Birbal Sahni

Birbal Sahni

Born 1891
Behra, Saharanpur District, West Punjab
Died 1949
Lucknow
Citizenship India
Nationality Indian
Fields Paleobotany
Institutions Lucknow
Alma mater Government College University, Lahore,
Emmanuel College, Cambridge
Doctoral advisor Professor Seward
Other academic advisors Goebel
Known for Bennettitalean plant, Homoxylon – a new type of petrified wood
Spouse Savitri Suri

Birbal Sahni FRS[1] (14 November 1891 – 10 April 1949) was an Indian paleobotanist who studied the fossils of the Indian subcontinent, was also a geologist who took an interest in archaeology. He founded the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany[2] in Lucknow, India. His greatest contributions lie in the study of botany of the plants of India[3] as well as paleobotany.[4][5] Apart from writing numerous influential papers on these topics he also served as the President of the National Academy of Sciences, India and as an Honorary President of the International Botanical Congress, Stockholm. He died on 10 April 1949.

Formative years

The third son of Ishwar devi and Lala Ruchi Ram Sahni, Birbal Sahni was born in Bhera, Shahpur District, West Punjab, on 14 November 1891. Among the frequent guests of his parents were Motilal Nehru, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Sarojini Naidu, and Madan Mohan Malaviya.[6] He was also influenced into science by his grandfather who owned a banking business at Dera Ismail Khan and conducted amateur research in chemistry.[1] He got his early education in India at Government College University, Lahore (where his father worked) and Punjab University (1911). He learnt botany under S. R. Kashyap. He graduated from Emmanuel College, Cambridge in 1914. He later studied under Professor A. C. Seward, and was awarded the DSc degree of the University of London in 1919.

Career

In 1917, Sahni joined Professor Seward to work on a 'Revision of Indian Gondwana plants' (1920, Palaeontologica Indica). In 1919 he briefly worked in Munich under the German plant morphologist Goebel. In 1920 he married Savitri Suri, daughter of Sunder Das Suri who was an Inspector of Schools in Punjab. Savitri took an interest in his work and was a constant companion.[1] Sahni returned to India and served as Professor of Botany at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi and Punjab University for about a year. He was appointed the first Professor and Head of the Botany Department of the Lucknow University in 1921. The University of Cambridge recognised his researches by the award of the degree of Sc. D. in 1929. In 1932 Palaeontologica Indica included his account of the Bennettitalean plant that he named Williamsonia Sewardi, and another description of a new type of petrified wood, Homoxylon, bearing resemblance to the wood of a living homoxylous angiosperm, but from the Jurassic age.[1] During the following years he not only continued his investigations but collected around him a group of devoted students from all parts of the country and built up a reputation for the University which soon became the first Center for botanical and palaeobotanical investigations in India. Sahni maintained close relations with researchers around the globe, being a friend of Chester A. Arnold, noted American paleobotanist who later served his year in residence from 1958–1959 at the institute.[7] He was a founder of The Paleobotanical Society which established the Institute of Palaeobotany on 10 September 1946 which initially functioned in the Botany Department of Lucknow University but later moved to its present premises at 53 University Road, Lucknow in 1949. On 3 April 1949 the Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru laid the foundation stone of the new building of the Institute. A week later, on 10 April 1949, Sahni succumbed to a heart attack.

Recognition

Sahni was recognised by several academies and institutions in India and abroad for his research. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of London (FRS) in 1936, the highest British scientific honour, awarded for the first time to an Indian botanist. He was elected Vice-President, Palaeobotany section, of the 5th and 6th International Botanical Congresses of 1930 and 1935, respectively; General President of the Indian Science Congress for 1940; President, National Academy of Sciences, India, 1937–1939 and 1943–1944. In 1948 he was elected an Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Another high honour which came to him was his election as an Honorary President of the International Botanical Congress, Stockholm in 1950, but he died before he could serve.

After his demise, Sahni's samadhi was placed within the Institute of Paleobotany as a reminder of his groundbreaking work.

Contributions and influences

Selected publications

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Thomas, H. H. (1950). "Birbal Sahni. 1891-1949". Obituary Notices of Fellows of the Royal Society 7 (19): 264. doi:10.1098/rsbm.1950.0017.
  2. ↑ Birbal Sahni Institute of Paleobotany, on line.
  3. ↑ R. Cuneo, S. Archangelsky (1986). "Ferugliocladaceae, a new conifer family from the Permian of Gondwana". Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 51 (1–3): 3–30. doi:10.1016/0034-6667(87)90016-9. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
  4. 1 2 Rothwell, Gar W (1982). "New interpretations of the earliest conifers". Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 37 (1–2): 7–28. doi:10.1016/0034-6667(82)90035-5. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
  5. 1 2 A. Doyle, James; J. Donoghue, Michael (1986). "Seed plant phylogeny and the origin of angiosperms: An experimental cladistic approach". THE BOTANICAL REVIEW 52 (4): 321–431. doi:10.1007/bf02861082. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
  6. ↑ Sunita Khanna, "The Man That Was", Newsletter, Birbal Sahni Institute of Paleobotany, No. 7, p.7 (June, 2004) ISSN No. 0972-2718 On line.
  7. ↑ Scott, R.A. (1995). "Chester A. Arnold (1901–1977): Portrait of an American paleobotanist". In W., Culp Darrah. Historical perspective of early twentieth century Carboniferous paleobotany in North America 185. Paul C. Lyons, Elsie Darrah Morey, Robert Herman Wagner. Geological Society of America. pp. 215–224. ISBN 978-0-8137-1185-0. Retrieved 6 September 2010.
  8. ↑ Culp Darrah, William (1995). Historical perspective of early twentieth century Carboniferous paleobotany in North America. Geological Society of America. p. 22. ISBN 0-8137-1185-1.
  9. ↑ Radhakrishnan, Sarvepalli (1960). Occasional speeches and writings, October 1952 – January 1956. Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. p. 216.
  10. ↑ R. Parthasarathy (15 August 2002). "Pioneer of palaeobotany – Birbal Sahni (1891 -1949)". The Hindu. Retrieved 29 May 2013.

External links

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