Venkatainchatram Rangachar Thiruvenkatachar obtained DSc (1952) from University of Mysore. He worked as Deputy Chief Scientific Officer (later Director), Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), Ministry of Defence, Government of India.

Academic and Research Achievements: Thiruvenkatachar’s notable contributions in mathematical physics related to elastic wave propagation induced by sources of finite extent, and by point or line source. These problems related to mathematical seismology, underground explosions, etc. His work on heat transfer in composite cylinders has industrial applications. In the last two decades of his life he, along with Professor K Venkatachaliengar, studied the life and work of the S Ramanujan. They examined critically several problems posed by the genius. This work by these two is of major significance to mathematicians. Ramanujan’s work in higher algebra, functions theory, contour integration have all been dealt with a manual prepared by them and modestly titled Glimpses of Ramanujan: An Elementary Level.

Other Contributions: Dr Thiruvenkatachar led an elite group of mathematicians called Scientific Analysis Group for Crypt analysis at DRDO. He introduced the concept of treatment of subjects like Cryptanalysis-which is full of heuristic and trial error approaches to solutions­a formal way of formulating the analysis with rigorous logic to exclude numerous and almost infinite possibilities. Dr Thiruvenkatachar translated into Kannada Language (often coining new words and creating terminology) in 1987 five books of the Russian Scientist, LD Landau and Yu Rumer’s on What is the Theory of Relativity and Landau and AI Kitaigonodsky’s four volumes on Physics for Everyone dealing with physical bodies and molecules.