Mysuru: Kalasuruchi and Kutuhali-Kannada will present Science Sanje event on June 14 (Saturday) at Suruchi Rangamane in Kuvempunagar from 6.30 pm to 7.30 pm.

Dr. S. Natesh, former Advisor, Department of Biotech, Government of India, will deliver a talk on ‘The Tree that Swallowed a Borderpost and Other Iconic Trees of India.’

Dr. S. Natesh taught Botany at the University of Delhi for nearly a decade before moving to the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India, in 1984. At DBT, he headed several divisions, including Bioresources, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Environmental Biotechnology, Food Biotechnology, Aquaculture & Marine Biotechnology, Biotechnology for Societal Development and International Collaboration. He was also the first Member-Secretary of the National Bioresource Development Board and edited DBT’s bimonthly newsletter, Biotech News.

Through his dynamic leadership, several new and novel programmes were successfully launched at DBT.

Following his superannuation from DBT in 2012, Dr. Natesh served as a Consultant-Advisor at the National Institute of Immunology and the DST Centre for Policy Research at IIT-Delhi. Currently, he is an Honorary Fellow of the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment.

His recent interests include tracking and mapping the heritage trees of India and plants that influenced history. His work on heritage trees has resulted in a book, ‘Iconic Trees of India,’ recently published by Roli Books. The book has been featured in all major literature festivals.

Dr. Natesh has led many biotech delegations abroad and served on the Advisory Boards of several institutions and Ministries. He received the Biospectrum Lifetime Achievement Award for elevating the Indian Biosciences Sector. A new plant species, Aponogeton nateshii has been named in  his honour.