Dr Benjamin Peare Pal

Born at Mukandpur in Punjab on May 26, 1906, Dr Benjamin Peare Pal received M.Sc. in Botany from Rangoon University, Burma (now Myanmar) in 1929 and Ph.D. in Plant Breeding and Genetics from the University of Cambridge, England in 1932.

Dr Pal served as Assistant Rice Research Officer at Hmawbi in Burma (March 1933 to September 1933); Second Economic Botanist at Imperial Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa, New Delhi (Oct. 1933-April 1937); and Imperial Economic Botanist (post redesigned as Head of the Division of Botany after Independence) from April 1937 to September 1950. He became Director of Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi in September 1950 and later he was promoted to the post of Director General, ICAR, New Delhi from May 1965 to January 1972. He also served as Chairman of National Committee on Environmental Planning and Coordination from May 1977.

Dr Pal has published more than 160 research papers and also written seven books. He has also guided a number of M.Sc. and Ph.D. students. Dr. Pal’s research work concerns with improvement of crops and his achievement in breeding disease resistant wheat varieties brought him international recognition. In the later part of his career, he was strongly attracted to horticulture, especially ornamental horticulture. Dr Pal has bred more than 50 rose varieties. He is internationally known for his work on roses and won many awards at Rose Shows. He has also raised five varieties of bougainvillea.

Dr Pal was President of a number of societies, namely, the Horticultural Society of India; Indian Botanical Society; Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding; Botany and Agriculture Section of Indian Science Congress; Delhi Agri-Horticultural Society and Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi. He was President Emeritus, Rose Society India; and President of Bougainvillea Society of India. Dr Pal was Vice President of Indian Phycological Society; Adviser, Delhi Urban Art Mission and was Member of Delhi Landscape Committee. Dr Pal was also Chairman of I.C.A.R. Scientific Panel on Horticulture.

Dr Pal was also associated with a number of foreign professional societies. He was Fellow of Royal Society of London; Honorary member of the Japan Academy of Sciences; Member of Lenin All Union Academy of Agricultural Sciences (USSR); member of Academic d’ Agriculture de France; Fellow of Linnean Society of London; Past President, Society for the Advancement of Breeding Researches in Asia and Oceania; Former Member, Board of Trustees, International Rice Research Institute, the Philippines for four years; Member, International Commission on the Nomenclature of Cultivated Plants; Vice President, International Congress of Genetics, Tokyo (1968) and member of Royal National Rose Society (U.K.).

Dr Pal is internationally distinguished scientist and was awarded the prestigious national awards, manely, Padma Shri (1958) and Padma Bhushan (1968) by the President of India. He was also awarded D.Sc. (honoris causa) by Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana; G.B. Pant University of Agric. & Tech., Pantnagar; Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar; Sardar Patel University, Anand and Orissa University of Agril. and Tech., Bhubaneswar. Dr Pal had won many awards and honours. He was recipient of Rafi Ahmad Kidwai Prize (1957) from I.C.A.R.; Birbal Sahni Medal (1962) from Indian Botanical Society; Srinivasa Ramanujan Medal (1964) from Indian National Science Academy; Gold Honour Medal (1968) from Rose Society of India; Grant Medal (1970) from Agri-horticultural Society of India; Barclay Medal (1971) from Asiatic Society of Bengal and Aryabhata Medal (1980) from Indian National Science Academy. In recognition of his services, new varieties of Bougainvillea, Hibiscus and Croton were named after him. Dr Pal was widely travelled and visited over a dozen countries in different capacities during his career.