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Which he would rate as his biggest achievement: opportunity of being a student of Nobel Laureate Hargovind Khurana, recognition for his “Nutrient Buffer Power Concept” by about 10 prominent countries including China, or invitation to South Africa by Nelson Mandela?  When asked, Dr.Kodoth Prabhakaran Nair, noted agriculture scientist, would smile as enigmatically as a corn of rice swaying in the breeze.

Or take another achievement.  He is the only Indian who has contributed to ‘Advances In Agrononomy’, considered the Bible on the subject.  In 1980, 2 persons had been shortlisted for selection to the Gutting University, where Einstein had once worked.  When Prabhakaran Nair was selected for the post, the one to be excluded was Amartya Sen, a future Nobel Prize winner. 

In 1984 he introduced his buffer power concept at an international conference held in France.  This theory proposes regulation of fertilizers and other inputs to a plant based on the chemical reaction between its roots and the soil surrounding them.  The system was first tried in different crops like corns, rice, pepper etc in various soil conditions of Europe, Asia and Africa before it was embraced by countries like Japan, Canada, Germany, France and Netherlands.  In 1993, he had been invited by Nelson Mandela to advice the South African government on agriculture.  It was such success that had prompted China to invite him to its recently held National People Congress.

Science that is close to Nature, soil and society is his favourite topic.

Born in 1938 at Kanhanhad, Dr.Nair completed his Intermediate at St.Aloysius, Mangalore before venturing into the wide world.  His wife is Dr.Pankajam and children, Dr.Kannan and Sreedevi.

Courtesy: Siby John Thooval (text), R.S.Gopan (photo), Sree, Malayala Manorama, March 26, 2006
Contributed by: Administrator

"One eyewitness is better than ten hearsays."