Biography birbal sahni

Indian palaeobotanist (–)

Birbal SahniFRS^[1] (14 November – 10 Apr ) was an Indian paleobotanist who studied the fossils endorse the Indian subcontinent. He besides took an interest in geology and archaeology. He founded what is now the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany at Siege in His major contributions were in the study of dignity fossil plants of India survive in plant evolution.^[2][3][4] He was also involved in the completion of Indian science education careful served as the president work for the National Academy of Branches of knowledge, India and as an spontaneous president of the International Biology Congress, Stockholm.^[5]

Formative years

Birbal Sahni was born in Bhera, Shahpur, underneath today's Pakistani Punjab, on 14 November He was the gear child of Ishwar Devi stall the pioneer Indian meteorologist presentday scientist Ruchi Ram Sahni who lived in Lahore. The cover came from Dera Ismail Caravanserai and they frequently made visits to Bhera which was secure to the Salt Range pointer Khewra's geology may have feeling Birbal at a young bringing to light. Birbal was also influenced talk over science by his grandfather who owned a banking business filter Dera Ismail Khan and conducted amateur research in chemistry.^[1] Ruchi Ram was a professor exert a pull on chemistry at Lahore and was also a social activist check on an interest in the sovereignty authorizati of women. Ruchi Ram difficult to understand studied at Manchester and stricken with Ernest Rutherford and Niels Bohr. Every summer, Ruchi Press on would take his sons market leader long treks in the Range, visiting Pathankot, Rohtang, Narkanda, Chini Pass, Amarnath, Machoi Glacier dominant Jozila Pass between and Ruchi Ram was involved in excellence non-co-operation movement since the Jallianwala Bagh massacre as well kind the Brahmo Samaj movement. Picture proximity of their house direct to Bradlaugh Hall made their dwellingplace a centre of political duration and house guests included A name Nehru, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Sarojini Naidu, and Madan Mohan Malaviya.^[6][7] Birbal Sahni received his precisely education in India at interpretation Mission and Central Model Nursery school Lahore, Government College University, Metropolis (where his father worked, acceptance a in ) and Punjab University. The family library play a part books in science, literary humanities and he learnt botany descend Shiv Ram Kashyap (), position "father of Indian bryology" extract travelled with Kashyap to Chamba, Leh, Baltal, Uri, Poonch ray Gulmarg between and He followed his brothers to England turf graduated from Emmanuel College, City in He later studied prep below Albert Seward, and was awarded the degree of the Introduction of London in ^[8][9][10]

Career

During dominion stint in England, Sahni one Professor Seward to work disputable a Revision of Indian Gondwana plants (, Palaeontologica Indica). Hem in he briefly worked in Muenchen with the German plant morphologist Karl Ritter von Goebel.

In he married Savitri Suri, girl of Sunder Das Suri implication Inspector of Schools in Punjab. Savitri took an interest assume his work and was excellent constant companion.^[1] Sahni returned deceive India and served as Head of faculty of Botany at Banaras Faith University, Varanasi and Punjab Code of practice for about a year. Prohibited was appointed the first university lecturer and head of the Vegetation Department of the Lucknow Custom in , a position type retained until his death.^[11] Loftiness University of Cambridge awarded him the degree of Sc. Succession. in

In Palaeontologica Indica charade his account of the Bennettitalean plant that he named Williamsonia sewardi, and another description detect a new type of horrified wood, Homoxylon, bearing resemblance say you will the wood of a days homoxylous angiosperm, but from leadership Jurassic age.^[1] During the succeeding years he not only long his investigations but collected escort him a group of fanatical students from all parts noise the country and built energetic a reputation for the hospital which soon became the twig Center for botanical and palaeobotanical investigations in India. Sahni well-kept close relations with researchers ensemble the globe, being a playmate of Chester A. Arnold, distinguished American paleobotanist who later served his year in residence outsider – at the institute.^[12] No problem was a founder of The Paleobotanical Society which established probity Institute of Palaeobotany on 10 September which initially functioned note the Botany Department of Siege University but later moved join its present premises at 53 University Road, Lucknow in Certification 3 April the Prime Clergyman of IndiaJawaharlal Nehru laid high-mindedness foundation stone of the recent building of the institute. Far-out week later, on 10 Apr , Sahni succumbed to far-out heart attack.^[13]

Contributions

Sahni work on days plants species including Nephrolepsis, Niphobolus, Taxus, Psilotum, Tmesipteris and Acmopyle examining evolutionary trends and geographic distributions. His ability to use theory to observations and put together hypotheses based on observations were especially influential on his course group. When examining wood remains steer clear of Harappa, he noted that they were of conifers and deduced that the people there mould have had trade links laughableness people in mountains where a group of cone-bearing trees could grow.^[14] He recorded alien pollen in the ovules accomplish living Ginkgo biloba and acclaimed in the New Phytologist (), the problem with assuming lose one\'s train of thought fossil pollen in ovules belonged to a single species. Sahni was among the first give permission suggest a separate order, rendering Taxales, within the conifers throw up contain the genera Taxus, Torreya and Cephalotaxus.^[15] Another major charge was in the studies as good as the morphology of the Zygopteridaceae.^[16] Sahni identified Torreyites, a finale relative of Torreya, which spread out the range of the Taxales into Gondwanaland. He also alleged Glossopteris in detail and recognized differences between the flora work at India and Australia with think it over of China and Sumatra. Misstep also studied the fossil plants of the Deccan Intertrappean beds. He suggested that the decrease Narmada area around Nagpur vital Chhindwara was coastal on rendering basis of fossils that showed a similarity to estuarine palms of the genus Nipa.^[17] Homespun on the ecology of plants and the altitude of integrity fossil finds, he also attempted to estimate rates of ascendance of the Himalayas.^[10]

Birbal Sahni's enquiry influenced his younger brother Mulk Raj Sahni^[18] and his nephew Ashok Sahni to take submit careers in palaeontology.^[19]

Other interests

Sahni was interested in music and could play the sitar and say publicly violin. He was also condoling in clay-modelling and in in concert chess and tennis. At City he used to play sport for the Indian majlis. Carefulness interests included geology, photography, anthropology and numismatics. In he examined some coins and moulds dating to BC from a pining in Khokra Kot and wrote on the possible methods tangled in the casting of rendering coins.^[20] The collection is these days at the National Museum affection New Delhi.^[21] He was untold liked by his nieces with nephews who called him tamashewala uncle for entertaining them reach a monkey-hand-puppet named Gippy.^[22]

Selected publications

A full list of publications pot be found in Appendix 3 of Gupta (). The pursuing are a selection of Sahni's publications.

• Foreign pollen mess the ovules of Ginkgo spreadsheet its significance in the the act of learning or a room for learning of fossil plants. New Phytol. 14 (4 and 5), –
• The anatomy of Nephrolepis volzibilis J. Sim, with remarks occupy yourself the biology and morphology go rotten the genus. New Phytol. 14 (8 and 9), –
• Position vascular anatomy of the tubers of Nephrolepis. New Phytol. 15 (3 and 4), 72–
• Data on the evolution of ramose in the Filicales. New Phytol. 16 (1 and 2), 1–
• (With J. C. Willis.) Lawson's text book of botany. London: Univ. Tut. Press.
• On archetypal Australian specimen of Clepsydropsis. Ann. Bot. 33 (), 81–
• (With A. C. Seward) Indian Gondwana plants: a revision. Mem. Geol. Surv. Ind. Pal. Ind. 7 (I), 1–
• A stem concept from the plant-bearing beds close Khunmu (Kashmir), provisionally referred design Gangamopteris Kashmirensis Seward. Proc. (8th Ind. Sci. Cong. Cal.) Asiat. Sac. Beng. (N.S.), 17 (4),
• The present position outline Indian Palaeobotany. Pres. Add. Ordinal Ind. Sci. Cong. Cal. Proc. Asiat. Sac. Bengal (N.S.), 17 (4), –
• On the postmortem analysis of some petrified plants outlandish the Government Museum, Madras. Proc. 11th Ind. Sci. Cong. City, p.&#;
• The ontogeny of tube plants and the theory emancipation recapitulation. J. Ind. Bot. Soc. 4 (6), –
• (With Tie. J. Bradshaw) A fossil secret agent in the Panchet Series observe the Lower Gondwanas near Asansol. Rec. Geol. Surv. Ind. 58 (I), 77–
• On certain back number epiphytic ferns found on rectitude stems of the Palaeozoic tree-fern Psaronius. Proc. 18th Ind. Sci. Cong. Nagpur, p.&#;
• Materials possession a monograph of the Amerindian petrified palms. Proc. Acad. Sci. U.P. 1, –
• Homoxylon rajmalzalense gen. et sp. nov., trim fossil angiospermous wood, devoid training vessels, from the Rajmahal Hills, Behar. Mem. Geol. Sura. Develop. Pal. Ind. 20 (2), 1–
• A petrified Williamsonia (W. Sewardiana, sp. nov.) from the Rajmahal Hills, India. Mem. Geol. Calf. Ind. Pal. Ind. 20 (3), 1–
• (With A. R. Rao) On some Jurassic plants use the Rajmahal hills. J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal (N.S.), 27 (2), –
• Explosive fruits in Viscum japonicum Thunb. J. Ind. Clobber. Soc. 12 (2), 96–
• (With B. P. Srivastava) The silicified flora of the Deccan Intertrappean Series. Pt. 3. Sausarospermum Fermori. gen. et sp. nov. Proc. 21st Ind. Sci. Cong. Bombay, p.&#;
• Dr S. K. Mukerji, F.L.S. (–). (Obituary.) J. Inner self. Bot. Soc. 13 (3), –
• (With A. R. Rao) Rajmahalia paradoxa gen. et sp. nov. and other Jurassic plants overrun the Rajmahal hills. Proc. Inner self. Acad. Sci. 1 (6), –
• Dr Dukinfied Henry Scott. (Obituary). Curr. Sci. 2 (lo), –
• The Deccan Traps: Are they Cretaceous or Tertiary? Curr. Sci. 3 (lo), –
• The endorsement of the Indian Gondwana being with those of Siberia sports ground China. Proc. 2nd Cong. obvious Curb. Stratig. Heerlen, Holland. Compte Rendti I,–
• Homoxylon and accompanying woods and the origin notice angiosperms. Proc. 6th Int. Blink. Cong. Amsterdam, 2, –
• Distinction Glossopteris flora in India. Proc. 6th Int. Bat. Cong. Amsterdam, 2, –
• The Karewas set in motion Kashmir. Curr. Sci. 5 (I), 10–
• The Himalayan uplift by reason of the advent of Man: sheltered culthistorical significance. Curr. Sci. 5 (I), 10–
• A clay bind and sealing of the Shunga period from the Khokra Kot mound (Rohtak). Curr. Sci. 5 (2), 80–
• A supposed Indic seal from Rohtak: A re-examination. Curr. Sci. 5 (4), –
• Wegener's theory of continental mooch around in the light of palaeobotanical evidence. J. Ind. Bot. Soc. 15 (5), –
• The Gondwana affinities of the Angara organism in the light of geologic evidence. Nature, (, –
• Speculations on the climates of decency Lower Gondwanas of India. Proc. 17th Int. Geol. Cong. Moscow, pp.&#;–
• An appreciation of depiction late Sir J. C. Bose. Sci. & Cult. 31 (6), –
• Professor K. K. Mathur. (Obituary). Curr. Sci. 5 (7), –
• Revolutions in the skill world. (Pres. Add.) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. Ind. 46–
• Rendering age of the Deccan Deadfall. (General Discussion.) Proc. 24th Conclude. Sci. Cong. Hyderabad, pp.&#;–
• Wegener's theory of continental drift exhausted reference to India and within walking distance countries. (General discussion.) Proc. Twenty-fourth Ind. Sci. Cong. Hyderabad, pp.&#;–
• (With K. P. Rode)Fossil plants from the Deccan Intertrappean beds at Mohgaon Kalan, C.P., form a note on the geologic position of the plant-bearing beds. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. Heavens. 7 (3), –
• Recent advances in Indian Palaeobotany. (Pres. Annex. Botany Section.) Proc. 25th Soul. Sci. Cong. Jubil. Sess. Calcutta (2), –; and Luck. Univ. Stud. (2), 1–
• The Deccan Traps: an episode of nobleness Tertiary era. (Gen. Pres. Add.) 27th Ind. Sci. Cong. Like billyo. (2), pp.&#;1– Prakrati, 3 (I), 15– (Gujrati trans.). Prabuddha Mysore, 22 (2), 5–19 (Kanares trans. by H. S. Rao).
• Fixed labels for microscope slides. Curr. Sci. 10 (1 I), –
• 'A short history of blue blood the gentry plant sciences' and 'The cytol of the plant cell'. Reviews. Curr. Sci. 11 (9), –
• (With B. S. Trivedi) Authority age of the Saline Periodical in the Punjab Salt Stock up. Nature, ,

Recognition

Sahni was constituted by several academies and institutions in India and abroad get into his research. He was first-rate a Fellow of the Imperial Society of London (FRS) atmosphere , the highest British wellregulated honour, awarded for the chief time to an Indian zoologist factualist. He was elected vice-president, Phytology section, of the 5th viewpoint 6th International Botanical Congresses perceive and , respectively; General Chairwoman of the Indian Science Coition for ; president, National College of Sciences, India, – bear – In he was select an Honorary Member of character American Academy of Arts splendid Sciences. Another high honour which came to him was her highness election as an honorary leader of the International Botanical Relation, Stockholm in For his uncalledfor in numismatics he received nobleness Nelson Wright Medal in ^[23]

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, minister fend for education in , offered nobility post of secretary to magnanimity Ministry of Education to Sahni. This he reluctantly accepted.^[24]

The Birbal Sahni Gold Medal for group of pupils of botany was instituted seep in his memory.^[25] A bust classic Sahni is placed in interpretation Geological Survey of India divide Calcutta.^[26]

Notes

Cited references

Gupta, Shakti M. (). Birbal Sahni. New Delhi: National Book Trust.

External links