Thrissur: Dr  K S Manilal (86), the renowned botanist and Padma Shri awardee, passed away at a private hospital in Thrissur. He had been ill for a long time.

Dr  K S Manilal, also known as Kattungal Subrahmanyan Manilal, was a former head of the Department of Botany at the University of Calicut. He was the researcher who, through his decades of work, first brought the ancient Latin text 'Hortus Malabaricus', which details Kerala’s plant wealth, to both English and Malayalam. His extensive studies on the plant biodiversity of Kozhikode and Silent Valley are also well-known.

Early Life

Born on September 17, 1938 in Paravur, North Ekka, to Kattungal A. Subrahmanyan and K.K. Devaki, Manilal completed his undergraduate studies at Ernakulam Maharaja’s College before earning PhD in Botany from Sagar University, Madhya Pradesh, in 1964. He joined the University of Kerala’s Calicut Centre as a lecturer in the same year, and later became part of the University of Calicut when it was established. Promoted to professor in 1976, he became a senior professor and head of the department in 1986.

In the latter half of the 17th century, the Dutch Governor of Kochi, Hendrik Adrian van Reede, compiled *Hortus Malabaricus*, a 12-volume work on the plant wealth of Kerala. Published from Amsterdam, the Latin text was later translated into English and Malayalam through the efforts of Dr. Manilal, three centuries after its original publication. Manilal’s dedicated work since 1958 led to the English edition being published in 2003 and the Malayalam edition in 2008. These editions were published by the University of Kerala. Meantime, Manilal, selected as a 'Royal Society Nuffield Foundation Fellow', conducted botanical research in Britain in 1971.

Studies and Research

Between 1970 and 1974, Manilal led studies on the plant wealth of Kozhikode city and its surroundings. From 1981 to 1985, his research on the plant biodiversity of Silent Valley played a crucial role in preserving the precious rainforests. Manilal’s work also revitalised plant taxonomy (the classification of plants), which had been largely overlooked by Indian researchers. In 1989, he took the initiative to establish the 'Indian Association for Angiosperm Taxonomy' (IAAT), becoming its founding president. He also served as the chief editor of the Redia research journal, which began publication in 1991 under the association's guidance.

Manilal authored over a dozen books, including 'Flora of Calicut' (1982), 'Flora of Silent Valley' (1988), 'Botany and History of Hortus Malabaricus' (1980), 'An Interpretation of Van Reede's Hortus Malabaricus' (1988), and 'Hortus Malabaricus and the Socio-Cultural Heritage of India' (2012). He also published over 200 research papers and introduced 19 new plant species to the scientific community, four of which were named after him.

Awards and Honours

In recognition of his contributions to science, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2020. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change awarded him the E.K. Janaki Ammal Award in 2003 for his significant contribution to plant taxonomy.

In 2012, Dr. Manilal became the first Asian to receive the prestigious Dutch civilian award, *Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau*, following a recommendation by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. He also received the Vishwambhar Puri Medal from the Indian Botanical Society in 1990 and the V D Tyagi Gold Medal from the Indian Association for Angiosperm Taxonomy in 1998. Dr. Manilal served as the president of the Indian Botanical Society in 1999, having previously held the role of treasurer from 1984 to 1986.

In 1999, Dr. Manilal retired from the University of Calicut and later founded the 'Centre for Research in Indigenous Knowledge, Science, and Culture' in Kozhikode. This institution publishes the 'Samagra' research journal.

A book 'Haritha Bhoopadam: K S Manilal and the Second Birth of Hortus Malabaricus' (2012), published by Mathrubhumi Books, tells the story of his 50-year journey to bring 'Hortus Malabaricus' to the public, alongside the history of the text itself.

He is survived by his wife Jyothsna, daughter Anita, and son-in-law K P Preethan.