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Section XIV : Plant Sciences 1
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS
Biodiversity and Biotechnology- Explore Experience and Enjoy
President : Professor T. N. Lakhanpal*
Hon’ble Chairman, the elite assembly of “Ever Greens” delegates, ladies and
gentlemen, at the outset allow me to express my deep sense of gratitude to the
fraternity in plant sciences for having elected me Sectional President unanimously.
It is not only a great honour but a rare privilege to be part of the continuum that
nurtured and illuminated the path of botanical teaching and research over a century
and brought it to the level where we feel securely anchored to-day. I realize my
limitations, still with the blessings of all those, I venture to step into their shoes.
Therefore, I dedicate this address to all those, but before them to the Divine, Lotus
Feet of the Almighty, and then at the reverential feet of my parents and teachers
who moulded and groomed this inconspicuous ‘spore’ into a ‘conspicuous fruiting
body’. The entire credit for making me tread the path and attain the goal is theirs,
since “No one unaware of the goal can choose the path and No one unaware
of the path can reach the goal”.
I also dedicate this lecture to the ‘battery’ of my students who trained me in
patience and perseverance and were continuously a part of my learning process,
shaping Information into Knowledge and Knowledge into Wisdom. I have
attempted to select a subject which is in conformity with the main theme of the
Science Congress; because I realized that the best ethical role models are the
Plants! Along with this came the realization that the Nature provides the best
experience and enjoyment, if explored properly. Hence the topic I wish to share
with you all is Biodiversity and Biotechnology : Explore Experience and
Enjoy. The topic begins with nature, and its inherent ethics, the biodiversity that it
supports, and groups I worked with during the last four decades.
Nature exhibits multiplicity of objects. Multiplicity results from multiplication i.e.
when one becomes many. Multiplication leads to variations and variations bring in
diversity. This diversity is like rainbow or seven musical notes, which have origin
*Department of Biosciences, Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla-171005, H.P.