Bhubaneswar
Born in village Kudumba of tribal-dominated Mayurbhanj district and brought up in his maternal grandpa’s village Janamghutu of the district, 40-year-old Dr. Prasad Chandra Tudu, the son of a marginal farmer, had never dreamt of putting on the cap of a scientist. For, he wished to bear the insignia of a surgeon.
He even cracked the requisite entrance exam in 2003 to continue studying bachelor of dental surgery after he passed Class 12 in 2001 from Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (now rechristened as PM Shri Navodaya Vidyalaya) in Salbani in Mayurbhanj.
“I prepared for two years ceaselessly to crack the entrance test without pursuing any further study. I came out with flying colours. But I could not take admission, as the fee was Rs. 12000 to Rs. 15000 was exorbitant for my father to afford. I tried to have an education loan, but the bank required a service holder as a guarantor that I did not have. My maternal grandpa, a railway employee, could have been the guarantor, but he had passed away in 2001. So, finally I had to chuck off the idea of becoming a surgeon,” Dr. Prasad shared with The Indian Tribal.
Having failed in making his toehold in dental surgery, Dr. Prasad continued BSc (Zoology) in Rairangpur College, Rairangpur, about 12 kilometres from Janamghutu. He had to cycle the distance daily to attend his classes.
“My father, who grows paddy in about two acres of rain-fed land, earns about Rs. 20000 annually. Though he has been sweating it out to feed his family of five members, he has never failed in catering to my needs. That time, the government used to provide a Scheduled Tribe student with a yearly stipend of nearly Rs. 15000. It was an immense help that pulled me on despite all speed breakers. Earlier, at Navodaya Vidyalaya where I had been residing in its hostel I had no problem as I did not have to pay anything for the things provided to me,” said the tribal scientist.
He engrossed himself in his studies and toughed out his rough ride. He passed MSc Zoology from Berhampur (district headquarter of Ganjam) University in 2009. The very same year he joined as a Senior Zoological Assistant in the Marine Aquarium and Regional Centre (MARC), a wing of Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), in Digha of West Bengal. During his tenure at MARC, he completed PhD in 2019 on the study of intertidal macro-benthic invertebrate fauna of northern east coast of India under West Bengal State University.
When Dr. Prasad became a scientist in MARC in 2017 through direct recruitment, his research that comprised and still comprises survey, exploration, identification and documentation of marine organisms took off with full vigour and velocity. He not only started contributing to different science journals, but also presented conference papers to earn loud acclaim from scientists, scholars and his colleagues. Till now, he has penned nine book chapters, 49 journal papers and four conference papers.
Dr. Prasad and scientist Dr. Anil Mohapatra of Estuarine Biological Research Centre (another ZSI’s wing) in Gopalpur of Ganjam district have co-authored the book ‘Guide on Some Marine Aquarium Fauna’ that received accolades in the circle of marine scientists.
“I worked with Dr. Prasad for seven years. Both of us have worked together on more than five projects and presented nearly 35 papers at different meets and conferences,” said Dr. Anil. “Dr. Prasad as a person is amiable by nature. As a researcher he never pauses in his pursuit till he gets to the conclusion, and as a scientist he has always been inquisitive” he added.
The tribal scientists’ scientific march and marathon have brought laurels and rewards for him. Till now he and his team have discovered six Mollusca out of which Melanochlamys droupadi has been named after tribal president of India—Droupadi Murmu. The other five Mollusca are: Melanochlamys bengalensis, Flifusus manuaelae, Anadara consociate, Anadara troscheli and Fulvia nienkaea.
Similarly, he and his team discovered five fish species namely: Gymnothorax visakhaensis, Enchely propinqua, Chelonodontops bengalensis, Neomerinthe rotunda and Parascorpaena mcadamsi.
“Mollusca and fish species that our team have discovered feed on micro-organisms and smaller fish, thus maintaining a balance of aquatic ecology, “said Dr. Prasad, whose 16 years of patience and perseverance, diligence and dedication have made him a successful scientist.
Now, as principal investigator, Dr. Prasad is busy in carrying on with the status survey of Wndowpane Oyster Placunae placenta that started in April 2021. As a co-investigator, he with his team has completed nine major assignments that included the assessment on landing of By-catch fauna in the Digha Shankarpur landing centre of east coast of India (completed in March, 2023) and fauna diversity of Mudflats (completed in March, 2022. (END)
