Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar

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Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar
British India
(now in Punjab, Pakistan)
Died1 January 1955(1955-01-01) (aged 60)
New Delhi, India
NationalityIndian
Alma materUniversity of the Punjab
University College London
Known forCSIR India
Awards
Scientific career
FieldsPhysical chemistry
Colloid chemistry
InstitutionsCouncil of Scientific and Industrial Research
Banaras Hindu University
Thesis Solubilities of bi- and trivalent salts of higher fatty acids in oils and their effect on surface tension of oils
Doctoral advisorFrederick G. Donnan[citation needed]

Sir Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar OBE, FNI, FASc,[2] FRS,[1] FRIC, FInstP (21 February 1894 – 1 January 1955) was an Indian colloid chemist, academic and scientific administrator. The first director-general of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Bhatnagar is revered as the Father of Research Laboratories in India.[3] He was also the first Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC).[1][4][5]

In 1958, to honour his name and legacy, the Indian Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) instituted the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology for scientists who have made significant contributions in various branches of science.[6][7]

Early life

Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar was born in the

MSc in chemistry in 1919.[7][10]

Education and early research

Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar was awarded a scholarship by the Dayal Singh College Trust to study abroad, and he left for America via England. However, he could not find open berths on English ships, as they were all reserved for American troops, who were then being

First World War. The trustee permitted him to join the University College London under chemistry professor Frederick G. Donnan. He earned his Doctorate in Science in 1921.[1] While in London, he was supported by the British Department of Scientific and Industrial Research
with a fellowship of £250 a year.

In August 1921, he returned to India and immediately joined the newly established

colloids, and industrial chemistry, but his fundamental contributions were in the field of magneto-chemistry, the use of magnetism for the study of chemical reactions. In 1928 he and K.N. Mathur jointly developed the Bhatnagar-Mathur Magnetic Interference Balance, which was one of the most sensitive instruments at the time for measuring magnetic properties. It was exhibited at the Royal Society Soiree in 1931 and it was marketed by Messers Adam Hilger and Co, London.[4][10]

Professional career

Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar's first industrial problem was developing the process for converting bagasse (peelings of sugarcane) into food-cake for cattle. This was done for Sir Ganga Ram, the Grand Old Man of Punjab. He also solved industrial problems for Delhi Cloth & General Mills, J.K. Mills Ltd. of Kanpur, Ganesh Flour Mills Ltd. of Layallapur, Tata Oil Mills Ltd. of Bombay, and Steel Brothers & Co. Ltd. of India.

His major innovation was an improvement of the procedure for drilling

electrolytes. M/s Steel Brothers was so pleased that they offered Bhatnagar a sum of Rs. 1,500,000/- for research work on any subject related to petroleum. The company placed the fund through the university and it was used to establish the Department of Petroleum Research under the guidance of Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar. Investigations carried out under this collaborative scheme included deodorisation of waxes, increasing flame height of kerosene and utilisation of waste products in the vegetable oil and mineral oil
industries. Recognizing the commercial success of the research, the company increased the fund, and extended the period from five years to ten.

Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar persistently refused any personal monetary benefit from his research fundings, and instead advocated for strengthening research facilities at the university. Meghnad Saha wrote to Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar in 1934 saying, "You have hereby raised the status of the university teachers in the estimation of public, not to speak of the benefit conferred on your Alma Mater".

Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar wrote jointly with K. N. Mathur Physical Principles and Applications of Magnetochemistry which is considered a standard work on the subject.

Establishment of CSIR

The first industrial research organisation in India was created as an Industrial Intelligence and Research Bureau, which came into operation in April 1935 under the Indian Stores Department. With its limited budget of Rs. 1.2 lakhs per year, the bureau was virtually inactive. In 1939, there was a strong movement to abolish the bureau, and to replace it with a Board of Scientific and Industrial Research, similar to the British BSIR. Under the persuasive pressure of

Arcot Ramaswamy Mudaliar, the Board of Scientific and Industrial Research (BSIR) was formed on 1 April 1940 for a period of two years. Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar, as a leading scientist of the time, was appointed as the director, and Mudaliar became the chairman. The BSIR had an annual budget of Rs. 5 lakhs which was placed under the Department of Commerce. Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar persuaded the government to set up an Industrial Research Utilisation Committee (IRUC) in early 1941 for further investment into industrial research. Mudaliar also won the demand for an establishment of Industrial Research Fund, and that it should have an annual grant of Rs 1 million for a period of five years, at the Central Assembly in Delhi at its session on 14 November 1941. These finally led to the constitution of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) as an autonomous body, which came into operation on 28 September 1942. The BSIR and IRUC became the advisory bodies to the governing body of the CSIR. In 1943, the governing body approved the proposal mooted by Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar to establish five national laboratories – the National Chemical Laboratory, the National Physical Laboratory, the Fuel Research Station, and the Glass and Ceramics Research Institute. This was the beginning of scientific laboratories in India.[10]

Later years

Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar played a significant part along with

Raman Effect
and in particular the work Krishnan and his partner, Santilal Banerjee, were doing on the magnetism of small crystals.

He also served as Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Educational Adviser for the government. He played a role both in the constitution and deliberations of the Scientific Manpower Committee Report of 1948. "It may be pointed out that this was the first-ever systematic assessment of the scientific manpower needs of the country in all aspects which served as an important policy document for the government to plan the post-independent S&T infrastructure." Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar was a university professor for nineteen years from 1921 until 1940. First at the Banaras Hindu University and then at the Punjab University and he had a reputation as a teacher. It was as a teacher that he himself was most happy. His research contribution in the areas of magnetochemistry and physical chemistry of emulsion were widely recognised. He also did considerable work in applied chemistry. He played an instrumental role in the establishment of the National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) of India, which bridged the gap between research and development.

Bhatnagar was responsible for the initiation of the Industrial Research Association movement in the country. He constituted the one-man Commission in 1951 to negotiate with oil companies for starting refineries and this ultimately led to the establishment of many oil refineries in different parts of the country. He induced many individuals and organisations to donate liberally for the cause of science and education.[4]

He died of a heart attack on 1 January 1955, at the age of 60.

Honours and recognition

Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar was elected one of the first Fellows of the

Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1943.[1][6]

In independent India, he was the President of the Indian Chemical Society, National Institute of Sciences of India and the Indian National Science Congress. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India in 1954.[10]

An Indian science award, the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology was created in his honour.[6]

Notes

  1. ^ Prior to 1970, the Indian National Science Academy was named the "National Institute of Sciences of India", and its fellows bore the post-nominal "FNI". The post-nominal became "FNA" in 1970 when the association adopted its present name.

References

  1. ^
    S2CID 71516535
    .
  2. ^ a b "Fellowship – Bhatnagar, Shanti Swarup". Indian Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  3. ^ a b India Information. "Dr. Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar". WhereInCity. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  4. ^ a b c studyrays. "Dr.Shanti swarup Bhatnagar's Profile". studyrays.com. Saagam IT Services Pvt. Ltd. Archived from the original on 23 August 2013. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  5. ^ Richards, Norah (1948). Sir Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar F. R. S.: A Biographical Study of India's Eminent Scientist. New Delhi, India: New Book Society of India.
  6. ^ a b c Sarmah P (8 September 2011). "Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar: A Pensive Pioneer of Indian Science and Technology". studyrays.com. Saagam IT Services Pvt. Ltd. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  7. ^
    S2CID 121018197
    .
  8. ^ "Dr.Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar". iloveindia.com. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  9. ^ "Dyal Singh College". www.dsc.du.ac.in. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  10. ^ a b c d Vigyan Prasar. "Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar". vigyanprasar.gov.in. Archived from the original on 18 October 2013. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  11. ^ "National Institute of Sciences of India: List of Foundation Fellows (1935)" (PDF). Indian National Science Academy. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  12. ^ "No. 34238". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 1936. p. 12.
  13. ^ "No. 35029". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 1940. p. 2.
  14. ^ "National Institute of Sciences of India: Annual Report (1943)" (PDF). Indian National Science Academy. Retrieved 14 June 2018.

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