Dr. A. C. Ranade was a faculty in University of Pune , chemistry department. He passed away on Friday 27th November 2009 in Pune, India.
Dr. A. C. Ranade taught a course in Synthetic Methodology and Heterocyclic chemistry when I was a student of M. Sc ( Organic chemistry) course in this department. It was some 30 years back today. In those days, Google didn’t exist . Neither Wikipedia nor SciFinder were born. We depended completely on the notes we managed to scribble on our 200 page notebooks. The literature search was carried out in library by bicycling a steep road up to National Chemical Laboratory which was 20 bicycle-minutes away from our department. Yes, I did visit NCL library thrice on a particular day when I failed to find a reference which Ranade Sir wanted me to get. I returned twice to his ground floor office in the department reporting my failure to fish out the reference, and surely enough; I was sent back to NCL. Unfortunately I failed to find the particular reference . It was Dr. Deshpande - then Dr. Ranade ’s Ph. D student who bailed me out by swiftly scootering his way to NCL and returning with required paper.
I was not the only student who got lessons of tenacity , thoroughness, accuracy & precision from Dr. Ranade.
His research work in Germany or his Humboldt fellowships were among the myths which surrounded him in those days. Barring some exceptions , the university professors in those days never socialized with students. Dr. Ranade also was selective when it came to being too friendly with students.
What transformations we learnt in his lectures on synthetic methods, we saw them applied in the long synthetic sequences which Dr. M. S. Wadia taught us in Natural Products lecture. He carried his notes in the class room. By referring to those papers he filled the black board with heterocycles.
If I remember correctly, he was the only teacher in chemistry department in 1980 who obtained a written appraisal or a feed back from his students. That was the first time I wrote my opinion on my teacher’s ability to teach. Believe me, it was a rarity in those days in the city of Pune.
After I graduated from department , I kept in touch with him until an year back or so. We talked atleast once in a year on telephone. He used to read profusely outside of chemistry . The ‘Razer’s Edge ‘ was the book he once recommended to me as a good read. The last time in 2008 we interacted closely , he borrowed a few audio tapes from me on some training module on “Improving Personal Productivity”. He must have been past his age 75 in 2008 & yet eager to know how to build tangible progress at personal level !
I do not recollect noticing him in a ‘nostalgic mood ‘. His optimism & pragmatism were seen in all his actions. He was sort of “ connected “ in his own way with the newer happenings around him. He was one among 3 chemistry professors who deeply influenced our professional careers as organic chemists.
I represent my 1980 class of M. Sc when I bid a farewell to his soul .
Thank you Dr. Ranade and a good-Bye to you Sir.
