Professor Harkishan Singh’s daughter carries forward his legacy

Establishes a Research Publication Award and a Foundation in the USA exemplifying his unique role in Pharmaceutical Education

Our Bureau

Chandigarh, India

For a daughter, the love and support of her father can have a positive impact on her self-esteem and confidence. So, it is important to have more men like her father who are known for their integrity and leave a legacy in their community.

On the 95th birthday of her father, November 25th, 2023, Dr. Manjeet Kaur initiated along with her husband, H S Panaser, and daughters, Ajooni, and Alicia Kaur, the “Professor Harkishan Singh High Impact Research Publication Award” for an M. Pharm student, at the University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS), Panjab University, Chandigarh, India.  Panjab University is the very institute where Professor Harkishan Singh was affiliated from the date he joined Panjab University in 1964 till the last week of his life, in March 2020.

The Doyen of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Professor Harkishan Singh was a PhD from Banaras Hindu University, India, and DSc (h.c) from the University of Sciences, Pennsylvania, USA and Panjab University, Chandigarh, India.  He was a Padma Shri awardee, Emeritus, Educator, Author, Historian, Researcher and Humanitarian.

As per the release, Professor Singh published 125 original scientific research papers, with 14 patents. He was successful in designing the drug Candocuronium Iodide (INN) (Chandonium Iodide, HS-310), a synthetic azasteroid. A new drug rarely gets discovered in the precincts of a university.  He had over 350 publications including 19 books to his credit and was recognized through his election to the Academie Internationale d’ Histoire de la Pharmacie. 

Prof. Singh played a dominant role in establishing and structuring NIPER (National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research) at SAS Nagar, Punjab, India under the Government of India (MOCF). Prof. Harkishan Singh’s Archival Collection is located at NIPER where one can find the history of 1713 Volumes on Pharmaceutical developments in India from the last couple of centuries under one roof.

A nonagenarian, Professor Singh’s contribution in chronicling the History of Pharmacy in India, is unparalleled. Today his legacy lives on in our hearts as a benevolent mentor.  He will always be nostalgically remembered as a very respected figure who reaped posterity for eons to come.

Dr. Manjeet Kaur also launched along with her husband, H S Panaser, and daughters, Ajooni, and Alicia Kaur “Professor Harkishan Singh Foundation Corporation” from USA, to provide Scholarships/Awards to students in need, honoring a pioneer in Pharmaceutical Education. Manjeet has declared two lifetime scholarships/ Awards at Panjab University for B. Pharma and M. Pharma respectively.

The event was held at the Golden Jubilee Hall at Panjab University and was attended by more than 125 attendees from different parts of India and abroad. They also visited NIPER to view Prof. Harkishan Singh’s Archival Collections. In the end, the proud family thanked UIPS faculty members for helping to launch the two-lifetime scholarship/awards in his name.