Nedumangattu Kesava Panikkar (1913–1977) was an Indian zoologist, a former director of the

Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute was established in the government of India on 3 February 1947 under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and later, in 1967, it joined the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR ...

, a former adviser to the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

on fishery development and a former vice chancellor of the

Cochin University of Science and Technology Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) is a state government-owned autonomous university in Kochi, Kerala, India. It was founded in 1971 and has three campuses: two in Kochi (Kalamassery and Ernakulam) and one in Kuttanad, Ala ...

. He was a recipient of the Indian civilian award of

Padma Shri Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...

in 1973.

Life sketch

Panikkar was born 17 May 1913 in Kottayam, Kerala. He was the only son of his parents Sankunni Menon and JJanaki. His father was a Headmaster of a Government High School in

Travancore State The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...

. Panikkar did his primary, secondary and initial college education from C. M. S. College, Kottayam. A doctoral degree (DSc) holder from the

University of Madras The University of Madras (informally known as Madras University) is a public state university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and among the most prestigious universities in India, incorporated by an a ...

, he was reported to have undertaken research on marine organisms, conducted 22 voyages in the Indian Ocean for collecting specimens and credited with the compilation of a series of atlases. His efforts were also reported behind the establishment of the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), the

, Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute,

Central Institute of Fisheries Technology The Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT) is an autonomous organization established by the government of India, engaged in research related to fishing and fish processing in the country. The institute has its headquarters in Matsyapur ...

Central Institute of Fisheries Education The Central Institute of Fisheries Education (CIFE) is a Deemed to be a University and institution of higher learning for fisheries science in Mumbai, India. CIFE has over four decades of leadership in human resource development with its alumn ...

and Central Institute of Fisheries Operatives. He served as the Head of the Zoology Department at University College, Thiruvananthapuram, as the director of the Zoological Laboratory at the

, as the Officer on Special Duty at the

Ministry of Agriculture (India) The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (Hindi: ''Krishi Avam Kisaan Kalyaan Mantralaya''), formerly the Ministry of Agriculture, is a branch of the Government of India and the apex body for formulation and administration of the rules and ...

, as the director of the

International Indian Ocean Expedition The International Indian Ocean Expedition (IIOE) was a large-scale multinational hydrographic survey of the Indian Ocean which took place from September 1, 1959, to December 31, 1965. It involved over 45 research vessels from 14 countries. It was s ...

, as the director of the National Institute of Oceanography and as a member of the National Commission on Agriculture. He also served as a member of 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 Acade ...

and the

Kerala State Planning Board The Kerala State Planning Board is an advisory board under the Government of the State of Kerala, India. It was constituted in 1967 with Chief Minister as Chairman and a non-official as part-time Vice-Chairman. The board assists the state gov ...

and sat on the editorial boards of journals such as Journal of the Zoological Society of India, Indian Journal of Experimental Biology, Indian Journal of Marine Science, and Marine Biology. Panikkar was an elected fellow of the

, Royal Society of Arts, London,

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 ...

and

Indian Geophysical Union The Indian Geophysical Union is the Government of India's scientific body responsible for all activities related with Earth Science System such as seismology, magnetism, meteorology, geodesy, volcanology, oceanography, hydrology and tectonophysic ...

. The

awarded him the fourth highest Indian civilian award of

in 1973. He was also a recipient of the Galathea Medal of Denmark (1953) Sir Dorabji Tata Medal from the Zoological Society of India and the Chandrakala Hora Medal by the Indian National Science Academy. Panikkar died on 24 June 1977.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Panikkar, N. Kesava Recipients of the Padma Shri in science & engineering 1913 births 1977 deaths Scientists from Thiruvananthapuram Malayali people Indian scientific authors University of Madras alumni Fellows of the Indian National Science Academy Fellows of the Indian Geophysical Union Fellows of The National Academy of Sciences, India Academic staff of the University of Madras Indian oceanographers 20th-century Indian zoologists 20th-century Indian earth scientists

Life sketch

See also

References