SOCIETY FOR CHEMICAL EDUCATION

Golden Jubilee of Chemistry Dept. 2005

  Chemists of Assam

1.Girish Chandra Goswami

2.Harish Chandra Goswami

3. Dr.Rohini Kanta Barua ( see Dr.R.K.Barua memrial lecture)

4.Dr.Mrs. Arunmani Chaudhuri

5. Dr.Narendra Nath Dass

6. Dr.Narendra Nath Siddhanta

Girish Chandra Goswami

Girish Chandra Goswami was born at Bamgaon of Chariali town of Sonitpur District of Assam on May 2, 1932.He studied at Chjariali High Scvhool and secured first division with distinction in matriculation examination of Calcutta University in 1949.He passed I.Sc. from Cotton College, Guwahati with physics ,chemistry, mathematics and biology in 1951. Graduating with honours in chemistry from Cotton College he joined Benares Hindu University for master's degree. He passed M.Sc. in chemistry with specialization in organic chemistry in 1955. Then he joined Cotton College as a lecturer the same year. He worked in Cotton College from 10.5.1955 to 16.7.1957. Then he joined as senior chemist in Digboi Refinery at Digboi, Assam. He served on that position for three years and a half. He was promoted to research chemist in quality control/R&D and continued on that position for four years and a half. Then he was made section,head, R & D / Quality Control Llboratories for around two years. He joined as chief chemist after that and served in that capacity for seven and a half years. Then Goswami became process manager managing the operations and production function of the refinery as second in command for 7 months. His longest service in Digboi Refinery was Refinery Manager for 9 years and 11 months. Finally he got the position of Deputy General Manager, Technical with responsibility of overall management of the refinery, its operation and maintenance, planning, budgeting and control, R & D, administration as well as maintenance of the township and its utilities including refinery modernization. Subsequently Sri Goswami was deputed as Director, Centre for High Technology, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, New Delhi from Indian Oil Corporation prior to superannuation. He did not like the Government management and left it asking for voluntary retirement in 1987.

Sri Goswami sent three times for technical conferences and training in the UK refineries and R &D laboratories on speciality waxes, formulations and applications in 1964, 1968 and 1970.  He was associated with Gauhati University in  committee of courses in chemical engineering and in Dibrugarh university in petroleum technology. He did consultancy  assignments on 'Strategy For Additional Production of Wax ( Paraffin and MCW for domestic consumption and export' in Ministry of Petroleum, Govt. of India in1989.Also carried out a study on the 'Production and Quality Problems of Paraffin Wax in Madras Refinery   and recommended special measures to to be taken. He also reviewed the organizational structure of a petroleum manufacturing company and recommended appropriate revisions to meet the organizational challenges. He worked as an advisor to a medium scale unit in Gujrat manufacturing microcrystalline waxes, petroleum jellies and some specialty waxes for trouble shooting in production  problems, improvement to processes and operations and development of new product formulations.

He visited Switzerland and Germany for technical discussion and technology transfer in 1985. Then went to Germany and USA for technology discussion and technology selection in 1996 with attending Pilot Plant Trials and Technical discussions.

Girish Chandra Goswami passed away in 2001 suffering from cancer. He was survived by two sons and wife.

Harish Chandra Goswami

Prof Harish Chandra Goswami was en eminent applied chemist of Assam. He was born on 12 January, 1926 at then Palla village of Barpeta Subdivision. He father was Basudev Goswami and mother Gangapriya Devi. Basudev Goswami was a teacher in Assamese of Shillong Govt. High School. Harish Goswami strted his childhood days at Patacharkuchiof Kamrup district under the care of his maternal uncle. He completed his primary education at Ptacharkuchi and then went to Shillong to stay with his father.He was adsmitted into class V of Shillong Govt. High School. He had to help his father at Shillong in management of house hold work including cooking.He coild ride on horseback at leisure period. Harish Chandra was a brilliant studen in school days. He passed matriculation examination in 1924 from Shillong Govt. High School under Calcutta University in first division. He conmtiued his study in Cotton College in xcience and graduated with honours in chemistry in 1928. Then he went to Kolkata and passed M.Sc. in chemistry from Calcutta University in 1930.Then he strted his research in SCience and Technology of Kolkata. He found a method of analysis of sulphur with his supervisor Pulin Bihari Borthakur. Then he worked with Perafulla Chandra Roy and Anil Roy on flouridation of organic compounds. Both these works were published in Journal of Indian Chemical Society in 1933 and 1935. He was apponted as a research chemist in Bengal Immunity Research Laboratory from 1936 to 1939.Besides publishing jointly he could publish a few papers independentluy also then. He was a expert analytical chemist from Assam and Toyal Society of Chemistry included ghis reaerch works as analytical chemist.

 In 1039 Harish Chandra Goswami was invited to join as a lecturer in Cotton College in the department of Chemistry. He taught inorganic chemistry in Cotton College for 18 years. He was apponted principal of the college in 1957. In 1962 he retired from the post of the principal.He joined Dawson Chemical as senir chemist in 1962 and branded several formulation medicines.He discovered two medicines from medicinal plants for dibetes and jaundice. Sri Harish Chandra Goswami died on 31 August, 1992 after a suxxessful career as a living chemist.

Dr.Mrs. Arunmoni Choudhuri

Arunmoni Choudhuri was born on 27 August 1928 at Uzanbazar, Guwahati, Assam. She was admitted to Govt.Model School, Uzanbazar in 1932. This school is now converted into a high school. Chaudhuri completed her secondary stage at Panbazar Girls' High School- the only girls' high school of Guwahati then. She passed matriculation examination from this school under Calcutta University securing letter marks in several subjects. She studied in Cotton College for Intermediate Science and B.Sc.and graduated in science in 1947 with honours in chemistry. Then she went to Benares and got admitted in Benares Hindu University in 1948 and passed M.Sc. in 1950. Dr. Mrs Choudhuri's  grandfather is Bihagi Kabi ( Poet of Nature) late Raghunath Choudhuri and father is late Umesh Chandra Choudhuri. Her father was a well known lyricist. Dr. Arunmoni Choudhuri joined as  a  lecturer after passing M.Sc. in Lady Irwin College, New Delhi before going abroad for research and training. She did research in synthetic organic chemistry on orthomercapto azo compounds in the University of Manchester, U.K. from 1953 to 1957and obtained Ph.D under supervision of Professor H.N.Raidon of chemistry. After returning from England, she was appointed as a lecturer in Cotton College in the department of chemistry.

Her final step in career began when she joined as a lecturer in the department of chemistry, Gauhati University.Dr.R.K.Basrua when became the head in1960  tried to create some facilities in the department for research. Dr Mrs Choudhuri then took initiative to guide research in basic chemistry on organic sulphur compounds continuing her her research in the  field of ortheomercapto azo compounds. Of course to think of undertaking research investigation is a challenging task in sixties in Gauhati University. Dr.Pabitra Kumar Sarma who joined the department as a lecturer in 1960 was the pioneer to work under her and obtained his degree in 1969 under her guidance and supervision. She continued research with seven students completing Ph.Ds on organic sulphur compounds. She has publications in both National and International Journals.

Dr.Mrs.Choudhuri wrote two popular science books one on Biochemical Evolution and Origin of Life ( in Assamese Jaiba Rasayanik Bikash aru Jibar Utptti) and Heredity and its Chemistry   (Bangsagati aru year rasayan). She is a devotee of Assamese literature. She translated Khalil Gibran's 'Prophet' and Bibhutibhusan's Chander Pahar to Assamese and was published.

Dr.Mrs Choudhuri is the wife of Dr, Bhumidhar Choudhuri, a well known physicist and X ray crystallographist of India serving and retiring from the department of physics, Gauhati University.

Dr. Narendra Nath Dass

Dr. Narendra Nath Was born on 1st January, 1940 at Nagaon District, Assam, India.He draduated in Science from Gauhati University in 1959, Msc in 1962 from the same university . He is D.I.C. of Imperial College, London from where he received Ph.D. In physical chemistry on the thesis ' Interaction of polystyryl radical with complex ions' in 1969, working under supervisin of Dr.M.H.George, FRIC..He joined as a lecturer in Cotton College and became senior research chemist of Oil India for a brief period ( 1874-75). There he worked on evaluation of partially hydrolysed polyarylamide used for polymer flooding for secondary recovery of crude oil. FeCl₃ acts as an ideal retarder in the polymerization of styrene initiated by  of AIBN in DMF but forms a number of complexes like [Fe(DMF)₆]³⁺, [Fe(DMF)₅Cl]²⁺ etc. Dr. Dass has identified all the complexes and established the kinetics and mechanisms of polymerization of styrene initiated by  AIBN and retarded by by a number of complexes ions of  Fe³⁺, Cu²⁺ and Rh³⁺. The findings are published in differen national and international journals. The mechanism presented is already accepted and included in standard text books. A part of his works on interaction of polymers with complex ions has been reviewed in 1993.

Dr. Dass has produced 24 Ph.D's and published 127 papersin different scientific journals. His publication of books are six in number including Symmetry and Group Theory for Chemists.He is an elected member of New York Academy of Sciences. He also published four scientific books in Assamese. He is coauthor of Chemistry of Elements Vol II published in 2004 in Assamses published by Assam Book Depot a worthy publication of Society For Chemical Education for text book production for degree students.

He was invited as a visiting fellow to Queen's University Belfast for one year 1990-91. He retired as professor, physical chemistry, Dibrugarh University' in 2000. Then he took the covetable position of Director. Institute of Science and Technology, Khanapara. During his tenure the Institute could complete  construction of the permanent buildings at Boragaon, Gorchuk  on Eat West Corridor from Khanapara to Jalukbari at a distance of 3 Kilometres from Jalukbari Police point.

During his teaching assignment at Dibrugarh University he completed three projects- 2 from University Grants Commission and the other from Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Govt. of India. At present he is continuing pojects from Indian Space Research Organization, North East and BRNS.Presently Dr.Dass is carrying on research on ionics, adhesives, flow improver and liquid crystals in the Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology.

Dr.Dass has been teaching petrochemicals in the Department of Petroleum Technology in Dibrugarh University.He was a visiting professor to Tezpur University and delivered a series of lectures on conducting polymers to the PG students.

Dr.Narendra Nath Siddhanta

Dr Narendra Nath Siddhanta was born at Jorhat in 1924. His father late Keshab Chandra Sarma was a mycologist at Tocklai Experimental Station at Jorhat. He started his xchool career first at No.2 Practicing School at Jorhat followed by Jorhat Govt. High School. He passed Matriculation under Calcutta University in 1942 with above 80% marks in Mathematics, History and Assamese securing first division. Then he continued his study in intermediate science in Cotton College, Guwahati, Assam. He passed intermediate in science  securing first division in 1944 under Calcutta University and then left to Benares and got admitted in Benares Hindu University. He got the degree in 1946 with physics, chemistry and mathematics and continued Post Graduate studies in chemistry in the same university.  He passed M.Sc. in chemistry from Benares Hindu University in 1948 securing first class. Then he carried out research for doctorate in Electrochemistry and awarded Ph.D. in 1952. He also worked as a lecturer in chemistry in B.H.U. from May 1951 to May, 1952.  Then he joined the chemistry department of Cotton College, Guwahati, Assam in 1952.( November).However Dr. Siddhanta left for Karaikudi to join as a Senioor Scientific Assaistant in Central Electrochemical Research Institute in Karaikudi, Tamilnadu in July,1953.

Dr.Siddhanta's university teaching began in 1955 when he joined the department of chemistry of Gauhati University in July. He was the first teacher appointed in the department started in 1955 for opening Post Graduate study in chemistry. Prof.B.S.Rao was appointed as head of the department. After his retirement in 1960. Dr, Siddhanta was apponted reader and head of the department for some time. Professor R,K,Barua was appointed as head of the department. Dr. Siddhanta was made professor in 1970 when he was continuing as head since 1968 after Dr. R.K.Barua's sudden demise at Kolkata while boarding the plane bound to leave for Guwahati. Professor Siddhanta continued as head till his retirement in March, 1984. Dr.Siddhanta spent his university days in residential quarter provided to him from 1955. Now Dr.Siddhanta is residing in Meghamallar House, , flat no 403, Guwahati 781001, Assam, India..

Dr.Anil Chandra Ghosh

Dr.Anil Chandra Ghosh is an alumnus of Gauhati University. He passed M.Sc. in Chemistry from Gauhati University in 1958. He did his Ph.D.  from National Chemical Laboratory, Pune.  He did post doctoral research in various universities as fellow including  Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland. He became Director, Regional Research Laboratory, Jorhat and could revitalise the institution from its leisurely approach. He resigned the post in 1990 to join as Founder Chairman and Director, Chembiotech Research International, Kolkata.  He was once Managing Director of Bengal Immunity Limited.  He is founder chairman, Board of Trustees and Director - Institute of Molecular Medicine, Kolkata. He served as director and member, Executive Committee, Ranboxy Laboratories, New Delhi.

He contributed six chapters to a book- 'Total Synthesis of Steroids' published by Academic Press, U.S.A. He obtained 28 patents including 14 international to his credit. Dr. Ghosh has published 110 research papers and had more than 90 presentations.  While compiling this data he was Vice Chairman of Chemgen Pharma International, Kolkata. Dr. Ghosh has a soft corner for his parent institution, Gauhati University and accepts all invitations for seminars and conferences organized by the Department of Chemistry, Gauhati University.