Raja Ramanna

Raja Ramanna was an Indian physicist who played a key role in the development of India's nuclear weapons program. He joined the nuclear program in 1964 and worked under Homi Jehangir Bhabha, the father of India's nuclear program. After Bhabha's death in 1966, Ramanna became the director of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in 1967. He supervised and carried out the first nuclear test of India, codenamed Smiling Buddha, in 1974 at Pokhran. He also designed and built several nuclear reactors and facilities for India, such as Dhruva, Cirus, Zerlina and Purnima. He was also involved in the second nuclear test series of India, codenamed Operation Shakti, in 1998. Ramanna was not only a scientist, but also a musician, philosopher and politician. He had a keen interest in classical music and played the piano proficiently. He also studied Western philosophy and wrote several books and articles on topics such as ethics, religion, science and society. He served as the Union Minister of State for Defence in 1990 in the V.P. Singh government. He was also a member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament, from 1997 to 2003. He was the founder and first director of the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) in Bangalore, where he promoted interdisciplinary research and education. Ramanna was honoured with several awards and recognitions for his contributions to science and society. He received the Padma Shri in 1968, the Padma Bhushan in 1973 and the Padma Vibhushan in 1975, which are among the highest civilian awards of India. He also received the Meghnad Saha Medal, the Om Prakash Bhasin Award, the R.D. Birla Memorial Award and the Ashutosh Mukherjee Gold Medal from various scientific and academic institutions. He was elected as a fellow of the Indian National Science Academy, the Indian Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, India and The World Academy of Sciences. He was also conferred honorary doctorates by several universities. Ramanna died on September 24, 2004 in Mumbai at the age of 79 after suffering a cardiac arrest. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential scientists of India and a pioneer of its nuclear program. His legacy lives on in the institutions he founded and the scientific achievements he made for India's security and development.