Ajay Kumar Sonkar

Ajai Kumar Sonkar is an independent scientist in marine science and aquaculture, known for new techniques of growing pearls. He was named for the Padma Shri in 2022 in the field of science and engineering, from Uttar Pradesh ^[1].

From freshwater to the Andamans

Sonkar was born on 30 June 1967 and graduated from Kakatiya University, Warangal, in 1990–91 ^[2]. He began his own research at Naini, Prayagraj, developing a simple way to produce nucleated pearls in freshwater mussels ^[2].

In 2003 he started a marine pearl project in the Andaman Islands with the black-lip pearl oyster and the gold-lip wing oyster ^[2]. He set up a hatchery to breed the oysters in large numbers, produced black pearls using a surgical technique he developed, and grew round golden pearls and large pearls shaped like Ganesha ^[2]. He also developed a method of culturing pearl oysters on shore and cut oyster deaths with improved surgery ^[2].

Pearls in the laboratory

In 2018 he set up a cell biology and tissue culture laboratory in Prayagraj ^[2]. There he produced pearls in vitro, from oyster tissue grown outside the animal, a result reported by the BBC and in science magazines ^[2]. He has presented at international aquaculture conferences in Hawaii, Norway and Indonesia ^[2].

Bundelkhand University made him an honorary professor for life in 2001, and President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam called his technology a major scientific achievement for the country ^[2].