Illustrious Son of The Soil

Nishan-i-Imtiaz, Hilal-i-Imtiaz, Sitara-i-Imtiaz – Pakistan government conferred the highest civilian awards to Dr Professor Muhammad Raziuddin Siddiqui for his contribution to science and nuclear research. A student of Albert Einstein, an accomplished mathematician, physicist Prof Siddiqui is the illustrious alumni of Osmania University. He also served as the 7th Vice Chancellor of the University before migrating to the neighbouring country

Partition conjures up images of a sea of humanity migrating from India to the newly formed Pakistan. This sea of humanity had some embedded hidden pearls – illustrious persons, who achieved distinction in various walks of life in Pakistan. Call it India’s loss and Pakistan’s gain.

A case in point is the scientist and winner of several Pakistani civilian awards, Dr. Professor Muhammad Raziuddin Siddiqui. Not only was he a student of Albert Einstein, eminent theoretical physicist and a renowned mathematician, Prof. Siddiqui also served as the Vice Chancellor of Osmania University during 1947-1948.

Prof. Siddiqui was born on 8 January1908 in Hyderabad Deccan in a conservative Muslim family. His father Moulvi Muzaffaruddin Siddiqui was in service in the erstwhile State of Hyderabad, India.

History records that, during his early days, Siddiqui was a precocious student educated at the Dar-ul-uloom and studied mathematics, science, arts, Arabic and Persian. He held diplomas of Rushdia, Munshi and Molvi.

He was one of the students, who attended the newly established Osmania University. After passing the Rashidia Exams in 1918, Siddiqui completed his matriculation from Osmania University in 1921, and earned the BA degree in Mathematics with distinction in 1925, the first batch from Osmania University.

Giving due recognition to his scholastic brilliance, the Government of Hyderabad awarded him scholarships to pursue higher studies in Cambridge University (1926–28) and later in Germany (1928–30) and Paris (1930)..

Internet sources reveal that he completed his M.A.in Mathematics, under Paul Dirac from the University of Cambridge in 1928. He received his M.Sc.in Mathematics and M.Phil in Quantum Physics under the supervision of Albert Einstein.

Raziuddin Siddiqui is one of those providential students to have studied under the supervision of renowned physicist and Nobel Laureate Werner Karl Heisenberg, known for the uncertainty principle. In 1930, he did his PhD in Theoretical Physics from the University of Leipzig in Germany (Weimar).

He submitted his thesis on Theory of relativity and the nuclear energy. He held a post-doctoral research position subsequently in Paris for a few months, during which he benefited from discussions with the Curies, Langevin, de Broglie and others.

In 1931, Siddiqui returned to Hyderabad and joined Osmania University as Professor of Mathematics while some sources indicate that he joined as an Associate Professor. He was appointed as Vice-Chancellor of Osmania University in 1948 and he held the position till the political accession of the State of Hyderabad with the Indian Union. However, in the University records, he was the Vice Chancellor during 1947-1948.

During the period 1943–1948, he held the position of Director of Research in the Institute of Scientific Research of the Osmania University and published a large number of papers in journals of international repute and participated in several national and international conferences. He wrote a book on quantum mechanics in 1938, probably the first on this important subject from the then British India. Osmania University conferred on him the honorary degree of Science in 1942.

He was a Foundation Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences and a Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy apart from being the President of the Indian Mathematical Society (1947–1949). He was involved with a large number of learned Societies in various capacities.

There is conflicting information about his migration. One source indicates that in 1950 Siddiqui went to Pakistan as a delegate to the Pakistan Association for the Advancement of Science, and decided to stay on as Professor and Head of the Department of Mathematics and also Director of Research at the University of Peshawar.

Yet another source points out that in 1950, at the request of the Government of Pakistan, Dr Raziuddin Siddiqui, along with his family migrated to Karachi. In Karachi, he joined the Karachi University's teaching faculty and taught as Professor of Applied Mathematics. Later, he became Vice-chancellor of Peshawar University (1953–1958), Sind University (1960–1964) and Quaid-e-Azam University (1964–1972) – spanning a distinguished and unique career. He retired in 1972.

Dr. Siddiqui founded the first mathematical society in Pakistan in 1952 by the name of ‘All Pakistan Mathematics Association’ (now known as Pakistan Mathematical Society), and remained its President until 1972. In 1956, Siddiqui helped establish the nuclear power and its expansion in the country by first joining the newly established Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) and then establishing the first science directorate on Mathematical physics.

During the 1970s, Dr. Siddiqui worked on problems in theoretical physics with Pakistani theoretical physicists in the integrated atomic bomb project. Previously, he had worked in Europe, including carrying out nuclear research in the British nuclear program, and the French atomic program.

After the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, Dr. Raziuddin Siddiqui joined the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) at the request of Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Dr. Siddiqui was the first full-time Technical Member of the PAEC and was responsible for the preparation of its charter and became a mentor of some of the country's academic scientists.

At PAEC, he was the director of the Mathematical Physics Group (MPG) and was tasked with performing mathematical calculations involved in fission and supercomputing. While both MPG and Theoretical Physics Group (TPG) had reported directly to Abdus Salam, Siddiqui co-ordinated each meeting with the scientists of TPG and mathematicians of the MPG. At the PAEC, he directed the mathematical research directly involving the general relativity, and helped establish the quantum computers laboratories at the PAEC.

Saifuddin Siddiqui, son of Dr. Raziuddin Siddiqui’s elder brother, in a document, states that he visited India a couple of times after he immigrated to Pakistan. On one such occasion, coinciding with the Diamond Jubilee Celebration of the Osmania University in 1979, he was honoured with the title of the Distinguished Retired Teacher. Subsequently, he wrote a book detailing the history of establishment and development of the University, which was published as a Jubilee memorial volume.

Dr. Siddiqui was the first Vice-Chancellor of Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU). In 1990, he was made Professor Emeritus of Physics and Mathematics at QAU.

In May 1998, the Government of Pakistan awarded him the highest civilian award, Nishan-i-Imtiaz posthumously by the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif when Pakistan conducted its first successful nuclear tests.

In 1981, he was awarded the second highest civilian award, Hilal-i-Imtiaz, from President General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq for his inputs to the Pakistan's atomic programme, and popularising science in Pakistan. In 1960, he was awarded the third-highest civilian award of Pakistan, Sitara-i-Imtiaz, from the then-President of Pakistan, Field Marshal Ayub Khan for his efforts to expand education.

Prof, Siddiqui, called as Dr Razi, played a pivotal role in Pakistan’s integrated nuclear deterrence development. He had passion for both Physics and Mathematics which remained with him until his death in Islamabad. His date of death has been recorded differently- 2 January 1998 and 8 January 1998.

Prof. Raziuddin Siddiqui, the towering personality, whose intellectual prowess is unmatched, will be etched in the pages of history as a theoretical physicist, mathematician and the seventh Vice Chancellor of Osmania University, poised to celebrate the Centenary this year.

Truly a pearl lost ! !

By: Prof K Stevenson
(The author is the Head, Department of Communication & Journalism, Osmania University.)