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Dr Birbal Sahni (November 14, 1891 – April 10, 1949) was an Indian paleobotanist who specialised in Indian subcontinent fossils. He also looked at antique exploration and geography. In 1946, he founded the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany in Lucknow, which still exists today. His major contributions were studying India’s fossil flora and plant development. He was also involved in developing Indian science education, serving as President of the National Academy of Sciences in India and Honorary President of the International Botanical Congress in Stockholm. Several publications have been done under his name from time to time.
Birth and Education
On November 14, 1891, he was born in Bhera, a West Punjab town now part of Pakistan. He was the family’s third child, and Lala Ruchi Ram Sahni, his father, was a science teacher at Lahore Government College.
He breezed through the Punjab University’s examination and graduated in natural science from the Government College in Lahore in 1911. Around the same time, he moved to England to conduct further research.
He was accepted into Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and focused on natural science there. In 1914, he began his research under the tutelage of A.C Steward, a renowned paleobotanist of the day. In 1919, he received a D.Sc. for his study on fossil plants. He changed and overhauled Lawson’s course reading of Botany for understudies in India, which is still a well-known book throughout this time.
Birbal Sahni Career
On his return to India in 1919, Birbal Sahni was appointed as a natural science teacher at Banaras Hindu University. After a year of teaching natural science at the university, he relocated to Lahore and taught plant science at Punjab University from 1920 to 1921.
He arrived in Lucknow in 1921 to teach at Lucknow University. In 1933, he was promoted to a senior member of the Lucknow University Faculty of Science. In 1921, he married Savitri, the daughter of Sunder Das Suri, his father’s confidential friend.
He became the Head of the Departments of Botany and Topography at Lucknow University until he died in 1949. He founded the Indian Botanical Society in 1924.
Awards, Publications and Findings
In 1936, he was named an individual of the Royal Society of London, the most prestigious scientific distinction in the United Kingdom.
He was the fifth Indian researcher to get the award and the first botanist. He received the Barelay Medal for scientific exploration and the C.R. Reddy National Prize for work in fundamental sciences around the same period. For his outstanding contributions to the area, he was awarded the Nelson Wright Medal by the Numismatic Society of India.
He was the first Indian palaeobotanist to focus on the greenery of India’s Gondwana area. The diphenoxylate, founded by teacher Birbal Sahni, is another group of fossil gymnosperms. He discovered a new and fascinating class of fossil plants in the Raj Mahal mountains of Bihar. His pentoxylate admission drew in a lot of attention. He has received several public and international honours for his research and trailblazing work in these sectors. He extensively researched the Indus Valley Civilisation and the antiquity of the Salt Range, which is now in Pakistan. Professor Birbal Sahni founded the renowned Institute of Paleobotany in Lucknow. He had meticulously planned it out. On April 10, 1949, he passed away at the pinnacle of his profession.
In his honour, the Birbal Gold Award is given to the best botanist in the country regularly.
Conclusion
Birbal Sahni, an Indian palaeobotanist was the forefather of palaeobotanical studies in India, was a visionary and a dreamer.
He was a scientist, a scholar, and a devout follower of God. His contributions to the development of Indian Paleobotany will never be matched by any award, institution, or book named after him. His greatness in this field will never be compared to anyone else, and his work will never be forgotten. He has devoted his entire life to this field and emerged as a gem and master of this field, representing India globally and making the whole nation proud.
