STAMPED IMPRESSIONS
Order of merit
Reeta Sharma

A scientific mind is realistic, matter of fact and dispassionate. And, that is exactly how Dr Kunwar Bhatnagar comes across. At present based in Kentucky, USA, this highly acclaimed scientist had done his masters in zoology from Gwalior. His professor in Gwalior, Dr Shyam Charan Shrivastava, was doing research on bats and since Dr Bhatnagar had so much reverence for his teacher, he automatically followed in his footsteps and decided to study bats.

He was so immersed in research that he even felt apprehensive about marrying a girl who did not have a science background. "I thought that a girl who did not have a science background would not be able to understand the long hours that I would need to spend in the laboratory. So, I told my father that I would only marry a girl, who was either the daughter of a scientist or a scientist herself." It was this deep-rooted obsession with research which not only ensured that he got married to a scientist’s daughter but also made him head for the USA, to study human anatomy at the University of Buffalo, New York.

Even after having spent over three decades in the USA, Dr Bhatnagar continues to remain an Indian at heart. He misses his relations in India but realises that certain sacrifices have to be made to pursue a career. "The western countries are far ahead of us in science research. Besides, they have a very liberal attitude towards science-related practices. For instance, in India anatomy is taught only by those who have done doctorate in medicine. But here in the USA, I am allowed to teach in the medical college."

When, I spoke about ‘brain drain,’ pat came his reply: "Brain drain is better than having those brilliant brains in the drain. Our corrupt system, which blatantly indulges in nepotism and favouritism, cannot respect merit. The tampering of the system by our politicians has completely eroded merit-based recognition. The policy of reservations has done nothing but sentenced our brilliant brains to drains. In such a devastating scenario, I cannot hope to do my research the way I can do it here, in the USA . In India, I would not have been useful to even my neighbours. But here people have acknowledged whatever little contribution I have made in the field of science research."

Dr Bhatnagar said that in the USA merit alone mattered. "Even though racism does exist, merit is never ignored. Whether a Black or a Brown or a White, merit gets its due without fail. That is why you see many Blacks who have risen to the highest positions of recognition. The same is true of the Asians. Even when I applied, the only thing that was given importance was my achievements in zoology. Even among academicians, scientists and students, I have not come across even a single instance where a meritorious person did not get his or her due. I think the US is rightly called the land of opportunities."

Dr Bhatnagar became a full-fledged professor in 1985 and has since continued to teach and do research work. For 300 years, science had believed that the human nose had a sensory organ on septum. But Dr Bhatnagar and Dr Timothy Smith proved through their research that this organ does not exist in human beings. Dr Bhatnagar continues to do research on bats. He discovered that there were over 1,000 species of bats. He himself has studied nearly 300 species in the past three decades.

For the last 10 years, Dr Bhatnagar has been researching on South American monkeys. "My research on bats is helpful to study South American monkeys and to draw comparative observations. This year, I was able to write a paper on African elephants on the basis of three elephant features that I could study. There can be significant comparisons between animals and human beings. For instance, 94 per cent of the DNA of the chimpanzees is the same as that of human beings."

At present, Dr Bhatnagar is doing research of a different kind. Along with Dr John Mecloud, he is researching the truth behind the death of Prithvi Raj Chauhan. This research is primarily historical but you can see him as engrossed as he is while studying science.

This feature was published on October 23, 2004