Plants and Nature

Plants and Nature

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Prof. J.C. Sen Gupta (1900 - 1969) is a celebrated name in the academic domain of 20th Century scientific community of India. National Professor Satyendra Nath Bose, coming to know about his sudden death on 21st January 1969, exclaimed with profound grief by saying “He was a man of action, he died in action”, which tells a lot about the achievements of this great plant scientist. He served the Presidency College, Kolkata as a member of the Faculty, rose to the position of Head of the Department of Botany and later as Principal West Bengal Academy of Science and Technology has created an Endowment Fund donated by his illustrious daughter Prof. Mrs. Jasodhara Bagchi, formerly of the Jadavpur University, to perpetuate her father’s memory through scientific deliberations made by contemporary scientists of eminence dealing with fundamental and applied aspects of life science. Prof. A.K. Sharma of the Department of Botany, University of Calcutta was invited to deliver the first Endowment Lecture which he gracefully accepted. Prof. Sharma in his introductory comment said “I consider it a great honour as it has given me the opportunity of paying my deep respect to my teacher, Late Prof. J.C. Sen Gupta, who was not only an eminent scientist but a teacher of rare human qualities”. This view is shared by the scientists of the next generation and would be sustained by the future generations too. The first lecture was followed by a series of contributions made by renowned  contemporary scientists. This series of lectures will be considered as valuable addition to the broad field of life science with particular reference to the developmental aspect. The implications and applied nature of the subjects contributed by the authors on various titles in this volume testify the validity of Prof. Sen Gupta’s earlier views made to bear the outcome of his far reaching ideas demonstrating reflection of the future shape of advancement of this section of life science. The selected and specialized contributions will be indicative of latest developments of concerned disciplines and will serve the purpose of valuable references for future studies.

 

Sunirmal Chanda, (b. 1932) editor of this special volumes in his early student days obtained a German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) overseas scholarship, went to the University of Goettingen, Germany, where he worked under the celebrated guidance of Prof. Franz Firbas and was awarded with Dr. rer. nat. (Doctor of Natural Science) dealing with emerging multidisciplinary and applied science based on pollen and spore research. Subsequently he travelled widely to various Universities of Europe and U.S.A., for a shorter and longer period, among others names can be mentioned of the UNESCO—Paris, Universities of Toulouse and Bordeaux (France), University of Bergen, Norway (with Prof. Knut Faegri), Swedish Natural Science Research Council, Swedish Museum of Natural History. Palynological Laboratory (with Prof. Gunnar Erdtman), Sweden; Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (with Dr. I.K. Ferguson), British Museum (Natural History), London, Rothamsted Experimental Station, Harpenden, Herts. (with Dr. John Lacey), U.K., and some Universities of U.S.A., like Wayne State University, Detroit; North Carolina State University, Durham, and others. After Prof. Chanda’s return to India followed by gaining extensive research experience from abroad, he joined the Bose institute, Kolkata, in the Department of Botany as a member of the Faculty, serving the Department as Chairman and Head of the Division of Palynology and Environmental Biology and established a school of Palynology and Aerobiology, which was nationally and internationally acclaimed. The members of his laboratory at different times deciphered the mystery of the role of spores and pollen grains considered as causative factor for respiratory allergy, allergic rhinitis, even going to the level of chronic asthma. He served the Department of Botany, University of Calcutta as visiting faculty for over a decade. Prof. Chanda’s students are holding important academic positions in India and many countries abroad. Currently he is holding the position of President, Allergy and Asthma Research Centre, Kolkata. From the very inception of the West Bengal Academy of Science and Technology in 1989, where he has been a Founder Fellow, served the Academy in various capacities till date.

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