On 9/20/09, Pankaj Kumar <sahanipan...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> PRESENT HERE ARE MY PERSONAL VIEWS AND IT DOESNT REPRESENT ANY ORGANISATION
>
> Respected Seniors,
>
> I will request scientists and researchers to please go through
> different volumes of Flora of India by BSI and tell me how many of you
> really get help in identifying plants?
>
> Just for example I have in my hand Flora of Bihar by BSI and I cant
> get any help from it as there is no description and no keys at all.
> They have enlisted each and every plant that was ever reported from
> Bihar and Jharkhand since british period, without actually revisiting
> the field and gathering the actual knowledge. Respected Dr.
> Karthikeyan says that the plant is common throughout India, that means
> it is there in Bihar too, according to that book. I imagine if Dr.
> Karthikeyan visited each and every states of India ever???
>
> I had been to CNH, better known as CENTRAL NATIONAL HERBARIUM, HOWRAH,
> thats a part of BSI. Out of eight references I was looking for, 5 were
> missing. I took three books out of the antique almirah and found that
> the book was half eaten by termite.
> The first hand information which is available in India today, is still
> ironically, one and only, FLORA OF BRITISH INDIA by J. D. Hooker which
> every one should follow and it is also available online. For recent
> nomenclature offcourse there are other options.
> Yes offcourse, there are some regional floras which were done by
> regional university researchers which were later published by
> BSI....everyone knows how.
>
> This is a irony for Indian government and Indian researchers that most
> of the best books on floristics in India are not written by any one
> from BSI but from some of the University professors and researchers,
> one of them being respected Dr. Gurcharan himself.
>
> SECONDLY, BSI has been unscrupulously misusing their journal, Bulletin
> of Botanical Survey of India, for published any articles they wish
> especially new species, though they never gets accepted. Is it just
> for the name sake??? or for the sake of having greater publications??
>
> After 60 years of Independence what do we have today is just a
> compilation by BSI. What we need today are more responsible persons,
> who just dont think about promotions and about sitting and chewing pan
> and ghutka in their office but to come up with better work which a
> common botanist can feel proud about. I never felt anything good to
> boost about BSI and I find mysef so unfortunate about it.
>
> SHRIKANT INGLAHALIKAR is not from BSI
> DR. SARAT MISRA (an engineer by profession) is not from BSI - Orchds of
> Orissa
> DEVA and NAITHANI (Orchids of Northwest Himalaya): are not from BSI
> PRADEEP KISHAN not from BSI
> MR. GARG - not from BSI
> DR. TABISH - not even a botanist!!
> There are many such examples!!
>
>
> Regards
> Pankaj (not from BSI either).
>
> PS: No hard feelings please!!
>
Dear Pankaj ji
Never have this feeling that your frank opinion will hurt any one. This
forum is meant for frank exchange of opinion and single motto: carry forward
the mission to educate more and more people about our great plant wealth.
(and of couse Garg ji is always there to put breaks, when discussion gets
out of control---keep up the spirit Garg ji). In fact today you have spoken
what most have been feeling all along. Our only aim is to see that so many
different works by different people (BSI, Universities or Private
organisations), all ultimately forming the part of Indian Flora should be
accessible to all sitting at home, and one does not run around to find
information. Garg ji and Tabish ji have made great begining, that should one
day bear the fruits.
We should feel lucky that more and more people like Garg ji and Tabish
ji are joining us. I have been trying to know about members on the group
through private communication so that I can interact accordingly. On my last
visit to California in 2008 I had clicked many plants. A large number of
them went into 3rd edition my book being published this month from USA.
There were about 40 or so plants unidentified, which I uploaded to my
webshots. I received mail from Kenneth (an active member of Indiantreepix)
yesterday, to know that he was based in California and his experience with
plants was largely through his interest and actually working with plants. I
sent links to my professional list TAXACOM (having all major Plant & Animal
Taxonomists of the World as its members) and also to Kenneth. I got five
identifications from TAXACOM, and nearly all from Kenneth within few hours.
We are blessed to have association of people like him, and few taxonomists
on the group willing to help. The group has a great future, I believe.
--
Dr. Gurcharan Singh
Associate Professor, Department of Botany, SGTB Khalsa College
University of Delhi, Delhi-110007
Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018
Phone: 011025518297; Mobile: 9810359089
http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/
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