Kuldeep Chandra

I have had an association with CSIR-IIP right from its early days when Dr. Krishna used to steer the destiny of CSIR-IIP.

I as the Executive Director (R&D) ONGC and Head of Keshav Dev Malaviya Institute of Petroleum Exploration came in contact with Dr Prasada Rao in late 1999 as an ex-officio member of Research Council of CSIR-IIP. Dr. Prasad Rao had joined IIP when the motivation and morale of the scientists and technologists were in very despicable condition despite the institute having done excellent wok under the leadership of earlier directors. Though I had been not aware of the background as to why the executives of CSIR-IIP had become anti-establishment, it was certainly a challenge for Dr. Rao to revitalize the Institute.

Right from the very first meeting I found Dr. Prasada Rao a man who interacts with any one equally well both at spiritual level and intellectual level and as a very positive person. He believed the divinity of each individual.

His vision was to put CSIR-IIP as leading technology Institute of India in the area of Petroleum Refining technologies with credible global presence by utilizing the strengths of CSIR-IIP workforce.  

I felt very comfortable talking to him and to be acquainted with his strategies to revive the motivation and morale of the executives and staff of the institute. He made the leader of anti-establishment agitation to work with him to bring a positive change together and to tell as to what the Director IIP should not be doing and as to what he should be doing to help minimize the negative perceptions about the establishment that the scientists and technologists over the last three to four years had developed by the void created by departure of Dr. Krishnan.

Dr. Rao loved with responsibility each worker of the Institute and had built strong bond on one to one basis. He also believed in developing strong relationships with his stake holders and invited them to visit CSIR-IIP and share with them the strengths of CSIR IIP in various areas of interest of the stake holders. Since he loved in utilizing the strengths of his work force members he began getting patents  and CSIR Technology Awards on their past good work to restart their spirit to achieve something distinctive,  and saw that some of their technologies be sold to refiners, and petroleum additive developers. He respected all elders in the are of science and technology and especially in the field of chemical engineering in India.

He was great believer in the concept propagated by Dr. Mashelkar, the then DG CSIR, in the back drop of liberalization of Indian Economy, that CSIR institutes should develop extra budgetary support,  from providing science technology services in the domain of various specialists working in the institutes, should sell intellectual properties to industry, and developed innovative technologies to enhance efficiencies of various refinery operations, developing innovative technologies in the area of refinery catalysts, and automobile engines and environment friendly automobile exhausts and lubricants and work in exotic related areas like petroleum microbiology and bio-fuels from exotic agricultural wastes and vegetable oils and  efficiency improvement in fuel consumption based on  combustion in industrial burners.

Through his capability of building relationships and trust with others he had excelled in generating substantial budgetary support for the Institute during his tenure. He became an ardent believer that science and technology be  taken as business with objective to generate positive returns on investments that go in creating knowledge and technologies for creating   good for larger number  concerned entities.  

Towards meeting the social responsibility he popularized   the expertise of CSIR-IIP in regard to an eco-friendly energy efficient home kerosene stove and also improved environment friendly crushed and dried sugarcane organic waste based kilns (Bhatties) for jaggery (gur) production by villagers at village sugarcane  crushers.

He ensured that all laboratories and technology pilot plants be equipped by  the  state of the art  facilities and equipments as  needed by the scientists and technologists.

He used to prepare officers to face CSIR interviews for promotion and used to feel very bad if someone did not get promoted. He would work to see the left out executives also get promoted as early as possible. He knew that left out executives become potential danger for creating negative feelings against the establishment and affects one’s work life balance.  He would like to support procrastinators and incorrigibly negative scientists with outstanding educational qualifications to come up successful in the interviews so that   their knowledge could be utilized in producing a new process or a product.

He also institutionalized an International Conference in the area of Catalysts where he himself possessed well known competence.

Mrs. Prasda Rao had been a great strength for him as she took charge of welfare of all the ladies of workforce of CSIR IIP and especially those who lived in the CSIR-IIP colony and she reinforced one to one relationship nurtured by Dr. Rao of each worker of CSIR-IIP to a relationship that exists among members of a family.  She institutionalized organizing of cultural programs on all important national days and all important festive days.

He will be remembered as a great petroleum technologist among the great petroleum technologists of his times and a great builder of relationships as a leader of science and technology organization like CSIR-IIP.