A visionary passes away

VADODARA, March 21: Vadodara was shocked by the sudden death of Nanubhai Amin, one of its eldest citizens who not only played a stellar r...

VADODARA, March 21: Vadodara was shocked by the sudden death of Nanubhai Amin, one of its eldest citizens who not only played a stellar role in the city being called industrial capital but also participated in its cultural development.

A visionary, Amin was acclaimed for his research and development activities particularly for evolving technologies that helped tap renewable energy from rural areas, while he was also known for his involvement in a wide range of social, cultural, welfare and educational causes. For both, he was decorated with the Vishwa Gurjari Award and a honourary doctorate in science by the Sardar Patel University, Vallabh Vidyanagar.

Born on October 2, 1919, Amin was also awarded the 1987 Energy for Mankind Award from Global Energy Society for Eradication of Poverty and Hunger, USA, in appreciation for creating awareness about the role of energy in eradication of poverty and hunger and for promoting the concept of Urja Gram, an integrated rural energy system.

Amin, who graduated in electrical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA, in 1942, was the fellow of Indian National Academy of Engineering in New Delhi. After doing his Masters at Cornell University, he also took courses in subjects like mathematical logic, social anthropology and other liberal arts before joining Jyoti Limited as an engineer in 1944. Under his leadership, Jyoti grew over 45 years into a multi-product, multi-technology organisation.

Amin was known for his yeoman services in rehabilitating physically handicapped persons and his company Jyoti Limited has been awarded thrice by the President of India for employing such persons. He established a special cell at Jyoti which identifies residual abilities of the differently abled and trains them for gainful employment.

He was the chairman of Centre for Environment Education, Ahmedabad, which has been supported by the Union Ministry of Environment and was established in 1984, of Gujarat Energy Development Agency and of Board of Management of the Sardar Patel Renewable Energy Research Institute, Vallabh Vidyanagar, besides being on several organisations in the State.

He was the founder chairman of the prestigious Baroda Productivity Council and Baroda Management Association and he also chaired the All India Small Industries Board of the Union Government, the Citizens Blood Donation Society and Central Gujarat Division Committee of the World Wide Fund for Nature, India.