Panchanan Maheshwari

2021-09-27T04:30:57Z

103.197.112.59:

{{Short description|One of the most distinguished Botanists of India}}{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2018}}
{{Infobox scientist
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| birth_date = {{birth date |df=yes|1904|11|09}}
| birth_place = [[Jaipur]]
| death_date = {{death date and age |df=yes|1966|05|18 |1904|11|09}}
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| fields = [[Botany]]
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| alma_mater = [[Ewing Christian College]]
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| awards = [[Fellow of the Royal Society|FRS]] (1965)<ref name=Biog/>
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'''Panchanan Maheswari''' (9 November 1904 – 18 May 1966<ref name=Biog/>) was a prominent [[India]]n [[botany|botanist]] noted chiefly for his invention of the technique of [[in-vitro fertilization|test-tube fertilization]] of [[angiosperm]]s. This invention has allowed the creation of new hybrid plants that could not previously be crossbred naturally.<ref name=Biog>{{Cite journal | last1 = Steward | first1 = F. C. | author-link1 = Frederick Campion Steward| doi = 10.1098/rsbm.1967.0013 | title = Panchanan Maheshwari 1904-1966 | journal = [[Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society]] | volume = 13 | pages = 256–266| year = 1967 | doi-access = free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal
|url=http://www.iisc.ernet.in/~currsci/dec252004/1756.pdf
|title=Remembering Panchanan Maheshwari, an eminent botanist of the twentieth century
|first=Nirmala|last=Maheshwari
|journal = Current Science
|date=25 December 2004
|volume=87|number=12
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.arvindguptatoys.com/arvindgupta/bs21pmaheshwari.pdf
|title=Panchanan Maheshwari (1904 - 1966)
|first=Arvind|last=Gupta
|access-date=16 January 2014
}}</ref><ref>[http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Panchanan+Maheshwari Maheshwari, Panchanan] at The Free Dictionary</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldacademy.org/content/charter-members |title=Archived copy |access-date=2014-01-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140308062530/http://www.worldacademy.org/content/charter-members |archive-date=2014-03-08 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.scientistindia.com/specialization%20life.htm# |title=Archived copy |access-date=17 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140105010528/http://scientistindia.com/specialization%20life.htm# |archive-date=5 January 2014 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

==Education==
Maheshwari was born at [[Jaipur]] and educated at [[Ewing Christian College]] in [[Allahabad]], intending to pursue a career in medicine.<ref name=Biog/> At Ewing, Maheshwari came under the mentorship of Winfield Dudgeon, and changed his studies from medicine to science.<ref name=Biog/> He received is [[Bachelor of Science]] (1925), [[Master of Science]] (1931), and [[Doctor of Science]] (1931) degrees, all under Dudgeon's influence. Maheshwari was an atheist.<ref>"Remembering my guru P. Maheshwari." N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Feb. 2017. <http://www.iisc.ernet.in/currsci/dec252004/1760.pdf>. "Maheshwari was an atheist."</ref>

==Career==
In addition to his research achievements, Maheshwari was an educator and publisher. He taught Botany at the [[University of Delhi]], establishing that department as a globally important center of research in embryology and tissue culture.

Maheshwari founded the scientific journal ''Phytomorphology'',{{citation needed|date=June 2015}} for which he served as chief editor until his death in 1966; and the more popular magazine ''Botanica''. He also published texts to improve the standard of teaching life sciences in the schools.

In 1951, he founded the International Society of Plant Morphologists.<ref>{{Cite web|title=:: ISPM ::|url=http://www.ispm.co.in/about_ispm.html|access-date=2021-06-06|website=www.ispm.co.in}}</ref>

==Awards and honours==
Panchanan Maheshwari was a scientific citizen of the world and many academies felt honoured to make him a Foundation Fellow. In 1934 he became a fellow of the [[Indian Academy of Sciences]], [[Bangalore]]. The [[Indian Botanical Society]] honoured him with the [[Birbal Sahni|Birbal Sahni Medal]] in 1958.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uniraj.ac.in/ibs-2008/sheet12.html#b |title=BIRBAL SAHNI MEDAL |access-date=17 January 2014 |archive-url=https://archive.is/20131021075925/http://www.uniraj.ac.in/ibs-2008/sheet12.html%23b#b#b |archive-date=21 October 2013 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref> He was the General President-elect of the [[Indian Science Congress Association]] for 1968, a role he could not fulfil on account of his untimely death on 18 May 1966. It was typical of him that he did not disclose this even to his family members, who learned it later only through newspapers. Many of his well wishers and students honoured him by naming their new findings after him, such as ''Panchanania jaipurensis'' (fungus) and ''Isoetes panchananii''.{{citation needed|date=June 2015}} Maheshwari was elected a Fellow of the [[Royal Society]] (FRS) [[List of Fellows of the Royal Society elected in 1965|in 1965]], he was second Indian Botanist to receive this accolade.

==References==
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Maheswari, Panchanan}}
[[Category:20th-century Indian botanists]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Society]]
[[Category:1904 births]]
[[Category:1966 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian atheists]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Indian National Science Academy]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Indian Academy of Sciences]]
[[Category:Fellows of The National Academy of Sciences, India]]
[[Category:Scientists from Jaipur]]
[[Category:Place of death missing]]

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Panchanan Maheshwari