Ganapathi Thanikaimoni (1 January 1938 – 5 September 1986), often referred to as Thanikaimoni was an Indian

palynologist Palynology is the "study of dust" (from grc-gre, παλύνω, palynō, "strew, sprinkle" and '' -logy'') or of "particles that are strewn". A classic palynologist analyses particulate samples collected from the air, from water, or from deposit ...

Early life and education

Born on New Year's Day, 1938 in Madras,

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, Thani received the Master of Science degree in botany in 1962 at the

Presidency College, Madras Presidency College is an art, commerce, and science college in the city of Chennai in Tamil Nadu, India. On 16 October 1840, this school was established as the Madras Preparatory School before being repurposed as a high school, and then a gra ...

under the direction of the plant morphologist, Professor B.G.L. Swamy. At the same time Thani was awarded the Fyson Prize in Natural Science, which is reserved for outstanding Indian naturalists. In 1970 Thani was granted a doctorate degree by the university of Montpellier. His thesis was on the pollen morphology, classification and

phylogeny A phylogenetic tree (also phylogeny or evolutionary tree Felsenstein J. (2004). ''Inferring Phylogenies'' Sinauer Associates: Sunderland, MA.) is a branching diagram or a tree showing the evolutionary relationships among various biological spe ...

of 800 species of extant

Palmae The Arecaceae is a family of perennial flowering plants in the monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbers, shrubs, tree-like and stemless plants, all commonly known as palms. Those having a tree-like form are called palm tree ...

(Arecaceae).

Scientific career

Thani took a position of scientist in the newly founded (1960) Palynology Laboratory of the

French Institute of Pondicherry The French Institute of Pondicherry (french: Institut français de Pondichéry) UMIFRE 21 is a French research centre in Puducherry, India, under the joint supervision of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the French National Centre ...

(french: Institut Français de Pondichéry) under the direction of Dr. Prof. Guinet. In a few years Thani's scientific and administrative abilities were recognized by his promotion to the directorship of the laboratory. During the next decade he published numerous significant papers concerning such essentially tropical families as the

Araceae The Araceae are a family of monocotyledonous flowering plants in which flowers are borne on a type of inflorescence called a spadix. The spadix is usually accompanied by, and sometimes partially enclosed in, a spathe (or leaf-like bract). A ...

Clusiaceae The Clusiaceae or Guttiferae Juss. (1789) (''nom. alt. et cons.'' = alternative and valid name) are a family (biology), family of plants including 13 genera and ca 750 species. Several former members of Clusiacae are now placed in Calophyllaceae ...

Menispermaceae Menispermaceae (botanical Latin: 'moonseed family' from Greek ''mene'' 'crescent moon' and ''sperma'' 'seed') is a family of flowering plants. The alkaloid tubocurarine, a neuromuscular blocker and the active ingredient in the 'tube curare' form ...

Mimosaceae The Mimosoideae are a traditional subfamily of trees, herbs, lianas, and shrubs in the pea family (Fabaceae) that mostly grow in tropical and subtropical climates. They are typically characterized by having radially symmetric flowers, with petals ...

and Sonnera tiaceae ee ''Palynos'' 8(2): 7, Dec 1985 In the majority of these publications, he gave a complete and accurate description of the pollen

morphology Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to: Disciplines * Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts * Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies ...

of the species and included the morphology of the other plant organs, to elucidate their probable phylogeny and to justify the classification schemes selected. Although the bulk of Thani's early research dealt with pollen of modern

flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' ...

, in the late 1970s turned his attention to

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

pollen as well. Thani was invited to conduct a palynological investigation of the

Borobudur Borobudur, also transcribed Barabudur ( id, Candi Borobudur, jv, ꦕꦤ꧀ꦝꦶꦧꦫꦧꦸꦝꦸꦂ, Candhi Barabudhur) is a 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist temple in Magelang Regency, not far from the town of Muntilan, in Central Java, Indone ...

monument by the Indonesian government and

École française d'Extrême-Orient The French School of the Far East (french: École française d'Extrême-Orient, ), abbreviated EFEO, is an associated college of PSL University dedicated to the study of Asian societies. It was founded in 1900 with headquarters in Hanoi in w ...

(EFEO). The palynological analysis and study helped identify six phases in the history of the UNESCO World Heritage Site spanning 600AD to 1900AD. In 1983 he convened a workshop for French and Indian palynologists in

Pondicherry Pondicherry (), now known as Puducherry ( French: Pondichéry ʊdʊˈtʃɛɹi(listen), on-dicherry, is the capital and the most populous city of the Union Territory of Puducherry in India. The city is in the Puducherry district on the sout ...

''ICP Newsletter'' 6(1):6-7 with the goal of clarifying the

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. ...

of angiosperm pollen previously described from

tertiary Tertiary ( ) is a widely used but obsolete term for the geologic period from 66 million to 2.6 million years ago. The period began with the demise of the non-avian dinosaurs in the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, at the start ...

horizons of tropical

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

and

. For this project Thani's collection of more than 20,000 slides of tropical palynomorphs was of inestimable value. From this cooperative endeavor, a clear synthesis of 47 taxa was obtained and published. Furthermore, he had recently been active in organizing a symposium on tertiary pollen from tropical regions for the 7th IPC in Brisbane, Australia. In recognition of his contributions in the fields of botany, palynology and paleoenvironmental studies, Dr. Thanikaimoni was elected a Fellow of the

Linnean Society of London The Linnean Society of London is a learned society dedicated to the study and dissemination of information concerning natural history, evolution, and taxonomy. It possesses several important biological specimen, manuscript and literature colle ...

Environmental protection

As knowledge of the significant role that mangrove ecosystems play in the tropical coastal zone grew worldwide, it became clear that mangroves are marginal ecosystems, vulnerable to sudden or drastic changes in the environment.

Mangroves A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in severa ...

do not recover spontaneously after the impact of natural or man-made catastrophic events such as cyclones or felling of the mangrove forests. In

Puducherry Puducherry or Pondicherry may refer to: * Puducherry (union territory), a union territory of India ** Pondicherry, capital of the union territory of Puducherry ** Puducherry district, a district of the union territory of Puducherry ** Puducherry t ...

, he advised the government on matters pertaining to the protection of the coastline, rehabilitation of arid areas and the impact of human development on the local ecosystem. Thani was instrumental in focusing attention to the tremendous ecological role that the mangrove ecosystem played in protecting coastlines from tidal waves (

tsunami A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater exp ...

) and land erosion. He spearheaded scientific initiatives centered around the mangrove ecosystem at

Pichavaram Pichavaram is a village near Chidambaram in Cuddalore District, Tamil Nadu, India. It is located between the Vellar estuary in the north and Coleroon estuary in the south. The Vellar-Coleroon estuarine complex forms the Killai backwater and t ...

. He was involved in UNESCO's Asia and Pacific Mangrove Project—a multidisciplinary integrated initiative for a better understanding of the structure and function of mangrove ecosystems for sustainable use and management. Thani's scientific contribution in the realm of mangrove ecology are recorded in the posthumously published ''Palynology Manual''. He left behind first-class work that is a benchmark for the identification of pollen from species of mangrove plants of ages past.

Death

Thani was on his way to the US when the airplane in which he was flying, Pan Am Flight 73, was hijacked in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

on 5 September 1986. Thani sustained fatal injuries to the head in the gun-battle which followed an attempt by Pakistani commandos to storm the aircraft and kill the terrorists. It was reported that he was trying to extend help to a child when he was struck by bullets and shrapnel from an exploding grenade carried by the terrorists. He had been invited to present a lecture at a symposium on marine palynology, as a part of the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

-sponsored Second International Conference on Paleo-oceanography that was held 6–12 September at the

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI, acronym pronounced ) is a private, nonprofit research and higher education facility dedicated to the study of marine science and engineering. Established in 1930 in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, it ...

in Massachusetts, USA.

Legacy

The 22,000 pollen slide collection of the

was named the Dr. Thanikaimoni pollen reference slide collection as a tribute to Dr. G. Thanikaimoni during the 50th anniversary celebration of the palynology laboratory in 2010. Tertiary spores and pollen named after Thanikaimoni: * ''Retimonocolpites thanikaimonii'' (Tarkeshwar Formation, Rajpardi, Cambay Basin, Gujarat, India) * ''Spinizonocolpites thanikaimonii'' (Tarkeshwar Formation, Rajpardi, Cambay Basin, Gujarat, India) * ''Warkallopollenites thanikaimonii'' (Cliff Section, Warkalli Formation,

Varkala Varkala, is a major coastal municipality situated in the northern suburb of Trivandrum, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the headquarters of Varkala Taluk and important government institutions such as the taluk office, court ...

, Kerala, India)

Bibliography

* Contribution to the pollen morphology of Eriocaulaceae. Pollen Spores 7: 181–191. 1965. * Pollen morphology of the genus Utricularia. Pollen Spores 8: 265–284. 1966. * Contribution a l'etude palynologique des Palmiers. Institut Français de Pondichéry, Tray. Sect. Sci. Tech. (2): 1-92. 1966. * Pollen morphology of Sonneratiaceae. Institut Français de Pondichéry, Trciv. Sect. Sci. Tech. 5(2): 1–12. 1966 (with DMA. Jayaweera). * Morphologie des pollens des Menispermacees. Institut Français de Pondichéry, Trciv. Sect. Sci. Tech. 5(4): 1-57. 1968. * Esquisse palynologique des Aracees. Institut Français de Pondichéry, Tray. Sect. Sci. Tech. 5(5): 1-31. 1969. * Les Palmiers: palynologie et systematique. Institut Français de Pondichéry, Tray. Sect. Sci. Tech. 11: 1–286. 1970. (from his D.Sc. thesis at the Univ. of Montpellier). * Pollen morphology, classification and phylogeny of Palmae. Ada nsonici 10: 347–365. 1970. * Bomarea lyncina Mirb. (Amaryllidaceae) and Auriculiidites Elsik. Pollen Spores 12(2): 177–180. 1970. (with W.C. Elsik). * Quelques resultats d'analyses polliniques sur les Nilgiri. Institut Français de Pondichéry, Tray. Sect. Sci. Tech. 10: 127–139. 1971. *

Palynology Palynology is the "study of dust" (from grc-gre, παλύνω, palynō, "strew, sprinkle" and ''-logy'') or of "particles that are strewn". A classic palynologist analyses particulate samples collected from the air, from water, or from deposit ...

. J. Palynol. 8: 156–162. 1972. (with P. Legris). * Pollen morphologie. Pp. 1–63 IN: Revision du Arophyteae (Araceae) (J. Bogner, ed). Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 92: 1972. (with F. Blasco). * Sarraceniaceae: palynology and systematics. Pollen Spores 14: 143–155. 1972. (with C. Vasanthy). * Index bibliographique sur la morphologie des pollens d'Angiospermes. Institut Français de Pondichéry, Tray. Sect. Sci. Tech. 12 et seq. Five volumes. 1972–1986. * Relation between the pollen spectra and the vegetation of a south Indian

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in severa ...

. Pollen Spores 15: 281–292, 1973. (with C. Caratini and F. Blasco). * Late Quaternary vegetational history of the southern region. Pp. 632–643 IN: Aspects and appraisal of Indian palaeobotany (K. Surange et al., eds.) B. Sahni Inst. Palaeobot., Lucknow. 1974. (with F. Blasco). * Pollen analysis. Pp. 37–54 IN: Laang Spean and the prehistory of

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...

by R. Mourer. Modern Quaternary Research in S.E. Asia. 1977. * L'analyse pollinique de debris archeologiques du

. Mern. Archeol. E.F.E.O., Paris 12: 69–72. 1977. * Pollen morphological terms; proposed definitions. Proc. IVint. Palynol. Conf., Lucknow 1: 223–239. 1978. * Principal works on the pollen morphology of the Compositae. Pp. 249–265 IN: The biology and chemistry of the Compositae (V.H. Hay-wood et al., eds.) Academic Press, New York. 1977. *

of India: palynological study and recent history of the vegetation. Proc. IV Jut. Palynol. Conf., Lucknow 3: 49–59. 1978. (with C. Caratini and C. Tissot). * Index palynologius. Proc. IV Jut. Palynol. Conf., Lucknow 3: 344–348. 1978. * Pollen morphology of primitive angiosperms: some neglected aspects. Proc. IV Int. Palynol. Conf., Lucknow 1: 542–545. 1978. (with F. RolandHeydacker). * Morphological index to Van Campo's African pollen atlas. Bull. Inst. Foudam. Afr. Noire 41A: 286–299. 1979. (with C. Vibichanaraw). * Palynological investigation on the

monument. Bull. E.F.E.O. 72: 237–250. 1983. * Palynological report on the Satingpra (Thailand) samples. In

Satingpra Sathing Phra ( th, สทิงพระ, ) is a district (''amphoe'') in the northern part of Songkhla province, southern Thailand. Geography Neighboring districts are (from the south clockwise): Singhanakhon of Songkhla Province; Pak Phayun ...

. I. The environmental and economic archaeology of South Thailand, J. STARGARDT. British Archaeological Research International Series no 158. Oxford, 1983. * Menispermacees: palynologie et systematique. Institut Français de Pondichéry, Trav. Sect. Sci. Tech. 13: 1–135. 1984. (with F. Roland, 1K. Ferguson, M.T. Cerceau & L. Derouet). * Principal works on the pollen morphology of Myrtales. Ann. Mo. Bot. Card. 71(3): 970–985. 1984. * Omniaperaturate Euphorbiaceae pollen with striate spines. Bull. lard. But. Ncitl. Belg. 54 (1/2): 105–125. 1984. (with C. Caratini, S. Nilsson & E. Grafstrom). * Selected Tertiary Angiosperm pollens from India and their relationship with African Tertiary pollens. - Trav. Sect. Sci. Tech., Institut Français de Pondichéry 19:93 pp. 72 pl. 1 map. 1984 (with C. Caratini, B.S. Venkatachala, C.G.K. Ramanujam & R.K. Kar (ed.)) * Palynology and phylogeny. Bibl. Bot., Stuttgart, 137: 11–14. 1985. * Pollen apertures: form and function. Pp. 119–136 IN: Pollen and Spores; Form and Function (Black-more & Ferguson, eds.). Academic Press, London. 1985. * Pollens d'Angiospermes du Tertiaire de I'Inde et leurs relations avec les pollens du Tertiaire d'Afrique. Institut Français de Pondichéry, Trav. Sect. Sci. Tech. 19: (in press with multiple authors). * Variation de l'aperture des Annonacees: tendances palynologiques nouvelles. IXe Symposium A.P.L.F., Montpellier, October 1985. Mciii. E.P.H.E. Montpellier (In press, with A. Le Thomas). * Mangrove Palynology. Pondichéry : Institut Français de Pondichéry, 1987.

References

* Blasco, F. G. (1986). Thanikaimoni, 1938–1986, Pollen et Spores, 28(3-4), 259–264. * Chanda, S. (1987). Obituary (G. Thanikaimoni, 1938–1986), Science and Culture, 53(3), 76–74. * Shripad, N. A. (1987). G. Thanikaimoni, 1938–1986, Grana, 26(1), 1–4. * Chanda, S. (1987). Obituary Dr. G. Thanikaimoni, 1938–1986, Geophytology, 17(1), 122–123. * Pocock, S. A. J. (1986). G. Thanikaimoni: a memorial, CAP Newsletter, 9(2), 21. * Deshayes, M. (1987). Ganapathy Thanikaimoni, 1938–1986, Taxon, Vol. 36, No. 1 (Feb., 1987), pp. 331–334 * Chanda, S. (1988). Journal of Palynology (G. Thanikaimoni Memorial Volume), Journal of Palynology, 23–24, 1987–1988, Delhi, Today & Tomorrow's Printers and Publishers, 254 p. * Skvarla, J. J., Rowley, J. R. & Vezey, E.L. (1989). Analysis of the Thanikaimoni Palynological Indices, Taxon 38(2), 233–237. * Recent advances in palynology: G. Thanikaimoni memorial volume (1989) Authors: Chanda, Sunirmal; Journal of palynology, vol. 23–24, 1988. T.p. verso. "List of publications of Dr. G. Thanikaimoni": p. iii–v. * Eminent Indian Botanists Past and Present: Biographies and Contributions. Author: P. Suresh Narayana, T. Pullaiah. Regency Publications 2010
Scientometric Portrait of G. Thanikaimoni, French Institute of Pondicherry
(2012), Authors: Saravanan G., Prasad S. {{DEFAULTSORT:Thanikaimoni, Ganapathi 1938 births 1986 deaths 20th-century Indian botanists Deaths by firearm in Pakistan Fellows of the Linnean Society of London Indian environmentalists Indian Tamil academics Terrorism victims in India Mass murder victims Palynologists Scientists from Chennai Tamil scientists Terrorism deaths in Pakistan