, an exemplary evidence of which was demonstrated by Sir M Visvesvaraya. Interestingly ten years after the exhibition was opened in 2011 in Visvesvaraya Museum Bangalore, in the year 2021, suddenly I received invitations to deliver lectures on the life and works of Sir MV from different institutions – Department of Science and Technology, Government of India to deliver lecture on Sir MV during National Technology Day (May11, 2021) and another prestigious invitation to deliver the 17th VN Bedekar Memorial Lecture on 14 April 2021, whose abstract can be found here

http://www.vpmthane.org/VPM/Abstract_Shri.Khened_14.04.2021.pdf 

In the same year (2021), I penned a detailed blogpost while commemorating Engineers Day whose link is given below. 

https://khened.blogspot.com/2021/09/engineers-day-remembering-sir-mv.html 

Here is a link to my talk delivered for DST on 11 May 2011

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OUNqr6Feds

Images : Courtesy Nehru Science Centre, Mumbai and Visvesvarya Museum, Bangalore

7 August: Punyatithi of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore & Bangladesh

7 August: Punyatithi of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore & Bangladesh

Today, 7 August, as we pay our Shradhhanjali to the Polymath, Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, on his 83rd Punyatithi (Tagore Died on 7 August 1941) it is poignant to bring out a profound connection that Tagore, Bengal (both West Bengal and Bangladesh), the Swadeshi movement, and a historic relation that India has with Bangladesh and how and why the events unfolding presently in Bangladesh and its impact is so important for us, India. Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore holds a unique distinction that two of his poems have been befittingly chosen as the national anthems of India and Bangladesh - “Jana Gana Mana” & “Amar Sonar Bangla” respectively. Bangladesh achieved a unique Guinness book record feat of the most people (254,537) singing a national anthem simultaneously on 26 March 2014, at the National Parade Ground in Dhaka.

Interestingly a major event in the history of India and Bangladesh, the Swadeshi Movement, unfolded on this very day, 7 August 1905, whose primary objective was the opposition to the partition of Bengal. This movement was led by Bal Gangadhar Tilak. Just two days ago, on 5 August 2024, Bangladesh witnessed an unprecedented event in its history. Sheikh Hasina, the PM of Bangladesh - the daughter of the founder of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rehman – was ousted from power just two days ago in Bangladesh and has been forced to flee the country and land in India. We will soon be witnessing a new era for Bangladesh, which is most likely not be to very friendly to India. Tagore and his Punyatithi and India have an immemorial connect with Bangladesh, which hopefully will continue in the future as well, with the changing times that we are witnessing in Bangladesh.

Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore was the first non-European and the first non-white person to be conferred with the coveted Nobel Prize, which he won for Literature in the year 1913. Tagore continues to be recognized globally as a creative genius and a polymath; a versatile poet, a par excellence short story writer, novelist, playwright, essayist, artist, and rationalist with a scientific bent of mind, as well as a talented painter, whose pictures with their mixture of representation and abstraction began to manifest late into his career. Tagore lived a creative life for eight decades until his passing away at 80 years and three months, on this day, 7th August 1941, at his ancestral home in Calcutta (now Kolkata). Here is a link to my Shradhhanjali paid to Tagore on his Punyatithi.

https://khened.blogspot.com/2022/08/rabindranath-tagore-tribute-to-polymath.html

The mortal remains of Tagore have been confined to the holy fire in the ceremonial Hindu traditions, but then Tagore, the genius, has left behind - for the world and India and Bangladesh - an unprecedented creative legacy and heritage that have remained etched in golden letters in the annals of Indian history, which no fire or any force can obliterate. India and the world are so very privileged to inherit and be inspired by the legacy that Tagore has left for all of us - his rich heritage of words, music, poetry, paintings, ideas, and ideals. Here is a link to my blog where I have paid tribute to the polymath, Tagore on his Jayanti.

https://khened.blogspot.com/2020/05/rabindrnaath-tagore-tribute-to-polymath.html

Tagore, as stated above, holds a unique distinction that two of his poems have been befittingly chosen as the national anthems of India and Bangladesh - “Jana Gana Mana” & “Amar Sonar Bangla” respectively. Here is my blog on the Indian National Anthem composed by Tagore. https://khened.blogspot.com/2023/12/27-december-jana-gana-mana-national.html

Tagore used colloquial Bengali language, deviating from well-established Sanskrit-influenced, to reshape Bengali literature and music by introducing new prose and verse forms that could connect easily with the masses in their mother tongue, across both West Bengal and Bangladesh.

It was on this day, 7 August 1905, that a formal announcement for the Swadeshi movement was launched in India to express public anguish against the British who had decided to partition undivided Bengal into East and West Bengal, at the instance of Lord Curzon. Although on paper, the decision to partition Bengal was made based on a purported administrative limitation for the British to govern a large Bengal province, in reality, the partition of Bengal helped the British to divide India into religious lines and create fissures between the Bengali Hindus and Muslims, who were bound by common culture, language customs, and traditions. The Swadeshi movement included boycotting British-made goods, using goods produced in India, and public burning of British-made goods. This movement, which was started by Bal Gangadhar Tilak was patronised by Indian National Congress.

Although INC and the Swadeshi movement were not successful in averting the partition of Bengal and that too on religious considerations and averting the division in Indian society on religious lines, it could foresee the machination designs of the British to divide and rule India, a policy which ultimately led to the partition of India and creation of Pakistan (East and West Pakistan) on religious lines. However, East Pakistan was short-lived, and in just 24 years since the formation of East Pakistan violence broke out in East Pakistan when the native Muslim population following their Bengali Culture was suppressed by the rulers from West Pakistan which ultimately led to the liberation of East Pakistan and formation of Bangladesh, in which India played a major role. Here is my blog on the Vijay Diwas and the liberation of Bangladesh

https://khened.blogspot.com/2021/12/16th-december-vijay-diwas-indian.html

Today when we look at the events that are unfolding in Bangladesh including the violence and loss of life and livelihood, belligerent mob vandalizing the large statue of Mujibur Rahman, their founder, burning temples, and killing of Hindus and other minorities, one shudders to imagine whether in the days, months and years ahead, Bangladesh is headed towards becoming another Pakistan or worse even Afghanistan and in the process forget the deep and profound historic connect that it has with India in general and West Bengal in particular. Time alone will reveal what the future holds for Bangladesh, a country that owes genesis to India and its national anthem to Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore whose Punyatithi we are commemorating today. On this solemn occasion I hope and pray that better sense prevails over the people of Bangladesh and they don't become puppet in the hands of some vested interest people, who may be inimical to the interest of Bangladesh.

Long live Gurudev and the India Bangladesh connection.

जय हे, जय हे, जय जय जय जय हे।

Land Slide in God's Country: Are we responsible for Nature's (God) Fury?

 

Kerala, “God's own country”, with Wayanad as one of those idyllic tourist destinations, has been struck by a massive landslide, due to torrential rains. It was in the wee hours of early morning on 30 July, when massive landslides struck Mundakkai Kerala’s Wayanad District after the heavy rains had lashed the state of Kerala. Desperate scenes of human suffering have flooded the news and social media with rescue teams from Defence and other governmental and nongovernmental organisations trying their best to rescue people by reaching the destroyed houses and frantically searching for missing people. The reports of the death toll vary and range from 143 to 153, as I write this post with people still missing and feared to be buried under the debris of fallen buildings. Taking to X the Government of Kerala (CMO) announced a state holiday today and declared a two-day mourning period - starting today.

Can this tragedy of landslides be attributed only to nature's fury, because of the torrential rains which have lashed the district of Wayanad? May not be. It could be a combination of both nature and human greed which has led us to this disaster. Asserting his views on the eco-sensitive nature of the western ghats that have witnessed this disaster, the leading ecologist of India, Prof Madhav Gadgil, has blamed the government for ignoring ecological recommendations. The Hindu reported that; Mr. Gadgil criticised the State government for not adhering to the panel’s guidelines designed to prevent such disasters amid extreme climate changes.

Most ecological experts agree with the angst expressed by Prof Madhav Gadgil. They attribute the devastation of floods and landslides to the extensive quarrying, mining, mushrooming of high-rises on the hillside as part of tourism, and illegal encroachment of forestland by people who they term as environmental fundamentalists. We must hold these people, supported by political parties – cutting across party lines, who must be held responsible for the catastrophic consequences. They don’t understand the value of coexistence with nature. A closer look at the regions impacted by this unprecedented catastrophe shows that they are majorly part of the Western Ghats and most of these places are classified as ecologically sensitive zones (ESZs) by the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), also known as the Gadgil Committee. 

The WGEEP panel under the chairmanship of Prof Madhav Gadgil, ecologist and founder of the Centre for Ecological Sciences at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, commissioned by the Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India, painstakingly crafted their monumental report addressing some of the ecological consequences in the very regions that are now adversely affected by the landslide in subject. Prof Gadgil, in his preface to the report, says “the report embodies among other things (i) categorisation of the Western Ghats into three zones of varied ecological sensitivity, based upon careful analysis done by WGEEP, (ii) broad sectoral guidelines for each of these zones, and (iii) a broad framework for the establishment of the Western Ghats Ecology Authority”.

This report was submitted to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests under the UPA Government in 2011. The report recommended that the whole of Western Ghat be divided into 3 zones and that no new mining licenses should be given in zones 1 and 2. It further said that the Government must stop all existing mines in Zone 1 by 2016 and it must also stop illegal mining activities immediately. Unfortunately, no action was taken on the report since the recommendations in the report were considered a bitter pill, which no Government would wish to swallow, particularly because the implementation of the report would hurt the powerful mining lobby of South West India with deep pockets and high-level political connections. Interestingly but not surprisingly, this mining body is patronised by both the leading political parties in Kerala – the ruling LDF and the opposition, UDF and therefore Madhav Gadgil's report was not acted upon and gathered dust and the ministry also did not release this report to the media for public discussion. An RTI activist from Kerala learned of this report and sought the report from the union Ministry under the RTI. The government did not furnish the information citing security concerns. Undeterred, the applicant agitated the matter right up to the CIC and finally, the CIC ordered the government to make the report public, which the Ministry earnestly followed. 

The Gadgil committee report sparked much controversy in Kerala, especially as the then-opposition CPI-M accused the report of being too environment-centric. This resulted in no action by the Government. The Supreme Court intervened in the matter and directed the government to act on the report. The result was the formation of another committee, the Kasturirangan Committee, which was set up to review the Gadgil Committee report and suggest changes so that the states can implement the recommendations of the Gadgil report, keeping in mind the welfare of the inhabitants as well.

Kasturirangan led-High Level Working Report (HLWG) was submitted in April 2013 to the Ministry of Environment. The Ecologists say the HLWG is a dilution of the Gadgil report and, therefore, unacceptable. There were agitations and protests even against the Kasturirangan report by quarry owners and farmers, especially in the Idukki and Wayanad districts, the very districts that are now worst affected. Political leaders and mining companies too joined hands to fight against the report resulting in hardly any action on either of the reports.

It is worthwhile to note that there are a few key differences between the Gadgil and the Kasturirangan report. Prominent among them is the extent of the area that should be awarded protection as an eco-sensitive zone (ESZ). The Gadgil panel identified the entire Ghats as ESZ. However, the Kasturirangan panel used a different method, primarily because of the expertise of Dr Kasturirangan in the field of finer remote sensing technology with which he was very closely associated. Kasturirangan report, accordingly, removed cash crop plantations like rubber, agricultural fields, and settlements from ESZ. The Kasturirangan report suggested an ESZ area of 37 percent of the Western Ghats (still a massive 60,000 ha), which was much less than the 137,000ha proposed by Gadgil. However, what is alarming is that even after more than a decade of the report of Dr. Kasturi Rangan, neither of the reports has been completely implemented on the ground. Experts may debate on the two reports but what may be of essence is that we should learn lessons from this disaster and take corrective actions.

What may have been the consequences of the torrential rains, had the Gadgil report or even Dr Kasturirangan's Reports been acted upon is something which each of us is free to envisage and apply our minds to such thoughts. Well, my guess is as good as most of my friends. Professor Gadgil himself however feels the current catastrophe is man-made, which he emphatically has stated. It is of interest to note that both reports highlight the ecological sensitivity of the region, which is now struck by a landslide.

Today we witness a highly polarised polity who are bickering on every subject, and the divide is so vividly evidenced in the parliament, which is engaged in an animated budget discussion, which looks more like a political mudslinging match rather than a place for debate with great scholarship.  But strangely, when it comes to taking action and implementing either the Madhav Gadgil Report or Dr Kasturi Rangan’s report, there seems to be unanimity across party lines, and no one wants to bite this bullet to annoy their vote bank and the mighty environmental fundamentalists – the mining lobby.  

Six years ago, a similar situation played out in Kerala in August 2018, and the resultant floods caused a loss of more than 300 people but then we seem to have learned no lessons, and the UDF government, which is in power now and so also during the August 2016 flood, must not shy away from acting on the reports any longer and the NDA government must extend all possible assistance and support to Pinnarayi Vijayan’s  government not only to tide over the current disaster but also in implementing at least the Kasturi Rangan’s report to avoid any further disasters   

Let us hope that someone is listening.

Until then let us all put our hands together to raise in appreciation of the rescue teams who are doing extraordinary service to the nation.

Jai Hind

Wishing Prof Jayant Narlikar a very happy 86th birthday - 19 July, 2024.

Dr. Jayant Vishnu Narlikar, an internationally acclaimed astrophysicist & cosmologist who has made significant contributions to the field of theoretical astrophysics, particularly in the study of cosmology, black holes, and the formation of galaxies, turned 86, yesterday - 19 July, 2024. Narlikar is famously known as a leading expert who defended the Steady State Cosmology against the more Popular Big-Bang Cosmology. I like to take this opportunity to wish Dr Jayant Narlikar a very happy birthday (belated) and pray for his good health. 

 Dr Narlikar besides being a astrophysicist and a scientist of international repute was an extraordinary science communicator, which made him a role model for the science communicator fraternity in India, including yours truly. He was a prolific science writer in English and Marathi and also in Hindi. He served as the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Nehru Science Centre, Mumbai and as the Member of the Governing Body of NCSM, an apex body of science centres and science museums, which administers most of the science centres and museums in India. The Nehru Science Centre, Mumbai therefore had innumerable opportunities to host Dr Narlikar at the centre not only for the meetings but also for lectures and interactions with students and public, a glimpse of which are seen in the images that accompany this birthday tribute to Dr Narlikar. Befittingly, one of the innumerable awards that Dr Narlikar received was the coveted UNESCO Kalinga Award, which is given to the leading science communicators of the world. 

 Dr Narlikar while receiving the prestigious UNESCO Kalinga Award in 1996 had articulated the reasons for his interest in science communication He had said; “I enjoy doing research in astronomy and astrophysics. My research supervisor Sir Fred Hoyle, who was himself is a Kalinga Awardee, was a successful science communicator i.e. he was able to communicate what he was doing to the layman in a very simple and easy manner. I thought that he was an example that I should follow”. 

Jayant Narlikar was born on July 19, 1938 in Kolhapur to his illustrious parents - Vishnu Vasudeva Narlikar, his father, a well-known mathematician, and his mother, Sumati Narlikar, a Sanskrit scholar of eminence. He received his early education at the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) campus where his father was working as a Professor and Head of the Department of Mathematics. Young Jayant Narlikar had a brilliant career in school and intermediate. He obtained his BSc degree from the BHU in 1957. As was the case in those days with most brilliant students, Dr Narlikar too opted to pursue his higher studies at Cambridge, UK. He was a Wrangler and Tyson Medallist in the Mathematical Tripos, at Cambridge from where he obtained his degrees in mathematics, B.A. (1960), Ph.D. (1963), M.A. (1964) and Sc.D. (1976). He also distinguished himself at Cambridge with the Smith’s Prize in 1962 and the Adams Prize in 1967. He stayed back at Cambridge till 1972, as a Fellow of King’s College (1963-72) and Founder Staff Member of the Institute of Theoretical Astronomy (1966-72). It was during this period that Dr Narlikar laid the foundations of his research work in cosmology and astrophysics in collaboration with his internationally acclaimed mentor, guide and collaborator, Fred Hoyle. Incidentally Fred Hoyle is one of the ten eminent scientists featured alongside the greats like Einstein, Darwin, Kelvin, Linus Pauling by the highly acclaimed astrophysicist Mario Livio in his highly enlightening book, “Brilliant Blunders.” 

 One of Dr. Narlikar's most significant contributions, is his development of the "Hoyle-Narlikar Theory," also known as the "Quasi-Steady State Cosmology" (QSSC), which he proposed in collaboration with his illustrious mentor, Professor Fred Hoy. This cosmological theory proposes an alternative explanation for the origin and evolution of the universe, challenging the widely accepted Big Bang theory of that time. According to QSSC, the universe is in a constant state of expansion where new matter is continuously being created. This theory provided an alternative perspective on the formation of galaxies, the distribution of matter, and the cosmic microwave background radiation. While QSSC is not universally accepted, it did however stimulate new debates and avenues of research in cosmology. 

Dr. Narlikar has also made significant contributions to our understanding of the black holes. In the year 2020, three scientists, Sir Roger Penrose, Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for their work in understanding black holes. Dr Narlikar developed the concept of "self-gravitating systems," which considers the gravitational effects of matter on the space-time geometry surrounding black holes. This work has enhanced our understanding of the behaviour of black holes and their role in the evolution of galaxies. His contributions have also extended to the study of active galactic nuclei, where he proposed the "magnetic field ejection model" to explain the observed properties of these energetic sources. 

Dr. Narlikar returned back to India from Cambridge, to join the Theoretical Astrophysics Group at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), where he served for seventeen long years, from 1972-1989. This group, under the leadership of Dr Narlikar, expanded and acquired international standing for TIFR in the field of theoretical astrophysics, which TIFR continues to enjoy even today. In the year 1988, Dr Narlikar, was extended an invitation by the University Grants Commission (UGC) to set up the proposed Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), as its Founder Director. Today, IUCAA stands out as one of the institutions of excellence in teaching and research in astronomy and astrophysics not just in India but globally, and the ideals and the work ethics and culture, which Dr Narlikar instituted at this institution have continued to guide this institution, which has attained canonical heights. Under his leadership, IUCAA has nurtured numerous young scientists and contributed to the growth of astrophysics in India. Dr Narlikar held the Directorship of IUCAA until his retirement in 2003. Dr Narlikar continues to be associated with IUCAA as an Emeritus Professor. 

Dr Narlikar has also served as the President of the Cosmology Commission of the International Astronomical Union from 1994 to 1997. He has received several national and international awards and honorary doctorates. He is a Bhatnagar awardee, as well as a recipient of the M.P. Birla award, the Prix Janssen of the French Astronomical Society and a prestigious Associate of the Royal Astronomical Society of London. He is Fellow of the three national science academies as well as of the Third World Academy of Sciences. 

Jayant Narlikar, belongs to one of those rare breed of scientists, who notwithstanding their international stature, always finds time to connect Science with people, either through his popular science writings, fiction, both in English and most importantly in his mother tongue Marathi. It is therefore no wonder that most School and college going students from yesteryears to current times, have grown up reading Dr Narlikar’s writings, particularly his fiction works. Two examples of his fiction writing in Marathi, which he had written three decades ago, resonate with current times. ‘In his fictional story, titled Athenscha Plague’ (The plague in Athens), included in his book ‘Antaralatale Bhasmasur’ (Demons in the Space), Narlikar had written about the deadly viruses and how they pose danger to human society. His prophetic thoughts, which he penned as fiction became a reality which the world witnessed during the COVID 19 global pandemic. The word AI (Artificial Intelligence) is now ubiquitous. But then Dr Narlikar wrote about it in one of his fictional essays; Vaman Parat Na Aala’ (Vaman did not return). In this essay he writes about the possibilities of the aftermaths of the rise of a super-intelligent robots, a glimpse of which we are now witnessing in AI language modules like the Chat GPT. Dr Narlikar has also contributed many science articles in leading newspapers and has joined in radio/TV programmes for debates and discussion as a part of his science popularisation activities He has helped make complex scientific concepts accessible to the general public. In addition to his scientific contributions, Dr. Narlikar has made efforts to bridge the gap between science and philosophy. He has explored the concept of "cosmic censorship," which seeks to understand the limits of our knowledge and the fundamental nature of the universe. Dr. Narlikar's work in this area has stimulated interdisciplinary discussions and encouraged scientists and philosophers to engage in meaningful dialogues. 

For his stellar contributions to science communication and popularising science, Dr Narlikar was honoured by the UNESCO, in 1996, with the prestigious Kalinga Award for his extraordinary popular science works. Dr Narlikar is also the recipient of the prestigious Padma Bhushan award from the Government of India in 1965 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2004. In the year 2011, the Maharashtra government awarded him the state’s highest civilian award, the Maharashtra Bhushan. Dr Narlikar was also befittingly chosen to serve as the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Nehru Science Centre, Mumbai, the centre, which I had the honour to head for two terms. 

I vividly remember one of the instances of my personal interactions with him. On behalf of the Nehru Science Centre, Mumbai, I had the honour to curate an exhibition on ‘100 Years of Nobel Prizes’ in 2001. We were so honoured that, Dr Narlikar had learnt of this exhibition and he shot out a letter to DG NCSM, and requested him that this exhibition should be presented at IUCAA. It was such an honour for us to present this exhibition at IUCAA Pune. I also had the honour to conduct a curated walk through this exhibition to Dr Narlikar and his colleagues. I had used a less heralded image in one of the exhibition panels of the exhibition to highlight the works of Prof S Chandrasekhar, 1983 Nobel laureate in Physics, under the section Nobel Indians. Interestingly there was tremendous pressure for me to remove this ‘unimportant’ image from this panel by my Director, which I desisted very strongly knowing well how important and inspirational this image was for Prof Chandra. The moment Dr Narlikar saw this image, he instantly asked, is this that image which immensely motivated Chandra, which he had put up in his office? That moment was as good as a moment of epiphany for me, coming from Dr Narlikar. 

Dr Narlikar has delivered innumerable lectures and conducted many interactions with students at the Nehru Science Centre. As Dr Narlikar celebrates his 86th birthday, I take this opportunity, on behalf of the science communicators community, to wish Dr Narlikar a very happy birthday and join the nation in praying for his good health and continuing contributions. May he continue to inspire young students to tread his path and let us hope that one or many of them go on to bring the coveted Nobel Prize for India, which Dr Narlikar always repented that, despite great work done by many scientists in India, the Nobel prize has eluded Indian scientists. Hope his wish comes true sooner than later. 

Wishing Dr. Narlikar a very happy birthday and may the legacy of Dr Narlikar continue to shape the field of astrophysics and inspire future generations of scientists to explore the unending expanse and mysteries of the cosmos, for benefitting human society with the untold applications, which come with our understanding of the universe.