Raghunath Anant Mashelkar Explained

Raghunath Anant Mashelkar
Honorific Suffix:FTWAS, FNA, FASc, FRS, FREng, FRSC
Other Names:Ramesh Mashelkar
Nationality:Indian
Birth Date:1943 1, df=yes
Alma Mater:Institute of Chemical Technology (B.E., PhD)
Notable Students:Yogesh M. Joshi
FTWAS, FNA, FASc, FRS,[1] FREng,[2] FRSC
Field:Chemical Engineering
Work Institutions:CSIR[3]
Global Research Alliance
National Innovation Foundation

Raghunath Anant Mashelkar,, also known as Ramesh Mashelkar, (born 1 January 1943) is an Indian Chemical Engineer, born in a village named Marcel in Goa and brought up in Maharashtra.

Mashelkar is a former Director General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). He was also the President of Indian National Science Academy, President of Institution of Chemical Engineers as also the President of Global Research Alliance. He was also first Chairperson of Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR). He is a Fellow of the Royal Society, Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng), Foreign associate of US National Academy of Engineering and the US National Academy of Sciences.

Life and work

Mashelkar is a member of the Kalawantin community (now known as Gomantak Maratha Samaj in Goa).[4] He studied at University of Bombay's University Department of Chemical Technology (UDCT; now the Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai) where he obtained BE degree in chemical engineering in 1966, and PhD degree in 1969. He currently serves as chancellor of the institute.[5]

He served as the director general of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) - a network of thirty-eight laboratories-for over eleven years. Prior to this, he was Director of National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) for six years.

He has been a visiting professor at Harvard University(2007–2012), at University of Delaware (1976, 1988), and at Technical University of Denmark (1982). He has been Sir Louis Matheson Distinguished Professor at Monash University for thirteen years (2007–2019).

He has been on the board of directors of several companies such as Reliance Industries Ltd, Tata Motors, Hindustan Unilever, Thermax, Piramal Group, KPIT Technologies, etc.

He has been a member of External Research Advisory Board of Microsoft (USA), Advisory Board of VTT (Finland), Corporate Innovation Board of Michelin (France), Advisory Board of National Research Foundation (Singapore), among others.

As Director of India's National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) during 1989–1995,[6] Mashelkar gave a new orientation to NCL's research programmes with strong emphasis on globally competitive technologies and international patenting. NCL, which was involved only in import substitution research till then, began licensing its patents to multinational companies.[7] [8]

As Director General of CSIR, Mashelkar led the process of transformation of CSIR. The book 'World Class in India', has ranked CSIR among the top twelve organizations, who have managed the radical change the best in post-liberalised India.[9]

The process of CSIR transformation has been heralded as one of the ten most significant achievements of Indian Science and Technology in the twentieth century, by eminent astrophysicist Prof. Jayant Narlikar, in his book, The Scientific Edge.

Mashelkar campaigned strongly with Indian academics, researchers and corporates for strengthening the IPR ecosystem. Under his leadership, CSIR occupied the first position in WIPO's top fifty PCT filler among all the developing nations in 2002. CSIR progressed in US patent filing to an extent that they reached 40% share of the US patents granted to India in 2002.[10]

Led by Mashelkar, CSIR successfully fought the battle of revocation of the US patent on wound healing properties of turmeric (USP 5,401,5041) claiming that this was India's traditional knowledge and therefore not novel.[11] [12] Mashelkar also chaired the Technical Committee, which successfully challenged[13] the US patents on Basmati Rice (USP 5,663,484) by RiceTec Company, Texas, (2001). This opened up new paradigms in the protection of traditional knowledge with WIPO bringing in a new internal patent classification system, where sub-groups on traditional knowledge were created for the first time. This led to the creation of India's Traditional Knowledge Digital Library,[14] which helped in prevention of the grant of wrong patents on traditional knowledge.

He pioneered the concept of "Gandhian Engineering"[15] in 2008 (Getting More from Less for More People). His paper with late C.K. Prahalad titled `Innovation’s Holy Grail’ has been considered as a significant contribution to inclusive innovation. His other contributions amplify the concept of More from Less for More.[16] [17]

He was on the Engineering and Computer Science jury for the Infosys Prize from 2009 to 2015.[18]

National contributions

Mashelkar was a member of the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister and also of the Scientific Advisory Committee to the Cabinet set up by successive governments. He has chaired twelve high powered committees set up to look into diverse issues ranging from national auto fuel policy[19] to overhauling the Indian drug regulatory system & dealing with the menace of spurious drugs.[20] He was appointed by the Government as Assessor for the One-man Inquiry Commission investigating into the Bhopal Gas Tragedy (1985–86), and as Chairman of the Committee for investigating the Maharashtra Gas Cracker Complex accident (1990–91).[21]

Deeply connected with the innovation movement in India, Mashelkar served as the Chairman of India's National Innovation Foundation (2000–2018). He chaired Reliance Innovation Council,[22] KPIT Technologies Innovation Council, Persistent Systems Innovation Council and Marico Foundation's Governing Council.[23] He co-chairs the Maharashtra State Innovation Society.[24]

Research

Mashelkar has made contributions in transport phenomena, particularly in thermodynamics of swelling, superswelling and shrinking polymers, modelling of polymerisation reactors, and engineering analysis of Non-Newtonian flows.[25]

Controversy

In 2005, the Indian government established a technical expert group on patent laws under the chairmanship of Mashelkar. Its purpose was to determine whether amendments made in Indian patent law were TRIPS compliant. The committee unanimously concluded that the amendments were not TRIPS compliant.

The report generated controversy when editorials published simultaneously in the Times of India[26] and The Hindu[27] alleged parts of the report had been plagiarised. Mashelkar subsequently withdrew the report due to the alleged plagiarism, admitting to flaws in the report[28] whilst stating, "This is the first time such a thing has happened."[29] He later also explained that the technical flaw was not the alleged lack of attribution but it was citing the attribution at the end of the report than in the body of the report due to the style adopted for the report.[30]

The controversy was raised in the Indian Parliament, with demands that the report be "trashed" and the issues be referred to a joint standing committee.[31] [32] However, the government instead referred the report back to the technical expert group to reexamine and correct the inaccuracies. The report was resubmitted after corrections in March 2009 and was accepted by the Government as such.[33] [34]

A detailed report on his unprofessional conduct was reported. [35]

Awards and recognition

Mashelkar has received several awards and is a member of numerous scientific bodies and committees.[36] So far, 45 universities from around the world have honored him with honorary doctorates, which include Universities of London, Salford, Pretoria, Wisconsin, Swinburne, Monash and Delhi.[37]

Honours by President of India: (highest Indian civilian awards)

Election to Prestigious Academies (International):

Election to Prestigious Academies (National):

Presidency of Top Academic Bodies

Awards and Honours: International

Social service

Mashelkar established the Anjani Mashelkar Foundation in 2011 to encourage inclusive innovation which includes the excluded by deploying disruptive high technology, scalable products and services often through breakthrough business models.

The foundation has awarded the Anjani Mashelkar Prize to the best innovators of the country with a motive to recognise and reward such innovators who develop high technology solutions for the excluded members of society. As on 2023, the annual Anjani Mashelkar Prize has been awarded 13 times.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Raghunath Mashelkar. Royal Society. en-GB. 31 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180731213136/https://royalsociety.org/people/raghunath-mashelkar-11906/. 31 July 2018. live.
  2. Web site: Mashelkar, List of Fellows, Royal Academy of Engineering. Royal Academy of Engineering. live. 31 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180731183224/https://www.raeng.org.uk/about-us/the-fellowship/list-of-fellows?q=mashelkar. 31 July 2018.
  3. Web site: CSIR . 12 June 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110727103811/http://www.csir.res.in/ . 27 July 2011 . live .
  4. http://www.goa-world.com/goa/books/briefrev.htm Goa world book review
  5. Web site: ICT Mumbai. www.ictmumbai.edu.in. 2019-06-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20190612155521/http://www.ictmumbai.edu.in/DisplayPage.aspx?page=es&ItemID=e. 12 June 2019. live.
  6. Web site: National Chemical Laboratory. www.ncl-india.org. 2019-06-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20190702055310/http://www.ncl-india.org/files/AboutNCL/Organization/PreviousDirectors.aspx. 2 July 2019. live.
  7. Web site: Global Chemistry.
  8. Web site: reflections: R A Mashelkar--Catalyst for Change. Kanavi. Shivanand. 8 August 2007. reflections. 2019-06-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20190627150346/http://reflections-shivanand.blogspot.com/2007/08/r-mashelkar-catalyst-for-change.html. 27 June 2019. live.
  9. Web site: World Class in India. Penguin India. en-US. 2019-06-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20190627150348/https://penguin.co.in/book/business/world-class-india/. 27 June 2019. live.
  10. Web site: Innovation chain and CSIR.
  11. Jayaraman. K. S.. 1 September 1997. US patent office withdraws patent on Indian herb. Nature. en. 389. 6646. 6. 10.1038/37838. 9288953. 1476-4687. 1997Natur.389R...6J. free.
  12. News: Horowitz-Ghazi . Alexi . Messick . Molly . Rubin . Willa . Beras . Erika . How one man fought a patent war over turmeric . 1 December 2023 . . . September 1, 2023.
  13. Web site: Traditional Knowledge And Patent Issues: An Overview of Turmeric, Basmati, Neem Cases. - Intellectual Property - India. www.mondaq.com. 2019-06-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20190627150348/http://www.mondaq.com/india/x/586384/Patent/Traditional%2BKnowledge%2BAnd%2BPatent%2BIssues%2BAn%2BOverview%2BOf%2BTurmeric%2BBasmati%2BNeem%2BCases. 27 June 2019. live.
  14. Web site: CSIR-UNIT: Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (CSIR-TKDL), New Delhi India Science, Technology & Innovation. www.indiascienceandtechnology.gov.in. 2019-06-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20190707163153/http://www.indiascienceandtechnology.gov.in/organisations/ministry-and-departments/council-scientific-industrial-research-csir/csir-unit. 7 July 2019. live.
  15. Web site: Gandhian Engineering: How It Can Change the World 80 Gandhian Young Technological Innovation Award. gyti.techpedia.in. 2019-06-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20170926170133/http://gyti.techpedia.in/news-detail/6. 26 September 2017. live.
  16. Web site: 2018 K.R. Narayanan Oration: Dismantling Inequality through ASSURED Innovation. 27 June 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190627150349/https://www.mea.gov.in/Portal/CountryNews/9368_KR_NARAYANAN_ORATION.pdf. 27 June 2019. live.
  17. Web site: Leapfrogging to Pole-vaulting. Penguin India. en-US. 2019-06-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20190627150347/https://penguin.co.in/book/business/leapfrogging-to-pole-vaulting/. 27 June 2019. live.
  18. Web site: Foundation. Infosys Science. 30 December 2020. Infosys Prize - Jury 2015. 30 December 2020.
  19. Web site: PIB Press Releases. 21 June 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20040310000323/http://pib.nic.in/archieve/lreleng/lyr2003/roct2003/06102003/r0610200313.html. 10 March 2004. live.
  20. Web site: A Comprehensive Examination of Drug Regulatory Issues, including the Problem of Spurious Drugs . 21 June 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110915200625/http://cdsco.nic.in/html/Final%20Report%20mashelkar.pdf . 15 September 2011 . live .
  21. Book: Not Available. Csir News Vol.45, No. 1-22(jan-nov)1995. 1995.
  22. Web site: Reliance Innovation Council India - Raghunath Mashelkar Mukesh Ambani Jean-Marie Lehn Robert Grubbs George Whitesides Gary Hamel William Haseltine. www.ril.com. 2019-06-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20190626153405/https://www.ril.com/Innovation-R-D/Innovation.aspx. 26 June 2019. live.
  23. Web site: HOME. Marico Foundation. en-US. 2019-06-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20190529230305/https://www.maricoinnovationfoundation.org/. 29 May 2019. live.
  24. Web site: Maharashtra State Innovation Society - General Body. 26 June 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190626153409/https://www.msins.in/#!/organization-structure. 26 June 2019. live.
  25. Web site: Research Papers. 10 June 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150611064243/http://www.mashelkar.com/work/research-papers. 11 June 2015. live.
  26. News: Mitta. Manoj. Mashelkar takes back report after plagiarism row. The Times of India. 22 February 2007. 12 June 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20121016232156/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2007-02-22/india/27871784_1_technical-inaccuracies-mashelkar-scientific-and-industrial-research. 16 October 2012. dead.
  27. News: First attempt to dent a compromised patent system. Park. Chan. 12 February 2007. The Hindu. Achal Prabhala. 12 June 2007.
  28. News: Sharma. Ravi. Sara Hiddleston. Mashelkar committee on Patent Law withdraws report; seeks more time. The Hindu. 22 February 2007. 18 June 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20070930232135/http://www.hindu.com/2007/02/22/stories/2007022206751200.htm. 30 September 2007. dead.
  29. News: Bagla. Pallava. 'Plagiarism' in his panel's report, Mashelkar tells Govt to withdraw it. The Indian Express. 22 February 2007. 18 June 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20070403024333/http://www.indianexpress.com/story/23941.html. 3 April 2007. live.
  30. Web site: There's a lesson to be learnt here, says Mashelkar. Koshy. Bhuma Shrivastava and Jacob P.. 26 February 2007. Mint. en. 2019-06-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20190626153337/https://www.livemint.com/Politics/7uDji9nz9vWO3n1dJ3gzUI/Theres-a-lesson-to-be-learnt-here-says-Mashelkar.html. 26 June 2019. live.
  31. News: Trash Mashelkar panel report on patent law: CPI-M. The Hindu. 22 February 2007. 20 June 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070930201535/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200702221340.htm . 30 September 2007.
  32. News: Scrap Mashelkar report. The Hindu. 5 March 2007. 20 June 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20071001062511/http://www.hindu.com/2007/03/05/stories/2007030505351300.htm. 1 October 2007. dead.
  33. Web site: The Government of India accepts the Mashelkar Committee Report on 'Incremental Innovation' – what does it really mean? PILMAN. www.tapanray.in. en-US. 2018-07-31. https://web.archive.org/web/20180731183322/http://www.tapanray.in/the-government-of-india-accepts-the-mashelkar-committee-report-on-incremental-innovation-what-does-it-really-mean/. 31 July 2018. live.
  34. Web site: RA Mashelkar For me, it's national interest that comes first - Livemint. www.livemint.com. 2018-07-31. 21 October 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20180731183554/https://www.livemint.com/Companies/P4pUZLxGSXlCFai4xYNtmI/RA-Mashelkar--For-me-it8217s-national-interest-that-com.html. 31 July 2018. live.
  35. https://paranjoy.in/article/ex-y-factor
  36. Web site: Awards and Recognitions. RAMashelkar. 10 June 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150611091658/http://www.mashelkar.com/about/awards-and-recognitions. 11 June 2015. live.
  37. Web site: R A Mashelkar. www.mashelkar.com. 2019-06-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20150611073153/http://www.mashelkar.com/. 11 June 2015. live.
  38. Web site: Padma Awards Announced. 25 January 2014. Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Home Affairs. 26 January 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140222101141/http://www.pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=102735. 22 February 2014. live.
  39. Web site: Mashelkar, Raghunath Anant. TWAS. en. 2019-06-28.
  40. Web site: Raghunath Mashelkar Royal Society. royalsociety.org. en-gb. 2019-06-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20180731213136/https://royalsociety.org/people/raghunath-mashelkar-11906/. 31 July 2018. live.
  41. Web site: Raghunath Mashelkar. www.nasonline.org. 2019-06-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20190324143827/http://www.nasonline.org/member-directory/members/20004642.html. 24 March 2019. live.
  42. Web site: Dr. Raghunath A. Mashelkar. NAE Website. 2019-06-28.
  43. Web site: Royal Academy of Engineering: List of Fellows. 31 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180731183224/https://www.raeng.org.uk/about-us/the-fellowship/list-of-fellows?q=mashelkar. 31 July 2018. live.
  44. Web site: Website Search. members.amacad.org. 2019-06-28.
  45. Web site: Dr Raghunath Mashelkar Australian Academy of Science. www.science.org.au. 2019-06-28.
  46. Web site: Fellows List - National Academy of Inventors. academyofinventors.org. 2019-06-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20190621181233/https://academyofinventors.org/wp/skin/search-fellows.php. 21 June 2019. live.
  47. Web site: General Listing World Academy of Art & Science. www.worldacademy.org. 2019-06-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20190328062055/http://worldacademy.org/view/general-listing. 28 March 2019. live.
  48. Web site: IUPAC Members. IUPAC International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry. en-US. 2019-06-28.
  49. Web site: INSA :: Indian Fellow Detail. www.insaindia.res.in. 2019-06-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20171113091412/http://www.insaindia.res.in/detail/N84-0436. 13 November 2017. live.
  50. Web site: Fellowship Indian Academy of Sciences. www.ias.ac.in. 2019-06-28.
  51. Web site: Maharashtra Academy of Sciences: Members List. 28 June 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20180831005059/http://mahascience.org/files/Fellowship/files/academyMembers.htm#m. 31 August 2018. live.
  52. Web site: Search for Fellows. Indian National Academy of Engineering. en-US. 2019-06-28.
  53. Web site: The National Academy of Sciences, India - Fellows. www.nasi.org.in. 2019-06-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20101227133632/http://www.nasi.org.in/fellows.asp?RsFilter=M. 27 December 2010. live.
  54. News: Mashelkar appointed 1st chairperson of AcSIR. 13 May 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130508211845/http://www.indianexpress.com/news/mashelkar-appointed-1st-chairperson-of-acsir/962959. 8 May 2013. live.
  55. Web site: Presidents - IChemE. www.icheme.org. 2019-06-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20190331184523/https://www.icheme.org/about-us/people/presidents/. 31 March 2019. live.
  56. Web site: Government of India, Indian Science Congress. www.sciencecongress.nic.in. 2019-06-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20190618055114/http://sciencecongress.nic.in/past_general_presidents.php. 18 June 2019. live.
  57. Web site: Materials Research Society of India. www.mrsi.org.in. 2019-06-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20190616173243/http://www.mrsi.org.in/council.php. 16 June 2019. live.
  58. Web site: Maharashtra academy of sciences. mahascience.org. 2019-06-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20190217004023/http://mahascience.org/files/AboutUs/index.htm. 17 February 2019. live.
  59. Web site: Mashelkar wins TWAS-Lenovo Prize. TWAS. en. 2019-06-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20190517135248/https://twas.org/article/mashelkar-wins-twas-lenovo-prize. 17 May 2019. live.
  60. Web site: Meet the new QEPrize judges: Raghunath Mashelkar. Admin. QEPrize. 3 April 2018. Create the Future. en-GB. 2019-06-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20190627150348/https://qeprize.org/createthefuture/meet-new-qeprize-judges-raghunath-mashelkar/. 27 June 2019. live.
  61. Web site: TWAS Medal Lectures. 27 June 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20161224123238/http://twas.org/opportunity/twas-medal-lectures. 24 December 2016. live.

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