Honouring ex-NASA scientist’s last wish, family donates ancestral house to Meerut varsity

Meerut (UP): Honouring the last wish of former NASA scientist and Meerut resident Ramesh Chand Tyagi, his family members have donated his ancestral house to the Chaudhary Charan Singh University (CCSU) here for educational purposes.

Tyagi, who passed away in 2020 at the age of 87, wanted the house to be utilised for the betterment of the future generations. His niece Shikha Tyagi, who along with Tyagi’s son Dinesh Tyagi lives in the US, played a key role in facilitating the handover.

The house spanning approximately 400 square metres is located in the Budhana Gate area with an estimated value running into crores of rupees, officials said.

During a meeting with CCCU Vice Chancellor Sangeeta Shukla, Shikha Tyagi conveyed her uncle’s wish to use the house for educational purposes, specifically as a library or a study centre.

After securing the necessary legal clearance, the university officially took possession of the property recently.

Confirming the donation, Shukla said the property could serve as a library, a learning centre, or even a hub for musical activities, reflecting Tyagi’s lifelong passion for music.

“While its specific use will be decided by a committee, the house will undoubtedly serve as an asset for the university,” she said.

A prominent physicist, Tyagi made significant contributions to the scientific community of India.

In a distinguished career, which included working with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the 1970s, Tyagi also served as the chief scientific officer at DRDO’s solid state physics laboratory where he contributed to India’s missile development programme.

Tyagi was recalled to India by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to work on defence projects.

Sharing how determination and resilience defined Tyagi’s life, Shikha Tyagi said, “Despite facing hardships, his dedication to science and integrity earned him the prestigious Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology which was awarded by Indira Gandhi.” Before finalising the donation, the family set two conditions — the house should be used exclusively for academic purposes, and any development on the property should be named ‘Dr RC Tyagi Centre’.

Additionally, a corner of the house should be dedicated to Tyagi’s memory, displaying information about his life and scientific achievements, Shikha Tyagi said.

The family first considered selling the house and donating the proceeds to IIT-Delhi, where Tyagi served as a professor, before choosing to honour his legacy by donating the property to CCSU, she added.

Tyagi’s contributions to the field of music were also noteworthy. During his time in Meerut, he conducted research on musical scales, proving a scientific basis of the frequencies of the seven notes through a mathematical theory.