Completed 64 years and stepped into 65^th ... 

Shraddhavan labhate jnanam

(= sincere and hard work begets knowledge) 

-Lord Shri Krishna in Bhagavad Gita

 

As stepped into 65^th year on 06^th November 2013, I tried to look back and lace out my profile, in this brief write-up. You may like to read............

Early education

Born on Sunday 6^th Nov 1949 at 5:00 pm, as 5^th son to my parents, late Shri Darbhe Ishwara Bhatta and Smt. Devaki Amma, I grew up in our native village Irde in Puttur Taluka, Dakshina Kannada District, Karnataka State. We were 11 children (7 brothers and 4 sisters) to my parents. My father was a simple-lived vedic purohit. Though his earning was very meager and supported only hand-to-mouth, he encouraged all of us to take formal education. I spent my childhood at our home Darbhe, in the foothills of the Western Ghats. Home was our first school where we learnt many things from our parents and the serene village surroundings. Most of all, the basic values of living, taught when we were very young, i.e. honesty, humility, discipline and concern for others, all provided a strong base for later living. My brothers are very learned human beings.

My primary schooling was at Kunhimoole-Darbhe Aided School, in the close proximity of our ancestral home. The nearest upper-primary and high schools however were 7-8 km away at Arlapadavu and Bettampady in Puttur Taluka, I walked the distance up and down every day from home for 6^th to 10^th Std (1960-66) as there was no other mode of transport available those days. 

UG and PG

My pre-University and under-graduate studies were at St. Philomena College, Puttur, affiliated to Mysore University (1966-71). This college, a disciplined institute of higher learning, provided me a strong foundation and interest in biological sciences. My biology teachers were a dedicated lot to their profession. Besides regular teaching in classrooms, regularly they took us to nearby forests, fields, streams, mountains and plains to teach field biology. Each outing was an add-on learning experience. 

I did M.Sc. in Biosciences at P.G. Centre Mangalore under Mysore University (1971-73). Again, I had great teachers; every class of theirs was very educative and loaded with not only the subject matter but also curious thoughts. We were driven to form ideas and develop passion for creative thinking.  Under the guidance of Professor K.M. Kaveriappa, who later became the Registrar and Vice Chancellor of Mangalore University and with whom I maintained a lasting contact all through, my interest in microbiology and mycology grew beyond the boundaries.

 

Doctoral studies

I joined the Centre for Advanced Studies in Botany, University of Madras, in August 1973 for my post-M.Sc. Diploma in Mycology and Plant Pathology and Ph.D. in Botany. My doctoral work on biology of fungi (1974-79) was under the supervision of Prof. C.V. Subramanian, an internationally acclaimed mycologist and a wonderful human being. Invaluable guidance from Professor Subramanian and numerous mycological events and cultural interactions that took place those days in Chennai provided me not only a sound knowledge on fungal biology but also everything that I now know.  I had scholarship of one kind or other while at Madras, first a UGC–JRF, then UGC-SRF and later a CSIR–RA (Post-doctoral). 

The Mycological Society of India was established in 1973, the same year of my joining for Ph.D. in Chennai. I have been associated with the Society ever since, in various capacities (as Life Member, Treasurer, Secretary, President and Fellow), all of which I consider great honour. The Society is now 40 plus years and I am very happy that bright and enthusiastic students of mycology are now leading this learned Society.

Encounters with fungi

My doctoral studies on Hypocrealean fungi and subsequent work on Hyphomycetous fungi demanded extensive field work. In the last nearly four decades, in search of microfungi, I trekked around numerous forests and streams of Western Ghats, from Kanyakumari (Tamilnadu) to Mahabaleshwar (Maharashra) through the States of Kerala, Karnataka and Goa, and scanned varied kinds of substrates which included decaying plant litter, freshwater foam, submerged leaf litter, aerial plant parts, epiphytic debris, internals of fresh leaves and twigs, herbivore dung, dead/live insects, soil, etc.  This enduring search for microfungi in the forests and the results achieved provided me a great insight on the diversity and taxonomy of fungi in the tropics. These basic research studies have been excitements of invaluable nature and I cherish them always.

Fungi of the forests of Western Ghats

It was in the monsoon of 1976, in search of Hypocrealean fungi, I set out on my first field trip into the forests of Western Ghats in Dakshina Kannada and Madikeri districts of Karnataka State. Moist chamber incubated dead and decaying twigs of Coffea arabica, collected in Abby Falls near Madikeri, when examined under a stereoscope exhibited glistening, colourless, spherical fungal spores in masses on phialidic conidiophores.  This was nothing to do with Hypocrealean fungi; yet, I showed the preparation to my mentor, Professor Subramanian. The mycology laboratory of Centre for Advanced Studies in Botany at Madras University then had total command on biology and taxonomy of fungi, at global level. My teacher was instant in declaring that the fungus might be an unknown one and I should examine it further. Continued detailed studies in the next couple of months, resulted with description of a new species in a new genus, Bahusutrabeeja dwaya which we published in Canadian Journal of Botany in 1977. This was my first research publication. The fungus has subsequently been sequenced. Though Hypocrealean fungi were my focus for PhD work, in my inner-self, I developed an innate passion for conidial fungi.  It was my firm conviction then that ‘pursuit for knowledge will surpass everything else’. 

Putagraivam sundaram and Peethambara sundara, two more new fungi that we described from my native place Darbhe were an accidental discovery. Closely and curiously watching my fungus collecting sorties in the forests, my father who didn’t even had a formal education brought a head-load of decaying twigs of Macaranga indica from the nearby jungle and asked me to search fungi in them. Interestingly, the twigs had bright-coloured stromatic ascocarps on the surface. Single ascospores in culture produced a synnematous conidial phase. The study ended up in the description of a hitherto unknown teleomorph-anamorph connection of a new fungus. This was a great discovery. Putagraivam sundaram is now a synonym of Didymostilbe sundara.  These are of course yet to be sequenced.

While in Chennai, my two collecting visits to Silent Valley in Kerala (1979, 1980) were most memorable. Led by the Botanical Survey of India and Zoological Survey of India, I was part of a big team set out to study the extent of biodiversity of the region. Temporarily residing in a make-shift camp on the bank of river Kunthi Puzza in deep jungles for over 32 days, I collected samples of fungi from all over the forests and streams. Back in the lab, together with Professor Subramanian, we examined every bit of the samples and documented the fungi. This was a major fungal biodiversity study of the region. It is not an exaggeration that the then proposed plan of construction of a major hydro-electric dam across the river Kunthi Puzza in Silent Valley was permanently scrapped by former Prime Minister, late Smt. Indira Gandhi, because of the evidences provided with high biodiversity profile of the region, inluding the micro-fungi.

As a post-doctoral student in a ‘Fungus Flora of South India’ study programme (1979-81), I collected numerous samples of fungi from different forests of Tamilnadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Goa and studied them in detail. In one of the field trips, near Hassan, Karnataka State, our vehicle was hit by a huge eagle and the jeep fell into a 20 m deep ditch. Miraculous it was, I escaped with minor injuries. Nothing of the sort deterred me from studying fungi. I do remember my first visit to Dudhsagar Falls in Goa, in November 1980. I traveled in a locomotive engine to the waterfalls from Londa junction and had an hour-long swim in the pond adjacent to the railway track.  I had no idea those days that I would continue my quest for fungi in the forests of Goa, subsequently from Goa University (1990-2011). 

 

A brief in Ethiopia

In the 1980s, I worked at the Biology Department, Asmara University, Ethiopia (presently Eritrea), first as Assistant Professor (1981-83) and then as Associate Professor (1983-88) and taught UG botany courses at Asmara University and PG Mycology courses at Addis Ababa University.

Positioned at Asmara University, I got a distinct opportunity to survey the fungal flora of Ethiopia, in the lowland deserts of northern and eastern regions and highland forests of southern provinces. It was a military rule those days in Ethiopia; then, when I put up a research proposal to study the Ethiopian fungi, needful support for my mycological expeditions came readily from the authorities. In view of insurgency problems those days, I and my wife traveled most of Ethiopia in small Dakota planes which often landed in precarious, make-shift airstrips in some of the remote provinces. On those adventurous field trips, we lived in small native huts and temporarily pitched tents and interacted with people of varied African culture and learnt many things, besides fungi. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Ethiopia, a country with rich cultural heritage. Besides nearby Asmara and Gondar provinces, I surveyed the fungi of Blue Nile river basins, Danakil depressions, Rift Valley ranges, Gambella swamps and Massawa port of Red Sea in the former Ethiopia. From fungal diversity study point of view, Ethiopia is undoubtedly rich and in fact those were some of my most productive mycological studies.

In 1985, with support of a Non-Commonwealth Developing Country Fellowship of the Royal Society of London, I spent 6 months at the International Mycological Institute, Kew, UK, where besides Ethiopian fungi, I examined type materials of numerous Indian fungi. The IMI (presently CABI Science), a rich repository of world fungi, was like Mecca for fungal studies.

Return to India and the fungal forests

My interest on fungi grew much more, on return to India in 1988.  In the subsequent years, while working at Mangalore (1988-90) and Goa University (1990-2011), along with my students I surveyed many forests and streams of the Western Ghats and collected fungal samples from everywhere. I trekked long distances by foot; stayed overnights in deep jungles, nearby bus-stands and railway platforms. Collecting, culturing and describing fungi were sheer excitements. Our myco-floristic investigations were not confined to the forests of Western Ghats alone. I also surveyed the forests of Andaman Islands and north-east highlands of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Nagaland.

For advanced studies on fungi, while in Goa University, I visited the University of Waterloo in Canada (1993) and University of Hong Kong (2004). In my mycological studies, besides Professor C.V. Subramanian, I had invaluable support from Prof. K.M. Kaveriappa (Mangalore University); late Prof. K. Natarajan and Prof. B.P.R. Vittal (University of Madras); Dr S. Raghukumar (NIO, Goa); Prof. Bryce Kendrick (University of Waterloo, Canada); Dr. B. Sutton (IMI, UK) and Prof. Kevin D. Hyde (University of Hong Kong and Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, Thailand). They not only accommodated me in their work places for a while but also provided needful help. Major fungal haul came from the wet-evergreen forests of Western Ghats in Silent Valley, Kerala State, Agumbe, Sampaje, Kodachadri hills and Sharavati valley in Karnataka State and Bondla, Molem, Cotigao and Mehdai wildlife sanctuaries in Goa State. Not only many new but also numerous rare and interesting microfungi were discovered by us. Twenty genera and 146 species of fungi were newly described and published by us. I wrote a book on fungi entitled ‘Fascinating Microfungi of the Western Ghats, India’ published by Broadway Book Centre, Panaji, Goa, in 2010 which has been well-received by mycologists around the world. I will always cherish the new fungus, Bhatia malabarica, named in honour of me by a group of American mycologists and published in Mycotaxon 2010 as recognition of our continued work on fungi.  My students are continuing work on fungal taxonomy and it is a deep sense of satisfaction that they have already surpassed me in their knowledge on modern mycology.

Service at Goa University

I joined Goa University as Reader in Microbiology (1990) and then continued as Professor of Botany (since 1994). In these 22 years, I taught courses related to biology and taxonomy of fungi, bacteria, viruses and plant pathology to Botany and Microbiology students. Along with my students, I worked continuously on fungi of the Western Ghats; together we published several research papers in reputed national and international journals.

We conducted an International Symposium on Ecology of Fungi in January 1998 under the auspices of International Mycological Association Committee for Asia (IMACA) and Mycological Society of India. Renowned mycologists from 17 Asian countries came to Goa and participated in the Symposium.  It was a grand programme. With support from the Planning Commission, Government of India, we worked on Plant and Fungal biodiversity study (2000-06). In association with Western Ghats Kokum Foundation, we made efforts to green the University campus (2006-11).

Two major research projects that I and my students worked were (i) ‘Drug discovery from microbial (fungal) extracts.....’ of the CSIR, and (ii) ‘All-India Coordinated Project on Taxonomy (AICOPTAX) of Fungi’ of the MoEF, Government of India (2000-11). We did numerous single-spore isolations of microfungi and taxonomically documented and maintained them in a sustainable fungus culture collection at the Department of Botany. Maintaining the fungal cultures in pure form in repositories is a potentially optimistic approach not only of slowing down the loss of fungal bioresources but also a meaningful way of conserving them in a gene-bank. Working with fungi, several students completed their doctoral degrees.

One more aspect that I will always remember of Goa University is the effort that we did to enrich the campus biodiversity. On our own and with assistance from outside, we made continued effort to green the campus which otherwise is a lateritic, rocky and weedy plateau. Though the campus turns green with many ephemerals during rain, accidental fire in summer months would clear them all. It was a recurring problem. The trees grown over the years and now giving shade and aesthetic look in front of the main building and elsewhere in the campus, are those planted since 1990s by the horticulture section of Goa University, Forest Department, Government of Goa and Western Ghats Kokum Foundation.  As the trees grow taller, the campus transforms into a green, vibrant centre of learning. This tree-planting and greening effort should continue. I feel very proud that I was part of this institute of higher learning.

Post retirement

I retired from the service of Goa University in November 2011. My good friend Prof. Kevin D. Hyde who knew my continued passion for fungi, arranged an invitation as Visiting Professor to Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, Thailand. Working with students of Dr Hyde and continuously looking at fungi, I spent 5-6 months each in the last two years at MFU. The mycology lab at Mae Fah Luang University is filled with enthusiastic doctoral students drawn from Sri Lanka, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Laos, Indonesia and India, besides Thailand. Every student is so focused and dedicated in approach to fungi.  It is a sound mycology there. Even after returning to India, I am busy perusing descriptions, illustrations and sequence data of fungi which the students of Dr Hyde send me for correction, almost every day. This is what I wrote earlier; quest for knowledge will surpass everything else. It is a standing invitation from Dr Hyde; I will continue to visit Mae Fah Luang University, as long as I can.

My small family

My wife Vasanthi supported my interest in academics and researches on fungi all these years, in a big way. Had she not been so supportive and caring, I don’t think that I could have achieved so much in a short span of time. Our both children are engineers. Our daughter Kripa, along with her husband Nagesh and daughter Megha, is living in Dubai. Posted in Goa, our son Krishna, is working for the IT giant TCS.

Epilogue 

It is a joy and satisfaction that I got continued support from my friends, students and dear and near ones in my work with fungi. Had we all not been so careful, supportive to each other and constructive in our approaches, I don’t think that we would have accomplished so much. With humility, I place on records my most sincere and grateful thanks to everyone........  

 

.....................D. Jayaram Bhat

 

On return from Thailand, first, I met my mother........

On return from Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, Thailand, last week, after completing my Visiting Professorship (June-Sept 2013) which was so fruitful and most rewarding from mycological point of view, I did my first duty and, indeed, it was truly a heart-warming one.

I visited our native home at Darbhe, Irde village, Dakshnina Kannada - Karnataka State, and met my mother on Friday. It was a moment of great joy, happiness and emotional to be with her for a while.

When I visited our mother a couple of months back in August 2013, she was very sick and weak due to advanced age and fragile health. She couldn’t recognize me then.  I prayed Bhagwaan Shree Ram for her good health and went back to Thailand to complete my assignment. Now I see my mother better and more cheerful; she is running 95. With conscious and alert mind, she enquired health and well-being of all of us....me, my wife and children....what else do we need..., this is called ‘maathruvaatsalya’! I returned to Goa yesterday with more energy and focused mind...; we have many more things to do and accomplish.....not only in mycology but also in other spheres!

I lived at our native home Darbhe in the foothills of Wesetrn Ghats, for a long time, in my younger age; ......nostalgic memory goes back to 50 years ago; my early education and ‘samskaar’, i.e. learning basic human values, were all from that soil, surroundings  and environment.

 

On Saturday, 5^th Oct 2013, early morning, I stood at our home-courtyard; typical village environment. Monsoon rain has just stopped; radiating bright sunlight piercing through vast canopy of areca and coconut trees and touching the ground; ....with chirping birds, colourful butterflies, hopping squirrels, basking dogs, milking cows, lively but innocent people, this village is a miniature world on its own!

There is no great improvement of basic amenities, in our village Irde, in all these years. Frankly, Irde is famous for 'bendru-theertha' or hot-water spring, a rare geological marvel!  However, the only road - first built by the villagers, by generous donation of private land without any government compensation, but later acquired  by the panchayat and government- connecting the Darbhe-Kunhimule hamlet to the main-road leading to taluka head-quarters Puttur, is in a very poor state. Surfaced by a thin layer of poor quality asphalt and with innumerable pot-holes, this road is the life-line to this settlement in this Karnataka-Kerala-border village. Two buses, one private and a KSRTC-owned, commute the passengers who include numerous school-going children and young and old village-folk, morning and evening on this horrendous road. I too travelled by one of these buses to our home, last week! Who cares for this corner of the State....?

I will write further, after a couple of days.....; Good bye till then.

 

 

D. Jayarama Bhat

 

Saturday-evening Walking Street’ in Chiang Rai, Thailand......

On Friday afternoon, friend Samantha inquired if I am interested to take a stroll in the ‘Saturday Evening Walking Street’ in Chiang Rai. I am aware of this street very much because, I and my wife had ventured into this festive-looking street last year once.  

Every Saturday night, in the heart of Chiang Rai city, Thailand, one of the main roads in the central market area, Thanalai road, is closed to traffic from 5pm to 11pm and adopts a festive look. The whole street outlook changes...........!

Melvina, Chinthani, Nalin, Dhanu and Foi joined me and Samantha, yesterday. We parked our vehicle near the musical clock tower and set out walking the street. It was indeed a long walk on this busy, crowded road.....

With numerous lanterns and electrical lights illuminating the road, scores of make-shift small shops displayed and sold all kinds materials which included readymade garments, perfumes, indoor plants, lots of hand-made souveniers and fruits and vegetables, all for very small prices. Street foods, soft-drinks, music and group dancing enthralled the street and gave a festive look.

It took more than two hours for us to cover the long street. Most memorable evening indeed.............!

 

     ..................D. Jayarama Bhat

Beautiful ‘ORCHID-SHOW’ at Chiang Mai, Thailand................

Saturday, August 10, 2013; completing a quick, 2-day fungus-collecting trip in the surroundings of Mushroom Research Centre, Chiang Mai, we were on our way back to Chiang Rai. Mr. Michael, Samantha, Dhanushka, Dev and myself; we left the MRC at 8:00 am, passed through the near-by elephant-ride and proceeded via Chiang Mai. Michael was on the wheels. He was readying to go back to his home in England and wanted to pick up a few, little souvenirs from Chiang Mai.

As we entered the city, surrounded by ancient brick walls and water canals, Chiang Mai was showcasing one of the largest orchid exhibits. Michael parked the vehicle and we went through the exhibits which stretched for over a km in the pavements. It was not only orchids, but also bonsai, crotons, anthuriums, succulants, cacti, grafts of mango, jackfruit, guava and all kinds of ornamental and fruit plants displayed for exhibition and sale.  Undoubtedly, Chiang Mai is a beautiful and clean city.

Amongst all, what attracted us very much was the glorious orchids. Thailand is a leading country in the world exporting some of the finest varieties of orchids, in bulk. Some of their suppliers have largest selection of Dendrobiums, Arandas, Vandas, Mokaras, Oncidiums and dyed orchids in numerous colours, sizes and density. On that day, a glimpse of these, we could see and enjoy in Chiang Mai.....

 

...................D. Jayarama Bhat

A memorable trip to KHUN KON WATERFALLS in Chiang Rai, Thailand.........................

First week of July 2013; I was busy in handling the Mycology course paper to graduate students and participating in researches on micro-fungi with scholars at Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, Thailand.  I had just then completed one-month of stay since arrival and, on the week-end, my friend Samantha informed over phone that he and Mr. Michael Pilkington will be going to nearby Khun Kon Waterfalls on a mushroom collecting trip on Saturday, 6^th July 2013, and I could join them. Both of them are experts on mushrooms and a leisure trip with them will be a great learning, I thought.....!  For Samantha, study of mushrooms is his PhD programme. Michael is enjoying working with and photographing mushrooms in nature. If you want to know how much Michael enjoys mushrooms, please visit his website www.mycoimage.co.uk. Two of the research scholars at MFU, Ms. Chinthani and Mr. Dev, joined us. Both of them were interested to collect samples of unitunicate ascomycetous fungi for their researches.

Khun Kon Waterfalls is about 32 km south of Chiang Rai city. The road was very nice, well-asphalted all through except last 2 km. We left Mae Fah Luang University campus at 8:00 am and reached the site at 9:00 am. With enough parking place at Khun Kon, the last 2 km walking trail to the waterfalls was a cool exercise. Surrounded by high trees, bamboos, bananas, ferns and thick understoreys, the walking trail has serene, shady natural surroundings. It rained quite heavily when we were walking to the waterfalls. Unfortunately, I didn’t take my umbrella and had to take shelter for a lwhile under the foliage of a huge banana plant. The Khun Kon Waterfall is about 70 m high and being rainy season it was gorgeous and most scenic to watch. We collected many fungi, on the way. More than that, I watched the art of Michael’s mushroom photography. It was a long process. We saw a huge stink-horn fungus (Phallus sp). Michael mounted his camera on a tripod stand, adjacent to the mushroom, sharpened his focus and clicked several pictures. I too got a picture clicked, holding the fruit body of stink-horn fungus.

At several points, all along the walking track, forest department has placed waste-collecting bins. None throws the refuse outside. This is very important in nature reserves. The surroundings will be tidy and clean if we care and maintain the cleanliness. Nature is beautiful and pristine only if we preserve and protect it............!

 

D. Jayarama Bhat

DOI MAE SALONG, a pleasant hill-station in the proximity of Chiang Rai, Thailand.

Last Tuesday, 23^rd August 2013, my friend Samantha was readying to go to Doi Mae Salong, on his weekly mushroom sampling trip. This was part of his systematic, enduring study of macrofungi aimed at understanding the biodiversity of mushrooms in the highlands of northern Thailand. He invited me to join the trip. I had been to Doi Mae Salong twice already last year together with my wife. This trip, the third one, I readily agreed because, this cool hill town just about 60 km distance from Chiang Rai is undoubtedly an interesting place to visit and enjoy.

Doi (=mountain) Mae Salong is a hill station with vast tea plantations. The hill road leading to Doi Mae Salong from Chiang Rai is undoubtedly a marvel; asphalted, well built and with numerous sharp curves, steep slopes and undulating terrains.  On either side, half-way through the journey, you will see extensive corn cultivations. Then on, as long as your eyes can see, it is vast expanse of tea plantations dotted with litchi and other fruit trees.

Doi Mae Salong has an interesting history but of just 6 decades. It seems, on conclusion of a civil war in 1949, in the border villages of southwestern China (Yunnan), Myanmar and northern Thailand, some remnants of anti-communist Chinese forces led by a General refused to go back to China. They not only took asylum in Doi Mae Salong but also willingly fought for Thailand against communist insurgency in the northern border of the country. As a reward for their help, the Thai Government granted citizenship to these soldiers and their families. Then on, these people permanently settled down in Doi Mae Salong. Presently, they practice agriculture (tea cultivation) as their main occupation.

Doi Mae Salong, known as ‘Little Switzerland,’ is a wonderful, tourist attractive, hill town. Besides tea, the people living here grow cherry blossom and other dry fruits. There are many shops selling attractive handicrafts, vanity bags and much artistry.  Every shop name is written in 3 languages: Thai, English and Chinese; I felt that they truly maintained their ancestry.

There are magnificent Buddhist temples built at the top of high mountains in Doi Mae Salong. These temples, shops, hotels and other eating places are very clean and tidy. You will enjoy taking a stroll on the serene roadsides and buy the souvenirs, before getting back to Chiang Rai. Sam collected many mushrooms. I went around with him. Undoubtedly, it was an enchanting trip for me.  I and my wife visited this place last year, along with Mr. Phonguen who was then carrying out the mushroom diversity study.  My wife too fondly remembers this ‘Little Switzerland’...............!

 

 

 

D. Jayarama Bhat

'Himalayan Tsunami'

 

After a big gap of two months, I am writing on this page. I took time to come out of the deep-shock of Uttarkhand hill-shrine tragedy. Friends, please bear with me.

I am presently working, on a 4-month assignment (June-Sept 2013) as Visiting Professor at Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, Thailand. I came here on 10^th June 2013. This time, I came alone and will be back in India on completion of this academic/research programme, on 6th Oct 2013. I am teaching a paper on ‘Mycology: Taxonomy and Diversity’ to under-graduate and graduate students of this University. Besides, I am assisting research scholars working with fungi on taxonomy and biodiversity. Week-ends, accompanying the mushroom group, I go out on collecting fungi. Collecting, working and teaching fungi; what else will bring joy for people like us? Two weeks ago, I gave a seminar talk entitled ‘Evolution of taxonomy of Hyphomycetes and its present status’, to the Mycology group. Time is running! If we want to accomplish more in the limited time, we should work hard and with great speed. 

Exactly a week after my arrival here, one of the worst natural calamities struck Kedarnath temple Valley in Uttarakhand, India. Torrential rain, instant flash flood and huge landslides, together lashed out at Kedarnath temple premises and the whole valley - all happened on June 16^th-17^th 2013. This terrible nature’s fury has been aptly named as ‘Himalayan Tsunami’. The landslides and flash flood from the mountains, accompanied by huge boulders and mud-slurry, gushed down the sloppy terrain and washed away everything on the way. A sea of humanity and vast amount of built-in infrastructure which included buildings, roads, dams, bridges, vehicles and forest trees, were washed away or got buried in the mud. I read all these in the news, continously flashed by the Indian media channels! Unimaginable loss of human lives and huge damage to state infrastructure – I was deeply, deeply shocked! I pray Bhagwaan Shankar Mahadev to bless the departed souls with everlasting peace.  My heart goes with deepest sympathies to all those who lost their dear and near ones in this horrendous tragedy.   

Sacred Chardham theertha-yaathra is perhaps every ardent Hindu believer wishes to undertake, in his or her life-time. Located in the astonishingly beautiful foothills of Himalayas in Uttarkhand, Yamunothri, Gangothri, Kedarnath and Badrinath are India’s most revered and glorious four shrines. With famous Haridwar as gateway, age-old sacred shrines of Uttarkashi, Chamoli and Rudraprayag, which altogether reminisce thousands of years old Hindu mythology and Indian history. In my childhood days, I heard these legendary stories from my mother. Way back in the 8^th century, great reformer and Hindu philosopher Shree Adi Shankaracharya travelled to Kedarnath by foot from Kerala and established the temple. On the walls and roof of Kalady Sharadamba Temple, on the bank of river Periyar in Kerala state, the birthplace of Adi Shankara, details of establishment of Kedarnath shrine and Shri Adi Shankara attaining divinity is inscribed. It is quite but natural that thousands of devotees from all over India, throng these sacred shrines in Uttarkhand, during the festive and auspecious season.  

I read with anxiety and deep pain the untold tragedy and unimaginable difficulties faced by local people and thousands of devotees visited the shrines, during this painful devastation. Our Army forces (land, air and mountain) did a yeomen service in rescuing the trapped devotees from nature’s fury.  Press and TV channels did a great service to us by reporting the news first-hand and in great swiftness, utmost care and continuity.  History will always remember this 'Himalayan flashflood tsunami' as one of the greatest natural calamities of the time.

It will take lot of time, energy and money to rebuild the shrines and infrastructure in a holistic and planned manner. The Chief Minister of Uttarkhand, Shri Vijaya Bahuguna, is doing everything possible to put the place back in its natural glory, fame and divinity. All of us should join him and his government in this noble and pious task. That will be a great service to the nation and deep prayer to Bhagwan Mahabaleshwar.   

(D. Jayaram Bhat)

 

My fond farewell to Goa University MSc (Botany) students (2011-13)

I taught a compulsory course paper BOC 102: Bacteria, Fungi, Viruses and Plant Pathology (Theory and Practicals) to the present batch of M.Sc. (Botany) students in Semester I (June-Oct 2011), just before I retired from the service of Goa University, on superannuation, on 30 Nov 2011. It was the last batch of students that I taught at Goa University. I believe, these students have now completed their learning component and will be writing final semester examinations in the coming week.

I used both black-board and well-illustrated/described power-point presentations, abundantly and continuously, as teaching aids. All ppts were given to the students as take-home reading material. Besides, mycology literature web-links were provided as additional reading materials. With assistance of research students, I conducted practical classes every week twice using freshly grown fungal specimens gathered from various habitats. The course was given in the first semester from July to October and being the rainy season, fungi were available in plenty in their best fruiting stages. We used pond water, decaying plant debris and moist-chamber incubated herbivore dung as continuous source of live fungi to study different taxonomic groups, at all the time. End of the semester, an illustrated and compiled lab-journal was submitted by each student. I took the students on a fungus-collecting field-trip to Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary in Sept 2011 and observed that they are so eager to learn. It was a good opportunity for them to see the fungi growing on natural substrates such as live leaves (foliicolous), fallen decomposing plant-leaves (litter), tree trunks (including lichens) and even on running streams (aquatic fungi). The fungi gathered included mushrooms, puff balls, cup-fungi, earth stars and a variety of microfungi. Students brought the samples and examined in detail in subsequent lab sessions. Overall, the students did quite well in the course. None missed the classes.

This is a very fine batch of post-graduate students; very disciplined, good at learning and above all quite inquisitive about the subject. For reasons beyond my ability, we had no formal parting at Goa University at the time of my retirement. I take this opportunity to wish them good luck to forthcoming examinations and all well in their future endeavours. 

D. Jayarama Bhat

‘Hanuman Jayanthi..........’

‘Hanuman Jayanthi’, the 'birth of Maruti’ is celebrated today, the 15^th day of Shukla Paksha in the month of Chaitra as per Hindu calendar. Today is also the ‘Chaitra Pournima’. Hanuman, an ardent devotee of Bhagwan Rama, is worshiped for his deep faith and devotion to Shri Rama who is revered for his unending compassion, courage and devotion to values and duties. Hanuman, son of Vayu (wind God), is said to be immortal. He is the symbol of strength, energy, truth and loyalty.  The Ramayan is the story of triumph of good against evil.

‘Ramakien’, glory of Shri Rama, is Thailand’s national epic, is based on Valmiki Ramayan from India. This work had greatly influenced Thai culture, literature, art and drama. The walls of Wat Pra Kaew of Thai Grand Palace in Bangkok, where the temple of Emerald Buddha is also located, are beautifully emblazoned with 178 mural paintings representing the entire story of Ramakien, dating from late 18^th century.  The Ramakien is considered as one of the masterpieces in Thai literature. It is still vastly read and taught in the country’s schools.

Hanuman is one of the central characters in epic Ramayana. He also finds references in mythological texts such as Mahabharata, various other epic literatures and some Jain writings. In Ramayana, Hanuman has been described as a humanoid ape. He searched and found Sita, the wife of Rama, in Ashokavan of Sri Lanka and later participated in Rama’s war against King Ravana.   Shri Rama was a great human being, embodiment of noble values and virtues. 

I and my wife visited the Grand Palace in Bangkok in August 2013 and spent a day seeing the Ramakien mural paintings on the walls of Wat Pra Kaew. The pictures that we took at Grand Palace in Bangkok are most amazing and some of them shown below are self explanatory!

 

D. Jayarama Bhat