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| title | chunk | source | category | tags | date_saved | instance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arun Kumar Sharma | 1/3 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arun_Kumar_Sharma | reference | science, encyclopedia | 2026-05-05T17:43:54.903602+00:00 | kb-cron |
Arun Kumar Sharma (1924 – 2017), popularly known as AKS, was an Indian cytogeneticist, cell biologist, cytochemist and a former Sir Rashbehary Ghose Professor and Head of the Department of Botany at the University of Kolkata, College of Science and Technology. Considered by many as the father of Indian cytology, he headed the Centre for Advanced Study on Cell and Chromosome at the university and is known for his contributions to the studies on the physical and chemical nature of chromosomes. A Jawaharlal Nehru fellow, he is a recipient of several honors including the Om Prakash Bhasin Award and the VASVIK Industrial Research Award. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards, in 1967, for his contributions to biological sciences. The Government of India awarded him the third highest civilian honor of the Padma Bhushan in 1983.
== Biography == Arun Kumar Sharma was born on the last day of 1924 in Calcutta in British India (now Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal ) to Charu Chandra Sharma–Shovamoyee couple. His family went into financial troubles when his father died when he was 8 years of age and he was brought up at his maternal grandparents' house. His early schooling was at Mitra Institution after which he joined Asutosh College of the University of Kolkata in 1939. He graduated (BSc) in Botany, studying on a half-free scholarship in 1943 and followed it up with the master's degree (MSc) from Rajabazar Science College in 1945. Later, he would also secure a Doctor of Science degree from the same university in 1955. After completing his post graduate degree, he passed the Union Public Service Commission examination for a public service career and was among the five selected for Botanical Survey of India where his assignment was the development of the herbarium and the garden of the Royal Botanical Garden, Howrah. Here, he got training in taxonomy and worked as a temporary teacher but moved to the University of Kolkata, again as a temporary teacher in 1947. He became the assistant lecturer at the university in 1948 where he spent his entire academic life, superannuating in 1990 as the head of the department and project coordinator for the Centre for Advanced Study on Cell and Chromosome of the university in 1990. In between, he served as a lecturer (1952), reader (1962), professor (1970), Sir Rashbehary Ghose Professor (until 1988) and as an INSA Golden Jubilee Research Professor (1985–90) and continued his association with the university as an honorary professor past his official retirement. Sharma was married to Archana Sharma, an academic, cytologist and science writer and he lived in Kolkata; his wife died in 2008.