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Birbal Sahni

बीरबल साहनी
1891 – 1949
Life SciencesEarth & Environment

Father of Indian palaeobotany — founded an institute in Lucknow

Uttar Pradesh connection: Professor of Botany at the University of Lucknow; founded the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, Lucknow

Story

Prof. Birbal Sahni studied fossil plants of the Indian subcontinent. In 1946 he founded the Institute of Palaeobotany in Lucknow — today the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, a proud scientific landmark of Awadh.

Key contributions

  • Pioneering studies of fossil plants such as the Pentoxyleae group
  • Founded the Institute of Palaeobotany, Lucknow (1946)
  • Fellow of the Royal Society (1936)

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Photos: Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons, unless uploaded by Awadh Vigyan Bharati. Ancient scholars are shown with symbolic images where no portrait exists.