Hassan Nasiem Siddiquie

Hassan Nasiem Siddique (20 July 1934 – 14 November 1986) was an Indian marine geologist and the director of the National Institute of Oceanography. He was the deputy leader of the first Indian expedition to the Antarctica during 1981–82. He was known for his geological studies on Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea and was an elected fellow of the Indian National Science Academy, Geological Society of India, Association of Exploration Geophysicists and the National Academy of Sciences, India. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards for his contributions to Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean and Planetary Sciences in 1978. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest Indian civilian honour of Padma Shri in 1983.

Biography

H. N. Siddiquie was born on 20 July 1934 to M. A. Siddiquie, a civil surgeon and his homemaker wife, Ahemedi Begum as the eldest of their 6 sons and two daughters in Bijnor in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. His early education was at the Government Higher Secondary School, Adilabad and after matriculation in 1949, he completed his intermediate studies at Osmania University in 1951. Thereafter he joined Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) from where he completed his graduate degree in science in 1954. It was during this period, his father died but he continued his studies at AMU to obtain a master's degree in geology in 1956 and pursued his doctoral studies at the university but his doctoral degree came years later when the university awarded him the degree of Doctor of Philosophy while he was serving National Institute of Oceanography. His career started at Geological Survey of India (GSI) in 1956 at their Ground Water Exploration Division and Research Laboratories. He served GSI for over 17 years during which period he served as a senior geologist during 1966–73 and had a training stint at Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Moscow. When the Government of India established National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) in 1973, he moved to the institute's Goa headquarters as a Grade-E scientist and the head of the Geological Oceanography Division. He served NIO in different capacities such as Grade-F Scientist and deputy director before becoming the director of the institute in 1985. The first bottom sediment map of the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal was prepared under his supervision which served as a guide for future explorations in the region. His studies on Lakshadeep offshores also assisted in widening the understanding of about the origin of the Chagos-Laccadive Ridge. He was the deputy leader of the first Indian expedition to Antarctica, under the leadership of Syed Zahoor Qasim and he coordinated the marine science programs for Dakshin Gangotri, the permanent Indian station in the southernmost continent. He also mentored seven doctoral scholars in their studies. The Government of India included him the Republic Day honors list for the fourth highest civilian award of the Padma Shri in 1983. Indian Geophysical Union has instituted an annual award oration, Dr. H. N. Siddique Memorial Lecture in Siddique 's honor.

Selected bibliography