Birbal Sahni

Birbal Sahni FRS[1] (14 November 1891 – 10 April1949) was an Indian paleobotanist who studied the fossilsof the Indian subcontinent, was also a geologist who tookan interest in archaeology. He founded the Birbal SahniInstitute of Palaeobotany[2] in Lucknow, India. His great-est contributions lie in the study of botany of the plantsof India[3] as well as paleobotany.[4][5] Apart fromwritingnumerous influential papers on these topics he also servedas the President of the National Academy of Sciences,India and as an Honorary President of the InternationalBotanical Congress, Stockholm. He died on 10 April1949.

1 Formative years

The third son of Ishwar Devi and Lala Ruchi Ram Sahni,Birbal Sahni was born in Bhera, Shahpur District, WestPunjab, on 14 November 1891. Among the frequentguests of his parents were Motilal Nehru, Gopal KrishnaGokhale, Sarojini Naidu, andMadanMohanMalaviya.[6]He was also influenced into science by his grandfatherwho owned a banking business at Dera Ismail Khan andconducted amateur research in chemistry.[1] He got hisearly education in India at Government College Univer-sity, Lahore (where his father worked) and Punjab Uni-versity (1911). He learnt botany under S. R. Kashyap. Hegraduated from Emmanuel College, Cambridge in 1914.He later studied under Professor A. C. Seward, and wasawarded the DSc degree of the University of London in1919.

2 Career

In 1917, Sahni joined Professor Seward to work on a 'Re-vision of Indian Gondwana plants’ (1920, Palaeontolog-ica Indica). In 1919 he briefly worked in Munich underthe German plant morphologist Goebel. In 1920 he mar-ried Savitri Suri, daughter of Sunder Das Suri who was anInspector of Schools in Punjab. Savitri took an interest inhis work and was a constant companion.[1] Sahni returnedto India and served as Professor of Botany at BanarasHindu University, Varanasi and Punjab University forabout a year. He was appointed the first Professor andHead of the Botany Department of the Lucknow Univer-sity in 1921. The University of Cambridge recognised hisresearches 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 Se-wardi, and another description of a new type of petrifiedwood, Homoxylon, bearing resemblance to the wood ofa living homoxylous angiosperm, but from the Jurassicage.[1] During the following years he not only continuedhis investigations but collected around him a group of de-voted students from all parts of the country and built upa reputation for the University which soon became thefirst Center for botanical and palaeobotanical investiga-tions in India. Sahni maintained close relations with re-searchers around the globe, being a friend of Chester A.Arnold, noted American paleobotanist who later servedhis year in residence from 1958–1959 at the institute.[7]He was a founder of The Paleobotanical Societywhich es-tablished the Institute of Palaeobotany on 10 September1946 which initially functioned in the Botany Departmentof Lucknow University but later moved to its presentpremises at 53 University Road, Lucknow in 1949. On 3April 1949 the Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehrulaid the foundation stone of the new building of the Insti-tute. A week later, on 10 April 1949, Sahni succumbedto a heart attack.

3 Honors

Sahni was recognised by several academies and insti-tutions in India and abroad for his research. He waselected a Fellow of the Royal Society of London (FRS)in 1936, the highest British scientific honour, awardedfor the first time to an Indian botanist. He was electedVice-President, Palaeobotany section, of the 5th and 6thInternational Botanical Congresses of 1930 and 1935,respectively; General President of the Indian ScienceCongress for 1940; President, National Academy of Sci-ences, India, 1937–1939 and 1943–1944. In 1948 he waselected an Honorary Member of the American Academyof Arts and Sciences. Another high honour which cameto him was his election as an Honorary President of theInternational Botanical Congress, Stockholm in 1950, buthe died before he could serve.After his demise, Sahni’s samadhi was placed within theInstitute of Paleobotany as a reminder of his ground-breaking work.

1

2 5 SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

4 Contributions and influences• In their bookHistorical perspective of early twentiethcentury Carboniferous paleobotany in North Amer-ica, William Darrah et al. have mentioned multipleinteractions of scientists with Birbal Shani regardingfieldwork.[8]

• In his speeches, former President of India SarvepalliRadhakrishnan has mentioned Birbal Sahni in sev-eral contexts, including science, religion etc.[9]

• The Hindu described Sahni as the “Pioneer ofpalaeobotany” (in India).[10]

• In their paper “New interpretations of the earliestconifers”, Rothwell have cited from Revision of In-dian fossil plants: Part III. Monocotyledons by Dr.Sahni.[4]

• In their paper Seed plant phylogeny and the originof angiosperms: An experimental cladistic approach,Dayle and Donohogue have included sections fromA petrified Williamsonia by Dr. Sahni.[5]

5 Selected publications• 1915. Foreign pollen in the ovules of Ginkgo andits significance in the study of fossil plants. NewPhytol. 14 (4 and 5), 149–151.

• 1915. The anatomy of Nephrolepis volzibilis J. Sim,with remarks on the biology and morphology of thegenus. New Phytol. 14 (8 and 9), 251–274.

• 1916. The vascular anatomy of the tubers ofNephrolepis. New Phytol. 15 (3 and 4), 72–80.

• 1917. Observations on the evolution of branching inthe Filicales. New Phytol. 16 (1 and 2), 1–23.

• 1919. (With J. C. WILLIS.) Lawson’s text book ofbotany. London: Univ. Tut. Press.

• 1919. On an Australian specimen of Clepsydropsis.Ann. Bot. 33 (129), 81–92.

• 1920. (With A. C. SEWARD) Indian Gondwanaplants: a revision. Mem. Geol. Surv. Ind. Pal. Ind.7 (I), 1–40.

• 1921. A stem impression from the plant-bearingbeds near Khunmu (Kashmir), provisionally re-ferred to Gangamopteris Kashmirensis Seward.Proc. (8th Ind. Sci. Cong. Cal.) Asiat. Sac. Beng.(N.S.), 17 (4), 200.

• 1921. The present position of Indian Palaeobotany.Pres. Add. 8th Ind. Sci. Cong. Cal. Proc. Asiat.Sac. Bengal (N.S.), 17 (4), 152–175.

• 1924. On the anatomy of some petrified plants fromthe Government Museum, Madras. Proc. 11th Ind.Sci. Cong. Bangalore, p. 141.

• 1925. The ontogeny of vascular plants and the the-ory of recapitulation. J. Ind. Bat. Soc. 4 (6), 202–216.

• 1925. (With E. J. BRADSHAW) A fossil tree in thePanchet Series of the Lower Gondwanas near Asan-sol. Rec. Geol. Surv. Ind. 58 (I), 77–79.

• 1931. On certain fossil epiphytic ferns found on thestems of the Palaeozoic tree-fern Psaronius. Proc.18th Ind. Sci. Cong. Nagpur, p. 270.

• 1931. Materials for a monograph of the Indian pet-rified palms. Proc. Acad. Sci. U.P. 1, 140–144.

• 1932. Homoxylon rajmalzalense gen. et sp. nov., afossil angiospermous wood, devoid of vessels, fromthe Rajmahal Hills, Behar. Mem. Geol. Sura. Ind.Pal. Ind. 20 (2), 1–19.

• 1932. A petrifiedWilliamsonia (W. Sewardiana, sp.nov.) from the Rajmahal Hills, India. Mem. Geol.Sura. Ind. Pal. Ind. 20 (3), 1–19.

• 1933. (With A. R. RAO.) On some Jurassic plantsfrom the Rajmahal hills. J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal(N.S.), 27 (2), 183–208.

• 1933. Explosive fruits in Viscum japonicum Thunb.J. Ind. Bat. Soc. 12 (2), 96–101.

• 1934. (With B. P. SRIVASTAVTA) Thee silicifiedflora of the Deccan Intertrappean Series. Pt. 3.Sausarospermum Fermori. gen. et sp. nov. Proc.21st Ind. Sci. Cong. Bombay, p. 318.

• 1934. Dr S. K. Mukerji, F.L.S. (1896–1934).(Obituary.) J. Ind. Bot. Soc. 13 (3), 245–249.

• 1934. (With A. R. RAO.) Rajmahalia paradoxagen. et sp. nov. and other Jurassic plants from theRajmahal hills. Proc. Ind. Acad. Sci. 1 (6), 258–269.

• 1934. Dr Dukinfied Henry Scott. (Obituary). Curr.Sci. 2 (lo), 392–395.

• 1934. The Deccan Traps: Are they Cretaceous orTertiary? Curr. Sci. 3 (lo), 392–395.

• 1935. The relations of the Indian Gondwana florawith those of Siberia and China. Proc. 2nd Cong.of Curb. Stratig. Heerlen, Holland. Compte RendtiI,517–518.

• 1935. Homoxylon and related woods and the originof angiosperms. Proc. 6th Int. Bat. Cong. Amster-dam, 2, 237–238.

3

• 1935. The Glossopteris flora in India. Proc. 6th Int.Bat. Cong. Amsterdam, 2, 245–248.

• 1936. The Karewas of Kashmir. Curr. Sci. 5 (I),10–16.

• 1936. The Himalayan uplift since the advent ofMan: its culthistorical significance. Curr. Sci. 5(I), 10–16.

• 1936. A clay seal and sealing of the Sunga periodfrom the Khokra Kot mound (Rohtak). Curr. Sci.5 (2), 80–81.

• 1936. A supposed Sanskrit seal from Rohtak: Acorrection. Curr. Sci. 5 (4), 206–215.

• 1936. Wegener’s theory of continental drift in thelight of palaeobotanical evidence. J. Ind. Bot. Soc.15 (5), 319–322.

• 1936. The Gondwana affinities of the Angara florain the light of geological evidence. Nature, 138(3499, 720–721.

• 1937. Speculations on the climates of the LowerGondwanas of India. Proc. 17th Int. Geol. Cong.Moscow, pp. 217–218.

• 1937. An appreciation of the late Sir J. C. Bose.Sci. & Cult. 31 (6), 346–347.

• 1937. Professor K. K. Mathur. (Obituary). Curr.Sci. 5 (7), 365–366.

• 1937. Revolutions in the plant world. (Pres. Add.)Proc. Nut. Acad. Sci. Ind. 46–60.

• 1937. The age of the Deccan Trap. (General Dis-cussion.) Proc. 24th Ind. Sci. Cong. Hyderabad,pp. 464–468.

• 1937. Wegener’s theory of continental drift withreference to India and adjacent countries. (Generaldiscussion.) Proc. 24th Ind. Sci. Cong. Hyderabad,pp. 502–506.

• 1938. (With K. P. RODE.)Fossil plants from theDeccan Intertrappean beds atMohgaon Kalan, C.P.,with a note on the geological position of the plant-bearing beds. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. Ind. 7 (3),165–174.

• 1938. Recent advances in Indian Palaeobotany.(Pres. Add. Botany Section.) Proc. 25th Ind.Sci. Cong. Jubil. Sess. Calcutta (2), 133–176; andLuck. Univ. Stud. (2), 1–100.

• 1940. The Deccan Traps: an episode of the Ter-tiary era. (Gen. Pres. Add.) 27th Ind. Sci. Cong.Mad. (2), pp. 1–21. Prakrati, 3 (I), 15–35. 1944(Gujrati trans.). Prabuddha Karnataka, 22 (2), 5–19(Kanares trans. by H. S. Rao).

• 1941. Permanent labels formicroscope slides. Curr.Sci. 10 (1 I), 485–486.

• 1942. 'A short history of the plant sciences’ and 'Thecytoplasm of the plant cell'. Reviews. Curr. Sci. 11(9), 369–372.

• 1944. (With B. S. TRIVEDI.) The age of the SalineSeries in the Punjab Salt Range. Nature, 153, 54.

• 1945. The technique of casting coins in ancient In-dia. Mem. Numis. Sac. Ind. (I), 1–68.

• 1945. Obituary Note o

6 References[1] 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 14February 2012.

[4] Rothwell, Gar W (1982). “New interpretations of the ear-liest conifers”. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 37(1–2): 7–28. doi:10.1016/0034-6667(82)90035-5. Re-trieved 14 February 2012.

[5] A. Doyle, James; J. Donoghue, Michael (1986). “Seedplant phylogeny and the origin of angiosperms: An exper-imental cladistic approach”. THE BOTANICAL REVIEW52 (4): 321–431. doi:10.1007/bf02861082. Retrieved14 February 2012.

[6] Sunita Khanna, “The Man That Was”, Newsletter, BirbalSahni 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 Dar-rah. Historical perspective of early twentieth century Car-boniferous paleobotany in North America 185. Paul C.Lyons, Elsie DarrahMorey, Robert HermanWagner. Ge-ological Society of America. pp. 215–224. ISBN 978-0-8137-1185-0. Retrieved 6 September 2010.

[8] Culp Darrah, William (1995). Historical perspective ofearly twentieth century Carboniferous paleobotany in NorthAmerica. Geological Society of America. p. 22. ISBN 0-8137-1185-1.

[9] Radhakrishnan, Sarvepalli (1960). Occasional speechesand writings, October 1952 – January 1956. Ministry ofInformation & Broadcasting. p. 216.

[10] R. Parthasarathy (15 August 2002). “Pioneer of palaeob-otany – Birbal Sahni (1891 −1949)". The Hindu. Re-trieved 29 May 2013.

4 7 EXTERNAL LINKS

7 External links• Birbal Sahni Institute

• Sunita Khanna, “The Man That Was”, Newsletter,Birbal Sahni Institute of Paleobotany, No. 7, p.7(June, 2004) ISSN No. 0972-2718 On line.

5

8 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

8.1 Text• Birbal Sahni Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birbal%20Sahni?oldid=660458229 Contributors: Shyamal, Timrollpickering, Dragon-flySixtyseven, Rich Farmbrough, Vsmith, Bender235, Longhair, Viv sf, , Rjwilmsi, Bhadani, RussBot, Tachs, SmackBot, Orphan-Bot, Ohconfucius, Nishkid64, BrownHairedGirl, Kevmin, Kschlot1, CmdrObot, AshLin, ShelfSkewed, Headbomb, Coyets, IndianGeneral-ist, Bakasuprman, Demophon, PrincessCaitlai, Sushant gupta, Waacstats, Fconaway, Pomte, Clerks, DadaNeem, TXiKiBoT, Duncan.Hull,Logan, StephenIndia, Sitush, DragonBot, RogDel, Addbot, The Sage of Stamford, DOI bot, Thaejas, Delaszk, Luckas-bot, JackieBot,ArthurBot, Cantons-de-l'Est, Ziegelangerer, Citation bot 1, Cubs197, Tamariki, RjwilmsiBot, AsceticRose, L Kensington, Helpful PixieBot, Wikishagnik, Jahnavisatyan, VIAFbot, Charan Gill, Rahul Bott, KasparBot and Anonymous: 12

8.2 Images• File:Bust_of_Birbal_Sahni_(Birla_Industrial_&_Technological_Museum).jpg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/Bust_of_Birbal_Sahni_%28Birla_Industrial_%26_Technological_Museum%29.jpg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors:Own work Original artist: AshLin

8.3 Content license• Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0