Prof M. Udayakumar: Born in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India, Prof. Udayakumar studied in Majeti Guravaiah High School (Guntur), B.Sc (Andhra University), M.Sc (Moscow University), and obtained Ph.D. (1971) from the Academy of Sciences, USSR. He joined the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore (1973). He worked there as Professor and Head of the Department of Crop Physiology and INSA Senior Scientist (1973-2021). He was also a Visiting Professor at Wageningen Agriculture University, Netherlands. He made significant contributions in research related to photosynthesis, abiotic stress tolerance, transgenic crop development, phenomics, and genomics of essential crops. An inspiring teacher, Prof Udayakumar, guided and mentored the scores of students. As Chairman and member of the Review Committee on Genetic Manipulation (RCGM; DBT) and Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC, MoEF), he was instrumental in formulating the policies of GMO regulation in India. An unassuming, endearing, and humble personality Prof. Udayakumar infused clarity and wisdom in shaping research programs in ICAR, CSIR, DST, DBT, UGC, and several universities. Recognizing his immense academic contributions, he was elected as a Fellow of India's all four major science academies. Prof Udayakumar passed away on June 26, 2021.
An indelible quality of Prof. Udayakumar was the ease with which he combined his knowledge in engineering (instrumentation) and quantitative analysis in linking basic plant physiological processes to whole plant physiology which in today's jargon termed as Systems biology. He never hesitated to collaborate with experts in other fields in this endeavor, and many of his collaborators became his lifelong friends. He also ensured that these collaborations helped strengthen departmental capacity and provided adequate training to his students and younger colleagues. Furthermore, Prof. Udayakumar was generous in his support of students. He called upon his friends and collaborators to arrange for reagents, equipment, and other research needs during difficult times. As a result of these efforts, the Dept. of Crop Physiology now hosts a National facility for Stable isotope studies, consisting of a continuous flow Isotope ratio Mass Spectrometer (IRMS) along with all peripherals to determine carbon, nitrogen and oxygen isotope ratios in plant samples on a continuous flow mode. This facility has been operating over the last couple of decades by providing service support to measure samples to many national institutes and students from universities. It has also been performing the role of a nodal center to provide mentorship and training in using stable isotopes in biological science research.
With his keen interest and clear understanding of drought stress physiology, he helped establish an "automated drought simulator phenomics platform" at UASB. With a capacity to determine water use and plant growth in real time, thus providing an excellent high throughput impetus to the efforts in capturing genetic variability in complex drought adaptive traits in large number of accessions. Arguably, this phenomics facility at UASB is the world's largest outdoor phenotyping facility.
The creation of self-sustainable and indigenous facilities was the greatest strength of Prof. Udayakumar. This quality made him create several phenotyping tools to determine genetic variability in drought adaptive traits. A few examples are the temperature Induction Response (TIR), technique, the managed drought environment facility (MDE), and the root phenotyping structures. Steadfastly, Prof. Udayakumar remained loyal to the Department, for nearly 50 years, until his final days overseeing its development. Thus, Prof. Udayakumar leaves behind a big void. Nevertheless, a rich legacy, as many of his students who have distinguished themselves in academia and industry, should be able to carry his vision forward.
ReplyDeleteI first met Prof. Udayakumar as an undergraduate student at UAS Bangalore in 1988. He taught just one lecture on photosynthesis. The energy, enthusiasm, and passion he exhibited swayed me towards Crop Physiology. Our interactions grew further during ICAR Junior Fellowship coaching sessions and later when I joined his lab as a Master’s student in 1992. He was approachable; even as an MSc student, I could walk into his office and discuss issues at length. Though he managed a large and well-knit group, he guided each of his students with the same involvement, which is rare. When tasks could not be accomplished during extended school hours, he invited us home, where many fruitful discussions used to take place over home-cooked delicious meals. What also stood out is his hunger for knowledge and ability to venture into research areas in technical or conceptual realms. He was already a well-established crop physiologist but aspired to get into molecular biology and biochemical aspects. He used to work hard on this by either reading up the literature or setting up experiments. He actively explored and set up collaborations with experts in relevant fields from other institutions. Our interactions though infrequent, continued after I moved to TIFR, Bombay, for my Ph.D. His hunger for knowledge remained till the end. I spent a day with prof during my last visit to India in December 2019. He was as engaging and enthusiastic as always in discussing his new lines of work and showing us his field experimental stations. Though we miss his presence, his legacy continues in the institutions he helped build and nurture, and many more he trained and inspired.
- Prof. Venugopala Reddy Gonehal
Yes, I agree with Prof. Venugopala Reddy. Professor MUK was one of the best teachers; he made me pick the subject of Plant Physiology for higher studies. I first met him in the year 1988 as an undergraduate(UG) student at UAS Bangalore (UASB); he taught a trimester (UG) course on tree physiology. I got a wonderful opportunity to interact and work under his guidance during my Master’s and Ph.D. research. After my brief services at the Central Government Research Institutes, I returned to UASB and worked under his leadership for many years. He was supportive of my efforts to return to university, and his initiatives for upgrading the professional skills of students and faculty were well appreciated. His absence is felt, and we miss him here. We will try to exercise the good scientific and academic practices of Prof. MUK.
Delete-Nataraja Karaba, UASB
Shri. Prof. MUK was known since the 1970’s to my Father and Uncle. He as a matter of fact had met Three Generations of the Annadana Family before me. Though the name was familiar, as he was someone who you were sure to see on all major family occasions, never had interacted much with him. It was the winter of 1996, in Wageningen that I actually got to meet him one on one and we had several evening outings of Dutch Pub visits, where I was trying to ensure he would taste as many beers of Europe as possible. He would end up saying “ Neevu Youngsters namagella force maadbaardu saar, vayas aythu”. Its during these informal meetings that I came to know a lot of Prof. MUK’s personal side, academic side and the highly impactful Russia Experience. From their started the journey of my PhD wherein Prof. MUK was co-guide, we had several International publications jointly and even today some of that work is considered seminal in the world of proteinase inhibitors and western flower thrips. We also ventured on some business interest albeit with minimal success. His Charming personality, always open to ideas and always he would make you feel important. The master of Public relations and personification of science has left more than just an impact on several like me. His contributions to the Department went beyond his predecessors and he left them all proud. In addition he created the next generation in a manner that Science would be on top of everything else and that made the Department a class Apart at UAS-B, GKVK. A bottle of red wine with some starters was the constant companion of our evening meetings till the end….great spirited spirit.
ReplyDeleteSeetharam Annadana
My first memories of Prof M.Udayakumar must be from a PG class on Plant growth and Crop Productivity in 1986-87. Most of the students were amused with a Professor, who whistled in his own class!! We were all smitten by MUKs passion, zeal and teaching, and as I write this statement, visuals of Proffie explaining Electron Transport and Photosystems cross my mind. After being awestruck by his teaching abilities, I reconnected with MUK around 1993-94, and my interactions grew stronger. I am ever thankful to him, for giving me an opportunity to join his group in 1995-96. This was at a time, when I was low on self confidence, and clueless about my career. Professor was instrumental in making me realise my own strengths during my tenure at the Department. My contributions were highly valued, and the vast canvas of learning opportunities offered by the Professor was unparalleled. Professor's network across different spectrums of Science & Technology, offered us the students different forums with members of different committees in DBT, DST, Rubber Board, etc. which helped us to broaden our perspectives. Later, MUK asked a few of us from the department, to consider a career in the Industry, which we did, should I say in Style? My association with MUK strengthened and flourished even after I joined Monsanto and we worked very closely in the areas of policies around biotech crops. Professor, championed the cause of technology in agriculture, and was always hungry to get an update on the latest developments. Being a great listener, he had a tremendous appetite to learn latest developments and adopted them in an appropriate manner. Professor took pride in seeing his students shine at different meetings and forums, and created innumerable opportunities for the same. During my 25+ years in corporate world, I attended many workshops and trainings, on leadership skills such as Leading by Influencing, Focus on Strengths, Man Management, Networking skill etc., Trust me, each one of them was very valuable, useful- but at the end of every session, I ended up saying- I have seen some one mastering these skills- MUK !!. A great teacher, Researcher, Coach, Mentor and above all a great human being. WE MISS YOU SIR🙏🙏🙏
ReplyDeleteProfessor M. Udayakumar: My inspiration
ReplyDeleteThe course work of B.Sc (Agri) graduates was taught mainly at two different places, one at Agriculture college, and the other at College of Basics Sciences and Humanity. Some of us who stayed in the UG Hostel of GKVK Campus used to play cricket in the evening behind the Department of Crop Physiology. One regular event that caught my attention was Professor M. Udayakumar (all the students used to fondly address him as ‘Professor’) going back home late in the evening. Often, I also saw him going to the university cafeteria with his students. This was an amazing experience for me, as most of the staff members in the GKVK campus used to leave the office by 4 PM. Professor’s long working hours, passion, dedication, and friendliness all inspired me so much that it culminated in my desire to pursue Masters in Crop Physiology.
Clearing an ICAR-JRF exam would almost certainly fetch you admission to M.Sc; however, this was not an easy task. It is a national-level competitive examination, which requires proper coaching, and coaching is a costly affair! Surprisingly, a team of teachers led by Professor provided free coaching to interested students to clear this exam, after working hours. This selfless service by Professor and his team cemented my wish to join this Department at any cost. However, I was not sure I would qualify M.Sc (Crop Physiology) interviews. Moreover, I felt my interview went just fine. I was a bit nervous for two reasons; one, this was my first interview ever, and second, I was facing Professor!. One of my senior friends, Krishna Rao Desai, suggested that I meet the Professor if I am not sure of clearing the M.Sc. interviews. As I was desperate to join this Department, I met the Professor in the evening and expressed my desire to pursue my Master's in Crop Physiology. Professor, in his usual style, said “Nodanna amma”, which means “let’s see” in Kannada. That was my first direct interaction with Professor. One of the remarkable qualities of Professor was that he always helped students who had interest and were ready to work. Eventually, I joined M.Sc (Crop Physiology), perhaps by a combination of my intellectual capabilities, luck, and Professor’s support. I also subsequently cleared my ICAR-JRF exam.
Professor’s enthusiasm and passion for teaching was amazing. He used to teach Photosynthesis and Carbon metabolism, and his teaching has imprinted many of the concepts in our minds. On the other hand, he was very aggressive and critical in the Qualifying exams, which was one of the most challenging tasks in the career of an MSc or Ph.D. student in the Department. Professor used to grill us for about 1 to 2 hours!. For instance, he used to start asking questions about the light reaction of photosynthesis, go through mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, stomatal opening, root to shoot signaling, ending with water use efficiency!! This exercise made us confident and strong in the subject.
Few other platforms that offered me chances to interact with Professor were my research advisory meetings and Saturday seminars. He used to give valuable suggestions, which helped provide different perspectives and improve our work. Professor always motivated all the students in the Department, no matter whether they were formally guided by him or not. Even after I left the Department, he kept supporting me through recommendation letters for postdoctoral positions, jobs, academy fellowships, etc. Whenever he came to Pune, he made sure to meet me and Joe and inquire about our research. I am very happy to mention that last year we published a paper together on carbonyl stress in plants. For me, his absence is a huge personal loss, as I used to always discuss with him my research and career progress. His passion and dedication continue to inspire us to do the best in science!
Mahesh J Kulkarni
When we joined the Dept of Crop Physiology for MSc it was one of the most vibrant group in the UAS. It was buzzing with activity with energetic faculty and senior PhD students. One of the noticeable feature about the Dept was that most of the students received some sort of financial support - ICAR JRF, Univ merit fellowship, research assistantship etc. Most of the faculty and senior students had such commitment and attachment to the Dept which rubbed on each and every new batch of students.
ReplyDeleteThis was all due to the charismatic leadership of Prof. MUK. He inherited a good Dept from Prof. Krishna Sastry and made it one of the best. He brought national and international recognition to the Dept which benefitted students and faculty alike. He built a vast network of able and supportive colleagues and collaborators.
Above all, Prof. MUK will be remembered forever as a great human being by all those who came in contact with him.
My moments with Profy (MUK)! A true ATGC (All Time Great Champion) in my professional life..
ReplyDeleteFirst time I saw Profy in the year 1988 (1st year-UG) when he came as a replacement teacher to teach us photosynthesis (someone uttered his name as Uday, HoD of CPH, that surprised many. As per our immature imagination he wasn’t that old to be HoD!). The aura of such an energetic, dynamic and curly-haired young-look with free-flowing articulations inspired me! The 2 classes of Profy had made a needed change in our inclination to physiology of plants! From 1988 to till the mid of 1991, I hardly had a chance to meet Profy until a few of us had shown the interest of attending ICAR_JRF coaching.
Profy used to take most of the classes voluntarily to infuse interest in the subject. We had witnessed commitment, passion, perseverance of this great person and those `rare’ qualities have been imprinted in our minds! I have cherished them from within wherever I used to meet Profy! In that year, 1991 out of 10 ICAR-JRF awards, our batch bagged 5 and the first person, visibly happy more than us was Profy! I could observe a fulfilled smile on his face that was indeed more than the award, for me!
My saga with the dept continued from Masters to PhD. Though I wasn’t his direct student in both, he was my `Guru Dhronacharya` until I left the dept in 2006! I had in fact started silently watching his `360-inclusive’ situation-bound approaches, that attracted and came to my rescue several times in my professional careers.
My PhD on WUE and application of stable isotopes (carbon & oxygen) was new then in India. Thanks to the vision and forging-future efforts of Profy! He was the guiding force in getting the national facility of stable isotopes for plant sciences. While on the run to trying out newer methods, Shesha and I had made several efforts for standardization. I wish to narrate a small incident here: We were so excited to publish our work (first of its kind from India then!), so we prepared a manuscript to submit to `Science’ journal! As letter to editor had to be through HoD, I took it to Profy for signature. He saw, bit puzzled and uttered a sentence in a mellow voice, that even today ring in my ears - “Bindu, before we desire, we must deserve”(I realized later, he thought our plan was for Current Science). I consider it as a phrase for a lifetime for all across professions or businesses included!
Profy’s support during my PhD days is worthy enough to be remembered for life! My dad was critically ill for 1½ to 2 years of my prime PhD time and I had to move around hospitals to give him best of the medical aid. Profy’s words (encouraging, emotionally-embedded, exclusive and more) helped me sail through to give a relationally-rich time to my Dad, who was another epitome of human identity!
I recall the day I got the news from ICAR that my PhD thesis was adjudicated for Jawaharlal Nehru award. I was with Profy, letter came and I handed over to Proffy and the scene post that moment was so thrilling that I cannot pen it in words. He uttered in a slightly high-pitched voice, “Bindu, this was the award missing from Dept list and you have made us proud, I must stand up and congratulate you, today is one of the best days of my professional life” He shook my hand a bit longer (thrilling moment of my life, indeed even to date!). My heart inadvertently started whispering “Hi Bindu, a tiny `Guru Dhakshine’ from your end, Kudos man!”
Profy’s passion to know new developments in science & networking was just adorable. He used to showcase and adopt the practice of `Patience is the Mantra to Achieve Success’. For me, he was `One Stop Destination’ for solutions to most of professional puzzles!
As Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita, all good things come to an end but good deeds are eternal. No end to divine and spirited soul of Profy, its mere presence in all the places he walked around is enough to give us much-needed strength.
Long live and be happy Profy, wherever you are. Keep blessing us and the DCP!
`Bindu' (Bindumadhava H)
To live and learn - Profy
ReplyDeleteI had the fortune and privilege of associating with my beloved Prof. Udayakumar, fondly known as Profy, since 1992. Profy played a significant role in shaping my career in science. Additionally, I imbibed many of his attributes which transitioned into valuable soft skills. These soft skills enabled me to progress in my carrier at Bayer. The top three attributes I would like to highlight are passion, teamwork and influence.
His passion for science and hunger for knowledge were unparalleled and inspired me tremendously. I first noticed this in the only class he taught in our UG program and further observed it in our ICAR fellowship coaching classes. These notable attributes attracted me to the department and helped me sustain my interest throughout my post graduate program.
One instance that comes to mind would be when I came into a lab meeting with results thinking that my research objectives had been completed. However, by the end of our conversation, I had a whole new set of research question. Interestingly enough, I never once felt like I was signing up for more work. This speaks about Profy’s ability to inspire and engage his students in science. Our conversations on data and experiments were so inspiring and thought-provoking, it inculcated my mindset that learning is interesting. This attitude has been essential for staying up-to-date with the subject and most importantly helping me stay relevant at my workplace.
Unfortunately, Profy is no longer with us today, but he has left behind a rich culture centered around “living and learning” for the future generations of scientists at the Department of Crop Physiology. I would like to honor his legacy by creating a caring, enabling, and inclusive environment. The attributes to emulate include passion, dedication and openness. By doing this we can make our Profy immortal.
Ganesh Kumar (Gani)
Profee – A Teacher, Guide, Mentor, Mind Reader, Role Model and a Friend
ReplyDeleteFrom Gopi (M.Sc. and Ph.D. mentor)
There are many professors in Department of Crop Physiology in Bangalore. However, there is only one Real Professor we had. No one was called Professor by everyone except Professor Udayakumar.
I was fortunate to have him as my teacher and guide during my studies at Department of Crop Physiology, Bangalore. Though I had ICAR fellowship in Plant Biotechnology, I joined him as M.Sc. student. Initially he used to call me Murali. Later I came to know Murali is alternative name for Krishna (in my case Gopi). Profee had charisma to attract students. Later during my stay in the department, I came to know, whether x or y is his student or not, he treated everyone equally. He was guide to every student of crop physiology and also probably many other department students, indirectly. We used to see many other department students coming and taking his advice to complete their studies. He never said no to any student or colleagues who came and asked for advice, he was there for everyone. He has touched so many lives from his generosity.
I have many incidents which have influenced me and shaped up my life. Couple of them I would like to share here.
He took every class seriously. Though he has taught similar courses for 15-20 years, he never took the classes lightly. He read latest papers, he would ask us to read and explain some new topics. He prepared new slides, new ppts for every class. He always wanted to provide the advanced information about the topic which he is teaching. I used to help him to prepare slides/transparencies. This helped us to understand topics deeply. He used to literally take all of us to an excited state whenever he taught us Photosynthesis and related topics. We were all excited photons in his classed. Enjoyed 200% his classes. Probably never missed hearing to him. Similarly, departmental seminars are the places to argue and learn maximum. He encouraged everyone to ask right questions to get the maximum benefits of seminars.
While I was in M.Sc. (end of 1st year) I had got CSIR fellowship for Ph.D. In-fact, I wanted to go to US and do my Ph.D. However, the same day I went and paid fees for my GRE, he met me in the evening and convinced me to do Ph.D. with him and Prof. Mathew from NCBS. I got the best of both the worlds and never regret my decision.
Though I had CSIR/UGC fellowship, money was always a problem during our Ph.D. time. During my second year, one day I was completely upset, probably my pocket was empty. While interacting with him probably he realized and read my mind. Just before going home he handed over me INR 2000 and asked me not to worry about finances, much. I was really touched. Felt like real father helping me. Though I returned the money at later stages, we had always a helping hand at department.
We tend to find different role models at different stages of our life. Profee has been my role model and inspiring person last couple of decades. I have mentioned this in many of my talks. I was fortunate that two of my role models (my father, Ramaswamy, K. and my teacher, Professor Udayakumar) inaugurated our company theraCUES, on 25th Aug, 2017. I have always discussed with him major events / change of jobs and other important things before taking decisions. Their blessings helping us to sail through tough times.
It is unfortunate such a great person is not with us. He was succumbed to prostate cancer. During his treatment time he used to call me and interact with me like a friend. At the advanced stage of cancer, we worked together to get the advanced genomics profiling done. Presently theracues is working with many stakeholders to develop novel products in cancer, including prostate cancer. Hope we will do our bit and contribute towards curing cancer. That will be a small tribute to our loving profee. Though we have lost him physically, his teachings, his influence, his wonderful thoughts would be guiding lamp for our future.
Best,
Gopi (Murali for profee)
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