Abstract
The following activities of the Society have taken place during the year 2025-26. The Executive Council met 4 times (hybrid mode) during the period.
To commemorate its 75 years of active service in supporting palaeontological and stratigraphic research, the society organised a Platinum Jubilee conference entitled “Fossils as Earth’s Timekeepers” from 29th October 2025 to 31st October 2025 at CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Goa, followed by a one-day post-conference field trip under the convenorship of Dr. Rajeev Saraswat with Dr. Thejasino Sukhrie and Dr. Shabnam Chaudhary as co-conveners. This event aimed to bring together academicians and researchers from various disciplines within palaeontology and stratigraphy for collaborative discussion and exchange of knowledge, and was the first such gathering of professionals working in the diverse areas of palaeontology and stratigraphy in our country.
In addition, the Society has organised 4 seminars/workshops in different parts of the country as part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, in collaboration with other earth science institutions.
A one-day seminar on Palaeontology, ‘Deciphering the Fossil Record’, was held on 16th May 2025 at the Geological Survey of India (GSI), Central Headquarters (CHQ), Kolkata, in Hybrid Mode to commemorate the 175th anniversary celebration of GSI and the 75th anniversary of the Palaeontological Society of India (PSI). The seminar was convened by Dr. Debahuti Mukherjee, Director, Palaeontology, Central Headquarters, Kolkata, and an EC member of PSI. Dr. Mukherjee highlighted the contribution of palaeontological research, its evolution in India, and the current research scenario. The seminar witnessed enthusiastic participation from eminent geoscientists, academicians from India and abroad, and students from various institutions across the country.
Another one-day workshop on “Environment and the Rajmahal Hills” was organised on May 27, 2025, at Model College, Rajmahal, Sahibganj, in collaboration with PSI, Lucknow, under the convenership of Dr. Ranjit Singh. The event saw enthusiastic participation from 150 students, academicians, journalists, esteemed citizens, and members of the College faculty and staff, both online and in person. Far more than a seminar, it became a vibrant forum where science, literature, and environmental concerns converged—igniting thoughtful dialogue, enhancing awareness, and nurturing a shared sense of responsibility.
The Platinum Jubilee of society was celebrated through a significant field program, jointly organised by the Tethys Fossil Museum, Kasauli, and the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Mohali and was led by Dr. Ritesh Arya, Founder of the Tethys Fossil Museum. This collaborative field program marks a meaningful step toward advancing field geology, palaeontological research, strengthening academic partnerships, and promoting geoheritage awareness across India.
The Platinum Jubilee celebration of the Palaeontological Society of India (PSI) cum Fossil Day was also celebrated at Dehradun in collaboration with Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), Dehradun, on 15th October 2025 under the theme ‘Deciphering Himalayan Fossil Record’ under the convenorship of Dr. Kapesa Lokho, Head, Palaeontology Division of WIHG. The highlight of the day was the series of insightful lectures delivered by distinguished speakers. Prof. Jonathan C. Aitchison from the University of Queensland, Australia, on “Three decades of radiolarian work across the Himalaya: A retrospective,” followed by a talk by Dr. R. J. Azmi, Retired Scientist-G, WIHG, titled “The fossil power: Indian Context with special emphasis on the Himalaya-Vindhyan connection and tectonics” followed by an inspiring and thought-provoking talk by Prof. Sunil Bajpai, IIT Roorkee, on “Timing of the India-Asia Collision: Insights from an Early Eocene Terrestrial Vertebrate Fauna.”
The 42nd Prof. M. R. Sahni Memorial Lecture was delivered by Dr. S. K. Parcha, Former Scientist-G, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, on 28th March, 2025, on the topic “Geological Framework of the Tethyan Himalayan region: A Stratigraphic overview” in the Department of Geology, University of Lucknow, Lucknow.
The 27th Prof. S. N. Singh Memorial Lecture was delivered by Prof. Sunil Kumar Singh, Director, CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, Goa, entitled, “Biogeochemical Cycling, Ocean Resources and Climate Change”, 17th February 2026, in the Department of Geology, University of Lucknow, Lucknow.
by Prof. Mukund Sharma
Delivered a lecture, Precambrian Palaeobiology: Birth of a new Science, at the Department of Geology, University of Bangalore, Janan Bharti, Bengaluru, on 3rd June 2025.
Delivered a lecture, Precambrian Palaeobiology: Birth of a New Science and Indian Evidence at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Indian Institute of Science Campus, Bengaluru-560012, Karnataka, on 5th June 2025.
Delivered a lecture, Bhima Basin Age and Palaeobiology, Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration & Research (AMD), Bangaluru, on 6th June 2025.
Delivered a keynote address Evidence of the occurrence of a possible sponge fossil community from the Ediacaran Mahi Formation, Krol Belt of the Lesser Himalaya, India at the conference titled Fossils as Earth’s Timekeepers, organised to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of the Palaeontological Society of India (PSI) and the Diamond Jubilee of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Institute of Oceanography (CSIR-NIO) from 29 to 31 October, 2025, at Goa.
Delivered a lecture on Origin of Eukaryotes to Evolution of Multicellularity: Insights from the Proterozoic Basins of India, at the Monthly Scientific Meeting of the Geological Society of India, Bangalore, on 12th November 2025 (Online).
Delivered a lecture on the Age of Bhima Basin at the Centre of Earth Science Studies, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Bengaluru, on 12th February 2026.
During the period, the society established a new medal, the PSI-Utkarsh Ojha Medal, in memory of Late Mr. Utkarsh Ojha, a bright student and alumnus of the Department of Geology at the University of Lucknow, Lucknow.
The donor(s), the Ojha family and friends (comprising Shri Prabha Shanker Ojha, F/O Late Utkarsh Ojha, other family members and friends) through Shri Prabha Shanker Ojha (as a representative of the family), wish to institute a Gold Medal Award in the memory of his son, who was an alumnus of the Department of Geology, University of Lucknow, Lucknow. The award is meant for a graduate pass-out student of the University of Lucknow, securing the highest marks in the subject of Geology and pursuing Geology as a subject at the post-graduation level in the following academic session of the Department of Geology, University of Lucknow, Lucknow.
Awards & Medals conferred during Platinum Jubilee Conference, NIO, Goa
Awards & Medals conferred during the Prof. S. N. Singh Memorial Lecture, at the Department of Geology,
13 Life Members joined during 2025-2026: Dr. Ujan Karmakar, Dr. Sulgana Sengupta, Dr. D. P. Sengupta, Dr. Arif H. Ansari, Dr. Yogesh P. Singh, Ms. Sakshi Singh, Mr. Mohd. Salman, Dr. Alono Thorie, Dr. Sampa Sarkar, Ms. Aindrila Roy, Dr. Yogesh Kumar, Ms. Anita Chattoraj, Dr. Suraj Bhosale.
In the calendar year 2025, the society has published two special issues for volume 70; the June issue is a Platinum Jubilee issue featuring invited papers. Issue 70(1) contains 23 articles, including an editorial message. The December issue, 70(2), is the ICMS special issue (20 articles) published as the proceedings of the 29th ICMS held at Delhi University. Prof. Ashutosh K. Singh act ed as the Guest Editor of this issue. At present, the journal’s impact factor is 0.6. The Society is very much thankful to the Editorial Board of the Journal for their untiring efforts in this direction. The Society’s journal is online and available with Open Access on the SAGE website. Please visit
The Society expresses its deep sense of gratitude to the contributors who have donated funds to the Society. The Conveners of the Platinum Jubilee Conference, Dr. Rajeev Saraswat and Prof. Sunil Singh, Director CSIR-NIO, for their support in organising the conference. All the Coordinators who organised the regional workshops/seminars and outreach activities at their centres on behalf of the Society are also thankfully acknowledged. The Society is grateful to Prof. Dhruv Sen Singh, Head, Department of Geology, University of Lucknow and all the faculty members, staff and students for their help and support in organising various activities of the Society. The Society feels obliged to all scientists who assisted editors in evaluating scientific contributions received for publication in the Journal of the Society. The Society is also thankful to the Patrons (Prof. M. P. Singh, Prof. Ashok Sahni, Prof. D. S. Singh) and President Dr. Rajiv Nigam, the Previous and Current members of the Executive Council of the Society, and the fellows for their help, support and guidance in the smooth functioning of the Society’s activities.
30th March, 2026
