Ankur Bora
‘‘It is very satisfying that my journey
continues to be one that benefits people,’’ – The odyssey of Rangam
Rajkhowa, from his school days in his home state of Assam to Bahir Dar and then
to Deakin, has shown that geographical limitations are never a hindrance to
flow of ideas and paths to success. Let’s his story stimulate, motivate and
guide the new generation; let’s our students go beyond the comfort zone, solve
problems of the real world in their classroom and let it be a masterclass. ankurbora@hotmail.com
Rangam Rajkhowa began his journey from Guwahati where he
finished his schooling from Cotton Collegiate School. He followed his passion
for engineering and did his graduation in textile technology in 1995, a subject
considered as outlier during that time. After
securing all India 2nd Rank in Graduate Apptitude Test in Engineering in
Textile Rangam completed a Master’s
degree on Fibre Science and Technology at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi.
After working for a few years in industry, teaching and research institutions
in India, he decided to move to an African country which turned out to best
thing in his career.
 |
| AssamTribune , Horizon 18th August 2017 |
There are some moments in life that are like pivots around
which your existence turns and for Rangam it was his five years stint in
Ethiopia. Unlike many others back home in India, for whom a government or a
corporate job was the only attractive proposition, Rangam had an outrageous
idea and he took that leap of faith to follow his calling. In the year 2000,
Rangam arrived in Bahir Dar University in Ethiopia to work as a teaching staff.
At Bahir Dar, on the shore of magnificent Lake Tana, the source of the Blue
Nile, he designed, over a long period of five years, an undergraduate program
in textile engineering, worked assiduously to prepare the blueprint of a
textile research institute and taught as an Assistant Professor at the local
university. “Despite having few serious
problems, I found my experience quite amazing and also quite opposite to the
common perception of an African country. I went there for 2 years but ended up staying for more than 5 years.
For the first time I had chance to work with people from different parts of the
world including volunteers from the western world. Opportunities to work with
people with diverse backgrounds and cultures and learning new skills were
immensely useful”. Going to Ethiopia
was a watershed moment in his career, Rangam was able to challenge and break
down the walls of conformity and stereotypes; the know-how provided him a lot
of confidence as he was rewarded with a
fellowship to work at Australian Wool Innovation (AWI).
At AWI and subsequently in various research institutes in
Australia, Rangam got the opportunity to
develop new products like combining Australian merino wool and Eri silk from
Assam, developing fabrication and
characterization of biomaterial film from Muga silk and application of silk in medical implants. The
main focus point in his research was a through and well-rounded study of
structures of fibres. “Silk is made of
various amino acids; the composition and way they are connected in a fibre are
different in different silk. Understanding such aspects can provide new insights.
We found that Eri silk can absorb certain ions much more than other while Muga
has strong UV absorbing properties. Hence these fibres may be used for novel
applications” – Rangam explains.
The realm of Textile Engineering and research offers
real-world, industry-applicable experience. The researchers perform hands-on
experiments with the latest technology in the field whilst collaborating across
disciplines including with industry leaders. There has been growing awareness
about the serious environment impacts of textile materials. Denim, leading
apparel worldwide, is also known to cause widespread pollution as old denim
products are dumped in landfills and the dye run-off is discharged in water.
Rangam and his team, recently, developed a unique process that produces ultrafine
particles from used denim, thus efficiently recycling post-consumer denim
products and use the recycled materials in coloured powder form to create new
denim. The concept ‘Denim-dyed denim’ was an entry in the ‘Global Change Award
2015’ a competition in which in which the winners get monetary support to take
their innovation to industry. The team was one of five winners, out of a total
of 2885 entries from 130 countries, to share the prize of $150,000.
The quest for
knowledge has shaped our present world and we must be tireless if we hope to
improve our lives and humanity. The connection available between the College of
textiles and the industry is endless and Dr. Rangam Rajkhowa has come a long
way to make the most of it. In his PhD thesis in 2009 at Deakin University, Rangam
dwelt on the topic of repairing hard tissue defects and proposed developing
medical equipment from natural fibres such as silk and wool. Traditional
knowledge systems from Assam given its vast wealth of natural fibers formed a
central part of his research thrust. Over the next decade, Rangam continued to
follow the trajectory, assessing different silk fibres sourced from India,
eventually pioneering a new method to treat raptured eardrum.
An eardrum, a thin membrane that separates the ear canal and
the middle ear, when ruptured, is called a perforated eardrum, which can lead
to complications such as middle ear infections and hearing loss. Up to 330
million people worldwide suffer chronic eardrum perforation and the usual
treatment is a specialised surgery requiring lengthy and repeated procedure.
The alternative being developed by Dr. Rangam Rajkhowa involves using fine silk
membranes. The researchers are using the natural proteins from silk fibres to
produce the artificial eardrum. The product called ClearDrum, looks like a
contact lens, super-thin, strong, flexible, and biodegradable and can be
implanted in a simple outpatient procedure. Rangam and the team have recently
received a National Health and Medical Research Council development grant and hope
to start conducting clinical trials in humans in Australia in 2018.
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