The People’s Scientist: A Biography of Dr Y Nayudumma

Author: K Chandrahs
Publisher: Prism Books Pvt Ltd, Bengaluru
(Pp 175, ISBN 978-81-7286-783-6, Rs 220)

Padma Sri Dr Y Nayudumma (1922-1985), a legend in his life time, put Indian leather on the world map. The book captures life and times of his life – his humble beginnings, spectacular achievements as scientist-bureaucrat, the vicissitudes of his personal life and his tragic death. The book also has some black-and-white shots from his life.

Nayudumma was perhaps a rare scientist who strove to be different and relentlessly pushed his way towards development of appropriate technologies which would help improve the life and working conditions of the people at the bottom of the pyramid. The book narrates with discriminating candour and unsentimental focus on factual information of this legend, who left his footprints everywhere he went.

–Varsha Verma