Savitri Sahni (19 September 1902 – 26 April 1985), born Savitri Suri, was president of the Birbal Sahni Institute of Paleosciences from 1949 to 1969.

Early life

Savitri Suri was born in 1902, the daughter of Rai Bahadar Sundar Das Suri, a school inspector in

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

. Her father and Ruchi Ram Sahni were colleagues in Lahore.

Career

Sahni joined her botanist husband on collecting trips through the Himalayas and Kashmir. After his sudden death in 1949, she became head of the new Birbal Sahni Institute of Paleosciences at

Lucknow Lucknow () is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the largest city of the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is the administrative headquarters of the epon ...

, and continued as the Institute's president for twenty years, until 1969. She was also first president of the Paleobotanical Society of India. She was a member of the council of India's

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...

. Savitri Sahni was awarded the

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

in 1969, for her services to science.

Personal life

Savitri Suri married paleobotanist

Birbal Sahni Birbal Sahni FRS (14 November 1891 – 10 April 1949) was an Indian paleobotanist who studied the fossils of the Indian subcontinent. He also took an interest in geology and archaeology. He founded what is now the Birbal Sahni Institute of Pal ...

in 1920. His father was Ruchi Ram Sahni. She was widowed when Sahni died in 1949, and thereafter wore only white silk, a symbol of her widowhood. Savitri Sahni died in 1985, aged 82 years, at Lucknow. Her home, designed by American architect

Walter Burley Griffin Walter Burley Griffin (November 24, 1876February 11, 1937) was an American architect and landscape architect. He designed Canberra, Australia's capital city, the New South Wales towns of Griffith, New South Wales, Griffith and Leeton, New So ...

, became a museum; her estate was left to the Birbal-Savitri Sahni Foundation in Lucknow, to fund the museum, a lecture series, fellowships for researchers, and awards for scientific achievement.

References

External links

Birbal Sahni Institute of Paleosciences
website. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sahni, Savitri 1902 births 1985 deaths Scientists from Lahore Indian women scientists People from Lucknow Paleobotanists People from Punjab Province (British India)