Dr Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar
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Dr Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar
◆ Dr. Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar was born on February 21, 1894 in Shahpur, present day Pakistan.
◆ In the year 1913, after passing the intermediate examination from Punjab University with the first division, he joined the Forman Christian College, Lahore, from where he passed the B.Sc. in 1916 and M.Sc. in 1919.
◆ After completing his master's degree, on a research fellowship, he went to England, where he obtained his doctorate in science in 1921 from University College, London, under the supervision of Professor of Chemistry, Frederick G. Donnan.
◆ He came back to India in August, 1921 and taught at the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) as Professor of Chemistry for three years.
◆ He served as Professor of Physical Chemistry at the Punjab University, Lahore, as well as the Director of the University's Chemical Laboratories.
◆ He made important contributions in the field of 'magneto-chemistry' in addition to work on emulsions, colloids and industrial chemistry. In the year 1928, together with KN Mathur, he rendered 'Bhatnagar-Mathur Magnetic Interference Balance'.
◆ He was the founding director of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Bhatnagar is credited with setting up 12 national laboratories of CSIR.
◆ He was awarded the 'Order of British Empire' (OBE).
◆ In the year 1941 he was given the title of 'Knight' and in the year 1943 he was elected Fellow of the Royal Society, London.
◆ He played an important role in the creation of science and technology infrastructure and in the formulation of India's science and technology policies, holding several important positions in the post-independence Indian government.
◆ Dr. Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar was the first chairman of the 'University Grants Commission' (UGC).
◆ He played an important role in the establishment of the 'National Research Development Corporation' (NRDC). The role of NRDC has been related to bridging the gap between research and development.
◆ In the year 1954, the Government of India honored Dr. Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar with the Padma Bhushan Award for his significant contribution in the field of science and engineering.
◆ Dr. Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar died on January 1, 1955 due to a heart attack.
◆ After his death in the year 1957, CSIR announced the 'Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award' in his honour, which is given to scientists who have made significant contributions in various fields of science.