DIVYA DARSHAN PANT (1919-2001) Elected Fellow 1972
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DIVYA DARSHAN PANT (1919-2001) Elected Fellow 1972 IVYA DARSHAN PANT, an eminent botanist, an excellent teacher, a D distinguished visionary researcher, a strong proponent of basic science and a frank-fearless critic breathed last on May 9,2001. He was the founder of a strong and flourishng school of research in Palaeobotany and Plant Morphology in the Department of Botany of Allahabad University. FAMILY BACKGROUND AND EDUCATION Divya Darshan Pant was born on October 18, 1919 amidst the pine-clad scenario of Rarukhet in Kumaun Himalaya as the youngest among the four sons of Sri Ambika Dutt Pant who was a highly respected Ayuwedic Physician (Vaidya) of the area and Editor and Publisher of a magazine, Himalaya. His father brought out the first newspaper in Kumaun area and instituted a printing press. In addition, he had great interest in music and was bless-ed with the rare talent of playing various musical instruments including Vichitra Veena. His uncle Sri Govind Ballabh Pant was a renowned Hindi writer of his time. He wrote a number of plays and short stories. All the three brothers of Pant had scholarly aptitude. His two elder brothers had poetic bent of mind and they wrote in Hindi as well as in local dialect Kumauni. His third brother was a scholar in Sociology who authored a book The Social Ecology of Himalaya. Pant had great love and respect for his mother who came down from the hills to the plains in every winter for a holy dip in Sangam during the month of Magha and he used to take his mother to Sangam when the vehicular conveyance was not available. After his early school education in Ranikhet and Nainital Pant moved to Lucknow where he graduated and later received his post graduation in Botany in Lucknow University securing First Division and First Position in 1941. He impressed Professor Birbal Sahni FRS, a renowned palaeobotanist of his time, by his talent during M. Sc. and later opted to begin research under his dstinguished guidance. On several occasions Pant'used to tell his students the instances of interaction with Professor Sahni in classroom, research laboratory and in field during fossil collection, which reflected the perseverance and dedication of young Pant in research. Because of illness his thesis was somewhat delayed and he was awarded D.Phil. in 1950 by Allahabad University where he had settled. He received high encomiums form his examiners, Professor TM Harris FRS and Dr DN Wadia FRS. Biographical Memoirs PROFESSIONAL CAREER Pant joined the Department of Botany of Allahabad University as a Lecturer in 1945 and ascended to the rank of Reader in1964 and Professor and Head in 1966. He also served as Dean of the Science Faculty and the Executive Councilor of the University. He superannuated in 1981 after adding lustre to this great seat of learning by his distinguished teaching and research capabilities. During his tenure, he left no stone unturned to upgrade the status of the Botany Department of Allahabad University particularly in the field of Palaeobotany and Plant Morphology on the basis of important and exhaustive research contributions of his own and the group of his devoted students. He guided twenty-two students to obtain D.Phi1. degrees. During his tenure a number of distinguished Indian and foreign botanists and geologists like Professors P Maheshwari, TS Mahabale, PN Mehra, KR Surange, Reyat Khan, P Kachroo, TS Sadasivan, G Panigrahi, F Ahmad, Dr MN Bose, JM Schopf (USA), A Takhtajan (USSR), WG Chaloner FRS (UK), HJ Schweitzer (Germany), K Norstog (USA), MC Boulter FRS (UK), Drs SV Manum (Norway), JM Anderson (South Africa), JF Rigby (Australia), SV Meyen (USSR), Zhu Wei-Qing (China) etc. visited this Department and had scientific interactions with the members of Pant School. Although Pant was offered the posts of Director of the Botanical Survey of India and National Botanical Research Institute (formerly National Botanical Garden), he preferred to be at Allahabad University deeply involved in academics without being allured to the administrative positions like his mentor Professor Sahni. MARRIAGE AND FAMILY As it is said that the marriages are made in heaven, Pant having Maharashtrian ancestors belongng to Kumaun Hills of Almora married with Dr. Radha Pant (nee Iyer) belongng to open minded parents from Kerala in December, 1946. It was a chance coincidence that Pant and his life-partner both had joined Allahabad University on the same day. Mrs. Pant had graduated from Hindu College affiliated to Delhi University as a first woman Science Graduate from this University. She obtained her Post Graduate Degree in Chemistry from Bombay University. For her doctorate she worked under the guidance of Dr RC Shah in Royal Institute of Science in Bombay. Mrs. Pant was the first lady Lecturer in the Science Faculty of Allahabad University and In-charge of the Home Science girl students. She later headed the Department of Biochemistry and Home Science in Allahabad University. She visited England under British Council's Commonwealth University Teacher's Exchange Programme and worked with Professor Ernest Baldwin at the University College, London. After being awarded the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Stipendium, she visited West Germany to work with Professor D Ackermenn at the Physiologisches Chemisches Institut at Wurzburg and also visited East Germany, Austria, Netherlands and Italy. Receiving NIH Fellowship- she worked at Stanford Medical Centre, Palo Alto, at California in United States for one yea Divyu Durshuu Pant time her travel was financed by Fulbright. In her Department, she developed three main branches viz. Nutritional Biochemistry, Insect Biochemistry and Plant Latex Research. She run a number of research projects financed by UP State CSIR UGC and ICAR and guided a number of research students to obtain their D. Phil. degrees and published a number of research papers in reputed journals. In October 1978, she retired from University service as Reader and Head of the Biochemistry and Home Science Department of Allahabad University. She always tried to uplift her Department. In an article she aptly judged herself as "Ever a Fighter" in her life. The author of this memoir always found her to be very systematic and methodical in her work and caring to her children. She inspired one and all and kept Professor Pant free from family responsibilities. During her retired life she authored a book "Vijnana Jhankiya" containing articles on various scientific topics in Hindi for science popularization among the children. This book was published in 1997 jointly by English Language Teaching Institute (ELTI), Sate Institute of Science Teaching and State Council for Educational Research and Teaching of Uttar Pradesh. She has left behind a number of unpublished short stories. She could not bear much without Professor Pant in this world and passed away to join him in heavenly abode on December 19,2003. CHILDREN Pant's only son Priya Darshan Pant, an Engineer by profession has his own flourishing business in Bombay. His daughter-in-law, Shobhana Pant hails from a highly respected family of Kumaun. His elder daughter Dr. Vijaya Chandramouli obtained her doctoral degree in Biochemistry under the guidance of her mother in Allahabad University. She was married with Mr. MS Chandramouli, an Engineer presently in Belgium. His younger daughter Dr. Kusum Joshi was Lecturer in Medieval and Modern History Department of Allahabad University. After her marriage with Mr. Lalit Joshi, a journalist, she migrated to England. LAST DAYS Octogenarian Professor Pant was a man of very strong will power. One of his lungs a was stiff and he was asthmatic as well. He had already endured two mild heart attacks , and was sustaining with the fracture in his left humrus for about three years before his : demise. On April 16, 2001, he had a paralytic attack and consequently lost his voice C, and movement of right parts of the body. He had been hospitalized and relieved from there when showed some signs of improvement. The author narrates "I remember that #: #: two days prior to his death I went to see him and also to deliver a draft from the NSA regarding his freshly conferred Honorary Senior Scientist Award which had reached the Botany Department. Icongratulated him. He simply blinked his eyes. On my insistence to say som 6 he uttered my name in shaking chocked voice and rhythmically pressed my hand with h' Biographical Memoirs paralyzed hand. Probably this was his way of blessing me. He was gradually recuperating but suddenly in the evening of May 8, 2001 his condition deteriorated with a heart attack and he expired in the wee hours of May 9. RESEARCH CONTRIBUTIONS The splendid blending of interests both in living and fossil plants and combination of facts with interpretative ideas were Professor Pant's main distinctions. He had multifaceted research contributions. His work enables us to have strange glimpses of splendid glory of plant world of Gondwana times on one hand and acquaints with the interesting mysteries of extant plants on the other. His important research contributions leading to the reconstruction of architecture of plants of glossopterids and understanding the diversity of the floristic elements and reproductive biology this group of plants formed basis for his being recognized as a distinguished authority on Glossopteris flora. His interpretation of the compressed organs of Glossopteris and related genera including their vegetative parts and fructifications, have been vividly confirmed by the subsequent findings of permineralized fossils. He reconstructed Glossopteris as a tall deciduous tree. He was able to show that Diphyllopteris was possibly a vertically compressed seedling of Glossopteris. He envisaged that the Glossopteris flora was dominated by glossopterid trees and also that the Lower Gondwana coal was autochthonous in orign. Pant and his students described the diversity of woods, megaspores, fructifications and seeds found in Glossopteris flora.