Coventry Cathedral Hosts Thanksgiving Tribute for Padma Bhushan Awardee, Professor Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya

Coventry Cathedral recently organised a special service of thanks giving for the Padma Bhushan awardee, Professor Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya on 30th March 2019. Apart from his family and friends, the special service was attended by some leading figures from business, politics, & education. The service witnessed a number of heart touching tributes, led by Miss Tina Bhattacharyya, on behalf of the family. Mr. Venu Srinivasan, Chairman and Managing Director, TVS Motor Company, was also present at the service to pay his tribute. Tributes were also extended by Former Prime Minister, The Right Honourable Gordon Brown, Councillor Abdul Khan, Deputy Leader of Coventry City Council, Mr. Ratan Tata GBE, Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons, and Chairman of Tata Trusts, Mr. Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General of the Confederation of Indian Industry, among others.

Dr. Ralf Speth, Tim Jones, Mr. Chandra, Mr. Ratan Tata, Mark Johnson, Prof. Stuart Croft, Prof. Dave Mullins University of Warwick

Regis Professor of Manufacturing, Professor Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya, Director and Chairman of WMG, The University of Warwick, UK, breathed his last on 1st March 2019. Professor Bhattacharyya is survived by his wife Lady Bridie Bhattacharyya and Lord and Lady Bhattacharyya’s three daughters Anita, Tina and Malini. 

Roy Chung, Venu Srinivasan, and Sudarshan Srinivasan at Prof. Lord Bhattacharyya Building, University of Warwick

A visionary academic and an industry veteran, Prof. Lord Bhattacharyya was deeply committed to fostering India’s manufacturing excellence. Working on policy development, manufacturing competitiveness and research, he believed in deepening India’s global manufacturing footprint to make the country a leader.

Born on the 6th of June 1940, Professor Lord Bhattacharya was an alumnus of IIT Kharagpur. He was globally respected for his vision and foresight. In 2002, he was conferred the Padma Bhushan by Government of India for his services to Science and Technology. A futurist scholar, Professor Lord Bhattacharya dedicated his life to nurturing India’s manufacturing prowess.

On the same day, the University of Warwick formally unveiled a plinth outside the new £150 million building on the University campus, hosting the National Automotive Innovation Centre, which now bears the name Prof. Lord Bhattacharyya Building.

Lord Bhattacharyya served for four decades at Warwick, founding and leading the WMG. To commemorate his life's work, The Professor Lord Bhattacharyya Memorial Fund will create opportunities for young people to thrive, by supporting projects he was passionate about. It will provide funds to enrich the experiences of students at the University of Warwick and the two WMG Academies he was so proud of.