(Continued from last fortnight)

Krishnaswami Alladi describes the story of the birth of MATSCIENCE, The Institute of Mathematical Sciences, the efforts of his father, Professor Alladi Ramakrishnan, and the role of his Theoretical Physics Seminar in the creation of this Institute in Madras on January 3, 1962.

The trip to Europe in 1960 was just as significant as Prof. Ramakrishnan’s round-the-world tour of 1956 because of its influence on the Theoretical Physics Seminar and the creation of MATSCIENCE.

Prime Minister Nehru meets the Theoretical Physics Seminar students. To his right are Prof. Alladi Ramakrishnan and Education Minister C. Subramaniam.

But in Madras, the “Professor without portfolio” was not given an office. He was permitted to lecture in the German classroom. His address was “Professor of Physics, c/o the German classroom”! This did not deter him since he could spend more time at Ekamra Nivas and attend the Theoretical Physics Seminar and invite scientists to lecture there.

He also resumed the MSc classes at Madras University with a course on Nuclear Physics.

In January 1961, Prof Ramakrishnan received an invitation from Delhi to be a full-time member of the Hindi Language Commission. But he could not serve on it full-time, so he accepted to be a part-time member in order to visit Delhi to feel the pulse of academic decisions being made in the capital. In the end, it was not the administrative set-up in Delhi that came to his support, but the Prime Minister and the Madras Minister of Education C. Subramaniam.

In March that year, the Mathematics Review Committee of the University Grants Commission, of which Father was a member, submitted its report on the development of Mathematics. While other members of the Committee recommended the creation of advanced centre within universities, Father insisted that there should be provision for creating institutions  outside universities. He wrote in his diary: “Though my dissent was not formally included in the report, it turned out to be prophetic by the creation of MATSCIENCE at the end of the year.”

In June, C. Subramaniam was leaving for the United States. Father called on him a day before his departure, and CS showed considerable interest in starting a new institute. Father suggested that in the United States, CS should meet a few leading scientists and get their opinion about the Theoretical Physics Seminar and the need for a new institute in Madras. When the Minister returned from his US tour in August, he conveyed to Father the positive impressions about the Theoretical Physics Seminar that were expressed by the eminent scientists he met. These impressions reaffirmed the desire of Subramaniam to start an institute along the lines suggested by Prof. Ramakrishnan.

There was a leading foreign scientist or mathematician visiting Madras almost every year at this time and Father had them address the Seminar, interact with students and do radio talks as he believed it was important to inform the public at large about the developments in science. He also took them to meet the Vice-Chancellor.

In September, Maurice Shapiro of Princeton, after his talk at the Seminar, met the Vice-Chancellor and also met Minister Subramaniam that evening. Shapiro told C. Subramaniam that watching the students at work at Ekamra Nivas “reminded him of the manner in which scientists gathered around Oppenheimer at Los Alamos!” That was high tribute and made a great impression on Subramaniam. Shapiro went on to suggest that the students should meet the Prime Minister of India. This comment made Subramaniam write to Jawaharlal Nehru suggesting such a meeting.

On September 30, 1961, Father received a telegram from C. Subramaniam in Delhi saying that the Prime Minister was willing to meet the members of the Theoretical Physics Seminar on October 8th in Madras.

The meeting was at the Raj Bhavan. Prof. Ramakrishnan and his wife were invited to the official dinner with the Prime Minister. The meeting with the students was at 9:30 p.m. after the dinner. C. Subramaniam was present both at the dinner and at the meeting. At the end of the meeting Nehru asked Prof. Ramakrishnan only one question: “Are you really convinced that we should have an Institute of the kind you are insisting upon?” Naturally the answer was an emphatic ‘yes’. Father was then asked by CS to send a formal proposal which he would discuss with the Prime Minister. C. Subramaniam wrote in his autobiography The Hand of Destiny:

“Ramakrishnan mentioned to me that for the purpose of encouraging young talent in theoretical physics and mathematics, a new institution was necessary. At that time the entire research work in mathematics and theoretical physics was done only in the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Bombay under the auspices of the Atomic Energy Commission (both headed by Dr. Homi Bhabha). Ramakrishnan emphasised the need for another institute so that there might be some competition... instead of one institute monopolising the entire research work. But another institute could be started only with the concurrence of the Atomic Energy Commission and the Government of India...”

“Jawaharlal was greatly impressed by the enthusiasm shown by the students (of Professor Ramakrishnan)... and in particular to see four girls among the students. When the students told him that they needed an institution for the development of theoretical physics and mathematics, he asked me to examine the proposal and put up a note for his consideration. Ramakrishnan prepared a note for the purpose and I sent it to the Prime Minister.”

It was to take two more months for the Prime Minister to give a nod for the creation of a new institute.

The great astrophysicist Subrahmanyam Chandrasekhar came to Madras in November to give a series of lectures at Madras University. When Father invited him to Ekamra Nivas he jokingly insisted that he would visit only if he would be treated to a typical South Indian style plantain leaf dinner, which of course was no problem. Chandrasekhar gave a two-hour lecture at Ekamra Nivas, wearing his typical full suit. He visited Ekamra Nivas again a few days later to listen to the theoretical physics group and have discussions with them. Two days later, there was a South Indian dinner for Chandrasekhar and his wife at Ekamra Nivas and all the students were invited to join. He then changed into a dhoti to enjoy the plantain leaf dinner! He visited Ekamra Nivas again a few days later, and gave a three-hour lecture. It is said of Chandrasekhar that his commitment to lecture to dedicated students was so great, that he would make an hour-long trip from Yerkes Observatory to the University of Chicago to lecture to a class of just two students – T.D. Lee and C.N. Yang; that effort was to prove well worth it, because both these students won the Nobel Prize a few years later! Chandrasekhar’s dedication to talk to eager and talented students was demonstrated by his many visits to Ekamra Nivas for lectures and discussions.

After a dinner at Ekamra Nivas early in December, Minister Subramaniam indicated to Father that things were moving favourably in Delhi for establishing a Maths-Science institute in Madras.

(To be concluded)