Botany dept at Central College turns 100

Hundreds of alumni converged on Thursday at the Central College’s botany department to celebrate its centenary.

The department went to the parent Bangalore University during the trifurcation, as part of the centenary celebrations, the Bengaluru Central University (BCU) gave it a new lease of life and has started the Department of Life Sciences.

BCU will enrol 30 students each in the postgraduate course in Animal Sciences and Plant Sciences from the current academic year.

Inaugurating the celebrations, Biocon’s managing director and founder Kiran Mazumdar Shaw said: “Genetics wasn’t offered as a subject when I was a student here and gene research started a few years later. I did my honours programme at this department 50 years ago and I’m delighted it’s celebrating its centenary. It’s also good that the university is starting the post graduate programme.”

Kiran said immunology is key to life sciences in both plants and animals. “There’s a huge transformation in healthcare, especially in cancer (treatment). Today, biological science is helping cure cancer,” she said. “The world’s focus is shifting from radiation and chemotherapy to immune oncology.”

BCU vice chancellor Prof S Japhet said the university aims to become the city’s premier brand.

The celebrations were organised with support from the Central College Botany Alumni Charitable Trust, which honoured 30 teachers associated with the
department.

Kiran also mentioned that Science Gallery Bengaluru will be set up at Hebbal in association with the Science Gallery International.