Dr. Raghunath Mashelkar – our Special guest

By Vijay Kumar

• Wealth is no more measured in terms of fixed assets such as buildings, land, bank account, etc.

• It is measured in terms of those knowledge-based systems, which add value.

• In today's world, goods, services, data, people etc. cross the physical borders of different nations freely.

• Witness the interesting recent developments in Japan, where, by legislation, intellectual property has been considered as a security against loan.

• The wealth creation potential of knowledge is something that we have not fully understood

• Science can make economic sense only when we wake up the scientist in an entrepreneur and also the entrepreneur in a scientist.

These are excerpts from our Special Guest Column today.

“What has all this to do with a tax portal? “, asks a friend. “Everything!” replies another friend.

Our Special Guest column where we have featured eminent Indians has been a big hit. And continuing our endeavour this week we bring you this week Dr. Raghunath Mashelkar whose abridged CV will run into a few pages. He has honorary doctorates from 14 universities in India and abroad. He is a Padma Bhushan, Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar awardee, had been on the Board of leading Petrochemical companies like IPCL, He was in the forefront of the campaign to retrieve India’s rights in the battle over turmeric and basmati rice patents. His work has saved many traditional Indian products from being patented by foreign companies.

Here is a man who did not have it on a platter. He struggled to have two meals a day while he studied under the street lights and went barefoot to school. He had to almost abandon school in 1960, because his poor widowed mother could not support his education. He once remarked, "That this boy, who is myself, could become the president of the Indian Science Congress is what gave me the confidence to say that India could again achieve intellectual and economic greatness. If this miracle could happen to any Indian, then given an opportunity, it can happen to every Indian."

Mera Bharat Mahaan