Pratap Narain Srivastava, ‘Emeritus Professor for Life’ of Jawaharlal Nehru University [formerly, Vice Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Member of Planning Commission of Government of India (New Delhi) and Chancellor of Manipur University (Imphal)] breathed his last on the 19th June 2017 in Delhi. He is survived by three daughters and their families.
His departure has brought end to an illustrious and inspiring chapter in the field of Life Sciences teaching and research, particularly in the field of Radiation Biology, in India, for which he was conferred the FICCI Award (1984). He was a key player in the formulation and implementation of ‘National Policy of Education (1986)’ and the main proponent of concept of ‘autonomous college’ in India. He has been Fellow of all main academies of India, including the Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi, and many academies abroad. He has also been an elected General President of Indian Science Congress (1993). He was recipient of several academic laurels including the Scholarly Award of IOP, Japan (1989); K. N. Bahl Memorial Gold Medal of ISB, India (1990), and Atma Ram Award of MHRD, India. Popularly known as ‘PN’ among his friends and associates, Dr. Srivastava was very well travelled and lectured all over the world. He had held Visiting Scientist/Professorial appointments at National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Japan; Cornell University, USA; Paterson Laboratory & Hold Radium Institute, UK; National Center for Nuclear Energy, Italy; International Atomic Energy Agency, Austria; Kyoto University, Japan; Thomas Jefferson Medical University, USA; Forschungszentrum Juelich, Germany; and Osaka University, Japan to name the obvious. He leaves behind a legacy of unflinching quest for quality teaching and research in general and in the field of Radiation Biology in particular in Indian Universities, and a new generation of hundreds of students and future leaders in the discipline of Life Sciences, especially Radiation Biology and Allied Sciences.
Born in a small rural town of Sarnath (Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India) on 1st July 1927, he received his early education at Gorakhpur and Allahabad. He obtained M. Sc. Zoology (1949) and D. Phil. (1951) degrees from University of Allahabad and began his career as a Lecturer in the same university in 1951. He did his postdoctoral study as a Council of Canada’s Post-doctoral Fellow under Dr. F. R. Hayes, FRS, at Dalhousie University, Halifax. He moved to Rajasthan University, Jaipur as a Reader in 1961 and became a full Professor in 1966 receiving substantial research funding from Rockefeller Foundation (1962), Ford Foundation (1963 & 1968), NIH (1966), DAE-India among several others. He built an internationally recognized teaching and research program in Radiation Biology at Jaipur. At that point in time in India, all research related to Radiation Biology was carried out only at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai. He inspired and supported his colleagues and students to start teaching and research in the field of Radiation Biology and allied disciplines in many Universities of India in years that followed. For this reason indeed, Dr. Srivastava has been rightly known as the ‘founding father of Radiation Biology teaching and research in Indian Universities’. On invitation, he moved to join the newly established JNU at New Delhi in 1975, where he was a key player in starting a cutting-edge teaching and research program in the discipline of Life Sciences. He was instrumental in setting up of the multidisciplinary School of Life Sciences for teaching and research at JNU, which continues to excel in academics globally, once again with a focus on Radiation Biology and associated fields, including Cancer Biology. His research, especially in the fields of low-dose internal irradiation by 3H (tritium), radiation protection and sensitization, and hyperthermia, has been the hallmark of global standards of quality research. His work forms the basis of several global standards of radiation-induced damage and radioprotection.
Dr. Srivastava was an excellent teacher, an inspiring mentor, and a global leader in the field of Radiation Biology with academic excellence and leadership in university administration. His smile was contagious and he was always very well turned out. His generosity and hospitality was unparalleled and par excellence. He was a connoisseur of good food and spirit. Very fond of students and young people, he was always there to help and support anyone who was in need. Dr. Srivastava has left behind, his tremendous legacy in hundreds of brilliant scientists he mentored. He will be fondly remembered and missed the world over.