WESTON, Mass. — Nadathur Rajagopal, a nationally recognized scientist from India whose career included serving as a science speechwriter for former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and leading planning efforts at India’s Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, died September 10 in Weston, MA, surrounded by his loved ones. He was 89.
Rajagopal was remembered not only for his scientific career and expertise in science communication, but also for his extraordinary range of interests. Fluent in eight Indian languages and known for his talent for mimicry, he had a passion for the arts, sciences and sports that made him a lively presence and the life of many gatherings across generations.
Rajagopal is survived by his daughter, Anuradha (Prashanth); his younger brothers, Sampath (Jayalakshmi) and Jaganathan (Geeta); his sister, Prema; his grandsons, Rishabh (Capucine) and Anokh Palakurthi (Kimberly); his granddaughters, Arya Palakurthi (Yashi) and Amitya Palakurthi; and his great-granddaughters, Avni Palakurthi and Uma Kashyap.
He was preceded in death by his son, Ravi (Sumi), and his wife, Chinni.
Memorial service details will be announced at a later date.
Born December 12, 1936, in Chennai, India, Rajagopal graduated from Government Arts College in 1955 with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. He went on to work as a government scientist, but his exceptional communication skills eventually led to a role as a science speechwriter for Indira Gandhi, who served as prime minister of India for multiple terms.
In 1996, Rajagopal earned a PhD in science communication from BITS Pilani, one of India’s premier universities. He also taught science communication at the institution.
Before retiring, Rajagopal served as Head of Planning at the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, India’s longest-running scientific agency. His career combined scientific knowledge with a strong interest in communicating science to broader audiences.
In 2018, he published his autobiography, “My Life: A Grain of Sand,” chronicling his personal life and professional career.
But science was only one part of Rajagopal’s interests.
He was deeply engaged with the arts and regularly wrote reviews for major Indian newspapers and magazines. He also founded the South Indian Theater in Delhi.
Rajagopal was a Sanskrit scholar who taught shlokas and regularly recited stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata for relatives. His cultural interests, however, extended well beyond classical Indian traditions.
He enjoyed Western action movies as enthusiastically as his favorite Indian films and could be equally animated when explaining why he disliked a movie. His critiques of his least favorite Hollywood productions could be delivered with the same intensity as his assessments of Indian cinema.
Music was another passion. While he loved Carnatic music, his tastes ranged widely, from old Bollywood songs to Western hard rock.
Rajagopal also maintained an unusually active lifestyle well into his later years. He practiced yoga every day and continued playing tennis into his eighties. He was an avid sports fan, with Indian cricket holding a special place in his interests.
A lifelong follower of Indian cricket, Rajagopal was a major supporter of the Chennai Super Kings of the Indian Premier League and took pride in his knowledge of the sport.
After moving to Massachusetts in 2018, he developed new sporting loyalties. He became an avid fan of the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots, embracing baseball and American football alongside the cricket he had followed throughout his life.
His broad interests and ability to move easily between science, culture, sports and entertainment became a defining part of his personality.
