Dr Kachroo—a devotee of Science

Meet Dr.  P  N Kachroo– a staunch devotee of Science who ‘breathed and lived’ Science. A Science Editor, a Botanist,  an environmentalist and an able  Administrator, Dr. Kachroo represented the zenith of excellence in the world of science.

A hard task-master, guide and a perfect human being, Dr Kachroo  was a stunning combination of all the positive and good qualities of life all rolled in one.  Distinguished personalities like Prof Abdul Qayyum Sidiquii, Prof. Abdul Majid Kak, Prof. S. G. Sarwar, Prof. Sonawullah Shiekh, Qazi Mohammad Shafi, Kurshid Ahmad Malik, Muhammad Yousuf Khan, Dr C. L. Trisal, Abdul Majid Shawl, Basharat Ahmad Geelani and Deepak Budkhi besides scores of other eminent personalities were all his taught.

From Lahore to Guwahati to America

Born on 16th of October, 1924 in Ali Kadal area of Srinagar in the family of Pt.  Anand Ram Kachroo  and Smt. Daya Devi Kachroo, Dr Kachroo had his early schooling from Srinagar  and later he went to DAV College Lahore to complete his graduation .His wife Prem Lata  further  contributed to his love for Botany, prompting  him to  Formen Christian College, for pursuing  M.Sc. Hons, where he chose Cytomorphology as his specialized field and completed the same in 1947.  It was followed by his enrolment for Ph.D.  from  Amritsar, which he completed in 1955.

From Amritsar, Dr Kachroo moved to Guwahati in search of a job. His love for research made him to work even at Guwahati where he researched   on Taxonomy, Floristic, Morphology and Phytogeography of the ferns of Assam.From Guwahati, he  joined Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) as a Botanist with headquarters at Burdwan, West Bengal. Here again, he took up the research work regarding the ecology of the mainland water bodies of DVC specific areas.

In 1956, Dr. Kachroo left for America to avail the Smith Mundit Fullbright Fellowship to study the phytogeography of Alaska at the University of Michigan. He returned to India in 1959 to edit  Research  Journals of the  Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR), New Delhi.

Kashmir Calling

However, the love for  his homeland Kashmir proved irresistible and he returned to his native land in late sixties. He joined as Professor and Head, Department of Botany, J&K University, Srinagar in 1967. He continued to work at Kashmir University (after the bifurcation of Jammu University) till his retirement, where he trained and guided many stalwarts for another 23 years. He established the initial research studies on Ecology of Dal lake Kashmir and adopted a multidisciplinary approach so as to understand the biodiversity richness of Jammu and Kashmir.

Despite his retirement from active service in October, 1984, Prof. Kachroo continued to work in the Botany Department in his capacity as Director of Centre for Plant Taxonomy, which he had established and nurtured.

Besides being Head of Department of Botany and Pharmacy, Kashmir University, Prof Kachroo had also served as Dean, Faculty of Science, Associate Director (Kashmiri language), National Science Talent Search Scheme and Project officer, Survey of Medicinal Plants Unit.  He also served as officiating Vice-chancellor of Kashmir University three times  during brief stints in  1978- 79, 1981-82 and 1983-84.

The immensely rich compendium of over a dozen books, several hundred research publications, monographs and eleven major research projects are regarded as remarkable legacies left behind by Dr. P. Kachroo, who breathed his last on August 11, 2007 at New Delhi.

Can Kashmir produce another Scientist of his stature?