Narasimh Desiraju

I was admitted to 8 K section, Nagarjuna House and to the 38- bed West wing dormitory in June 1967. For some strange reason I did not feel homesick in the first month but later I used to write home (all boys had to write to their parents) saying that I wanted to come back to Mysore. I missed my grandfathers’ home sorely!!! A few months later I was writing back saying that I liked the school and may not come back for holidays!!!!

My favourite teachers in school were Mr Krishnan, Mr Chandrasekhar, Mr Venkatachary and Mr Ahsan Ali Khan. While Krishnan aroused my interest in Science, it was Mr Venkatachary who ignited my interest in Chemistry and since then I have always liked Chemistry.

Mr Chandrashekar was a superb English teacher. He spoke very well and was always encouraging. I always looked for an opportunity to speak to him. Mr.Ahsan Ali Khan was our class teacher when we were in 10 B. During one of those Dasara holidays, he was visiting Madras where I was at home. We both went up to Mahabalipuram and I remember quite distinctly the miles of cycling we did there. He was very approachable and one felt at ease talking to him. I remember many of us likening him to Sidney Poiter in that classic movie ”To Sir with Love”!!

With a second class in the ISC examination, I could get admission for a BSc course (Chemistry and Biology) in one of Delhi University’s off campus college. All three years in Deshbandhu college I secured a University rank in the annual Delhi University examinations. Winning the ICAR Agricultural Research Fellowship in June 1975 (emergency was declared at that time) enabled me to pursue a Masters course in Biochemistry at India’s top ranked Agriculture University- G.B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology in Pantnagar, (at the foothills of Nainital)!!! I was finally studying the chemistry of biomolecules. In August 1977, I secured admission in a doctoral program in Biochemistry at India’s most famous research Institute- Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore

After my doctoral studies at IISc, I went abroad for my Postdoctoral research -first to the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD, USA, next to the Biozentrum, University of Basel, Switzerland and finally to Cambridge University, England. I returned to my alma mater- Biochemistry department at IISc as a faculty in 1989. The last 31 years my research group has been working on DNA-Protein interactions using enzymes that bind, cut and modify DNA. 25 Ph.D students have graduated from my lab and in August 2020, I superannuated. Since then I have moved to IISc’s second campus in Challakere, Chitradurga Dt (about 225 Kms from the Bangalore campus) as Advisor Challakere campus of IISc and Convenor of the Talent Development Center which runs High School, and PUC Science & Mathematics Teachers Training Program almost throughout the year.