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Academic journey
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I did my schooling at various places.
LKG-3 Std - Christ Convent, Maduravoyal, Chennai.
4 Std and 5 Std - Villivakkam Panchayat Board Elementary School, Maduravoyal, Chenni.
6 Std - 10 Std - then Government High School (now Governemnt Higher Secondary School), Maduravoyal, Chennai.
11 Std and 12 Std - Thiru. Vi. Ka. Higher Secondary School, Shenoy Nagar, Chennai.
I did all my college studies @ Madras Christian College MCC, Tambaram, Chennai.
I was awarded doctorate in Botany for my thesis entitled "Pollen analysis of lake sediments, surface soils and leaf trait
measurements in the Eastern Ghats, India" by University of Madras through Department of Botany, Madras Christian College,
Affiliated to University of Madras, Chennai.
I was involved with a
project @ French Institute, Pondicherry as a research associate.
Earlier I was involved in a project @ CSIR Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP), Bangalore Resource
Centre, Bengaluru under the guidance of Dr. R.Raghavendra Rao, a stalwart of Botany.
Earlier I was involved in a project @ MS Swaminathan Research Institute (MSSRF), Chennai.
Earlier I was teaching @ Madras Christian College, Chennai.
Earlier I was teaching @ RKM Vivekananda College, Chennai.
Earlier I was teaching @ TransDisciplinary University, Bengaluru.
At present teaching @ St. Joseph's University, Bengaluru.
I also did my Sociology post graduation (MA in Sociology) at Tamil Nadu Open University.
And also doing Bachelor of Christian Studies in University of Senate of Serampore to know more about christian theology.
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My other interests are in understanding people & society, and hence my interest in sociology. This has also led me into
philosophy, but not of the vague kind! :-)
I think this is enough about me for the time being, but if you insist that seeing is believing, then here is
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This was taken during a field work @ Talakona Falls near Tirupati, India
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What a job!
This was taken when I was engaged in a research project @ French Institute,
Pondicherry...
This project involves meticulous lab work as well as week long field works...
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My Research Theme
You can find here more about my research theme which am taking for my Ph.D.
My Research Abstract
This song may sum up the situation of the unfortunate fellows who do Ph.D.
Song Academia
( Song sung to the tune of "Hotel California" )
In a dark deserted room,
Brylcreem in my hair.
Warm smell of unwashed socks,
Rising up through the air.
Up
ahead on my Mac screen
I saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim,
I had to work through the
night.
As he stood in the doorway,
I heard the Rush Rhees bells.
And I was thinking to myself,
'Four years of
researching - this could be hell'
Then he picked up my paper,
And he gave me an 'A'.
there were voices down the corridor,
Thought
I heard them say,
'Welcome to the world of academia
Such a lovely place, such a lovely place, such a lovely phase.
Plenty
of room at the world of academia,
Any time of year. any time of year, you can hang out here.'
My mind was stiff and a-twisted,
The coursework never seemed to end.
Got a lot of glassy genius boys,
That
we call friends.
How they mugged in the libr'ry,
Sweet summer sweat.
Some mugged to remember,
Some mugged to forget.
So I called my advisor,
'Please make me a T.A.'
He said ' We've never had such spirit here
Boy, you really
make my day'
And now those students keep calling from far away,
Waking up in the middle of the night,
Just to hear
them say
'Welcome to the world of academia,
Such a lovely place, such a lovely place, such a lovely phase
Livin'
it up at the world of academia
We don't mean to cheat, we don't mean to cheat,
where's your answer sheet.
Four years was my ceiling,
Then came some advice.
He said 'We are all just prisoners here
Failed my defense
thrice'
In the dissertation chambers,
The doctoral committee,
They quiz him with their steely glares
And he can't
get his Ph.D.
Last thing I remember,
I was running for the door.
I had to find a passage back
To the place I was before.
'Relax',
said the chairman,
'Til some results we receive.
You can check out any course you like
But you can never leave.'
Courtesy: Tabish
Few words about my Ph.D. supervisor
Dr. C. Livingstone
(2nd January 1949), M.Sc., M.Phil., Ph.D., Head & Prof., Department of Botany, Madras
Christian College, was my Ph.D.
supervisor. Dr. Livingstone had served as Head of the Department of Botany, Madras
Christian College from 2003
onwards, till he superannuated in 2007. He passed his SSLC from Arumanai high school, Kanya Kumari District and did P. U.
C. in Scott Christian
College, Nagercoil. He did B. Sc. in Alagappa Arts College,
Karaikudi, Ramnad District. He came to MCC as a post graduate student in 1968 and joined as a faculty in July, 1970. He did
M. Phil. Course in St. Joseph’s college, Tiruchi and Ph. D. in the Botanical Survey of
India, Coimbatore. Dr. Livingstone was also course coordinator
of Department of Microbiology (Self-Financed stream), MCC, Curator of MCC campus and president of Scrub Society. He was warden
of St. Thomas’ hall. He also remained Director to MCC
farm. He is also Treasurer of Centre for plants, people and ecosystems, a NGO working field based research on knowledge systems
related to plants, people and ecosystems.
He showed keen interest in studying the plants of MCC campus from the time he joined the Botany Department
and this resulted in the publication of “Campus Flora” in 1978. Under the district flora project of Botanical
Survey of India, he investigated the flora of Chengalpattu District. His genuine interest in the study of flowering plants
resulted in the publication of book on “Flowering plants of Madras
City and its immediate neighbourhood” in 1994. He successfully
guided 30 M. Phil. Scholars and 11 Ph. D. scholars. Two newly discovered plants of the Andaman and Nicobar
Islands, Aidia livingstonii Karthig et al. and Liparis livingstonii Jayanthi et al. are named in honour of Dr. C. Livingstone for his contributions to Plant
Taxonomy. A species of whitefly namely Aleurocanthus livingstonii is also named
after him.
Ph.D.
guided by Dr. C. Livingstone
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Year
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Title
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1998
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Pollination of Canopy and sub-canopy
trees by social bees in a wet evergreen forest of south Western Ghats, India
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G. Rajah
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1999
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Biosystematic Study with Special
Reference to Cytotaxonomy of South Indian Acanthaceae
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2000
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Ethnobotanical studies on Irula Tribe,
Tamil Nadu, India
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4
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Chemotaxonomy
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2001
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Chemotaxonomy and comparative
anatomy of certain species of Ocimum Occuring in India
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5
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N.S. Radha
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Chemotaxonomy
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2001
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Studies on the Agro -Techniques,
Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry of Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.)
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6
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Biodiversity
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2001
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Plant Species Diversity, Structure and Regeneration in the Unlogged and Logged mid
Elevation
Wet Evergreen Forest
of southern Western Ghats, India
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7
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Angiosperm Taxonomy
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2007
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Flowering Plants of Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park,
South Andamans, India
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8
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Angiosperm Taxonomy
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2009
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Floristic studies on the plains
of Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu, India
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9
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Palyno-Ecology
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2010
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Pollen Analysis of Lake Sediments, Surface Soils and Leaf Trait Measurements in the Eastern Ghats, India
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10
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Plant Systematics
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2010
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Pogostemon in Tamil Nadu: Systematics
and Bioprospecting
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11
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P. Sudhakar
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Plant Taxonomy
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2012
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The parks of Chennai city plant diversity and ethnobotany
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