TUTE TI OF S P IN A I L N A E H O A B S O L T A A B N R Y I Annual Report 2005-2006 B 1946-2006 Governing Body Chairman Professor S.B. Bhatia Former Professor of Geology Professor J.S. Singh Punjab University Professor Emeritus, 441, Sector 6 Department of Botany, Panchkula 134 109 Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221 005 Members (Ex-officio) Members Professor M.P. Singh Head, Department of Geology Professor V.S. Ramamurthy Lucknow University Secretary or his Nominee Lucknow 226 007 Department of Science and Technology Technology Bhavan, Director General New Mehrauli Road Geological Survey of India New Delhi 110 016 27, Jawaharlal Nehru Road Kolkata 700 016 Shri K.P. Pandiyan Joint Secretary & Financial Adviser Director or his Nominee, Botanical Survey of India Department of Science &Technology 5th Floor, MS Building Technology Bhavan ‘F’ Block, CGO Complex New Mehrauli Road DF Block, Sector 1 New Delhi 110 016 Kolkata 700 064 Dr. H.K. Gupta Member-Secretary (Ex-officio) Former Secretary Dept.Ocean Development (Gov. of India) Dr. N.C. Mehrotra, N – 1/A, ‘Manjusha’, Director Kakatiya Nagar Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany Habsiguda Lucknow 226 007 Hyderabad 500 007 Non-Member Assistant Secretary (Ex-officio) Professor G.K. Srivastava Former Professor of Botany S.C. Bajpai Department of Botany Registrar University of Allahabad Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany Allahabad 211 002 Lucknow 226 007 1 Col. TUTE O TI F S P IN A I L N A E H O A B S O L T A A B N R Y I B Annual Report 2005-2006 1946-2006 Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany Research Advisory Council Chairman Professor C.G.K. Ramanujam Emeritus Professor Professor G.K. Srivastava Dept. of Botany, P.G. College of Science Former Professor of Botany Osmania University, Saifabad, Department of Botany, Hyderabad 500 004 University of Allahabad, Allahabad 211 002 Professor P.K. Khare Department of Botany Member-Convener (Ex-officio) Allahabad University Allahabad 211 002 Director Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany Lucknow 226 007 Dr. R.R. Rao Director Grade Scientist Members CIMAP Research Station Allalasandra, GKVK Post Office Bangalore 560 065 Dr. K.R. Gupta Former Adviser (ESS), DST Dr. Debabrata Ray (up to 27.6.2005) H – 44B, Saket Dr. D.M. Kale New Delhi 110 017 Group General Manager - Head KDM Institute of Petroleum Exploration Professor B.D. Sharma 9, Kaulagarh Road Kathmandi Dehradun 248 195 Narnaul 123 001 Professor D.M. Banerji Professor A.K. Singhvi Department of Geology Planetary and Geosciences Division Delhi University Physical Research Laboratory Delhi 110 007 Navrangpura Ahmedabad 380 009 Member (Ex-officio) Dr. N.D. Mitra Deputy Director General 49 D, Townshend Road Geological Survey of India Bhawanipur Northern Region, Sector- E, Aliganj Kolkata 700 025 Lucknow 226 020 2 TUTE TI OF S P IN A I L N A E H O A B S O L T A A B N R Y I Annual Report 2005-2006 B 1946-2006 Finance and Building Committee Chairman (Ex-officio) Shri V.P. Garg 71, Mall Avenue Professor J.S. Singh Avas Vikas Colony Chairman, Governing Body Lucknow 226 001 Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany Lucknow 226 007 Member (Ex-officio) Members Director Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany Shri K.P. Pandiyan Lucknow 226 007 Joint Secretary & Financial Adviser or his Nominee, Non-Member Secretary (Ex-officio) Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi 110 016 Registrar Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany Professor M.P. Singh Lucknow 226 007 Member, Governing Body Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany Lucknow 226 007 3 Col. TUTE O TI F S P IN A I L N A E H O A B S O L T A A B N R Y I B Annual Report 2005-2006 1946-2006 Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany Foundation Day The Institute celebrated its 59th Foundation Day on a popular lecture in Hindi on Paryavaran Pradooshan September 10, 2005. On this occasion Shri V.K. Sibal, Director Prabandhan– ek Bhuvaigyanic Pariprekshya (Environment General, Directorate General of Hydrocarbons, New Delhi, Management- A Geological Perspective) to mark the beginning delivered ‘9th Jubilee Commemoration Lecture’ on the topic of Hindi Pakhwara. “Knowledge Sharing: An opportunity for brighter Future”. Professor M.P. Singh, Member Governing Body presided On the same evening, Guest of Honour Sri Ravi Shanker, over the function. Many guests and scientists from outside the Retired Director General, Geological Survey of India delivered Institute attended the function. 4 TUTE TI OF S P IN A I L N A E H O A B S O L T A A B N R Y I Annual Report 2005-2006 B 1946-2006 Founders’ Day The Founder’s Day was celebrated on November 14, 2005. Dr. S.R. Shetye, Director, National Institute of The Institute’s staff and distinguished guests from other Oceanography, Goa delivered the ‘35th Birbal Sahni Memorial organizations offered Pushpanjali on the Samadhi of the Lecture’ on the topic “Role of Ocean Processes in defining Founder Professor Birbal Sahni. Same day in the evening two the Indian Summer Monsoon”. memorial lectures were organized. Professor M.P. Singh, Member, Governing Body of the Dr. P.S. Goel, Secretary, Department of Ocean Institute presided over the function. Several guests and scientists Development, Govt. of India, New Delhi delivered the ‘51st from outside the Institute attended the occasion. Sir Albert Charles Seward Memorial Lecture’ entitled “Excitement of Oceans”. 5 Col. TUTE O TI F S P IN A I L N A E H O A B S O L T A A B N R Y I B Annual Report 2005-2006 1946-2006 Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany Diamond Jubilee National Conference The Diamond Jubilee National Conference on Challenges l There is an urgent need for climate modeling based on in Indian Palaeobiology– Current Status, Recent Developments physiognomic characters of leaves and woods of Tertiary and Future Directions was organized at the Institute during fossils. Character-state mapping for understanding the November 15-16, 2005 in continuum of Founders’ Day evolution of angiosperms need to be done. programme. This conference is a result of the concern expressed l The emerging trends in Palaeobiology were best reflected by several Palaeobotanists and Paleontologists on the future in the presentations on palaeoclimate. They emphasized of our discipline in the light of diminishing perception of the on multi-proxy, multi-parametric approaches should be relevance and usefulness of this science and also the consequent emphasized with special focus on integration of biological, drastic reduction in the scope of the discipline as taught at physical, and geo-chemical parameters and spatial graduate and undergraduate levels. synthesis of proxy data on continent wide scale and its The Conference was inaugurated by Dr. Harsh K. Gupta, relation to oceanic domain for the most significant Former Secretary, DOD, Govt. of India. More than 100 Cenozoic climatic events (assessment of the biological Palaeobiologists representing 34 organizations of Research and non-biological response system to LPTM events; C3/ Institutions (WIHG, Dehradun; NIO, Goa; Agarkar Research C4 vegetational dynamics events ~between 6-8 million Institute, Pune; French Institute, Pondicherry; ISI, Kolkata, years; initiation of the cooling trends after permanent etc.), Universities (BHU; Delhi University; Allahabad Antarctic Ice sheet formation in Middle Miocene i.e. 14 University; Punjab University; Osmania University, Ma onwards). Hyderabad; Lucknow University; IIT Roorkee and Kanpur, l Reassessment of the chronological data of the last glacial etc.), Industry (ONGC, OIL, etc), and Professional cycle and selection of record with secure chronological organizations and Societies (BSI; GSI; Geological Society of data, and using the latter to assess the inter-regional India, Bangalore; Petrotech Society; Palaeontological Society variability, lag time and exploring the role of feed-backs. of India, Lucknow; Palaeobotanical Society of India, Lucknow; etc.) took part in intense discussions under 15 sessions on 7 l To generate new data using high resolution records for different themes on strength, gaps and weaknesses of the making a quantitative assessment of millennial scale and subject. century scale variability for the post LGM period. The different sessions were chaired by. Prof. C. l To intensify research on mangroves as response systems Manoharachary (Hyderabad), Dr. K.R. Gupta (New Delhi), to linked climate and sea level shifts in the last 20,000 Prof. G.V. Patil (Nagpur), Prof. D.R. Misra (Allahabad), Dr. years. K. Ayyasami (Hyderabad), Prof. G.K. Srivastava (Allahabad), l Modern man has made considerable changes both Prof. Ashok Sahni (Chandigarh), Prof. Asru Chowdhry constructive and destructive in the plant world. The (Kolkata), Dr. Rajeev Nigam (Goa), Prof. S.K. Tandon (Delhi), presentation on the history of human impact on plant world Sri Ravi Sanker (Lucknow), Dr. R.R. Rao (Bangalore), Sri emphasized the need to use new aspects of studies Kuldeep Chandra (Dehradun), Dr. V.N. Singh (Chandigarh) including phytoliths, coprolites, AMS dating and and Prof. C.L. Verma (Lucknow). Institute’s scientists– Drs. palynological studies. CM Nautiyal, Usha Bajpai, SKM Tripathi, RC Mehrotra, A Rajanikanth, DC Saini, Mukund Sharma, KJ Singh, Alpana Theme-II: Interface of Palaeobiology with other disciplines. Singh, Rajni Tewari, Anjum Farooqui, AK Gosh and Binita l Palaeontological studies need a fresh approach involving Phartiyal acted as Reporters for different technical sessions. the tools of other disciplines was clear and loud message Various deliberations charted out new dimensions for studies, of this theme. Newer techniques, viz. computer modeling involving multidisciplinary and multi-institutional approach using latest software to understand the taphonomic with co-operation from within and outside the country to make problems, need to be used. it more relevant to societal needs.