Indian Muslim Legends: 229. Prof. Mohammad Shamim Jairajpuri

Born 8th April 1942, Jairajpur Azamgarh (UP) India
Father Dr. Mohd. Moazzam Jairajpuri
Wife Prof. Durdana Jairajpuri (Department of Zoology, AMU Aligarh)
Children 3 daughters (Ms.Sheeba Iqbal Jairajpuri, Ms.Deeba Shamim Jairajpuri and Dr. Zeeba Jairajpuri)

Grandfather Maulana Hafiz Mohammad Aslam Jairajpuri, one of the greatest Muslim Scholars of the sub- continent and Founding member of Jamia Millia Islamia

Education:
1959,1961,1964 B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph. D. Aligarh Muslim University.

1970 Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) was awarded to him in Zoology by Aligarh Muslim University in 1970 on his outstanding work on Neuratology in particular on Taxonomy, at a young age of 28 years only

Career:
1964,72, 83 Lecturer, Reader, Professor Department of Zoology, AMU Aligarh
1988-89 & 97-98 Chairman, Department of Zoology, AMU Aligarh
(1993-95 & 1997-98) Dean, Faculty of Life Sciences, AMU Aligarh
1977-79 Chief Editor of the Indian Journal of Nematology
1979 -81 President, Nematological Society of India

1998 Fellow , National Academy of Sciences,Fellow, Academy of Sciences,Fellow, National Academy of Sciences
Fellow, Asian Academy of Sciences,Fellow, Zoological Survey of India,Fellow, Zoological Society,Fellow, International Body of Life Sciences,Fellow, Indian Society of Parasitology

1978-81 Secretary of the Helminthological Society of India
1989-91 Vice President of the Zoological Society of India
1989-91 Director: Zoological Survey of India (Ministry of Environmental and Forests)
1981-83 Principal Nematologist: Commonwelath Agricultural Bureaux International, United Kingdom
1991-93 Coordinator: Agriculture Center AMU Aligarh
1993-96 Founder Director: Rafi Ahmad Kidwai Institute of Agriculture, AMU Aligarh
9th Jan. 1998 to 8th Jan. 2003 Founder Vice Chancellor: Maulana Azad National Urdu University
9th Jan 1998 to 8th Jan 2003 Honorary Professor : School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad
March 2000 Fellow, Third World Academy of Sciences, Trieste, Italy
1999-2003 Vice-President of Indian National Science Academy
2000-2005 President of the Indian Society of Parasitology (ISP)
Honors:

December, 1999 First recipient of the Janaki Ammanl National Award in Taxonomy awarded by The Ministry of Environment & Forests, Govt. of India

June, 2007 Shiksha Ratna Puruskar along with Certificate of Exellence" by the India International Frienship Society (IIFS),New Delhi

1977 & 1998 Gold Medal : The Zoological Survey of India
Books Authored:
1. Chand Yaadein Chand Baatein: Autobiography
2. Dorylaimida: Free-Living, Predaceous and Plant-Parasitic Nematodes
3. Snakes and human welfare
4. Predatory Nematodes (Mononchida) with special reference to India
5. Morphology and variability of dorylaimus stagnalis dujardin, 1845, and their juvenile stages
6. Nygolaimina of India

Mohd. Shamim Jairajpuri was born on 8th April 1942 in a well educated and learned family of Maulana Salamatullah and Maulana Hafiz Mohammad Aslam Jairajpuri in the village Jairajpur, District Azamgarh, U.P. His father Dr. Mohammad Moazzam was having his resident-cum clinic in mohallah Takia in Azamgarh city. His great grandfather Maulana Salamatullah Jairajpuri was a well known scholar of Hadith. His grandfather, Maulana Aslam Jairajpuri was one of the greatest Muslim Scholars of the sub- continent and a strong supporter of Aligarh Movement. Maulana Aslam Jairajpuri was a founding member of Jamia Millia Islamia. Maulana Aslam Jairajpuri was a faculty member of Islamic Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia. The young Mohammad Shamim completed his primary education in Azamgarh. After completing his Intermediate from Shibli National College of Azamgarh in 1957 he joined Aligarh Muslim University in July 1957. He obtained his B.Sc. in 1959, M.Sc. in 1961 and Ph.D. in 1964 The degree of Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) was awarded to him in Zoology by Aligarh Muslim University in 1970 on his outstanding work on Neuratology in particular on Taxonomy, at a young age of 28 years only. He was first appointed a Lecturer (1964) then a Reader (1972), Professor (1983), Chairman (1988-89 & 1997-98) of the Zoology Department and Dean (1993-95 & 1997-98) of the Faculty of Life Sciences, AMU. Shamim Jairajpuri married to Durdana Jairajpuri. Her family belongs to Sitapur. She completed her Ph.D. in Zoology from AMU Aligarh in 1967 and joined the department of Zoology as a faculty member. They have three daughters.

Prof. Jairajpuri has done pioneering research on plant and soil nematodes for which the Zoological Survey of India awarded him with gold medal in 1997 and 1998. He is considered a renowned world authority in this subject. He has published over 20 Books and Monograms, over 350 research papers and contributed numerous book chapters and general articles in reputed Journals of the world. He has the distinction of publishing over 80 research papers in Nematologica (The Netherlands) and over 40 papers in Revue de Nematologie (France), the two top most international journals in the subject of Nematology. He has traveled widely within India and abroad (USA, UK, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Australia, Switzerland, Canada, South Korea, Egpyt, Pakistan, Bangladesh) in pursuit of his scientific work and has inaugurated and chaired many national and international conferences, seminars, symposia, workshops etc. Prof. Jairajpuri is Fellow (FNA, FASc, FNASc, FAAS, FISP, FZSI, FZS, FIBOL etc.) of several learned societies of the world. He was the President of the Nematological Society of India (1979 -81), and Chief Editor of the Indian Journal of Nematology (1977-79), Vice President of the Zoological Society (1989-91), and Secretary of the Helminthological Society of India (1978-81). He is on the Editorial Board of a number of national and international journals. He has guided 28 students in their Ph. D and equal number in M.Phil degrees. He was the Principal Nematologist to the Commonwelath Agricultural Bureaux International, United Kingdom from 1981-83. He has held the higly prestigious and coveted position of the Director of Zoological Survey of India from 1989-91 under the Ministry of Environmental and Forests and in that capacity he was advisor to the Government of India on all matters pertaining to Zoology.

In 1991, Prof. Jairajpuri was appointed Coordinator of the Agriculture Center at AMU and became the Founder Director of the Institute of Agriculture in 1993 and worked in that capacity until July 1996 and through ceaseless efforts he developed it into an organization of national status. He was the Dean, Faculty of Life Sciences and also simultaneously Chairman of the Department of Zoology, Museology and Wildlife Sciences. Prof. Jairajpuri is member of several high powered committees of the Government of India. After the early exit of AMU Vice-Chancellor, Prof. M.N. Farooqi in December 1994, the Executive Council of Aligarh Muslim University recommended a panel of five names including the name of Prof. Shamim Jairajpuri to AMU Court for the coveted position of Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University. The AMU Court did not recommend his name in the final list of three names to the Visitor of Aligarh Muslim University.

Prof. Jairajpuri has a great love for his mother tongue Urdu. His biography in Urdu Chand Yaadein Chand Baatein is hailed by the critics. On 9th January 1998 Prof. Jairajpuri was appointed as the Founder Vice Chancellor of newly established The Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) in Hyderabad. Simultaneously he was also appointed as the Honorary Professor in School of Life Sciences of the University of Hyderabad. He worked very hard to make MANUU as working University. Numbers of new courses were introduced. The facilities and head office of the University was established in Hyderabad in his leadership.

In December, 1999 the Ministry of Environment & Forests chose him to be the first recipient of the Janaki Ammanl National Award in Taxonomy for his work in the field of Nematology. In order to encourage work of excellence in taxonomy and also to encourage young students and scholars to work in this science, the Ministry has instituted a National Award in Taxonomy, named after the late Prof. E K Janaki Ammal, an eminent botanist of International repute. Taxonomy is the science of identification, classification and naming of organisms. Taxonomic work involves study of morphological characteristics and phylogenetic relationship of organisms which is essential for applied biological sciences including medicine, agriculture, forestry and fisheries. Current requirements of taxonomic work and available expertise and studies indicate a dire need to encourage excellence and motivate experts to do work in hitherto neglected groups of organisms e.g. microbes, lower groups of plants, animals etc. Professor Jairajpuri has made notable and very substantive contributions in the field of Nematology. Nematodes constitute a highly diversified group of invertebrate animals occurring in all biotopes. Commonly called roundworms, nematodes are parasitic or free-living worms. These are not only important from biodiversity point of view, but are also of immense economic importance from agricultural point of view. The monumental work of Prof. Jairajpuri has immensely contributed to the systematic, structural, behavioral, developmental biology and the biological control of nematodes. He has discovered over 500 new species and about 100 new genera of nematodes. Prof. Jairajpuri has been a prolific researcher and author. He is amongst the pioneer scientists in the country who have initiated studies on plant-parasitic nematodes. His work led to the understanding of biological control of the nematodes pests, thereby contributing to an increase in agricultural productivity. The ceremony was held on 11thApril, 2000 at New Delhi. Thiru TR Baalu, Minister, Environment and Forests, presented the first Janaki Ammal National Award for Taxonomy to Prof M S Jairajpuri. The award carries a cash prize of Rs. 50,000 and citation.

In March 2000, the Third World Academy of Sciences, Trieste, Italy has elected Prof. M. Shamim Jairajpuri as a fellow. In he same year he also got elected as President of the Indian Society for Parasitology (ISP). After becoming the President of ISP, he has given a call to Scientists and academicians interested in research and teaching of parasite and the diseases these cause to man, animal and plants to join the ISP in large numbers. Those scientists who are are already members are requested to convey the message to non members and encourage them to join. All those working on the distribution, structure, biology, ecology, pathogenicity and insects of medical, veterinary and agricultural importance are invited to become a life member. There is enough room for all of us in this Society. The protozoologist, helminthologists, animal, plant and soil nematologist, medical and veterinary entomologists etc. are all most welcome. His sincere efforts were very fruitful for ISP. His leadership abilities were vital to the organization and he became the longest serving President of Indian Society for Parasitology. He served in his office till 2005.

A major tragic event in the spring of 2002 devastated the family of Prof. Jairajpuri. On the eve of Eidul-Azha in the first week of March 2002, Prof. Jairajpuri’s younger brother, a well known heart specialist Dr Muhammad Salim Jairajpuri, his son Dr Yasir Salim Jairajpuri and daughter Dr. Suman Salim Jairajpuri had been brutally killed at their residence in Azamgarh by some unknown Kachha Banyan gang. Dr Salim’s wife too was beaten by iron rods, but she survived at the time but died later in the hospital. This incident has sent waves of shock for the family and community. Dr. Salim Jairajpuri was also an AMU alumnus and his children, Yasir and Suman were still students. Yasir Jairajpuri had set a record after he topped in MBBS in Aligarh Muslim University at a very young age and was pursuing higher education in London. The death of the entire family has sent waves of shock among the family, friends and people of Azamgarh and the surrounding areas.

In June, 2007 Prof. Jairajpuri has been selected for the "Shiksha Ratna Puruskar along with Certificate of Excellence" by the India International Friendship Society (IIFS), New Delhi. India international Friendship Society is a voluntary organization established to forge greater unity and integrity among the people of Indian origin living anywhere in the world. This award was conferred on July 7 at New Delhi. The award is an ultimate mark of recognition to Professor Jairajpuri for his landmark achievements in academics, research and society in India and abroad. Dr. Abu Sufyan Islahi of Department of Arabic, AMU Aligarh had compiled literary essays and articles of Prof. Jairajpuri and has published in form of a book “Mir-e-Karwaan”.

On March 12, 2009 Prof. Jairajpuri, has been appointed Chairman of the High Power Appeals Committee of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). The first meeting of the committee was held recently to address the grievances of the accredited Universities and institutes pertaining to their grading and other related matters. The Committee was constituted by Prof. G. Mehta, Chairman, EC, NAAC. Prof. Suranjan Das, Vice Chancellor, University of Calcutta and Prof. Rupa Shah, former Vice Chancellor, SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai are the two other members of the Appeals Committee of NAAC while Dr. Jagannath Patil, Deputy Advisor, NAAC is the Member Convener of the Committee.

On February 12, 2010, Al-Ameen Educational Society, Bangalore (Karnataka) has selected Professor M. Shamim Jairajpuri of Aligarh Muslim University for its prestigious ‘Al-Ameen All India Community Leadership Award for 2009’. This award, in recognition of his services, will serve to inspire the young generation who may emulate the services rendered by him as an example for uplift of the downtrodden Muslims. Al-Ameen Educational Society has also invited Prof. Jairajpuri to deliver a Memorial Lecture on Hazrat Tipu Sultan as a topic of his choice at the award ceremony tentatively fixed for the month of May 2010.

Professor Mohammad Shamim Jairajpuri had retired from his services from the department of Zoology, AMU Aligarh on 30thApril, 2004 but still associated with research projects of various research institute of national and international fame. He still has a laboratory in the department of Zoology in Aligarh Muslim University and conducts research. He is living in Aligarh with his wife Prof. Durdana Jairajpuri.