Dr Raghunath Mashelkar
Chemical engineer who headed the National Chemical Laboratory in Pune and then CSIR, and fought for India's turmeric and basmati patents.
Quick facts
- Known for:
- NCL, CSIR, patents
- Pune link:
- National Chemical Laboratory
Life and work
Dr Raghunath Anant Mashelkar was born in 1943 at Mashel in Goa, grew up in a poor family in Mumbai and studied there on scholarships. He became a chemical engineer and polymer scientist.
He was director of the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) in Pune from 1989 to 1995, and then director general of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) until 2006. He led India's successful fight against the US patent on turmeric for healing wounds, and spoke for Indian traditional knowledge. He has received the Padma Shri (1991), Padma Bhushan (2000) and Padma Vibhushan (2014).
Pune link
He lives in Pune and has been closely linked with NCL and the city's research and education institutions for decades.
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Sources: Written by PuneDiary. Facts checked 29 October 2026.