Balachandra Chakkingal Sekhar (17 November 1929 – 6 September 2006 ) modernised

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

natural rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, and ...

industry. He was also involved in the development of the nation's palm oil industry.

Personal history

Sekhar was born on 17 November 1929 at the Ulu Bulu Estate (now Malayan Glass). His place of birth is located near the

Rubber Research Institute of Malaysia The Rubber Research Institute of Malaysia (RRIM; ms, Institut Penyelidikan Getah Malaysia) is a research center for problems and matters pertaining to rubber and its industry in Malaysia. History On 29 June 1925, the bill to incorporate the Rubb ...

's (RRIM) 3,400-acre experimental station at

Sungai Buloh Sungai Buloh, or Sungei Buloh, is a town, a mukim (commune) and a parliamentary constituency in the northern part of Petaling District, Selangor, Malaysia. The name itself means ''bamboo river'' in the Malay language. It is located 16 km NW ...

, which he developed during his tenure into one of the most comprehensively equipped research centres. He started as a

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe t ...

at RRIM in 1949 and led research, particularly in physiochemical changes in

. He turned the institute into a research centre able to conduct in-depth research into the manufacture of rubber applications from tubes, tyres, and gloves to earthquake disaster prevention devices.

Contributions

Rubber

Sekhar served the

industry for about 50 years in various capacities. He was the Asian Director of the

in 1966 and, subsequently, became the first Asian Controller of Rubber Research and chairman of the Malaysian Rubber Research and Development Board. Under his leadership, the RRIM
Tun Abdul Razak Rubber Research Centre (TARRC)
in Hertford,

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

, and the Malaysian Rubber Board (MRB) rose to great heights and gained international recognition for excellence in research, modernisation of the rubber industry and the vigorous promotion and expansion of rubber usage. He was actively involved in the formation of the Malaysian Agriculture Research and Development Institute and evolved the Malaysian Rubber Development Corporation from a desk in his division to what it finally became. His efforts in setting up

central processing unit A central processing unit (CPU), also called a central processor, main processor or just Processor (computing), processor, is the electronic circuitry that executes Instruction (computing), instructions comprising a computer program. The CPU per ...

s throughout the country and spearheading smallholder support and development systems lead to their achieving impressive levels of performance and viability while contributing substantively to the nation's economy. Sekhar also oversaw the development of stimulants to paint on rubber trees to double and in many cases triple

latex Latex is an emulsion (stable dispersion) of polymer microparticles in water. Latexes are found in nature, but synthetic latexes are common as well. In nature, latex is found as a milky fluid found in 10% of all flowering plants (angiosperms ...

yields. He was directly involved in the invention and subsequent development of the Standard Malaysian Rubber (SMR) process whose final product allowed for grading to buyers' specifications to a very high level of consistency. This was one of its most significant developments as an industrial raw material. On the international front, Dr. Sekhar, in his capacity as chairman of the International Rubber Research and Development Board, was instrumental in converting the organisation into a dynamic institution. The membership increased threefold under his leadership. The IRRDB successfully implemented the expedition into

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

for the collection of new

germplasm Germplasm are living genetic resources such as seeds or tissues that are maintained for the purpose of animal and plant breeding, preservation, and other research uses. These resources may take the form of seed collections stored in seed banks, t ...

. The organisation also established an international R&D program, three parts of which were financed through

UNIDO The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) (French: Organisation des Nations unies pour le développement industriel; French/Spanish acronym: ONUDI) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that assists countries in ...

Member institutes. Dr. Sekhar travelled widely and attended numerous conferences in all parts of the world. His able and effective advocacy of the strength and stability of natural rubber carved a "niche" for him in the international elastomer industry. With numerous patents to his name some of his more recent innovations were in the areas of rubber recycling (Delink), low-protein latex and rubberised textiles.

Palm Oil

He was also instrumental in setting up the Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia and was its founder and chairman. Sekhar established PORIM as one of the premier centres for oils and fats research in the world.

Plantation Workers

Sekhar was a tireless champion for the rights of Malaysian plantation workers and their progeny, mostly ethnic Indians, and made it an important part of his life's work to make sure that they received a monthly

wage A wage is payment made by an employer to an employee for work done in a specific period of time. Some examples of wage payments include compensatory payments such as ''minimum wage'', '' prevailing wage'', and ''yearly bonuses,'' and remune ...

and due recognition from the government for their contributions to the economy of the nation.

Awards and recognitions

As one of Asia's most effective scientists, Sekhar received the 1973 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service and many other awards, local and international, for his efforts. The

Yang di-Pertuan Agong The Yang di-Pertuan Agong (, Jawi: ), also known as the Supreme Head of the Federation, the Paramount Ruler or simply as the Agong, and unofficially as the King of Malaysia, is the constitutional monarch and head of state of Malaysia. The o ...

(King) and

Government of Malaysia The Government of Malaysia, officially the Federal Government of Malaysia ( ms, Kerajaan Persekutuan Malaysia), is based in the Federal Territory of Putrajaya with the exception of the legislative branch, which is located in Kuala Lumpur. Mala ...

, in recognition of his excellent service to the nation, bestowed upon him the title of '

Tan Sri The Malay language has a complex system of styles, titles and honorifics which are used extensively in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the southern Philippines. Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and several provinces in Indonesia regul ...

'. A Biography has been released of Tan Sri Sekhar by The Academy of Sciences Malaysia.

Honours of Malaysia

* : **

Companion of the

Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia The Most Esteemed Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia ( ms, Darjah Yang Mulia Setia Mahkota Malaysia) is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country and awarded by the sovereign. The order was instituted ...

(JSM) (1969) ** Order_of_Loyalty_to_the_Crown_of_Malaysia_-_PSM

Commander of the

(PSM) – Tan Sri (1976)

Family

Sekhar was married to Puan Sri Sukumari Sekhar. He had four children and 8 grandchildren.

Death

Tan Sri B.C Sekhar died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

on 6 September 2006 at the Kaliappa Hospital in Raja Annamlaipuram,

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

at 9am (5am India time). He was 77. His remains were cremated at the Cheras crematorium in

References

External links

1973 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service

Tan Sri B C Sekhar: A truly great son of Malaysia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shekhar, B.C. 1929 births 2006 deaths 20th-century Malaysian businesspeople Malaysian people of Indian descent Malaysian Hindus Palm oil production in Malaysia Companions of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia Commanders of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia