My father partnered me in life
In times of joy and times of strife.
He taught me from my earliest days
To learn in most unusual ways.
A learned man he always was
And I say this not just because
He proudly claimed a PhD.
There was much more as you will see.
Strange relations he could spot
By linking each and every dot.
In science he was a real king
But his bat he'd readily swing
At many subjects under the sun,
In ways that were so much fun.
History, Geography, Linguistics
And free market economics
Were subjects that he would relish
And all of these he would embellish
With anecdotes that linked them well.
And at an early age I could tell
That linking subjects helps you learn.
Today I know it helps you earn!
The years he spent in Germany
Were a lasting legacy.
And even native speakers found
His German was very sound.
And Austria then asked him to be
Their nation's honorary CG.
One thing I found very nice
Papa was always most precise.
We all recall that common sight –
His Mercedes with the reading light,
The trip he took around the site
Ensuring everything was right.
He always fought dirt and grime.
Came on time and left on time.
Enjoyed his work, enjoyed his play
Watched that movie saw this play.
And classical music warmed his heart
Before dinner the gramophone would start.
I’d like would to thank our artists today
For honouring him in a classical way.
It was he who taught me chess
But what I liked the most, I guess
Was my special midweek boon.
Every Thursday afternoon
We'd go down the one file road
That led to the factory at Delisle road.
We would then head to Juhu beach,
In those days easily in reach.
It was a real delight to be,
With parents, swimming in the sea.
We would then dine so very well
And play Cutthroat Bridge at Juhu Hotel.
And to this day I love to swim
And be a foodie and still stay trim!
And I'll always thank my Mum and Dad
For starting me on this pleasant fad.
All these interests I am sure
I imbibed from him some less some more.
And I hope this celebration
Will inspire our next generation.
I'll now touch on his contribution
To our groups evolution.
And while we had our days of glory
Not all was always hunky dory!
He never trod the beaten path
And once we faced a real blood bath!
But others were so often scared
That we were very often spared
The competition that we see
When the strategy's: "Why not me?"
Technology was his inspiration
His focus was on innovation.
In Berlin he got his education
At a convulsive time for the German nation.
He talked of how in '36
He attended the historic Olympics.
Jesse Owens' amazing feat
Was a very special treat.
Diversity was then buoyed
And Aryan supremacy destroyed.
And we will always stand quite tall
If we include one and all.
Lots of theory as well as some
Good factory visits and practicum.
Papa really knew his stuff
And then the going became rough.
For the Indian students all was fine
Until the middle of '39.
The writing then was on the wall.
The Indian students got a call.
The War was clearly on the way.
They had to leave one fateful day.
War was declared on Germany,
As his ship was sailing on the sea,
As Papa always used to state,
On 3-9-39 the memorable date!
His thesis then was incomplete
But instead he could achieve the feat
Of putting thoughts into action
And he quickly got real traction.
From fatty acid he made soap
He realised his long held hope.
He played a very significant part
In turning an arcane art
Into something very nice
A science that's much more precise.
He gained much joy while he was pitting
His science against the art of "fitting".
Which sometimes worked & sometimes failed
And all but the experienced merely flailed!
As his solution then to fitting
Was continuous fat splitting.
An added benefit was seen,
The production of good glycerine.
Then Lifebuoy used phenol in soap
Alas the germicidal hope
Proved to be an illusion
Thanks to simple confusion.
Phenol alone could kill germs well
But as any chemist could easily tell
Acidic phenol in an alkaline soap
Had no real germicidal scope.
Givaudan then provided real hope
G-11 would really work in soap.
Tata were approached and declined to bite
But Papa of course had the foresight.
And Cinthol proved to be a boon
Doctors prescribed it very soon.
The perfume he chose was a fougère
It's top note was just like fresh air.
And loyal users all still swear
It's the only soap for which they care.
Consumer brands rapidly change
But we still find it very strange
How Papa got it first time right
With any change consumers fight!
No matter what we try instead
They want the green brick wrapped in red!
The Lalbaug factory was constricted
Our prospects there were quite restricted.
The move to Vikhroli gave us space
We entered the oleochemicals race.
And as the leaders we soon played
And BPG quite quickly made
Stearic acid of a cosmetic grade
Not as usually done in the trade
By the laborious method of triple pressing
You see Papa didn't believe in messing
Around. His one step inspiration
Was fractional distillation.
Now long ago he had seen
The benefits of alpha olefin.
An industry wide proposal was made.
Unfortunately it was down played.
The technology fee was rejected
And Papa was most dejected.
But he could never say die
Again and again he would try.
His persistence was undoubtedly great
And Lurgi then helped him to innovate.
An Oleochemical process was found
Although the economics weren't sound.
We went through some trials and tribulations
And our profits went through many gyrations
But fatty alcohols came into our fold.
And now we are quite happy, truth be told!
Papa had strong ties to UDCT.
And doctoral students he'd oversee.
And much has been done in his memory
And now a chair in Green Chemistry
And Sustainability Engineering.
We are proud to be pioneering.
We see this as a collaboration
For the group and the nation.
My thanks to all at ICT
And Professors, Sharma & Yadav particularly.
Now with the Science Minister's blessing
All of us will be stressing
The importance of being green.
I wish my father could have seen
The development of all he started
Yes it's true he has departed
But his spirit makes us strive.
If we stay green we will thrive.
And clearly, I now foresee
Many projects with ICT
That help us grow sustainably,
Fulfilling his dreams successfully!
