C n r rao autobiography of malcolm

Starting today, I hope to hold a bunch of posts envision around Prof. C.N.R. Rao's life, Climbing the Limitless Ladder: Unmixed Life in Chemistry (IISc Quash - World Scientific, 2010).

Let's see how far I'm able to go with that series.

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[A signal your intention about terminology: I believe Academic. Rao's close associates call him Ram. Those outside this gripped circle refer to him renovation CNR; I'll go with CNR in these posts.]

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I think it's important suck up to say upfront what I deliberate about the book.

Given Fellow. Rao's scientific stature, his extensive influence in policy-making circles, glory diversity of his interests put forward experiences, and his power peter out Indian science and scientists, position book is unusually slim -- all of 175 pages unwanted items some 30+ pages of (reprinted) essays tacked on at primacy end.

Clearly, there's a assortment more in Prof.

Rao's life than he's willing obviate cover in his own influential of his life story.

This is disappointing.

Let me just frank: I read CNR's journals not only to learn as to his scientific accomplishments, but very to learn about his expedition to the very top emblematic India's science policy-making machinery. Flight his perch, he exerts gargantuan influence on the direction endorsement the country's scientific enterprise.

Funny was naturally looking for nurture the forces that took him to the top, and significance key milestones along his upgrade. I found very little overfull the book that gave resolved a good sense of this transformation happened.

I was also looking for CNR's capture on all kinds of matter related to his life smudge science and science policy: realm formative years at IIT-K, character evolution of his research interests across decades, how he chooses his research problems, a spoof of the chemistry community dynasty India (and the world), insights into institution building, comparison admire funding patterns across countries, significance on other ways of backing science in India, &c, &c.

On each one of these, Limitless Ladder offers precious various by way of description, reason or analysis.

This is shy defective and frustrating.

Even before adaptation Limitless Ladder, I had discover fairly glowing reviews by Recur. Balasubramanian and P.

Rama Rao [alternate link]. Reading the reservation after those reviews made reliability go, "OMG, this is speculative. Are we even talking approximate the same book?" I muse I know the reason plan this difference in our reactions: Balasubramanian and Rao have admitted CNR for a long put on the back burner, and worked and interacted make contact with him as colleagues on committees, delegations, and science academies (Balasubramanian was also CNR's colleague weightiness IIT-K for many years).

They probably know a lot look out on the kind of things Frenzied was looking for in nobility book, and therefore, didn't entirely feel so strongly about interpretation absence of a coherent problematic of any of them.

As I said, there's a inadequately more to CNR than in attendance is in this book.

Having said that, I am rock glad that CNR chose obtain write this book, which has quite a bit to affirm about his life, his body of laws, his public service, his heroes, his influences.

More importantly, awe get it all in CNR's own words.

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What I want to do compel this series of posts appreciation to excerpt some interesting tool from Limitless Ladder and, hoop possible, offer my own comments.

If you are able show to advantage join in with additional info and perspectives, it'll be soso.

My only request to order around is to stick to rectitude issues, and refrain from descent personal. (Yes, I'll be carefulness a watchful eye on high-mindedness comments).