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6 SYNERGY: Not just the Poonawalla brothers, several other Parsis have participated in the development and distribution of the Covid vaccine. PTI
Gopalkrishna Gandhi
Former Administrator, Diplomat and Governor
Leaving politicians and cricketers aside, Adar Poonawalla is easily among the most prominent and popular names in India today.
Why, even perhaps in the world.
Given the pandemic, it is only natural that someone who has led an inter-continental initiative for getting a vaccine onto the world’s health map should become famous.
But not everyone who has now become familiar with the name will immediately connect it with the Parsi community. This minuscule Gujarati-speaking population of Persian descent which claims no more than about 61,000 souls in India (out of a world total of just 1.2 lakh) has led India in fields of national magnitude and moment atomic science, industry, law, education, banking, medicine, music, literature, sport, architecture and over-