It is both an honour and a privilege to be able to serve the Academy, and I certainly hope to carry forward its visions and missions following the path shown by my illustrious predecessors.
Over more than three decades the Academy has been successful to provide a platform for interactions between all disciplines of Science and Technology to promote a collective wisdom, which should translate into benefits to the society at large. We will be happy to contribute in this direction by offering our advice to various governmental and non-governmental activities. Perhaps we can work together to improve our visibility to the people.
The pandemic has seriously curtailed our activities and it is still uncertain how long we have to continue in this state. Fellows of the Academy have addressed the concerned scientific issues through numerous articles, video presentations and communications with appropriate authorities. We are striving hard to adjust to the “neo-normal” with the hope that normalcy will return soon. One silver lining of the pandemic is that we are able to organize many distinguished web-based lectures and webinars covering a wide range of topics with participation of a much larger audience and without much organizational hassles. We may be more active to organize such webinars involving eminent scientists from all corners of the globe using our personal contacts.
Our success is contingent upon induction of brilliant minds into the Fellowship and nurturing talented youth as Associates and, I am confident that the respective Sectional Committees will ensure that. We will welcome constructive suggestions from the entire Fellowship on any matter related to the functions of the Academy. Together we will take the Academy to greater heights.
A convention of scientists and technologies of West Bengal was held on 29th April, 1986 in the auditorium of Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (IICB), Kolkata to consider the question of forming an Academy of Science in West Bengal. Out of prolonged discussion, the house decided to form such an Academy and constituted an ad-hoc committee, with Professor Sushil Kumar Mukherjee as the Chairman, to take necessary steps to give effect to this decision in a general meeting on 20th January, 1989 in the auditorium of IICB, the formation of the Academy (WAST) with 136 Founder Fellows.
The first elected Council of the Academy, with Prof. S.K. Mukherjee as President, Prof. S.C. Pakrashi and Prof. R.K. Poddar as Vice-Presidents, met on 24th August, 1989 to elect office-bearers. The Academy then was registered as a Society (S/65001 to 1990-91). A new Academy entitled "West Bengal Academy of Science & Technology" was thus born.
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