Nobel Committee’s Ignoble Attitude
IN 86 YEARS, ONLY ONE “INDIAN” SCIENTIST GETS NOBEL PRIZE
NEW DELHI, July 03, 2016: It may surprise anybody in the world that since Dr. C.V. Raman got the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930, no other Indian citizen was ever honoured with the award over the last 86 long years despite the fact that a large numbers of them deserved it.
Bringing this surprising point to the fore, Prof. Mrinal Thakur, the Nobel Prize nominee in chemistry for 2016, said the other three scientists of Indian origin to get the Nobel Prize were Dr. Hargovind Khorana, Dr. S. Chandrasekhar and Dr. Venkataraman Ramakrishnan. But they had all changed their nationalities and obtained the prize not as “Indians.”
In a press statement here, Prof. Thakur, Director of the Photonic Materials Research Laboratory of Auburn University (USA), said though he had been nominated for the Nobel Prize since 2001, he has not been given the award over the last 16 years.
Prof. Thakur is known the world over for inventing that the “Non-conjugated Conductive Polymers.” He has also discovered polymer-based protective shield that can save human lives and the ecology from nuclear radiation or toxic emissions from the radioactive materials.
Prof. Thakur said though the Indians had been clamouring for conferring the Nobel Prize to him for the last 16-years, the Nobel Committee of Sweden did not pay any heed to it. He said the people in India twice staged demonstrations in front of the Swedish Embassy in New Delhi protesting delays in giving the Nobel Prize to him. But the demand of the Indians was ignored as the Nobel Prize Committee always sidelined the Indian scientists over the last 86-years: since Dr. C.V. Raman getting the Nobel Prize.
During the Mumbai visit of the Prime Minister of Sweden Mr Stefan Löfven, he was impressed upon by the Indians to settle the long pending case of Prof. Thakur. But the Nobel Prize Committee has not given any indication, so far, that the prize would be conferred to him (Prof. Thakur).
Nobel Committee ignores Indian Scientists
Charging the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences of indulging in a “pick and choose” game in giving the Nobel Prize, Prof. Thakur said it had traditionally been ignoring Indians as it is evident that no citizen of India was given the award for 86-years.
Corroborating this fact, Prof. Thakur said hundreds of scientists who are Indian citizen and working in USA, Sweden, Europe and elsewhere in the world, have made path-breaking discoveries in chemistry, physics, nuclear sciences, medicine and different other branches of sciences.
But they have not been honoured with the Nobel Prize. He said the recipients of the Nobel Prize in sciences were mostly the citizens of USA and Europe. “This clearly shows that the Nobel Prize Committee is indulging in racism which is wrong,” he said.
Indian Government Must Talk to Swedish Government
Prof. Thakur has sought the intervention of the Narendra Modi Government at the Centre to help those scientists who are Indian citizen and working in researches in different areas of science the world over, to be recognized by the Royal Swedish Academy. He urged Mr. Modi to take up the issue with the Prime Minister of Sweden Mr Stefan Löfvenm in ensuring that the scientists who are Indian citizen are given due credit.
Citing his own case, Prof. Thakur said though his discovery of “Non-conjugated Conductive Polymers” was noted the world over, he was not recognized by the Royal Swedish Academy whereas the Nobel Prize was awarded for the discovery of “Conductive Polymers”. The fundamental theoretical basis of conductive polymers as provided by Prof. Thakur (1988) has been proven to be correct while that given by the Nobel recipients were proven incorrect.
Wrong Information Given in Nobel Foundation website
Prof. Thakur has claimed that the Royal Swedish Academy still has not made the requisite correction in the document preserved at the Nobel Foundation website despite his repeated requests. The document states that a polymer must be conjugated to be electrically conductive – which is nonfactual and the corresponding theory is incorrect.
Among many applications, the most significant application of non-conjugated conductive polymers is in protecting lives and the environment against radioactive iodine (carcinogenic) emitted from nuclear power plants, nuclear spent-fuel-rods, rocket/space satellite launching stations, other nuclear reactors as in nuclear-powered ships/submarines, and as emitted during treatment of thyroid cancer and hyperthyroidism (nuclear medicine).
He said recent communications have established that the 2000 Nobel Laureates are incorrect in the fundamental basis they put forward. On the other hand, Prof. Thakur’s works have been proved as correct all along.