The Tragedy of Dr Subhash Mukherjee
Why didn't Mukherjee get the credit he deserved? How did the world eventually learn of his genius? Listen to the Rearview to find out.
The Rearview is a podcast where the hosts guide you on a scenic route through the history of science. Filled with fascinating anecdotes, deep archival dives, and a closer look at the quirky minds behind groundbreaking ideas.
Hosts: Jacob Koshy and Sobhana K Nair
Produced and edited by Jude Francis Weston
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Time of India
07-08-2025
- Time of India
Siddhartha Mukherjee education and career path: The Indian-origin physician from Stanford, Oxford, and Harvard who gave cancer a human story
In the late 1980s, a bright teenager walked the halls of St. Columba's School in New Delhi with a quiet intensity. Siddhartha Mukherjee wasn't your usual top student, he was the kind of mind that lingered on questions longer, looked for patterns where others saw facts, and found poetry even in biology. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In 1989, he graduated with the school's highest honor, the Sword of Honour . But what followed would take him across continents, into the most elite classrooms in the world, and eventually, into the hearts of millions as a bestselling science writer. A Stanford start After his school years in India, Mukherjee took a leap that many Indian students dream of: he landed a spot at Stanford University. There, as a biology major, he joined the lab of Nobel Laureate Paul Berg, working on how genes change the behavior of cancer cells. It wasn't just about textbooks anymore: he was inside the machinery of real discovery. He graduated with honors, was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, and received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1993. The Rhodes scholar from Delhi But Mukherjee wasn't done. He won a Rhodes Scholarship, one of the world's most prestigious academic honors, and moved to the University of Oxford, joining Magdalen College. In Oxford's quiet libraries and buzzing research labs, he focused on the immune system's response to viral infections. By 1997, he had completed his in immunology, a doctorate that gave him the foundation to explore the inner life of cells for decades to come. Harvard, hospitals, and healing Still, something was missing. Mukherjee wanted not just to study cells but to treat the people whose lives were shaped by them. So, he entered Harvard Medical School, where he earned his M.D. in 2000. The next few years were intense: residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, followed by a fellowship in hematology-oncology at the Dana–Farber Cancer Institute, one of the world's top cancer centers. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now These years shaped him both as a doctor and as a thinker. He witnessed how medicine sometimes succeeded, sometimes failed — and always told a story. That sense of story would soon become his trademark. From clinic to classroom and page In 2009, Mukherjee joined Columbia University Medical Center in New York as an assistant professor. By then, he was treating cancer patients, running a lab, and beginning to write a book that would change everything. That book, The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer, became a Pulitzer Prize-winning bestseller in 2011. It wasn't just a science book. It was history, memoir, detective story, and meditation all in one. It showed readers what cancer really was — and who doctors and patients really were in that fight. The legacy of a global scholar Today, Siddhartha Mukherjee is not just a physician or a scientist. He's a bridge between medicine and the public. Someone who makes complicated biology human. He's also a Padma Shri awardee, a Time 100 influential figure, and founder of an AI-driven drug discovery startup, Manas AI, launched in 2025. Yet behind all the accolades is a deeply academic journey, from Delhi to Stanford, Oxford to Harvard, that reflects the power of global education when matched with purpose and passion. Mukherjee's path shows that education is not just about degrees — it's about finding the questions that keep you up at night, and then finding the tools to answer them. His story is proof that a student in a Delhi classroom can one day write the biography of a disease, and in doing so, write part of the history of science itself.
Time of India
19-06-2025
- Time of India
Pollution-degradation worry for Purulia's Sahebbandh
Purulia: Once a popular wintering ground for migratory waterbirds, Purulia's Sahebbandh now appears severely degraded. The number of waterbirds has dropped drastically, with only a handful of individuals visible during peak winter hours. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Species that were once common at this site — such as gadwall, northern shoveler and ferruginous duck — were conspicuously absent last winter. An artificial wetland situated in the heart of Purulia town, Purulia Sahebbandh is administered by Purulia Municipality. During a recent visit to the site, signs of ecological distress were immediately evident, said Arkajyoti Mukherjee of NGO WINGS. "Numerous dead fish were floating on the water surface — an alarming indication of deteriorating water quality. The air was heavy with a foul, putrid smell, likely resulting from the decomposition of organic matter and low dissolved oxygen levels in the water. These observations reflect a serious decline in the wetland's ecological health, likely caused by untreated wastewater inflows, eutrophication, poor aquatic vegetation management, and increased human encroachment. Immediate restoration measures are urgently needed to prevent further biodiversity loss and to revive Sahebbandh's role as a critical habitat for migratory waterbirds," added Mukherjee, who has been awarded a National Post-Doctoral Fellowship by the Anusandhan National Research Foundation of GoI for working in the field of wetland ecology of Purulia Sahebbandh and Adra Sahebbandh in IIT Kharagpur under the mentorship of Prof Gourav Dhar Bhowmick. According to him, urban development has significantly impacted wetlands worldwide, including Sahebbandh — a historically vital wintering site for migratory waterbirds situated at the intersection of the Central Asian and East Asian–Australasian Flyways. A mid-winter study by Mukherjee from 2013-14 to 2019-20, using the total count method, revealed a sharp decline in both waterbird abundance and species richness. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Waterbird numbers plummeted from 3718 (± 241.2) individuals in 2013-14 to only 163 (± 38.5) in 2019-20, while species richness fell from 59 to 17. Of the species observed, 27 showed statistically significant population declines — eight species experienced severe declines and 19 others declined notably. "Expansion of human settlements and simultaneous loss of croplands — critical nocturnal foraging habitats — were significantly correlated with declining bird numbers. Also, mismanagement of aquatic vegetation, particularly the unchecked growth and clearance of water hyacinth, further reduced habitat quality and food availability," he added. By winter 2025, the situation had worsened, with only 11 species recorded and total bird abundance dropping to a mere 60-70 individuals. "A nearby wintering site, Adra Sahebbandh, has consistently supported stable populations of wintering waterbirds over the recent years,"Mukherjee added. According to him, steps like wastewater management, vegetation restoration, community involvement and governance should be considered to revive the wetland. Purulia Municipality chairman Nabendu Mahali didn't respond to calls made by TOI. Purulia: Once a popular wintering ground for migratory waterbirds, Purulia's Sahebbandh now appears severely degraded. The number of waterbirds has dropped drastically, with only a handful of individuals visible during peak winter hours. Species that were once common at this site — such as gadwall, northern shoveler and ferruginous duck — were conspicuously absent last winter. An artificial wetland situated in the heart of Purulia town, Purulia Sahebbandh is administered by Purulia Municipality. During a recent visit to the site, signs of ecological distress were immediately evident, said Arkajyoti Mukherjee of NGO WINGS. "Numerous dead fish were floating on the water surface — an alarming indication of deteriorating water quality. The air was heavy with a foul, putrid smell, likely resulting from the decomposition of organic matter and low dissolved oxygen levels in the water. These observations reflect a serious decline in the wetland's ecological health, likely caused by untreated wastewater inflows, eutrophication, poor aquatic vegetation management, and increased human encroachment. Immediate restoration measures are urgently needed to prevent further biodiversity loss and to revive Sahebbandh's role as a critical habitat for migratory waterbirds," added Mukherjee, who has been awarded a National Post-Doctoral Fellowship by the Anusandhan National Research Foundation of GoI for working in the field of wetland ecology of Purulia Sahebbandh and Adra Sahebbandh in IIT Kharagpur under the mentorship of Prof Gourav Dhar Bhowmick. According to him, urban development has significantly impacted wetlands worldwide, including Sahebbandh — a historically vital wintering site for migratory waterbirds situated at the intersection of the Central Asian and East Asian–Australasian Flyways. A mid-winter study by Mukherjee from 2013-14 to 2019-20, using the total count method, revealed a sharp decline in both waterbird abundance and species richness. Waterbird numbers plummeted from 3718 (± 241.2) individuals in 2013-14 to only 163 (± 38.5) in 2019-20, while species richness fell from 59 to 17. Of the species observed, 27 showed statistically significant population declines — eight species experienced severe declines and 19 others declined notably. "Expansion of human settlements and simultaneous loss of croplands — critical nocturnal foraging habitats — were significantly correlated with declining bird numbers. Also, mismanagement of aquatic vegetation, particularly the unchecked growth and clearance of water hyacinth, further reduced habitat quality and food availability," he added. By winter 2025, the situation had worsened, with only 11 species recorded and total bird abundance dropping to a mere 60-70 individuals. "A nearby wintering site, Adra Sahebbandh, has consistently supported stable populations of wintering waterbirds over the recent years,"Mukherjee added. According to him, steps like wastewater management, vegetation restoration, community involvement and governance should be considered to revive the wetland. Purulia Municipality chairman Nabendu Mahali didn't respond to calls made by TOI.
The Hindu
02-06-2025
- The Hindu
Jayant Narlikar Vs Big Bang
'Our whole universe was in a hot dense state and then 14 billion years ago expansion started it .' This episode is about a scientist and one of the giants of cosmology who would have disagreed with the BareNakedLadies theme song to the Big Bang Theory. Jayant Vishnu Narlikar, who passed earlier this month, was, as a scientist, best known for advancing alternate interpretations to the mainstream consensus that the Universe began as Big Bang. But there is much more to him - institution builder, science writer, astrology-debunker and passionate advocate of everyone honing a scientific temper. The Rearview is a podcast where the hosts guide you on a scenic route through the history of science. Filled with fascinating anecdotes, deep archival dives, and a closer look at the quirky minds behind groundbreaking ideas. Hosts: Jacob Koshy and Sobhana K Nair Edited and produced by Jude Francis Weston Listen to more Rearview podcast episodes:
