SON OF SOIL SHINES ON WORLD PLATFORM
Surendra Keshav Manjrekar receives highest honour from American Concrete Institute
Group Photo
Salt Lake City, USA: In a glittering ceremony attended by over 2000 delegates from across the globe, the American Concrete Institute (ACI) bestowed upon Dr. Surendra Keshav Manjrekar its highest tribute by inducting him as the Institute’s Honorary Member.
Since ACI’s establishment only 239 have been elected to this position.
Honorary membership is conferred upon persons of eminence in the field of the Institute’s interest and those who have performed extraordinary, meritorious service to the larger concrete community.
Receiving the Honorary Award
Dr. Manjrekar, Founder and CEO of M/s. Sunanda Speciality Coatings Pvt. Ltd., a recognized leader in the manufacture of construction chemicals received this tribute “for his energetic efforts to foster ACI and tireless promotion of certification to practicing engineers in India, and his outstanding contributions to ACI international outreach activities.”
David Lange
The awards programme took place in Salt Lake City, USA, during the Opening Ceremony of the ACI Spring Convention. Along with Dr. Manjrekar, ACI’s 2018 Honorary Members include Florian Barth, Past President of ACI, and other luminaries viz. James Harris, William Hime, Frank Kozeliski and Edward K. Rice.
ACI President, Prof. David A Lange, commented: “ACI is grateful to all Honorary Members for their extraordinary contributions. Their dedication, leadership, and service to the Institute provide the backbone for continuous advancement within ACI and throughout the greater concrete community.”
EXCERPTS – Dr. Manjrekar’s acceptance speech.
Acceptance Speech
“I know that ‘Honorary membership’ bestowed is the highest honor for an individual for his contribution to the cause of concrete and ACI. However, I think that this honor bestowed on me today is much beyond individual honor. I, in all honest humility, consider this as a recognition to the continuous improvements in the concrete world of India, a 1.30 billion country, manufacturing the second largest amount of concrete in the world.
I shall venture to say it is not only an honor to India but may be duly shared by the activity in the Far East and Middle Eastern concrete world.
This is also a recognition to ACI’s resolve towards outreach and dissemination of concrete knowledge to the rest of the world, beyond the Americas. There is a need to network with regional concrete knowledge centres and hence an initiative was undertaken to connect CIDC and ACI with the India Chapter as a catalyst. I am happy to see signs of progress in this mutual cooperation. Local know-how combined with an understanding of global perspective always brings win-win situations.
I am an ardent admirer of ACI’s wealth of knowledge and am very keen to grow ACI’s outreach not only within India but to the larger sub-continent and other underdeveloped countries where I am lucky to travel on special invitations.”
Radhika Markan
India Chapter of ACI President, Radhika Markan noted: “The India Chapter along with its thousands of members extend heartiest congratulations to Dr. Manjrekar for this accomplishment. We are extremely proud that one of our members and a ‘son-of-the-soil’ no less has been saluted for his extraordinary achievement on such a prestigious international platform.”
“Our sense of pride and happiness knows no limits – demonstrated by the large Indian contingent of over 40 scientists, engineers and technocrats that flew all the way to Salt Lake City, USA, to attend the awards ceremony.”
Back home too, Manjrekar’s trophy cabinet, has been teeming with accolades. In March 2017, Manjrekar received the ‘Industry Doyen’ award by the Construction Industry Development Council (CIDC), Government of India, the highest recognition of the construction industry in India.
He is the signatory to the National Skill Development Corporation, an initiative of the Ministry of Chemicals and Petrochemicals Sector Skills Council (C&PSSC), Government of India. C&PSSC works to develop standards and manpower skills for the chemicals and petrochemicals sector.
He is a member of the National Corrosion Mission in India, which was formed by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Ministry of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Government of India, and NACE India.
Manjrekar has made more than 100 keynote presentations throughout the United Kingdom, United States, Mexico, Malaysia, Oman, Dubai, Sharjah, Kuwait, Romania, and Hong Kong on topics including concrete, corrosion prevention, damp-proofing, repairs, and nano-materials.
He has published more than 200 papers in various national and international journals and is a guest editor of high impact international journals like Construction and Building Materials Journal of Cement and Concrete Composites and Revista ALCONPAT etc.
Dr. Manjrekar joined ACI in 1987 and was bestowed the Fellowship of the Institute in 2000. He conducts and teaches ACI certification field testing courses in India. He has been very active in the India Chapter of ACI where he served as President for several years (1998-2001, 2001-2003, and 2005-2008).
Manjrekar received his PhD from Bombay University, Bombay, Maharashtra, India, in 1977.
Dr. Rampradheep G.S. is working as an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at Kongu Engineering College, Perundurai, Erode, Tamil Nadu, India.
Dr. Yogini Deshpande holds a PhD in Civil Engineering from Purdue University. She holds a Bachelors Degree in Civil Engineering and a Master’s Degree in Geotechnical Engineering from Mumbai University.
Shashank V. Mehendale is the founder and Principal Consultant of M/s Shashank Mehendale & Associates (SMA) – a multi-disciplinary organization that has been serving the construction industry for the last two decades.
Mr. Suhas R. Barve completed his Bachelor of Technology (B. Tech) from IIT Bombay in 1983. At present he runs his owns consultancy firm, M/s. Barve Consultants, which specializes in Structural Designing, Architectural Planning, Interior Designing, Consultancy for Structural Repairs and PMC for Re-Development etc.
An internationally acclaimed authority on several aspects of cement, manufacturing and concrete technology, Dr. Subrato Chowdhury is the recipient of the ‘Outstanding Concrete Technologist’ Award from Indian Concrete Institute in 2012.
A renowned Consulting Structural and Civil Engineer, Mr. Dhupelia has for the past 45 years designed Structures of various kinds and complexities. He has adopted both conventional and modern technologies of construction in his projects spanning large housing and commercial complexes, industrial projects, high rise buildings, sewage and water treatment plants for private and public bodies and for World Bank aided projects.
Since 1984 Umesh Magar has been in the construction industry building some of India’s most successful ‘Sustainable Integrated Townships’.
