The Talk
Dr P M Bhargava and Chandana Chakrabarti had released a book, ‘An Agenda for the Nation’.
This visionary document presents India’s national assets, its problems/liabilities and their inter-relationships to identify those at the top of the hierarchy, the quality of life and lifestyles we wish to achieve in various sectors (urban, rural or tribal). The authors then delineate important actionable points and the steps that Indian government(s) ought to take in order to use our assets to overcome our problems so that the nation can reach the goals, towards which all development should take us.
This agenda would be of tremendous help to all political parties to plan their manifesto and will help citizens to understand the issues important to them individually, and to India’s future.
On the eve of Elections 2014, the thoughts in the book were an essential discussion.
PS : This talk has no video.
P M Bhargava with Chandana Chakrabarti
Dr P M Bhargava
Scientist, writer, thinker, institution builder, administrator. Former and Founder Director of Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad. Widely regarded as the architect of modern biology and biotechnology in India.
Educated at Varanasi and Lucknow. Obtained his PhD at the age of 21. Worked in the U.S.A., U.K., France and Germany.
Travelled in over 60 countries. Delivered over 250 invited lectures in some 125 institutions outside India. In addition, participated (as an invitee) in over 100 international meetings, and delivered over 2000 invited lectures in India.
Over 125 major scientific publications, and nearly 500 other articles and write-ups in a variety of subjects, in some of the best-known publications around the world. Five books including a 500-page monograph on “Proteins of Seminal Plasma” published by John Wiley, New York; a national integrated science text book for 11-12 years-old; The Saga of Indian Science since Independence: In a Nutshell (Universities Press, 2003); and the highly acclaimed book, Angels, Devils and Science (National Book Trust, 2007). One of the most highly cited Indian scientists.
Over 100 major national and international honours and awards including:
• Legion d’Honneur from the President of France (France’s highest honour)
• Padma Bhushan from the President of India
• Fellowship of World Academy of Art and Science
• Fellowship of National Academy of Medical Sciences, India
• Fellowship of all the three Indian Science Academies, but from which he resigned on matters of principle
• Hon. D.Sc (University of Burdwan)
• National Citizens Award (India)
• Visiting Professorship, College de France
• Life Fellowship, Clare Hall, Cambridge
• Wattumal Memorial Prize for Biochemistry
• FICCI Award for Medical Sciences
• Ranbaxy Award for Medical Sciences
• SICO Award for Biotechnology
• Goyal Prize
• R.D. Birla Award for Medical Sciences
• BioSpectrum’s Life-time Achievement Award for Biotechnology
Past President:
• Society of Biological Chemists of India
• Indian Academy of Social Sciences
• Society for Scientific Values
• Association for Promotion of DNA Fingerprinting and Other DNA Technologies
Past or present member (or chairman) of over 125 major national and international standing committees.
Former Vice-Chairman, National Knowledge Commission, Government of India.
Former Member, National Security Advisory Board, Government of India.
Connected with numerous scientific, social and cultural organisations. Trustee of several well-known Trusts.
Adviser to several well-known pharmaceutical industries. Is or has been Chairman of three companies and member of the Board of several others.
Currently, Chairman
• Council for Social Development – Southern Regional Centre
• The MARCH ( The Medically Aware and Responsible Citizens of Hyderabad )
• Sambhavna Trust
Dr. P M Bhargava was the Chairman of the first national committee in India on Genetic Engineering and Molecular Biology. He also used the term Genetic Engineering for the first time in India in a syndicated article in 1973. He has been a witness to the modern biological revolution (including development of technologies such as genetic engineering) from close quarters since 1953, over 25 of his friends (including one co-author) having won a Nobel Prize. He is currently the nominee of the Supreme Court of India on the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) of the Government of India, which Committee gives the approval for field trials and eventual open release of GM crops and for other genetically engineered products.
Chandana Chakrabarti
Chandana is a rationalist, writer, actor and social activist. She is currently Director of Sukriti, a consultancy organisation.
Past Chairperson of the Hyderabad Chapter of FICCI-FLO, Chandana Chakrabarti was with the National Knowledge Commission till 2008.
She was for a decade with the CCMB, Hyderabad, an internationally renowned basic research laboratory of the CSIR, where she played a crucial role in the building the institute along with its founder.
She has written close to 200 articles in well-known magazines, newspapers and books published in India and abroad. She has also co-authored two books, “The Saga of Indian Science since Independence: In a Nutshell” published by Universities Press, and “Angels, Devil and Science, published by National Book Trust.
As a social activist, she has been a part of several non-governmental organizations. She is the Convenor of The MARCH, a voluntary organisation based in Hyderabad, whose efforts have led to the setting up of a national system of accreditation of diagnostic laboratories to ensure quality and reliability, and also the national guidelines for accreditation of infertility clinics.
Widely travelled in India and abroad as an invited participant and speaker at major international meetings, she represented India at the World Youth Leadership Summit held at the UN Headquarters in New York in 1995. She has anchored and moderated several live programmes and nationally telecast television programmes on a variety of issues.
Her abiding interest in art and culture is evident in the large number of theatre groups, dancers, singers, musicians, painters and sculptors she has showcased over the years. She was intimately involved with Children’s Film Society of India in organizing the International Children’s Film festivals in Hyderabad.
She has acted in several Telugu feature films, some of which have been super-hits, such as “Anand” and “Vikramarkudu”.
She has been elected a Fellow of the prestigious World Academy of Art and Science, and a member of Third World Organisation of Women Scientists.
