PANJIM: The State Government will observe the 50th Death anniversary of the late Dayanand B Bandodkar, popularly called Bhausaheb Bandodkar, Goa’s first Chief Minister on August 12. In his honour, a memorial lecture on the theme ‘Building New India as an Exponential Inspiration’ will be delivered by Dr Raghunath Mashelkar, FRS at 5 pm at Panjim Gymkhana, Campal-Panjim. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant will attend the function.
Dr Mashelkar hails from Goa and is a renowned scientist known for transformative science and innovation institution leadership. He has pioneered movements such as evolving global systems for traditional knowledge protection to inclusive innovation. Post liberalisation, Dr Mashelkar has played a critical role in shaping India’s S&T policies. He was a member of the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister for thirty years.
He was the Director of National Chemical Laboratory and later became the largest serving head of three major organizations, namely Director General of CSIR, Chairman of National Innovation Foundation and President of Global Research Alliance. He currently chairs the New Energy Council of Reliance. He has also won the JRD Tata Corporate Leadership Award, the only scientist to do so.
Dr Mashelkar was the first Indian to win the prestigious TWAS-Lenovo Science Prize — the highest science prize by the World Academy of Science and was also the first Indian to be elected a fellow of the US National Academy of Inventors. He is a jury member for the Queen Elizabeth Prize of Engineering, which is considered equivalent to the Nobel Prize in Engineering.
Dr Mashelkar has received 46 honorary doctorates from universities around the world. He has also received the honour of the Padmashri, Padmabhushan, and Padma Vibhushan. In 2013, he was conferred Goa’s highest civilian honour, the Gomant Vibhushan.
