Now Reading: P.M. Bhargava’s vision gave India CCMB, new biography shows
-
01
P.M. Bhargava’s vision gave India CCMB, new biography shows
A new biography of Pushpa M. Bhargava, the founder of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad, reveals that his 1959 blueprint for a national biology lab matched the…
The Story in Brief
A new biography of Pushpa M. Bhargava, the founder of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad, reveals that his 1959 blueprint for a national biology lab matched the institute he created in 1977 almost exactly. The biography, 'The Man and The Making of Modern Biology in India', is by Chandana Chakrabarti, Bhargava's longtime associate.
The Hindu reports that Bhargava, a chemistry PhD who switched to biology, drafted the note in 1959 after realising India was missing the molecular biology revolution. The proposal was repeatedly rejected by committees until the 1973 oil crisis prompted him to write directly to the CSIR Director-General. CCMB was formed on paper on April 1, 1977.
The Indian Opinion
The story of CCMB's birth is often told as a triumph of individual genius over a sluggish bureaucracy. That is only half of it. Bhargava's success came because he used the oil crisis to make a national security argument, not just a scientific one. The lesson for today's scientists is not to wait for committees but to frame research as a strategic necessity. Rajiv Gandhi's 1987 inauguration, two years after the invitation, is a good test of how long real institution-building takes, far longer than electoral cycles.
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
