"Obaid came to the TIFR in the early sixties. This was on the basis of a letter written by Leo Szilard to Homi Bhabha. This, in turn, arose from a letter that Guido Pontecorvo, Obaid’s PhD Guide, had written to Leo. Guido was the eldest of the siblings of which Bruno Pontecorvo was the one whom Homi knew quite well, since Bruno was a Member of the Enrico Fermi School of Rome. In fact Bruno had done enough to justify his receiving a Nobel Prize in Physics; indeed there are several who have received Nobel Prizes since then, based on the visionary ideas of Bruno. Homi had discussed with me the possibility of Obaid joining the TIFR so that I could take this up in a Physics Faculty meeting. There was a mixed response, since some were not sure that we should embark on a wholly new program in biological sciences with all of the infrastructure called for. I conveyed this response to Homi and told him that my own views were entirely positive. A great deal of modern biology had involvement of the most distinguished physicists such as Erwin Schrodinger, Max Delbruck, Francis Crick, Walter Gilbert, amongst many more. A great deal of what has happened since then has justified this confidence in the role of physics (and chemistry) in modern biology particularly the training in attitudes that research in these areas involves, and particularly, the use of powerful techniques of X-ray Crystallography, started by some of my old friends from UK: Bragg, Bernel, Perutz and Kendrew, as also the powerful capabilities now brought to bear on science in general through computers and modern IT. There was opposition from BARC, since they already had a Division to deal with biological sciences, particularly in areas of agriculture, medicine and the use of radiation for various purposes. They felt that duplication of facilities would not prove useful. However, one had the presence of a great leader in Homi Bhabha, to override these difficulties and to say that TIFR will enter biology through Obaid. The rest of the developments are all now part of history: the start of biological sciences in TIFR, almost half a century ago; the construction of an additional floor on the B - Block to provide the space for this new group; and the bridge connecting the A to the B-Block, the support from the Wellcome Trust, which was important in the early days; the flexible recruitment processes which enabled many of the young leaders in biology to join TIFR, such as Maitra, Johry, Veronica Rodrigues and others, who would give company to Obaid; and then the idea of setting up a National Centre for Biological Sciences about two decades ago. The original plans to enter biology were there when I was Dean of the Physics Faculty and, later, Deputy Director (Physics). This was before Homi’s tragic death in the air crash in January 1966, after I was to become Director. In 1975, I moved to Delhi. It is not my intention to recount the various jobs I did in Delhi, except to say that before I left the Department of Science and Technology in 1982, the National Biotechnology Board had been created and with it the present growth of modern biology at a national level. I then moved to the Planning Commission as Member (Science). It was then the proposal came to me for the support needed by TIFR for setting up a new Centre for Biological Sciences in Bangalore. I have had many discussions with Obaid on this. It had my full support, including its autonomy, on which he was very keen; and I played a role I was supposed to, as a Member of the Council of TIFR in convincing Prof. Virendra Singh, the then Director TIFR. Obaid has always had the attitude and taste of a good scientist. He is not only a biologist but a true scientist across the whole spectrum of the sciences. It was thus that he is the only biologist of the post-War era, who had been elected the Fellow of the Royal Society. He was President Indian Academy of Sciences and is, today, a Member of the Raman Research Institute Trust. It is in all of these different areas that we come together so often. He has a close-knit family. His wife Asiya is highly knowledgeable and competent historian. He has two bright sons, Imran and Kalim, and two charming daughters, Yumna and Deeba. He has a daughter-in-law, Jyotsna, whom I have known since she was a baby, and I have always referred to ‘Dumbi’, the daughter of Satish Dhawan. Obaid is somebody who is very Catholic and secular in his outlook. It is these attitudes that have gone into the making of institutions that he has been so good at. It has been a great pleasure for us to know him and his family. We wish him many many years of happiness." --- M. G. K. Menon