Dr. Ajay Sonkar shocked the Pearl world from Prayagra

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This is a story of a person coming out of an ordinary family to achieve extraordinary achievements, which cannot be believed.

This is the story of Dr. Ajay Kumar Sonkar, an aquacultural scientist who came out of Allahabad and illuminated the name of India all over the world, who had done the charisma of getting India’s name included in artificial pearl making countries about three decades ago.

In his career spanning the last three decades, Sonkar has made various achievements in the cultivation of pearls. But first of all, about his new work, on which aquacultural scientists around the world are amazed.

Dr. Sonkar has shown the work of growing pearls in flasks through tissue culture. In simple words, he has done the charisma of growing pearls in an artificial environment by taking out the tissues that are inside the oysters. That is, the dependence on oysters to grow pearls has ended and with this there is no need for the marine environment necessary for that oyster

This new research by Dr Ajay Sonkar has been published in the September 2021 issue of the scientific journal ‘Aquaculture Europe Society’, focused on the world of marine animals. According to this research, Dr. Ajay Sonkar has done the work of growing pearls from oyster tissue of Andaman and Nicobar Islands in his home lab in Prayagraj.

Meaning the tissue extracted from the oyster has been able to do its work naturally even about two thousand kilo meters away, which it does in the natural environment of the ocean.

Dr Ajay Kumar Sonkar told about the research, “Pink Tada margaritifera oysters are found in very salt water sea. After removing their mantle, I brought them to my lab in Prayagraj, two thousand kilo meters away. All the measures to keep that mantle safe It also took us 72 hours to bring him to Prayagraj, but he was completely alive and healthy. Then cultured him and injected him, he not only made pearly component but pearl was also ready.”

Describing his new technology as important, Dr. Kuldeep K Lal, director of the National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources, a Lucknow - based institution of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, said, “Certainly Dr. Sonkar’s new work is very important. There can be a radical change. The technology of growing pearls will not depend on the sea. This in itself is astonishing work.”

Till now, the cultivation of artificial pearls is not imagined without the oysters and shells found in the sea. Like conch shells and cowries, pearls are also biological products of oysters or other organisms of the fish group found in water.

When these creatures open their mouth to breathe, sometimes something outside goes inside them, they first try to get it out of the body, but when they are not successful, then to reduce their discomfort. A special kind of chemical is released from the body on it. Due to the effect of chemicals, this thing turns into a pearl with time. Although the formation of pearl naturally occurs in one in a million oysters.

But the technology of growing artificial pearls has changed the world of pearls a lot and Ajay Sonkar’s new work is being considered an important step in that direction. By the way, Ajay Sonkar has done this work in the most difficult phase of his career. It is interesting to know about his journey before knowing the story of his difficulty.

Sonkar shocked the world from Prayagraj

Dr. Ajay Sonkar’s new work may be astonishing, but in the past three decades in the world of pearl growing, he has been surprising the world with such innovative works. His interest in making pearls started in 1991 in Katra, Allahabad.

Sonkar, who studied physics, chemistry and mathematics at Allahabad University, wanted to become an engineer, but a story in an episode of Doordarshan’s afternoon TV show based on the UGC educational program, which aired in the afternoon, changed his life.

Sonkar explains about that episode, “In that story the Japanese were telling about pearl culture, when I saw those people extracting pearls from oysters, then I got interested in it. The reason for this was that we had There was a pond and there were oysters in it.So you can say that it got bogged down in my mind that I too can make pearls though I didn’t know anything about technology and internet was born then and in India He was not present.”

Dr. Ajay Kumar Sonkar narrates about his early days, “I put oysters in my pocket and went to ask a professor of animal department of Allahabad University, Sir, what is this, then he said it is called muscles. I asked that sir. How does it open, then he said boil it in water. Then I said that sir, he will die, then he said, otherwise what, he opens it only after death, all the oysters in the university are dead.

Ajay Kumar Sonkar had realized that it is not so easy to grow pearls. But he did not give up hope. He told, “There was an office of the fisheries department near Darbhanga colony in Allahabad. Fearfully asked the director there that I have a pond and I want to grow pearls, someone will help. He looked me down from above and said that here So we are not able to grow fish, you are thinking of pearls. Read, write, you are of age to read and write. Pearls do not exist in fresh water, someday bring the sea to me and I will see again.

But Sonkar did not give up. The exercise of gathering information about making artificial pearls started. But in the then world there was no easy way to get information. But it is said that if the passion is true, then the path starts being made.

Where did you get the inspiration to make pearls?

At AH Wheeler’s shop at Allahabad station, he accidentally found an old issue of National Geographic, a special issue based on information about artificial pearl manufacturing. Sonkar has not only bought it but has kept it till date.

With all this, he started experimenting with his understanding with the oysters of his pond. Holding oysters and placing them in big pots and watching them gaze, had become Sonkar’s pastime. This task was not so easy in the middle class society.

Soon they came to know that these oysters open their mouths to breathe and also knew that if any foreign object enters it, it can become a pearl. He said, “When I started studying, I came to know that only Japan had the technology to grow pearls around the world, they did not tell other countries. And to make better pearls which is to inject the raw material ie nucleus It is found in the Mississippi River of America. But America did not have the technology. So if you wanted to make pearls, you had to take help from Japan made

But in the early days, Sonkar started his experiment by putting small pieces of white cement after opening the mouth of the oyster. Recalling those days, Sonkar says, “What to tell, whenever someone used to meet, he asked brother became a pearl. In a tone, people say brother is growing pearls nowadays. Parents say that he has gone mad. But I don’t care about them. was falling.”

This exhausting hopeless experiment Sonkar only persevered with his insistence and within just a year and a half he took the world by surprise by making artificial pearls in fresh water, that too without Japanese help.

This was the first time that Japan was challenged in the world of growing artificial pearls. This success achieved in 1993 brought Ajay Sonkar in the headlines overnight. According to Sonkar, for the first time, out of hundreds of oysters, pearls were made in 36, the family members were astonished, but I was wondering why the rest were not made

From May 14 to 19, 1994, the first International Conference on Pearl Culture was held on the Hawaiian Islands and Sonkar also received an invitation to attend that event. Sonkar recalls, “They had sent air tickets. The first time was to board the plane. When I reached Hawaii Island, I was terrified to see the variety of people there. I was the youngest on the top. I found a way out. Thought I would not look at the people, when I read my paper in the conference hall, I did not even once take my eyes off the leaflet. When the form was completed, I saw people standing and clapping. I still do not see him I forgot.”

However, the journey that started since then continues even today and Ajay Sonkar has given his lectures about pearl culture in at least 68 countries around the world. Dozens of his research papers have been published in many aquacultural journals.

After this, within two years in 1996, Ajay Sonkar created a 22 millimeter long nucleus, which is estimated to be the largest nucleus in the world of artificial pearl manufacturing. This nucleus was tested in America and Dr. C. Richard Fösler, the most eminent scientist in the world of artificial pearl making, estimated its cost in the US market at around $ 30,000, which was five to six times more than the Japanese and American nuclei.

When the discussion of Sonkar’s work spread all over the world, the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute of the Government of India also offered him to do his work in 1999. But by then, on the basis of his studies and research, Sonkar decided to work in the maritime area of ​​Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India and he started work there from 2003 with the permission of the central government and local administration.

In fact, a species of oyster called Pinc tida margaritifera is found in the Andaman sea area, from which black pearls could be made. Soon, Sonkar established Andaman, known for its black water, as the center

Dr. Sonkar, who competed with Japan in growing pearls, honoured with Padma Shri

Hailing from the middle class family of Allahabad, Dr. Ajay Sonkar was an expert in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics since childhood.  During the year 1991, Dr. Sonkar, who did engineering from Warangal Regional Engineering College, saw a program on Pearl Culture on TV.  In which Japanese scientists were making pearls using tissue culture.  Then he decided that he also has to grow pearls.

This task was not at all easy without internet and expensive lab.  Only Japan had the technology to make such culture pearls, but after one and a half years of experiments, they surprised the scientists of the country as well as the world by making artificial pearls.

Along with this, Aquacultural Scientist Dr. Ajay Sonkar also did the charisma of getting India's name included in the countries that make culture pearls.

In his career spanning the last three decades, Dr. Sonkar has made various achievements in the field of pearl growing.  Dr. Sonkar has given his lectures about pearl culture in at least 68 countries around the world.  Dozens of his research papers have been published in several aquacultural journals.

At that time former President 'Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam' had described the discovery of Dr. Sonkar as a big achievement for the country.  Dr. Sonkar is working independently in his own laboratory.  He has one laboratory in Andaman and one in Prayagraj.

Talking about the speciality of making pearls from tissue culture, pearls are grown by taking out the tissue inside the oyster and keeping it in an artificial environment.

That is, oysters will not be needed to grow pearls.  Along with this, there will be no need for the marine environment necessary for that oyster.  This new research by Dr Ajay Sonkar has been published in the September 2021 issue of the scientific journal Aquaculture Europe Society, focused on the world of marine animals.  According to this research, Dr. Ajay Sonkar has done the work of growing pearls from the oyster tissue of Andaman and Nicobar Islands in his lab in Prayagraj.

The world of pearls has honoured him with the Padma Shri award this year for his continuous experiments.