Prof Seshadri Ramkumar receives highest honour from Textile Association India

Honorary membership is the organisation’s highest honour and is awarded to people who have been significant contributors to expanding the nation’s textile industry within the country and internationally.

Seshadri Ramkumar, a professor in the Department of Environmental Toxicology and The Institute of Environmental and Human Health at Texas Tech University, has been awarded a gold medal and honorary membership in Textile Association (India) (TAI),  which is the world’s largest association in the field of fibre and textiles.

Ramkumar is being recognised for a lifetime of contributions and service in helping lead the growth of the textiles sector in India. Through approximately 20 years of work, he helped India strengthen its place in the textile sector to the point where it was self-reliant in personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier in his career, he was named a TAI honorary fellow.

“I wholeheartedly thank the Textile Association (India) and the South India Unit of TAI as well as many others who have helped me achieve this recognition,” Ramkumar said. “It is humbling to receive the prestigious honour from the world’s largest professional association in the field, given the galaxy of earlier awardees such as Dr Vikram Sarabhai, who is recognised as the father of the Indian space sector.

“It is gratifying to note that the work we are doing at Texas Tech is impacting globally and connecting professionals for the betterment of lives,” adds Prof Ramkumar.

Honorary membership is the organisation’s highest honour and is awarded to people who have been significant contributors to expanding the nation’s textile industry within the country and internationally. Ramkumar is the first honorary member selected since 2015. The TAI comprises more than 26,000 members and dates to 1939.

The award was presented during the organisation’s World Textile Conference-3, which was held February 25 in Ahmedabad, India. Ramkumar received the honour from Bhupendrabhai Patel, Chief Mnister, Gujarat. He joins a select group that includes other significant industry leaders such as Padmabhushan awardee Kasthuri Sreenivasan, the founding director of the South India Textile Research Association.