In Memoriam: Dr. G. Rangaswami; Pioneer of Microbiology and Biochemistry Education in India

Hi folks:

In memoriam: This is the fifth anniversary of the death of Dr. Govindachetty Rangaswami (1925–2005), whom I always simply called "Dr. G", since his real name was somewhat unpronounceable to me. Dr. G. was one of the leading pioneers of biochemistry and microbiology in India; he had earned his PhD at Rutgers in the 50s. While I was in Tamil Nadu state on a consulting job in 2005, he heard that I was working with beneficial SAMT4 microbes, and he asked to meet with me; and I met him at length at his hotel in Chennai (accompanied by a young Indian PhD microbiologist from a client company) and then again at a client's lab in Chengalpet a few days later, where we discussed beneficial syntropic antioxidative microbes and their applications at length; we also visited one of my project field sites together after the latter meeting. I learned later that Dr. G. had died in an auto accident two weeks after I left India.

Dr. G., after having earned his PhD at Rutgers in the early 1950s, returned to India and started the first three biochemistry and microbiology departments at each of three excellent Indian universities; these departments were not only the first of their kind in Indian universities, but they each later became the luminaries in their fields, turning out many dozens of talented biochemists and microbiologists over the years.

By the time that I met him, Dr. G. was focusing only on agricultural microbiology, particularly soil microbiology (for crops) and using microbes to treat ag waste. It so happens that the consulting services that I was providing in India in 2005 were in exactly those fields, and I later learned that the four agricultural and wastewater treatment/remediation projects that I had guided had each ended up with a pretty much 100% success rate.

with care,
--Vinny