Dr M.S. Randhawa

Born on February 2, 1909 in Punjab, Dr M.S. Randhawa did his M.Sc. in Botany from the Punjab University in 1930 and was later conferred D.Sc. in 1956 by the same university. He was awarded the Padma Bhusan by the President of India.

Dr Randhawa joined the Indian Civil Service in 1934 in U.P. as Magistrate and later became Deputy Commssioner. His contributions in enriching the Botanical Gardens with new collections, road side plantings, park development, landscaping and bioaesthetic planning are mentioned with great reverence by the people of the state. Dr Randhawa joined as the Secretary, ICAR, New Delhi in 1945 and later became Deputy Commissioner of Delhi from 1946-1949. He took over as Additional Director General of Rehabilitation, Punjab in 1949 and subsequently worked as Director General of Rehabilitation. In 1951, he became Commissioner of Ambala Division. He was Development-cum-Rehabilitation Commissioner and Custodian, Evacuee property in Punjab from 1953 to 1955. While working in the rehabilitation department, he had conceived the idea of establishing garden colonies in Punjab. He was Vice-President of ICAR from 1955 to 1960, Advisor (Natural Resources) in Planning Commission from 1961 to 1964 and Special Secretary, Ministry of Food & Agriculture, Govt. of India from 1964-1966. He was responsible for the establishment of famous Rose Garden at Chandigarh during his tenure as Chief Commissioner form 1966 to 1968. Dr Randhawa was Vice-Chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana from 1968 to 1976 and made out-standing contributions in overall development of the university.

Though primarily an administrator, Dr Randhawa wrote 35 books and published 350 research papers, which are an exceptional contribution. Though Dr Randhawa’s interests were wide and varied his greatest contribution was in the field of ornamental horticulture, his book ‘Beautifying India’ published in 1950 which inspired a number of horticulturists in their plans of urban development. His book ‘Flowering Trees in India’ published in 1957 sparked a movement for beautification of urban areas with the use of amazing wealth of flowering tress which India is fortunate to possess.

Dr Randhawa was one of the most eminent horticulturists, educationists and administrators of the country. He died on March 3, 1986.
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