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Noted physicist passes away

By Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Aug 27 - Noted physicist Professor Bhumidhar Choudhury died at his Chandmari Colony residence here around 5.40 pm yesterday due to old-age ailments. He was 98. His last rites were performed at the Navagraha cremation here this morning.

His wife Arunmoni Choudhury, a Professor of Chemistry at Gauhati University (GU), predeceased him about seven years back.

Professor Emeritus of Gauhati University and one of the apostles in the field of Physics in Assam and the northeastern region, Professor Choudhury, the youngest son of late Bhudhar Choudhury and late Umakanti Choudhury, was born on September 29, 1921 at Rangmahal, North Guwahati.

Professor Choudhury completed his early education at Cotton Collegiate School, Guwahati. He passed matriculation with flying colours in 1938, stood first in ISc examination from Cotton College, did his BSc with honours in Physics from Presidency College, Kolkata, and MSc from Calcutta University in 1945. He obtained his PhD degree from the University of Manchester, UK in 1955 under the guidance of Professor H Lipson in the field of X-Ray diffraction analysis and use of optically derived Fourier Transforms.

Professor Choudhury served as a lecturer at Cotton College from 1946 to 1952. He joined the Department of Physics at GU in 1956 and became a professor of Physics in 1973. He went on to become the head of the department and then the dean of the Faculty of Science and finally retired in 1981.

Professor Choudhury was instrumental in setting up various facilities for teaching and research in the Department of Physics, GU, particularly the X- Ray Diffraction Laboratory, the Small Angle Diffraction Facility, the Computer Centre, etc.

Widely respected as a reputed X-ray crystallographer, Professor Choudhury was the author of many popular science articles both in English and Assamese. The most significant of these was his essay in �Optical Transforms�, published by the Academic Press, New York and London, for which he was conferred the title of Professor Emeritus of Gauhati University in 1989.

Professor Choudhury was made the Chairman of the Assam Higher Secondary Council in 1987. He served there for two years and devoted his time for remodelling the 10+2 education in Assam. In 1986, Professor Choudhury became the Chairman of the Governing Body of Handique Girls� College. He was the first person to introduce Computer Science as an elective subject in Assam in the higher secondary level in 1989.

Prof Choudhury was cremated at the Navagraha crematorium here this morning amidst a large gathering of his students and colleagues who included former GU Vice Chancellors Dr Nirmal Kumar Choudhury, Dr Amarjyoti Choudhury, KK Handiqui State Open University Vice Chancellor Hitesh Deka and former USTM VC Dr Satyendra Kumar Choudhury, among others and his fans and relatives.

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