HYDERABAD: Apart from his scientific contributions, Dr PM Bhargava was also known for taking a stand on matters of his principle and for his outspoken nature. He was also an ardent atheist. In 2015 Dr Bhargava returned his Padma Bhushan award during the ‘award wapsi’ protests against ‘growing intolerance’ in the country. He was awarded Padma Bhushan in the year 1986.
In 1994 Dr Bhargava resigned from all three academies of sciences in India of which he was a member - Indian National Science Academy, National Academy of Sciences and Indian Academy of Sciences. In various interviews he gave the reason behind it that the academies were ruled by “science mafias” who did not let science grow in India.
Dr Lalji Singh, former Director of CCMB, who was associated with Dr Bhargava for more than three decades recalling an anecdote, he said, “There was a lot of criticism over construction of CCMB building as till then scientific institutions used to be accommodated in normal buildings allotted by government. CCMB was being constructed as per planned design to fit all kinds of infrastructure that would be required in future along with visually appealing aesthetics. DR Bhargava came under heavy criticism. The CCMB building was even called a five star laboratory The then Director General of CSIR got angry about time taken for construction of building to which Dr Bhargava offered to resign immediately. However, it did not happen and in 1988 the then Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi dedicated the CCMB building to nation.”
Atheism and Dr Bhargava
Dr PM Bhargava was an atheist who regularly spoke out against prevalence superstitions at various platforms and was a proponent of scientific temper in Indian society. A best example of it is that in 2002, Dr Bhargava along with prof K Subash Chandra Reddy of Osmania University and Chandana Chakrabarti, a writer filed a petition in the Supreme Court against move of University Grants Commission to introduce course on ‘Jyotir Vigyan’ (Vedic astrology).
Dr Bharagava has been a regular speaker and guest at the World Atheist Conferences held by Atheist Centre in Vijayawada. In one of the speeches as documented by the Atheist Centre on its website, Dr Bhargava said, “Future is important for those who believe in science. But people who believe in religion like to cling on to the past.”
life events
February 22, 1928 - Born to Dr Ram Chandra Bhargava, a public health professional & Gayathri Bhargava
1944 - Completed BSc in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics from Theosophical College, Lucknow
1946 - Completed MSc in Organic Chemistry from Queens College, Varanasi
1949 - PhD in Synthetic Organic Chemistry from Lucknow University
1949 to 1953 - Taught Chemistry at Lucknow University and later at OU. Joined Central Laboratories for Scientific and Industrial Research as a Research Fellow
1953 - Pursued postdoctoral fellowship at McArdle Memorial Laboratory for Cancer Research, University of Wisconsin, Madison
1954 - Joined National Institute for Medical Research, UK as a research fellow
1958 - Joined as ‘Scientist B’ at Regional Research Laboratory now known as Indian Institute of Chemical Technology
1971 to 72 - Worked at Institut du Radium, Paris, France as an Eleanor Roosevelt International Cancer Research Fellow
1977 - Established Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology
April 1977 to Feb 1990 - Worked as founding director of CCMB
1990 - Retired from CCMB. Honored with CSIR Distinguished Fellowship until 1993
1995 - Established an NGO, Medically Aware and Responsible Citizens of Hyderabad
August 1, 2017 - Died
Source: http://pmbhargava.com/