Dr. Syed Zahoor Qasim (31 December 1926 – 20 October 2015) was an Indian marine biologist. He helped lead India’s exploration to Antarctica and guided the other seven expeditions from 1981 to 1988. He was a Member of the Planning Commission of India from 1991 to 1996. He was the Vice Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia from 1989 to 1991 and an Honorary Professor of universities including Aligarh Muslim University, Madurai Kamaraj University, AnnaMalai University, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, and Jamia Millia Islamia.
Dr Syed Zahoor Qasim was born on 27th December 1926 at Allahabad. He began his schooling from Majidia Islamia Intermediate College Allahabad. He took his B.Sc. in 1949 and M.Sc. degree in Zoology in 1951. He stood first in the order of Merit for which he was awarded the University Gold Medal. For a few years, he was a lecturer in the Department of Zoology at Aligarh before proceeding to the United Kingdom for higher studies in 1953. He returned to India in December of 1956 and joined the Department of Zoology of AMU as a Lecturer. He became Reader in 1957 and started a new laboratory of Fish and Fisheries in the Department.
Dr. Qasim played a key role to establish Dr. D. Swaminadhan Research Foundation (DSRF) with the help of his colleagues Prof. Dr. D. Swaminadhan and Dr. Jayant Patil. Dr. D. Swaminadhan Research Foundation (DSRF) is a non-profit and non-governmental forum established in 1995 with the laudable objective of contributing towards development based on eco-friendly, pro-poor and gender equity parameters. It is registered as a Society and as a Trust under Indian Societies and Trusts acts. Social Action, sustainable development, social empowerment, application of advancements in science & technology for rural development and promotion of human values are the focus. The Foundation has been recognized by the Department of Scientific & Industrial Research, Ministry of Science and Technology, Govt. of India as a Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (SIRO) and by the Ministry of Finance for the purpose of Income Tax Exemption. DSRF is also registered with the Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt. of India under the Foreign Contributions (Regulations) Act of 1976.
Awards and Honors:
Padma Shri (1974)
Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Award (1978)
Lal Bahadur Shastri Award (1988)
Padma Bhushan (1982)
Oceanology International Lifetime Achievement Award, UK (1999)
First National Ocean Science and Technology Award by Government of India (2003–04)
Asian Society Gold Medal (2005)
SOFTI Biennial Award (2007)
Lifetime Achievement Award, Indian Science Congress (2008)
Books Authored
The Indian Ocean: Images and Realities
Indian Estuaries
Biodiversity of Mangrove Ecosystems
Living Resources of India’s Exclusive Economic Zone
Indian Ocean in the 21st Century: Linkages and Networking Proceedings of an International Seminar
Held in New Delhi on 9 and 10 February 1998
Science and Quality of Life
Glimpses of the Indian Ocean
India’s Exclusive Economic Zone: Resources, Exploitation, Management
Sardar Patel Memorial Lectures, 1989, Ocean – The Future Hope of Mankind
Credit: Input taken from the website of the ministry of earth sciences, Government of India