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    SHRI RANJAN

    1899-1969)

    Elected Fellow 1951

    BIRTH PARENTAGE A N D CHILDH OOD

    RI RANJAN was born on August 16th1899 in Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) in a

    distinguished and famous Sah Family with establishments in Varanasi and Calcutta.

    The family had the reputation of being Bankers to East India Company and were big

    land lords of Varanasi and Calcutta. His father Dr Govind Das was son of Babu Madhav

    Das and brother of Bharat Ratna Dr Bhagwan Das. Shri Shri Prakasha, Governor of

    Madras (Tamil Nadu) was his cousin brother and son of Dr Bhagwan Das. Shri Ranjan s

    childhood was thus exposed to the aristocratic society of that time, a trait that marked

    his personality and social life all through his life.

    EDUCATION

    Shri Ranjan had his early education in Calcutta passing his Matriculation of the Calcutta

    University in 1917 and Intermediate Examination from the Presidency College, Calcutta

    in 1919. He thereafter moved to Banaras and passed his BSc. and MSc in Botany from

    Banaras Hindu University in 1921 and 1923 respectively. Recipient of Merit Scholarship

    in BSc. and MSc, he was also awarded the Vasudeo Sahai Gold Medal as a MSc student.

    Soon after obtaining the Master s degree, he proceeded to England and joined Trinity

    College, Cambridge as a research student under Professor FF Blackman, FRS one of

    the most eminent Plant Physiologists of that time. In 1925, he was awarded MSc degree

    of Cambridge University for an orignal piece of research work on the influence upon

    respiration of leaves of definite doses of sugars a work quoted in text books as the first

    quantitative data of externally supplied sugar of known quantities in intact leaves and

    its effect on leaf respiration. The technique of vacuum infiltrating sugar solution in

    leaves also reduced bacterial infections which is common if leaves are floated on sugar

    solutions. This pioneering work is cited in Plant Respiration by

    WO

    James.

    PROFESSIONAL CAREER

    After his return from Cambridge,he was appointed Reader in the Department of Botany,

    Allababad University in 1925. At Allahabad he organized a research center of Plant

    Physiology, one of the earliest centers of the country and developed facilities for work

    on plant respiration, photosynthesis and metabolism. At that time when availability

    of ready-made equipments was scarce he fabsicated the famous Blackma

    commutator to measure respiration rate of whole plants and organs of plant i

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      iographical Memoirs

    fruits, flowers etc. continuously over days and weeks at fixed temperatures and

    developed apparatus for measuring catalase activity in plants. He attracted and

    encouraged students to go for research. In early forties he together with his research

    students worked on different aspects of plant respiration. In 1931 he proceeded to

    France and submitted his thesis on Recherche sur a1 respiration des ve'ge'taux under

    Professor

    G

    Nicholas, Director of the Institute of Agriculture, University of Tolouse,

    France and was awarded State Doctorate of France(treshonorable) in 1932. In 1936 he

    became the Head of the Botany Department and was appointed Professor and Head of

    the Botany Department, Allahabad University in 1941.He was elected president of the

    Botany section of the Indian Science Congress in 1941.

    Shri Ranjan's early work in forties related mainly to the study of respiration in

    leaves, flowers and fruits while passing through a senescent drift confirming the earlier

    work of his Professor, Professor FF Blackman.

    In 1940he discovered that ethylene was responsible for abscission of mango fruits;

    the role of ethylene in abscission has been widely documented and confirmed during

    the last five decades. In the same year he initiated work on the effect of light on

    respiration in green plants which formed the theme of his Presidential address to the

    Indian Science Congress in 1941.He demonstrated that the rate of respiration of green

    plants in light was higher than in dark. Measuring transient changes in CO, output

    during darkllight transfer of leaves, he demonstrated a marked burst of CO, output

    soon after the lights were put off which was much higher compared to the dark

    respiration before transfer to light. He assigned the difference to photo-induced

    respiration. Photorespiration is now well known phenomenon in many C-3 plants.

    Studying interaction between light and temperature effects on leaf respiration he could

    account for the difference between the theoretical curve and Professor FF Blackman's

    experimental curve on the respiration rate of plants obtained at different temperatures

    in light. Shri Ranjan had imbibed the analytical brilliance of his Professor Professor

    FB Blackrnan in interpreting the respiratory data. His early work finds reference in

    Standard Text Books of Plant Physiology at that time, Miller (1938) p992 and Duggars

    Vo1.(1-2) on Biological Oxidation, p. 1060-1061.

    Yet another outstanding contribution much ahead of time was his work on the

    effectof Violet and Ultraviolet radiation on Plant respiration in 1940.With the depleting

    ozone layer and the threat of more and more ultraviolet-B covering the earth, this

    work clearly shows his foresight. In 1940, Shri Ranjan had also initiated research on

    the effectof manurial treatment on the nitrogen, carbohydrate and chlorophyll contents

    of wheat plant in search of metabolic relationship of various manurial treatments and

    had attempted to produce wheat mutants by X-ray's to evolve new wheat varieties for

    the farmers. In the early sixtees, Shri Ranjan modernized the Plant Physiological

    Laboratories of the Botany Department, Allahabad University with generous

    from UGC New Delhi and equipped the laboratory with several sophi

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     hri

    Ranjan

    equipments to work on important and basic aspects of Plant Physiology, viz. respiration,

    photosynthesis, oxidation-reduction system, enzyme kinetics, nitrogen metabolism, etc.

    Country's first most well equipped Plant Physiology Laboratory was thus established at

    the University of Allahabad, Botany Department during 1954-1956.

    Shri Ranjan attracted some very dedicated research students during this time and

    initiated research work in diverse areas of Plant Physiology. With Ravinder Kaur

    (1954),

    he studied the respiratory behaviour of Potato tubers during hormone prolonged

    dormancy and dormancy breaking. He was the first to show that the effectiveness of a

    hormone in dormancy breaking could be predicted much before dormancy breaks, by

    a marked increase in the respiratory activity in the region of the 'eye'. He thus

    established the prerequisite of enhanced respiratory activity for the bud growth to

    take place.

    S

    Bhisht worked on the Crassulacean acid metabolism in

    Coleus aromaticus,

    a plant

    belonging to family Labiatae, and demonstrated dark fixation of CO, and increase in

    titratable acidity during night hours. Later T Rajarao showed that

    Coleus aromaticus

    (Labiatae) indeed showed typical diurnal variation in CO, fixation and acidity; acidity

    changes were due to changes in malic acid levels in leaves. The plant showed all others

    attributes of CAM plants. Thus a Labiatae plant was added to plants showing

    crassulacean acid metabolism.

    In 1955, Shri Ranjan with his students MM Laloraya, T Rajarao and Govindjee

    developed a circular paper chromatographic technique to separate large number of

    samples (8-16) at one time avoiding intermixing of bands from adjoining samples and

    called it Horizontal migration multiple sector chromatographic technique. This

    technique not only avoided intermixing of adjacent bands but also restricted radial

    flow within the sector giving higher values in quantitative estimations, an improvement

    over Giri's technique prevalent at that time.

    The author of this memoir narrates as under. I vividly remember the morning

    when Govindjee and

    I

    carried thefirst successful amino acid separation chromatogram to

    Dr. Shri Ranjan's house at 8.30 A M in the morning. He was in his Verandah in half

    sleeve shirt resting in his big chair after his early morning garden activity. He looked

    towards us and shouted, What brings you

    so

    early in the morning to my house

    s

    there

    afive in department Quietly we moved towards him and opened the Newspaper wrapping

    the chromatogram on a table kept in front of him. He looked at it and shouted Oh it is

    beautiful and jumped out of the chair. He held

    by

    our shoulders and virtually had

    a

    swing. He rushed inside with joy saying 'wait or minutes. I shall get ready and be with

    you: He came out dressed up, took out his big Ford Car, asked us to sit

    by

    his side and

    drove us to the department. He was excited and happy like

    a

    child, like ourselves and

    made us forget that he was great Professor with whom no one could be so close as we were

    at that moment. He ordered everything that we needed for research work and we were

    granted access

    a t

    any time to meet him in connection with our research work

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    Biographical Memoirs

    He was thrilled by the success of his students in separating large number of

    amino acids present in plant extracts. Using this technique and later combining it with

    two dimensional paper chromatography, Ranjan and his students attacked several

    problems related to plant metabolism for the first time in this country. Study of changes

    in amino acid metabolism of the host in virus infected plant was initiated in 1955 by

    MM Laloraya, Govindjee and T Rajarao, and Rajni Varma joined the group in 1956, a

    work widely confirmed in the Country and outside. Govindjee studied changes in

    amino acids in X-ray irradiated Gram Cicerarietinum)seedlings and Rajarao used the

    technique to study the changes in different organic acid fractions during dark CO,

    fixation, acidification and deacidification in light in Coleus aromaticus.Laloraya applied

    this to study the changes in individual amino acids and amides during leaf senescence

    which was largely unknown till that time. Using paper chromatographic technique

    Shri Ranjan and MM Laloraya reported the changes in individual amino acids and

    amides in leaves after removal from the plant and correlated the changes with changes

    in individual carbohydrate and organic acids contents and respiratory activity of

    detached leaves. An explanation was provided for the Malic-Citric acid conversion

    observed in tobacco leaves during dark culture.

    Mineral deficiencies were known to result in low protein levels and lugher soluble-

    N contents in plants. BK Malviya, studied the changes in various individual free amino

    acid levels in control and deficient plants of Linum usitatissimum and showed that

    mineral deficiency, chiefly PO, and K resulted in large accumulation of argnine and

    amides asparagine and glutamine.

    his

    work was extended by RM Pandey and

    R Shrivastava on Bean Plants. The accumulation of these amino-N metabolites were

    observed only after the deficiency symptoms affecting growth of plants were

    discernable The accumulation were assigned to depressed protein and nucleic acid

    synthesis in deficient plants.

    In 1958, Dr Shri Ranjan was appointed Vice-Chancellor of the University of

    Allahabad and I had left for Harvard University, Cambridge, USA to work with

    Professor V Thimann. Govindjee and Rajni had left earlier to work with Professor

    Robert Emerson and Eugene Rabinowitch at the University of Illinois, USA and

    T Rajarao took up a job in Sugarcane Research Institute Lucknow. The whole group

    had dispersed. Shri Ranjan got very much concerned about the vacuum created in

    teaching and research activity in Plant Physiology of Botany Department and wrote

    several letters to Dr Thimann for me to return. I cameback in 1959leaving the extension

    of my Post Doctoral Fellowship for 1959 to 60 at Harvard.

    Dr Ranjan made me associate with the research work of his students in the early

    seventies since he did not have much time from the duties of Vice-Chancellorship.

    Kamla Patnaik joined him in 1959-60and started her work on the metabolism of tartaric

    acid in Tamarind about which nothing was known. Tamarind was known to accumulate

    dextro-tartrate in all parts of the plants, the fruits, flower and leaves. However,

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    Shri anjan

    was known about the enzymic pathway of the synthesis of dextro-isomer of tartaric

    acid. We soon discovered the existence of a new enzyme in tamarind which converted

    optically inactive meso-tartrate to optically active dextro-tartrate. The epzyme was

    named tartaric racekase.

    Tamarind seedlings also showed presence of several newly recorded derivatives

    of glutamic acid, X-methylglutamic acid and X-methylene glutamic acid, and their

    corresponding keto-acids and amides.

    Shri Ranjan was an unquestioned leader of plant physiological research in the

    country. Among his contemporaries like PParija, PK Sen and others, he was the one

    who established the countries first well equipped laboratory of plant physiology and

    with his original ideas, was much ahead of his times in his research output in diverse

    areas of plant physiology.

    Research was his weakness and he loved those who spent their hours in the

    laboratory. He never hesitated in discussing results, if it appeared to him as new even

    with the youngest of his research students. vividly recall when he asked me to separate

    amino acids present in the potato tuber discs which were exposed to nitrogen gas for

    some time. A senior student had shown that potato tuber discs fixed atmospheric

    nitrogen. He had asked me to analyse free amino acid changes in tuber tissue as a

    consequence of this nitrogen fixation and to see him at his home with the results.

    There was an increase in the free amino acids in the discs exposed to nitrogen gas.

    Professor was excited 'See Potatoes fix atmospheric nitrogen' and synthesize amino

    acid. I am going to present this work as Chairman's address in the forthcoming

    National Academy Meetings . I looked at him and quipped, Sir, if this was so you

    would solve the food problem of the country-cut potato pieces and put them in open

    enriching them in protein content . His shock was visible. How the hell do you

    explain this then 'he shouted.

    I realized what I had done. But words could not be taken

    back. I quietly said, Sir this could be bacteria present in the potato tubers rather than

    potato tuber tissue. I apologized to him for my remark but he reacted- 'Oh no-forget

    about it. I like frank discussionsbut you will have to prove that this fixation is bacterial

    and not by potato tu er tissue'. It had to be done before the conference.We planned an

    I

    experiment measuring nitrogen fixation in potato tuber discs treated with antibiotics

    streptomycin and Penicillin mixture, and the control, manometrically using Brauns

    ~ a ~ b u r ~ ~ e s ~ i r o m e t e r .ajni Varma performed these experiments and the results were

    obvious. Nitrogen fixation was totally inhibited in antibiotic-treated discs. Dr. Shri

    Ranjan walked into the laboratory to enquire about the results. We asked him to look

    at the manometers. His eyes twinkled. You fellows would not let me do anything.

    You have saved me however, from presenting wrong results he said . He smiled, gave

    a blow to me and went away. That was the openness of a great teacher and scientist,

    and his love for science and his students. He guided fifteen doctoral students under

    him which include NK Chatterjee, UN Chatterjee, NL Pal, AP Mehrotra, R

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      iographical Memoirs

    Kaur, Bimla Budhiraja, SK Bajpai, Niranjan Das, BS Bhist, MM Laloraya, T Rajarao,

    S Abbas Naqvi, Patnaik, RM Pandey and R Shrivastava.

    MEMBER OF SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES HO NO UR S A N D AW AR DS

    He was dected Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy in 1951 and was its

    Additional Vice-President during 1954-55 and 1958-59. He was also a Fellow of the

    Indian Academy of Science and a member of the Indian Botanical Society. He was

    elected president of the IBS for the Jubilee Session, Allahabad in 1946. Shri Ranjan was

    elected President of the National Academy of Sciences, India, Allahabad for 1953-54.

    FAMILY LIFE

    Shri Ranjan's wife Smt. Bhawani Devi came from a family of wealthy landlords. She

    was a very religious lady, reserved in her manners and a strict disciplinarian. They

    had three cluldren, two sons and a daughter. Elder son Kirti Vardhan Deva and younger

    son Shanti Vardhan Deva both joined the Indian Revenue Service. Their grandson

    Rajeev Deva also joined the Indian Revenue Service and is presently Commissioner of

    Income Tax at Allahabad. The financial gene of the famous Sah family is still expressing

    itself.

    Shrimati Bhawani Devi passed away prematurely in 1953. Shri Ranjan's sons and

    daughter were already married and had left Allahabad. Shri Ranjan was thus left alone

    in the Big Bungalow with all the responsibilities of the house and the administration

    and academic activities of the department.

    He was a lonely person. For some time one of his grand daughter use to come and

    live with him but she had to go away to her parents for schooling etc. No one in the

    family was available to stay with him and to share the responsibilities of the home.

    In 1955, his cousin Shri Prakasha the Governor of Madras invited him to visit him

    and appreciating his problems introduced him to Saraswati Menon, a charming lady

    of forty three years belongng to some royalty of Cochi, whom he married in 1955. Shri

    Ranjan, then fifty six brought his new wife to our laboratory and introduced her to us.

    He said, Look you fellows, I have brought a wife from south and you are good for

    nothing . Shri Ranjan was happy and so was his wife. The vacuum was fdled. Saraswati

    Menon 'Sassy' as Ranjan called her, was a charming sociable and religous person.

    She took care of the husband, her home and family friends and students with love and

    affection. She was on the bed site of Shri Ranjan at the time of his death at Agra.

    Saraswati Menon stayed at Allahabad after Shri Ranjan's death in the new house built

    by Shri Ranjan for her for couple of years but being alone she left for Cochi to be with

    her

    f mi

    rr

    where she too died of cancer after few years.

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    Shri Ranjan

    PERSON L QU LITIES N D SOCI L CTIVITIES

    Apart from his scientific attainments, Shri Ranjan was also a sportsman. He used to

    take active interest in University sports activity and for some time was Chairman of

    the University Sport Council of Allahabad University. He attended atheletic meets

    wearing his Cambridge colour. He had once told me that he was among the best shots

    at Cambridge during his research days. Shri Ranjan was a sportsman in every sense of

    the word: friendly, large hearted and gallant. Shri Ranjan was a Rotarian and attended

    club activities regularly. His social life thus extended beyond University people.

    T

    SUM UP

    Dr Shri Ranjan was a leading plant physiologist with a vision. He would be remembered

    as one of those who modernized Plant Physiological research in the country and was

    much ahead of his time in initiating research activities which have relevance upto

    present day.

    CKNOWLEDGEMENT

    The author is thankful to Dr MP Tandon, Retired Professor and Head of the Botany

    Department, Allahabad University for providing him the details of the family of

    Dr Shri Ranjan obtained from his grandson, Shri Rajeev Deva, Commissioner of Income

    Tax, Allahabad.

    MM LALORAYA,

    School of Life Sciences, Vigyan Bhawan

    Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya,

    Takshashila Campus

    Khandwa Road, INDORE 452 001 MP)

    Aes

    126, Urvashi Apartment

    Indrapuri Colony,

    INDORE 432 017 MP)

    E mail manmohanlaloraya@mailcity com

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    Biographical Memoirs

    BIBLIOGR PHY

    With MALLICK AK) A study of catalase reaction, with special reference to respiration in

    plants

    New Phytol

    30: 355-381.

    Researches sur la repiration des vegetaux. Toulouse.

    With KHAN ZA) Studies in the respiration of

    Psidium guava

    in relation to its sugar and acid

    contents, while passing through a senescent drift.

    J. Ind Bot Soc

    19: 17-40.

    A preliminary note on the X-ray mutants of wheat.

    Proc Ind Acad Sci

    10.

    With BHATTACHARYA SN) Physiological studies on wheat plant. Part-I- The effect of

    manures on the total nitrogen and amino acid nitrogen in Triticum vulgare and soil.

    Proc

    Natl Acad Sci

    10:65-74.

    With BHATTACHARYA SN) Physiologxal studies on wheat plant. Part-11- The influence of

    molasses on the nitrlhcation of soil.

    Proc Natl Acad Sci

    With DIKSHIT) Physiological studies on the wheat plant. Part-111- The chlorophyll and

    carbohydrate contents of Triticum vulgare in relation to manures. Proc Natl Acad Sci

    10:

    91-99.

    Studies on the photochemical action of plants. I. The respiration of entire Pistia plants in

    light. J. Ind Bot Soc 19: 19-31.

    Studies on the photochemical action of plants. 11. Photosynthesis in leaves at different

    temperature. J. Ind Bot Soc 19: 19-98.

    With SAXENA BBL) Studies on the photochemical action of plants 111. The influence of

    visible light on the rate of respiration of some coloured flowers.

    J.

    Ind Bot Soc 19: 99-103.

    Studies on the photochemical action of plants. IV. The effect of violet and ultraviolet

    radiations on plant respiration.

    J.

    Ind Bot Soc 19: 105-111.

    The respiration of plants in light.

    Presidential Add ress Ind Sci Co ng

    With BASU SK) Studies on the photochemical action of plants. V Diurnal L variations of

    total and amino acid nitrogen in Trit icu m vulgare Proc Ind Acad Sci

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    With KAUR R) Respiratory responses in potato tubers as an index of the effect of ethylene

    chlorohydrin and ammonium thiocyanate.

    J

    Exp Bot

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    With GOVINDJEE and LALORAYA MM) Chromatographic studies on the amino acid

    metabolism of healthy and diseased leaves of Croton sparsiflorus Morong. Proc Natl Inst Sci

    B). 21 1): 42-57.

    With LALORAYA MM) Amino acid metabolism of starving leaves of Phaseolus vulgaris:

    A chromatographic study.

    Naturwissenschaften 42:

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    With RAJARAO T) Separation of organic acids by circular paper chromatography Diurnal

    variations in the organic acid content in Pelargonium..

    Naturwissenschaften

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    With LALORAYA

    MM)

    Amino acid metabolism of Nicotiana leaves after removal from the

    plant.

    Nature

    177:

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    With RAJARAO T) Organic acid metabolism of succulent Labiatae. I Effect of feeding of

    different organic acids to the starved leaves of

    Coleus aromatics

    UGC symposium on

    Developments in Plant Physiology-Delhi University.

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    Shri Ranjan

    1958

    (With RAJARAO

    T

    Organic acid metabolism of succelent Labiatae I Diurnal variations in

    tritatable acidity. Carbohydrate fractions and respiratory gasesous exchanges in the leaves of

    Coleus aromaticus:

    Effects of temperature on the metabolism of detached leaves cultured in

    continuous darkness. Symposium on Recent advances in the study of plant metabolism

    Botany Deptt Allahabad University, Allahabad.

    1960 (With LALORAYA MM) Metabolism of isolated leaves:

    1

    Changes in protein, soluble

    nitrogenous compounds, sugars and organic acids in tobacco leaves

    in

    light and dark.

    Plant

    Physiol

    35: 714-725.

    1961

    (With PATNAIK K and LALORAYA

    MM)

    Enzmic conversion of meso-tartarate to dextro-

    tartarate in tamarind.

    Naturwissenschaften 48:

    406.

    1962

    (With MALVIYA B Effect of phosphorous deficiency on the free and protein bound amino

    acids on the linseed plant.

    Flora 52:

    399-408.

    (With PANDEY RM, SHRIVASTAVA RK and LALORAYA MM) Effect of phosphorous

    deficiency on the metabolic changes in free amino acids in leguminous crop plants.

    Nature

    93: 997-998.