Mangalore: Prof Shetty Gets Doctorate For Pioneered Fisheries Education
John B Monteiro
Our plenteous streams a various race supply,
The bright-eyed perch with fin of Tyrian dye,
The silver eel, in shining volumes rolled,
The yellow carp, in scales bedropped with gold,
Swift trouts, diversified with crimson stains,
And pikes, the tyrants of watery plains.
- Alexander Pope, English poet and critic (1688-1744).
Alas! Some of the fish noted are just poetry for the present generation due to soil erosion, farm chemicals and fertilisers and disappearance of large number of water bodies. But, for a pioneers of fishery research and education like Professor HPC Shetty, such poetry evokes nostalgic memories of a life-long association with fisheries research and education. With nearly fifty years of his professional work, Prof Shetty has world class reputation in his chosen field and has been recognized through awards and citations. The latest in the string of recognitions is the degree of Doctorate of Science (Honoris Causa) by the University of Animal & Fishery Sciences, Kolkota, in recognition of his “outstanding research and education in the country and internationally”. The degree will be conferred by the West Bengal Governor, Gopal Gandhi, on April 16, 2009 in Kolkata.
Like the prophet being not honoured in his own country, the self-effacing, low-profile Prof Shetty’s achievements, including on the global arena, are not widely known even in Tulunadu.
How many of us know that the Fisheries College in Mangalore, established in 1959, is the first such college in India or that Prof HPC Shetty was the first Director of Instruction of this college, responsible for setting its syllabus and developing its campus? He has been involved in replicating the Mangalore fisheries collage model elsewhere in India and even abroad.
Born on May 17, 1930, Handady Palthamane Chandrashekara Shetty is the fifth child of Melpady Krishnayya and Puttamma Shetty. He had his early education at Brahmavar, followed by Milagres High School, Kallianpur and Intermediate at St. Aloysius College, Mangalore. He did two post-graduate degrees (MA and MSc) in Zoology and Biology from Madras Christian College. Completing his studies in 1956, Prof. Shetty held a series of administrative, teaching, research and consultancy jobs in India and abroad.
Prof Shetty with wife Manorama
Prof Shetty began his career as Officer-in-Charge of Mahanady Estuarine Fisheries Research Investigation, Orissa. Working in different capacities at the Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, he led the Documentation Centre, Riverine and Lacustrine Division and the All India Coordinated Research Project on Carp Spawn Prospecting and Collection Techniques. He also contributed to the establishment of fisheries collages in different parts of India, providing the basic plan for the infrastructure and the course contents. This took him to FAO, Rome, as Aquaculture Consultant for preparing curriculum for post-graduate degree programmes in Nigeria, Brazil and the Philippines.
After being Vice Chancellor of University of Agriculture, Bangalore, in 1989, Prof. Shetty worked abroad in different capacities as Fisheries Consultant to Government of Cambodia, Senior Aquaculturist, FAO and Inland Fisheries Advisor to International Mekong Committee, Bankok .His contribution to research, education, training and policy issues in fisheries over a period of 50 years has been recognised on a global basis. He has been Executive Councilor of Asian Fisheries Society and Founder-Chairman of its Indian Branch. Having participated in several international conferences, Prof. Shetty has to his credit over150 research papers and several manuals and reports. He is the recipient of Asian Fisheries Award conferred by the Asian Fisheries Society. Prof. Shetty continues to serve on several national and international committees and advisory boards on fisheries.
Prof. Shetty married Manorama in 1954. They have two sons and a daughter. His sense of achievement is that he is recognised as a leading fisheries educator at the global level, with the curriculum developed by him being followed in several parts of the world. Though he has overseen or judged a score of Ph.D theses, his only regret was that he could not do his formal Ph.D. He had enrolled for Ph. D in Allahahbad University, but had to give up the quest when the tempting offer was made to be the Director of Fisheries College, Mangalore, his home town. Even before the latest doctorate award, he was widely addressed as “Doctor”. Asked if he preferred to be called Prof. or Dr., he said he had no choice but emphasised that the doctorate was being conferred to recognise his work and not for extraneous reasons as in the case of some politicians and actors.
The latest responsibility Prof. Shetty has taken on is to promote the Bangkok-based TVR Pillay Aquatic Foundation in memory of his one-time senior and mentor. He has organized a number of Pillay Memorial Lectures and brought out proceedings under this Foundation which is now based in the Mangalore Fisheries College. His next ambitious project is to organize the First Indian Aqua-Invest Congress at the Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Mumbai, in April 2010.
John B. Monteiro, author and journalist, is editor of his website www.welcometoreason.com (Interactive Cerebral Challenger).
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