Triloki Nath Khoshoo (1927-2002) was an Indian environmental scientist and administrator. He started his professional career as the co-founder of the Department of Botany that moved to Khalsa College, Amritsar, soon after the partition of India.
After a brief stint as Chairman of the Botany Department at Jammu and Kashmir University, he joined the
National Botanical Gardens, Lucknow, in 1964 as Assistant Director, where he worked under
Kailas Nath Kaul
Kailas Nath Kaul (1905–1983) was an Indian botanist, naturalist, agricultural scientist, horticulturist, herbalist, plant collector and herpetologist, and a world authority on Arecaceae. He founded India's National Botanical Research Institu ...
, the Founder Director of the Gardens. He soon became the Director, and due to his efforts, the institution rose to the stature of being the
National Botanical Research Institute
The National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) is a research institute of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) located in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is engaged in the field of taxonomy and modern biology.
History
Or ...
in 1978.
[
]
Government posts
In 1982, he became the Secretary of the newly created Department of Environment in Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and stateswoman who served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 un ...
's cabinet with the responsibility of developing a pro-active environmental policy for the country. In 1985, he joined TERI as a Distinguished Fellow and contributed to public policy discussions at national as well as international forums.[
]
Writings
Khoshoo was a prolific writer. Over the course of five decades, he authored more than 250 research papers on plant genetics and evolution, biomass, energy, forestry, conservation and the utilization and management of natural resources.[ He wrote seven books and edited eleven more on a wide range of subjects. His book 'Mahatma Gandhi: An Apostle of Applied Human Ecology', published in 1996, was widely applauded for the practical relevance of ]Gandhian philosophy
Gandhism is a body of ideas that describes the inspiration, vision, and the life work of Mohandas K. Gandhi. It is particularly associated with his contributions to the idea of nonviolent resistance, sometimes also called civil resistance.
The ...
in today's world.[
]
Decorations
In 1992, Khoshoo was decorated with one of India's highest civilian awards, the Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan (IAST: ''Padma Bhūṣaṇa'', lit. 'Lotus Decoration') is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 Januar ...
.[
He was honored by the United Nations in 1996, when he was awarded the Sasakawa Environmental Prize by the ]United Nations Environment Program
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on ...
.[United Nations Environment Programme Laureates: Dr Triloki Nath Khoshoo]
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Cannaceae
The world of the Cannaceae
''Canna'' or canna lily is a genus of flowering plants consisting of 10 species. It is the only genus in the family Cannaceae.The Cannaceae of the World, H. Maas-van der Kamer & P.J.M. Maas, BLUMEA 53: 247–318 All of the genus's species a ...
family and the Canna genus has much to thank Khoshoo for, because it is from his work that we have gathered much of our knowledge of the genus. In all, Khoshoo authored and co-authored over 10 separate papers on the subject of Canna, many of which were bought together in a single document called ''Origin and Evolution of Cultivated Cannas''.''Origin and Evolution of Cultivated Cannas''
/ref>
References
Recommended reading
*Khoshoo, T.N. & Guha, I — Origin and Evolution of Cultivated Cannas, Vikas Publishing House PVt Ltd.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Khoshoo, Triloki Nath
Indian environmentalists
Kashmiri people
Kashmiri Pandits
Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in science & engineering
1927 births
2002 deaths
20th-century Indian botanists
Scientists from Jammu and Kashmir