Legends are those persons who continue to live well past their death through their work and impact they make on society. One such legend- Prof C R Rao, a statistician par excellence passed away in the US on August 23, just 18 days before his 103rd birthday on September 10.
By a strange coincidence, India lost this great son, Prof Rao, a former Director of the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Kolkata on a day when it’s space scientists helped script history by becoming the First Nation to land on the South Pole (dark side) of the Moon.
For people living in Hyderabad, one of the first roads leading to the University of Hyderabad, named after him, will be a remembrance. The C R Rao Advanced Institute of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science, also in the University Campus, which he helped establish will hopefully continue to be a place of vibrant, academic activity as a fitting response to his memory.
But, for the world of statistics and mathematics Dr Rao’s contributions will live forever, through his seminal works and the innumerable students he guided. He is acknowledge worldwide for helping hundreds of students and mentoring many researchers from all over the world in his astonishing career spanning over 7 decades in India and the US. He published over 500 scientific papers, dozen books and was given nearly 40 doctorates across the world.
Earlier this year, the 102-year-old Rao hit international headlines when he was selected for the International Prize in Statistics, which is considered the equivalent of a Nobel Prize. Since, he was ailing and could not travel, his son Veera and grandson Rohit had received the prize on his behalf in early August. At the time of his passing, Prof Rao was living in Amherst, Buffalo State with his daughter and associated with the University.
Considered a polymath amongst statisticians, Prof Rao is best known for his groundbreaking scientific work way back in 1945 called ‘The Theory of Estimation’. In simpler terms it helps us find an unknown quantity from a pile of data.” With the explosion of data and rise of data science, his contribution has gained extensive application.
Similarly, his formulae and theorems like Cramer-Rao Inequality, the Fischer-Rao Theorem and Rao-Blackwellization have all become part of standard text books in statistics. A testimony to his remarkable contributions is the growing use and relevance of his monumental work over the decades. Another unique feature of Rao’s exemplary life is his determination and ability to work on relevant and contemporary ideas till he was 100 and well.
Two of his papers published were included in the special volume ‘Breakthroughs in Statistics, 1890-1990’. The first referred to his work when he was just 25 and the second, when he was all of 27. His name is found in virtually every text book on Statistics. It would perhaps be no exaggeration to say that wherever Data is used Rao’s imprint will be found.
The Man and the Mission
A young Rao, landed at the ISI, Kolkata by accident in the early 1940s in search of a career and job. It turned out to be the turning point in his life. His brilliance and commitment attracted the attention of the P C Mahalanobis, the founder Director and later known as the father of Indian Planning & Statistics. When the ISI got an invitation came from Oxford University’s Department of Museum, Archaeology and Anthropology to work on a project to unravel the origins of the people of Jebel Maya from the skeletons unearthed, his first choice was Rao.
Interestingly, the work at the University relating to genetics, led to the publication of a paper in the book Ancient inhabitants of Jebel Maya. Rao did not waste time either. He simultaneously did his PhD at the University and completed it in 1948. Here, he met Prof Fisher, with whom he did pioneering work in the next decade.
After Rao returned to Kolkata, his attention was turned to Economic Planning and strengthening the country’s statistical units. This was due to the interest of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who visited ISI and entrusted the responsibility of the country’s planning process to Prof Mahalanobis. Rao was part of the discussions. Over the decade in 1950s, the foundations for the National Statistical System, Census data collection methods and planning were laid. Rao was a member of most of the central government committees.
In 1979, Rao’s career took another big turn. He was invited to Pittsburg University by Prof Krishnayya to deliver a lecture. Within a couple of days he was offered a position by the University administration. As his retirement was due at the ISI, Rao took the offer and moved with his family the same year. He helped set up the Centre for Statistics during the tenure of close to a decade in the 1980s and 1990s. Thereafter he had another fruitful stint with the Penn State University and formally retired at the age of 81 in 2001.
For a brief period Prof Rao moved to Hyderabad and focussed his attention on setting up a centre of excellence as suggested by his well wishers. That is how the work on the CRAIMSC began with an initial investment of about $100,000 . His students and well wishers extended support. The University of Hyderabad, gave 4 acres of land. The then Indian Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, who had great regard personally for Prof Rao, extended a support of Rs 10 crore from the government.
Thus, began the evolution of the C R Rao Institute. His daughter, Tejaswini, an accomplished Kuchipudi dancer, designed the gallery on Rao, his contribution to Statistics. His wife Bhargavi Rao took keen interest too. By 2007, the Centre became active and is now making strides.
A multifaceted personality
Born into a Telugu speaking family at Hadagali in Karnataka’s Bellary district on September 10, 1920, Dr Rao’s academic journey began at Gudur in Andhra Pradesh. He studied at Nuzvid, Nandigama, moving with his father’s postings in the Government police department before joining the Andhra University, Visakhapatnam from where he graduated in mathematics. Incidentally, the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation has named the road adjacent to the Statistics Department of the AU as the ‘C R Rao Marg’
Prof Rao is a multifaceted personality, though his monumental work and lectures make him synonymous with statistics. He is an avid photographer, who always carried a camera, a lover of classical music and dance and possessed a wonderful sense of humour.
He would often joke that his greatest claim to fame was that of being the first person in the world to be gheraoed. As the Director of the ISI, Kolkata during the Naxalbari movement in the late 1960s, Rao was locked up in his office by the Karamcharis for a couple of days. He would say in lighter vein that the ‘Rao in Gherao’ came from his name, recalled Ravi Visvesvaraya Sharada Prasad, a Delhi based telecom expert, who knows the Rao family closely.
“When I went to study at the Carnegie Mellon University. I stayed with the Rao’s family for a while. He has a great sense of humour and used to play pranks and practical jokes, pulling the legs of his students,” Ravi Prasad recalled.
Prof Rao has been decorated with the highest awards in Statistics. The US Government recognised him with the President’s Medal. The Indian Government honoured him with Padma Vibhushan, though many of his well wishers and those in the know of his great contributions feel he deserves the highest civilian award of Bharat Ratna.
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