MY FRIEND RAJ MANGLIK

 

This post is a tribute to my childhood friend Raj Mitra Manglik (30-09-1953 to 22-08-2025).

This picture of Raj is of his IIT Madras days

Raj was a childhood friend. My earliest memory of Raj is of playing badminton in my house then going for swimming in Coral club as well as in Ganges at Dropti Ghat as well as Rasoolabad.

Intelligent was he, and was the first of my friends to qualify in JEE. He obtained BTech in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Madras. He worked for a few years with Triveni Turbines Ltd at Naini, Allahabad then went on to do his Masters from Iowa State University. He did his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and became Professor at University of Cincinnati. 

Raj was of shy nature and an introvert but knew the value of friendship. He knew when his friends needed him and would be there to extend a helping hand. I remember an instance during emergency (25-06-1975 to 21-03-1977). It was a time, when people avoided us as my father was detained under MISA. My mother and myself were going to Delhi to join my elder brother, who was posted at Hindon. We had our reservations in Kalka mail. Suddenly, it started raining cats and dogs; no rickshaw to be seen; landline phone was not working, and we were sure to miss our train. Suddenly, I saw Raj entering our gates in his father’s old Moris-8 car.

“Yati, I realised that you must be stuck, so I have come to drop you at the station”, he said entering our house. We heaved a sigh of relief. Raj realised we must be having difficulty in reaching station and came on his own without anyone reaching out to him. It was because of him that we could catch the train.

There is another instance that I remember showing his scientific bent of mind. There is a belief that one should not go out during a solar eclipse or do any activity. The reason is not that there are any harmful rays at that time, but the reason is to avoid looking at the Sun so that one may not harm eyes. Raj understood it very well. 

He was a good cricketer during his school days but in later years had started playing squash. During one solar eclipse, we went out to play squash just to prove to the people around us that there is no harm in doing any activity during solar eclipse provided one does not look at the Sun.

Raj’s English was impeccable. Theatre/ drama, debates were part of his life. He was great at both of them but was a better actor than a debater. He won many awards in acting in school as well as at IIT Madras. 

When Raj and Vandana’s parents were deciding about their marriage, Raj’s mother decided to go to Delhi to meet Vandana. But Raj trusted me and my wife to meet Vandana. At that time, World book fair was going on at Delhi and we decided to join them. My brother-in-law was studying at AIIMS, Delhi, Raj stayed back with him, and we went with his mother to meet Vandana. 

We liked Vandana: she was a student of psychology but was very well aware of general science. We thought she was best suited for Raj. Our choice was not wrong. They had a wonderful married life.

Raj and Vandana took a trip to Iceland in 2018 with my son Abhi. This picture was taken at that time by my son.

Raj was a very fine teacher. He was declared Professor of the year in 1993 by University of Cincinnati and was awarded faculty excellence award by the University in Jan 2019. In 2019, he was also granted a patent by US government for ‘Enhanced Dry-Cooling System and Method for Increasing Power Plant Efficiency and Output’.  

He won every award given by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME): a list too long to be quoted here. He was Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Enhanced Heat Transfer as well as Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Enhanced Heat Transfer as well as Associate Editor of Journal of Heat Transfer published by ASME. 

Raj had interest in literature but our interest in science and science fiction was common. We would spend hours talking about Isaac Asimov, Arthur C Clark, Fred Hoyle, and Martin Gardner. 

Raj was always proud of Indian culture and heritage, but it became more pronounced in his later years. He would often send me links of articles and YouTube of the achievements of Indians everywhere: most of which were missed by me.

Good-bye Raj I am going to miss all the conversation on Isaac Asimov, Arthur C Clark, Fred Hoyle, Martin Gardner and almost on any new frontier of science.

From L to R: Raj Manglik, Rakesh Bagga, Prabhu Dayal and myself (Yatindra Singh)
Raj had visited India with his family in 2016-17. We four are childhood friends. We met for lunch in a mall in Delhi, where this picture was taken.

तुम्हारे बिना

।। 'चौधरी' ख़िताब - राजा अकबर ने दिया।। बलवन्त राजपूत विद्यालय आगरा के पहले प्रधानाचार्य।। मेरे बाबा - राजमाता की ज़बानी।। मेरे बाबा - विद्यार्थी जीवन और बांदा में वकालत।। बाबा, मेरे जहान में।। पुस्तकें पढ़ना औेर भेंट करना - सबसे उम्दा शौक़।। सबसे बड़े भगवान।। जब नेहरू जी और कलाम साहब ने टायर बदला।। नये वकीलों को बाबा और पिता की सलाह।।  मेरे नाना - राज बहादुर सिंह।। बसंत पंचमी - अम्मां, दद्दा की शादी।। अम्मां - मेरी यादों में।।  दद्दा (मेरे पिता)।।My Father - Virendra Kumar Singh Chaudhary ।।  नैनी सेन्ट्रल जेल और इमरजेन्सी की यादें।। My Father - Ram Janam Bhumi, Babri Masjid Case - Background Story।। RAJJU BHAIYA AS I KNEW HIM।। मां - हम अकेले नहीं हैं।।  रक्षाबन्धन।। जीजी, शादी के पहले - बचपन की यादें ।।  जीजी की बेटी श्वेता की आवाज में पिछली चिट्ठी का पॉडकास्ट।। चौधरी का चांद हो।। ममता बहन - आपकी बहुत याद आएगी।।  दिनेश कुमार सिंह उर्फ बावर्ची।। MY FRIEND RAJ MANGLIK।। GOODBYE ARVIND।।

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