Tanjore Ramachandra Anantharaman (November 25, 1927 – June 19, 2009) was one of India's pre-eminent metallurgists and materials scientists.
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Anantharaman was born in Tamil Nadu, India, on November 25, 1927. He obtained his B.Sc. (Hons.) in chemistry from Madras University in 1947, D.I.I.Sc. in Metallurgy from the Indian Institute of Science (Bangalore) in 1950 and an M.Sc. degree in metallurgical chemistry from Madras University in 1951. After securing the first rank in all university examinations, he was awarded the only Indian Rhodes Scholarship of 1951 for his doctorate research in physical metallurgy at Oxford University (England). In 1954, he received a D.Phil. from Oxford and was in 1980 subsequently awarded the higher doctoral degree D.Sc. from the same university in recognition of his research output in many areas of metallurgy and materials science.
Starting with his two-month visit to Australia as Nuffield Scholar in extractive metallurgy in 1949, Anantharaman has traveled far and wide in the world during the last five decades. Apart from the three years (1951–1954) in England and two years (1954–1956) in Germany, he has been on many extended overseas visits on assignments ranging from a few weeks to several months, mostly as Visiting Scientist or Visiting Professor.
Anantharaman's professional career spanning over four decades included the following assignments: Research Associate, Max Planck Institute for Metallurgical Research, Stuttgart, Germany (1954–56), Assistant Professor of Metallurgy, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore (1956–62), Professor of Metallurgy, Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi (1962–87). He served BHU as Head, Department of Metallurgical Engineering, Dean, Faculty of Engineering and Technology; Director, Institute of Technology, Member, Executive Council, Rector and Acting Vice-Chancellor. After retiring in 1987, he worked as Director, Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology (Deemed University), Patiala (1989–92) and also as CSIR Emeritus Scientist (1987–89, 1993–95) and INSA Senior' Scientist (1995–2000), spending the 1993–2000 period at the National Physical Laboratory, New Delhi.
Anantharaman's research accomplishments encompass a broad spectrum of topics in physical metallurgy and material science. However, his most creative efforts have centered round pioneering contributions on rapidly-solidified alloys and metallic glasses. Along with his many gifted doctorate students he has innovated new techniques for rapid solidification and discovered a variety of metastable phases. He has directed major national projects on micro-structural characterization, metallic glasses and rapidly-solidified iron alloys.
Anantharaman has over 250 scientific publications to his credit. He has edited along with his colleagues Proceedings of three International Conferences viz., Metal Sciences – the Emerging Frontiers (1978), Light Metals – Science & Technology (1985) & Advanced Techniques for Materials Characterization (1989). He edited a book Metallic Glasses in 1984 and co-authored Rapidly Solidified Metals: A Technological Overview in 1987, both books published by Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland. As part of his recent involvement in studies related to India's scientific and technological heritage, he wrote a monograph entitled The Rustless Wonder: A Study of the Iron Pillar at Delhi, published by Vigyan Prasar, Government of India, in 1996. This monograph has been translated into Hindi and Tamil, its CD-ROM has proved popular and it has stimulated further researches and publications on India's metallurgical heritage.
In recognition of his numerous contributions to the Science of Metals as teacher and researcher, Anantharaman has been elected Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences (1964), the Indian National Science Academy (1972), the Institution of Metallurgists, London (1968), Indian National Academy of Engineering (1987 – its Foundation Year) and the American Society of Materials (1990). He is Honorary Member of the Indian Institute of Metals, Ehrenmitgleid Honorary Member) of the Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Metallkunde (German Society for Metals) and Corresponding Member of the Royal Belgian Academy of Overseas Sciences. In 1989 he became the first Afro-Asian to be conferred the highly coveted Sorby Award of the International Metallographic Society for his life-long contributions to metallography.
To quote from a citation of his Alma Mater at Bangalore in 1982, "Through his distinguished contributions to metallurgical education and research, by nurturing the Centre for Advanced Study in Physical and Mechanical Metallurgy at Varanasi and by inspiring generations of students, Professor Anantharaman has had profound influence on the growth of metallurgy in independent India. The primary credit for the outstanding profile of present-day Indian metallurgical research rightly belongs to him".
Another important dimension of Anantharaman's personality relates to Spirituality, Philosophy and Religion, particularly of the Vedic and Yogic traditions of India going back to over 4000 years. During the sixties and seventies, he participated in several programs of the Gandhian Sarvodaya Movement and drew inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi's spiritual heir Acharya Vinoba Bhave, the Initiator of Bhoodaan (Land Gifts) Movement. In 1974, he took steps to establish the Yoga Sadhana Kendra (Centre for Yoga) as an interdisciplinary academic unit of BHU and directed its activities for four years. This Centre is still active and popular in the BHU Campus. He also took steps to launch the Indian Academy of Yoga as a Learned Society in 1981. He was Founder-President of the Academy during 1981–83 and has since been elected President for the 1984–86, 1987–89, 1997–99, 2002–04 and 2005–2007 triennia.
Apart from over 50 articles on Philosophy, Religion and Ethics, Anantharaman has authored two books in German, one on the Bhagavad-Gita (1961) published by Guenther Verlag, Stuttgart, and the other on Erkenntis durch Meditation (Knowledge through Meditation) published in 1977 by the Deutsch-Indische Gesellschaft, Stuttgart. His monograph entitled Ancient Yoga and Modern Science was brought out in 1997 by PHISPC, the National Project on History of Indian Science, Philosophy and Culture. His two condensed versions of the original Bhagavad-Gita of 700 slokas (verses) viz., Gita-Samgrah (The Gita Abridged) of 350 slokas and Gita-Sarah (Essence of the Gita) of 140 slokas (to facilitate reciting 20 slokas on every day of the week) have been in private circulation for some years now and have often been used for his discourses on the Gita in India and abroad. In recognition of his Sanskrit scholarship the Kashi Pandita Sabha (Scholars Guild of Varanasi) conferred on him in 1980 the title Vidya-Vachaspati, this conferment being equivalent to a Doctorate degree in Philosophy and Religion. In 2001, he was conferred the Dr. B. C. Roy National Award for "Eminence in Philosophy", the third person and the first scientist to receive it during the last four decades.
Anantharaman has also functioned as Kula Acharya (Chancellor) of Ashram, Atmadeep Research Institute for the Seculo-Spiritual Heritage of India (RISHI) & Headquarters of a Unique Movement for the Third Millennium to rejuvenate the Human Family through Secular Spirituality and Scientific Yoga. The Ashram is located just south of Delhi and has been given accreditation in 2004 as a Research Centre for Yoga and Allied Subjects by the Department of AYUSH, Ministry for Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
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