Our late grandfather, Dr Vishwanath Narayan Thatte, was a radiant personality. He passed away a few decades ago, but his teachings and values remain fresh in our memory.
A genius driven by ageless intelligence, he not only inspired his progeny, but also moulded the careers of many scientists, who went on to impart that knowledge to thousands of students.
Born on March 21, 1896, in Amravati, his family had moved there from Konkan. His father, Narayan, was a highly respected school inspector, while his mother, Laxmibai was a homemaker. Young Thatte inherited the legacy of intelligence and discipline from his parents.
After completing his matriculation with distinction from Akola, Thatte came to Nagpur for further education. He joined Hislop College and completed his inter-science with physics, chemistry and biology. He initially wanted to be a doctor, but sometime during his college education, it was physics that caught his eye. He went on to study physics, chemistry and mathematics for his bachelor’s degree (B.Sc.), thus declining admission to all forthcoming opportunities in medicine.
A master’s in physics was soon to follow. He pursued both his degrees from the then prestigious Allahabad University, needless to say, in flying colours. His innate desire to teach brought him to the Victoria College of Science (now Institute of Science) at Nagpur, where he joined as a demonstrator.
After that, there was no looking back. In 1925, he was transferred to King Edward College, Amravati. Two years down the line, he got selected to be a research fellow at London University. He did his research under Prof. Gills in “Temperature Variation of Isoelectric Oscillations of Crystal Quartz.” However, he had a disagreement with his guide and decided to finish his research and return to India in 1930.
Victoria College welcomed him with open arms, where his teaching job and research work soared. His research papers earned him a D.Sc. (post-doctoral degree), the first from Nagpur University. In 1939, he was appointed head of the physics department, a post he held till his retirement in 1954. In 1951 he was elected dean of the faculty of science.
Being a popular and dedicated professor, he was appointed on the board of several societies, including academic council and executive council.
He was extremely popular among his students. His strict demeanour was hardly an obstacle because he delved deep into each topic he taught until he ensured that every student was well-versed with it. He was a man of practical experimentation. He would regularly conduct physics experiments for his students. He was involved at every stage, right from setting up the apparatus, from scrap if necessary, to arriving at conclusions.
A teacher’s job is considered done not at the end of a classroom lesson, but at the peak of his students’ careers. That is how he is deemed worthy as a teacher; most of his students rose to great heights. They remember him to this day as a devoted teacher who helped shape their lives.
This zealous teacher was always thirsty for knowledge even after retirement. Now that he had more time at hand, he dove deeper into intriguing topics of physics. He even set up a laboratory in his car garage, from scrap like broken mirrors, empty oil and soap tins.
He was not only a master of science, but also an empathetic human being. He understood that in order to bring science to the common people, it’s language had to be vernacular. That is how he wrote books on physics in Marathi and Hindi, even in simplified English. These books are referred to by students and teachers till date. He also executed his idea of a Marathi Vidnyan Parishad (Marathi Society of Science) with his peers, and was the president and founding member of the same. He put in a lot of effort to popularise the work of this organization.
Astronomy was another branch of physics which piqued his interest. He spent several nights gazing and documenting celestial bodies. He even photographed a lunar eclipse, with only an old box camera purchased in London.
His endless achievements also boast of him being president of the Indian Physics Association, Nagpur chapter in 1972 and 1973. In 1974, when the Science Congress was held in Nagpur and a science exhibition was set up, he thought of having a permanent space for exhibiting science experiments in Nagpur. It was this idea that gave rise to the Raman Museum of Science and Technology, popularly known as the Raman Science Centre. He was appointed honorary curator for the first two years, and worked hard to build the then new establishment for the benefit of young and curious minds for years to come.
As a student, he received a number of awards, of which the Maccay silver medal, the Hardinge gold medal and the Balwantrao book prize are of notable importance. He also published a total of sixteen research papers in different Indian and international science magazines like the Indian Journal of Physics, Philosophical Magazine, Zeitschrift fur Physik and Journal of Scientific Instruments, to name a few.
For his service in the field of science, the Marathi Vidnyan Parishad felicitated him with a momento. The Nagpur Municipal Corporation also honoured him with the title of Vidnyan Maharshi in the corporation’s silver jubilee year in 1977.
Science was not the only field of academia that held his attention. He was also interested in literature, having strong command over Marathi, Hindi, Urdu, Sanskrit and English. The works of William Wordsworth, PB Shelley, Shakespeare, Mirza Ghalib, Sant Tukaram, Kabirdas are amongst the numerous pieces that he knew by heart. He was one of the few, if not the only science student to procure the highest marks in English literature in university exams. While serving as a lecturer at King Edward College of Science, Amravati, he established the Marathi Sahitya Sangha, which stands supposedly as the only example of a science teacher setting up a literary platform.
He was also passionate about sports, excelling in tennis, cricket and badminton. He was an enthusiastic walker and cyclist, travelling miles around the city. Moreover, he was an accomplished swimmer. He was so involved in sports that he lost his left eye to a cricket ball injury in his childhood. This incident evidently did not
stop him from becoming the great genius that we all love and respect. He went on to lead a successful and accomplished life, seeing the world with only his right eye.
At home, he was blessed with a devoted and caring wife, Maltibai, who ably shouldered domestic responsibilities, giving him enough time to pursue his love for science and teaching. Yet, he was always involved in domestic chores, and she was no less of a prodigy of wit, humour and smartness herself; a well-balanced marriage, one would say! They both passed on their intellect to their children, who excelled in their own careers and personal lives.
On his eighty-first birthday, his students commemorated the joyous occasion by establishing the Dr VN Thatte Science Foundation to increase the reach of science education. This was a fitting tribute by his students who dearly loved and ardently respected him.
His seemingly and most deservingly perpetual path of work in science was halted only by his illness towards the end of 1983. He took his last breath on March 26, 1985. Today, March 21, 2021, marks his 125th birth anniversary. On behalf of all his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, I , his grandson, pay this homage to him. My grandfather is not only a legacy, but a timeless memory etched in our hearts, and his monumental treasury of work makes him live forever.