India born Dr Venki Ramakrishnan elected President of Royal Society

[vgane]

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Congrats Venky! I understand that the Nobel laureate is humble and gives guest lectures where ever he is called in big or small towns..Appreciate his simplicity & greatness

London: March 19, 2015
[h=1]Specially touched, says Venki[/h]Parvathi Menon

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  This December 16, 2013, photo shows Nobel Laureate Dr. Venkatraman 'Venki' Ramakrishnan during his visit to New Delhi, India .Photo: Sandeep Saxena

[h=2]The India-born scientist will take over as president on December 1, 2015, replacing geneticist Sir Paul Nurse.[/h]
Nobel Laureate, Deputy Director of the British Medical Research Council’s Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, and Fellow of the Royal Society, Sir Venkatraman (Venki) Ramakrishnan has been confirmed as President Elect of the Royal Society.


“It is a great honour,” Dr. Ramakrishnan told The Hindu over the phone from Cambridge. “Unlike many others, this is given by your peers, by fellow scientists.”


He said he was “specially touched” because he is an immigrant who came to the United Kingdom only 16 years ago from the US. “To be chosen for this position really reflects a wonderful tradition of openness that the Royal Society has always had since its inception.”


Dr. Ramakrishnan is the first India-born scientist to be elected President of the Royal Society, although he is part of a long tradition of illustrious Indian Fellows starting with Ardaseer Cursetjee, a Parsee engineer and industrialist who became a Fellow in 1841. The first Indian to be elected was the mathematician S. Ramanujan, followed by many others including J.C. Bose, C.V.Raman and Meghnad Saha.


Dr. Ramakrishnan will take over his new appointment on December 1, 2015, replacing the eminent geneticist Sir Paul Nurse, “one of the most articulate exponents of science that I have come across,” he said, adding, “His will be a very hard act to follow, but I will do my best.”


Dr. Ramakrishnan’s work, which won him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2009 (shared with Tom Steitz and Ada Yonath), is on the structure and function of the ribosome, the molecular machine that synthesises proteins inside cell; and on the action of antibiotics on the process.


Born in Chidambaram, and with a B.Sc. in physics from Baroda University, Dr. Ramakrishnan took his Ph.D. from Ohio University, USA. He moved to the LMB as a group leader in 1999. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2003, and was knighted in 2012.


The Royal Society is a self-governing fellowship of many of the world’s most distinguished scientists drawn from all areas of science, engineering, and medicine, set up to support excellence in science, and to encourage its use for the benefit of humanity.


Specially touched, says Venki - The Hindu

 

[Janaki Jambunathan]

He is Indian born scientst and not a an Indian Scientist - that makes the difference You have eclipsed his views on recent 102 Indian science conference ! Uncomfortable with his view?

See what he says about that

“I heard that some nonsense was spouted at the Indian Science Congress by people who are ideologically driven,” he said. “What was astonishing to me is that the Indian science establishment did not speak out instantly and strongly about it. That needs to happen. I don’t have a problem with any government, including the current one. However, governments and scientists in India need to ensure that politics and religious ideology do not intrude into science. They belong to separate spheres and if they are not kept separate, it is science in India and the country as a whole that will suffer.”

'Politics and religious ideology should not intrude into science' - The Hindu

The reasons for his observations In the link below

'40-engine' planes, ancient surgery overshadows Indian Science Congress, sparks outrage - Firstpost

This glorification is not acceptable to a true scientist!

 

[sudeshwer]

yes Venki was not proud of his indianess. if I am not wrong when he was awarded Nobel Prize, he didnt like his school-days teacher's at Chidambaram ; in fact, Venki mocked him. anyway, whether Venki likes it or not we as Indians are proud of him - srinivasan

 

[Jaykay767]

NO – we are NOT proud of this fellow!. Anyone who disrespects & kicks his own motherland deserves no respect whatsoever, on the contrary, we have only contempt to dish out to him.

Those days are long gone, where the hapless Indians were embracing the colonial British though they were “thuppifying at us”. Today Indians in India are “thuppifying” at the west… LOL !!!

 

[sarang]

One theme in the conference was on science in ancient india. An editorial in the conference proceedings discusses the relevance and propriety of this session in the conference. Of course he is free to air his views, but calling what ever written in ancient indian works as unscientific reveals his selective scientific mindset.

It seems his children show interest in indian music and culture. Hope they find something useful for their salvation.

 

[vgane]

# 2--The question then arises whether he was elected to the post for mocking ancient Hindu rituals and not his merit

 

[renuka]

He is Indian born scientst and not a an Indian Scientist - that makes the difference You have eclipsed his views on recent 102 Indian science conference ! Uncomfortable with his view?

See what he says about that

“I heard that some nonsense was spouted at the Indian Science Congress by people who are ideologically driven,” he said. “What was astonishing to me is that the Indian science establishment did not speak out instantly and strongly about it. That needs to happen. I don’t have a problem with any government, including the current one. However, governments and scientists in India need to ensure that politics and religious ideology do not intrude into science. They belong to separate spheres and if they are not kept separate, it is science in India and the country as a whole that will suffer.”

'Politics and religious ideology should not intrude into science' - The Hindu

The reasons for his observations In the link below

'40-engine' planes, ancient surgery overshadows Indian Science Congress, sparks outrage - Firstpost

This glorification is not acceptable to a true scientist!

Weird!LOL

Its always the same story..A man of science denies God and a Man of Religion denies Science.

What is so hard to view both Religion and Science as part and parcel of the gross and subtle and working hand in hand by in puts from all directions would yield better results for both Religion and Science.

When we start to view anything separately we totally lose out.

Not everything is evidence based..sometimes we have to rely on intuition too.

I feel its always better to view every point and every angle in life instead of being so rigid but at the same time a Scientist or Religious person should NOT go overboard in their stance at any one given time.

Sometimes text books do not have all the answers cos what is right today might be wrong tomorrow and vice-versa.

 

[Janaki Jambunathan]

# 2--The question then arises whether he was elected to the post for mocking ancient Hindu rituals and not his merit

Now why should this question arise !

# 1- Congrats Venky! I understand that the Nobel laureate is humble and gives guest lectures where ever he is called in big or small towns..Appreciate his simplicity & greatness

The Royal Society is a self-governing fellowship of many of the world’s most distinguished scientists drawn from all areas of science, engineering, and medicine, set up to support excellence in science, and to encourage its use for the benefit of humanity.

#2 - He is Indian born scientst and not a an Indian Scientist - that makes the difference You have eclipsed his views on recent 102 Indian science conference ! Uncomfortable with his view?

He is a scientist with Methodology & not of Mythology - put to acid test any claims of "Vedic or Relious Technology " and not just glorify!! This is what he said

I heard that some nonsense was spouted at the Indian Science Congress by people who are ideologically driven,” he said. “What was astonishing to me is that the Indian science establishment did not speak out instantly and strongly about it. That needs to happen. I don’t have a problem with any government, including the current one. However, governments and scientists in India need to ensure that politics and religious ideology do not intrude into science. They belong to separate spheres and if they are not kept separate, it is science in India and the country as a whole that will suffer.”

As an after thought on seeing #2 you doubt the very reason for him being elected when you arer made uncomfortable by his observation about the Scentific Temper of Vedas and Hindu scriptures! We do not need any Bashyam by Ramanuja Madhva or Sankara on his observation It is Filtered Truth! politics and religious ideology do not intrude into science. They belong to separate spheres and if they are not kept separate, it is science in India and the country as a whole that will suffer.

Yes He is a scientist Indian born not Indian as few displayed them to be in 102 Scince Congress

 

[renuka]

Is Venki Ramakrishnan an Iyengar?

 

[JR]

Is Venki Ramakrishnan an Iyengar?

What does that prove to you if he were one?

 

[sravna]

Is Venki Ramakrishnan an Iyengar?

No Renuka, he is an Iyer

 

[kunjuppu]

No Renuka, he is an Iyer

born iyer but probably a non practising one, considering he has married a white woman, who already had a child. not sure if he has any of his own.

supposed to be a lover of carnatic music, attending the december sessions occassionally though. if that makes him an iyer, he probably would qualify

 

[CHANDRU1849]

No Renuka, he is an Iyer

Chozia Iyer, I think.

 

[sudeshwer]

# 2--The question then arises whether he was elected to the post for mocking ancient Hindu rituals and not his merit

it is possible I agree with y. ofcourse Ramanujam was an exception. - srinivasan

 

[sudeshwer]

Venki is weird person; I heard him; I wonder if he can speak tamil; he is another Bobby Jindal. my experience in USA is if y practise yr way of living, doing all rituals etc the while feel happy and interested to know more about us. in fact we have white husband and wife couple friends, she liked so much of indianess, she stopped eating meat etc and started learning from my wife to cook various indian dishes particularly of tamils. I tell y not all indians r like venki sect, they r indians living in USA like me and others who follow our traditional way of life - srinivasan

 

[tks]

Mine is perhaps a minority opinion here.

A conference is known by the nature of papers that gets presented, rigor involved in the research and their usefulness for other researchers evidenced by the number of citations.

As India marches towards becoming a world's superpower, its conferences in Science and Technology should be world class judged by number of people around the world clamoring to get their papers presented.

There are tremendous number of seminal contributions in the area of Science by Indians from Vedic times onwards. These all can get overshadowed by clowns presenting some silly ideas in the name of Science. If papers lacking rigor gets into a conference, it speaks of the quality of the entire conference. Such organizers are doing major damage to India with their lack of proper judgement.

A shallow presentation, perhaps inappropriately citing scriptures and lacking rigor in analysis actually undermines true contributions. If someone says that 7000 years ago there were scientific evidence of flying machines traveling across planets, such a person should not be allowed near a conference bearing the name of 'Indian Science' because it does more damage to the credibility of all the wonderful work presented by others.

Dr Ramakrishnan did not say anything inappropriate in demanding higher standards of this conference in India. He was awarded Padma Vibhushan by India which is the second highest honor any civilian can get. There is no reason to assume that he is against India. In fact his comments affirm that he cares for Indian science because it would be far easier to just go along with the majority and appear to be a good person.

From what little I know of him (he is related to a friend of mine) he has an atheist mindset. But ancient India did not discriminate against atheist mindset.

There are many Indian born people living in other counties that have significant influence where they live. I have only come across people of Indian origin who want India to succeed and become a superpower.

The jewish population around the world supports state of Israel which is why that tiny country has such powers in the world stage.

PM Modi knows how to leverage the people of Indian origin for the betterment of India. He gets extraordinary reception from Indians living in other countries because people of Indian origin regardless of their approach want India to succeed. Some do this by critiquing.

It is huge honor for India for the Royal Society has chosen a person of Indian origin to lead the organization. It is even more remarkable that this election is by election of peers.

 

[sarang]

1. Science in ancient india was only one session and papers related were put ther. If a paper of powered flight was included in that session, it was one of the many presented, and that paper must be discussed on its merit, references quoted and whether the author has extrapolated available information. But many were quick to ridicule not only this particular idea, but attacked the concept of science in india. They are from all groups, scientists, who should be more restrained than the seculars and anti indian forces.

2. Discussion of science and discoveries in ancient india is still in infant stage, and any one raising the topic is branded hindutva sanghi if he has a scientific background or a person lacking in scientific temperament if he is just a sanskrit scholar with no scientific credentials. This will take some time to stabilize as more native hindus are coming forward to study and defend ancient scientific knowledge.

3. Some years back, there was a study report from shankar netralaya, which talked about instruments an tools to perform eye surgeries described in manuscripts of tanjore saraswati mahal. Many such isolated studies are not followed up and many get reburied for rediscovery in future. Pythagoras did not write sum of squares theorem though it bears his name, but it was explicitly stated in a sutra earlier in bharat.

4. Nobel laureate chandrasekar had to face this humiliating experience from his professor, and was put down as naive and ignorant on stage in front of hundreds of scientists by his professor eddington. He had to say goodbye to cambridge and proceed to USA.

"Dispute with Chandrasekhar on existence of black holes (from wiki)

The topic of extension of his models precipitated his famous dispute with Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, who was then a student at Cambridge. Chandrasekhar's work presaged the discovery of black holes, which at the time seemed so absurdly non-physical that Eddington refused to believe that Chandrasekhar's purely mathematical derivation had consequences for the real world. History clearly proved Eddington wrong, but his motivation remains a matter of some controversy. Chandrasekhar's narrative of this incident, in which his work is harshly rejected, portrays Eddington as rather cruel, dogmatic, and racist. This is at variance with Eddington's character as described by other contemporaries. Eddington's criticism seems to have been based on a suspicion that a purely mathematical derivation from relativity theory was not enough to explain away the seemingly daunting physical paradoxes that were inherent to degenerate stars.

5. Science in ancient india is a vast subject, unexplored and worse still looked down by many for various reasons. Science accepts dogged faith held by some, which looks unscientific at one time, but gets validated some time hence. Ideas and instances culled out from ancient literature (majority still to be located and deciphered, many looted and stored in foreign libraries) need an incubation period for study and discussion by many concerned indians from diverse disciplines. Till then it is preferable for indian scientists to squelch anything brought our from ancient literature and manuscripts.

6. Malcom Narasimha has written an editorial for the conference proceedings, and link was given earlier in this forum. Indian science congress, indian history congress and such should have a session exclusively devoted to indian and hindu view of the subject. This does not reduce the merit of other sessions and papers, but brings out a different view which has to fight and win if true and plausible.