Bacteriologist Bharucha

My brother Dr Faridun D. Bharucha, who died at the age of 90 on October 19, 2009, was a bacteriologist and served as head of all postgraduate courses in microbiology at Bombay’s Haffkine Institute between 1945 and 1977.

Born on January 28, 1919, he received his bachelor’s degree in microbiology from St Xavier’s College, Bombay. Thereafter, he obtained the coveted French government’s scholarship to carry out research at the world renowned Pasteur Institute in Paris (1952-56) and received the degree of Doctor of Science (DSc, Hons) from the Sorbonne University in Paris.

During his long tenure at the Haffkine Institute he did research on "the methods for the production of penicillin and other antibiotics connected with it,” and later on "the chemotherapy of malaria.” Both these projects were sponsored by the Indian Council of Medical Research.

Dr Faridun Bharucha: renowned researcher

Bharucha was an examiner for the Diploma in Medical Laboratory Technology at Bombay University. He published The Handbook of Microbiology Methods and Media, co-authored by Ashok I. Mehta to fill the lacuna of a suitable textbook for students of medical microbiology.

The bacteriologist carried out important research work at the Indian Dairy Research Institute in Bangalore, at the Fr Caius Research Institute of St Xavier’s College and at the K. E. M. Hospital in Bombay. He worked with Glaxo Laboratories in Bombay, Alembic Chemical Works in Baroda, MerIndia in Bombay and at the Merck Sharpe and Dohme’s Stonewall Plant in Elkton, Virginia, USA.

While abroad for six years, Bharucha traveled to the UK, USA, Europe, Africa, Japan and Egypt. In addition to being fluent in Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi and English, he also studied French, German, Greek, Latin, Italian and Russian.

Bharucha always acknowledged the late Fr Duhr of St Xavier’s College as his spiritual mentor. He was a firm believer in the equality of all human beings and universal tolerance of all religions.

DOLLY D. BHARUCHA