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Shovel of Upheaval- Biotechnologists Regenerating the Face of India

Shovel of Upheaval- Biotechnologists Regenerating the Face of India

Unlock the secrets of Biotechnology's evolution in India! From clay pots to cutting-edge research, discover the visionaries who transformed science.

Prapti Saraswat
September, 09 2023
1514

Research is not done by a mature mind; it’s done by an innovative head that sounds childish for the first time” - Author. The spark of that idea comes from day-to-day situations you face and historical things you doubt about.      

Have you ever wondered how Gandhari gave birth to a hundred kids?

Giving birth to these kids in clay pots that were fixed in a room with appropriate temperature and environment was not less than the technique of test-tube baby.

Thus, 60 percent of our current research is based on historical inventions that we doubt or that have diminished.

On hearing these studies, questions, and research, the first thing that comes to mind is a Biologist.

There is a very slight difference between a biologist and a biotechnologist. A biologist is one who studies humans, flora, and fauna, whereas a biotechnologist is one who applies this study to technology.

Wondering how biotechnology became an individual field, its scope, and wonders done by biotechnologists to make this a more recognized domain, let's take a look at this content.

In India, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw is named as the father and mother of biotechnology.

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw

Have you ever wondered about the creation of a department? One of them is Biotechnology; it was not a field created by the ongoing culture of learning. It was all a spark of an idea and innovation with a vision of easing scientific hurdles and technicalities. Biotechnologists not only implemented their ideas on research but also made biotechnology a separate, identical branch standing firmly in the scientific background.

I won't scribble the entire history and make this content drowsy for you. Rather, I will pen down the fetched-out information to show you the evolution of Biotechnology and how it changed the face of India to the point.

Popping up the idea to establish a Department for Biotechnology, it was inspired after the beginning of the first industrial application of microbial enzymes led by a Japanese scientist, Jokichi Takamine.

The project was given a head start in the USA, and after the successful execution of this project, the Ministry of Science and Technology of India decided to establish a department for biotechnology in the country. This was India’s one of the first government departments whose foundation was led to focus solely on the sector of biotechnology. Years passed by, and in 1978, India had its first biotech company – Biocon, founded by Kiran Mazumdar Shaw. We not only have one of the best industrialists for biotechnology but also one of the most dedicated scientists who contributed their entire work in the field of Biotechnology.

CCMB

Biotechnologists like Niyaz Ahmed - Genomic fluidity and bacteria, Moinak Banerjee - DNA methyltransferase gene polymorphism, Pushpa Mitra Bhargava - Led the foundation of CCMB, Hyderabad, Chetan Eknath Chitnis - head of Malaria parasite biology and vaccines unit at Institute Pasteur in Paris.

Biocon

Continuing the list, from Eknath Chitnis to Asis Dutta - Design and analysis of 0.127m cutthroat flume, Suresh Jadhav - COVID-19 vaccine research, development, and supply, Sanjay Pal - Prevalence of bronchial asthma in schoolchildren, Deepak Nair - Super resolution and imaging, Kallam Anju Reddy - Desmoid tumours, Yellapragada Subbarow - Phosphorus compound of muscle and liver, Jyoti Prakash Tamang - Fermented foods in a global age, Kavita Shah - Targets of Cdk1, Banwari Lal, who was honoured by the National Bioscience Award For Career Development and appointed as the CEO of ONGC-TERI, whereas Kavita Shah was the only woman director of Banaras Hindu University setting high records of women empowerment and intelligence. The list has become endless today.

It’s always tough at the beginning, but these biotechnologists not only decided to dig the mountain of research with their shovel of perseverance, dedication, and knowledge but also changed the face of India in the fields of research, biology, and technicalities.


Dividing into the class of gene regulation to bioengineering, from green biotechnology to red biotechnology, and from blue biotechnology to white biotechnology, biotech is one of the most majorly growing fields in India today.

Biotech Market

The addition of new research, ideas, development, and technicalities are not only stacking up continuously but also making India more firm in the sector of biotechnology.

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