N. Balakrishnan Nair

Narayana Balakrishnan Nair (1927–2010) was a marine biologist, ecologist and the founder president of Kerala Science Congress. He was known for his advocacy of trawling ban during monsoon seasons which was later accepted and imposed by the Government of Kerala. A Jawaharlal Nehru fellow, Nair was an elected fellow of all the major Indian science academies as well as the Zoological Society of London. 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, in 1971, for his contributions to biological sciences. He received the fourth highest Indian civilian honor of the Padma Shri in 1984.

Biography Balakrishnan Nair was born on 5 February 1927 in Perumbavoor in Ernakulam District in the South Indian state of Kerala. After obtaining a doctoral degree (PhD) from the University of Madras in 1955, he continued his researches there to secure the degree of Doctor of Science in 1965 and started his career by joining the University of Kerala as a member of the faculty of science. (1968–80) and the dean of the faculty of science (1976) till he moved out in 1978 to take up positions elsewhere. Subsequently, he chaired the Science, Technology and Environment Committee (STEC) (present-day Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment) of the state government and served as a member of the Kerala State Coastal Zone Management Authority, established by the Government of Kerala in 2002. He also served as an emeritus professor of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) from 1991 onwards.

Legacy Balakrishnan Nair focused his researches on organisms that damage the marine ecology and his studies on the wood-boring molluscs helped in understanding the mechanism of their timber boring activities. He studied the littoral ecology and proposed measures for conservation of aquatic life and its management. and several books. A Textbook of Marine Ecology, The Biology of Woodboring Teredinid Molluscs, Marine Timber Destroying Organisms of the Andaman-Nicobar Islands and the Lakshadweep Archipelago and Advances in Aquatic Biology and Fisheries, in English language and Paristhithivignanam (Environmental Studies) and Kadal: Oru Adbhudam (Ocean: A Wonder), both in Malayalam. are some of the notable ones among them.

Nair was one of the founder members of the Kerala Science Congress when it was established in 1989 and served as its president since inception till 1992. He sat in the panel of experts of the Centre for Coastal Zone Management and Coastal Shelter Belt, with responsibility for the state of Kerala and was a founder member of the Kerala State Coastal Zone Management Authority. he participated in several conferences to deliver keynote addresses.

Awards and honors Nair was awarded the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, one of the highest Indian science awards, by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research in 1971. and the Government of India included him in the Republic Day honors list for the civilian award of the Padma Shri in 1984. He was also an elected fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Sciences, India, The World Academy of Sciences (2002), Zoological Society of London, Zoological Society of India, Marine Biological Association of India and was a founder fellow of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

Selected bibliography