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Dr. Ravi Sharma3
Prof. of Botany Agra College Agra joined on 4th Oct., 20144
GOVINDJEE – THE LIVING LEGEND I MET5
Jan 29, 2015 (updated slightly on March 15, 2016)6
Long back, that was, how Professor Govindjee, was introduced to the7
audience at a seminar held at Los Alamos Laboratory, New Mexico “We8
depend upon photosynthesis and photosynthesis depends upon Govindjee”.9
Again in the late afternoon of Dec., 17, 2008 during International10
Conference on Plant Biology and Environment 88th Year of the Founding of11
the Indian Botanical Society at the University of Allahabad, Govindjee12
speaking and narrating on ‘Reincarnation of Photosynthetic Research’ gave13
us the exact impression of what happened in New Mexico. We (a team from14
Department of Botany K. R. College, Mathura consisting of Drs Ravi15
Sharma, S. K. Sharma, D. K. Singh, Rajesh Verma, Poonam Yadav, Saroj16
Rani, D. K. Kaushik led by Dr R. K. Jain) had the rare opportunity not only17
to hear Govindjee but intimately meeting, talking and discussing-- with this18
greatest legendary Plant Physiologist in the world --at present whom I19
admired since my post-graduation as Rabinowitch-Govindjee when I studied20
their voluminous work ‘Photosynthesis’.21
2. With his ‘Reincarnation of Photosynthetic Research’, Govindjee22
brought alive the mock seminar conducted at the University of Allahabad in23
1952 to re-live the era of discoveries in photosynthesis when six young boys24
dressed in various European costumes, dirty gowns, old hats and baggy25
trousers, with powdered faces and thick moustaches, acted like the scientists26
who had made significant contributions to the understanding of27
photosynthesis. The role of Jan Ingenhousz, the eighteenth century physician28
who experimentally showed that photosynthesis takes place only in the29
presence of light, was played by Govindjee, the organizer of the seminar.30
Like Ingenhousz, he argued that photosynthesis is vital to life on earth,that it31
gives oxygen to breathe and food to eat. When the seminar concluded, there32
was much laughter and applause with the acting of the boys highly33
appreciated and praised like anything. But no one present there must have34
thought that one day young Govindjee himself would make valuable35
contributions to the understanding of photosynthesis.36
Govindjee, who is now Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry,37
Biophysics and Plant Biology at the University of Illinois at Urbana –38
Champaign, USA, in collaboration with his students, has been exploring the39
mechanism that enables plants to evolve oxygen for more than fifty years or40
so and has been successful to a large extent. In fact, photosynthesis, a41
process that takes place in green plants (and algae and cyanobacteria) in42
sunlight converting carbon dioxide from the air and water from the soil into43
carbohydrates (molecules composed of carbon and hydrogen atoms),44
releasing oxygen. The “chloroplasts”, containing a green pigment called45
“chlorophyll”, are the sites in plants where photosynthesis takes. The46
pigment converts the incoming light energy from the sun into complex47
3. chemical compounds. The compounds further react with carbon dioxide and48
water in a complicated manner to produce oxygen and carbohydrates. The49
exact mechanism of photosynthesis is not yet fully known. If man is able to50
understand photosynthesis fully, food production could be easily increased51
and there will no longer be hunger on earth.52
Govindjee, who uses one name only, grew up in Allahabad (India). He53
was born on October 24, 1932 in Allahabad (U.P.) to (Mrs.) Savitri Devi and54
(Mr.) Vishveshwar Prasad Asthana. His father, Prof. Visheshwar Prasad,55
was first a college teacher, served as the General Secretary of the U.P. (then56
United Provinces) Teachers Association, and later as the representative of57
the Oxford University Press in Northern India. He was fluent in English,58
Hindi and Urdu. Being an educationist, he did not believe in caste and creed59
and as such the family name, Asthana, was dropped by Govindjee’s father in60
a response to the ‘‘Arya Samaj Movement’’ that was against the ‘‘Caste61
System,’’ and believed in the ideals of the Vedic times. After his father’s62
death in 1943 when Govindjee was hardly eleven, and his mother was also63
in poor health, his elder brother Krishnaji was responsible for bringing him64
up, and served as his role model. Krishnaji (who passed away in August65
1997) remembered that Govindjee was an inquisitive child, wanting to know66
the why and how of every thing he saw. “Govindjee”, he said, “was fond of67
discussions to the extent that he disliked those who avoided discussion”.68
Govindjee’s second brother Gopalji lives in Gurgaon (Haryana) with his69
wife Nirmala. Govindjee’s sister, Malati lives in Bhagalpur (Bihar) with her70
husband Radha Krishna Sahay. [Both Gopalji and Malati are now deceased.]71
Govindjee was educated in Colonelganj High School (1943–1948),72
then Kayastha Pathshala (K.P.) Intermediate College (1948–1950), and73
4. finally Allahabad University (1950–1954), all at Allahabad, India. He was74
interested in biology and physics from his school days. Fortunately, he had75
good teachers, one of whom introduced him to the wonders of nature. He76
used to watch the plants that grew in the little garden of his school for hours.77
Another teacher sharpened his interest in biology by explaining the subject78
in an exciting manner. Govindjee remembers he was good at learning from79
books but was always unsure of himself at practicals. He found cutting of80
plant sections easier than dissection of animals. May be this was the reason81
why he took up botany (plant biology). Later, several great teachers in82
Biology and Chemistry influenced Govindjee’s academic life. Two of his83
college teachers (Prof. Jalpa Prasad and Prof. M.L. Gaur) were responsible84
for igniting his interest in both Chemistry and Biology as they would loan85
him their personal books on the subject. Govindjee received his B.Sc.86
(Chemistry, Botany and Zoology, in the first division) in 1952 and M.Sc.87
(Botany, also in the first division with first position) in 1954 from the88
University of Allahabad. He specialized in Plant Physiology under Prof. Shri89
Ranjan (a former student of Felix Frost Blackman – who brought forward90
the Law of Limiting Factors and Blackman’s Reaction or Dark Reaction in91
Photosynthesis) (coincidentally I have also specialized in Plant Physiology92
and got my M.Sc. degree from Prof. Shri Ranjan, then the Vice-chancellor93
Agra Univ., Agra); Govindjee served as a Lecturer in Botany at Allahabad94
University from 1954 to 1956. He then left for the USA in 1956. Since then95
he is living there as Indian Scientists Lands Afar.96
Govindjee came to Urbana, Illinois, USA, in 1956, with his name97
written on his Indian passport as ‘‘Govind Jee.’’ He was not happy to be98
called ‘‘Mr. G. Jee’’, and, thus, began to use ‘‘Govindjee’’ as his one and99
5. only name. This has caused problems in citations, and in many formal100
settings. He has been referred to by many names: N.F.N. Govindjee (where101
N.F.N. stands for No First Name); I. Govindjee (where I stand for Illini);102
Mister Govindjee; and once A.V.P. Govindjee (where A. stands for103
Allahabad, and V.P. are the initials of his father). Quite often, his name has104
appeared with the initials of his doctoral students: the longest being J.C.M.105
Govindjee, Jr (where J.C.M. stood for John Clingman Munday). Govindjee106
met Rajni Varma in 1953, when they were M.Sc. students at Allahabad107
University; she was a year junior to him. They were married on October 24,108
1957 at Urbana, Illinois when both were PhD students of Robert Emerson.109
The Govindjees have two children: (1) daughter, Anita: she is a software110
engineer for IBM, and she is married to Morten Christiansen, Professor of111
Psychology at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY; they have one daughter,112
Sunita; (2) son, Sanjay: he is a Professor of Civil Engineering at University113
of California, Berkeley; he is married to Marilyn Hubbs and they have two114
sons: Arjun and Rajiv.115
Govindjee came to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign116
(UIUC), Illinois, USA in 1956, as a Fulbright scholar and a UIUC Graduate117
Fellow, to work for his PhD in Physico-Chemical Biology under Robert118
Emerson (of Emerson Effect fame in Photosynthesis). After Emerson’s119
untimely death in a plane crash on February, 4, 1959, he worked with120
Eugene Rabinowitch, and obtained his PhD in Biophysics from UIUC, in121
1960, with a thesis on the ‘‘Action Spectra of the Emerson Enhancement122
Effect in Algae’’. From 1960 to 1961, Govindjee served as a United States123
Public Health (USPH) Postdoctoral Fellow. Govindjee has also mentioned124
that he considers the time he spent discussing photosynthesis research with125
6. [the late] Bessel Kok, [the late] C. Stacy French, [the late] Louis N.M.126
Duysens, and [the late] William Arnold, during his visits to their127
laboratories, as extremely valuable in his training as a biophysicist. From128
1961 to 1965, he was an Assistant Professor of Botany; from 1965 to 1969 a129
Associate Professor of Biophysics and Botany; and from 1969 to 1999 a130
Professor of Biophysics and Plant Biology, all at UIUC. During 1998–1999,131
he also served as a Professor of Biochemistry. On August 1, 1999, he132
became Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Plant Biology133
at UIUC. His teaching and research career was celebrated in October, 1999,134
through a symposium at UIUC, organized by John C. Whitmarsh, where [the135
late] Gerry Babcock and Bob Blankenship were the major speakers. In136
recognition of ‘‘Gov’s’’ achievements and acknowledging his love of137
teaching and education, the Rebeiz Foundation for Basic Research presented138
him, on June 16, 2007, its first Lifetime Achievement Award that reads:139
‘‘For his scientific achievements, original research in the field of140
photosynthesis, promotion of photosynthesis research in books and at141
international conferences and his continuing efforts to document the history142
of photosynthetic research, as an editor par excellence’’. Further, the143
Department of Plant Biology of the University of Illinois administers an144
Annual Govindjee and Rajni Govindjee Award for Excellence in145
Biological Sciences. The text on Govindjee, written by the Head of the146
Department of Plant Biology, Evan DeLucia, reads as: “Govindjee is147
Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Plant Biology at the148
University of Illinois. He studied with the founding fathers of photosynthesis149
research and Govindjee now stands among the discipline’s luminaries.150
From his seminal research on the mechanisms of Photosystem II and151
chlorophyll fluorescence by plants to his recent unique work on the history152
7. of photosynthesis research, Govindjee’s scientific reach and impact are153
considerable”.154
Govindjee’s scientific career has spanned over 50 years and has been155
characterized by continuous scientific publications and dedication for156
communicating discoveries in photosynthesis research to many different157
audiences including professional scientists, graduate and undergraduate158
students and the general public. It is difficult to imagine the photosynthesis159
community without Govindjee. I am fortunate to have the rare opportunity in160
his company for three days and am delighted to have written this paper with161
rare photographs with him and too with my colleagues. Here, we took the162
opportunity of discussing with him various aspects of photosynthesis. He163
has focused mainly on the function of Photosystem II (PS II—the water-164
plastoquinone oxido-reductase), throughout his research career, in165
collaboration with literarily almost 100 scientists around the world. Among166
his research accomplishments, he pioneered the first picosecond167
measurements on Photosystem I primary photochemistry in 1978 at Urbana,168
and then the PS II primary photochemistry in 1989 with Michael169
Wasielewski at Argonne National laboratory. He also established the unique170
role of bicarbonate on the acceptor side of PS II, particularly in protonation171
events involving the QB binding region and has provided the first172
comprehensive theory of thermoluminescence in algae and plants. Govindjee173
has also exploited both delayed and prompt fluorescence (particularly their174
lifetimes) and used them for the understanding of electron transport and for175
photoprotection against excess light. He is also known for his expertise on176
fluorescence spectroscopy and for his research on excitation energy transfer177
in photosynthetic systems. His early research, with several collaborators,178
8. included the discovery of a short-wavelength form of chlorophyll a179
functioning in the Chl b-containing system, now called PS II; as well as the180
two-light effect in Chl a fluorescence and in NADP (nicotinamide adenine181
dinucleotide phosphate) reduction in chloroplasts (Emerson Enhancement).182
Further, he showed the existence of different spectral fluorescing forms of183
Chl a and demonstrated the temperature dependence of excitation energy184
transfer down to 4 K (in agreement with the Förster theory). Govindjee has185
also exploited basic relationships between Chl a fluorescence and186
photosynthetic reactions; and he was the first to use Fluorescence Lifetime187
Imaging Microscopy of Chl a fluorescence in understanding photoprotection188
against excess light.189
Govindjee’s current scientific interests, now, include Fluorescence190
Lifetime Imaging Microscopy and regulation of excitation energy and191
electron transfer(s) in cyanobacteria and algae. In addition, his current focus192
is on the history of photosynthesis research, in photosynthesis education, and193
in the possible existence of extraterrestrial life. He is not only the founding194
Series Editor of the Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration series195
(Kluwer/Springer) and continues to serve in that capacity, but also the196
founding editor of the ‘‘Historical Corner’’ of Photosynthesis Research.197
Govindjee has always been rated as an outstanding and exceptional198
teacher at all levels from an undergraduate class of more than 700 students199
to a graduate class of 6 students. His personal involvement and stories make200
his lectures enjoyable. At UIUC, he has taught topics like, Introduction to201
Plant Physiology; Advanced Plant Physiology; Organismic Biology;202
Introduction to Biophysics; Photosynthesis: Biochemistry, Biophysics and203
Molecular Biology; Honors Biology; and Fluorescence Spectroscopy,204
9. among others. Govindjee’s graduate students and research scientists visiting205
and working in his laboratory have been in Biochemistry, Biophysics, Cell206
Biology, Plant Physiology, Plant Biology, and Molecular Biology. His207
collaborative spirit is so remarkable that just on one campus, the UIUC208
Campus, he has collaborated with more than a dozen laboratories. A count209
of the number of his coauthors on his 400 plus publications reveals an210
astonishingly large number of approximately 400 around the world. He also211
serves as the Series Editor of Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration212
and the Historical Corner Editor of the journal, Photosynthesis Research.213
Govindjee has coauthored, with Eugene Rabinowitch, a remarkable book214
‘‘Photosynthesis’’ (John Wiley, 1969); this book has had a world-wide215
impact on thousands of students, especially during the 1970s and 1980s.216
Marcel Babin, of France, wrote, on June 4, 2007 ‘‘The Rabinowitch and217
Govindjee book remains for me the best ever introduction book about218
photosynthesis. There is certainly still a demand for a new edition...the pitch219
of [this] - book was, and is still, unique.’’ Govindjee has edited other unique220
books of high impact: ‘‘Bioenergetics of Photosynthesis’’ (Academic Press,221
1975); and ‘‘Photosynthesis’’ (in 2 volumes, Academic Press, 1982, Russian222
translation, 1987). His co-edited, but equally important, books include:223
‘‘Light Emission by Plants and Bacteria’’ (Academic Press, 1986);224
‘‘Chlorophyll a Fluorescence: A Signature of Photosynthesis’’225
(Kluwer/Springer, 2004); and ‘‘Discoveries in Photosynthesis’’ (Springer,226
2006), among several other books. He has also edited special issues of227
journals honouring, some of the pioneers of the biophysics of228
photosynthesis: Eugene Rabinowitch (Biophysical Journal, 1972), Warren229
Butler (Photosynthesis Research, 1986), Bessel Kok (Photosynthesis230
Research, 1993), and William Arnold (Photosynthesis Research, 1996).231
10. Govindjee is an Emeritus member of the American Society of Plant232
Biology (formerly Physiology), American Society for Photobiology,233
Biophysical Society of America, Sigma Xi, and the International Society of234
Photosynthesis Research. Govindjee’s honours include: Fellow of the235
American Association of Advancement of Science (1976); Distinguished236
Lecturer of the School of Life Sciences, UIUC (1978); Fellow and Life237
Member of the National Academy of Sciences, India (elected 1979),238
President of the American Society of Photobiology (1980–1981); Fulbright239
Senior Lecturer (1996–1997); Honorary President of the 2004 International240
Photosynthesis Congress (Montreal, Canada) and the first recipient of the241
Lifetime Achievement Award of the Rebeiz Foundation for Basic Biology242
(2006). In 2016, he received the most prestigious Dr. B.M. Johri Memorial243
Award of the Society of Plant Research in India, at a ceremony held at Delhi244
University.245
Concluding remarks246
Govindjee has been a pioneer in the area of photosynthesis research, with a247
primary focus on the function of the oxygen-evolving PS II in chloroplasts,248
especially through the use of Chlna fluorescence. His early discoveries, with249
his collaborators, revealed the two-light effect in Chlna fluorescence,250
established the participation of Chlna in both the light reactions251
(Photosystems I and II), and showed the effect of the two-light reactions and252
two pigment systems in the reduction of NADP in chloroplasts, providing a253
fundamental background to the current Z-scheme of the ‘‘Light Reactions’’254
of photosynthesis. He has also been an immensely effective and energetic255
advocate for photosynthesis research and has dedicated his entire life to256
educating students and researchers throughout the world. He has served the257
11. photosynthesis community uniquely and with great dedication as Editor-in-258
chief of Photosynthesis Research, where he increased by fourfold the259
number of pages published per year from <400 to 1,600. His advocacy and260
educational outreach have included numerous lectures around the world,261
delivered at international workshops, international conferences, at renowned262
Universities, and in remote Colleges, as well as three outstanding Scientific263
American articles (1965, 1974 and 1990), and more than 15 seminal264
reviews. He has also co-authored and edited many books, serving a265
remarkable 12-year period as Series Editor of Advances in Photosynthesis266
and Respiration; this series has already resulted in 42 volumes of inestimable267
value to the photosynthesis community. In recent years, Govindjee has268
followed his passion for a unique project on the history of photosynthesis269
research for the benefit of present and future students of Plant Biology,270
Biochemistry and Biophysics. For almost 20 years, he has documented the271
progress of research in photosynthesis, through interviews, obituaries,272
tributes, personal perspectives, and news of scientists around the world.273
Much of this has been presented through his innovative ‘‘Historical Corner’’274
section in Photosynthesis Research. These publications, accompanied by275
photographs of key people and places, are unique contributions to the history276
of science, and photosynthesis, in particular. Govindjee cherishes very much277
the following quote from Prof. Satish Chandra Maheshwari (son of great278
Indian Botanist Prof. Panchanan Maheshwari, who also taught at Agra279
College, Agra was the Founding Professor & Head Botany Department280
Delhi University) about Volume 20 in the Advances in Photosynthesis and281
Respiration series: “Discoveries in Photosynthesis is easily among the most282
outstanding and valuable books published in the biological sciences in the283
last 100 years. Insofar as the plant sciences are concerned, it may indeed284
12. be in the rank of a classic because it not only deals with one of the most285
remarkable processes sustaining life on our planet, but also because of its286
unique authoritative style where the greatest investigators of287
photosynthesis describe, in their own words the discoveries they have made288
or those made by their close colleagues, many of whom have passed289
away... However, even for an edited volume and despite part publications290
earlier, the collective work represents a gigantic effort comprising as it291
does more than 1300 pages, with as many as 132 authors from 19292
countries contributing 111 chapters, including much new material. The293
book is richly illustrated with nearly 800 photographs (many of them294
informal, adding greatly to the charm of the book)... I do not know of any295
comparable effort in the plant sciences or even the broader area of296
biology”. In conclusion,, Govindjee has made unique and important297
contributions to research and science education, through his love and298
dedication for the field of photosynthesis. He is a passionate scientist whose299
dedication to service and education, as well as research, has enriched the300
photosynthesis community and everyone who has come into contact with301
him.302
•303
Written by304
Dr. Ravi Sharma305
