Birbal Sahni - Indian Academy of Sciences

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The Birbal Sahni Institute of Paleobotany at
Lucknow, founded in 1949, stands as a monu-
ment testimony to its founder Professor Birbal
Sahni. In his welcome speech requesting Pandit
Jawaharlal Nehru to lay the foundation stone of
the institute, Sahni said, “For what is it, after all,
that pious men worship in a stone which they
place in a temple, but an idea, or an ideal, a great
truth, a hope or a wish for a higher existence,
whether in this world or in the next? And what is
it that this stone symbolizes? – the great fact of
the antiquity of plant life on the globe, the intel-
lect of man ever striving to bring that fact more
and more clearly to light, revealing different
stages not only in the evolution of the plant
kingdom in a more and more orderly and under-
standable sequence, but also the evolution of his
own poor understanding of these truths. The very
construction of it, the flaws and imperfections in
its entire make-up, the labour that has gone into
its preparation, are all but symbols of our imper-
fect and helpless efforts at constructing some-
thing new, something worthwhile”. This indeed
was his philosophy; work was worship for him, a
true Karma Yogi in the sense of Bhagavad Gita.
As he lay on his death bed, afflicted with cerebral
thrombosis, his last thoughts were not about him-
self and his family. His last words addressed to
his wife before passing into eternal sleep were
“nourish the Institute”.
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Birbal Sahni – Story of a Scientist par Excellence
Birbal Sahni was born on the 14th of November,
1891 at Bhera, a small town in Shahpur district
(now part of West Punjab in Pakistan). He was
the third child of his parents, Ruchi Ram Sahni
and Ishwar Devi. His father was a self-made man,
a patriot and an educationist. He held the position
(1891- 1949)
of Professor of Chemistry at the Government
College, Lahore. His mother was a religious lady,
devoted fully to the welfare of the family. Thus,
he inherited from his father intense patriotism,
love for nature and a spirit of enquiry; qualities of
sacrifice and generosity were rooted through both
his parents.
Birbal received his entire school education at
Lahore, first at the Mission and Central Model
schools, and later at the Government College. He
was a brilliant student and achieved many aca-
demic distinctions during student life, such as
standing first in Sanskrit at the Matriculation
Examination of the Punjab University and then
attaining a province position in Intermediate Sci-
ence. He graduated in 1911 and the same year
went to Cambridge University for higher studies.
He graduated in 1914 and started his research
work under the inspiring teacher Albert Charles
Seward whom he regarded as his mentor. In fact,
the relationship between them was much deeper
and could be well compared with ‘the guru-
shishya’ relationship reflecting the ancient In-
dian tradition. He was awarded a BSc degree from
London University in 1919 for his research on
fossil plants. Birbal Sahni’s genius as researcher
and academician, coupled with his knowledge of
Indian plants, was well recognized by his teacher.
While only a post-graduate student at Cambridge,
he was assigned the task of revising Lawson’s
textbook of botany, a widely used book on the
subject.
Returning to India in 1919, Birbal Sahni held
faculty positions in botany at the Universities of
Varanasi and Punjab for a year each, before
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ecoming a Professor of Botany at the University
of Lucknow in 1921, at the young age of 30. In
1920 Birbal Sahni married Savitri, daughter of
Sunder Das Suri, a close friend of his father. She
stood by him throughout, sharing his problems,
pleasures and tribulations. She was the woman
behind his life and work. She shared his dream of
establishing an institute of palaeobotany and ful-
filled this dream almost single handedly after his
premature demise.
Birbal Sahni had a great passion for outdoor life
and trekking. During his school days, he made
several treks in the countryside, including to the
nearby Salt Range having several plant-bearing
formations, in the company of his father and
brothers. These early trekking experiences seem
to have aroused his interest in palaeobotany and
geology. He continued trekking (1907-1911)
through Pathankot to Rohtang Pass; Kalka to
Chini via Kasauli, Subathu, Simla, Narkanda,
Rampur, Bushahr, Kilba, taking the Buran Pass
(16,800 feet high); other traverses were Srinagar
to Dras across Zoji la Pass; Srinagar to Amarnath;
Simla to Rohtang via Bishlao Pass. He also trekked
across the length and breadth of Kashmir, collect-
ing plants. During these collection trips, Hooker’s
Flora of British India, was his invariable com-
panion.
Sahni’s enthusiasm for teaching and conveying
to students his passion for paleobotany and its
adjuncts geology, stratigraphy and archeology,
his qualities of leadership, exceptional organiz-
ing ability, and his capacity for hard work helped
him in making everything he did peculiarly his
own. In his new department at Lucknow, Sahni
lectured to the students of both undergraduate
and post-graduate classes. He got close to them in
the practical classes, and closer still during ex-
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ARTICLE-IN-A-BOX
cursions into the field, all a part of his package
in instruction and learning. Sahni was no narrow
specialist. He wanted his department to be an-
other botany school on the Cambridge pattern
(see C V Subramanian in [1]). Sixteen students
had obtained their doctorate under him between
1933 and 1949; five of them received DSc de-
grees.
Birbal Sahni’s strategy of development of
palaeobotany in all its aspects in India is a fasci-
nating story. Starting from a small corner in the
Botany Department of the Lucknow University,
he went on to build the Institute of Palaeobotany
in the neighbourhood, an institute recognized
today as a premier research centre of palaeo-
botanical studies, and a landmark in the progress
of science in India. He launched a drive to pro-
cure research material from all available sources
within and outside the country. Initial studies
were conducted during summer vacations at the
Geological Survey of India, Calcutta. Sahni re-
vised the Indian conifers preserved as incrusta-
tions, impressions and petrified material. Later,
Sahni’s own collections led to several outstand-
ing discoveries. These include, amongst others,
the Bennettitalean plant Williamsonia sewardiana
Sahni, commemorating three generations of
palaeobotanists; Homoxylon rajmahalense, a new
type of petrified wood later named Sahnioxylon
rajmahalense; Glossopteris augustifolia Br.,
Palmoxylon sundaram, a wood of cocos and
Azolla intertrappean Sahni and Rao, a water
fern. This was followed by the classical studies of
Gondwana plant remains of the Salt Range, and
the Karewa flora from Kashmir. Sahni had real-
ized the importance of geology to palaeobotany
and went on to open the Geology Department in
the University in 1943. He was the head of both
the botany and geology departments. He used to
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teach dynamic geology, stratigraphy and
palaeobotany in the new department. The discov-
ery of Gondwana flora and Sahni’s early interest
in geological events and in the theory of conti-
nental drift led him to studying the distribution of
plants, in the past and present, and even tectonic
movements. Thus, stratigraphical correlation,
palaeogeography, climatology and earth move-
ment were all within the ambit of his attention
(see C V Subramanian in [1]).
It is pertinent to quote T G Halle writing in the
first issue of the Palaeobotanist which was also a
memorial volume to Birbal Sahni (see[2]): “It is
an interesting coincidence that the investigation
of the Pentoxyleae had reached its decisive stage
just in time to be related in Sahni’s last
palaeobotanical publication. This final achieve-
ment certainly seems most aptly to crown his
career as a research worker. It was thus a happy
thought that a design based on his reconstruc-
tions of Pentoxylon should be chosen for the seal
of the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany”.
Sahni was an able administrator and a great hu-
man being. It was always a pleasure to work with
him. As one of his most distinguished students,
A R Rao (in [1]) sums up, Sahni had a unique
personality – a rare combination of genius with
grace and personal charm. His unfailing courtesy,
cheerfulness, keen sense of humour, sincerity,
frankness, robust optimism, helpfulness, promp-
titude, warmth of friendship, profound knowl-
edge of his subject, humility and a modesty that
almost affected ignorance, all contributed to the
building up of a personality that was as much
loved as it was respected. Intensely national in
spirit he was remarkably broad-minded and had
an international outlook in scientific matters.
Indian science suffered a grievous loss in the
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untimely passing away of this ardent patriot and
distinguished botanist.
Sahni was an institution builder. He founded the
Indian Botanical Society (IBS) and fostered it for
a long time. He was actively associated with the
development of the Indian Science Congress
Association, was a founder fellow of the National
Institute of Science of India (now Indian Na-
tional Science Academy), the National Academy
of Science of India, and the Indian Academy of
Sciences. Awards, recognition and honours came
to him naturally. The University of Cambridge
recognized his researches by awarding him an
ScD in 1929, perhaps the first to be awarded to an
Indian scientist. In 1936, he was elected a Fellow
of the Royal Society of London. He was elected
Vice President, Palaeobotany Section, 5th and
6th International Botanical Congress, 1930 and
1935, General President of the Indian Science
Congress for 1940, and President, National Acad-
emy of Science, India, 1937-1939 and 1943-
1944. The American Academy of Arts and Sci-
ences elected him as its Foreign Honorary Mem-
ber in 1948. However, destiny snatched him away
before he could preside over the International
Botanic Congress, Stockholm, in 1950.
The foremost desire of Birbal Sahni was to put
palaeobotanical research in India on an orga-
nized basis. In 1929, he established a museum of
fossil plants on his own. In 1939, he convened a
committee of Indian palaeobotanists to coordi-
nate and develop research in the field. This com-
mittee was formally named The Paleobotanical
Society on May 19, 1946. The governing body of
this society resolved on September 10, 1946, to
establish an Institute of Palaeobotany which
started functioning at the Botany Department of
Lucknow University with Sahni as the Honorary
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Director. The Government of United Provinces,
gifted to the Institute a building next to the
Lucknow University in September 1948. Sahni
developed a comprehensive plan for the develop-
ment of the Institute of Palaeobotany, and con-
struction of a new building to house it. The
foundation stone for the new building of the
Institute was laid by Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru,
then Prime Minister of India, on April 3, 1949.
Unfortunately, Birbal Sahni did not live long
enough to see his cherished dream – the Institute
– grow and develop. He passed away on April 10,
1949, just a week after the ceremony. To cope
with this emergent situation, the governing body
of the Palaeobotanical Society authorized Savitri
Sahni to discharge the duties of the director of
this Institute. Later, in October 1949, the Insti-
tute was named after its founder Birbal Sahni.
Birbal Sahni was a great scientist, a devoted
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ARTICLE-IN-A-BOX
teacher, a loving husband, an affectionate col-
league and friend to so many. Even to us, who did
not have the privilege of knowing him, he is a
continuing source of inspiration, courage and an
outstanding role model.
(The article is based on my long association with
his wife Mrs. Savitri Sahni, my study of his
research contributions, and interaction with his
long time associates, students, friends and rela-
tives.)
Suggested Reading
[1] Current Science, Vol. 61, Nos. 9 and 10,
1991.
[2] Paleobotanist, 1950.
B S Venkatachala
16, East Canal Road, Dehradun 248 001, India.
The student of science lives in a world of fragments. Nothing in that vast
array of visible things that we call Nature appears to our restricted
vision as a complete picture.
True artist that he is, the creator never reveals the whole of his design at
once. Like the child with a jigsaw puzzle we try to piece together the
fragments of the picture.
To the onlooker, who alone holds the key, the seriousness with which
we go about our little attempts must seem pitiable. For after all there can
be only. one real solution, one truth. Some of us may boast that we have
got at that one truth: we only delude ourselves. Nonetheless, curiosity
lures us on, for there are few pursuits so absorbing as this study of
fragments that we call science.
–Birbal Sahni
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