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Vijaya Sharma
Dr.
Gopal
Singh Rawat
Dr. Anil K. Goel
Dr.
Sachin Biswas
Dr. S. K.
Upadhyaya
Arun Gupta
Dr. Wazahat Husain
Madhulika Choudhry
Dr. Govind. S. Rajwar
Dr.
Ravindra Chibbar
Dr. Mahesh Bhandari
Surgeon Commodore (Retd.)
Dr. A. K. Verma
Dr. M. A. Rau
Sandeep
Puran Singh
Pradeep Sharma
|
 The Path
Shown by Him…
Dr. Gopal Singh
Rawat
Memories of Balbir Avenue, Dehra Dun will always remain with me.
This place has special significance in my career and I am sure
it is the case with many more students of Botany. I came to
Dehra Dun for the first time in December 1981 with my Ph. D.
supervisor Prof. Y.P.S. Pangtey of Kumaun University, Naini Tal.
As a beginner in floristic studies at that time I had limited
exposure to the taxonomic literature and nature of research work
being carried out by various individuals and research
institutions. Having met a few senior scientists and ‘serious’
Botanists (at least in their looks !) at the Forest Research
Institute and Botanical Survey of India (BSI) I was partly at
loss and in a state of dwindling confidence. After finishing
official consultation at BSI one afternoon Prof. Pangtey
informed me that he had taken an appointment from a renowned
botanist who lived in Dalanwala. BSI office used to be at Laxmi
Road in Dalanwala then. Soon we reached Balbir Avenue and an
affectionate, fatherly figure opened the gate to welcome us.
“Meet Prof. Som Deva…” said Prof. Pangtey. Looking at the
garden, personal library and herbarium seemed like a dream
place. Soon I became homely and discussions began on the
Himalayan Botany and past botanical explorations. Prof. Deva was
keen to know about interior localities in the Himalaya and my
field experiences. To my pleasant surprise, he seemed to know
many places in the Himalaya intimately as if he had already been
there and told us about botanical explorations done by various
workers in those areas. “Gopal, you are fortunate to have
visited those wonderful places from where only a few explorers
such as Strachey, Winterbottom and J.F. Duthie have collected
plants…” Prof. Deva had said. The affectionate couple (Mrs. and
Prof. Deva) didn’t allow us to leave the house without dinner.
They also insisted that next time when I visit Dehra Dun I
should stay with them rather than staying in a hotel or
elsewhere.
Meeting with Prof.
Deva (Guruji) that evening brought a sense of confidence in me.
For the first time someone had told me that wandering in the
remote areas for plant exploration is a noble work and my botany
would be stronger if I saw the plants in the field rather than
in the herbaria. That would bring much more personal
satisfaction in the long run. During 1982-83 Guruji was about to
retire from his service. Yet he used to work for more than 12
-14 hours a day examining the plant specimens collected by him
as well as brought by various students and making meticulous
notes. He would guide each and every student visiting him with
same affection and enthusiasm. When I compared his age with mine
and his enthusiasm to know more about new plants with that of
mine, I used to feel ashamed of myself. Receiving letters and
notes from him used to be always a pleasure and inspiring. One
of the letters I received from him during my Ph. D. days is
below:
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Once, I had sent a
carelessly preserved and crumbled plant specimen to Guruji for
examination. Later, I came to know that he had spent a lot of
time curing the specimen by patiently soaking in the water,
neatly pressing again, pasting on a sheet and examining it – the
work which I was supposed to do. I was deeply moved by his
caring attitude to any piece of plant that I brought to him.
During 1984 to 1986 I changed 2-3 jobs and moved from place to
place. Hence I was unable to stay in touch with him. After a
lapse of two and half years, when I visited him, he was
extremely happy to see me. Without discussing any mundane matter
he began to talk about interesting plants he had examined in
between including some of my past collections. That showed his
devotion and attachment to the Plant World.
Lately, I have come to know that I was one of his favourite
students. Guruji neither disclosed this to me nor he preached
anything other than what he practiced. I had requested him to
grace the occasion of seminar or conference held at our
institute a couple of times and talk to our students but he
conveniently avoided such meetings. He would, however, welcome
me to his house anytime and talk about future of taxonomic works
in the country. Among other things Guruji taught me, two things
I consider very important: (a) he gave lot of importance to
taking detailed notes on the natural history including animal
and bird life (besides botany) whenever someone goes to a new
area, (b) plant taxonomy needs to be made interesting among the
students and the teachers must make every effort to go regularly
to the field. My last meeting with Guruji was in May 2004 when I
was about to leave for a six month long ecological expedition
across the alpine region of Western Himalaya. He was extremely
happy to learn that I was undertaking this work and keenly
looked forward to seeing the outcome. Though it is too late to
report the highlights of expedition to Guruji, I would always
cherish the inspiring moments spent with him and try to follow
the path shown by him…
Dr. Gopal S. Rawat F.N.A.Sc.
Professor
Wildlife Institute of India
P.B. # 18, Dehra Dun
Email: rawatg@wii.gov.in |