Rafiuddin Mohammad

And things have gotten worse. You cannot, absolutely cannot, cross the road anywhere in Hyderabad safely. My city has become unjust to pedestrians and bowed down to car owners.

Those who saw’A Beautiful Mind’, would remember that John Nash’s doctoral thesis had just 26 pages and 2 references, yet it was instrumental in advancing “Game theory”. What if I told you there is a scientist whose achievement is so astounding that he is perhaps the only Indian to “create” an intersectional branch of science? What if I told you that every year, his name echoes across the hallowed halls of science in foreign lands, but most of our students haven't even heard of him? Aneesur Rahman was born in Hyderabad in British India in 1927. His father was a professor and a philanthropist. His family generously donated their property for the creation of Urdu Hall in Hyderabad. His maternal uncle was a professor too. Rahman had a natural flair for subjects that would terrify ‘normal’ students — maths and physics. After getting BSc in Mathematics, he went on to get Tripos in Mathematics and Physics at the prestigious Cambridge University in the UK. From there, he went to Louvaine University in Belgium and got DSc in Physics under Professor Mannenbeck. It’s here that Rahman met a Chinese student Yueh-Erh Li who was doing MD( called Dr Jady by friends). They fell in love and got married. He came back to teach in Osmania university along with his wife. Soon after, he developed interest in the structure of water molecule - especially the polarisation of the hydrogen atom. Unfortunately research in India was at infancy in those days and Dr Rahman realized he was a whale in a tiny pond. He had to move to the ocean. He joined the Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois. His foundational paper in 1964 birthed “molecular dynamics” , one of the two pillars on which a vast body of computational physics rests.(the other is Monte Carlo method). His equation made it possible to calculate the trajectory of large number of interacting atoms with ease. His work, like Ramanujan’s , was so ahead of his time - that even today, potential applications are being discovered. The Nobel prize in physics for 2013 went to Karplus, Levitt and Warshel whose work depended heavily on Dr Aneesur Rahman’s. Some say there is an inverse association between genius and compassion -Dr Rahman was a prominent exception. He was known not just for his intellect, but also kind nature and mentored many students all over the world. His quiet, unassuming nature made him a much loved professor — and he remained so, until he got Non Hodgkin’s lymphoma — a cancer that took him away from us prematurely, at the age of 59. Perhaps he might have got a Nobel, if only he had lived longer. American Physical Society honors him as the father of computational physics and has instituted an annual award in his name. As a doctor with little idea of theoretical physics, writing Dr Aneesur Rahman’s portrait has been difficult , because of the complex nature of his work that straddles so many areas of science : mathematics, physics, computer science and chemistry. His equations are mind boggling, even intimidating, but what I do understand is this : Dr Rahman didn't just have a beautiful mind, but also a beautiful heart.

Stubble burning remains one of the toughest data challenges in India’s #AirQuality fight. We now know part of why. In a field-level analysis across 169 plots in #Punjab, satellites detected just seven fires over two consecutive days in November 2020. Many small or short-lived burns simply don’t show up. When fires are missed, so are the decisions that depend on them. Better detection is the first step to better action on #StubbleBurning. Read our blog by Mohammad Rafiuddin (@mrafiuddin50), Sneha Maria Ignatious and Rishikesh P to learn how satellite monitoring works, and where it falls short. ceew.in/blogs/how-does…

Thank you to Minister @mssirsa for his time and initiative to discuss the concerns of the parents. Also, while we spoke, Delhi government has issued three new guidelines today; * No PUC = No petrol/diesel, vigilance through cameras. * Complete ban on trucks bringing construction material. * Restriction on entry of private vehicles from outside Delhi that are below BSVI category. We have stressed on to; •Drop or comprehensively overhaul the existing PUC system. •Adopt a live, real world vehicle emissions monitoring framework (remote sensing / on-road monitoring) aligned with @CAQM_Official recommendations. •Base traffic and pollution interventions on PM2.5 and health impact metrics, not only index based thresholds.

Etiquette rules for PhDs: – Never mention your PhD under any circumstances. – For instance, if you get a PhD, don't celebrate it online. It is indecent. – Don’t even pursue a PhD (especially if you’re a woman). - Never assert that you are particularly knowledgeable in your area of expertise - But also never speak on things outside your area of expertise, even when literally everybody else online is weighing in – Don’t be political in public. It damages your credibility. - But also don't be political in private. Don't, for instance, use your right as a free citizen to attend political protests. It damages your credibililty. – Never sound confident. Obviously, this is just how everybody talks online, but a PhD doing it is pretty arrogant if you think about it. In short, PhDs should not exist, and if they do exist, they should at least have the decency to not participate in life.

That is why I said, respect WTC Champion captain Temba Bavuma. It doesn't look good when a great bowler of this generation & other players calling him "Bauna". He didn't say a single word in reply but be replied as a leader with bat & won them the game!

Passing through Delhi en route to Ranchi this evening, and as always, it’s hard to digest the low levels of air quality here. Am grateful to be living in a small fishing village in South Goa ##AQI #whats2Bdone

Maturity is realising that we have been reduced to a nation of cockroaches - when citizens cannot be peacefully protest against Air Pollution!! Even the Communist Chinese Govt listened to its people & cleaned up Beijing & surrounding areas in a big way.

VIDEO | People hold protest at India Gate against air pollution in Delhi. A protester says, "Private monitors show that the air quality index has crossed 999 at several locations. Instead of taking concrete action, authorities are shutting down a peaceful protest. What are people asking for? Their right to breathe. For the last 15 days, we haven’t heard anything — no lockdown, no shutdown. There are only stories about cloud seeding or other distractions. It’s a very unfortunate situation." The air quality in the city remained in the 'very poor' category on Sunday morning, with the overall Air Quality Index recorded at 391, according to the Central Pollution Control Board. (Full video available on PTI Videos - ptivideos.com)

On behalf of all Malayalees in North India, I declare the start of Winter 2025. The coconut oil has frozen.

If you are living in Delhi NCR , you shouldn’t worry over air pollution in winter season You should buy Air Purifier with 18% GST on it to boost India's tax collection in the state of health emergency Government will fix everything in 2047

Dear Government/s, you take my breath away.

I am going! Oomfs in Delhi who are coming lmk!

Somehow, every political party panelist I have been with on the recent debates are nodding in agreement; they too are parents, worried about their children’s health. Clean air is not a partisan demand. #HelpUsBreathe

🚨*CALL FOR PEACEFUL PROTEST*🚨 There comes a time when silence no longer makes sense. That time is NOW. Citizens of Delhi—RISE TO THE OCCASION! Join the protest in large numbers this Sunday, 9 November, 5 PM at India Gate, to make sure we are SEEN and we are HEARD! #HelpUsBreathe Join the WhatsApp group: chat.whatsapp.com/H5MJiuVzE3OHYv…

My child is a 11 month-old baby. He caught a flu, which is common during this season. But the bad smoke in the air made it worse. Chest congestion, wheezing, coughing, black soot up his nose. Locked inside with an air purifier. A 11 month-old baby. You know how bad the air actually is when you see your children suffering in silence. #Pollution

Beijing had an AQI reading of 700+ in 2013. It was called an 'airpocalypse'. Schools were shut down. Flights were cancelled. Highways were closed. Hospitals overflowed. It was international embarrassment as foreign embassies issued health warnings and called Beijing “unlivable.” But China didn't have a chalta hai attitude. $100 billion were set aside and an anti-pollution strategy was put in place. They banned coal in homes, shut 2500 factories, moved heavy industry out of Beijing. Phased out old vehicles, limited car ownership, introduced electric buses. Built ring roads lined with trees, cracked down on construction dust, and invested billions in clean energy. Beijing's AQI in 2025 hovers between 30 to 50. From 700 to 50 in 10 years. It can be done. If China can do it, so can India. All it requires is a national will and the ability to take tough decisions and execute. Do what needs to be done. Treat it like a year-long crisis, not a seasonal nuisance. No amount of development and prosperity is worth it, if our children can't breathe clean air in cities. It must be priority number 1, priority number 2, and priority number 10.

#CEEWExplains | How does La Niña affect India’s climate? An analysis of meteorological data over 35 years by researchers at @CEEWIndia has revealed that while La Niña winters feature colder nights compared to El Niño, daytime temperatures tend to be higher. Moreover, the wind speed is higher throughout the day during La Niña. According to US-based @NOAA, the likelihood of La Niña emerging between October and December this year is 71%. In 2024, La Niña's emergence was delayed, and it only arrived in January 2025. While cities in southern India, like Bengaluru and Hyderabad, experienced a colder-than-usual #winter, northern India witnessed a delayed winter with above-normal temperatures. Revisit this explainer by @mrafiuddin50, Shikhar Tiwari, and Rishikesh P on how La Niña and El Niño influence India's weather patterns 👇

As stubble burning season begins in Punjab and Delhi-NCR, it’s time to talk solutions, not smoke. In #CEEWExplains, we show how Custom Hiring Centres are helping farmers manage crop residue without burning it — saving up to 90% in costs, creating rural jobs, and cutting pollution. With better tracking, capacity building, and machine-retirement plans, they can scale across India. #AirPollution @SrishtiJain97

Yet critical gaps remain. The system still underpredicts PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations and operates only in winter. Outdated #emission inventories, no simulation of the impact of policy measures on #pollution , and a lack of public data limit its usefulness. We recommend: 🔹 New national emission inventory updated every 2–3 yrs 🔹 Year-round DSS operation 🔹 Open data access for researchers & citizens With targeted investment, Delhi’s Air Quality Decision Support System could move from predicting bad air to preventing it — and serve as a blueprint for other Indian cities under the National Clean Air Programme. 📘 Read How Well Can Delhi Predict Air Quality? Insights for India’s Decision Support Systems at ceew.in/publications/d… ✍️ Sneha Maria Ignatious & @mrafiuddin50