Toppur Seethapathy Sadasivan | |
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| Born | (1913-05-22)22 May 1913 |
| Died | 18 August 2001(2001-08-18) (aged 88) |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Plant pathologist |
| Known for | Studies inmycology andplant pathology |
| Awards | Padma Bhushan Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize IBS Birbal Sahni Medal Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany Jubilee Medal INSA Sunder Lal Hora Medal Birbal Sahni Birth Centenary Medal |
Toppur Seethapathy Sadasivan (May 22, 1913 – August 18, 2001) was an Indian plant pathologist, academic and the director of theCentre for Advanced Studies in Botany of theUniversity of Madras.[1] He was the founder of theSchool of Physiological Plant Pathology at Madras University and was a recipient of theShanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, the highest Indian award in the science category.[2] He was an elected fellow of theIndian Academy of Sciences,Indian National Science Academy andIndian Botanical Society and an elected member of theAcademy of Sciences Leopoldina. The Government of India awarded him the third highest civilian honour of thePadma Bhushan, in 1974, for his contributions to science.[3]
Toppur Sadasivan was born on 22 May 1913, atSaidapet, a satellite town inMadras,Madras Presidency, to Kanakammal and her physician husband, Seethapathy, who was the first Indian director of theKing Institute of Preventive Medicine and Research.[4] His schooling was atP. S. Senior Secondary School after which he graduated in Botany from thePresidency College, Chennai in 1934. Moving toLucknow, he secured his master's degree fromLucknow University, studying under the tutelage ofBirbal Sahni, a knownpaleobotanist, and started his doctoral research under S. N. Das Gupta.[5] However, he continued his research at theUniversity of London under the guidance of F. C. Bauwden and S. D. Garret, to secure a PhD in 1940 and worked at the Rothamsted Experiment Station (present-dayRothamsted Research),Harpenden on plant virology and soil mycology for a while[6] before returning to Punjab Agricultural College,Lyallpur (present-dayUniversity of Agriculture, Faisalabad) to start his career as a microbiologist, in 1941. Soon, he shifted to the University Botany Laboratory (UBL) of theUniversity of Madras, and took up the position of a Reader, to eventually succeedM. O. P. Iyengar as its Director in 1944, .[5]
At UBL, Sadasivan formed a research group to pursue studies soil-borne diseases affectingcash crops like cotton,pigeonpea and rice which is reported to have assisted in the better understanding of the soil-bornepathogens.[7] He developed several concepts such ascompetitivesaprophytic ability andRhizosphere effect and these studies were utilized by the Indiantaxonomist, C. V. Subramanian, in his classification ofHyphomycetes. His group collectively published over 600 articles to document their research findings. Under his directorship, UBL became aUniversity Grants Commission-accreditedCentre for Advanced Study[6] and he mentored 52 doctoral research scholars, includingC. V. Subramanian, aShanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize recipient, who would later succeed him as the head of theCentre for Advanced Study.[8] He also established theSchool of Physiological Plant Pathology at Madras University and served as a consultant to theCouncil of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) on plant-based laboratories.[1]
Sadasivan served as the President of theIndian Academy of Sciences (IAS) from 1971 to 1973 and held other positions at the academy such as Vice-president (1965–70), Secretary (1956–58) and council member (1946–49 and 1956–76).[9] He also sat in the council of theIndian National Science Academy during various terms (1958–59, 1962–64, 1971–73) and was the chairman of the governing council of theBirbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany, also serving the institute as theBirbal Sahni Professor from 1977 to 1980.[1] He was the editor of the journal published by theIndian Botanical Society and served as a member of the editorial board ofJournal of Phytopathology (Phytopathology Zeitschrift) published from Berlin. He chaired the Botany section of theIndian Science Congress of 1958 and was the vice president of theInternational Botanical Congress (1959, 1964, 1969 and 1975). When the first International Plant Pathology Congress held in London in 1966, he chaired the convention. He also served as the president of the Indian Phytopathological Society for the year 1964.[1]
Sadasivan was married to Radha and the couple had three daughters.[7] He died on 18 August 2001, at the age of 88, atGokulam, his residence along Mundagakanniamman Koil Street inMylapore.[5]
TheIndian Academy of Sciences (IAS) elected him as its fellow in 1945[9] and theIndian National Science Academy (INSA) followed suit a decade later.[1] In 1960, he was elected as a member of theAcademy of Sciences Leopoldina,[10] the same year as he received theShanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, the highest Indian award in the science and technology category, making him the first recipient of the award in the Biological Sciences category.[11] He was also an elected fellow of theIndian Botanical Society and the Indian Phytopathological Society[1] while theUniversity of London conferred on him the degree of Doctor of Science (DSc) in 1955.[5] He received the Birbal Sahni Medal of theIndian Botanical Society in 1962, followed by theBirbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany Jubilee Medal in 1971.[7] TheIndian National Science Academy awarded him the Sunder Lal Hora Medal in 1973 and the Birbal Sahni Birth Centenary Medal reached him two years before his death in 1999.[1] TheIndian National Science Academy has instituted an annual oration,Professor T. S. Sadasivan Endowment Lecture in his honor.[12]
Sadasivan was reported to have donated a part of his property inKodaikanal toBharatiya Vidya Bhavan for establishing a school where he served as the chairman for nearly fifteen years.[4] He was known to have had a fascination for photography.[6] He woreKhadi and used to wash his own clothes till his health failed a month before his death.[5]
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