GUWAHATI, Feb 12 – The Assam Jatiya Bidyalay Educational and Socio-Economic Trust has decided to grant Assam Jatiya Bidyalay fellowship to noted botanist Anand Chandra Dutta for the year 2010.
The fellowship would be formally given to Dutta on February 22 at the school premises.
Dutta, as per the fellowship, would be given a stipend of Rs 4,000 per month for a period of two years. Vice-Chancellor of Tezpur University Mihir Kanti Choudhury will also be present on the occasion. A book titled Oi Mili by Dharani Lakhar will also be released on the occasion. The book has been published by the trust.
Informing this Dr Basanta Deka, president of the managing committee, said that the trust has unanimously decided to grant Dutta the fellowship and the latter would be under no obligation to do any research work on any subject for the trust.
“He has done extensive work in his field and the fellowship is just a way to appreciate and recognise his contribution,” Dr Deka told media persons here today.
Born at Sekonidhara village of Jorhat on February 8, 1923, Dutta started his career as a teacher in Marioni Middle English High School in 1944-45 and then joined the Tocklai Tea Research Centre in 1947.
He was instrumental in setting up a full-fledged tea museum at Jorhat in 1977.
Known for his extensive botanical research work, he collected and preserved 151 types of grass in 1947. He has also prepared a database on rare species of flora using his won photograph.
Dutta has also prepared a list of 10,000 trees for the Tocklai herbarium. Even when nearing ninty, he has been actively involved in study and research on nature and wildlife. He has contributed a number of articles in newspapers and journals besides authoring eight books, mostly on flora.
