Arun Kumar Sharma (1924 – 2017), popularly known as AKS, was an Indian

cytogeneticist Cytogenetics is essentially a branch of genetics, but is also a part of cell biology/cytology (a subdivision of human anatomy), that is concerned with how the chromosomes relate to cell behaviour, particularly to their behaviour during mitosis a ...

cell biologist Cell biology (also cellular biology or cytology) is a branch of biology that studies the structure, function, and behavior of cells. All living organisms are made of cells. A cell is the basic unit of life that is responsible for the living and ...

, cytochemist and a former ''Sir Rashbehary Ghose Professor'' and Head of the Department of Botany at the University of Kolkata, College of Science and Technology. Considered by many as the father of Indian cytology, he headed the ''Centre for Advanced Study on Cell and Chromosome'' at the university and is known for his contributions to the studies on the ''physical and chemical nature of

chromosomes A chromosome is a long DNA molecule with part or all of the genetic material of an organism. In most chromosomes the very long thin DNA fibers are coated with packaging proteins; in eukaryotic cells the most important of these proteins are ...

''. A Jawaharlal Nehru fellow, he is a recipient of several honors including the

Om Prakash Bhasin Award Om Prakash Bhasin Award for Science and Technology is an Indian award, instituted in 1985 to recognize excellence in the areas of science and technology. The award, given individually or collectively to a group, is annual in cycle and carries a p ...

and the

VASVIK Industrial Research Award VASVIK Industrial Research Award is an Indian award, instituted to recognize and promote excellence in industrial research in the areas of science and technology. The award is given annually to individuals or groups and carries a citation and a ca ...

. The

Council of Scientific and Industrial Research The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (IAST: ''vaigyanik tathā audyogik anusandhāna pariṣada''), abbreviated as CSIR, was established by the Government of India in September 1942 as an autonomous body that has emerged as the l ...

, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the

Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology (SSB) is a science award in India given annually by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for notable and outstanding research, Applied science, applied or Fundamenta ...

, one of the highest Indian science awards, in 1967, for his contributions to biological sciences. The Government of India awarded him the third highest civilian honor of the

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...

in 1983.

Biography

Arun Kumar Sharma was born on the last day of 1924 in

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

in the Indian state of

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...

to Charu Chandra Sharma–Shovamoyee couple but his family went into financial troubles when his father died when he was 8 years of age and he was brought up at his maternal grandparents' house. His early schooling was at Mitra Institution after which he joined

Asutosh College Asutosh College (Bengali: আশুতোষ কলেজ) is a college affiliated to the University of Calcutta, situated in Southern Kolkata, close to the Jatin Das Park Metro Station, gate No. 2. It was established in 1916 as the South Subu ...

of the

University of Kolkata The University of Calcutta (informally known as Calcutta University; CU) is a public collegiate state university in India, located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Considered one of best state research university all over India every year, C ...

in 1939. He graduated (BSc) in Botany, studying on a ''half-free scholarship'' in 1943 and followed it up with the master's degree (MSc) from

Rajabazar Science College The University College of Science, Technology and Agriculture (commonly or formerly known as Rashbehari Siksha Prangan & Taraknath Palit Siksha Prangan or Rajabazar Science College & Ballygunge Science College) are two of five main campuses of ...

in 1945. Later, he would also secure a Doctor of Science degree from the same university in 1955. After completing his post graduate degree, he passed the

Union Public Service Commission The Union Public Service Commission (ISO: ), commonly abbreviated as UPSC, is India's premier central recruitment agency for recruitment of all the Group 'A' officers under Government of India. It is responsible for appointments to and exami ...

examination for a public service career and was among the five selected for

Botanical Survey of India Botanical Survey of India (BSI) located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It was founded on 13 February 1890, is Government of India Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change's organization for survey, research and conservation of plan ...

where his assignment was the development of the

herbarium A herbarium (plural: herbaria) is a collection of preserved plant specimens and associated data used for scientific study. The specimens may be whole plants or plant parts; these will usually be in dried form mounted on a sheet of paper (called ...

and the garden of the Royal Botanical Garden, Howrah. Here, he got training in

taxonomy Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification. A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...

and worked as a temporary teacher but moved to the

, again as a temporary teacher in 1947. He became the assistant lecturer at the university in 1948 where he spent his entire academic life, superannuating in 1990 as the head of the department and project coordinator for the ''Centre for Advanced Study on Cell and Chromosome'' of the university in 1990. In between, he served as a lecturer (1952), reader (1962), professor (1970), ''Sir Rashbehary Ghose Professor'' (until 1988) and as an

INSA The Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA) is a non-profit, nonpartisan 501(c)(6) professional organization based in Arlington Virginia for public and private sector members of the United States Intelligence Community. History ...

Golden Jubilee Research Professor (1985–90) and continued his association with the university as an honorary professor past his official retirement. Sharma was married to

Archana Sharma Archana Sharma, also credited as Ayshickka Sharma, is an Indian actress and model, who appears in Kollywood and Tollywood films. She made her acting debut in '' Thozhi'' (2009). She is currently pursuing her MBA from ISBR Chennai. Career Shar ...

, an academic, cytologist and science writer and he lived in Kolkata; his wife died in 2008.

Legacy

Sharma pioneered researches in cytogenetics and cytochemistry in India and is credited with developing new research techniques for the study of chromosome structure of plants. He propounded the concept of

speciation Speciation is the evolutionary process by which populations evolve to become distinct species. The biologist Orator F. Cook coined the term in 1906 for cladogenesis, the splitting of lineages, as opposed to anagenesis, phyletic evolution within ...

in asexual organisms and the some of techniques he developed for the study of

with respect to their physical and chemical nature, such as repetitive DNA orcein banding, multiple DNA analysis and analysis of chemical nature of chromosomes, are being practiced globally. He introduced a new protocol for inducing division in adult nuclei through chemical application which assisted in cell rejuvenation. He redefined

angiosperm Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

, proposed new concepts of the dynamic DNA and dynamic structure and behaviour of chromosomes and suggested the use of embryo

irradiation Irradiation is the process by which an object is exposed to radiation. The exposure can originate from various sources, including natural sources. Most frequently the term refers to ionizing radiation, and to a level of radiation that will serve ...

and

in-vitro ''In vitro'' (meaning in glass, or ''in the glass'') studies are performed with microorganisms, cells, or biological molecules outside their normal biological context. Colloquially called "test-tube experiments", these studies in biology an ...

cultures for the generation of variability, and

tissue culture Tissue culture is the growth of tissues or cells in an artificial medium separate from the parent organism. This technique is also called micropropagation. This is typically facilitated via use of a liquid, semi-solid, or solid growth medium, su ...

as a tool for conservation of endangered species and for maintaining genetic variability. His studies proved that

organogenesis Organogenesis is the phase of embryonic development that starts at the end of gastrulation and continues until birth. During organogenesis, the three germ layers formed from gastrulation (the ectoderm, endoderm, and mesoderm) form the internal orga ...

, differentiation and reproduction return variable chemical composition of chromosomes while maintaining the genetic skeleton. His researches have been documented by way of several books and over 500 articles; ''Chromosome Painting: Principles, Strategies and Scope'', ''Chromosome Techniques: Theory and Practice'', ''Chromosome Techniques — A Manual'', ''Botanical Survey of India'', ''Advances in Cell and Chromosome Research'', ''Plant Genome: Biodiversity and Evolution'' (2 volumes), and ''Cytology of Different Species of Palms and Its Bearing on the Solution of the Problems of Phylogeny and Speciation'' are some of his notable works. He has also contributed chapters to reference manuals and texts such as the ''Botanical Review'' of

Springer Springer or springers may refer to: Publishers * Springer Science+Business Media, aka Springer International Publishing, a worldwide publishing group founded in 1842 in Germany formerly known as Springer-Verlag. ** Springer Nature, a multinationa ...

, ''International Review of Cytology'' of

Elsevier Elsevier () is a Dutch academic publishing company specializing in scientific, technical, and medical content. Its products include journals such as ''The Lancet'', ''Cell'', the ScienceDirect collection of electronic journals, '' Trends'', th ...

, ''Encyclopaedia of Microscopy and Micro-technique'' of Van Nostrand and ''The Cell Nucleus'' and ''Tropical Botany'' of

Academic Press Academic Press (AP) is an academic book publisher founded in 1941. It was acquired by Harcourt, Brace & World in 1969. Reed Elsevier bought Harcourt in 2000, and Academic Press is now an imprint of Elsevier. Academic Press publishes reference ...

and some of his books are prescribed texts for academic study. Sharma was the founder of the ''Centre for Advanced Study on Cell and Chromosome'' which was established during his tenancy as the head of the department of Botany at the University of Kolkata. He chaired several national and international scientific committees such as the Indian National Committee of IUBS-INSA in 1978,

Man and the Biosphere Programme Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) is an intergovernmental scientific program, launched in 1971 by UNESCO, that aims to establish a scientific basis for the improvement of relationships between people and their environments. MAB's work engag ...

Committee from 1981 to 1989, and the FASAS Commission on Science and Technology for Development in Asia in 1990 and has served as the co-chair of the Global Continuing Committee on Role of Scientific and Engineering Societies in Development in 1980), Birla Industrial & Technological Museum from 1990 to 1998, Plant and Biotechnology Committee of the

Department of Biotechnology The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) is an Indian government department, under the Ministry of Science and Technology responsible for administrating development and commercialisation in the field of modern biology and biotechnology in India. It ...

, in 1997 and the Plant Science Research Committee of the

from 1998 to 2004. He was a member of the executive committee (1982–85) and the steering committee on Biological Monitoring of the State of Environment (1983) of the

International Union of Biological Sciences The International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS) is a non-profit organization and non-governmental organization, founded in 1919, that promotes the biological sciences internationally. As a scientific umbrella organization it was a founding m ...

and was a member of the Board of Trustees of the ''International Foundation for Science'' from 1984 to 1987. He served as the founder president of the Federation of Asian Scientific Academies and Societies when the federation was formed in 1984 and has presided the Society of Cytologists and Geneticists, India (1976–78), Botanical Society of Bengal (1977–79),

Indian Science Congress Association Indian Science Congress Association(ISCA) is a premier scientific organisation of India with headquarters at Kolkata, West Bengal. The association started in the year 1914 in Kolkata and it meets annually in the first week of January. It has a ...

(1981), Indian Society of Cell Biology (1979–80), Indian Botanical Society (1980) and the

Indian National Science Academy The Indian National Science Academy (INSA) is a national academy in New Delhi for Indian scientists in all branches of science and technology. In August 2019, Dr. Chandrima Shaha was appointed as the president of Indian National Science Academ ...

(1983–84). He is a former chief editor of ''The Nucleus'' journal of

and has been a member of the editorial boards of such journals as ''Proceedings of the

'', the ''Journal of Cytology and Genetics'', ''Proceedings of the

Indian Academy of Sciences The Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore was founded by Indian Physicist and Nobel Laureate C. V. Raman, and was registered as a society on 24 April 1934. Inaugurated on 31 July 1934, it began with 65 founding fellows. The first general meet ...

'' and the ''Indian Journal of Experimental Biology''. He has also guided 80 PhD and 10 DSc scholars in their researches.

Awards and honors

Sharma, who was selected for the

Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship The Jawaharlal Nehru Trust Scholarship U.K. was founded by Admiral Lord Mountbatten of Burma in 1966 as a tribute to the India's first Prime Minister – Jawaharlal Nehru – after his death in 1964. The scholarship was funded by the Nehru Me ...

for hs project on ''Chromosomes in Relations to Development and Differentiation in Higher Plants'' in 1972, received the Paul Bruhl Memorial Medal by the

Asiatic Society The Asiatic Society is a government of India organisation founded during the Company rule in India to enhance and further the cause of "Oriental research", in this case, research into India and the surrounding regions. It was founded by the p ...

the same year. The Indian Botanical Society awarded him the Birbal Sahni Medal in 1974 and he received the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Biological Sciences, one of the highest Indian science awards from the

in 1976. He received two more awards in 1976, the inaugural J. C. Bose Award of the University Grants Commission and the Silver Jubilee Medal of the

(INSA), INSA would honor him again with Golden Jubilee Professorship in 1985 and Meghnad Saha Medal in 1998. The University Grants Commission selected him as a National Professor in 1977 and he received the FICCI Award of the

Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) is a Non-governmental organization, non-governmental trade association and advocacy group based in India. History Established in 1927, on the advice of Mahatma Gandhi by Ind ...

in 1979. The Government of India included him in the Republic Day honors list for the third highest civilian honor of the

in 1983. Sharma received the

in 1992 and the

in 1999; in between he received the Gujar Mal Modi Award for Science and Technology of the International Institute of Fine Arts in 1994. He also received the Rathindra Puraskar of

Visva-Bharati University Visva-Bharati () is a public central university and an Institution of National Importance located in Shantiniketan, West Bengal, India. It was founded by Rabindranath Tagore who called it ''Visva-Bharati'', which means the communion of the w ...

in 2008. The

and the

elected him as their fellow in 1970 and 1975 respectively. The World Academy of Sciences chose him as their fellow in 1988 and the

National Academy of Sciences, India The National Academy of Sciences, India, established in 1930, is the oldest science academy in India. It is located in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. Prof. Meghnad Saha was the founder president. Fellows *Suddhasatwa Basu * Sudha Bhattacharya * Ch ...

followed suit in 2012. He is also a recipient of the degree of Doctor of Science (

honoris causa An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

) from

Burdwan University The University of Burdwan (also known as Burdwan University or B. U.) is a public university in Purba Bardhaman, West Bengal, India. It was established by the West Bengal Government as a teaching and affiliating university on 15 June 1960 wit ...

Selected bibliography

Books

* * * * * * Sharma, A. K., & Sharma, A. (1999). Plant chromosomes: Analysis, manipulation and engineering. Amsterdam: Harwood Academic. * * * * *

Articles

* * * * * * * * *

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sharma, Arun Kumar Recipients of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in Biological Science 1924 births Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in science & engineering 2017 deaths Scientists from Kolkata Bengali scientists Asutosh College alumni University of Calcutta alumni University of Calcutta faculty 20th-century Indian botanists Indian botanical writers Council of Scientific and Industrial Research TWAS fellows Indian taxonomists Jawaharlal Nehru Fellows Fellows of the Indian Academy of Sciences Fellows of the Indian National Science Academy Fellows of The National Academy of Sciences, India Recipients of the Padma Shri in other fields 20th-century Indian non-fiction writers