Retirement of Dr A Rajaram, Chief Scientist, Biphysics Department on 31 January 2013

Ellaruku Vanakkum,

I joined in CLRI in 1988, I know Dr Raja Ram, from 1989 onwards through Dr DLV Rao.  He was in biophysics and later he shifted to Computer centre.  Dr DLV Rao use to tell me that Dr Rajaram is nature lover and he use to go to vedam thangal for birds watching.  I asked Dr DLV Rao what was there in Vedam thangal, he told me, seasonally many groups of birds use to come from Siberia country to Chennai every year.  Dr Rajaram had the advanced camera in those days for taking photos of those birds.

Once I had a conversation with Dr Rajaram that CSIR foundation day lecture on Honey bees behaviour when Queen bee is not there.  In canteen side, one isolated deer (maan) use to come near to me and I use to give vadai to that deer which is not having horns.  He explained the behaviour those deers that Male deer had fight with each other and failure deer expelled from the group and they won’t allow to join in the groups, so this deer was isolated.  I know the behavior of deers because of Dr Rajaram since he is nature lover.  He is a birds lover and animal lover and nature lover also.

I can say Dr Rajaram is not only nature lover but also wife lover.  I have never seen Dr Rajaram without his wife Dr Rama Rajaram.  I have seen a quotation on car mirror in Kasturba Nagar “There is no life without wife”, I think Dr Rama Rajaram so fortunate that she is having such a loving husband.  

In ponds, one plant use to grow and it creates more mosquito menace.  In Guntur, one fellow imported 25 beetles from Kolkata to remove this mosquito menace.   ‘Beetle’ one kind of species  would eat the root of the water plant so the mosquitoes will be removed.   I came to know these Beettles are used for cancer treatment from Peru country.  These beetles will be given alive and after digestion in the stomach these beetles will release one enzyme to block the cells of cancer.  Generally normal cell grow and multiply 1, 2, 4, 8 like that but cancer cells will multiply 1, 4, 16, 64 like that.  This enzyme will block the growth of multiplication of cancer cells.  In China also, this treatment was given in a traditional way.  Now many cancer people going by flight to Peru country for cancer treatment since it was giving good results.

In our human body we have all biochemical reactions, today retirement one feels sadness, tomorrow if one gets extension, feels happiness.  In biophysics, they use to work silently and publish papers in journals, now-a-days scientist has to expose himself in present day world, not like previous years.  Biophysics department, there is no ups and downs like other departments- chemical engineering department when Dr K V Raghavan time, it is up and Polymer department in Dr Santappa time.  It is like constant without ups and downs, they have good relations with Chemical lab scientists from the beginning.  Biophysics department they use to do research on surface of leather, collagen.  From BPD department point of view, they have SEM facility and charge Rs.25000/- for outside people and plus some service tax on that.

I prey almighty that Dr Rajaram should get happy and healthy life in his retired life.