My experiences with the herbal
plants & drugs as I knew Part IX :
Poisonous & non-poisonous Aconites

Abstract :

From Lucknow when I reached Ranikhet on 25th Nov.1965, I came to know about the institute. It was a very poor organization, without any research facilities and infrastructure. Even, its laboratory was without any water and gas. The in-charge of the scheme was not a qualified and experienced person, he was only B.Pharm. due to his higher approach in Govt. of U.P. the then the Chief Minister had created a post of the Pharmaceutical Expert to Govt. of U.P for him. Now, neither the post nor the department exist. At that time (1964) there were two projects of Govt. of India, one was at Ranikhet and other at Haridwar under A.C.Dey, a retired botanist of Forest Research Institute, Dehradun.

At Ranikhet there were two survey teams consisting of a Field Botanist and a Vaidya with one Research Assistant each. I was one of the Field Botanist. There was also a Chemist with a Research Assistant but without any laboratory facilities. The post of a curator and a assistant curator to take care of the herbarium. Even the curator was not a qualified and experienced person. There was also an experimental cultivation garden unit under a Research Assistant with a few daily wager malies. Within a short time, I could understand that it is a fake organization without any proper facilities for research purpose. At that time nothing could be done and I had to face the situation. Why I was attracted towards this scheme? There were two main reasons; one was my attraction towards the Himalayan medicinal plants which I wanted to know and study their locations; and secondly, my ardent curiosity to see the Himalayan mountains from as near as it could be.

Attraction towards Himalayas from my childhood:

The Himalayas have fascinated me since my childhood. From 1938 to 1943 I lived in a beautiful house near Ranikhet, called Kalika. From this house one could see about three quarters of the Kumaon Himalayan mountains ranges (The Himalayan range found in Uttarakhand is geographically known as the Kumaon Himalayas, a part of the Western Himalayas). Seeing the beauty of this place my grandfather Rai Sahib Harkision Lal Sah had built few houses and a bungalow, in a hillock and named it as 'Windsor Lodge' in memory of the visit of 'Duke of Windsor' in India. and established a fruit garden and named the place as Kalika Estate. Windsor Lodge was actually built to arrange Shikar parties with the British officers living in Ranikhet of which my grand father was very fond of.

This was from 1920- 1925 and in 1925 he established a temple of Kali at Kalika and died in 1926.

My father lived in this house from 1938- 1943 so I. He used to go to the township of Ranikhet, which was about 4 miles, in a Baby Austin car, or a BSA motor cycle or in a BSA Bicycle in the morning at 10'o clock in the morning and used to return late in the evening. At Ranikhet he used to look after his family General Merchandise shop with a attached aerated water factory, in the main bazaar and also other properties at Ranikhet. It was a British period and the business was at par excellence.

About the Author

Founder & Ex. Director,
Herbal Research &
Development Institute,
Uttarakhand & Head of the Botany
& Pharmacognosy Dept.,
CIMAP, (CSIR),
MS-78, Sector-D,
Aliganj, Lucknow-226024
Tel No. 0522-232 64 89;
E-mail: drnshah@sancharnet.in