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Memorial to B.P. Radhakrishna (1918–2012) RASOUL SORKHABI University of Utah, Energy and Geoscience Institute, Salt Lake City, Utah 84108, USA

Bangalore Puttaiya Radhakrishna, known affection- ately to his friends and colleagues as BPR, an eminent Indian geologist and an honorary fellow of the Geological Society of America, died in his hometown of , southern , on 26 January 2012 at age 94. BPR was born on 30 April 1918 in Bangalore in State. He was the third of the six sons of Shreemati (Mrs.) Venkamma and Shri (Mr.) Bangalore Puttaiah, a noted Indian journalist and superintendent of State’s book printing. BPR grew up in Bangalore and studied at Fort High School, close to his residence district of Chamarajpet. He obtained his bachelor of science (honors) degree from Central College in 1937 with a gold medal for first in his class. His interest in geology was triggered at an early age by reading geology books, especially Archibald Geikie’s Founders of Geology, in his father’s library (his father was a geology graduate). Indeed, BPR was influenced by his father’s intellectual interests and later wrote his biography Nanna Thande (“My Father,” 1949) in his mother tongue of . Soon after his graduation, BPR joined the Mysore Geological Department (now called the Department of Mines and Geology of Karnataka State), which was established in 1894. The huge library and renowned geologists of the Mysore Geological Department along with the rich mineral resources and geologically fascinating landscape of Karnataka inspired BPR to excel in understanding the Precambrian geology and natural resources of his home state. In 1954, he was awarded a Ph.D. from Mysore University for his work on the genesis of the Archaean Closepet in southern India. BPR served as the director of Karnataka’s Department of Mines and Geology from 1965 till 1974. He also held top managerial or advisory positions in several mining enterprises in Karnataka, including Copper Company (which he founded in 1966), Karnataka Copper Consortium, Gold Fields (which was closed in 2001 due to rising costs and low-grade deposits), and Hutti Gold Mines (currently the only gold producing mine in India). In 1979, after forty-two years of working for mineral surveys, BPR retired from government service. BPR seldom traveled outside of India. He attended a conference at the University of Leicester, UK, in 1975, and another conference held at North Carolina University at Chapel Hill, USA, in 1977. BPR is best known for his association with the Geological Society of India (GSI) in Bangalore, of which he was a founding member in 1958. He served as GSI’s secretary from 1958–1992, as editor of the Journal of the Geological Society of India from 1974–1992, and as the society’s president from 1992–2006. During his tenure as editor and president, GSI expanded its membership; established an international reputation for its monthly journal; organized its annual meetings in a professional and timely manner; and launched a series of publications including Memoirs, geology textbooks for various Indian states, the Economic Geology series,

Geological Society of America Memorials, v. 41, December 2012 45 46 THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA and Excursion Guidebooks. BPR was a voracious reader, a scholarly thinker, a prolific writer, and a skillful editor. He edited and wrote a number of GSI publications. Metallogeny, Precambrian igneous and metamorphic rocks, and the tectonic and geomorphic evolution of southern India, especially of Karnataka, were at the heart of BPR’s research work. He published several seminal papers on these subjects. His pioneering work on the Closepet Granite, which covers a vast part of the Mysore area, showed that it was petrologically heterogeneous and probably formed due to continental collision in Archean times. Using geomorphic indicators of mountains and rivers on the Indian coastal margins, BPR also demonstrated that the Indian Peninsula, often viewed as a tectonically dead Precambrian shield, had a vibrant geologic history during Mesozoic–Cenozoic times. He was especially attracted to the (also called Sahyadri), a 1600-km-long range on the western margin of India reaching heights of 2000 m. This mountain belt formed as a major rift shoulder uplift during the Deccan Trap volcanism at the late Cretaceous–Paleocene transition. BPR’s book Geology of Karnataka (1994, 1997) is a benchmark publication in its field, and this alone is no small achievement in view of the fact that Karnataka, sitting on the Dharwar Craton of southern India, contains some of the oldest geologic record of Earth’s continents. For years, BPR wrote influential editorials in GSI’s monthly journal in which he expounded upon issues such as the environment, groundwater, mineral resources, science education, and priorities in geologic research. He also wrote biographies of many noted Indian and foreign geologists. Most of these editorials have been collected in two GSI Memoirs: Random Harvest: An Anthology of Editorials (2003) and Random Harvest: Biographical Sketches (2005). BPR was also a great promoter of science among the public. He wrote popular science books in Kannada, including biographies of C.V. Raman, Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, and Marie Curie, all of which were well received. He was given the Sahitya Academy Award for best biography in 1989, 1997, and in 2002. For his dedicated and remarkable service to geology, BPR received many awards and honors, including fellow of the Indian Academy of Science (1956), National Mineral Award of the (1971), fellow of the Indian National Science Academy (1972), Rajyothsava Award of Karnataka State (1974), fellow of the Geological Society of London (1986), fellow of the Geological Society of America (1988), The Pramatha Nath Bose Medal of the Asiatic Society in Calcutta (1990), Honorary D.Sc. from the Indian School of Mines in (1992), D.N. Wadia Gold Medal for Earth Science by the Indian National Science Academy (1993), Padma Shree Award by the President of India (1993), Visveywaraya Award for Senior Scientists by the Karnataka State Government (1996), honorary fellow of the Indian Geophysical Union (1996), Millennium Award of the Geochemical Society of India (2000), National Mineral Award for Excellence (2000), and Jawaharlal Nehru Ceremony Award at the 94th Indian Science Congress (2007). A mineral by the composition of lead tellurium chloride discovered in the of Karnataka by Russian scientists in 1985 was named Radhakrishnaite. In 1995, the GSI established an annual B.P. Radhakrishna Award for the best paper published in the society’s journal. BPR married Subhadamma in 1944; she died in 1971 at an untimely age and while BPR was on a work-related trip. They raised four daughters and two sons. BPR’s life saddled both British and independent India and he used the best of both periods. Until his last days, he was engaged in reading, researching, thinking, and writing on matters of geoscience. His contributions to India’s geological science and his leadership as a dedicated architect of the Geological Society of India will remain an inspiring legacy. BPR was indeed the doyen of Indian geology in the country’s post-independence history. MEMORIAL TO B.P. RADHAKRISHNA 47

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF B.P. RADHAKRISHNA

1952 The : Its structural and physiographical evolution: Mysore Geologists Association Bulletin, no. 3, p. 1–53. 1954 On the nature of certain cordierite-bearing granulites bordering the Closepet of Mysore: Mysore Geological Department Bulletin, v. 21, p. 1–25. 1956 The Closepet Granite of : Bangalore, Mysore Geological Association, Special Publication 3, 110 p. 1964 Evolution of the drainage, Mysore State, : Journal of the Geological Society of India, v. 5, p. 72–79. 1965 Geomorphological evolution of the Mysore plateau, in Misra, R.P., ed., Contributions to Indian Geography, v. 2: Geomorphology: New , Heritage Publishers, p. 31–40. 1966 Geomorphological evolution of the Mysore plateau: Bulletin of the Indian Geophysical Union, v. 2, p. 95–106. 1967 Copper in Mysore State: Bangalore, Mysore Department of Mines and Geology, 55 p. 1967 Reconsideration of some problems in the Archaean complex of Mysore: Journal of the Geological Society of India, v. 8, p. 102–109. 1967 The Western Ghats of the Indian Peninsula: Proceedings of the Seminar on Geomorphological Studies in India, 1965: Sagar, Centre for Advanced Studies, University of Sagar, p. 4–14. 1968 Geomorphological approach to the charnokite problem: Journal of the Geological Society of India, v. 9, p. 67–74. 1973 (with Pandit, S.A., and Prabhakar, K.T.) Copper mineralization in the ultrabasic complex of Nuggihalli, , Mysore State: Journal of the Geological Society of India, v. 14, p. 302–312. 1974 (with Sreenivasaiah, C.) Bedded barytes from the Precambrian of Karnataka: Journal of the Geological Society of India, v. 15, p. 314–315. 1976 Mineralization episodes in the Dharwar craton of peninsular India: Journal of the Geological Society of India, v. 17, p. 79–88. 1976 The two greenstone groups in the Dharwar craton: Indian Mineralogist, v. 16, p. 12–15. 1977 (with Vasudev, V.N.) The early Precambrian of the southern Indian shield: Journal of the Geological Society of India, v. 18, p. 525–541. 1977 (with Venkatasubramianian, V.S., and Jayaram, S.) Model galena ages from Karnataka and surrounding areas: Journal of the Geological Society of India, v. 18, p. 9–52. 1983 Archaean granite-greenstone terrain of South Indian shield, in Naqvi, S.M., and Rogers, J.J.W., eds., Precambrian of South India: Bangalore, Geological Society of India Memoir 4, p. 1–46. 1984 Crustal evolution and metallogeny—Evidence from the Indian Shield: A review: Journal of the Geological Society of India, v. 25, p. 617–640. 1985 The antecedent course of the river Cauvery: Mysore Geological Association Bulletin, no. 8, p. 1–15. 1986 (with Naqvi, S.M.) Precambrian continental crust of India and its evolution: Journal of Geology, v. 94, p. 145–166. 1986 (ed. with Ramachandran, K.K.) India’s Environment: Problems and Perspectives: Bangalore, Geological Society of India Memoir 5, 298 p. 1986 (ed. with Rogers, J.J.W., and Naqvi, S.M.) The Dharwar craton of south India: An Archean Protocontinent: Journal of Geology, v. 94, no. 2 (special issue), p. 127–299. 48 THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA

1987 (ed.) Purana Basins of Peninsular India: Bangalore, Geological Society of India Memoir 6, 518 p. 1988 C.V. Raman [biography in Kannada]: Bangalore, Geological Society of India. 1988 (with Ramakrishnan, M.) Archaean-Proterozoic boundary in India: Journal of the Geological Society of India, v. 32, p. 263–278. 1989 Suspect tectono-stratigraphic terrane elements in the Indian subcontinent: Journal of the Geological Society of India, v. 34, p. 1–24. 1990 (ed. with Ramakrishnan, M.) Archaean Greenstone Belts of South India (Bellur Rao Volume): Bangalore, Geological Society of India Memoir 19, 497 p. 1990 (ed. with Ramakrishnan, M., and Mahabaleswar, B.) Granulites of Southern India (Pichamuthu Volume): Bangalore, Geological Society of India Memoir 17, 502 p. 1991 An excursion into the past—‘The Deccan Volcanic Episode’: Current Science, v. 61, p. 641–647. 1991 (ed.) The World of Martin F. Glaessner: Bangalore, Geological Society of India Memoir 20, 263 p. 1991 (with Curtis, L.C.) Gold—The Indian Scene: Bangalore, Geological Society of India Economic Geology Series 1, 158 p. 1992 Cauvery—Its geological past: Journal of the Geological Society of India, v. 40, p. 1–12. 1993 (ed.) Continental Crust of South India: Bangalore, Geological Society of India Memoir 25, 379 p. 1993 Neogene uplift and geomorphic rejuvenation of the Indian Peninsula: Current Science, v. 64 (special issue), p. 783–793. 1995 Darwin [biography in Kannada]: Bangalore, Geological Society of India. 1995 (with Curtis, L.C.) Hutti Gold Mine: Into the 21st Century: Bangalore, Geological Society of India Economic Geology Series 5, 176 p. 1996 Mineral Resources of Karnataka: Bangalore, Geological Society of India Textbooks 2, 471 p. 1997 (with Vaidyanadhan, R.) Geology of Karnataka, 2nd edition: Bangalore, Geological Society of India Textbooks 4, 535 p. (Orig. pub. 1994.) 1998 Ramanuja, 2nd edition [biography in Kannada]: Bangalore, Geological Society of India, 222 p. (Orig. pub. 1992.) 1999 Holocene chronology and Indian pre-history (keynote address), in Radhakrishna, B.P., and Merh, S.S., eds., Vedic Sarasvati: Evolutionary History of a Lost River of Northwestern India: Bangalore, Geological Society of India Memoir 42, p. xvii–xxv. 1999 Madame Curie [biography in Kannada]: Bangalore, Geological Society of India, 204 p. 1999 Vedic Sarasvati and the dawn of Indian civilization, in Radhakrishna, B.P., and Merh, S.S., eds., Vedic Sarasvati: Evolutionary History of a Lost River of Northwestern India: Bangalore, Geological Society of India Memoir 42, p. 5–13. 1999 (with Curtis, L.C.) Gold in India: Bangalore, Geological Society of India Economic Geology Series 7, 307 p. 1999 (ed. with Merh, S.S.) Vedic Sarasvati: Evolutionary History of a Lost River of Northwestern India: Bangalore, Geological Society of India Memoir 42, 330 p. 2000 Einstein [biography in Kannada]: Bangalore, Geological Society of India, 188 p. 2001 Sahyadri in India Mythology, in Gunnell, Y., and Radhakrishna, B.P., eds., Sahyadri: The Great Escarpment of the Indian Subcontinent (Patterns of Landscape Development in the Western Ghats): Geological Society of India Memoir 47, v. 1, p. 5–9. 2001 (ed. with Gunnell, Y.) Sahyadri: The Great Escarpment of the Indian Subcontinent (Patterns of Landscape Development in the Western Ghats): Bangalore, Geological Society of India Memoir 47, two volumes, xxii + 1054 p. MEMORIAL TO B.P. RADHAKRISHNA 49

2003 (ed.) J.B. Auden: A Centenary Tribute: Bangalore, Geological Society of India Memoir 56, 332 p. 2003 John Bicknell Auden, in Radhakrishna, B.P., ed., J.B. Auden: A Centenary Tribute: Bangalore, Geological Society of India Memoir 56, p. 1–48. 2003 Karnataka Khanija Sampattu [“Mineral Resources of Karnataka” in Kannada]: Bangalore, Geological Society of India, 386 p. 2003 Random Harvest: An Anthology of Editorials: Bangalore, Geological Society of India Memoir 51, 444 p. (86 essays published from 1984–2002.) 2004 Groundwater in Hard Rock Aquifers of South India: Some Facts Which Everyone Should Know: Bangalore, Geological Society of India Special Publication 4, 31 p. 2004 Nelada Neeru [“Groundwater” in Kannada]: Bangalore, Geological Society of India, 31 p. 2005 Random Harvest: Biographical Sketches: Bangalore, Geological Society of India Memoir 60, 291 p. (46 biographical essays.) 2006 Groundwater in Karnataka: Bangalore, Geological Society of India, 106 p. 2007 Karnataka Me Bhu-jal [“Groundwater in Karnataka” in Hindi]: Bangalore, Geological Society of India Textbook Series 10, 102 p. 2008 (ed. with Wiswanathan, S.) Fifty Years of the Journal: Some Significant Landmarks: Bangalore, Geological Society of India Memoir 65, 888 p. 2011 (with Jitendra Kumar, S.) Antharjala, 2nd edition (“Groundwater” in Kannada): Bangalore, Geological Society of India, 246 p. (Orig. pub. 1992.)

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