Shankar Purushottam Agharkar


Shankar Purushottam Agharkar was an Indian Morphologist. Agharkar obtained his PhD degree from the University of Berlin, Germany. His specialization was in Plant Morphology. He was the Ghosh Professor of Botany at the University of Calcutta; and Founder Director of Maharashtra Association for the Cultivation of Science. He is one of the leading botanists of India. He explored biodiversity of Western Ghats where he came across a species of freshwater jellyfish, which was until then only known to be found in Africa. These findings were published in scientific journal Nature in 1912. Dr. Annandale, the Superintendent of the Indian Museum in Kolkata, helped Dr. Agharkar in his further endeavours to collect, preserve and conduct microscopic examinations of animal and plant specimens. The institute ARI, Pune has been named after him.

Early life

He was born in 1884. Since childhood he was fascinated by plants and animals which led him to discover a new species of jellyfish. He was known for his accurate information and detailed observations.

Education

Later C.V.Raman recommended him for the Ghosh professorship at Calcutta. He went to Germany to obtain the PhD degree from the University of Berlin in 1919 but was imprisoned as the World War I broke out. However he completed his PhD in jail and returned to India.

Awards and honours