Last updated : July 11, 2025 9:03 am
He turned down top positions including Secretary, DST; Chairman, UGC; DG, CSIR; and Director, IIT Kanpur and chose to remain a professor at his alma mater, the UDCT, becoming the youngest professor in the University of Mumbai's history and later its longest-serving one
I had the privilege of reading this compelling biography of Padma Vibhushan Prof. Man Mohan Sharma, FRS, first in its original Marathi version and then its English translation. As someone who has had the good fortune of knowing Prof. Sharma for over five decades, initially as his student, later as a colleague at UDCT (now ICT Mumbai), and as a close family friend, I found this work to be profoundly moving and inspiring. He has been my mentor, the Maha Guru, and philosopher who has influenced my life. Every word written in the book raises the curiosity to know more and more about this saintly persona.
The biography is thoughtfully structured into 29 chapters, yet rather than summarizing each, I prefer to highlight its most striking elements. Once you begin reading, it becomes impossible to put down. Whether you are a student, colleague, admirer, or someone unfamiliar with Prof. Sharma, you will inevitably find yourself wishing you had met him or had the honour of being his student or acquaintance. His presence has always been mesmerizing.
The book teaches profound lessons in humility, curiosity, integrity, and quiet confidence. It celebrates a life dedicated wholly to science, education, industry, government policy, and national service, free from the lure of power, position, or privilege. He wanted his students to surpass his achievements and never took anybody else’s credit although he may be the generator of the idea. What scientists call now as a ‘nano’ was studied by him in 1969 in his theoretical work with P. R. Ramachandran was mentioned by the great T. K. Sherwood of MIT in 1975.
Author Aneeta Patil deserves great credit for capturing the essence of this extraordinary yet deeply humble man in such lucid prose. Over a year of research, she interviewed numerous individuals including his famous students whose lives were touched by Prof. Sharma, friends, classmates, students, colleagues, and industrialists. Her work unveils the inner world of a man revered across academia, whose influence continues to span generations.
I was honoured to speak at the book’s release on June 6, 2025, before a large and enthusiastic audience. On that occasion, I remarked that Prof. Sharma is like a Jain Muni, detached from worldly ambition, glitter and materialist pleasure. He turned down top positions including Secretary, DST; Chairman, UGC; DG, CSIR; and Director, IIT Kanpur. Instead, he chose to remain a professor at his alma mater, the UDCT, becoming the youngest professor in the University of Mumbai's history and later its longest-serving one. You will always wonder, is such a person amongst us as a beacon of knowledge and humility?
His list of accolades are staggering. But what truly defines him is his generosity of spirit. He is a mentor of mentors, a sculptor of minds, a sage counsellor to many in different walks of life and the nation at large. These facets are beautifully brought out in the book.
The foreword, written by Bharat Ratna Prof. C. N. R. Rao, FRS, is a heartfelt tribute to Prof. Sharma’s intellect, integrity, and enduring friendship. Despite not always being fully recognized by his own University, where even his election to the Royal Society in London was met with cold indifference, Prof. Sharma never uttered a word of protest. He accepted such moments with equanimity and grace. He was once denied the prestigious Bhatnagar Fellowship by the University, yet he bore it with humility rather than resentment.
His academic lineage, over 1,500 PhD scholars, directly and through his students, has created a towering banyan tree of knowledge and innovation. Long before “translational research” became a buzzword, he practised it. His PhD research led to a patent sold to Shell for £1,000 in 1963, a princely sum then. Among those inspired and mentored by him is industrialist Mukesh Ambani, who, at the book release function, announced a historic donation of Rs. 151 crore with no conditions attached. It was an unparalleled moment in the annals of Guru-Shishya (teacher-student) tradition and made headlines. What a legacy he has created!
Prof. Sharma has forged lifelong friendships across age groups and professions, academicians, scientists, bureaucrats, and industrialists, driven by a shared commitment to national development. The book recounts several such episodes that reveal his vast influence. He has a phenomenal memory and recollects many forgotten instances when he meets old timers.
A devout and disciplined individual, he observes a fast every Tuesday in honour of Lord Ram and visits a Hanuman temple every Saturday as far as possible, no matter where he is. His spiritual discipline is matched by his intellectual brilliance. He is an avid reader of Ram Charit Manas. Often called a “walking-talking encyclopaedia,” his memory and command over data, policy, history, and even old Hindi film songs are legendary. A true Brahmarshi of the modern era.
He has served on elite panels selecting IIT directors, secretaries to the government, CSIR directors, Director Generals, and more. The list is long. His mastery of English, although having been educated in Hindi, deep grasp of global chemical markets, and precise articulation have shaped policy at the highest levels. As a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee to the Prime Minister, along with some of the most revered scientists, his ideas helped shape institutions like IITs, IISERs, and AcSIR.
His rapport with late Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh (when he was the Chairman UGC), his longstanding chairmanship of the Petroleum Ministry’s Scientific Committee, and his role in the Empowered Committee of the MHRD are part of institutional memory. That committee, after a decade of selfless service, voluntarily disbanded, an act of rare ethical leadership. Some of the most visionary decisions for university and college research raised the level of research in India.
As Chairman of the IIT Council, he championed doctoral research and institutional excellence. The number of PG and PhD students in major IITs swelled to more than 50%. He was the Chairman of the BOG of IIT Madras, where his visionary ideas helped them to propel in leaps and bounds. His vision for institutional autonomy, especially for his karmabhoomi UDCT, and other universities, left a lasting mark on technical education in India. His influence spans CSIR’s industrial linkages, Chemical, and Pharmaceutical sectors, and even the functioning of the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.
At every step, his late wife Sudha remained his quiet strength. Her affectionate nickname for him, Gyaan Pipaasu, a thirster of knowledge, perfectly captured his insatiable intellectual curiosity. Their children and grandchildren spoke movingly at the book release, underlining how deeply family and values are embedded in his life.
The book is rich with anecdotes and reflections that underscore his generosity, brilliance, and humility. He fondly recalls his mentors, Dr. G. P. Kane, Prof. P. V. Danckwerts of Cambridge, and Prof. G. M. Nabar, acknowledging their lasting impact on his life.
The biography quickly became a bestseller. On his 88th birthday (June 4), followed by the felicitation in Mumbai on June 6, countless admirers attended in person or online. His autograph on the sold copies was a hallmark, and those who met him and received his blessing were the happiest. His relatives, too, were moved to rediscover their connection to such a towering figure, at once a Dnyan Yogi and Karma Yogi.
This book is a collector’s item and deserves a place in every personal and institutional library. Sundaram Digital Publication House has done an outstanding job, with plans to release Hindi and Gujarati translations soon. Given Prof. Sharma’s multilingual abilities and close ties with families from Maharashtra and Gujarat, these editions are sure to resonate deeply.
Title (English): Divine Scientist
Title (Marathi): Gurunam Guruh
Author: Aneeta Patil
Publisher: Sundaram Digital Publication House, Mumbai
Let me conclude with a prayer from the Atharva Veda:
"जीवेम शरदः शतम्"
May he live to see a hundred autumns
Reviewer: Prof. Ganapati D. Yadav, Bhatnagar Fellow & National Science Chair, Emeritus Professor of Eminence, and Former Vice Chancellor, Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai