Once a little known man from Nainital, Rajendra Kumar Pachauri's cell phone has not stopped buzzing ever since the Nobel Committee announced awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to ex-US vice president Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, of which Dr Pachauri is the chairman, on Friday afternoon in Sweden.

IPCC has a team of dedicated scientists from various countries who have won the prize for their pioneering work in the field of environment.

"What came as a surprise was that I was sharing the award with former vice president of America Al Gore. He telephoned me this afternoon. He congratulated me and I in turn congratulated him," Dr Pachauri told rediff.com in a conversation.

"I have seen his film on environment. I have known him now for more than 20 years. He has been highlighting the importance of climate change and the need for action to meet the challenge that is present," Pachauri said while recalling the contributions of Al Gore.

In reply to a question whether or not Al Gore would make a better US president, he said that he could not say anything and it is for the people of United States to elect their president.