After Nobel and Padma, knighthood for "Venki"

After Nobel and Padma, knighthood for "Venki" - London, Dec. 30: "Arise, Sir Venki," the Queen will be able to say very soon, tapping him on the shoulder with a sword.

Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, who won the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 2009, is being honoured with a knighthood in the New Year's honours, The Telegraph  disclosed.The 59-year-old professor, who prefers to be addressed simply as "Venki", is being recognised "for services to molecular biology", the citation will say.

Ramakrishnan, who was born in Chidambaram in Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu in 1952, shared the Nobel Prize for chemistry for his work on ribosomes with two other scientists, Thomas A. Steitz, an American, and Ada Yonath, an Israeli.They had made significant advances in their "studies of the structure and function of the ribosome".

After graduating from Baroda, Ramakrishnan went to the US where he obtained his PhD and began his research. But for the past 12 years, he has been living in Cambridge, cycling every morning from his home in the village of Grantchester to his laboratory.

He has never owned a car.

He works in the Laboratory of Molecular Biology at the Medical Research Council, which is located in the sprawling complex that makes up Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge.

Ramakrishnan and his wife, Vera Rosenberry, an author and illustrator of children's books, and one of their children can go to Buckingham Palace for the investiture.

Ramakrishnan, who will tomorrow make his way from Chennai to Madurai accompanied by his wife and sister, was characteristically modest when contacted today by The Telegraph: "This is an honour that reflects the quality of science supported by the Medical Research Council, in particular at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge. In my case, credit should go to the numerous dedicated post docs, students, associates and colleagues who made crucial contributions to the work."

He added: " In the current debate about immigration, it is worth noting that this award is yet another example of the numerous contributions that immigrants make to British society. Indeed, many of the founding members of the Laboratory of Molecular Biology were immigrants themselves, and they helped to revolutionise modern biology."

Like many senior academics, Ramakrishnan feels the UK government's immigration policy is making it harder for scholars to come to Britain.

When it comes to Americans who have received honorary knighthoods, the list is distinguished ' President Ronald Reagan, Bill Gates, Steven Spielberg, Bob Hope and General Norman Schwarzkopf, who was the US commander during the first Gulf War.

But since Ramakrishnan and his wife are American and British dual nationals, the knighthood he receives will be "the real thing". So he could henceforth be addressed as Professor Sir Venkatraman Ramakrishnan or Sir Venkatraman or even Sir Venkat ' although he would probably want to go on being called "Venki" by his friends.

The UK is following the example of India. Ramakrishnan received India's second highest civilian honour, the Padma Vibhushan, in 2010. Over the past four decades, the professor has led an itinerant existence.

"Many universities have claimed me and many institutions… the University of Utah has claimed me, Yale University has claimed me, Ohio University has claimed me, that is perfectly understandable…. Baroda University is proud of me," Ramakrishnan once told The Telegraph. "That's fine because they all contributed to my development at different stages in my career so I am perfectly happy with that