P.kaliraj

Biography

Born to poor parents in an economically weaker section in Kanniseripudur of the Ramnad District near Virudhunagar, an under-developed part of Tamil Nadu, my primary school education was in a village school and high school education in Tamil Medium was in a Govt. Higher Secondary School located 4 km away from the village. Having topped the class and emerged as rank-holder in the school final, my parents, though financially constrained severely, encouraged me to pursue collegiate education in Sivakasi, a small town. After Pre-University, I passed the undergraduate degree in Chemistry in Distinction, a feat that was possible owing to the discipline and personality development inculcated by ANJA College. With this distinction I could join Department of Biochemistry of University of Madras and complete the postgraduate course in Distinction. Unlike my other colleagues, who went abroad, I preferred to do research on diseases afflicting the economically and socially weaker sections of our country and joined Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, a rural medical institute at Sevagram, Maharashtra. Till today I have not wavered from this goal and has been recognized by the State of Tamil Nadu and Government of India for my scientific and biotechnological contributions to the control of elephantiasis (filariasis), a neglected infectious disease. I have also effectively spread this message of developing indigenous tools for combating neglected infectious diseases for better health and performance among his colleagues, students and the public. My career in academics, especially in the premier technical University, has shown how it is very significant to mould the youngsters and develop their thought processes to address social problems with knowledge and innovative research converting them to technology.

Research Interest

biotechnology