M. P. Parameswaran
Encyclopedia
M. P. Parameswaran is an India
n nuclear engineer and eminent science contributor. He is an atomic scientist and educationist of India. He played an important role in Indian Nuclear program.
. In 1956, he received Bachelor’s degree in Engineering
from the College of Engineering, Kerala. He then joined Bhabha Atomic Research Centre
, Bombay in 1956 as a scientist and continued there up to 1975. From 1969 to 1973 he also worked as the assistant director of the State Institute of Languages in Kerala, on a deputation from BARC. He got PhD in Nuclear Engineering
from Moscow Power Engineering Institute
in 1965.
(KSSP) was formed in Kerala and created a new movement among science teachers and science communicators
in the state. To take part in the movement, he resigned the job in 1975. Since then he has been a full- time activist of the Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad (KSSP). Under his leadership, the KSSP grew into a massive people’s movement and influenced science communicators all over the country.
event for India - he significantly contributed to the conceptualisation, organisation and conduct of this massive communication experiment. He had also been instrumental in the setting up of All India People's Science Network (AIPSN), a common platform of people science movements in India.
Again in 1980, he was instrumental in the organisation of the Bharat Gyan Vigyan Jatha in support of the National Literacy Mission Programme. This led to the formation of Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti (BGVS), which was responsible for the massive literacy
campaign initiated in India.
books in Malayalam
and two in English
. His books give a panoramic view of science
. Radioactivity, atomic science, Astronomy
, Mathematics
, political science
, social science, ecology
- these are some of the varied subjects he has dealt with in his books. A vision of "A New World - A New India" guides his thoughts and actions. He was the recipient of two national awards, one for science popularisation and another for literacy. Articles written by him in various periodicals run to more than 300. He has received Government of India
awards for "Books for Neoliterates" (1962) and "Basic and Cultural Literature" (1964). He also received an Award for Children's Literature in 1982.
He was also an active member of Communist Party of India (Marxist) for 33 years, before being expelled for writing an ideological book 'Fourth World' which envisions a world based on decentralised democracy and an economic production that is detached from consumerism, but the party views it as a rejection of Marxist principles.
In 2007, he also acted in a Malayalam movie named 'AKG' about the Communist leader A K Gopalan in which M. P. Parameswaran donned the role of Kerala's first Chief Minister E M Sankaran Namboodiripad (EMS).
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n nuclear engineer and eminent science contributor. He is an atomic scientist and educationist of India. He played an important role in Indian Nuclear program.
Education
He was born on January 18, 1935 in KeralaKerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
. In 1956, he received Bachelor’s degree in Engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
from the College of Engineering, Kerala. He then joined Bhabha Atomic Research Centre
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre
The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre is India's primary nuclear research facility based in Mumbai. It has a number of nuclear reactors, all of which are used for India's nuclear power and research programme.- History :...
, Bombay in 1956 as a scientist and continued there up to 1975. From 1969 to 1973 he also worked as the assistant director of the State Institute of Languages in Kerala, on a deputation from BARC. He got PhD in Nuclear Engineering
Nuclear engineering
Nuclear engineering is the branch of engineering concerned with the application of the breakdown as well as the fusion of atomic nuclei and/or the application of other sub-atomic physics, based on the principles of nuclear physics...
from Moscow Power Engineering Institute
Moscow Power Engineering Institute
Moscow Power Engineering Institute is one of the largest and leading technical universities in the world in the area of power engineering, electronics and IT...
in 1965.
Indian Science Movement
During 1970s, people science movement called Kerala Sasthra Sahithya ParishadKerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad
Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad is a People's Science Movement of Kerala, India. At the time of its founding in 1962 it was a 40-member group consisting of science writers and teachers with interest in science from a social perspective...
(KSSP) was formed in Kerala and created a new movement among science teachers and science communicators
Science communication
Science communication generally refers to public media aiming to talk about science with non-scientists. This often involves professional scientists but has evolved into a professional field in its own right...
in the state. To take part in the movement, he resigned the job in 1975. Since then he has been a full- time activist of the Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad (KSSP). Under his leadership, the KSSP grew into a massive people’s movement and influenced science communicators all over the country.
Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad
After KSSP became a success in Kerala, M. P. Parameswaran took steps to enlarge the canvas in national level. During 1987, as Convener of the National Organising Committee of the Bharat Jan Vigyan Jatha, a unique communicationCommunication
Communication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...
event for India - he significantly contributed to the conceptualisation, organisation and conduct of this massive communication experiment. He had also been instrumental in the setting up of All India People's Science Network (AIPSN), a common platform of people science movements in India.
Again in 1980, he was instrumental in the organisation of the Bharat Gyan Vigyan Jatha in support of the National Literacy Mission Programme. This led to the formation of Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti (BGVS), which was responsible for the massive literacy
Literacy
Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...
campaign initiated in India.
Contribution in Science and Technology
MP is also a prolific writer. He has written 29 popular sciencePopular science
Popular science, sometimes called literature of science, is interpretation of science intended for a general audience. While science journalism focuses on recent scientific developments, popular science is broad-ranging, often written by scientists as well as journalists, and is presented in many...
books in Malayalam
Malayalam language
Malayalam , is one of the four major Dravidian languages of southern India. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India with official language status in the state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry. It is spoken by 35.9 million people...
and two in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. His books give a panoramic view of science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
. Radioactivity, atomic science, Astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
, Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
, social science, ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
- these are some of the varied subjects he has dealt with in his books. A vision of "A New World - A New India" guides his thoughts and actions. He was the recipient of two national awards, one for science popularisation and another for literacy. Articles written by him in various periodicals run to more than 300. He has received Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
awards for "Books for Neoliterates" (1962) and "Basic and Cultural Literature" (1964). He also received an Award for Children's Literature in 1982.
He was also an active member of Communist Party of India (Marxist) for 33 years, before being expelled for writing an ideological book 'Fourth World' which envisions a world based on decentralised democracy and an economic production that is detached from consumerism, but the party views it as a rejection of Marxist principles.
In 2007, he also acted in a Malayalam movie named 'AKG' about the Communist leader A K Gopalan in which M. P. Parameswaran donned the role of Kerala's first Chief Minister E M Sankaran Namboodiripad (EMS).