Padma Bhushan & Padma Shri Laureate Dr. Saroj Ghose Passes Away at 87.

Obituary | Dated: 21 May 2025

In May 2025, Dr. Saroj Ghose, the founding Director General of the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM), Ministry of Culture, and regarded as the Father of India’s Science Museum Movement, passed away at the age of 89 in Seattle, USA.

🎯 Key Highlights:

  • - Born on 1st September 1935 in Calcutta (now Kolkata), West Bengal, Dr. Ghose began his career in 1958 as a technical officer at the Birla Industrial & Technological Museum (BITM), Kolkata.
  • - In 1965, he became the Director of BITM and pioneered the concept of the Mobile Science Museum, aimed at reaching remote areas with traveling science exhibitions.
  • - He was appointed as the first Director General of NCSM in 1979 and led the organization until 1997, playing a key role in establishing major science centers such as Nehru Science Centre in New Delhi and Science City in Kolkata.

💡 Other Important Facts:

  • (i) Dr. Ghose was internationally recognized and served as President of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), Paris, from 1992 to 1998.
  • (ii) For his significant contributions to science education and museology, he was honored by the Government of India with the Padma Shri in 1989 and the Padma Bhushan in 2007 in the field of Science and Engineering.
  • (iii) In 1997, he was awarded the ASTC Fellowship by the Association of Science Technology Centres, USA, recognizing his global contributions to the field.

📚 Test Your Knowledge:

Which Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri awardee, known as the Father of India's Science Museum Movement, recently passed away at the age of 89?

Correct Answer: Dr. Saroj Ghose

🚀 Quick Recap:

About the National Council of Science Museums (NSCM)

  • Director General : A. D. Choudhury
  • Headquarters : Kolkata, West Bengal