This is the story of an Indian scientist whose remarkable research in organic chemistry earned him a Nobel Prize nomination in Chemistry in 1966. Shri TR Seshadri set up advanced laboratories for flavonoid research and also the Department of Chemical Technology and Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at Andhra University during his tenure as the Head of Chemistry there. However, very few know about him.
TR Seshadri was born on 3 February 1900 in a small town near Trichy called Kulithalai in the old Presidency of Madras. He finished school in Srirangam and Trichy, then continued his education at Presidency College, Madras, starting in 1917.
TR Seshadri pursued his bachelor’s degree in B.Sc.(H) Chemistry with financial assistance from the Ramakrishna Mission, and worked with the Mission for a year by continuing his M.Sc at the University of Madras.
His interest in research showed up early, and instead of looking for a job, he went straight into working in his teacher’s lab after finishing his Masters.
In 1927, Seshadri got a scholarship to do research at the University of Manchester with Sir Robert Robinson’s group, where he got his doctorate degree.
TR Seshadri came back to India in 1930 and studied plant chemistry in Coimbatore for four years. In 1934, he joined Andhra University and worked there for 15 years. During that time, he set up many labs and a school for studying flavonoids, which became well-known globally.
TR Seshadri also established two new departments in the university, i.e. Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Department of Chemical Technology.
Dr. TR Seshadri really liked studying the colors in flowers. In one of his papers, he looked at red sandalwood from Burma. He was good at giving names, and he called a brownish-red pigment in the flowers of Butea frondosa “Palasitrin,” named after the Indian tree Palas.
TR Seshadri wrote a lot – over 1000 articles and two books. His books were about vitamins, hormones, and the progress of science and culture in India. He also helped 160 students with their doctoral studies. When he retired, he gave all his books to the Chemistry department at Delhi University.
The Government of India awarded him the civilian honor of the Padma Bhushan in 1963. He was also a recipient of the Meghnad Saha Medal of the Indian National Science Academy and two awards from the Indian Chemical Society viz. Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray Medal and Acharya Gnanendra Ghosh Medal.
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