It was really shocking to know about the sad demise of Rao Sir. I sent him Guddi Padwa wishes on 2nd April and received his response on 3rd April. Suddenly on 7th April received the news of his departure for his heavenly journey. It was least expected.
I do not have enough words to describe his engaging personality. His aura had strong magnatic pull , capable of attracting each and every one coming in his contact: A rare quality possessed by an individual. I feel blessed to work under the leadership of such a great man. Inspite of his stature and position at CSIR- IIP, Sir was very humble and approachable . Sir assumed the position of Director at IIP in 1990 and brought many positive changes in its work culture. He was particularly interested in the wellness of all the employees irrespective of their position, with an underline philosophy that it is an investment, which is reciprocatory.
During his initial years at IIP, he initiated organising annual review meetings for all the scientific and technical staff to assess the progress of work and also to encourage communication among varoius Divisions of the organisation.
i) Sir was true proponent of commercializtion of academic science and used to encourage scientists to showcase their processes so that their hard work must see the light of the day. To achive this he used to invite national and international industrial groups for meetings with scientists. These interactions not only helped in building trust between academia and industry but also led to commercialisation of many laboratory scale processes.
2) Dr Rao’s departure has created an immense vacuum in the scientific and social world. Though he is not present physically among us, but I am sure he will remain with us forever.
– Anshu Nanoti