Daulat is an Urdu word, meaning wealth. When Dr Kothari was named, ‘Daulat’ it seems he was named with a foresight as he was to prove a great asset for his nation. Daulat Singh Kothari is one of those illustrious scientists of the pre-independence era, who, by the dint of brilliance, hard work and exceptional capabilities, served the cause of the nation both before and after independence. Born on July 6, 1906, at Udaipur in Rajasthan, he lost his father — a school teacher, to the plague epidemic at the tender age of twelve. He was brought up by his mother Lahar Bai, along with his three brothers amidst great hardships but also in a highly principled manner.
Finding young Daulat Singh to be a promising lad, Sir Siremal Bapna, the Chief Minister of Indore State and a friend of Daulat Singh’s father, invited him to continue his studies in Indore. Thus began his very successful academic career where Daulat Singh would never score less than the top position and would earn scholarships and study awards to continue his higher studies. After matriculating in 1922 from Maharaja Shivajirao High School, Daulat Singh passed the Intermediate examination from the Intermediate College at Udaipur in 1924. Due to his meritorious standing in the Rajputana Board with distinctions in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics, the Maharana of Mewar granted him a handsome scholarship of Rs. 50/- per month for higher studies. He joined Allahabad University for his BSc in 1926 and MSc in Physics in 1928.
At Allahabad University Kothari came across Professor MN Saha, who was the head of the Physics Department. This meeting of the student Kothari and teacher, Prof Saha was to last a lifetime and transform Kothari from a good student to an arduous researcher, science writer and teacher. He was appointed demonstrator in the Department of Physics of Allahabad University. Kothari wished to pursue his PhD with Lord Rutherford at Cambridge and arrived in England in 1930 availing a UP Government scholarship. His PhD research work was profusely appreciated by the examiners of his thesis who, it is recorded, ‘spoke very warmly indeed of the excellent quality and character of his thesis.’
After earning the PhD degree, in 1933 Dr Kothari rejoined Allahabad University. In keeping with the imperialist traditions of not giving the rightful due to its Indian employees, the British bureaucrats refused to grant him increments for the period he was away.
Dr Kothari joined Delhi University in 1934 which was the same year in which post graduate classes were initiated in the University. In his life, Dr Kothari was now entering into a phase where his identities of an inspiring teacher, an intelligent researcher, a competent administrator were to emerge in a significant way which helped him to become the great visionary that the nation needed for its higher education sector at that period.
His pedagogic style was very unique as he did not follow the traditional delivery method of text book material but used demonstration and experimentation in his classrooms. Unlike most of the teachers who preferred to teach higher classes, Dr Kothari would teach undergraduate or even intermediate classes and would also invite eminent scientists like Professor Saha to be practical examiner for lower classes. He established the Physics department of the University with building, books and equipment. He did not stop at creating quality infrastructure only, but revamped the curricula, introduced several novel courses such as ‘History and Philosophy of Science’ and brought world renowned teachers to the campus. This was to be his roadmap for all institutions which he headed.
Dr Kothari was instrumental in developing the University library as a modern space with the best of academic facilities. His infectious, enthusiastic and genuine interest in the University’s academic affairs made his department a vibrant space charged with productive energy. Students, researchers and teachers were always arguing, debating or discussing the updates in the field of physics.
Dr Kothari published his first research paper with his teacher Dr GB Deodhar
on ‘Further Study of Elastic Behaviour of India Rubber’ in the Indian Journal of Physics — a journal established by CV Raman. His next paper on the measurement of the ratio of charge to mass of electron received appreciation from none other than Professor Saha. A well-known anecdote says that Lord Rutherford was reading Kothari’s paper when he met the former for the first time for getting admission to the Cavendish laboratory. His research focused on a variety of areas including quantum statistics, properties of degenerate matter, pressure ionization, internal constitution of stars, hole theory of the liquid state, bounded harmonic oscillator, Fermi’s theory of particle production, Riesz potential, colour centres in solids, armour penetration, radiation and sensation of pain, etc. The list is not exhaustive.
His pressure ionization theory helped to deduce important conclusions about white dwarf stars to planets and it was acknowledged by the international scientific community, that his work was the first to state the result explicitly. Professor A Sommerfeld’s statements in this context are really interesting. He said, ‘…. It is noteworthy that the Indian DS Kothari has developed an audacious relationship between the old fashioned planets and the now discovered newest heavenly bodies, the white dwarfs.’
While pursuing core Science problems, Dr Kothari never forgot the salience of the human angle which is the most crucial for any successful venture. He established an active research group at Delhi University. Wherever he worked, he was wont to create an informal but seriously academic atmosphere which spurred the creativity of his co-workers and he could create vibrant, dynamic teams.
As a teacher interested in the practice of teaching, he also wrote many papers on teaching-learning-understanding the understood; ‘How big is the moon and how far is the sky?’’ Why Add Marks in Examinations?’ are the titles of some of his pedagogic papers, which indicate his insights and original thinking in the field of pedagogy which teachers of Science hardly touch.
It was clear that a teacher-scientist who has done a great service to his institution within the straitjacketed constraints of dictates of a foreign rule, will surely play a very significant role in the free nation when education was the domain of priority for the government. He was appointed Scientific Advisor to the Ministry of Defence in 1948 and was at the helm of affairs to establish Defence Science Organization in 1949. Dr Kothari, through his clear vision and foresight, could chart a roadmap of the organization well into the future. Today the different defence labs established across the country have their origins in the prudent execution of Dr Kothari. Institute of Armament Studies and Naval Chemical and Metallurgical Laboratory at Mumbai, Indian Naval Physical Laboratory at Kochi, Defence Science Laboratory at Jodhpur Defence, Food Research Laboratory at Mysore, Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences at Chennai, Defence Electronics and Research Laboratory at Hyderabad, Technical Ballistic Research Laboratory at Chandigarh, and Centre for Fire Research, Solid State Physics Laboratory, Directorate of Psychological Research and Scientific Evaluation Group at Delhi are the prominent institutes which have created a research and development network for defence requirements of the country.
However, these administrative functioning could not deter Dr Kothari from pursuing his academic ventures and he even took out time to teach classes during his tenure as scientific advisor. Dr Kothari also wrote a very comprehensive book on the theme ‘Nuclear Explosions and Their Effects’ which was published in 1956. It was translated into Russian, German and Japanese and was hailed as a ‘history-making book conveying decisive knowledge at the right moment in an authentic form — unobjectionable and incorruptible, objective, consolidated and total’.
It was quite appropriate that the next assignment Dr Kothari was given was even more significant and his decisions would have far reaching consequences. In 1961, he was appointed the Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC). He had a tenure of 13 long years on the post and nurtured UGC with his eloquent ideas, acumen for creating value, thereby laying the foundation of a strong higher education system in the newly independent India.
In 1964, Dr Kothari was appointed the chairman of the first Indian Education Commission. Today, while reading the recommendations of the commission titled, ‘Education and National development’, one is awed by the farsightedness reflected in it. The Kothari Commission flagged issues of work experience, social service, moral education, vocationalization of education, teacher training, research in agriculture and applied sciences, etc., and the words in the report — ‘The destiny of India is now being shaped in her classrooms’ — became a slogan for Indian education.
The life and works of Dr Kothari are a continuation of the legacy of the great Indian teacher-scientists of pre-independent India who lit the fire of nationalism through the lens of Science and handed over the baton to the next generation of their equally illustrious students who then went ahead and worked for the reconstruction of the newly independent nation.
*The writer teaches at Panjab University, Chandigarh, and can be reached at jayantiduttaroy@yahoo.co.in
