C. N. Ramachandra Rao

"I feel basic science is getting its due now. I used to say earlier that Dr Homi Bhabha should get this honour and also some other eminent researchers. Scientists work very, very had but rarely get recognition. I have been working for 62 years. I was 17 when I started my research. I am going to be 80 soon."

"I feel the Indian industry should contribute to help the government towards scientific research. The government alone cant do it. As of now, theres nothing. I have been into research for about 40 years. In the US, 50 to 60 per cent of the research and development (R&D) cost would be covered by the industry. There is a need for the same here and the industry needs to do it. Earlier, the industry in India didnt feel the need to do research. They could sell anything. Now, it wants to compete with the likes of South Korea and Japan, but they cant. We need to change this or the industry cant compete."

"Man’s search for metals goes back to prehistoric times. Metals have been used for several thousands of years in India. Certain periods in history are associated with specific periods used extensively during that period"

"The only part of the early concept of the elements that has survived is that elements have distinctive properties."

"An element is a substance which cannot be further reduced to a simpler substance by ordinary processes, and is made up of particles of one kind only."

"Since I set up the Unit, the area of solid state chemistry is no longer called so but is called chemistry of materials.This subject has become important. I set up this Unit in Bangalore much before the subject became important in the world. Now chemistry has two major directions:chemical biology and materials chemistry."