Pisharoth Rama Pisharoty

Pisharoth Rama Pisharoty was a prominent Indian scientist and the founder-director of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) in Pune. He is widely regarded as the father of remote sensing in India for his pioneering experiments in detecting coconut wilt-root disease using aerial photography. He was also a leading expert in meteorology, atmospheric physics, and tropical meteorology. He made significant contributions to the understanding of monsoon dynamics, cloud physics, thunderstorms, western disturbances, and air pollution. Pisharoty was born on February 10, 1909 in Kollengode, a town in Kerala. His parents were Sivaramakrishnan alias Gopala Vadhyar and Lakshmi Pisharassiar. He had three brothers and three half brothers. He completed his early education in Kerala and then graduated from St. Joseph's College, Trichinopoly with a B.Sc. degree in physics. He then joined Loyola College, Chennai as a lecturer in physics from 1932 to 1941. During this period, he also worked under C.V. Raman at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore during the summer vacations. He developed an interest in meteorology and joined the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in 1942. He carried out research on various topics such as thunderstorms, western disturbances, movement of monsoon depressions, orographic rain, etc. He also collaborated with international scientists such as Jacob Bjerknes and Carl-Gustaf Rossby. He obtained his M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in meteorology from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1954. He returned to India and became the director of Colaba and Alibag Magnetic Observatories in 1959. He then founded the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) in Pune in 1962 and served as its director until 1971. He established IITM as a premier institution for research and training in tropical meteorology and atmospheric sciences. He also initiated several national and international projects such as the Monsoon Experiment (MONEX), the International Indian Ocean Expedition (IIOE), and the International Geophysical Year (IGY). He was also instrumental in introducing remote sensing technology to India. He conducted the first successful experiment of detecting coconut wilt-root disease using aerial photography from a Soviet aircraft and American equipment in 1970. He also demonstrated the use of satellite imagery for weather forecasting and crop assessment. He became the director of Remote Sensing and Satellite Meteorology at ISRO Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad from 1972 to 1975. He retired from ISRO in 1975 and joined the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad as an emeritus scientist. He continued his research activities at PRL until his death in 2002. He also mentored many young scientists and students who became eminent in their fields. He received many awards and honors for his achievements in science and technology. He was elected as a fellow of several scientific societies such as the Indian National Science Academy, the Indian Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, India, and the Third World Academy of Sciences. He was also awarded the Padma Shri in 1971 and the Padma Vibhushan in 1999 by the Government of India. He was also named one of the seven 'Unsung Heroes' of the 20th century by Fortune magazine in 1999. He died on September 24, 2002 in Pune, Maharashtra. He was cremated with full state honors. He is remembered as a visionary leader, a pioneer scientist, and a great patriot who dedicated his life to the service of science and society.