Many persons in this world are inclined to pat their own backs. They try to take credit for works done by themselves, their colleagues, juniors and others. But the true worth of a person is determined by what others speak about him. When we want to know about the standing of someone who is very close, it is ideal for us to get the views of others like his students, colleagues, seniors, juniors, contemporaries, friends and relatives in writing. In this way, we will get a good view from all sides. That is what the present book does. It presents views about Dr. D S Kothari former Chairman UGC, from his students, relatives, colleagues and friends. Truly from an overall point of view, Dr. DS Kothari was outstanding in several fields, and this was acknowledged by one and all. He completed all his assignments, in diverse fields of Science, Defence and Education etc. with quality and care. At the same time, he was a humane person for his students, colleagues, relatives and family. Contained in 535 pages, it presents a total of 55 essays (one of which has been written jointly), from 4 foreigners, 2 NRIs, 7 family members and 43 other Indians, along with 11 photographs. Seventeen essays give a total of 357 references, one essay gives two figures, two essays give 4 tables, 3 essays make use of mathematical equations and a few essays contain appendices. Five essays included here are the DS Kothari memorial lectures delivered earlier in Delhi. Some of the important contributors are President of India, Nobel laureates, and many stalwarts covering a broad spectrum of the important and relevant persons of the world and his relatives. The beauty is that the response came spontaneously from all quarters, for providing the details of, what his admirers thought of this top notch Scientist. This book has been mainly divided into 5 sections viz. Science, Defence, Education, Ethics and Social Change and Reminiscences, which contain 16, 4, 12, 9, and 12 essays respectively. The first section on Science covers Indian Science, technology, future aspects and social relevance. The second section discusses about capability, research and creativity in the field of defence. The third section talks about reforms in education, challenges in future and value education. The fourth section examines the issues of philosophy, religion, spirituality and Science. The fifth section covers reminiscences and memoirs about Dr. Kothari by some of his students, family members and friends. This publication is in the memory of Late Dr. DS Kothari on his birth centenary falling on the sixth July 2006. The book starts with the contribution of the first editor of the book. Towards the end, there is a contribution of the second editor of the book, and then in the end, it gives a biographical note about Dr. DS Kothari.
One of the essays which appealed to me is Values and Ethics by Dr. MGK Menon. He talks about Dr. Kothari adhering to Jainism and Gandhism, practising Ahimsa and living a simple life. He considered that Science was searching for truth. He truly believed that Science and Technology are related, and are essential for national development, which should go together, with concern with all people, especially the poor, and play a role in removing superstitions. Especially in the atomic age, applications based on research can be used for good or evil purposes. DR. Kothari played his own role in this area. In one of his books, he said that it will lead to total collapse of civilization. Scientists do have broad responsibility to the society and Science. As per Dr. Kothari, it is our inner voice, which tells us as to whether some thing is right or wrong. In one of his reports Dr. Kothari has laid stress on value-based education. There are areas of environment, water, health care etc. where ethics has an important role. Dr. Kothari had said in a convocation address that moral advancement is necessary, along with advancement in Science and technology. We need self-control and Ahimsa, for reducing gap between rich and poor countries. It is necessary that life of all human beings is made safe and qualitatively good, through the work of Science and technology. The book gives Acknowledgements, Contents, Contributors (alphabetically arranged), Messages of V.P. and P.M. of India and towards the end, Afterword and a biographical note. The contents of this book in honour of Dr. D.S. Kothari have high intellectual and moral value, and have ably been able to provide glimpses of the vision of this great man of India. The life of this great visionary will be a source of inspiration for one and all. Though he was acknowledged as a great person, he never exhibited his greatness, and that in reality was his greatness.