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‘Science is at a
nascent stage in Assam’
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Passing Through
/ Gangan Prathap
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He seems to be in tune with the tranquility of the atmosphere at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati. “It
is the prettiest IIT I have seen. This place has a lot of potential but it is
too early to gauge its performance,” says Gangan Prathap, scientist
in-charge, CSIR Centre for Mathematical Modelling and Computer Simulation,
Bangalore.
The bespectacled, soft-spoken scientist
finished his breakfast at the dining hall of IIT’s spacious guesthouse and
smiled. “I am looking forward to relishing traditional Assamese food,
especially the fish. The food habits here are quite similar to Kerala, my
home state.”
Prathap was in the city en route to Tezpur
University where his organisation is providing help to set up a fast
computing centre with high-performance computers.
“The university has recently acquired these
powerful computers and we will assist the authorities with technical
expertise. These computers can be used for weather forecasts, ocean dynamics,
design of aircraft and earthquake study,” he says. “They will also be used to
analyse economic data inputs from rural areas.”
Lauding the efforts of Prodipeswar Bhattacharya,
vice-chancellor of Tezpur University, Prathap says, “This is my third visit
to Guwahati and he is the magnet that draws us here. We were not even aware
of this university before he told us about it. We hope that this institution
will be able to fill the vacuum in the field of scientific research.”
He adds, “Research is the main parameter to
gauge the success of an educational institution.”
A Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar awardee and alumnus
of IIT, Madras, Prathap is one of the few brilliant IITians who preferred to
work in India. He was born in Singapore where he did his schooling. On his
return to India, Gangan was so fascinated with the Apollo space programme
that he opted for aerospace engineering in IIT, Madras.
After securing a first class with distinction,
he was awarded the President’s gold medal in engineering. It was during his
PhD programme that the foundation for his future work on computational
structural mechanics was laid.
A DAAD exchange fellow to Braunschweig, West
Germany, in 1983-84, Prathap served as the honorary senior fellow, Jawaharlal
Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore.
He was also fellow of the Indian Academy of
Sciences and the Indian National Science Academy. He is a life member of the
Indian Society for Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, Indian Society for
Advancement of Materials and Process Engineering and the Indian Society for
Mathematical Modelling and Computer Simulation, which he founded.
Prathap has written over 30 papers in
non-linear structural mechanics and has over 90 publications in international
journals. He was the guest editor of the special issue of Sadhana on
computational structural mechanics.
He says, “Science is still at a very nascent
stage in Assam. We need dedicated people to nurture it.” Quoting C.V. Raman,
Prathap says, “It is like growing a garden. Not only must you water it, you
also have to remove the weeds.”
He believes that the scientific temper has to
be instilled in children at an early age. “It is not only the school
curriculum but also the attitude of the teachers, which needs to be changed,”
he feels. He also says that studying science should be made enjoyable in
order to attract young minds.
Prathap recalls his last visit to the city
when he had gone on a cruise down the Brahmaputra. Expressing disappointment,
he says, “There is a lot to be done to harness the potential of the mighty
river. In fact, a concerted effort needs to be taken to develop eco-tourism
in the region.”
Apart from Tezpur, he has visited the Regional
Research Laboratory in Jorhat. He feels that the existing infrastructure can
be harnessed to percolate technology down to the grassroots.
He looks forward to coming back to this land
of blue hills and the red river. “It is mostly the people and their
hospitality which draws me to this place. And of course, the greenery and the
picturesque environs here remind me of Kerala, which makes me feel like
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