A Tribute to Prof. Yelavarthy Nayudamma* An Air India Boeing 747 'Kanishka' Jumbo jet flight from Montreal, with 329 people and crew members on board, crashed into the North Atlantic Ocean off Ireland on 23rd June, 1985. Among the ill-fated travellers killed in the air disaster was an eminent scientist, Dr Yelavarthy Nayudamma, who was born on 10th September, 1922, in Andhra Pradesh, India. He was returning to New Delhi from Toronto. The impact of such an appalling loss of life, of so many people under sudden and tragic circumstances, reverberated around the world. Our condolences and deepest sympathies are singled out for the relatives and friends of a distinguished scientist who was to be included in those who perished. Dr Nayudamma commenced his career as a 'casual labourer' in India's Leather Technology Institute. He rose to various positions of eminence through sheer brilliance. Following his graduation in Industrial Chemistry at Banaras Hindu University in 1942, he specialised during 1946-7, in leather technology in the United Kingdom. Yelavarthy furthered his studies in USA, working under the late Dr Edwin R. Theis at Lehigh University; there he was awarded both Master's and Doctor's degrees. He returned to India in 1951 and immediately assisted in establishing the Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI) at Madras. From 1958 to 1971~ Dr Nayudamma served as Director of this Institute, which today, is regarded as being the largest of its kind in the world, and enjoys an international reputation as the centre of excellence for leather research. From 1956, he also served as Honorary Professor of Leather Technology in the University of Madras for over two decades. However, his beginning with the Institute was very modest. He was paid a salary of only 17 Rupees initially. Fortunately, the Institute's Principal, Mr Shresachal Chowdhury, duly recognized his potential, and he was absorbed into the Chemistry Department and, subsequently, was recommended for higher studies abroad. Dr Nayudamma owed much of the development of his career to Mr Chowdhury and often gratefully referred to the encouragement received from him. Prof. Nayudamma was a senior consultant to many United Nations agencies, like UNESCO, UNIDO, FAO, UNDP, and he was an adviser on the panel for the Global Research Programme of the UNDP. It was in this last role that he contributed significantly to the growth and development of leather industries in Sudan, Somalia, Nigeria, Turkey, Iran, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Cameroon.

The late Dr Y. Nayadamma(Photocourtesy:Councilof Scientific and Industrial Research, India). Yelavarthy Nayudamma was the recipient of many A w a r d s - as the Government of India's Padma Snri in 1971, and the Dr K. G. Naik Gold Medal, for the year 1965, of the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda for researches in the field of chemistry. He was conferred Honorary Doctoral Degrees by a number of Indian Universities - such as, the Andhra University, the Sri Venkateswara University and the Sambalpur University. He served as the President of the Institution of Chemists (India). He was a Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy, the National Academy of Sciences, the Indian Academy of Sciences, the International Union of Leather Chemists Societies and the American Leather Chemists Association. He has to his credit invention awards

*This tribute was prepared jointly by Dr G. M. Oza (Departmentof Botany,The Maharaja SayajiraoUniversityof Baroda~ India), a regular contributorto this Journal; and the Editor of The Environmentalist, Dr John F. Potter.

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of the Inventions Promotion Board. He occupied many prestigious positions; for instance, he served as the President of the Committee on Science and Technology for Developing Countries (COSTED); and was Member of the Executive Committee - Pugwash Committee; Adviser to a number of States in the Indian sub-continent; Chairman of the High Power Committee to review Higher Technical Education in India; and Chairman of the High Power committee of Tamil Nadu State for Rural Industries. Dr Nayudamma was the Vice-Chancellor of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi, and a Coordinator of the Centre for Development Alternatives, Madras. He had the distinction to serve as the Secretary to the Government of India in the Department of Science and Technology, and also as the Director-General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). He was a staunch believer in imparting a rural bias to the industrial sector and his original thinking on the transfer of technology to rural units influenced many in Government circles. In 1977, he left his powerful post at CSIR to return to carry out active research at his alma mater - CLRI. In 1982, he resigned his ViceChancellorship of JNU to become 'Distinguished Scientist' at the CLRI until his retirement in September, 1984.

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Soon after the news of her husband's death, Dr Pavana Bai, a medical graduate, was admitted to hospital (on 25th June) with third degree burns. It is reported that these burns were caused by a house stove and were self inflicted. Although she was operated upon, Pavana did not survive. She had been the late Dr Nayudamma's second wife and they had married in 1969. Her suicide, leaves two sons, and a daughter (by the first marriage). Dr Yelavarthy Nayudamma published more than 200 scientific papers in his lifetime. To his credit were also a monograph on Wet Blue Chrome Leather, a chapter on the Chemistry and Technology of Leather in the ACS Monography series by F. O'Flaherty, a chapter on leather in Encyclopaedia Britannica and publications on Technology Transfer and Science and Social Development; together with 20 patents relating to his technological research at the CLRI. Dr Nayudamma's impact on the India nation, in the realm of science and technology was paramount. A gentleman scientist, he won the hearts of many students and colleagues who were fortunate enough to be associated with him. He was an Advisory Board member of The Environmentalist, and his loss to this Journal and its readers will long be both valued and remembered.

The Environmentalist