Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, one of the three researchers who won the Nobel Prize in chemistry this year, is certainly not letting the accolades go to his head. With admirable level-headedness, he has been gently letting down over-excited questioners, and re-injecting a sense of proportion to the discussion — even, recently, admitting that, as a molecular biologist, he would probably fail any reasonable undergraduate chemistry degree programme.

But in India, a lot of Ramakrishnan’s response will come across as intensely puzzling. Here is someone of Indian origin who isn’t following the script: who is not, following a major distinction, lapping up praise; who is not publicly despairing about the state of affairs in India in his subject; indeed, is so far successfully managing to avoid serving as an object of veneration for Those Left Behind. This is not for want of opportunities, though: he has complained in an interview of his e-mail inbox being clogged with e-mail from those re-connecting with him in a manner he deems as sudden.

Ramakrishnan has refrained from publicly judging those taking pride in his achievements; but he has expressed puzzlement at suddenly being the focus of so much adulation. The work he did still existed yesterday, he says. (And he has lectured recently at Madras University.) Ramakrishnan has probably been away from India for too long to observe how here communities, and sometimes the whole country, seize on achievements that should be personal and seek to twist them into affirming the importance of identity. To Ramakrishnan’s achievements in decoding cell biology should be added others: of quietly standing up for individual accomplishment over group hysteria; and of keeping his head when all about him are losing theirs.