CHENNAI: Eminent geneticist K Thangaraj of the CSIR–Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, has been selected for the Padma Shri in recognition of his sustained and path-breaking contributions to biological sciences, particularly population genetics and medical genomics.
Eminent geneticist K Thangaraj of the CSIR–Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, has been selected for the Padma Shri in recognition of his sustained and path-breaking contributions to biological sciences, particularly population genetics and medical genomics.
Speaking to DT Next, Thangaraj said the award was both personal and professional validation. "I am very happy and excited. This recognition is for my three decades of work. It is an honour and a motivation for young researchers. I see it as a lifetime achievement for my studies and research," he said.
Currently, Thangaraj is focused on identifying genetic variants linked to inherited diseases and providing genetic counselling aimed at preventing their transmission to future generations. He also leads two major national mission programmes, GenomeIndia and the Paediatric Rare Genetic Diseases initiative.
Thangaraj has previously received several prestigious honours, including the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar 2025, the CSIR-Bhatnagar Fellowship and the JC Bose Fellowship.
In an earlier interaction with DT Next in January 2025, Thangaraj spoke about research suggesting that the origins of agriculture in India may have been independent, rather than derived from Iranian agricultural traditions. Drawing on genetic analysis of 200–300 distinct populations, his team concluded that the Indus Valley Civilisation reflected a complex admixture of ancestral North Indian and ancestral South Indian populations.
"The DNA of Iranian hunter-gatherers, not Iranian farmers, showed closer affinity with the Indus Valley samples, indicating that agriculture in India may have evolved independently," he said, calling the findings crucial to understanding India's demographic and cultural evolution.
He also underlined the importance of Andaman hunter-gatherers in decoding India's deep population history, noting that their unique genetic profile offers vital clues to ancient human migrations and interactions.