R Rajaraman, the Indian physicist recruited by Robert Oppenheimer who always wanted to come home
In 1963, a young Indian confronted a dilemma that few in the present generation would have. Ramamurti Rajaraman had just obtained his doctorate from Cornell University, his supervisor being the future Nobel laureate Hans Bethe, who had played a major role in the Manhattan Project. In those days of frenzied armament, Ramamurti, just 24, with a doctorate in nuclear theory, was a prized catch for America. But he wanted to abandon his chosen discipline, return home and devote himself to social service. As his first death anniversary falls on July 12, Rajaraman’s life reflects how much India has changed since then. Born in 1939 in Coimbatore, Rajaraman shifted to Delhi with his parents. His father, Dr B Ramamurti, taught mathematics before he joined the founding team of the Central Statistical Organisation. Around that time, Tamils had begun arriving in Delhi for jobs in British bureaucracy. With command over English, they soon occupied government posts. And then emerged a concern: How to inculcate Tamil education in their children who had been removed from their culture? To …
