My Page 1

Fighting Demons

2019-10-01T13:49:00.000-07:00

With the festive season upon us in full swing the devout are worshipping ‘Goddess Shakti’ in her various forms to invoke her Blessings to increase courage and will power and to remove evil and negative thoughts. The legendry demons, the symbols of evil, will be ritually killed once again. Everyone is singing peans of ‘Mahishasur Mardini’ . Prasads are aplenty without seeking.

These celebrations reach their peak when after Navratri on the tenth day on Dussehra the demon king ’Ravan’, credited as being a great scholar who fell prey to evil thoughts and actions is killed ritually by Shri Ram, the God incarnated to symbolise the victory of ‘good’ over the evil.

These festive seasons and rituals have been carefully crafted by our sages and are enacted with gaiety and great fervor every year to create wide awareness that the legendry devils and demons are nothing but our own evil thoughts which remain hidden in our minds. ‘Devi Mata’ symbolizes our conscience and demons our own evil thoughts. The worship of ‘Goddess Shakti’, various rituals and Bhajans and Poojans are meant only to give strength to our inner resolve to overcome the evil thoughts. Message is simple. Strengthen your own conscience; awaken yourself to keep thoughts clean and behavior upright and benevolent.

Let us not get lost in rituals but light our inner lamps of conscience bright to kill inner devilish thoughts effectively this season lest we may not soil someone’s soul in any manner with our misdeed or indiscretion.

Let every lamp that we lit this Deepavali bring cheer to everyone.

D.N.Bhatnagar

Padma Bhushan Professor Prabhu Lal Bhatnagar – Distinguished Mathematician – Part 3

2018-12-05T21:49:00.003-08:00

A Beacon of Inspiration

Dr. Bhatnagar continued his upward journey and adorned many a reputed National and International Committees on Mathematics. He became a member of the first U.G.C. Review Committee on Mathematics and the Chairman of the Indian National Committee on Mathematics from April 1968 to September 1971. In 1969 he was chosen to be the President of the Physical Sciences Section of the National Academy of Sciences for the year. In 1971 he became the President of the Congress of The Oriental and Applied Mechanics for the year. He had been the President of the Association of Mathematics Teachers of India from 1957 till he breathed his last, he was also the President of the Calcutta Mathematical Society and Jadavpur Mathematical Association.

He was also the Chairman of the Indian National Committee for Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from 1969 to 1972 and led the Indian delegation to the Bi-national Conference on Mathematics Education and Research held at Bangalore from June 4 to 16, 1973.

He was a member of the Executive Council of International Commission on Mathematical Education of the International Astronomical Union, a corresponding member of International Commission of Plasma Physics and a member of the Executive Committee of the International Mathematical Union.

Even though his health started to decline since early 1960 when he had developed complications in the lower spinal region and was operated on in the United States he kept quite well after the surgery and continued to work devotedly until the end which came rather suddenly due to a massive heart attack on 5th October 1976 leaving behind the entire mathematical community in a state of shock. His death is attributed to the anxiety for a grant for his institute and of getting the first-rate faculty for it.

The mathematical sciences suffered a great loss that day. The sad event is described graphically by Dr.Phoolan Prasad in the following words, “On 4th October 1976, I spent nearly two hours with him in the evening. He cooked his dinner and I joined him on the dining table. He was feeling slightly giddy and so he went to his bed and I sat near him. This giddiness was nothing unusual for he used to get such a feeling quite often and therefore we did not feel much concerned about it. When I got up to take leave of him for the day he asked me to sit for some more time. We talked about many things; about the MRI, about our monograph on nonlinear waves and about the future academic programs, etc.”

“When I finally left him, it was 9 p.m., as usual, he came up to the outer gate of his residence and closed it himself after seeing me off. I could never have imagined that this was to be our last meeting. The next day around 11 a.m., I was discussing a research problem with my student, Mr.Krishnan, when all of a sudden I heard noises and cries. When I came down running, I saw Professor Saheb lying on the back seat of the car. The immediate thought was that he was just unconscious. However, within a few minutes, the realization dawned that he had left us for good for his heavenly abode. This dim awareness struck us all like a thunderbolt. For the MRI and for us the supporting central pillar was gone. We transferred him immediately to his residence and gently laid him down on the ground. Then Kashi, the driver told us the complete story. Professor Saheb had gone to the Hospital at 9.30 a.m. with the complaint of a minor pain in his chest but, after a check-up, he was declared to be in normal condition. The doctors even told him that he could go to Delhi for an Indian National Science Academy (INSA) meeting the same afternoon. However, after leaving the hospital barely had his car gone half a kilometer when he had a massive heart attack and passed away within ten seconds, at 10.45 a.m. We were told that he was quite cheerful that morning. When I went to his kitchen, I found that all the cups and plates which were left after the dinner the previous night had been cleaned and I knew that except for him, there was nobody else in the house to do this job.”

“Gradually I started realizing the irreparable loss which the MRI and I had suffered. To me, the Institute looked like a graveyard. I decided to say goodbye to the MRI and on 7th December 1976 left Allahabad to return to the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.”

Dr.Prasad says in his article that Professor Bhatnagar was very critical of the poor quality of research in Mathematics and its applications in India. He attributed the poor standards of research and teaching to the existence of persons in key positions in the universities who were more interested in retaining their positions, their powers and a host of personal benefits unchallenged than in devoting their valuable time for study. In his concluding talk in the one month course on the ‘Hyperbolic systems and nonlinear waves’, held at the MRI in May-June 1976, he advised the research students to revolt against supervisors who were incapable of guiding their research students properly and who kept them only to get some joint research papers. He personally told him once, “I am more anxious to get devoted bright workers in the Institute than to obtain financial support for it.”

Prof. Bhatnagar published 139 research papers in International Journals, about 100 popular/ semi-popular articles and more than a dozen of books. Twenty-nine Ph.D. theses were written under his guidance. Apart from being a scientist of the outstanding caliber, he was a man of simple ways. Again to quote from his student’s narrative, “In all that is said of Dr.Bhatnagar 'the scientist', it is incorrect to overlook Bhatnagar 'the man'. He was a man of simple ways and high principles. He believed in the existence of God, but at the same time, he felt that this belief was not wholly rational. The rituals of 'bribing' deities for purely selfish reasons were obnoxious to him. Even the thought of bargaining with his employers for his own benefit was repulsive. He said I would not like to bargain with an Institution that I am going to serve. All his life he indulged in writing poetry. He never published his poems, but those who have heard him recite his poem were impressed by his creativity and found it an unforgettable experience. Humility was another of his characteristics. If he found that he was in the wrong, he never hesitated to apologize to his students or anyone else when he felt he had wronged. Perhaps the following words of Bhatnagar summarize his qualities as a human being: What I cherish most in my life are peace and humility. Peace within ensures peace outside and wise decisions in all matters. Humility enables one to understand the other man's point of view and creates an atmosphere of affection all around you.”

Again to quote from Dr.Prasad,”Professor Bhatnagar will be remembered not merely because he made lasting contributions to mathematical knowledge, not just because he trained veritable army of mathematics teachers and citizens in all walks of life who carry even today an indelible stamp of his thoroughness, precision and dedication to work, not also because of the numerous honours bestowed on him by the mathematical community and the Government, but more so because of his calm nature, broad smiles, fine sense of humour, his wise counsel unstinted by personal considerations, to hundreds of young students, teachers and researchers who sought it from him over a long period of thirty years, and warmth of his heart that flowed freely for everybody and at all times.”

Dr. Prabhu Lal Bhatnagar was a unique personality. Bestowed with rich qualities of head and heart, he exemplified the best in human species, a landmark and a beacon of inspiration for the entire human society.

His Last Book

Dr. Phoolan Prasad writes about the last book of Professor Prabhu Lal Bhatnagar in these words,”Let me mention here a beautiful book, which PLB wrote in just six months from the reprints of recent articles on the Korteweg-de-Vries equation, which I had carried with me from IISc, Bangalore to the Mehta Research Institute during my stay at MRI in 1975-76. This book is ‘Nonlinear Waves in One-dimensional Dispersive Systems‘, published in the series ‘Oxford Mathematical Monograph’ edited by I.G. MacDonald and R. Penrose. The importance of the book was realized by M.J. Lighthill, who had written a foreword for the book before PLB passed away and added in it later. I had written the above words before the deeply regretted and untimely death of Professor Bhatnagar on 5 October 1976, when the world of applied mathematics suddenly lost one of its most respected figures. After the shock of this great loss had subsided, I felt anxious to ensure that Professor Bhatnagar’s last book would receive the wide circulation that it richly merits. I am deeply grateful to Dr. Phoolan Prasad for his excellent work as an editor. Applied mathematicians owe him a great debt for helping to make this important text generally available”. I would like to make a clarification in these words of Lighthill. In the editorial work of this book, three more students of PLB contributed as enthusiastically as me. They are V.G. Tikekar, Renuka Ravindran, and Swarnalata Prabhu. The book received good reviews, was immediately translated into Russian and it was used as a textbook in USSR. No less than V.E. Zakharov, who has contributed significantly to the development of the theory of solitons, told me, ‘I was surprised to see the first book (a good book) on the subject from a country where no contribution to the theory of solitary wave was made’. “

Acknowledgement

In my efforts to compile this article on one of the greatest mathematicians of his time I have taken liberal help from all the available resources like Wikipedia and the material posted on the website of Dr.Phoolan Prasad and have quoted extensively and used the passages as such so as to retain the beauty of the narrative from the articles of Dr.Phoolan Prasad, one of the students and distinguished associates of Dr. Bhatnagar and his junior colleague, who is today a learned professor and a distinguished mathematician in his own right. Dr.Prasad has worked very closely with Dr. Bhatnagar and contributed many papers with him and also written about his work and personality after his passing away.

Dr.Prasad served as a Faculty of the Department of Mathematics at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and is engaged in research in the field of Nonlinear waves. He was elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India in 1977 and a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences in 1985. He received S.S.Bhatnagar Award for 1983 in Mathematical sciences. He held a distinguished chair of MSIL Professorship during 1993-96 and retired as a Professor in super-time-scale in 2006. During 2006-2011, he was Honorary Professor and DAE - Raja Ramanna Fellow and during 2011-16 he was INSA and NASI Senior Scientist. He still works from IISc.

Apart from research Prof. Prasad has a deep interest in Mathematical Education at all levels. He, with some of his colleagues, is actively involved in organizing Mathematical Olympiads in the country. I am very thankful to Dr.Prasad for his kind consent and allowing me to make liberal use of all the material he had so kindly made available to me in this article. Without his wholehearted support compilation of this article would not have been possible.

Padma Bhusdhan Professor Prabhu Lal Bhatnagar - Distinguished Mathematician - Part 2

2018-11-23T21:15:00.000-08:00

A Beacon Of Inspiration

It is said that Dr. Bhatnagar was a man of simple ways and remained so throughout his life, but he was also a man of convictions and believed in working accordingly. He tried to reach out to as many people as he possibly could and help them to pursue research as he believed that in future the research would be conducted by teams of researchers. According to him, the more people work cohesively on various aspects of the same theme, the more fruitful the findings are likely to be.

He believed that since he had the capacity and the gift to do independent research, he should inspire others and introduce them to the joys of scientific research. In his own words, Reward of research is the joy of creation. Besides, every scientist has social obligations to fulfill. Enthused with these ideas Dr. Bhatnagar in 1953 made efforts to gather a band of colleagues and other teachers from Delhi University and encouraged them to take up research. In the same year as local secretary of the annual conference of the Indian Mathematical Society, he worked relentlessly to make the Conference a great success. In 1955, he was elected a fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences.

At this stage of the narrative on the life and work of this great mathematician, I have borrowed extensively not only the information but also the description itself from the articles and other material posted on the website of Dr.Phoolan Prasad with his kind consent as they contain a beautiful account of the subsequent events. The one particular article from which the material is being quoted verbatim is written jointly by Dr.Phoolan Prasad and his colleagues Dr.V.G.Tikekar and Dr.Renuka Ravindran, also students of Dr. Bhatnagar, in the Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Indian National Science Academy, 14, 1989, 116-134. There is another article from which I have borrowed substantive material for inclusion in this narrative is ‘A Few Glimpses of Professor P.L.Bhatnagar’ written by Dr.Phoolan Prasad in the Mathematics Teacher (India) 14 (1978), 82-85.

The article gives an account of subsequent events in the following words, “As his stature rose the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore invited him to join as the first Professor of the newly created Department of Applied Mathematics. And in January 1956 the venue of Dr. Bhatnagar’s life and research moved from Delhi to Bangalore. It was initially intended that Dr. Bhatnagar will give lectures on various topics in mathematics in the already established departments of Science and Engineering at the Institute and that the scientific community could benefit from his presence at the Institute. It was not intended that the Department grew in size or scope, but it remains very much a one-man affair. ” But this was against all that Bhatnagar believed in or cherished. He was bubbling with enthusiasm for scientific research and he had to transmit this to others. Slowly he began to gather young research students from all parts of India. In order that the department is truly a department of Applied Mathematics, Bhatnagar realized he would have to widen his scientific research. Besides kinetic theory of gasses and plasma physics, he initiated research in fluid dynamics, including boundary layer theory, magneto hydrodynamics, and the theory of non-Newtonian fluids.”

“The choice of these subjects was inspired by the fact that the Engineering departments at the Institute could verify experimentally the theoretical results obtained by his group. He desired that as far as possible, research activity at the Institute should be a cooperative effort. He was also acutely aware of the fact that it would be nonlinear effects and discontinuous solutions that would be the work of the future and he initiated work in shock propagation and the theory of nonlinear waves. He was also convinced that computers would play a dominating role in research in the years to come and encouraged the use of computer-oriented numerical techniques and the study of mathematical logic along with other basic mathematical topics, like group theory and Boolean algebra.”

“In the period 1960-1965, Bhatnagar spent many months abroad at the Harvard College Observatory in Cambridge, Mass. During this period, Bhatnagar developed a severe problem in the spinal region of the lower back. He was unable to walk long distances or keep standing for a long time. That did not dampen his spirit. In spite of the fact that he usually paced up and down impatiently during a lecture, he got used to delivering talks while seated in a chair. The walk to the department and back to his house was a painful process and he would have to rest in between. It was a familiar sight to see him seated on the steps en route with a knot of students around him, discussing some research problem quite unmindful of the pain in his back. Surgery in the United States corrected his spinal problem and soon he was seen to run and dash around on campus.”

Vice-Chancellor of Rajasthan University

Borrowing further from Dr. Phoolan Prasad’s article, he writes: “By April 1969, the Department of Applied Mathematics at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore had grown in stature. About 25 of his students had either completed or were in the process of completing their work for a Ph.D. degree. The department had grown in size to over ten faculty members working in various areas of applied mathematics. Bhatnagar was not one to rest on his laurels. With an overwhelming desire to serve a larger academic community, be decided to leave it all behind and move to Jaipur, where he was offered the Vice-Chancellorship of the University of Rajasthan. It was a time of student unrest and tumult. Bhatnagar with his strong belief in the innate honesty and goodness of man, especially of the younger generation, was never ruffled. He talked to the students, cajoled, coaxed and convinced them on major disturbing issues. He prided himself on the fact that anyone could walk into his office and talk to him. He successfully led the destiny of the University for two years. But then his health started to decline and it pained him that he found very little time for research; so he decided to relinquish office at the end of two years.”

At Himachal Pradesh University

“In May 1971, at the invitation of the newly formed Himachal Pradesh University at Shimla, he joined as Senior Professor and Head of the Department of Mathematics. Soon after, he left to spend a year as a Visiting Professor at the University of Waterloo in Canada. It was a special occasion because for the first time he was going abroad with his wife, Anand Kumari, his helpmate for over forty years. To him, family always meant the "extended" family – in which his students, colleagues, and co-workers were included. His wife and children hardly saw him during the week, because there were so many of his 'extended' family members clamoring for his time and attention. It was always 'open house' at the Bhatnagars, with gracious hospitality.”

“At Shimla, Bhatnagar again set out from scratch to build a department of Mathematics. He was a UGC National Lecturer in 1972. He also gave the NR Sen Memorial lecture sponsored by the Calcutta Mathematical Society. It was while he was at Meerut on a lecture assignment in January 1973 that he heard about the passing away of his wife at Kota. After this tragic incident, Bhatnagar was very unhappy and alone at Shimla. His appointment as a member of the Union Public Service Commission came as a welcome change as it gave him a chance to move to Delhi in October 1973.”

“It was a large house close to India Gate, that Bhatnagar came to live in. However, he was very lonely. Of his four sons, Rakesh and Brijendra were abroad and the others, Vinay and Kamal, working outside Delhi. His only daughter, Kalpana, was busy with her own growing family at Bhopal. As usual, he devoted his entire energy to his work. At heart, he was a mathematician and a teacher and UPSC could not hold him long. When the Mehta Research Institute (MRI) of Mathematics and Mathematical Physics at Allahabad was to take shape, Bhatnagar accepted the offer to be its first Director in July 1975.”

At Mehta Research Institute

“For a brief spell, Bhatnagar was his old self. With dreams of the future, he worked ceaselessly to build a true center of research in Mathematics. His magnetic personality attracted to MRI people of the highest caliber. For many years he had been devoting his time to developing curricula for mathematics education.”

“In December 1975 he convened a Regional Conference on the Development of integrated Curriculum in Mathematics for developing countries in Asia. The conference was at Bharwari, near Allahabad. MRI was still in its infancy. Bhatnagar conducted the proceedings with finesse - looking after the foreign and Indian guests, arranging the lectures, initiating discussions - all in this tiny little place. It was only he, who could have done it.”

Glimpses of Life

In December 1969, Dr.Phoolan Prasad writes in ‘A Few Glimpses of Professor P.L.Bhatnagar’, “I went with my wife to Jaipur where he was then Vice-Chancellor of the Rajasthan University. He arranged for our stay in his own bungalow and it was here that I first got a glimpse into his personal life. He used to get up at 4.30 a.m. (the minimum temperature then was near about zero degree Celsius), take a brisk walk for about half an hour in the garden and then used to study in the library till 7.30 a.m. At 7.30 a.m. he would take tea with all the members of the family and the guests, he himself preparing each cup and serving. At this time he would discuss all family matters and would be in a most jovial mood. His witticism would cheer up everyone. Then after bath and breakfast, he would become busy with the University administration. Again in the night, he would find time to work on research problems till 11 p.m.” [Mathematics Teacher (India) 14 (1978), 82-85].

Personal Life

After the death of his wife in January 1973, who used to look after every aspect of the household, he became completely broken and his personal life was filled with great sadness. In that state of depression, his food intake was reduced to only once a day, and his health began to deteriorate rapidly. After six months he asked himself, “Why I am wasting my life?” Then he took courage and decided not to continue to brood over what he could not get back; he decided to live once again a dedicated life in the service of mathematics and his country. Gradually he recovered his health to a considerable extent. But his personal life at Allahabad was far from comfortable and sometimes loneliness used to be unbearable to him. He compounded his inner discomfort by sacrificing his personal comforts for the sake of the MRI. He would not utilize for personal use the car given to him by the Director, he did not allow the MRI even to keep a watchman for the Director’s residence. Once or twice when his personal servant left the job, he did every household work himself and stubbornly and refused any help from the Institute employees. Once on a Saturday evening, a member of the administrative staff and a Research Fellow of the MRI told him that they would come to his residence at 11 a.m. The next day Professor Saheb finished all household work very early. When the two persons reached his residence at 11 a.m. he was sitting comfortably working on a research problem. He requested them to sit and be comfortable. He prepared tea and offered it to them together with lots of sweets and other eatables. All that they did was to spend a few delightful and memorable hours with him. [Dr.Phoolan Prasad in ‘A Few Glimpses of Professor P.L.Bhatnagar’, Mathematics Teacher (India) 14 (1978), 82-85].

Padma Bhushan Professor Prabhu Lal Bhatnagar - A Distinguished Mathematician - Part 1

2018-08-15T18:40:00.000-07:00

A Beacon Of Inspiration

“What I cherish most in my life is peace and humility. Peace within ensures peace outside and wise decisions in all matters. Humility enables one to understand the other man's point of view and creates an atmosphere of affection all around you.”
-Prof. Bhatnagar

Born as second of five sons in a Bhatnagar Kayastha family of repute in Kota in Rajasthan on 8th of August 1912 Late Prabhu Lal Bhatnagar grew to earn name and fame as a distinguished Mathematician who made a significant contribution to science and mathematics during his lifetime devoted solely to the study of mathematics. His work came to be recognized widely in the country when he was awarded Padma Bhushan by the then President of India Dr.Zakir Hussain on 26th January 1968.

He carried out his research work with exemplary zeal in collaboration with many national and international scientists spread over many countries and earned numerous National and International Honours and Medals which were awarded to him in recognition of his monumental contribution to mathematical sciences.

The great contribution of Dr. Bhatnagar to the science of Mathematics can hardly be comprehended without delving in detail the marvelous research work he conducted with great devotion. But for this, one needs to have a thorough understanding of the intricacies of mathematical sciences which is not everyone’s forte. Yet, without peeping a little into his work the panorama of the life and deeds of the great mathematician that he was can hardly be accepted as complete.

Describing the importance of his work, one of Dr. Bhatnagar’s prominent students and junior colleagues Dr.Phoolan Prasad, a distinguished mathematician in his own rights, writes, "He is internationally known for his contribution to the Bhatnagar–Gross–Krook (BGK) model, proposed in 1954 to simulate solutions of the formidable Boltzmann equation. BGK model is not only a textbook material at the graduate level but today it has emerged as a basis for developing numerical methods to solve a wide variety of problems. It includes Kinetic Schemes for simulating compressible flows and Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM) for simulating incompressible flows on digital computers, apart from several numerical simulations based directly on kinetic theory with particle simulations, using BGK model, for example in Rarefied Gas Dynamics. The BGK model is today recognized as one of the most important scientific contributions made by an Indian mathematician in the present era."
His family was well connected. His elders had been advisors to the rulers of the princely state of Kota. It is said that his forefathers had donated all their wealth and property to the Lord Mathuradhish temple at Kota and had thereby earned the name “Rai Dwarkadas”.

Young Prabhu Lal was initiated into mathematics by his grandfather, who enjoyed giving him problems to work mentally. He showed promise in his studies from the very beginning since he went to school first in Kota, then the Government school at Rampura and Herberter College, Kota. He secured the first rank in the Intermediate Examination and was preparing to join Maharaja College at Jaipur when his father passed away. He was just a lad of twenty years then but was capable of supporting himself and his family. This he did out of his scholarship which he was receiving regularly ever since his matriculation examination. His elder brother and he were married to two sisters at the same marriage ceremony.

He continued to show outstanding results even after shifting to Maharaja College, Jaipur and later to Allahabad University, Allahabad. In 1934 he topped the list of successful candidates of B.Sc. Examination of Agra University getting the highest percentage of marks in Mathematics and Chemistry and was awarded Krishna Kumari Devi Gold Medal by the Agra University and Maharana Fateh Singh Gold Medal by the Maharaja College, Jaipur. For his outstanding result in M.A. and M.Sc. Examinations of Agra University in 1936, he was awarded the Lord North Brook Gold Medal by Maharaja College, Jaipur.

At this stage, he was pressured by many of his well-wishers, friends, and relatives to appear for the coveted ICS examination, which at that time was an obsession for all those students who attained some degree of academic brilliance. But the heart of young Prabhu Lal was pegged to research and he unhesitatingly heeded the advice of one of his favorite teachers, Professor K.L.Varma, for whom he had profound regard, to join research as a career at Allahabad University and chose research to achieve ever greater heights in life.

Research

It is significant that he chose Allahabad University to start his research work, as Allahabad University was a great seat of learning at that point in time. He started to work under the supervision of Prof. B.N. Prasad on summability of Fourier and Allied Series but soon shifted to work on differential equations with Prof. Amiya Charan Banerji. The reports of his work with Prof. Banerji were published in the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences, 1938 and are included in the book of Erich Kamke. By this time his work for D.Phil. was nearly complete and he was ready to switch over to the study of Astrophysics on the advice of Prof. Meghnad Saha, another very renowned scientist of international repute, who had already earned a great name for India through his thermal ionization formula. Dr. Bhatnagar earned his D.Phil. in 1939 in mathematics for his thesis titled, On the Origin of the Solar System.

The excellent work done by him during this period has been referred in books like, “Atoms to Stars” by Martin Davidson, “Astrophysics – Vol. II” by Alter and “Recent Advances in Galactic Dynamics” by A. C. Banerji. On the basis of the work, he did during 1937-39 he won the most coveted E.G. Hill Memorial Prize, for the best research work done in the Faculty of Science of the Allahabad University.

In 1939 he was invited by Shri S.N.Mukherji, the then Principal of St. Stephen’s College of the University of Delhi to join the faculty. He devoted 16 of his best years there first as a Lecturer and later as Head of the Department of Mathematics and carried out research on the theory of White Dwarfs. Working in collaboration with Prof.D.S.Kothari he did research on the enharmonic pulsations of Cepheid variables. In 1947 Allahabad University awarded him D.Sc. for his work on Astrophysics. The National Institute of Science which is now known as Indian National Science Academy elected Dr. Bhatnagar a Fellow in 1950 in recognition of this great work.

In 1951 Harvard University, Cambridge, USA invited him as a Fulbright Scholar to work there for two years. The research work he conducted there on Boltzmann equations put him in the front row of Plasma physicists. This work came to be known as the BGK (Bhatnagar-Gross-Krook) model for collisions and is cited in almost every modern book on Kinetic Theory.

Describing his days at Harvard Dr. Prasad writes, “This handsome tall scholar from India was often mistaken in the Harvard University corridors for a student. Once he took his place at the lecture rostrum, the students realized that he was indeed a senior faculty.”

He Was The Guru

He was the Guru as his students describe him, "That all the world may say, 'This was a man’. These words could have been written of PRABHU LAL BHATNAGAR. There were only a few, who came in contact with him and went away unimpressed. Here was a man bubbling with enthusiasm, fervor, and passionate love for mathematics. When he was giving a lecture, he looked restless, pacing up and down, trying to convey to his audience the beauty and order he saw in mathematics. His loud and clear voice, speed, and complete command over the subject matter of his talk kept his audience spellbound. To him mathematics was more than a subject; it was his very life. He loved, breathed, and tasted mathematics and above all, he tried to make others infected with it, too. To his students he was more than a teacher; he was a guru in the true sense. To his colleagues, he was an idealist, with no room for compromise. There were only two ways the right and the wrong, and the right won every time. To his admirers, he was almost superhuman and he could do no wrong.”

He Loved The Children
The children were attracted to him like iron to a magnet. He would communicate with them with great ease and simplicity. Dr.Phoolan Prasad writes in ‘A Few Glimpses of Professor P.L.Bhatnagar’, [Mathematics Teacher (India) 14 (1978), 82-85] that my two children Deepika (6 years) and Amritanshu (one year), were happiest when in his company. On returning from school, Deepika would first run to his office room, hold him by both hands and for a minute or two would keep on repeating, “Baba, Baba...”. He would join by himself uttering, ”Baba… , Baba… ”. This was a daily feature no matter how busy he might be, and even on days, he was busy conducting interviews. During this brief period, he used to be transported to a different world altogether. Whenever Amritanshu got a chance, he too would run to his office, repeating the same words, ”Baba, Baba...”.
(Continued …. Part -2)

Growing Micro-organisms For Proteins

2015-09-09T05:36:00.000-07:00

[This is another of my articles originally published in “The Hindu” of 11 October 1969, which I have selected for inclusion in the Blog from a number of my popular science articles that I contributed to the popular press at that time.]

Never before in the history of mankind has hunger stared more closely in the face of humans as today. With more mouths to feed every minute, man is frantically searching for new sources of food. The latest victim to this ever growing hunger is the tiniest creation of nature – invisible to the naked eye – the micro-organism. Micro-organisms are known as the carriers of deadly diseases like small-pox, tetanus, cholera, chicken-pox, diphtheria and tuberculosis. Mankind realized their existence with horror as they swept through continents killing millions in their stride.

A careful investigation of the structure of micro-organisms revealed them to be tiny packets of proteins, with capacity to multiply and grow at a fast pace in suitable media. Recently, certain micro-organisms have been discovered when placed in waxy hydrocarbon fraction of petroleum. This fraction was hitherto considered uneconomical for refining and useless for any other purpose due to the presence of a very high waxy component. Effort were made to refine and to put to use this fraction by growing certain strains of micro-organisms which sustained and thrived on this fraction consuming the waxy component in the process.

DIETARY PROTEIN

This discovery was considered momentous in that it led to the realization that if the micro-organisms could be grown in commercial quantities on this hydrocarbon fraction, they, besides refining the fraction, will also give good dietary protein on isolation and further chemical treatment. The ensuing economic gains from this development coupled with acuteness of food shortage all over the world accelerated further research in this field.

The first successful attempt towards commercialization of this process was made in 1959 at the Institute of Lavera, Marseilies, France. In this process, especially bred micro-organisms were grown on a medium consisting of the hydrocarbon fraction and various nutritive ingredients in a specially designed fermenter under suitably controlled conditions. The distilled fraction contained salts of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium and vitamins. The micro-organisms were isolated by filtration in the form of a slurry, purified by chemical treatment and finally dried to yield a white powdery protein.

This protein is tasteless and colourless and can, therefore, be mixed with wheat and other flour without affecting taste. It can be consumed in the form of bread, biscuits or any other suitable preparation or simply by adding to milk as such. Reported to be easily digestible, it is considered as one of the best dietary proteins known. It contains lipids, phospholipids, potassium compounds, sterols, amino acids and sometimes even carbohydrates. The presence of riboflavin, other vitamin of group B, and pantothenic acid increases it nutritive value.

The prospects of this first ever synthetic protein are promising. With the rate of growth claimed to be more than 2000 times faster than the speed of synthesis of proteins in cattle raising, and its independence of the climatic conditions, it will go a long way in eliminating the present shortage of high grade protein food. And to achieve it only about hundredth of the world’s oil production shall be required.

PETROLEUM BASE

Of late, scientists have found that a large number of micro-organisms grow in petroleum base. Each under different set of conditions favorable to its growth is capable of producing proteins with different by-products. Extensive experiments with a view to obtaining altogether new sets of chemicals of medicinal and food value, are in progress in various laboratories throughout the world. The chemicals can be vegetable oils, vitamins, amino acids, fats, fatty acids, esters and many more. Efforts made in this direction are already producing results. Recently, scientists working in Israel’s Institute of Technology have produced methionine, an amino acid by employing an organism B-31 isolated from sewage.

METABOLIC PRODUCTS

Another aspect which is full of possibilities is the study of metabolic products that these micro-organisms discharge into the medium. Since most valuable antibiotics are the metabolic products of moulds, many of which oxidize hydrocarbons like the micro-organisms, there is a possibility of finding some compounds of medicinal importance.

Reports poured in lately throw light on such efforts being made in this country. Two of our national laboratories, the Indian Institute of Petroleum, Dehra Dun and the Regional Research Laboratory, Jorhat are reported to be engaged in conducting experiments on fractions obtained from Indian crude, which contains a high percentage of waxy component.

Scientists working at the Jorhat laboratory have isolated about eight types of micro-organisms from the oil samples of Oil India and Assam Oil Company oilfields. These orginisms are being tested for biosynthetic processes. Experiments with one of them known Candida species are reported to be showing promising results. The fermenter in use in the laboratory has provision for simultaneous aeration and stirring. The growth period of micro-organisms lasts usually 5-6 days. The organisms produced are isolated by centrifugation and washed to remove traces of oil by solvent extraction. Analysis has shown that the yield compares well with the Lavera product.

To carry out further nutritional experiments the laboratory plans to set up a pilot plant of a quarter ton per day capacity using gas oil as a component of the media. Work on designing and fabrication of this plant and other equipment is being carried out by our own scientists and technicians at Jorhat.

D.N.Bhatnagar

How the Internet is Shaping our Future

2011-06-10T07:21:00.000-07:00

In spite of being a new technology Internet has changed the lives of millions of the world in a way unthinkable just a few years back. And what is more remarkable is that it is continuing to do so encompassing all in its wide and deep sweep.

How it is going to shape in the future, what will it do to our economy and the society in its rapid stride, its implications and the policies needed for its continued growth have formed the agenda of innumerable meetings of interested stake holders ever since the internet started to show its potential.

In these meetings policies with regard to access, privacy, taxation and consumer protection were deliberated upon and strategic directions were formulated to ensure its progress and to help it become an integral part of our daily lives. As a result internet rapidly assumed vast global dimensions and is now poised to cover many an uncharted territories never before touched. Newer services and new opportunities are emerging and so is the case with the infrastructure. It too is developing at an amazing pace. Dial up is now no-no, always-on broadband access is in fashion. Wireless devises like laptops and mobiles are now in direct loop of the internet.

It has changed the way we do things, learn, educate, do homework, research, and business or shopping, play games, listen music or see movies. Blogs, podcasts and interactive sites are changing ways of communication making them more and more interactive. Social networking sites are adding new dimension to it all.

It's applications are helping in the advancement of scientific research and technological developments, emergence of new businesses and management of health, education, transportation and e-governance. So much so that internet is now needed to move the armies, monitor satellites, manage telecommunications, fly rockets and planes, operate banking and financial transactions, logistics and supply-chain-management, monitor health, spread education and supply electricity to homes.

Its reach and depth is increasing unbelievingly fast. Connecting over a billion people today, it is likely to connect tomorrow many billions of people besides objects from refrigerators to recycling bins to internet. Newer applications like radio-frequency identification and sensor-based networks to track and trace everything from shopping bags to water quality of our reservoirs are likely to make the internet experience much deeper and intense.

Notwithstanding all this progress, serious challenges are emerging - privacy and security are likely to be greatly compromised in an internet-centric world order. We are already witnessing severe and sophisticated attacks against consumers, businesses and government agencies from hackers resulting in loss of revenue worth millions in one operation with global ramifications.

Such disruptions and attacks can only be warded off by a concerted global action by all those affected. This needs developing policy guidelines cutting across the borderlines of the policy domains. They have to be carefully crafted and coordinated to guide the future of the internet economy and can only be effectively implemented by discussing them at the broadest international level to involve majority of the players of the game.

There is need to forge a collective vision of a better future economy and society for the entire world. Developing a vision for the future of the internet is a right step in this direction and a policy framework for it is the need of the hour. It can be achieved through a coordinated action of all the participants. But this appears a daunting task at the moment as the number of stakeholders has increased tremendously with the success of the internet. Moreover, newer technologies are increasing its speed as more bandwidth is becoming available. This is bringing drastic change in its functionality.

All these advances in internet technology are likely to bring information and knowledge to the very door step of a majority of people at increasingly lower cost, making them aware of the developments taking place globally. They will be able to see beyond local horizon, become more knowledgeable and will develop an awareness of global issues of importance. The international borders will become softer and the human society will become more integrated with a global outlook. This will reflect positively in the development of international relations paving the way to the establishment of a more humane human society eventually.

The internet is full of peculiarities. While it provides opportunity of easy global networking in full measure, it also provides the facility of local networking equally efficiently. This functionality can be used with much advantage by communities to organize them locally while continuing to reach their members globally. This way community can organize in virtual space by using latest communication tools like mailing lists, email discussion groups and websites, while taking advantage of communicating at the individual level.

It is also going to change the graphics zone, making them more sophisticated and more realistic. This will take the activities like group communication to a never before imagined level. It will make the virtual group meets so realistic that it would appear that you are sitting side by side in the same room and discussing just like you do in today’s board rooms. There will hardly be any need to travel long distances for meets.

Besides making sophisticated virtual reality possible the increasing availability of bandwidth will make available high resolution audio and video experience at a fraction of today’s cost. This will reshape the whole entertainment industry. New forms of entertainment will emerge and the existing ones will transform.

The increasing use of wireless technology is also helping the internet to proliferate to many a new area. As it does not depend on costly physical transmission systems, there is no need to incur expenditure on laying out of costly cables and other infrastructure and their maintenance. It offers faster service while covering bigger areas at comparatively much lower costs. It also makes its use possible while on the move with the same ease as that of a cellular phone , adding to the versatility of the internet.

Experts are of the view that soon there will emerge global grid systems wherein thousands of computers will join together to solve dedicated problems in a concerted manner. By inviting the spare capacity of many a home users and associating them in scientific and engineering research projects, grids can create big capacity processing power houses far out of the reach of any one single organization. This up till now untapped computer power will add up to an enormous reservoir of capacity which can then be harnessed for solving many a complicated problems humanity is facing at a much faster rate than is possible today.

The future of internet will see a seamless integration with other appliances like telephones, televisions, refrigerators, medical and health monitoring and other devices as home robots to make your home safe and self-reliant in providing you many new services and increasing comfort releasing all your energies to engage in vocations of your choice.

D.N.Bhatnagar

A Temple Dedicated to Ahimsa and Environment

2011-05-17T06:26:00.000-07:00

The capital city of India, Delhi can now boast of a unique temple which is dedicated to environment and non-violence as its presiding deities. Situated in the heart of the city it is the first of its kind in the world which is devoted to the whole of humanity without discrimination of caste, creed, religion or nationality.

Non-violence or ahimsa is a word with which every Indian is familiar; not only it served as an instrument to win independence for the country in recent years, it is an integral part of the Indian culture and is embedded in the very ethos of every religion practiced in the country from times immemorial. In today’s troubled world when we are witness to all-round strife and violence which is lately assuming threatening postures to the very existence of this planet and the life it supports, this thought beckons us as a lighthouse in storm.

No wonder then that in this milieu to commemorate the values enshrined in the doctrine of non-violence, peace, tolerance and renunciation – the basic tenets of a new world order – a unique temple has been created to stress the need for the conservation of nature and natural resources in the pious memory of one of the sons of the soil Acharya Sushil Muni ji Maharaj by one of his holy disciples Dr. Sadhna ji in central Delhi.

What is unique about the temple is that while it combines ancient values with modern architecture, it celebrates nature as its presiding deity emphasizing all the while manifestation of life in complete harmony with environment. Nowhere else in the world exists any other temple which has been built around nature and environment as its central theme. It forcefully brings forth the principle of Ahimsa as it is embedded in the religions of the world as a philosophy of life, particularly the Jain religion by depicting it in various ways through glimpses from the lives and teachings of Tirthankars, the Jain gurus.

This unique temple complex has been created with the hope that in the long run this temple will be helpful in preserving the culture of ‘Ahimsa’ and promote the philosophy of truth, non-possession, anekta, universalism and Human values as propagated by the Tirthankars and great devine souls.

The temple stands for the unity and mutual understanding among all major religions of the world overcoming the narrow considerations of class, creed, language, state, nation and high low community. It seeks to spread the light of human values and proclaims it our foremost duty to protect life in all its forms in the universe by observance of Ahimsa and holistic environmental protection.

Even a casual visit to the temple imbues the visitor with the spirit of non-violence and compels him to think over the destructive consequences of present greedy lifestyle of humanity. It inspires confidence in life, and shows the way to sustain life in harmony with nature. It brings out all that is beautiful in life in its peaceful coexistence with nature.

D.N.Bhatnagar

Dissecting Frogs Virtually

2009-07-02T11:19:00.001-07:00

Long ago when I elected biology as a chosen subject of study in school, my friends told me that the first thing I would be required to do is to dissect a frog in my practical class. The information came as a deterrent. The idea of cutting a frog merely to learn its anatomy did appeal to my baser instincts initially, but was not very comforting. I feared that it would keep on impinging on my conscience and I will suffer from guilt complex.But, I was keen on biology and mentally ready to overcome any hurdle. I found comfort in the thought that I won’t be alone in dissecting it in the class, everyone else would also be doing the same.

I found biology interesting and enjoyed every class. I looked forward to all the practicals and dissected the anaesthetized frog with my partner and peeped keenly into its body, identified its parts, made sketches, labeled the parts and learned them by heart. It was a tremendous experience. The study of plants was equally thrilling. We learned about the inner structure of the plants, their anatomy and physiology. Cutting thin sections of stems and leaves, making their slides and watching them under the microscope were fun. Spotting was like a game in which we used to watch the slides given to us at random and then sketch whatever we could see and identify the different cell structures seen in them.

Earthworms and cockroaches were given to us next on the dissecting table for dissection and studying their special organs. The experience elevated my understanding of biological structures to another level. Coupled with the study of chemistry, another subject I liked, these sciences laid the basic foundation for my understanding of life later on.

Looking back I can call them the best years of my student life. The mysteries of nature were unraveling at a fast pace and the reality of life was dawning upon me. Level of awareness was enlarging. New questions were cropping up in mind all wrapped up in wonder. A man was shaping up enwrapped in new thoughts. Life continued to proceed for me then in this way in different direction rendering me unmindful of the fate of frogs for the time being.

But the study of biology had made me sensitive to animals and plants in general and to frogs in particular in a never before manner. I had started noticing news concerning them and paying extra attention to them whenever they came in my view. This perhaps because I had never felt comfortable dissecting frogs even for learning.

Much later, in year 1995 when I was collecting information for an article for some publication, I learned that the scientists working at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory of the University of California in USA have developed computer programs to study the anatomy of frogs. It was a great news. The use of sophisticated images in teaching had the potential to change the way of learning completely. It only required pre-learning some computer skills. It came to be called the ‘Whole Frog’ project and earned name and fame and rewards for its developers.

The virtual frog dissection kit developed under the project made it possible to view and study the anatomical structures of frog by making use of high resolution pictures without requiring dissecting or even touching it. The three dimensional pictorial images of the internal structures of frogs on computer unfold the whole procedure one follows during dissection. There is another very interesting site for online dissection of frogs at 'Net Frogs.' This is also an award winner project. Best part of these projects is that the information revealed this way is wholesome and is easy to follow and recall. It allows you to study them without cutting or harming them in any way; a welcome step towards conservation of the species.

It was expected that the ‘Whole Frog’ project would soon open flood gates to new ways of teaching in arts, humanities and sciences and the application of the technology used in its development would, when applied to other disciplines like medicine and engineering, revolutionize their teaching as well. But progress in this direction is not much in evidence. No more news of any such project has trickled in since then. Some work might have been going on here and there but is not in limelight. In fact, educational projects of this nature become successful only by the dint of hard and dedicated work of a few with purposeful institutional support. They require long and continued dedicated work, a multidisciplinary approach and support of teaching faculty vested with new skills.

It is like a technological application halted in its track, awaiting further development to unfold the untold benefits. By making widespread application of this technique in education all those can be brought within the ambit of higher learning who are presently deprived of it due to the paucity of resources and affordability. It holds immense potential to give tremendous boost to education in resource constrained countries like India.

I hope our educationists would take notice of this totally non-invasive technological tool and would exert their resources to extend the benefit of learning to the so far deprived masses and open up a new horizon in education and learning.

You may look at these Links for:
1. A lot of kid-oriented information about Frogs at: Frogland
2. Exhibits on Frogs at: An online Exhibit on Frogs.
3. Some fun at:The Froggy Page.
4. Suggestion: Don't dissect a Frog: Build one.

Standing up for the Cause!

2009-06-16T18:28:00.000-07:00

Personally Speaking, when I thought to create ‘MyPage’ I had in mind only one objective, of creating an exclusive place where I could collect all that I had written earlier and whatever I would write casually from now on. But as I went on to analyze other blogs and examine the content-placement pattern in them, it turned out that what I had thought is simply not done in the blogosphere.

This pushed me back to square one, in a rethink mode. ‘MyPage’ is just a few posts old. If it is to be kept fresh, a new post has to be posted soon, and thereafter, at regular intervals. Only then the contents would be saved from going stale. But what I am going to post and at what interval? The situation, for me, suddenly acquired the proportion of a fresh challenge.

My brain seized the issue to work out a feasible solution. What now was the question? Delete the blog in time and escape for good or persist and accept the challenge? Acceptance meant commitment, a commitment to write. But do I have anything to write on now? Having said goodbye to regular writing long back I was in a mindset for only casual and leisurely writing; just not ready to take up any regular work routine upon myself. Gearing up for any regular work appeared to be too much of a task to take up now.

Earlier it was a cause. The cause of dissemination of information related to science and technology among the masses. Creating the scientific temper in the country was the task. It was the driving force behind the long years of devoted work. Jawahar Lal Nehru had given a call in the after years of newly won independence for India. It was the time after the Britishers had left. New institutions were being built, new thoughts were emerging, a new enthusiasm was palpable among the youngsters of the day. I had taken up the cause with full devotion. It drove me to write articles, get them published in newspapers and magazines, contribute scripts to broadcast media – All India Radio and B.B.C. - both, and edit and publish science magazines. Those were the years of hard work. What now? I sat back to think.

Well, I recalled that the task I had taken up as a youngster isn’t over as yet. With retirement from active job only the mantle of the regular job had passed on to others to continue, the rest remains the same. The ignorance and poverty continue to persist in the society like ever before, the oppressed and downtrodden abused, exploited, animate beings getting extinct and inanimate destroyed. And not only that, our habitat remains to be under serious threat of disintegration and the human civilization in peril of annihilation.

Surely these are causes enough for anyone to get up and take note. On my part I am bracing myself up to highlight the issues related to these causes. Active participation of all like minded will make the crusade more meaningful. Please come and join me on ‘MyPage’.

I have a mind to also post many other casual write-ups to ‘MyPage’ that I have in mind to write for long on several other subjects that are continuing to arouse my interest as I am proceeding in my journey of discovering ever newer aspects of life. I know that these posts being totally unrelated to the basic theme of the Blog have a serious potential of compromising the thematic harmony of the Blog. But since the prospect of creating another Blog seems an expensive idea at the moment, resorting to a compromise solution appears better. Later on may be I would attempt to place them separately. Well, till then ...

‘MyPage’, vows to devote fully to these issues in days to come.

A Question of Priority...?

2009-05-03T12:44:00.000-07:00

It was a cold wintry Sunday morning and I was sitting with a hot cup of coffee. It was early and unusual for me to have woken up, for I am a habitual late riser. A perfect calm prevailed all around. I had come out of bed realizing it futile to continue lying any more because sleep was eluding me and I thought better to give up.

As I sat and sipped, a sense of disquiet, I did not remember to have experienced earlier, filled in me making me uncomfortable. Though aware of my wife sitting in the nearby sofa, I preferred to remain oblivious of her presence. Finding myself unable to bear even the minimum of conversation I allowed the cool silence to prevail.

Moments passed by and I must have dozed off again, as I came to senses with a jerk. The telephone bell was ringing with a little ferocity, for it compelled me into action. I snatched the receiver from its hook with a little annoyance. Who could it be so early in this winter, I prolonged the action of bringing the receiver to my ears and ultimately managed to whisper a hoarse hello in an unwelcome manner.

The voice at the other end was calm and clear, though appeared hesitant. Apparently it was a young voice. As I encouraged him to have his say, he expressed his desire to meet me as quickly as I would allow him to without elaborating as to the possible reason for the proposed meeting. Though keen to know what it was that he wanted to meet me for, I yielded when he appeared pleading and insistent, with little urgency in his voice.

Wide awake then and in possession of all my faculties I allowed him an audience as early as he could manage to reach my residence from wherever he was calling. This over, I sat and relaxed and as I started reflecting, I found myself waiting for his arrival so keenly as if it was the sole purpose of my existence at the moment.

At long last he arrived; the bell rang and by a spring action I managed to open the door wide. There he stood, smiling mildly, waiting to be called in. A tall, handsome, well attired boy in late teens, a little impatient to enter. I invited him in and in seconds he made himself comfortable in the sofa to which I had motioned him to sit.

Without indulging in formalities, I placed myself in the sofa opposite to him and came to the point straight away. Under my full questioning glare, he explained that he came from Jaipur, that he rang me up from the station itself, and that the matter he proposed to discuss was very important for him. Relieved that it had nothing to do with me, but concerned a young life I became all ears while nodding my assent to proceed.

He mentioned that in an article that he had read in a national daily recently the latest developments in the field of treatment of failing vision were reported. Some scientist had reportedly succeeded in developing a tiny computerized device that could be implanted in the eye in a manner that it would become possible for it to transfer perceived images to the inner wall of the retina to restore the vision lost due to the retinal dysfunction.

The development was commendable. Yet, I could not relate the whole thing to me until he mentioned that the article in which this development was reported was authored by me. Suddenly the story lashed at me in a flashback. I remembered how a number of years back a junior colleague of mine whom I had helped to shape up as a science writer of substance, was detected suffering from retinitis pigmentosa, a deadly disease of eyes in which the pigment of the retina gets gradually eroded to destroy for ever the capacity of the eyes to see. There was no known cure of the disease. We had scanned meticulously all the documented research results on the subject and consulted experts throughout the world. A lot of literature was collected in the process and I had taken to writing on the subject since then.

When all his hopes to find a cure of pigmentosa anywhere in the world turned to despair, I saw him struggling to adjust with the curse, valiantly at first, and then slowly succumbing under the relentless onslaught of the advancing disease. He opted out of struggle rather abruptly. One day he simply took his life to get out of the agony.

And here, sitting before me, was another young man, eighteen years of age, describing how he, some time back, came to realize that something was wrong with his vision. The doctors he consulted told him that the disease he is suffering from may turn him completely blind fifteen ears hence; by the time he attains thirty three years of age. How and whether at all, he wanted to know the developments I had reported in the article could be of help to him. He had come all the way from Jaipur to find it out. His fight with the disease was already on.

I kept quiet, perhaps for a long time, because I did not know the answer myself. Such solutions as were reported in the article gave only an indication of the shape of things to come as a distant possibility, that too for those who may afford the enormous cost of the gadgetry involved. The information was not of immediate relevance. In fact with only a casual research going on in this field it would be surprising if any worthwhile cure came to be reported soon. It happened to be a low priority area for organized research in this country and elsewhere.

Why, I wondered, such areas which have immediate possibility of bringing solace to thousands of individuals are considered low priority while those which bring disaster to masses are high priority for organized research. How long man will continue to prefer instruments of destruction over technologies of health and happiness and peace and tranquility? How much more time our civilization will take to attain the level of maturity required to set our priorities right.

One thought which continued to strike my mind with full force was that somehow this young man should not lose the struggle he has already started. There must be a way to make him adjust with the curse. Hope for him should not turn into despair. The onus to keep his hopes alive is on the immediate family and friends, But their success will depend on their understanding the implications of the personal crisis in his life and to help minimize their impact on him. He should stick out as long as life permits, for as it has often happened in history, perhaps in this case also an enthusiastic, sane individual researcher may come out with a solution sooner rather than later.

Somehow, to me it still seems certain, that for a very long time to come, the brighter side of this world will continue to be shaped by only those individuals who are closer to being the real human beings, howsoever small their number may be.

Chemistry in the Service of Man

2009-04-01T03:34:00.000-07:00

[Written way back in year 1970, as part of the popular science articles series I was writing then, this article was published in the 'Hindu' of January 25, 1970. Its contents may still be relevant from the historical perspective.]

Nowhere else are the results of man’s curiosity more readily apparent than in chemistry. The developments in this science alone have brought into existence a whole range of life saving drugs, polymers, industrial chemicals, fertilizers, textile fibres, paints, cosmetics, films and even synthetic foods. It has brought to the doors of the common man the luxuries, of which a few centuries ago the mightiest of kings were not even aware.

The polish to shine one’s shoes; the pills to stop one’s headache or pregnancy; the cigarettes to give pleasure; the aftershave lotion or cream to provide refreshing effect; the colourful paints to decorate one’s dwellings; the soft and elegant terylene suits to boost one’s personality; the synthetic heart or kidney or any other spare part to replace one’s worn out organs; and innumerable such other products have come to be used almost as a matter of daily routine. Most of the implements of our present civilization took shape mainly out of the material provided by chemistry. At every hour of the day and night chemistry is creating new conveniences and comforts for human life.

It is synthesizing more and more materials to serve men’s growing needs. Such products are either created as imitation of natural products or are completely artificial without any parallel in nature and design for a specific use. There are synthetic dyes, resigns, detergents and rubber. Synthetic textiles are rapidly replacing cotton, wool and silk. Even a substitute for leather has been developed.

Prevention and cure of diseases
A large number of chemicals has come to be included in the physician’s ‘material medica’ The antibiotics alone, in the last 20 years or so have saved the lives of more persons than have been lost in all the wars human beings have fought. In addition, as reported by the World Health Organization, about 830 million people, a quarter of the world’s population have been protected against malaria. The development of vaccination and immunization has further saved millions of lives. The chemicals used in medicines and surgery today are innumerable and range from ordinary insecticides to the most sophisticated compounds of healing. The recent use of radio-isotopes in the treatment and diagnosis of diseases like cancer has brought hopes to millions.

The chemicals to which goes the credit of boosting our food production are fertilizers. Large quantities of these chemicals are consumed in agriculture, approximately several hundred Kg. per hectare. They go a long way in replenishing the essential elements for plant growth to the soil. Very effective pesticides and weedicides have been developed in recent years. They eliminate whole colonies of insects without doing any harm to the plants.

Food chemicals provide better flavor and make up for the loss of nutritive constituents during harvesting, processing and storage of fruits and vegetables. With the help of these chemicals man not only improves the flavor of foods he eats, but prevents them from becoming stale. He reaps better crops, protects them from insects, and other such agents improve their palatability and keeping qualities, and can make any food available anywhere irrespective of distance or season. Not only this they hasten the ripening of fruits or delay the blossoming of trees to avoid damage from frost.

Vitamins and proteins
The role of chemicals in the management of livestock is also very important. Chemicals such as antibiotics help in breeding healthier and heavier poultry, swine, sheep and cattle. Among the synthetic foods are vitamins, flavouring materials, various amino acids and proteins. On useless fractions of petroleum or gas, using them as media, certain micro-organisms are cultured. As they grow in large numbers in a little span of time they are isolated, and purified. These micro-organisms are nothing but proteins of very high quality and promise to eliminate the shortage of high quality edible proteins. Chemicals also help in the conservation of water and improve our sanitation by the treatment and disposal of waste.

Among the industrial raw material, polymer products such as plastics, assumed increased importance because of their versatility. They are produced as fibres, sheets, or moulds from raw materials derived from as diverse sources as coal, coaltar, petroleum and cellulose from wood pulp or sugar cane waste. They are produced by a process called as polymerization in which the molecules are jammed together forming enormously complex chains of molecules. One such chain may easily contain as many as 20000 or more chains. As the properties of the end products depend on the nature of the chains, an unlimited variety of polymers can be produced by suitably altering the chemical elements and the process. Nylon, terylene and acrylic etc fibres, the vast range of plastics, and the synthetic rubber are mainly such products. They are not only good substitute for the corresponding natural products, but in many cases excel their natural counterpart overcoming the drawback found in the later.

The chemical compounds which make our surroundings colorful are dyes and paints. Beautiful and synthetic paints, pigments, binders, thinners, solvents, and plasticisers have been developed in this century. Paints are used to curtail the losses occurring from corrosion of metallic structures exposed to atmosphere and water and ensure the safety of the structures and equipments. They are also used for the conduction, retention and resistence, water proofing and sound proofing and for improving toughness.

The development of cosmetics is another great advancement.

The chemicals obtained from petroleum are a very big source of fuel for all kinds of motors. Chemicals stored in batteries and accumulators are efficient sources of electrical energy and have very wide and varied uses. Not only this, man would not have undertaken the momentous voyage to the moon if the propellents which are required in the purest form had not been provided by chemistry. The field of activity in the chemistry has in fact become so large that there is no sphere of life into which it has not permeated. It has affected our social systems beyond measures. The new frontiers of knowledge which it is opening are bringing more and more comforts and a better understanding of life.

D.N.Bhatnagar

Biofuel to Energise African Countries

2008-05-09T02:33:00.000-07:00

Scientists are of the opinion that biofuels hold great promise for the energy
starving African countries who are facing the triple challenge of achieving food
and energy security and sustainable development. Biofuels provide an opportunity to harness Africa’s vast biomass resources. And for this many crops like corn, rapeseed and jatropha are available. Liquid biofuels like biodiesel are derived from rapeseed oil and bioethanol is made from sugarcane, maize and other starchy crops. Global production of biofuels consists primarily of ethanol.

Though keen to transform their vast arable farmlands into the next ‘oil fields’,
African countries are by no means a participant in the biofuels race in spite of
having great potential. “The question is not so much whether Africa is ready for
a biofuel revolution, but rather can Africa afford to miss the biofuels
opportunity?” Experts feel.

The main reason for Africa lagging behind is that despite well-established
national agricultural research centres there is little research to improve crops
to yield more ethanol and biodiesel. According to experts, many African countries such as Kenya and Mozambique, do not have a large enough capacity for biofuels research.

The trend however seems to be reversing recently. Several African countries now have biofuel research projects underway. Nigeria, the largest producer of cassava, is keen to use it as an alternative to fossil fuel. It aims to produce cassava ethanol worth over US$150 millions every year. It's plans to establish a US $100 millions ‘biofuel town’ near Lagos will create a 600 hectare settlement of 1,000 bioenergy experts who will work on technologies to improve production. Malawi currently uses gasoline blended with ten per cent locally-made sugarcane ethanol. Mozambique, has developed an effective biofuel sector based on sorghum and sugarcane, and the government has set aside over US $700 millions for biofuel research, production and promotion. Energy experts say Mozambique has potential to be a'biofuel superpower'. Scientists from the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) are developing sorghum varieties and hybrids that have higher amount of sugar-rich juice in their stalks for Mozambique. ICRISAT is also working with a Mozambican company to establish a facility capable of producing 100,000 litres of sorghum ethanol a year. The venture, if successful, could boost the livelihood of 5,000 smallholder farmers through contract farming.

Increased attention on biofuel research and development is, however, bringing a new debate to the continent. There is the worry that an increase in the use of food crops such as maize, cassava and sorghum is likely to increase the food price of most staple foods in Africa notably corn. Price rise will depend on whether or not oil crops are planted on arable land that could otherwise be used for growing food crops, and whether water is diverted from food crops to irrigate the biofuel plantations. The debate of crops for food versus crops for biofuels remains one of the major problems yet to be resolved.

Experts say producing food for the population should have priority, and suggest that new developments from research programmes will keep the biofuel sector going. Current biofuels research focuses too much on increased production efficiency rather than quality products. There are opportunities for many other biofuel products and applications besides ethanol and biodiesel. For instance, home-use fuel, such as paraffin, wood and coal, could be replaced by ethanol gel, made by mixing ethanol with a thickening agent and water. The gel-fuel burns without smoke, and so does not cause respiratory problems associated with current fuels used in homes.

There is need to diversify the sources and methods used to generate biofuel
products, according to Mpoko Bokanga, director general of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation. Addressing an African conference on biofuels, Bokanga said one possibility is to move from ethanol to butanol fuel production. Butanol can be manufactured from corn and molasses, has a high energy content and can be shipped through existing fuel pipelines. It is safer to use than ethanol and gasoline, as it is less likely to evaporate into the surrounding air eliminating fire risk. However, there has been negligible effort to promote butanol because of low production yields compared to ethanol. The debate is currently on. It remains to be seen whether the African continent will embark upon the biofuel energy revolution or miss it altogether. D.N.Bhatnagar

Another Success for India in Space

2008-05-01T01:30:00.000-07:00

India achieved a remarkable success in the field of space research on January 10, 2008 with it's ninth polar satellite launch vehicle successfully deploying in space four payloads - two Indian satellites and one each from Argentina and Indonesia - all in one attempt.

This feat of the Indian Space Research Organization is also unique in that it
designed its ninth polar satellite launch vehicle for reuse in its future
missions. India's progress in space research also gets confirmed by the fact
that it has put in orbit an earth imaging satellite Cartosat - 2 to transfer
images with high spatial relosution. With this India can now source its own
images instead of buying from the US. These images would be finer at 80 cm
resolution in comparison to those obtained by the US satellites which are at
one-meter resolution. Moreover these images would be far less expensive in
comparision.

Being built in India at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre the ISRO's launch vehicles are already globally competitive. If in it's newer design the polar satellite launch vehicle capsule is recovered successfully it will be considered another
technological breakthrough. Besides bringing about a further significant
lowering of the cost of space launch, this will pave the way for an early manned
space mission - to which the Indian scientists are looking as a coveted mission.
This success apart, doubts are being raised in India's capability to utilize
fully the satellite-generated information and analysis.

One reason for this may be the lack of the availability of supercomputer
facility to Indian scientists. It is hoped that this gap would be covered soon
and would not hamper the progress of the country in the field of space research.
D.N.Bhatnagar

एक विस्मृत भारतीय वैज्ञानिक येल्लाप्रगदा सुब्बाराव

2000-07-01T03:16:00.000-07:00

[भारत के विभिन्न पत्र पत्रिकाओं में प्रकाशन के लिए १ जुलाई १९९८ को 'अभियान फीचर और समाचार सेवा" द्वारा जारी किए गए इस आलेख की विषय वस्तु आज भी उतनी ही प्रासंगिक है जितनी कि उस समय थी जब इसे जारी किया गया था।]

इसे विडंबना ही कहा जायेगा कि जीव रसायन की प्रगति में महत्वपूर्ण योगदान देने वाले भारतीय वैज्ञानिक डा० सुब्बाराव अपने जीवन काल में अपने देश भारत में ही अनजाने रहे ख़ास तौर पर आम भारतीय के लिए। ऐसा उनके जीवनकाल में तो हुआ ही, आज उनके दिवङ्गंत हो जाने के लगभग चार दशक बाद भी इस देश का आम नागरिक इस महान वैज्ञानिक की उपलब्धियों के बारे में लगभग अनजान ही बना हुआ है। आइये पढ़ें इस प्रेरणादायक चरित्र के जीवनवृत्त के कुछ अंश।

कुछ लोग ऐसे होते हैं कि उनकी महानता हमारे सामने तब उजागर होती है जब वे मौजूद नहीं होते और जब हमें उनकी कर्मठता और उपलब्धियों का परिचय मिलता है तो हम दांतो तले उंगली दबा लेते हैं। दिवंगत डा० सुब्बाराव भी एक ऐसे ही महान भारतीय वैज्ञानिक थे जिन्होनें अपने जीवन काल में विदेशों में रह कर बड़ी लगन से अनुसन्धान करके जैव रसायन के क्षेत्र में अनेक उपलब्धियां हासिल की। किन्तु विडंबना यह है कि जैव रसायन के क्षेत्र में विदेशों में बहुचर्चित यह वैज्ञानिक अपनी ही जन्म स्थली भारत में अनजाना बना रहा। दूसरों को सदा अपना कन्धा देकर आगे बढ़ाने वाला विलक्षण व्यक्तित्व का धनी यह वैज्ञानिक स्वयं एक अत्यंत निरीह जीवन जीकर दुनिया से चला गया बिना किसी प्रशस्ति की परवाह किये।

आज इस देश में उसे जाना जा रहा है उसकी उन उपलब्धियों के लिए जो उसने अपने कर्मठ जीवन में बड़ी लगन से काम करके हासिल की थी। हमारे जीवन को कुछ और सुरक्षित और कुछ और आसान बनाने में इनका विशेष योगदान है। आंध्र प्रदेश के एक निर्धन ब्राह्मण परिवार में जन्मे इस मेधावी वैज्ञानिक के नाम को विस्मृति की कगार से खींच कर लाने में कुछ भारतीय पत्रकार यदि सफल न हुए होते तो शायद आज भी हम भेषज विज्ञानं के क्षेत्र में उनकी उपलब्धियों से अपरिचित ही बने रहते।

बचपन में बड़ी अधीर प्रकृति के थे सुब्बाराव, उनमें जल्दी से जल्दी कुछ हासिल कर लेने की उतावली थी। एक रात जब वह केवल तेरह वर्ष के थे, अपने मन में धन और यश अर्जित करने की एक बड़ी योजना लेकर एक साथी के साथ वह अपने जन्म स्थल आंध्र प्रदेश के पश्चिम गोदावरी स्थित भीमावरम गाँव से भाग खड़े हुए और वाराणसी चले गए। बालक सुब्बाराव का इरादा भारत भर से वाराणसी आने वाले लाखों तीर्थयात्रियों को केले बेच कर धन कमाने का था। किन्तु उन्हें अपने इरादे को आज़माने का मौका तक न मिल सका, उन्हें पकड़ कर वापिस ले आया गया।

घर वापिस आने पर उनकी माँ ने उन्हें कड़े अनुशासन में रखा और पढ़ने में लगाया। इस प्रयत्न के अच्छे परिणाम निकले और सुब्बाराव ने गणित के अध्ययन में अच्छे नतीजे हासिल किये। शायद वे गणित में और भी विशेषज्ञता प्राप्त कर लेते पर गणित में उनका रुझान अधिक देर तक नही बना रह सका। सांसारिक कार्यकलापों में उन्हें अरुचि होने लगी और उनका मन उन्हें सन्यास की ओर खींचने लगा। अध्यात्म साधना के लिए रामकृष्ण मिशन से जुड़ने को उत्सुक सुब्बाराव को इसके लिए माँ की अनुमति की ज़रूरत थी किन्तु वह चाहती थी कि सुब्बाराव पहले सांसारिक कार्यों में सफलता हासिल कर ले। मिशन ने उनकी आकांक्षाओं को समझा और उन्हें चिकित्सा विज्ञानं का अध्ययन करने को प्रेरित किया ताकि चिकित्सक बन कर वे मिशन के चिकित्सालयों में चिकित्सा कार्य कर सके।

चिकित्सा विज्ञानं के अध्ययन में लग जाने के बाद एक बार फिर सुब्बाराव की सोच में परिवर्तन आया जब मेडिकल कॉलेज में अध्ययन के दौरान उन्हें चिकित्सा विज्ञानं की सीमाओं का पता चला। अनेक रोगों से लड़ने में उसकी असमर्थता उनके समक्ष ज़ाहिर हुई। उन्हें लगा कि आधुनिक चिकित्सा विज्ञानं अपूर्ण है और अनेक रोगों के इलाज में तो बिलकुल भी कारगर नहीं है। इस अहसास ने उन्हें काफी निराश भी किया। उनके देखते देखते उनके दो भाई बीमार पड़ कर इलाज होने के बावजूद बच नहीं सके और उन्होंने रोगों से लड़ते लड़ते प्राण त्याग दिए। स्वयं उन्हें बीमारी से बचाने के लिए आयुर्वेद पद्धति से पोधो का रस पिला कर स्वास्थ्य लाभ कराया जा सका। लेकिन अब तक सुब्बाराव का मन काफी पक्का हो चुका था, उन्होंने अब मानवता की सेवा में अपने को लगा देने में ही अपने जीवन की सार्थकता समझी और अंततः वे इस कार्य में लग भी गए।

उन्होंने चिकित्सा विज्ञानं के दायरे को विस्तृत करने के इरादे से मद्रास आयुर्वेद कॉलेज में आयुर्वेद का अध्ययन करना शुरू किया और जल्दी ही वे वहां के उपप्रधानाचार्य बन गए। किन्तु यहाँ पर फिर उन्हें नै सीमाओं का सामना करना पड़ा, यहाँ उन्हें अनुसन्धान करने के अवसर उपलब्ध नहीं हुए। अंततः उन्होंने सन १९२३ में भारत छोड़ दिया और बोस्टन पहुँच गए। यद्यपि यहाँ पहुँचने के लिए उन्हें आर्थिक सहायता अपने श्वसुर और अन्य सम्बन्धियों से मिली थी और उन्होंने अपनी गर्भवती पत्नी से भारत छोड़ते समय लौट आने का वायदा भी किया था पर वे फिर भारत नहीं लौटे, उस समय भी नहीं जब उनका सात महीने का अबोध बालक संसार छोड़ कर चला गया।

बोस्टन में रह कर कई वर्ष तक संघर्ष करने के बाद सुब्बाराव को हार्वर्ड स्कूल ऑफ़ ट्रॉपिकल मेडिसिन में प्रवेश मिला जहाँ से उन्होंने डिप्लोमा प्राप्त करने के बाद हार्वर्ड स्कूल ऑफ़ मेडिसिन के रसायन विभाग में कार्य करना शुरू किया। यहाँ रह कर कार्य करने के दौरान सुब्बाराव ने केलोरोमेट्रिक तकनीक से फोस्फोक्रिएटिन, ऐडिनोसिन ट्राइफॉस्फोट और लिवर कंसन्ट्रेट जैसे उपयोगी रसायनों के निर्माण की प्रक्रिया का विकास किया। अपने आप में अभूतपूर्व होते हुए भी सफलता की यह श्रृंखला सुब्बाराव को अपेक्षित ख्याति नहीं दिला सकी और सुब्बाराव की अधीरता कम नहीं हुई। इस स्थिति को जन्म देने में स्वयं सुब्बाराव का योग कुछ कम नहीं रहा। जब भी वे कोई नया अनुसन्धान करते वे अपने किसी न किसी साथी को उसका श्रेय दिलाने के लिए आगे कर देते थे।

सन १९४० में लेडरले लैबोरेट्रीज ने, जिसने सुब्बाराव की विधि के आधार पर लिवर एक्सट्रेक्ट बना कर बेचने की पहल की थी, उन्हें न्यू यॉर्क स्थित अपनी प्रयोगशाला में कार्य करने के लिए राजी कर लिया। यहाँ कार्य करने के दौरान सुब्बाराव ने अपने साथियों के साथ काम करके सन १९४५ में फोलिक एसिड बनाने में सफलता प्राप्त की। इस प्रकार उन्होंने उस बीमारी का इलाज खोज ही लिया जिसने उनके भाइयों को काल के गाल में भेज दिया था। सन १९४७ में केवल कुछ महीनों के अंतराल पर सुब्बाराव ने कैंसर रोधी दवाएं टेरोप्टेरिन और अमिनोप्टेरिन खोज निकाली और तुरंत बाद ही डाईइथाइल कार्बामेज़िन का अनुसन्धान किया जो फ़ाइलेरिया रोग की दवा है। यद्यपि सुब्बाराव ने लगभग उसी समय विटामिन बी १२ को बनाने का तरीका भी खोज निकला था, कुछ अन्य वैज्ञानिकों ने उसे उनसे पहले खोजने का श्रेय प्राप्त कर लिया। किण्वन प्रोद्योगिकी के क्षेत्र में अपने ज्ञान का लाभ उठाकर सुब्बाराव ने औरियोमाइसिन नामक एंटीबायोटिक खोज निकली जो एक प्रकार की प्राम्भिक टेट्रासाइक्लिन ही थी। भारत में १९९३-९४ में फैली प्लेग की महामारी को रोकने के लिए इसका व्यापक उपयोग किया गया था।

अब तक सुब्बाराव के अनुसंधानों की खबर वैज्ञानिक जगत में पूरी तरह फैल चुकी थी। यहाँ तक कि सन १९२८ में उनके नाम का उल्लेख नोबेल पुरस्कार समिति के सम्मुख भी पेश किया जा चुका था। किन्तु भाग्य और प्रसिद्धि कभी भी उनके पक्ष में नहीं रही। शायद इसका एक कारण यह रहा कि धन और प्रसिद्धि की लालसा सुब्बाराव को कभी भी नहीं रही, उस समय भी नहीं जब वे प्रयोगशाला में लगातार १६-१८ घंटे काम करते रहे। सुब्बाराव ने अपने किसी भी आविष्कार के लिए कभी पेटेंट प्राप्त करने का प्रयत्न नहीं किया , न ही अपने किसी भी अनुसन्धान के लिए कभी कोई दावा किया। उनकी इस उदासीनता के परिणाम स्वरूप देश ने तो बहुमूल्य बौद्धिक सम्पदा खोई ही, स्वयं उन्होंने वह धन अर्जित नहीं किया जो आधिकारिक तौर पर उनका ही था।

मानो कर्म के ही लिए जन्मे सुब्बाराव का सामाजिक जीवन न के बराबर था , वह अपने कार्यालय और सहयोगी अनुसंधानकर्ताओं से अलग ही अपना जीवन जीते थे। जो कुछ उन्होंने कमाया उसे दूसरों को देने में उन्होंने कभी संकोच नहीं किया। उनका कहना था कि मैं कुछ लेकर नहीं आया , और कुछ लेकर भी नहीं जाऊँगा फिर लालच किस बात का।

सुब्बाराव का अंत सुखद नहीं रहा होगा। जीवन की संध्या में उन्होंने ईसाई मत ग्रहण कर लिया था और अपनी पत्नी को तलाकनामा भेज दिया था। वह अपनी बहन को कुछ धनराशि कभी कभी भेज दिया करते थे जिसमे से आधी उनकी पत्नी के लिए हुआ करती थी। सुब्बाराव जो अपने जीवन के अंतिम दिनों में एक और रोग के लिए औषधि की खोज में लगे थे ९ अगस्त की रात को नींद में ही स्वर्ग सिधार गए।

जन्म के एक सौ वर्ष पूरे कर लेने के बाद सन १९८५ में सुब्बाराव को अपने जन्म के देश में स्वीकृति मिली। भारत सरकार ने सुब्बाराव की जन्म शती के अवसर पर एक डाक टिकट जारी किया और देश भर में उनकी उपलब्धियों की चर्चा की गई। इस अवसर पर दिल्ली, विशाखापत्तनम , हैदराबाद , मुंबई, बैंगलोर, मैसूर , कोलकाता आदि अनेक शहरों में सुब्बाराव से सम्बंधित फोटोचित्रों की प्रदर्शनियों का आयोजन किया गया।

सुब्बाराव की जन्म शती के अवसर पर इंडियन नेशनल साइंस अकादमी ने तीन वर्षों में एक बार दिए जाने वाले एक पुरुस्कार की भी घोषणा की है जो उन वैज्ञानिकों को दिया जायेगा जो जैव रासायनिक विज्ञानं के क्षेत्र में उल्लेखनीय सफलता प्राप्त करेंगे। पुरुस्कार में २५००० रु की धनराशि दी जाएगी और पुरुस्कृत वैज्ञानिक को अकादमी के तत्वावधान में व्याख्यान देने का सम्मान मिलेगा। इस श्रंखला का प्रथम पुरुस्कार १९९६ में दिया गया। आशा करनी चाहिए कि यह पुरुस्कार देशवासियों को सुब्बाराव की ही तरह कठिन परिश्रम करने की प्रेरणा दे सकेगा और अनेक युवा वैज्ञानिक मानवता की नवीन समस्याओं के समाधान में मनोयोग से जुटेंगे।

डी० एन० भटनागर

सूक्ष्म जीवों का खाद के रूप में उपयोग

1996-03-10T07:58:00.000-08:00

[ राजस्थान पत्रिका के १०. ०३. १९९६ के अंक में प्रथम बार प्रकाशित हुआ यह लेख वैज्ञानिक विषयों से सम्बंधित लेखों के प्रसार में जुटी तत्कालीन विज्ञान समाचार एजेंसी "अभियान " द्वारा प्रसारित किया गया था. इसके बाद यह उन्नीस अन्य समाचार पत्रों और पत्रिकाओं में भी प्रकाशित किया गया था ]

प्रकृति ने इस धरती पर जीवन बिताने वाले इतनी तरह के जीवों की रचना की है कि उन सब की संख्या का सही सही अनुमान कर पाना भी हमारे लिए अभी तक संभव नहीं हुआ है. इनमें से अधिकांश से तो हमारा परिचय तक नहीं है. पौधों की लगभग बीस हज़ार प्रजातियों में से मनुष्य अभी तक केवल १०० पौधों की ही अपनी खाद्य की आवश्यकता पूर्ति के लिए खेती करता है. घास की लगभग १०००० प्रजातियों में से केवल आठ गेहूं, चावल, मक्का, ज्वार, बाजरा, जौ, राइ और ओट ही अभी तक खाद्य फसलों के रूप में स्वीकृति पा सकी हैं. उष्ण कटिबंधीय क्षेत्रों के लगभग ३००० फलों में से केवल चार आम, पपीता ,केला और अनन्नास ही विश्वव्यापी उपयोग के लिए उगाये जाते हैं.

सूक्ष्म जीवों की ओर तो और भी कम ध्यान दिया गया है, हालाँकि सूक्ष्म जीव इस धरती के सबसे पुराने, सबसे अधिक संख्या वाले, सबसे अधिक विविध और सबसे सरल जीवन शैली व्यतीत करने वाले जीवरूप हैं और सबसे बड़ी बात यह है कि इनमें से अनेक ऐसे हैं जिनका उपयोग मनुष्य अपने फायदे के लिए कर सकता है. इनमें एलगी (शैवाल ), बैक्टीरिया (जीवाणु),फंजाई (कवक), प्रोटोज़ोआ और वायरस शामिल हैं.

सूक्ष्मजीवों की केवल दो से पांच प्रतिशत प्रजातियों को ही हम अभी तक पहचान सके हैं जबकि अनुमान यह है कि कम से कम ३० लाख किस्म के जीवाणु और १५ लाख किस्म के कवक इस धरती पर रहते हैं. वैज्ञानिकों ने मिट्टी के केवल एक ग्राम में जीवाणुओं के लगभग ४०००० प्रभेदों की पहचान की है. इन में से अनेक के बारे में अब से पांच वर्ष पूर्व तक अनुमान भी नहीं लगाया जा सकता था.

मिट्टी में पाये जाने वाले सूक्ष्मजीवों में अनेक ऐसे हैं जो प्रकृति के पारिस्थिक तंत्र में महत्वपूर्ण सन्तुलनकारी भूमिका निभाते हैं. ये प्रकृति में अन्य प्रभेदों की आबादी को नियंत्रित करते हैं और वातावरण की नाइट्रोजन और अन्य रसायनों को यौगिकों में बदल कर मिट्टी में संचित करते हैं. सभी उच्च श्रेणी के पेड़ पौधे अपनी नाइट्रोजन की आवश्यकता की आपूर्ति के लिए कुछ प्रकार के शैवालों के सूक्ष्मजीवों पर निर्भर होते हैं. प्रकृति में नाइट्रोजन की आपूर्ति सामान्य रूप से वर्षा जल और सूक्ष्म जीवों के नाइट्रोजन स्थिरीकरण की प्रक्रिया से होती है. यही कारन है की जब हमें अपनी धरती पर लगातार तेजी से बढ़ने वाली आबादी की खाद्य आवश्यकता पूरी करने के लिए धरती से उसकी प्राकृत क्षमता से अधिक उपज लेने की आवश्यकता होती है तब नाइट्रोजन की कमी उसमें रूकावट बनती है. इसीलिए अधिक उपज लेने के लिए किसानों को अपने खेतों में बार बार खाद या उर्वरक दाल कर खेतों को फसलों के अनुरूप नाइट्रोजन की आवश्यकता की पूर्ति करते रहना पड़ता है.

लगातार एक ही जैसी फसलों के उत्पादन के कारण खेतों में ज़्यादा यूरिया की ज़रुरत होती है. फलस्वरूप विकसित देशों में नाइट्रोजन उर्वरकों की मांग बढ़ती ही जा रही है. इसकी आपूर्ति के लिए बहुत अधिक आर्थिक और पर्यावरणीय हानि पड़ रही है. यूरिया के आयात में बड़ी मात्रा में विदेशी मुद्रा तो खर्च होती ही है इससे कई पर्यावरणीय खतरे भी पैदा होते हैं. जब खेतों के रासायनिक उर्वरक बारिश के पानी के साथ बहकर नदी नालों झीलों और तालाबों में पहुँचते हैं तो वहां तरह तरह की शैवाल तथा जलीय खरपतवार की बढ़वार को बहुत तेज कर देते हैं. जलकुम्भी की समस्या का यह एक प्रमुख कारण है. अधिक मात्रा में उर्वरकों के उपयोग से पीने के पानी में नाइट्रेट तथा नाइट्राइट की मात्रा निर्धारित और सुरक्षित सीमा से ऊपर हो जाती है जो सेहत के लिए ख़राब है. पानी में इनकी मात्रा ज़्यादा होने से रक्त में मेथेमोग्लोबिन बनता है जो रक्त की ऑक्सीजन ढोने की क्षमता को कम करता है. नतीजतन शरीर को ऑक्सीजन की उपलब्धि कम हो जाती है. युरिया जैसी नाइट्रोजनी खाद के पर्यावरण पर पड़ने वाले दुष्प्रभाव और इनके बढ़ते उपयोग के कारण होने वाली आर्थिक हानि को कम करने में सूक्ष्मजीव महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका निभा सकते हैं.

उन सूक्ष्मजीवों में जो पौधों की वृद्धि की दृष्टि से उपयोगी हैं एक सूक्ष्मजीव राइजोबियम विशेष रूप से उपयोगी है. इसका जीवन यापन का तरीका बड़ा रोचक है. यह फलीदार पौधों जैसे मटर सोयाबीन और दालों जैसे लगुमिनोसी कुल के पौधों की जड़ों में गांठों में अपनी कालोनियां बसा कर अथवा पौधों के स्वतंत्र सहयोगी के रूप में रहता है. इन गाठों में रहते हुए वह हवा में मौजूद नाइट्रोजन को ऐसे उपयोगी यौगिकों के रूप में परिवर्तित करता रहता है जिन्हें पौधों को अपने उपयोग के लिए ग्रहण करना आसान हो जाता है. इस प्रकार इन सूक्ष्मजीवों की मदद से पौधे हवा में मौजूद नाइट्रोजन को अपने उपयोग के लिए इस्तेमाल कर पाते हैं. बिना सूक्ष्मजीवों की मदद के पौधे अपने आप हवा की नाइट्रोजन का उपयोग नहीं कर पाते. सूक्ष्मजीवों द्वारा हवा की नाइट्रोजन को पौधों के लिए उपयोगी रूप में बदलने की यह प्रक्रिया नाइट्रोजन के स्थिरीकरण की प्रक्रिया कहलाती है. वस्तुतः नाइट्रोजन के स्थिरीकरण की यह प्रक्रिया एक ऐसी महत्वपूर्ण प्राकृतिक प्रक्रिया है जिसके कारण हमारी पृथ्वी पर नाइट्रोजन का एक निश्चित स्तर बना रहता है.

नाइट्रोजन स्थिरीकरण की प्रक्रिया का महत्व इस तथ्य से स्पष्ट हो जाता है कि नाइट्रोजन उन चार पोषक तत्वों में से एक है जो पौधों को हवा और पानी से मिलते हैं. इसी नाइट्रोजन को प्राप्त करने के बाद पौधे उन सभी प्रकार के प्रोटीनों का निर्माण करते हैं जिन्हें पौधों से खाद्य पदार्थ के रूप में प्राप्त करके ही पृथ्वी के जीवों का जीवन चक्र चलता है. इस प्रक्रिया में बहुत अधिक ऊर्जा का व्यय होता है अतः ये सूक्ष्मजीव उच्च वर्ग के पौधों से सहजीवी सम्बन्ध बना कर रहते हैं. इनमे से कुछ ऐसे भी हैं जो अपनी खाद्य आवश्यकता की आपूर्ति स्वयं करते हैं और अपनी ऊर्जा की आवश्यकता भी स्वयं पूरी करते हैं.

इन फलीदार पौधों में सूक्ष्मजीवों के रहने के कारण जो गांठें बनती हैं वे गोल, अंडाकार अथवा लम्बी संरचनाये हो सकती हैं. इनमे लेगहेमोग्लोबिन नामक एक विशेष पदार्थ होता है जो नाइट्रोजन के स्थिरीकरण में काम आने वाले एक प्रमुख एंजाइम नाइट्रोजिनेस को आक्सीजन के प्रतिकूल प्रभावों से बचाता है. इसका कार्य हमारे रक्त में मौजूद हीमोग्लोबिन की तरह ऑक्सीजन को सोखना है. इसकी उपस्थिति में गांठों में रहने वाले जीवाणुओं के आसपास ऑक्सीजन की कमी बनी रहती है और नाइट्रोजिनेस को नाइट्रोजन गैस को अमोनिया में बदलने में कठिनाई नहीं होती.

उल्लेखनीय है कि प्रकृति में पाये जाने वाले कुछ ही सूक्ष्मजीवों में हवा की नाइट्रोजन को पौधों के लिए उपयोगी रसायनों में बदलने की क्षमता है. इनमे नीली हरी काई जिसे साइनोबैक्टीरिया कहते हैं और राइजोबियम तथा सेसबानिया जैसे जीवाणु शामिल हैं. इन सूक्ष्मजीवों की इस अद्भभुत क्षमता से पृथ्वी के अन्य सभी विकसित जीव और पौधे वंचित हैं. इन सूक्ष्मजीवों में से वैज्ञानिकों ने जब राइजोबियम मैलिलोटी की जीवन शैली का विस्तृत अध्ययन किया तो उन्होंने ने पाया कि वे आनुवंशिक इंजीनियरी की तकनीकों का सहारा ले कर इस जीवाणु को नाइट्रोजन की और अधिक मात्रा स्थिर करने की दृष्टि से सक्षम बनाने के उपाय कर सकते हैं. उन्होंने ने इसमें ऐसे जीनों का समावेश करने में सफलता प्राप्त कर ली जिनसे नाइट्रोजन को स्थिर करने की उसकी क्षमता काफी बढ़ गई.

ब्रिटिश विज्ञान पत्रिका न्यू साइंटिस्ट में छपी एक रिपोर्ट के अनुसार नई जीनों से युक्त यह जीवाणु समूचे अमेरिका में बिक्री के लिए उपलब्ध कराने के लिए अनुमोदन प्राप्त करने की आशा से अमेरिका की एनवायर्नमेंटल प्रोटेक्शन एजेंसी के सम्मुख प्रस्तुत है. अनुमोदन पा लेने के बाद यह दुनिया का पहला ऐसा मामला होगा जब मनुष्य द्वारा आनुवंशिक इंजीनियरी से संशोधित किसी सार्वजनिक उपयोग के लिए मुक्त किया जाएगा. वैज्ञानिक अनुसन्धान के दौर में यह सफलता की एक और सीढ़ी है. परन्तु इस उपलब्धि के लगभग पूर्ण होने के समय पर भी पर्यावरण सुरक्षा एजेंसी के विशेषज्ञों ने अभी भी इस बैक्टीरिया से सम्भाव्य हानियों के सम्बन्ध में शंका प्रगट की है। उनके अनुसार अभी भी इस तथ्य को पूरी तरह स्थापित नहीं किया जा सका है कि यह विकसित बैक्टीरिया वातावरण के लिए पूर्णतः सुरक्षित है. इसके अलावा बैक्टीरिया को वातावरण में छोड़ने के पहले एक खतरा और भी है. जीवाणु में कुछ अन्य जीव भी होने के कारण परिवर्धन के विभिन्न चरणों के दौरान उसमे स्ट्रेप्टोमाइसिन और स्पेक्टिनोमाइसिन एंटीबायोटिक के लिए प्रतिरक्षा भी उत्पन्न हो जाती है. एंटीबायोटिक के प्रति प्रतिरक्षा क्षमता होने के कारण यह रोगी जीवों में फैल कर उनके इलाज को असंभव बना सकते हैं.

पर्यावरण सुरक्षा एजेंसी के बायोटेक्नोलॉजी सुझाव विभाग के एक उपविभाग के अनुसार इस बैक्टीरिया से मनुष्य, पशु व पौधों के स्वस्थ्य को तो नुकसान नहीं पहुंचेगा , परन्तु दो सदस्यों की शंकानुसार जंगली प्रजातियों में इस बैक्टीरिया के निवास की संभावनाओं पर कोई विस्तृत अध्ययन नहीं हो सका है. इससे स्पष्ट है कि इतने अध्ययन के बाद भी इस बैक्टीरिया को वातावरण में छोड़ने पर वैज्ञानिकों के अभी भी दो मत हैं. उनके अनुसार अनुसंधानों से यह कहीं स्थापित नहीं हो पाया है कि प्राकृतिक बैक्टीरिया के मुकाबले जीन अभियांत्रिकी से परिवर्तित बैक्टीरिया से पौधों की उपज में कोई विशेष बढ़त हो पायेगी. उन्होंने आशंका व्यक्त की है कि अगर ऐसा है तो बिना किसी उपयोग के जीन अभियांत्रिकी से निर्मित इस बैक्टीरिया का समर्थन क्या सही होगा? जीवाणुओं की नाइट्रोजन स्थिरीकरण की क्षमता को बढाकर उनका अधिक उपयोग करने के प्रयत्न हमारे देश के वैज्ञानिकों द्वारा भी किये जाते रहे हैं.

हाल ही में भाभा परमाणु अनुसन्धान केंद्र के न्यूक्लियर कृषि प्रभाग के वैज्ञानिकों ने एक हरे खाद पौधे को जो तने में गांठें बनाने वाला एक लेग्यूम है म्युटाजेनेसिस प्रक्रिया द्वारा इतना सूक्ष्म बनाया है कि वह ५० दिनों में १२०, १६० किलोग्राम नाइट्रोजन प्रति हेक्टेयर स्थिर कर सकता है. इसे एक महत्वपूर्ण उपलब्धि कहा जा रहा है क्योंकि यह वायु की नाइट्रोजन को खींच कर उसे यूरिया की जगह जैव खाद की तरह इस्तेमाल योग्य बनाता है. इस क्षेत्र मैं जैव अभियांत्रिक कार्य भी किये जा रहे हैं. कल कौन सी सफलता दर्ज करा देगा कहना मुश्किल है. यद्यपि यह सुनिष्चित है कि यह अनुसन्धान देश के लिए आर्थिक दृष्टि से लाभकर होंगे, पर्यावरण पर इनके प्रभाव के विषय में हम निश्चिन्त हो कर नहीं बैठ सकते, उनका हमें स्वयं पता लगाकर आकलन करना होगा.

डी. एन. भटनागर

Soil-less Kitchen Garden for You

1970-01-01T07:30:00.000-08:00

With hydroponic technique you can grow many plants of your choice in very small places like roof tops, balconies, verandahs, window sills etc., at very little cost. The article was published in the Hindu, Hindustan Standard, Patriot and a few more local newspapers in the year 1965. I think the contents are still relevant to a large extent.

Hydroponics is a technique of growing plants in boxes, earthen pots or any other kind of receptacle – hydroponic trough –by artificially feeding them on chemicals i.e. nutrients, which they normally absorb from the soil through their roots. Vegetables for daily consumption can very conveniently by grown at any place – rooftops, verandahs, window sills, boxes, barren land and even deserts at little cost and trouble. If practiced with a little scientific knowledge, this technique can make all the big cities and industrial establishments, towns etc self supporting in the matter of vegetables. This can well be developed as an industry and can provide employment to thousands.

This technique was developed in the latter half of the eighteenth century, but its immense possibilities could be visualized only after 1929 as a result of the pioneering work of Prof. W.F.Gericke of California University. This technique proved its utility in the “Grow More Food” campaign of the Second World War, and even now many commercial farms and gardens devoted to soilless cultivation exist in the Soviet Union, United States, Canada, Germany and other countries.

Soilless cultivation started in India in 1946 when at the Government owned experimental farm at Kalimpong in Darjeeling efforts to evolve a simplified and practical technique were made. As a result in 1948 the “Bengal system of Hydroponics” came into being. This is a modified and revised version suited to Indian conditions. The installation is inexpensive, maintenance easy and operation economical. Equipment has been reduced to the minimum and full use has been made of indigenous materials. Experiments have proved its success throughout the subcontinent and in neighboring countries.

Hydroponic troughs can be of any material – wood, concrete, asphalt-impregnated mats, brick and mortar, mud plaster, iron or steel, asbestos sheets or clay etc. Even packing cases can be used. The trough may be 5 feet wide, the length varying according to convenience. The side walls of the trough are about nine to ten inches high. The troughs have a number of outlets to prevent water logging and ensure aeration. The most convenient troughs are made of mud plaster or cement.

The troughs are filled to a depth of six to eight inches with coarse inert aggregate which may consist of gravel, crushed stone or cinders, broken bricks or granite chips of about 3/8 to 1-1/2 inch size; a certain proportion of sand or residual dust is also added. This mixture which is neither too coarse or too sandy or thin provide support for the plant roots. It can be made with rock chippings and broken bricks. The best mixture is composed of about 5 parts of coarse aggregate and two to three parts of fine dust or sand. This ratio may be modified in accordance with climatic conditions i.e. in winter when less evaporation occurs the proportion of coarse aggregate may be increased while in summer when evaporation is rapid the amount of sandy or powdery dust may be increased so as to avoid easy exhaustion of moisture. While selecting the growing medium it is necessary to ensure that the aggregate provide sufficient aeration of roots and retains moisture like a damp sponge.

A hydroponicum, however large it may be, can conveniently be irrigated by using rubber tubing or hoses. In some places bamboos cut and split to make water channels. Reasonably clean water is best for irrigation. Water with too much mineral content may prove toxic to the plants. In such cases a corresponding decrease in the quantity of chemicals is advisable.

FORMULA

For soilless cultivation exactly the same nutrient fertilizers are required as are used in conventional agriculture; in addition commercial grade chemicals can also be used. They must be stored in a dry place. Chemicals are mixed in definite quantities to make basic mixtures to be used as nutrients. A number of basic formulae may be found in any standard book on the subject. One basic proved formula is given here: Sodium Nitrate 261.4 gm, Superphosphate 121.3 gm, Potassium Sulphate 69.2 gm, Magnesium Sulphate 69.2 gm and Manganese, Copper, Zinc, Iron, Molybdenum and Boron in trace amounts.

This mixture may be applied at the rate of 40 gms or even a little less per square yard of the growing medium every fortnight. The quantity may be slightly increase or decreased in accordance with the climatic conditions. For instance during the monsoon season the frequency of nutrient application is to be avoided as it may give rise to high concentration of nutrient mixture in the growing medium resulting in the wilting of the plants.

The seeds may be sown directly in the aggregate, though their germination elsewhere is preferred. Saplings may be transplanted when they attain a height of about three inches. To effect easy germination, no seed of any variety should be sown more than two inches deep. If plants are grown in a row the application of the nutrient mixture becomes easy. It is necessary to keep the growing medium sufficiently moist before transplantation, and in doing so care do protect the roots is required. Every inch of the hydroponic trough should be utilized by growing the plants close. It is better never to flood the aggregate or to allow the water to stand on the surface.

In winter daily watering is not required, while in summer at least two watering – morning and evening – are required. About 450 liters of water can keep an area of 500 square yards sufficiently moist under ordinary conditions.