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Shri Ranjan Ji
Shri Ranjan Ji
(1899-1969)
Elected Fellow 1951
BIRTH, PARENTAGE AND CHILDHOOD
Biographical 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(tres honorable) 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 1940 he 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
Shri 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.
BS 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 the first 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 !Is there
a five 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 'waitfor 5 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 at any time to meet him in connection with our research work"
Biographical Memoirs
Shri Ranjan
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-methyl glutamic 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. I 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 discussions but 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
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 Rajni
m e t Varma
e r . 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
"
I"
Biographical Memoirs
>
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 fami irr where she too died of cancer after few years.
Shri Ranjan
TO 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.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
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
Biographical Memoirs
BIBLIOGRAPHY
(With MALLICK AK) A study of catalase reaction, with special reference to respiration in
plants New Phytol. 30: 355-381.
,
Shri Ranjan
1958
1960
1961
(With PATNAIK K and LALORAYA MM) Enzmic conversion of meso-tartarate to dextrotartarate 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 152: 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
193: 997-998.