M.G.K. Menon - Statesman of Indian Science

This article is a brief biography and appreciation of the late M.G.K. Menon, a scientist and administrator of towering abilities, whose seminal role in the development of post-colonial Indian science often gets discounted in comparison with some of his more eye-catching contemporaries. And yet Menon’s achievements stand up to scrutiny as massive and solid as the granite blocks with which his beloved TIFR is constructed. No scientist in the modern world has played so large and diverse a role in setting up scientific studies in his own country, and few individuals in history have ever held such a glittering succession of prestigious positions.