Daulat Singh Kothari (6 July 1906 – 4 February 1993) was an Indian scientist and educationist.

Early life and education

D. S. Kothari was born in the princely state of

Udaipur Udaipur () (ISO 15919: ''Udayapura''), historically named as Udayapura, is a city and municipal corporation in Udaipur district of the state of Rajasthan, India. It is the administrative headquarter of Udaipur district. It is the historic capit ...

Rajputana Rājputana, meaning "Land of the Rajputs", was a region in the Indian subcontinent that included mainly the present-day Indian state of Rajasthan, as well as parts of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, and some adjoining areas of Sindh in modern-day ...

on 6 July 1906., son of a Jain Headmaster. His father died in the plague epidemic of 1918 and was raised by his mother. He had his early education at Udaipur and

Indore Indore () is the largest and most populous Cities in India, city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of both Indore District and Indore Division. It is also considered as an education hub of the state and is t ...

and received a master's degree in physics from

Allahabad University , mottoeng = "As Many Branches So Many Trees" , established = , type = Public , chancellor = Ashish Chauhan , vice_chancellor = Sangita Srivastava , head_label ...

in 1928 under guidance of

Meghnad Saha Meghnad Saha (6 October 1893 – 16 February 1956) was an Indian astrophysicist who developed the Saha ionization equation, used to describe chemical and physical conditions in stars. His work allowed astronomers to accurately relate the sp ...

. For his PhD, Kothari worked at the Cavendish Laboratory,

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

under the supervision of

Ernest Rutherford Ernest Rutherford, 1st Baron Rutherford of Nelson, (30 August 1871 – 19 October 1937) was a New Zealand physicist who came to be known as the father of nuclear physics. ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' considers him to be the greatest ...

, to whom he was recommended by Meghnad Saha.

Role as an educationist

After his return to India, he worked at the Delhi University from 1934 to 1961 in various capacities as reader, professor and Head of the Department of Physics. He was scientific advisor to

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

from 1948 to 1961 and was then appointed as chairman of the University Grants Commission in 1961 where he worked till 1973. He was the chairman of the Indian Education Commission of 1964–66, popularly known as

Kothari Commission National Education Commission (1964-1966), popularly known as Kothari Commission, was an ad hoc commission set up by the Government of India to examine all aspects of the educational sector in India, to develop a general pattern of education, a ...

, which was the first ad hoc commission set up in India for the modernization and standardization of education in India. Dr. D S Kothari (Padma Bushan & Padma Vibhushan), Scientific Advisor to Ministry of Defence, Govt. of India is an Outstanding Physicist, Educationalist and considered as the Architect of Defence Science in India. Founder of most of the DRDO labs in India i.e. Naval Dockyard Laboratory (later renamed Naval Chemical and Metallurgical Laboratory), Mumbai, Indian Naval Physical Laboratory, Kochi, Centre for Fire Research, Delhi, Solid State Physics Laboratory, Delhi, Defence Food Research Laboratory, Mysore, Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences, Chennai, Directorate of Psychological Research, New Delhi, Defence Electronics and Research Laboratory, Hyderabad, Scientific Evaluation Group, Delhi, Technical Ballistic Research Laboratory, Chandigarh. D S Kothari Played a crucial role in setting up of UGC and NCERT. Dr. D S Kothari and Dr. P Blackett worked together in Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge University under the guidance of Lord Ernst Rutherford, the Father of Nuclear physics, later together they paved the defence education system in India.

Achievements and honours

D. S. Kothari was president of the

Indian Science Congress Indian Science Congress Association(ISCA) is a premier scientific organisation of India with headquarters at Kolkata, West Bengal. The association started in the year 1914 in Kolkata and it meets annually in the first week of January. It has a ...

at its golden jubilee session in 1963. He was elected President of

Indian National Science Academy The Indian National Science Academy (INSA) is a national academy in New Delhi for Indian scientists in all branches of science and technology. In August 2019, Dr. Chandrima Shaha was appointed as the president of Indian National Science Academ ...

in 1973. His research on statistical thermodynamics and his Theory of White Dwarf Stars gave him an international reputation. The

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...

was conferred on him in 1962, and the

Padma Vibhushan The Padma Vibhushan ("Lotus Decoration") is the second-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "exceptional and distinguished service" ...

in 1973. He was also listed as a "Proud Past Alumni" by the "Allahabad University Alumni Association. In 2011, the

Department of Posts India Post is a government-operated postal system in India, part of the Department of Post under the Ministry of Communications. Generally known as the Post Office, it is the most widely distributed postal system in the world. Warren Hastings ha ...

issued a commemorative stamp in his honour. He was conferred

Atmaram Award The Atmaram Award is an honor in India, which is given in memory of the Indian scientist, Atmaram. It is one of the major awards given by the Central Hindi Directorate, (Kendriya Hindi Sansthan), Ministry of Human Resource Development. It is conf ...

in 1990 by the

Central Hindi Directorate The Central Hindi Directorate ( hi, केन्द्रीय हिन्दी निदेशालय), New Delhi is the directorate, under the Ministry of Education (India), responsible for promotion of Standard Hindi. It also regulates t ...

Ministry of Human Resource Development The Ministry of Education ( MoE; formerly the Ministry of Human Resource Development from 1985 to 2020) is a ministry of the Government of India, responsible for the implementation of the National Policy on Education. The Ministry is further di ...

. One of the postgraduate men's hostels at Delhi University ( North Campus ) bears his name.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kothari, Daulat Singh 1906 births 1993 deaths 20th-century Indian physicists Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in science & engineering Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in civil service University of Allahabad alumni People from Udaipur Scientists from Rajasthan Fellows of the Indian National Science Academy Foreign Members of the USSR Academy of Sciences Foreign Members of the Russian Academy of Sciences