Dr. SIVARAMAKRISHNIER RAMACHANDRAN
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

“Whatever an enlightened person does, the others do; 
he sets the standards for others to follow”
- The Bhagavad Gita

The glory of mankind is upheld by enlightened souls who appear on the world scene from time to time to bring the message of love and kindness. The virtuous mind eschews passion and ill will to spread the spirit of compassion and universal brotherhood among the fellow-beings. Dr. Sivaramakrishnier Ramachandran was one with such a mission in life. Although a savant of science and promoted scientific understanding over half-a-century, Ramachandran lives in the hearts of people as a man of sterling character who reached them through his innate simplicity and affection. His cosmopolitan outlook developed at a very young age helped him transcend all barriers to win over people from all walks of life in different continents of the world.

Formative years
Born on 14th January 1925 as the second child of Mr. Sivaramakrishnier and Mrs. Lakshmiammal (Kunjamma) Ramachandran had six siblings. Mr. Viswanathan, was elder to him and the rest younger, of whom three were sisters. The large family lived in the famous temple town, Madurai in the Madras Presidency (now Tamilnadu) in South India.

His father was a busy legal practitioner. Typical of the traditional South Indian orthodox Brahmin family, the mother managed the household, tended the children by looking after their schooling, cultural development and discipline. Babu (as Ramachandran was affectionately called in his family circle) was more attached to his mother, sharing with her his school experiences everyday. She became his confidante and in turn his mother chose him as hers. He disliked spicy food. So his mother prepared food separately for him and served it herself.
Babu had a large circle of friends at school. Although good in his studies, he enjoyed participating in sports especially badminton and wrestling. He loved to draw pictures, a talent which his school going sisters whom he was very fond of, used to their advantage to get their school work done by him. He was gentle by nature and was never known to talk harshly to anyone.

Even as an young boy, Babu began the practice of yoga and meditation, which inculcated great discipline in him. He continued this practice as well as washing his clothes all through his life. Many of the good qualities imbibed by him in his young life seemed to have left lasting impressions as evident in his later life. In his student days, when Mahatma Gandhi was leading the freedom movement in the country, Babu was greatly influenced by his teachings and took to wearing hand-spun khadi clothes till India became independent. He always dressed appropriately for any occasion. His closely knit family background with his friendly disposition and his love for the rich heritage of South Indian arts and music fine- tuned his personality and character as was reflected all through in his life.

Babu regularly accompanied his mother to visit the famous Meenakshi-Sundareswar temple in Madurai. He carried the spiritual legacy of his pious parents but despised religious bigotry. He did visit pilgrim centres even later, as recalled by Dr. B.U. Rao, his long time associate, but it was always the spiritual aspect that attracted him. Some of his colleagues in Edinburgh and Bali remember that he was quite knowledgeable and could speak authentically on other religions and cultures. His own realisation that the basic tenets of all religions were the same and that they preached tolerance and harmony urged him to practice them. ‘Sarvejano sukhino Bhavanthu’ (let everybody be happy) and ‘Vasudeva kutumbam’ (universal brotherhood) were the social ideologies in all his thoughts and deeds.

He became a spiritual devotee of Sri Sathya Sai Baba, probably under the spell of a few colleagues in Edinburgh. In his last days in the hospital he kept a picture of Sri Baba by his bedside and offered silent prayers to him till the end.

Early education
He had his early schooling in Madurai and continued studies in the American college up to obtaining his first degree of Bachelor of Arts in Zoology of Madras University in 1946. After this basic education, he joined the Madras Veterinary College in pursuit of a professional degree. It is not known if it was a profession of his choice when he joined the Veterinary College, but true to his nature he was committed to it from the beginning, as Vince Lombardi said ‘The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to his commitment to excellence regardless of his chosen field of endeavour’. 

Ramachandran’s classmate in the Madras Veterinary College, Dr. P.R.V. Nayudu says that even in his undergraduate classes, he was studious and was always the last to leave the classroom or the laboratory. He did not go through the academic exercise merely to acquire a degree. The quest for knowledge was insatiable in him from the very beginning.

His academic commitment did not detract him from his love for sports. He enlisted himself as an active member of the College Athletic Association. He participated in several sports events winning laurels in tennis, badminton etc. He never missed an opportunity even in later life to play these games. He loved watching these besides cricket and wrestling on TV.

Early in life, he learnt to enjoy the work he did. This character was obvious all through his life. In the words of Aristotle, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act but a habit”. This seemed to be the underlying spirit in all his endeavours. All his colleagues and associates will vouch for the fact that he involved himself totally and spared no effort to do his best. He never took anything casually, often leaving people to wonder if he could be ever light-hearted. But people close to him knew that he enjoyed humour and loved to share lighter moments with others. His colleagues in Ranipet recall how he enjoyed the humorous skits and plays of yester-years in Tamil. He had histrionic talents too and he participated in school and college dramas.
Ramachandran graduated with the Bachelor of Veterinary Science degree of Madras University in 1950. He belonged to the first batch of the four-year B.V.Sc. Degree programme with revised curriculum. He did not tolerate mediocrity and indifference to work by anyone, though he rarely expressed his feelings. On one occasion his reaction was exceptional. He was one of the speakers at the traditional reception organised by the Madras Veterinary College Students’ Association to honour the graduates after they were conferred the degree by the University. He was honest and forthright in pointing out the shortfalls in the then existing traditional teaching system, the limited student-teacher interaction and inadequate learning process. Although his frank talk took the members of the faculty by surprise because he was a devoted student with great respect to his teachers, it was an awakening to them and had a salutary effect on the teaching that benefited the future students. 

Ramachandran showed his prowess as an eloquent speaker even as a student. He was the Secretary of the Madras Veterinary College Students’ Association when he was in the last year of his stay in the college. His brief talks as Secretary at the end summing up the day’s programme were a treat to hear. Good language and choice words to describe the day’s event merited his talk. The communication skill was natural to him.

One of his teachers, Dr. C. Krishna Rao who later became the Vice-Chancellor of a State University and also the Animal Husbandry Commissioner of India, recalls in the memoirs, his association with Ramachandran and his wife Sakkubai with pride, both as his students and later as outstanding professional colleagues. He specially mentions the extraordinary academic preparation of Ramachandran whose main aim was acquisition of professional knowledge and skills, rather than a mere degree. Equipped thus he could undertake the varied responsibilities in different countries of the world with confidence and discharge them ably bringing honour and credit to himself and to the Veterinary Profession.

Early professional work
Ramachandran began his professional career as a Research Assistant at the Institute of Veterinary Preventive Medicine (IVPM) in Ranipet, Madras State. The Institute had the dual responsibilities of production of vaccines for important animal diseases and animal disease investigation to assist the field veterinarians in the State. He worked at IVPM between 1950-55 and again from 1957 to 1959. Eager to learn, he worked very closely with his senior colleagues at IVPM. Dr. Viswanathan and Dr. Sethumadhavan, his colleagues in IVPM, recall how he spread the work culture among his juniors and encouraged them to pursue post-graduate studies while he himself received an ICAR award to work for M.Sc. degree in Pathology. He also worked hard on improvement of different bacterial vaccines while working at IVPM. His first published work that appeared in the Indian Veterinary Journal (1954) was based on his studies on the improvement of Clostridium chauvoei vaccine, co-authored by the Director of the Institute, Dr. S. Vancheeswara Iyer, a highly respected scientist.

Post Graduate education
Ramachandran set his academic goals himself and pursued them with determination. Samuel Johnson said, ‘those who attain any excellence, commonly spend life in one pursuit, for excellence is not gloated upon easier terms’. Ramachandran’ s academic career bears testimony to this.

He was awarded an Indian Council of Agricultural Research fellowship in 1955 to work for his Master’s degree in Pathology of the Madras University. He joined the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) and worked at the Mukteswar campus for two years under the guidance of an eminent pathologist Dr. G.L. Sharma. 

A brief description of the Mukteswar campus would give a proper perspective to the events that follow. Located at about 7500 feet above sea level with the panoramic Himalayan mountain range inclusive of Nandadevi in the back drop and 32 miles from Nainital, the Mukteswar campus has a serene atmosphere, peaceful for pursuit of scientific work. In pursuance of the recommendation of the Royal Commission on Cattle Plague (Rinderpest) a research centre called the Imperial Veterinary Bacteriological Laboratory was set up in 1889 in Poona, Bombay Presidency, to tackle this important disease problem. Four years later, the centre was moved to Mukteswar being a remote place away from human habitation and with low ambient temperature, ideally suited for virus research work all through the year. Adequate infrastructure was created by hauling and installing heavy machinery despite the lack of communicating roads. Pony ride on the narrow bridal path was the means of transport to Mukteswar for a long time. Yet, the Institute attracted eminent scientists from Great Britain and Europe and carved a niche for itself through its work, in the world scientific community. The Institute became a Mecca for all the veterinarians in the country and the professional career was considered incomplete without a visit to Mukteswar. Following Independence of the country in 1947, the Imperial Veterinary Bacteriological Laboratory that had become the Imperial Veterinary Research Institute was re-designated as the Indian Veterinary Research Institute with the main campus located at Izatnagar while Mukteswar continued as another campus of IVRI. This is one of the oldest scientific institutions in the country.

Ramachandran worked from 1955 to 1957 in the tranquillity of Mukteswar. His devotion to work was phenomenal. Dr. B.U. Rao mentions in his memoirs how he used to see Ramachandran in the histo-pathology laboratory working till late in the night. Burning midnight oil was his normal schedule. His thesis work on pneumonia of sheep and goats due to diverse aetiology earned for him the M.Sc. degree of Madras University in 1960. The thesis work was published in the form of seven papers in reputed national and international journals between 1967 and 1969. His academic work did not keep him away from his social commitments. He was an active member of the Social Club and took part in indoor and outdoor games. Billiards and tennis were his favourite games.
Despite his busy schedule of academic work and other activities at Mukteswar, two memorable events took place in his personal life. Dr. P. Sakkubai, one of the first lady veterinarians in India, was working as Research Assistant at IVRI, Mukteswar after her graduation from the Madras Veterinary College. Although she was junior to Ramachandran in the college, they knew each other being contemporaries in the same Alma Mater. In the beautiful atmosphere of Mukteswar, their acquaintance blossomed into a fine relationship and they decided to marry. Besides, finding his life partner, Ramachandran became a lifetime member of (late) Professor P.R. Nilakantan’s family. He made it a point to find time to relax in the homely surroundings with the three children of the family. He became their favourite Ramu mama (Ramu uncle) who told them fables of little princes and princesses, not missing to draw morals at the end of each story. This association with the family lasted till the end. He was always with the family in its hour of need, more particularly when Prof. Nilakantan suddenly passed away in Rome during a visit, and there was need for elderly guidance. He kept in touch with the family members till his last days through correspondence or personal visits. Professor Nilakantan’s children narrate the touching relationship and his wholehearted support to the family in the memoirs.

After completion of his fellowship period at Mukteswar, he returned to IVPM, Ranipet, for two more years of stay there before he joined the faculty of IVRI, Izatnagar, as Disease Investigation Officer (Pathology) in 1960. For a brief period he was appointed in 1963 as a Lecturer in Pathology in the post-graduate college at Mukteswar. However, he was relocated at Izatnagar in 1964, along with his wife Dr. Sakkubai. During his stay in IVRI, Izatnagar, he was close to the family of Dr. C. Seetharaman, the Head of Division of Biological Products. Earlier, for his M.Sc. studies also he had received good support and encouragement from Dr. C. Seetharaman. Later when both Ramachandran and Sakkubai were relocated in Izatnagar, they became almost members of the family of Dr. Seetharaman and this cordial relationship lasted all through, when they were colleagues in the FAO and later, all of which is recalled by Dr. Seetharaman in his memoir. We feel sad to record here that soon after sending the memoir, Dr. Seetharaman himself passed away on 8th December 2001. May his soul rest in peace!
Ramachandran joined the Edinburgh University in 1964 to work for the Diploma in Veterinary State Medicine, which he obtained in 1965. Professor Sir Alexander Robertson, Professor of Animal Sciences and Dean of the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Sciences became his mentor when Ramachandran joined the Edinburgh University. Impressed by Ramachandran’s academic potential and commitment, Sir Alex got him the Edinburgh University Fellowship in 1966 to pursue Ph.D. studies. In the intervening period, on the advice of Prof. Robertson, Ramachandran continued his studies further in the Manchester University and got the prestigious Diploma in Bacteriology in 1966. He published his project work done in Manchester University on the clostridial haemolysins. He was on his own financially for the first two years of study in U.K.

In recognition of his good academic background and achievements, Ramachandran was awarded the Overseas Development Fellowship by the Edinburgh University from 1966 to 1970. He joined as Research Associate (Virology) in the Department of Animal Health, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, Edinburgh to work on his doctoral programme under the able guidance of Sir Alexander Robertson and Dr. Gordon Scott. He obtained his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Virology in 1970 from Edinburgh University.

It was during this period in Edinburgh, Ramachandran, later to be known as Ramu to the Western scientific community, found his mentor, Dr. Gordon Scott who was more than a friend, philosopher and guide the rest of his life, and going further, even beyond. Their relationship was enduring and comparable to the Indian ‘Guru-Shishya Parampara’ (The teacher-student legacy). For a student, the teacher occupies the highest position of honour - ‘Guru Sakshath Parabrahma’ (the teacher is the very embodiment of God, the Supreme). Such was the esteem and reverence Ramu had for his noble teacher. In turn, to Dr. Scott, Ramu was his prodigy. In the Indian context, the teacher gives out to the student all the knowledge and experience he has gained over years and nominates the student as the rightful successor to him. Dr. Scott had long years of experience working in Africa and he saw in Ramu a person of his own commitment to undertake challenging tasks that warranted appreciation of the prevailing conditions in the developing parts of the world. Ramu became his trusted lieutenant. He foresaw that Ramu could become the roving science ambassador in the third world countries and he lost no opportunity to suggest Ramu to undertake such assignments. Ramu justified the confidence reposed in him by carrying out responsibilities in the most challenging situations successfully. Dr. C.K. Rao, rightly mentions how Ramachandran carried the message of veterinary profession across the globe.
In a rare gesture, Dr. Scott volunteered to edit the memorial volume in honour of Ramu; a loving Guru (Teacher) writing the epitaph of his own dear Shishya (Student). Dr. Scott travelled to Bangalore to ensure that the material that goes into the memorial volume is becoming of his worthy disciple.

Marriage
Ramachandran was a staunch believer in his own convictions and never swayed or compromised for any reason. He and Dr. Sakkubai had known each other when they were students in the Madras Veterinary College, but it was in Mukteswar where both of them worked in the Division of Bacteriology and Pathology, she as Research Assistant in Virology and he as a post-graduate student in Pathology, that they came to know each other better and decided to share their lives.

The fulfilment of their desire to marry met with resistance from Ramachandran’s parents. They, being orthodox Tamilian Brahmins, could not approve the alliance between their son and a girl who was different from their creed and also spoke a different language, Telugu not known to them. It was hard on his mother who was close to him. Her traditional and religious background would not allow her to permit her beloved son to defy the normal dictates of her society, in spite of her son’s assurance that he had found a girl of his choice and they sought her blessings only.

Ramachandran did not change his mind. His marriage with Sakkubai was solemnised on 16th March 1959 at Eluru in Andhra Pradesh, the hometown of his fiancée, according to the Brahma Samaj rites instead of the traditional Hindu marriage rites. Brahma Samaj is a powerful social reformation movement started in the 19th century in defiance of the Hindu traditional customs and practices.

Although Ramachandran’s family members did not attend the wedding, he and his wife were well received when they visited his family in Madurai, after their marriage. His mother welcomed her daughter-in-law and accepted her as a member of the family. Her bond with her son was so strong that she pardoned him for an act that would have been considered a sacrilege in an orthodox Brahmin family in the South India of 1950s, although in the pluralistic culture of the country it would have gone unnoticed. Later his parents lived with them at Mukteswar for a couple of months. 

The marriage with Sakkubai was godsend to Ramachandran in so many ways. In the words of another long time associate and friend Dr. S.S. Khera, he found an educated companion to share his thoughts and ideas and discuss professionally on an equal basis. In the meantime, Sakkubai also completed her Master’s degree in Virology of the Madras University in 1961. She was sponsored in 1966 by the Swedish International Development Agency to work for a year in Stockholm, Sweden, on cell culture technology and further to complete her Ph.D. degree under the supervision of Dr. G. Fraser and Prof. A. Buxton in Edinburgh University. She was awarded the degree in Virology in 1971. Thus in her own right, Dr. Sakkubai, maintained her professional advancement and standing in IVRI in keeping with her academic achievements. However, she preferred to keep a low profile of herself as a scientist and took care of her husband as a traditional Indian wife. Dr. C. Krishna Rao, who knew both of them from their student days, describes their relationship thus. Ramu drew his strength from his devoted wife Sakkubai. She shared many of his noble qualities and was a tower of strength to him. They shared a happy home and together they dedicated their lives in the cause of the profession.

Ramachandran was very much a family man. Basically he was very sentimental and affectionate. His bond with his own kith and kin was strong and he never missed any occasion to meet and share his time with all of them. Equally facile was he to mix freely with the families known to him or that he came across during his various assignments and travel. Thus he enlarged his circle with families from different backgrounds and culture, developing an utopian outlook. He kept up an unending relationship with all of them through correspondence and personal visits, which endeared him to all those who knew him. His wife enriched this part of his life by assuming equal responsibility to honour the social part of his commitments.

International assignments
Ramachandran spent almost two decades on foreign assignments in different Third World Countries.
The first international assignment of Ramachandran soon after he completed his doctoral degree was when he worked on a Fellowship from the Wellcome Foundation U.K. from 1971 to 1974 as the Project Director of Rinderpest Project in India. This was one of the most fruitful and satisfying programmes for Ramachandran. He worked in his own country where he got the opportunity to tour extensively covering many States in India. He endeared himself to a large number of local scientists with whom he worked very closely and built up a lasting relationship with all of them. He used measles haemagglutination inhibition test (MHI test), which he had standardised during his doctoral studies to evaluate the sero-conversion in the large and small ruminants against rinderpest. Under the National Rinderpest Eradication Project, which started in mid 1950s, livestock had been vaccinated extensively in all the States of India, but there was no test applicable at the field level to evaluate the immune response of the vaccinated animals. Ramachandran used the MHI test for this purpose by further improving and simplifying it and screened thousands of vaccinated or clinically sick animals across the country for rinderpest antibodies. He published his findings in each State separately, always associating with one or more local scientific colleagues as co-authors of the specific study. The countrywide study was documented in the Wellcome Foundation Report which proved most valuable in the development of strategies for the successful eradication of the most dreaded disease of India.

His studies on the levels of rinderpest antibodies acquired actively or passively interfering with immunisation opened new areas of research. He also showed how the naturally occurring disease had been showing a range of clinical signs from mild to severe, often suggesting the possible occurrence of rinderpest-like diseases in India. 
Having realised the importance of evaluating the immune vs. infection status and also distinguishing rinderpest from rinderpest-like diseases, sensitive tests have been subsequently developed for field application to monitor the disease-free status in the country.

FAO / UNDP assignment
Soon after his work in India for Wellcome Foundation, he embarked on another important phase of his professional career, when on November 14, 1974, he joined the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and went to Bali Islands of Indonesia. There he worked as the Animal Health Officer (Virologist) of the team, which was headed by Dr. M. Lobrey, and had the responsibility to strengthen the animal health services in the Eastern Islands. This was his longest international assignment and extended till 1981. 

After his briefings in Rome, the Head Quarters of FAO and Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, he took up his duties at the Denpasar centre on December 7, 1974. Most of his assignment period was spent in this centre. His first visit to Maros came up much later in October 1975. There was a set back in the programme as the UNDP support virtually closed in 1976, with the result the Maros activity stopped but the Denpasar centre continued a moderate scale of activity.

However, Maros centre got revived when the CIDA aided Funds in Trust Project with Dr. H.P. Harding as the Manager started on 1st June 1976. It gained momentum in 1977 and Ramachandran periodically visited the centre to impart in-service training and design a few applied research programmes. 

His stay in Bali Islands up to 1981 was memorable in so many ways. He fulfilled his responsibilities although under difficult working conditions, common to most of the developing areas of the world.

The laboratories were designed and established to undertake disease investigation work on modern lines and also keeping in view the future developments. Human resource development included training of local professional and supportive technical persons to take over and run the Disease Investigation Centre (DIC).

The laboratories for work on virology were set up using the resources made available to the project, but more importantly the efficient use of the facilities was demonstrated to his colleagues. He was well supported by Dr. M. Malole, the then Director of the DIC, Denpasar. The way he organised and conducted training programmes for the local recruits, he endeared himself and became a father figure to all of them - writes Dr. Son Soeharsono, a Veterinarian, on behalf of all of them who worked with Dr. Rama and still many of them continue at DIC, Denpasar. He also recalls the happy reunion they had when Dr. Rama visited them in 1996. He guided and trained them in disease investigation work. Prof. Sumarmo and Dr. H.M.G. Siregar assisted him in this task. Apart from his professional association, he equated with them by mixing freely and discovering cultural relationships that could be mutually appreciated. He identified himself totally with them. Although eclipsed by her illustrious husband, by her own interaction with the counterpart workers and their families, Mrs. Ramachandran brought all of them even closer and paved the way for a pleasant lifelong association.

Dr. Ramachandran’s work on Jembrana disease, peculiar to the Balinese cattle, was a classical example of how a well conceived and systematically executed study on a disease of unknown aetiology would open up new vistas in understanding a disease problem. It was not only an open minded approach but also amenable to logistics. He paid particular attention to details and carrying out the laboratory work with meticulous care. His studies did indicate the possibility of a viral aetiology of Jembrana disease, which has been confirmed by later work. He also used the opportunity to train the local associates in the modus operandi of animal disease investigation in the field and the laboratory. He left behind a team of trained workers who imbibed an excellent work culture for which they are grateful to him even today. They found in him an enlightened mind with compassion for his fellow beings.

World Bank assignment
Ramachandran’s next assignment was for two years beginning June 1982, as the Chief Veterinary Officer in the Project Development Unit in Juba, South Sudan. This was under the Agriculture Development Service of the World Bank in the Democratic Republic of the Sudan. Mr. Don Muir was the Project Director and Dr. Aggrey A. Majok was the Director of Veterinary Services, Southern Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Juba. Both of them evinced great interest and supported Ramachandran in executing the project work. He was in overall charge of the May Veterinary Laboratory, which was a vital component in the Animal Health Sector of the Southern Regional Agriculture Project.

The May Laboratory had the responsibility to support the field operations in diagnosis, prophylaxis and control of livestock diseases in the southern region, train laboratory and field staff in modern methods of disease surveillance and laboratory investigations and manufacture vaccines for the control of livestock diseases. While considerable progress was achieved in the first two objectives, manufacture of vaccines could not be initiated due to infrastructural constraints.

Although there were frequent changes of laboratory personnel, they were all exposed to training in modern methods of disease investigation. 

Dr. Ramachandran held charge of Wau laboratory also for about a year. The activities were similar in both laboratories. He established liaison with the teaching departments of Juba University for mutual benefits of the laboratories and the university.

Due to political unrest in the region, the World Bank withdrew the services in 1984, of all the foreign consultants in South Sudan.

Dr. Majok recalls in the memoirs, how their relationship became intimate and life long.
Ramu returned to CTVM, Edinburgh, to resume the teaching work at the Centre.

Other country assignments
The Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Government of Kuwait retained the services of Ramachandran as a consultant for short periods in each year from 1987 to 1989. He advised the Animal Health Department and conducted training programmes for field veterinarians in the diagnosis of animal diseases. He was impressed by the infrastructure facilities available for routine diagnosis of animal/poultry diseases and the competence of the staff in the diagnostic laboratories in Kuwait. He noted that good effort was made to prevent entry of exotic diseases into the country despite import of large number of animals/animal products.

He studied the disease problems prevalent under local conditions and suggested several remedial measures to be adopted to overcome them. He also advised on paying more attention to some viral diseases of sheep, equines and poultry, to use newer laboratory techniques for diagnosis and improved vaccines for their control.
In May 1991, the Society for General Microbiology, U.K., sponsored Ramachandran with financial assistance under Third World Microbiology Fund, for three weeks to Bangladesh. He was asked to explore the possibility of forging a link between the Veterinary Faculty of Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh and Dhaka with similar institutions in U.K. 

After a study and discussions with the Dean and members of the faculty, he reported that the undergraduate education was below par, but the postgraduate programme was good. There was dearth of funds and inadequate infrastructure. He suggested that the U.K. Society may consider establishment of tissue culture laboratory and strengthening of the microbiology programme.

Ramachandran evaluated a rural dairy development programme sponsored by VETAID, U.K., in Suchenari Village in Madurai District of Tamilnadu. The programme was to assist 40 identified economically poor village families through dairy development. The programme was not successful due to inadequate infrastructural support.

Academic activities
Ramachandran made the CTVM, Edinburgh, his base to operate in different parts of the world. During the intervening periods between his visits outside, he taught in CTVM as a visiting fellow. He used every opportunity to participate actively in scientific seminars, symposia and conferences held in different parts of the world. He enlisted himself as an active life-member of many scientific societies and academies and was regular in attending the important meetings and conferences organised by them. It gave Ramu adequate exposure to international science community, through his well-presented papers followed by interaction with scientists from different backgrounds. His engaging dialogues and discussions on topics of mutual interest endeared him to all those he met. He built a large circle of friends and associates who found him to be sincere and dedicated to the cause of science. He maintained his contact with most of them through his meticulous correspondence and often visits to the laboratories of the working scientists. His simplicity and openness attracted many young scientists who flocked to him; more particularly the graduate students who received unsolicited help from him. He guided many of them by suggestions to improve their experimental designs, analyse and interpret the experimental data and even scan literature for them in respect of the particular study through his own library work. His long hours in the library whether he was in Edinburgh, Bangalore or elsewhere, benefited his associates. He made it a point to write or send photocopies of topics which he came across in the literature to all those with whom he shared common interests.

Ramachandran’s discussions with scientists were mature and often initiated new areas of research to be pursued although his own role was merely catalytical. Outstanding examples are the ramifications of molecular studies on rinderpest and peste des petit ruminants viruses and Rift Valley Fever (RVF) reported for the first time in India. Dr. Bharucha has aptly described the extent of his personal involvement in such activities in his memoir. Ramu went all the way to Belfast, (N. Ireland) to meet Dr. Bharucha who had worked on RVF in humans. Ramu sought his help in confirming suspected RVF cases encountered in Tamilnadu, India. Dr. Bharucha was so impressed by the sincerity of the elderly scientist that he readily agreed to collaborate and visited TANUVAS where the work was being pursued on RVF.

Ramu was a prolific writer. Although he wrote extensively on a wide variety of subjects of topical interest, the theme was always animal health. He published 113 scientific papers in various reputed national and international journals. Most of them were based on his own studies or in association with other scientists. In addition, he wrote several reviews on contemporary topics on animal health. The series of review articles for Centaur written by him are highly educative and fit to be published in a monograph. He never failed to enlist his associate/s as co-author/s giving them due recognition.

His correspondence with his friends and colleagues was legendary. Most of his associates recall in the memoirs how they failed to keep up with his regularity in correspondence. In his letters, he routinely included excerpts from his readings covering the subject area of mutual interest. His writing was clear and unambiguous. His published papers are lessons in science precis writing. His elaborate project reports included many details, which appeared trivial, but were important to complete the picture. 

Honours and awards
Ramachandran’s contributions were duly recognized and he was elected as honorary Fellow of the New York Academy of Sciences, Indian Association of Veterinary Pathologists and National Academy of Veterinary Sciences of India. He was also enlisted as a Member of the Institute of Biology, London.

He was honoured in 1997 by his own Alma Mater which appointed him as a Visiting Professor in TANUVAS. He was conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Indian Association of Veterinary Pathologists in 1999.

Love of arts
Ramachandran cultivated a love for music and arts from his very young age. He loved to draw figures for his young school-going sisters. He did not have formal training in South Indian classical music or dance but he was so knowledgeable about these, that he could have been a critic of these fine arts. He could appreciate the nuances of carnatic music and explain the finer points. He made it a point to attend music concerts whenever possible. He loved the soothing effect of music and played softly audiocassettes of classical music in the background when he was working or writing. 

He enjoyed equally the classical dances and attended programmes. His knowledge of music and dance helped him to follow and appreciate cultural programmes in other countries especially in Indonesia where a blend could be seen of the Indian and Indonesian cultures.

He was also a collector of arts from different parts of the world during his assignments and visits. Mrs. Ramachandran too shared the interest with him.

Ramachandran was an avid photographer. He put on record for posterity everything he saw or came across during his extensive travel. They bring back nostalgic memories of all the events and the people he met in various situations and occasions. The thousands of photographs capturing the beauty of places and people across the world can be organised into a one-man show reminiscing the life of a great soul. 

His last public appearance was in November 1999 when he attended the annual conference of the Indian Association of Veterinary Pathologists in Bangalore. His supreme effort at that time to present his usually well-prepared paper was beyond normal comprehension of anybody. He was in enormous pain, which he made great effort to subdue by sedation every now and then. Ignoring his personal discomfort he managed to attend the technical sessions and presented his paper. It was his courage of conviction that stood by him as he was physically exhausted but remained mentally alert. He apologised and with the permission of the house presented the paper sitting. Although his voice was frail, the full house listened to his talk with rapt attention and it left indelible impression and lasting memories in the minds of all the scientists from different parts of India who heard him. It was also a lesson to the younger generation of scientists to show what commitment to science is meant. It was a performance of crowning glory to his long scientific career of more than a half-century. He breathed science to the end. The Association honoured him with the Life-time Achievement Award in appreciation of his contributions to the development of Veterinary Pathology.

Ramachandran devoted his life to propagate scientific thinking and temperament. In Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi’s words, ‘while serving society faithfully in thought, word and deed, a member should promote its cause among all other members of his community by awakening them to similar service’. Dr. Ramachandran’s life was true to this in letter and spirit.

‘He who is free from malice towards all beings, 
friendly and compassionate, rid of ego, 
balanced in joy and sorrow, forgiving by nature, 
ever-contended and mentally united with Me, 
who has subdued his mind, senses and body, 
has a firm resolve, and has surrendered, 
his mind and reason to Me, he is dear to Me.
- The Bhagavad Gita 

CURRICULUM VITAE

Name	Sivaramakrishnier Ramachandran
Date of Birth	14.01.1925
Place of Birth	Madurai, Tamilnadu
Nationality	Indian
Marital Status	Married to Dr. Sakkubai P.

Academic Qualifications:

1.	Bachelor of Arts (B.A., Zoology and Botany), Madras University, 1946.
2.	Bachelor of Veterinary Science (B.V.Sc.), Madras University, 1950.
3.	Master of Science (M.Sc.), Madras University, in Veterinary Pathology, 1960.
4.	Diploma in Veterinary State Medicine (D.V.S.M.)., Edinburgh University, U.K., 1965.
5.	Diploma in Bacteriology (Dip. Bact.) Manchester University, U.K., 1966.
6.	Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Edinburgh University, U.K., in Veterinary Virology, 1970.

Awards:

1.	ICAR Research Fellowship, Govt. of India, 1955 - 1957.
2.	Overseas Development Association Fellowship, Edinburgh University U.K., 1966 - 1970.
3.	Post - Doctoral Fellowship, Wellcome Foundation, U.K., 1971 - 1974.

Assignments in Teaching, Research and Extension: 

1.	Research Assistant, Vaccinology, Institute of Veterinary Preventive Medicine,Ranipet, Tamil Nadu, 1950 - 1955 and 1957 - 1959.
2.	Disease Investigation Officer (Pathology) and Lecturer, Veterinary Pathology, Post-graduate College of Animal Sciences, IVRI, 1960 - 1964.
3.	Research Associate (Virology), Department of Animal Health, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, Edinburgh, U.K., 1966 -1970.
4.	Post - Doctoral Fellow (Virology), CTVM Edinburgh University, U.K., 1981 - 1982.
5.	Visiting Professor, Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University. w.e.f. August, 1977 onwards

International Assignments: