A visionaryscientist

Our own Einstein:Dr Salimuzzaman Siddiqui

OCTOBER 19, 2011THEMATIC SUPPLEMENT

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The Pakistan Biotechnology Information Center (PABIC), located at

Latif Ebrahim Jamal National Science Information Center, is a first

national non-profit organization under the patronage of International

Service for Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA) and

National Commission on Biotechnology. The initiative of the

establishment of Pakistan Biotechnology Information Center is an

attempt to promote the multidisciplinary research and enhance the

awareness and appreciation of biotechnology at the local and national

levels. The PABIC also work to design educational approaches to train

interdisciplinary scientist in emerging area of health, agriculture,

bioinformatics and environmental biotechnology.

Pakistan has several good institutions currently working on various

aspects of biotechnology. There are a number of universities which

offer various degrees in this discipline. However there is a serious lack

of appreciation of biotechnology at the public and industrial levels

PABIC and ISAAA are working with the aims to enhance the global

distribution of information about the biotechnology specifically about

crop biotechnology to fight against the hunger and poverty in Pakistan.

Pakistan Biotechnology

Information Center (PABIC)

University of Karachi

Contact:

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L.E.J. National Science Information CenterInternational Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences,

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For more details kindly visit our website: http://www.pabic.com.pk/

DR. SALIMUZZAMAN

SIDDIQUI

19 October 1897 - 14 April 1994

By Dr Ahmed S. Khan

IF YOU are thinking a year ahead,sow seed. If you are thinking 10years ahead, plant a tree. If you arethinking 100 years ahead, makepeople aware. By sowing seed once,you harvest once. By planting atree, you will harvest tenfold. Byopening the minds of people, youwill harvest a hundredfold.

� Chinese proverbIndeed, people who look

100 years ahead build institu-tions and spread awareness. DrSalimuzzaman Siddiqui playeda pivotal role in the promotionand propagation of scientificeducation and research in Pa-kistan. One of the famous stu-dents of Albert Einstein, DrRaziuddin Siddiqui, while pay-ing tribute to Dr Siddiqui, ob-served, �There are not manyinstances in the history of sci-ence where great research work-ers are also great organisers andpromoters of the subject. But,as with other such rules, thereare honourable exceptions inthis one also, � Dr Siddiquibelongs to this category of ex-ceptions.�

He made significant contri-butions in developing the sci-ence and technology infrastruc-ture in Pakistan. He laid thefoundations of research anddevelopment work in Pakistanby establishing PCSIR researchlabs in Karachi, Lahore, Islam-abad, Dhaka, Rajshahi, andChittagong. Dr Siddiqui wasthe founder of the PakistanAcademy of Sciences, Chair-

man of the drafting committeeof the Pakistan Science Com-mission, Chairman of the Paki-stan Council of Science andTechnology, Director of the In-stitute of Chemistry, andfounder of Hussain EbrahimJamal (H.E.J.) Research Instituteof Chemistry, University ofKarachi. He was elected as afellow of the Royal Society ofLondon in 1961. He publishedover 400 research papers and

was granted 50 patents. Dr Sid-diqui, in recognition of his con-tributions to research, received

many national and internation-al academic honours.

The eminent scientist wasborn on October 19, 1897, toChaudri Muhammad Zaman.His elder brother, ChaudhriKaliquzzaman, a prominentMuslim League leader, was oneof the founding fathers of Pa-kistan. After graduating fromAligarh in 1919, Dr Siddiquiattended the University ofFrankfurt am Main from 1921-

27. After completing his doc-toral degree, he returned homeand was asked by Hakim Ajmal

Khan to establish the drug re-search institute in Tibbi Col-lege, Delhi. During his 10-yeartenure as the director of theinstitute, he carried out exten-sive research studies on theisolation and chemical struc-ture of alkaloids and otherphysiologically active constitu-ents of a number of plants usedfor medicinal purposes by theHukaa�mah.

He believed that a scientistmust study history, literatureand philosophy, in order tobecome a sophisticated thinkeror acquire high language profi-ciency. Dr Siddiqui conductedextensive research on Neem(Melia azadirachata) and otherbitter plants. In the 1990s hewas still isolating new com-pounds from Neem. Whenasked about his perseverance,he humbly recited Faiz:

Kai bar iss key khatir zurrehka jegar cheerah / Magar chash-may-haran key haraney naheinjahtee (Many times I have slicedthe core of the particle / Butthe curiosity of my curious eyesnever vanishes).

Then he recited Ghalib:Kaya khoob hay ka sub koo

milay aik sa jawab / aa�oh kayhum bhi sair karain koh-e-toor key.(It is not necessary that every-one finds the same answer /come let�s visit Mount Toor(Sinai).

Dr Siddiqui believed in theapplication of science for theservice of mankind. In an arti-cle titled, Contribution of sci-ence in the context of human

value systems and peace inmodern times, he observed,�At the end I would like to citea verse from the great poet-sageof Shiraz�Sheikh Saadi: �BaniAdam A�azai yak Digarand (thechildren of Adam are like limbsof one another)�. If there is anyplace for the simple wisdom ofthis verse in modern times, itmay serve to keep to the irra-tional component of the hu-man psyche under control, al-lowing the peaceful operationsof science to overcome thebaneful influences of materialand ideology on mankind.�

In Pakistan, the state ofscience and technology educa-tion and research is stagnant,even deteriorating. Many sci-entists in Pakistan claim tohave published hundreds ofresearch papers, but yet theircontribution towards the ad-vancement of knowledge re-mains insignificant. Academiain Pakistan needs to acknowl-edge the great services ren-dered by Dr Siddiqui by edu-cating the young generationand by establishing scholar-ships, science projects andchairs in his name. Nowadays,Islamabad needs a visionaryand pioneer like him, who canrevive the declining state ofscience and technology educa-tion and research, and bringthem to a par with interna-tional standards.

Dr Ahmed S. Khan is a profes-sor in the College of Engineering& Information Sciences, DeVryUniversity, Addison, IL,US.

�At the end I would like to cite a

verse from the great poet-sage of

Shiraz�Sheikh Saadi: �Bani Adam

A�azai yak Digarand (the children of

Adam are like limbs of one another)�.

If there is any place for the simple

wisdom of this verse in modern

times, it may serve to keep to the

irrational component of the human

psyche under control, allowing the

peaceful operations of science to

overcome the baneful influences of

material and ideology on mankind.�

Dr. Salimuzzam Siddiqui

By Mohammad Ayaz Abdal

IT WAS in the wee hours ofmorning that the telephonerang. I am talking about thelate 50s when having the land-line telephone was a sign ofluxury. My grandfather pickedup the phone waking up fromdeep sleep and with a fear inhis heart that something hasgone wrong somewhere.

The voice on the other sidepleaded to him, �Salam, forGod�s sake bring him backfrom the lab. He is there forthe past four days.�

Within five minutes, mygrandfather was in his MorrisMinor driving down to KarachiUniversity. The person on theother line was the German wifeof Dr. Salimuzzaman Siddiqui.When all things fail, she usedto call my grandfather to prac-tice his fine arts of persuasionto bring Dr. Siddiqui out of

his lab where he was totallyimmersed in his work and los-ing all context of time.

This story has been narratedto me by my late grandmother.I was just a twinkle in my fa-ther�s eyes.

I was reading an interviewof Dr. Siddiqui where he men-tioned the importance of hardwork and research and narrat-ed an event when one of thescientist was disheartened ashe/she was doing research forover one year on a certain as-signment which was not goinganywhere. Dr. Siddiqui ex-plained his own experiencewhen he worked for years andfinally found out his originalpremises was not correct. Thejob of the scientist, he argued,is to dedicate himself to pureresearch and hard work. No-body can control the results.

His life was a true embodi-ment of this principle.

Born in a well known familyof Subeha (Barabanki District)near Lucknow on 19 October1897, he received his early edu-cation in Urdu and Persian. Healso developed interest in liter-ature, poetry and calligraphyfrom his father Sheikh Moham-mad Zaman. His elder brotherChoudhry Khaliq-uz-Zamanwas a famous leader of the Pa-kistan Movement. The youngSalim uz Zaman and his familyhave been mentioned affection-ately by QuratulAin Hider inher autobiography �Kar-e-jahanDaraaz Hai� as they were quiteknown in Lucknow society. Af-ter getting his graduation inPersian and Philosophy (a veryinteresting choice for one of thebrightest minds of chemistry),he proceeded to England topursue medicine.

However upon the advice ofhis elder brother to study Chem-

Dr. Salimuzzaman Siddiqui, HI, MBE, SI, D.Phil,

was a leading Pakistani scientist in Natural

Products Chemistry. As the founder director of

H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry, he

revolutionised the research on pharmacology

of various domestic plants found in South Asia

to extract novel chemical substances of

medicinal importance. In addition to his

scientific talents, Siddiqui was also an avid

painter, a poet, and a great connoisseur of music

An eminent chemist,a diversified personality

EARLY LIFE: Siddiqui wasborn in Subeha (BarabankiDistrict) near Lucknow on 19October 1897. He received hisearly education from Lucknow,both in the Urdu and Persianlanguages, and soon developedinterest in literature, poetry,and calligraphy from his fatherSheikh Muhammad Zaman.He graduated in Philosophyand Persian language, fromM.A.O College (that wouldlater become Aligarh MuslimUniversity) in 1919.

In 1920, Siddiqui proceed-ed to University College Lon-don to study medicine. How-ever, after one year of pre-medical studies, he moved toFrankfurt University in 1921

to study chemistry. In 1924, hemarried his German classmate,Ethel Wilhelmina Schneeman.He received Doctor of Philos-ophy under the supervision ofProf Julius Von Bram in 1927.

On his return, he establishedthe Ayurvedic and Unani TibbiResearch Institute at the TibbiaCollege Delhi, under the guid-ance of Hakim Ajmal Khan.He was appointed its first Di-rector. However, soon after thedeath of Hakim Ajmal Khan,Siddiqui left the post. In 1940,he joined Indian Council forScientific and Industrial Re-search where he worked until1951 when he migrated to Pa-kistan on the request of PMLiaquat Ali Khan.

P I O N E E R I N G R E -SEARCH: Siddiqui's firstbreakthrough in research camewhen he successfully isolatedan antiarrhythmic agent in1931 from the roots of Rauwol-fia serpentina. He named thenewly discovered chemicalcompound as Ajmaline, afterhis mentor Hakim Ajmal Khanwho was one of the illustriouspractitioners of Unani systemof medic ine in SouthAsia.Later on, Siddiqui alsoextracted other alkaloids fromRauwolfia serpentina that in-cluded Ajmalinine, Ajmalicine(C21H24N2O3), Isoajmaline,Neoajmaline, Serpentine andSerpentinine. Many of theseare still used worldwide for

treatment of mental disordersand cardiovascular ailments,especially as antiarrhythmicagents in Brugada syndrome.DISCOVERIES FROMNEEM: Siddiqui was the firstscientist to bring the anthelm-intic, antifungal, antibacterial,and antiviral constituents ofthe Neem tree to the attentionof natural products chemists.In 1942, he extracted threebitter compounds from neemoil, which he named asnimbin, nimbinin, and nimbi-din respectively. The processinvolved extracting the waterinsoluble components withether, petrol ether, ethyl acetateand dilute alcohol. The provi-

Continued on page 02

Continued on page 02

sional naming was nimbin (sul-phur-free crystalline productwith melting point at 205 °C,empi r i ca l compos i t ionC7H10O2), nimbinin (withsimilar principle, melting at192 °C), and nimbidin (cream-coloured containing amor-phous sulphur, melting at 90�-100 °C). Siddiqui identifiednimbidin as the main activeanti-bacterial ingredient, andthe highest yielding bitter com-ponent in the neem oil. Thesecompounds are stable andfound in substantial quantitiesin the Neem. They also serveas natural insecticides.

In acknowledgement ofthese revolutionary discoveries,he was awarded the Order ofthe British Empire in 1946.

In his later career, Siddiquicontinued to discover and iso-late numerous unique anti-bacterial compounds from var-ious parts (leaves, bark, etc.) ofthe Neem and other plants. Hehad more than 50 chemicalcompounds patented in hisname in addition to those dis-covered as a result of his jointresearch with other colleaguesand students. Most of thesediscoveries still remain vital nat-ural ingredients of various med-icines as well as biopesticides.RESEARCH LEADERSHIP:After the emergence of Pakistanin 1947, Siddiqui was entrustedby the Government of Pakistanin 1951 to organise scientificresearch activities. In 1953, hefounded the Pakistan Academyof Sciences as a non-politicalthink tank of distinguished sci-entists in the country. Duringthe same year, he also estab-lished the Pakistan Council ofScientific and Industrial Re-search (PCSIR) in Karachi. Theaim of PCSIR was to supportthe industrial infrastructurethrough research and develop-ment. The regional laboratoriesof the institution were locatedin Dhaka, Rajshahi and Chit-tagong (East Pakistan), and inLahore and Peshawar (WestPakistan). In recognition of hisscientific leadership, FrankfurtUniversity granted him the de-gree of D.Med. Honoris causain 1958. Also in 1958, the Gov-ernment of Pakistan awardedhim with Tamgha-e-Pakistan.In 1960, he became the Presi-dent of Pan-Indian Ocean Sci-ence Association. The nextyear, in 1961, Siddiqui wasmade Fellow of the Royal Soci-ety, following which he was giv-

en the Sitara-e-Imtiaz for distin-guished merit in the fields ofscience and medicine, in 1962.Siddiqui remained the directorand chairman of PCSIR untilthe time of his retirement in1966. In that year, the President

of Pakistan awarded him thePride of Performance Medalfor the respectable completionof his service.

In 1967, Siddiqui was invitedby University of Karachi to setup a Postgraduate Institute ofChemistry in affiliation withthe Department of Chemistry.He was designated as the insti-tute's Founder Director,whereas the additional researchstaff was provided by PCSIR.In 1976, the institute was of-fered a generous donation fromHussain Jamal Foundation, asa result of which it was renamedas Hussain Ebrahim Jamal Re-search Institute of Chemistry.In due time, Siddiqui trans-formed the institute into adistinguished centre of inter-national excellence in the fieldof chemistry and naturalproducts. In March 1975, heheaded the National Com-mission for Indigenous Medi-cines. His tireless efforts for thepromotion of science andtechnology earned him Hilal-e-Imtiaz by the Government ofPakistan in 1980. In 1983, heplayed a major role in the es-tablishment of the Third WorldAcademy of Sciences and be-came its Founding Fellow. Heremained the director of theHussain Ebrahim Jamal Re-search Institute of Chemistry

until 1990. Later on, he contin-ued research in his personallaboratory.DEATH AND LEGACY:Siddiqui died on 14 April 1994due to cardiac arrest after abrief illness in Karachi. He was

buried in the Karachi Univer-sity Graveyard. Despite hisdeath, the academic and re-search institutes that hefounded during more than 65years of his research career arestill contributing to the inter-national level research in nat-ural products chemistry.

As a person of multiple tal-

ents, Siddiqui was also a re-fined poet, musician, and apainter. In August 1924, heheld his first international ex-hibition of paintings in Frank-furt. Later in 1927, his worksof art were exhibited at the

Uzielli Gallery, Frankfurt. Dur-ing his stay in Germany, healso translated Rainer MariaRilke's poetry into Urdu, whichwas published in the journalof Jamia Millia Islamia.Though, his passion for artswas superseded by the enthusi-asm in scientific research, hecontinued to patronise arts and

culture. In 1966, he was at theforefront for setting up theCentral Institute of Arts andCrafts in Karachi He also com-piled a selection of poetry ofMir Taqi Mir into Intekhab-e-Meer. In 1983, he published aportfolio collection of charcoaldrawings from 1920 to 1950s.

On 14 April 1999, the Paki-stan Post, as part of its 'Scien-tists of Pakistan' series, issueda commemorative stamp to ho-nour the contributions andservices of Siddiqui. In thesame year, the street leading toPCSIR Laboratories Complexin Karachi was named asShahrah-e-Dr. Salim-uz-ZamanSiddiqui. Siddiqui was alsor$emembered by his studentsand colleagues, many of whomcontinued to dedicate theirinternational research and pub-lications to his memory.In2002, a research article waspublished in the journal Tetra-hedron in which, authors Faiziand Naz dedicated their break-through research to the mem-ory of Siddiqui, their mentor.Dr. Salimuzzaman Siddiqui isconsider one of the prominentChemist Scientist in Pakistan.AWARDS AND HO-NOURS: Siddiqui was afounder-member of the Indianand Pakistan Academies of Sci-ences, and later a foundermember of the internationalbody, the Third World Acade-my of Sciences. He receivedmultiple awards and honour.

THEMATIC EDITION - DR. SALIMUZZAMAN SIDDIQUI DAY2

istry in Germany as they werethe best in Chemistry, he laterdecided to go to Germany tostudy Chemistry and completedhis PhD in 1927. In 1924, hemarried his German classmate,Ethel Wilhelmina Schneeman(who changed her name to Talatand was nicknamed Tilly). Oneof the interesting facts of thatstay is that Ch. Khaliquzzamanprovided him Rs. 10,000 for hisexpenses and when they wereeaten up by inflation, HakimAjmal Khan arranged Rs. 400per month for him to completehis studies.

Upon his return to India,he established and became thefirst Director of Ayurvedic andUnani Tibbi Research Insti-tute at the Tibbia College Del-hi, under the guidance ofHakim Ajmal Khan. He wasable to observe the variousplants and herbs being usedby the great Hakim as medi-cine for various ailments.

He observed that HakimAjmal Khan used snakerootfor ailment of mental disor-ders. He started his researchand his first breakthroughcame when he successfully iso-lated an antiarrhythmic agentin 1931 from the roots of Rau-wolfia serpentina. He namedthe newly discovered chemicalcompound as Ajmaline, afterhis mentor Hakim AjmalKhan. Later on, Siddiqui alsoextracted other alkaloids fromRauwolfia. Many of these arestill used worldwide for treat-ment of mental disorders andcardiovascular ailments, espe-cially as antiarrhythmic agentsin Brugada syndrome. Afterthe death of Hakim Ajmal, hejoined Indian Council of Sci-entific and Industrial Researchand later migrated to Pakistanin 1951 upon the request ofPrime Minister Nawabzada Li-aquat Ali Khan.

He later shifted his focus toNeem. Salimuzzam Siddiquiwas the first scientist to bringthe anthelmintic, antifungal,antibacterial, and antiviral con-stituents of the Neem tree tothe attention of natural prod-ucts chemists. In 1942, he ex-tracted three bitter compoundsfrom Neem oil, which henamed as nimbin, nimbinin,and nimbidin respectively.From 1942 to the end of hiscareer, he was able to identify

and isolate 50 chemical com-pounds (patented in his name)from Neem just as a result ofhis own research in additionto those discovered as a resultof his joint research with othercolleagues and students. Mostof these discoveries still remainvital natural ingredients of var-ious medicines as well as bio-pesticides. In acknowledge-ment of these revolutionarydiscoveries, he was awarded theOrder of the British Empire(OBE) in 1946.

Dr. Salimuzzaman was giventhe task of fostering scientificresearch activities in Pakistan.In 1953, he founded the Paki-stan Academy of Sciences as anon-political think tank of dis-

tinguished scientists in thecountry. He also served as oneof the founding member ofPakistan Atomic Commissionin 1956 and established Paki-stan Council of Scientific andIndustrial Research (PCSIR)in Karachi. He was awardedvarious medals by the Govern-ment and the Frankfurt Uni-

versity for organizing scientificactivity in Pakistan. An inter-esting point to note is that bothDr. Salimuzzaman and Ch.Khaiquzzaman are perhaps theonly brothers in the history ofPakistan to have received Hilal-e-Pakistan medal.

In 1967, Siddiqui was invitedby University of Karachi to setup a Postgraduate Institute ofChemistry in affiliation with theDepartment of Chemistry. Hewas designated as the institute�sFounder Director, whereas theadditional research staff was pro-vided by PCSIR. In 1976, theinstitute was offered a generousdonation from Hussain JamalFoundation, as a result of whichit was renamed as Hussain Ebra-

him Jamal (HEJ) Research Insti-tute of Chemistry.

In due time, Siddiqui trans-formed the institute into a dis-tinguished centre of internation-al excellence in the field ofchemistry and natural products.In March 1975, he headed theNational Commission for In-digenous Medicine. His tireless

efforts for the promotion ofscience and technology earnedhim Hilal-e-Imtiaz, Sitara-i-Imtiaz, Hilal-i-Pakistan andPride of Performance from theGovernment of Pakistan in1980. In 1983, he played a ma-jor role � along with Dr. AbdusSalam � in the establishmentof the Third World Academyof Sciences and became one ofits Founding Fellow. He re-mained the director of the HEJResearch Institute of Chemistryuntil 1990 when he turned thereins to Dr. Ata Ur Rehman.However, he continued researchin his personal laboratory.

Dr. Salimuzzam Siddiqui, inthe tradition of many othergreat scientists, was interestedin more than just science. Hewas a refined poet, musician,and a painter. In August 1924,he held his first internationalexhibition of paintings inFrankfurt. Later in 1927, hisworks of art were exhibited atthe Uzielli Gallery, Frankfurt.During his stay in Germany, healso translated Rainer MariaRilke�s poetry into Urdu, whichwas published in the journal ofJamia Millia Islamia. Though,his passion for arts was super-seded by the enthusiasm inscientific research, he continuedto patronize arts and culture.In 1966, he was at the forefrontfor setting up the Central In-stitute of Arts and Crafts inKarachi. He also compiled aselection of poetry of Mir TaqiMir into Intekhab-e-Meer. In1983, he published a portfoliocollection of charcoal drawingsfrom 1920 to 1950s.

I still remember when heattended a literary program ofPTV where he spent about halfan hour just explaining themeaning of the first line of Gha-lib�s Divan Naqsh Faryadi haikis ki shauqi-e-tehreer ka (Aboutwhose mischievousness of writ-ing is the image a plaintiff). Hetraced the origin of this line tothe first couplet of MisnaviMaulana Raum. He also relatedthis to the Sufi philosophy ofWahdatul Wajood, that we areall part of the same light andwe all feel unhappy as in ourphysical form we are being sep-arated from the great light orNoor. His method of explana-tion was so simple that it is stillfresh in my memory after quar-ter of a century.

Dr. Siddiqui breathed hislast on April 14, 1994 at theage of 97. His continuing leg-acy, perhaps are his great stu-dents who are continuing thefine traditions of research andservice to humanity taught tothem by this great scientist andhuman being. Perhaps Sade-quein�s rubayi hold true in Dr.Salimuzzaman case too.Chalo es baar Saahiri kar kay

dekhoonKia farq hai shyari kar kay dekhonTasweeron mein ashaar kahen

hein mein nayShayari mein mussawari kar kay

dekhon.Author blogs Ayaz Abdal�s blog.

Salimuzzam Siddiqui was the first

scientist to bring the anthelmintic,

antifungal, antibacterial, and

antiviral constituents of the Neem

tree to the attention of natural

products chemists. He was able to

identify and isolate 50 chemical

compounds (patented in his name)

from Neem just as a result of his

own research

Prof Salam, Dr Mehdi Hasan and Prof Salimuzzamandiscuss an issue in the PCSIR

Continued from page 01: Dr. Salimuzzaman Siddiqui - The scientist who painted

Continued from page 01: Dr. Salimuzzaman Siddiqui - An eminent chemist, an exemplary artist

Born: 19 October 1897, Lucknow, British India

Died: 14 April 1994 (aged 96), Karachi, Pakistan

Nationality: Pakistani

Fields: Organic chemistry

Institutions: Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial

Research (PCSIR), H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry,

Karachi University, Alma mater Aligarh Muslim University

Doctoral advisor: Julius Von Bram, Doctoral students:

Prof. Dr. Bina S. Siddiqui and Prof. Dr. Abdul Malik

Known for: Natural Products Research, Chemical

Constituents of Neem and Rauwolfia serpentica

Notable awards: Fellow of the Royal Society, Hilal-i-

Imtiaz, MBE, Pride of Performance, Sitara-i-Imtiaz,

Tamgha-i-Pakistan

AS A man of diversified inter-ests and capable of performingvarious functions side by side,Dr. Salimuzzaman Siddiquiproved his skill equally well inthe field of arts. He was activelyinterested in literature, poetryand calligraphy. He was in-volved in drawing, paintingand even in sculpture rightfrom his school days.

He used to watch his elderbrother Samiuz-zaman at hispainting work for hours. Withthis background, he becamekeenly interested in variousmodern trends of painting inEurope when he was studyingchemistry in Germany. He wasoverawed by the paintings ofVanGogh, Franz Marc and theearly period of Picasso. He ven-tured on his first drawing atthe age of 24 in early 1922.

In 1927, he managed tohold the exhibition of hispaintings at the Uzielli Galleriein Frankfurt and earned abouta 1,000 gold Marks, from thesale of his paintings. Beforethis he held his first paintingsexhibition at Gallerie Schamesalso in Frankfurt-on-the-river-

Main in August 1924.In 1928, he sent some of

his drawings and paintings toan exhibition in Bangalore; hisunorthodox representation ofthe sitting Buddha createdquite a law and order situation,while the art critic of 'The Hin-du daily 'Venkatachalam wrotea charming critical appreciationin his defence. He also heldoccasional exhibitions of hispaintings in Delhi. His visit toJamini Roy's exhibition in Cal-cutta in 1940 led to a highlyproductive period.

Dr. Salimuzzaman Siddiquialso took keen interest in poet-ry. Having a flair for Arabicand :Persian, more specially forGhalib and Meer, he also com-piled his own 'Intekhab-i-Meer'.

After migration to PakistanDr. Siddiqui continued his in-dulgence mostly in drawing incharcoal and Chinese ink. Hisselected works were reproducedin a folder by M/s Elite Pub-lishers. He `released his port-folio of 15 charcoal drawingson April 7,1983 which covershis collection from 1920 to50s. A painter par excellence,

the Goethe Institute in Paki-stan, issued his painting ofAmir Khusro on its greetingcard in 1985.

By 1989, Dr. Siddiqui hadattained the age of 92 yearsand his general health condi-tions were not good. He fellseriously ill and was hospital-ized at the Aga Khan Hospital,Karachi. The same year he un-derwent an operation for cata-ract. He was not suffering fromany major disease but of dete-riorating physique. He was re- admitted in Aga Khan Hospi-tal in the last week of February1994 due to cardiac arrest. Hebreathed his last in the hospitalin the early hours of April 14,1994. His Nimaz-. Jinazawasattended by the elitesof the cityand notable persons belongingto all walks of life.

Dr. Siddique contributedmore than 400 research papers,developed about 50 formula-tions of pharmaceutical in por-tance and guided a large num-ber of Ph.D students in thefield of natural products chem-istry. The span of his researchactivities spread over 65 years.

Dr Salimuzzaman

Siddiqui and

Dr Kamal seen in this

PCSIR group.

Dr Salimuzzaman Sid-

diqui as a young child

Courtesy: Dr Ghulam Nabi Kazi

A dedicated, enthusiastand exemplary painter

The Last Renaissance Man

Co

urt

esy:

Dr

Gh

ula

m N

ab

i K

azi