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Dr. R. A. MASHELKAR.
On the 22nd September/2005 The Indian Express Times published on its front
page column 1 the following India Empowered to me is Opening avenues for
growth of IT, i.e. Indian Talent By Dr. M. A. Mashelkar, the world knows
this person better than any of us, often we Goans fails to recognize our
kin, we often appreciate and praise others for their achievements but fail
to appreciate our own. When I first read the name Mashelkar there was a
itchy feeling in my mind that this man had to be a Goan, I started digging
around and almost at the end of 2 months, I finally found what I wanted.
Yes, Dr. R. A. Mashelkar Dr. Ragunath Anand Mashelkar now age 62 is a
native of Goa, the ancient Portuguese colony, that returned to India in
1961. He is a son of the true Indian Knowledge Dream. He was born in
1943, his parents came and settled in Bombay/Mumbai long before liberation.
Most probably he hails from Marseilles (a small village in Goa). In his
Sept. article he emphasized on young Indians who often stop schooling at a
early age due to unavoidable circumstances, he said Im not an exception,
and wrote the following brief:-
I too belonged to that submerged part of the iceberg. I was born in a poor
family, my father died when I was six, my illiterate mother did menial work
to bring me up, I went barefoot till I was twelve, I studied under street
lights. Yet I was empowered again and again
he further says, I studied in a
free municipal school, access to free education through public funding was
the first empowerment in my life. On finishing primary school, I sought
admission in a secondary school. I required 21 rupees as admission fee. My
mother did not have the money. A lady, who herself was a housemaid in
Mumbai, gave her savings to us. One have not sharing with another have
not was a powerful lesson of empowerment early in my life.
He stood 11th amongst 1,35,000 students in the state, for the Maharashtra
State Board exams in 1960, he was about to leave school, since his mother
could not afford his college education. At this moment Sir Dorabji Tata
Trust gave him a scholarship of 60 rupees per month until his graduation,
thus his new empowerment came through the Philanthropy of an Industrial
house.
His school teachers empowered him, his physics teacher was Principal Bhave,
one day all students were taken outdoors to show them how to find the focal
length of a convex lens, when the sun rays were focused on the paper, it got
burnt. At this moment Principal Bhave turned to him and said Mashelkar, if
you focus your energies, you can achieve anything in life. That gave him an
inspiration to become a scientist. It gave him the philosophy of life; focus
and you can achieve anything. He completed his Chemical engineering degree
in 1966 from Bombay University. He preferred to do his Ph.D. in India and
then went for his post-doctoral research in the UK. He was professor in the
UK and in the US, but returned to India in 1976 at the age of 32 to join the
National Chemical Laboratory - Pune.
He was teaching and researching in England in the early Seventies. At that
time Indiara Gandhi was the Prime Minister, the news of Nobel Laureate
Khorana not getting a job in India had done rounds. She asked the then
Director General of CSIR Dr. Nayudamma to go abroad, pick up the brightest
and the best and offer them jobs on the spot. Naydamma went to London in
1974, he met Dr. Mashelkar among others and offered him a position at NCL in
Pune. He says there was no application, no formal interview, no bureaucratic
hurdles when he got the job, he says thanks to a science leader who was
trusted and empowered by a Prime Minister.
Dr. Mashelkar. An internationally acclaimed chemical engineer, took over as
the Director of National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) in june 1989, AT 46, he
was the youngest Director to take over the charge of this premier research
laboratory, later on while he was Director of NCL he was appointed Director
General CSIR and Secretary, Department of Scientific & Industrial Research.
He took over charge of his new office on 30th June 1995. At 52, he was the
youngest DG of CSIR. Today he is also the President of Indian National
Science Academy in New Delhi.
In his write-up he also says the following India cannot be truly empowered
until the best of its talent stays in India and contributes. He further
emphasizes Why does talent leave India? and gives this example, An Italian
Nobel Laureate, Riardo Giacconi who settled in the US said, A scientist is
like a painter. Michelangelo became a great artist, because he had been
given a wall to paint. My wall was given to me by the United States. To
empower scientist, it is necessary to give them a wall to paint
This year
he became the only 8th Scientist from India to be elected to the US National
Academy of Science since 1863 after he had won the Nobel prize.
In 2001 Goa was planning to implement Enterprise Resource Planning system in
the state administration, with an endeavour to implement the concept of
e-governance in its real sense, perhaps for the first time in India. The
state infotech counsil, met for the first time under the chairmanship of Dr.
R. A. Mashelkar, Director General of the CSIR, and decided to make Goa a
joyful intelligent state by combining the IT development with hospitality
industry.
The suggestion to implement the ERP system in fact came from Dr. N.
Sheshgiri, former director of the National Informatic Center and the state
council member. It can be successfully implemented only in a small state
like Goa, he opined. Though the ERP system is already being implemented
successfully by corporate sector, Dr. Sheshgiri however felt that the state
government will have to create a modified web-enabled ERP package for its
effective implementation.. He also emphasized the need to combine it with
Business Process Re-engineering, with a plan to re-engineer all the
government departments in order to set up an up-to date state wide network
of information and providing IT-enabled service to the unreachable common
man.
State IT minister Ramakant Khalap, while instantly accepting the proposal,
informed that the administration is already moving into implementing
e-governance system within two years, by even providing special budgetary
support to all the departments. At this point Dr. Mashelkar also agreed to
take initiative in convincing the central government to allow Goa to
implement the IT action plan, which was prepared by Dr. sheshgiri was
submitted to the Government of India.. Though agreed in principal, the
central cabinet did not approve the proposal as the customs department had
raised some objections, said Dr. Sheshgiri. If implemented, he felt that the
market presently tapped by China could be diverted to Goa with billions of
dollars of investment.. Pending clearance from the center, Dr. Sheshgiri
informed his colleagues in the Goa council that India had received 11
proposals to set up projects in the country including one project worth $
120 million.
Dr. Vijay Bhatkar, chairman of the Dishnet DSL, on the occasion suggested
that Goas IT development should be made not by imitating others but
preparing innovative packages which could attract the world market, while
insisting on innovative packages, Dr. Bhatkar also suggested a convention
centre of international standards as well as a digital media city consisting
of a good virtual studio for the media and film industry.
During the conference Dr. Mashelkar provided a slogan Team Goa Team
India and further said A Goan can be taken out of Goa but Goa cannot be
taken out of a Goan. He thus emphasized the need to get Goan IT
technologists working outside back into the state to develop the IT sector.
Chief minister Manohar Parrikar, who himself is an IIT graduate, said the
government was prepared to provide maximum budgetary support to take ahead
the suggestions of the infotech council. But more stress should be laid on
private participation, he said, besides making plans for e-governance and
IT parks, the state has already made computer education compulsory after Std
VIII and has introduced exclusive streams in IT at higher secondary level in
order to facilitate higher education, in a five point IT policy.
We as Goans should feel proud of great people like Dr. R. A. Mashelkar who
has not forgotten his roots, also we should hold pride in people like Dr.
Mangesh Uttam Gauns of National Institute of Oceanolography, Goa. Who was
recently awarded CSIR Young Scientists Awards 2005 for his significant
contribution to the study of micro-zooplankton in the Arabian sea and for
identifying existence of a Microbial lop, which has provided new insights
into the biogeochemistry of a part of the Arabian Sea.
After a long wait the Goa state government has come up with a IT policy,
which they say, though not comprehensive, but can be said as a good
beginning, lets hope it holds its ground and expand in the near future, and
produce more and more people like Dr. R. A Mashelkar
Finally here is what
Dr. Mashelkar advises us all, My lessons from my life are simple, A
society, that gives an opportunity for education to everyone, that has
inspiring teachers, that has philanthropic industrialists, that has
visionary leaders in all walks of life and that gives talent every
opportunity to reach its real potential becomes truly empowered. And his
motto is this Indias future is in IT. But do not read IT as Information
Technology. But read it as Indian Talent.
Viva Goa Viva India.
Sanny Vaz Kuwait.
Sanny De Quepem.
About Sanny de Quepem:
http://goanet.org/post.php?name=News&list=goanet&info=2005-
Other articles by Sanny de Quepem:
http://goanet.org/post.php?name=News&list=goanet&info=2005-
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