Archive · 6 Aug 2026
IIT Kharagpur Director Calls for Inclusive Innovation at Ray Lecture
A famous science leader in India gave a special talk about making science useful for everyone.
His name is Suman Chakraborty and he is the director of a big technical university called IIT Kharagpur.
He spoke at an event remembering a great scientist named Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray.
Ray lived long ago and worked hard to bring science and industry to India.
This year marks 165 years since Ray was born.
Chakraborty said science should not stay locked in books and laboratories.
He wants villages to benefit from AI and every family to have access to affordable health check-ups.
He showed videos of new low-cost medical devices being built at his university.
Another speaker from Dow India said school lessons should be updated to match what industries need today.
Everyone at the event agreed that science should help all people, not just a few.
Suman Chakraborty, director of IIT Kharagpur, urged that every discovery must reach every citizen, village and underserved community rather than stay confined to laboratories.
He delivered a virtual keynote at the 24th Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray Memorial Lecture, organized by the Indian Chemical Council at Calcutta University.
The lecture honoured Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray on his 165th birth anniversary; Ray (1861-1944) was a pioneering chemist and industrialist.
Chakraborty's lecture, titled "Science with a Human Face", showcased low-cost diagnostic screening devices being developed at IIT Kharagpur for marginalized communities.
Dow India CEO Siddhartha Ghosal called for stronger industry-academia collaboration and syllabus reform, while Bengal Chemicals MD Srikumar Ghose Choudhury recalled Ray's selfless research mission.
- Who
- Suman Chakraborty, director of IIT Kharagpur, with Siddhartha Ghosal (CEO and country president, Dow India) and Srikumar Ghose Choudhury (managing director, Bengal Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals Limited).
- What
- Keynote addresses at the 24th Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray Memorial Lecture calling for inclusive innovation and stronger industry-academia collaboration.
- When
- On Wednesday, around Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray's 165th birth anniversary (August 2).
- Where
- Meghnad Saha Bhavan Auditorium, Calcutta University, Rajabazar; Chakraborty spoke virtually.
- Why
- To honour Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray's legacy of using science for the development of mankind and to promote science that reaches every citizen.
- Event
- 24th Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray Memorial Lecture
- Organizer
- Indian Chemical Council
- Keynote Speaker
- Suman Chakraborty, Director of IIT Kharagpur
- Lecture Title
- "Science with a Human Face"
- Honoring
- Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray (1861-1944), 165th birth anniversary
- Other Speakers
- Siddhartha Ghosal (Dow India) and Srikumar Ghose Choudhury (Bengal Chemicals)
- Ray's Company
- Bengal Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals Limited, founded by Ray in 1901
- ICC Predecessor
- Indian Chemical Manufacturers Association, founded by Ray and B.D. Amin on July 16, 1938 in Calcutta