Patenting Life

Abstract

I greatly appreciate this invitation to deliver the 1995 Kale Memorial Lecture. It is indeed a privilege to follow in the footsteps of such great men as Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. A charming passage in his book 'Buddha and his Dhamma' describes the birth of Gautam Buddha in a grove of Sal trees. This is apt for Sal is the tree of life for the tribals of eastern India. And, for modern chemical industry it is an excellent source of oil for manufacture of soap. I thought of Sal when a French industrial consultant visited me the day I received the invitation to deliver this lecture and asked if I could help in a survey of plant based cosmetics of India.