Ram Chander Sihag

Ram Chander Sihag is a scientist who studies beekeeping and the pollination of crops. He was named for the Padma Shri in 2024 in the field of science and engineering, from Haryana ^[1].

Bee scientist

He was born on 5 January 1952 and earned a PhD in zoology, specialising in beekeeping, in 1980 ^[2]. From 1979 to 2012 he worked as a honeybee scientist at Haryana Agricultural University in Hisar, and since then has continued research and extension work independently ^[2].

Bees for hot, dry lands

Sihag is credited with introducing and spreading beekeeping in the semi-arid, hot regions of Haryana and India ^[2]. Through his research he worked out how to manage the European honeybee in these conditions, and from 1982 he ran yearly training courses for farmers, ex-servicemen, graduates and women ^[2].

According to his citation, India’s European honeybee colonies have grown from about 5,000 in 1980 to some 3.5 million today, producing more than 100,000 tonnes of honey a year, and the work has created self-employment for more than a lakh young people ^[2].

Honours

He was elected a fellow of the Royal Entomological Society, London, in 1997, and has chaired the pollination section of the Asian Apicultural Association since 1992 ^[2]. He edits several international science journals and received the ICAR’s Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Memorial Prize ^[2].