Dr. Srikumar Banerjee will always be remembered for his pioneering contributions to Indian science: PM Modi

**Dr. Srikumar Banerjee will always be remembered for his pioneering contributions to Indian science: PM Modi**
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**“Death is not extinguishing the light; it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come.”**- Rabindranath Tagore

**Who was Srikumar Banerjee?**

Internationally acclaimed as a reputed nuclear scientist and metallurgical engineer, Srikumar Banerjee was one of India’s leading experts in nuclear technology.

His contributions to the field of nuclear technology were unbound and went across the theoretical and practical orientation. In his illustrious professional career, he published around 300 scientific papers in esteemed international and national journals. These scientific papers are a reservoir of knowledge and are marked as a landmark contribution in the field of Science.

**The stalwart who pioneered atomic energy in India**:

**“Education is the key to sustainable development & successful nation-building. It is necessary that our education system must lead to holistic knowledge acquisition ~ through the creation of a synergy between three critical components of the knowledge-based economy namely higher education, research & innovation”**- Srikumar Banerjee at the 1st convocation of IIST

Srikumar Banerjee joined the Metallurgy department of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in the year 1968 after completing his B. Tech in metallurgy from IIT, Kharagpur. He was postulated as a genius in the use of specialized alloys in nuclear processes.

He pioneered the nuclear establishment in the country at a time when the nuclear deal was signed between India and the US. He was the one responsible for the legislation of the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill.
He advocated the cause of establishing atomic energy in India when the entire political fraternity was skeptical about India losing its nuclear ‘autonomy’ by signing the 123 Pact (the US – India Civil Nuclear Agreement) with the US. However, Banerjee was convinced that India would gain immensely if the Nuclear Suppliers Group exempted India from nuclear trade with NSG members.

**Awards & Honours**:

To honor the innumerable exemplary contributions of Srikumar Banerjee in the field of Science, many national and international awards were conferred to him during his lifetime. These include:

**National Awards**:

– The Indian National Science Academy (INSA) Young Scientist Medal, which was awarded to him in the year 1976,
– National Metallurgists’ Day Award awarded in 1981,
– Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar Prize in Engineering Sciences in the year 1989,
– Materials Research Society of India (MRSI) Medal in 1990,
– G.D. Birla Gold Medal from the Indian Institute of Metals in 1997,
– INSA Prize for Materials Science in the year 2001,
– MRSII Superconductivity & Materials Science Prize in 2003,
– Indian Nuclear Society Award, conferred in 2003

– In recognition of his unparalleled contribution in the field of Science in nation-building, he was honored with the Government of India’s most prestigious civilian award, the Padma Shri in the year 2005.

**Notable International awards**:

– Acta Metallurgical Outstanding Paper Award conferred to him in 1984
– Humboldt Research Award in 2004

**PM Modi condoles the loss of India’s atomic genius**:

PM Narendra Modi on Sunday paid his heartfelt tribute to Srikumar Banerjee, former chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission.

PM Modi said, “Dr. Srikumar Banerjee will be remembered for his pioneering contributions to Indian science, especially in the areas of atomic energy and metallurgy. He was also an outstanding mentor and institution builder. Saddened by his passing away. Condolences to his family. Om Shanti.”

While the world is bereft of Dr. Srikumar Banerjee’s physical presence today, the light of his knowledge and contributions shall forever remain and continue to inspire people for generations to come.