Overview A five-day course on botanical nomenclature organised by the Botanical Survey of India (BSI), Deccan Regional Centre, Hyderabad, was inaugurated in the city on Monday. Designed for capacity building of researchers and students in the scientific naming of plants, the programme underscores nomenclature as a cornerstone of taxonomy and biodiversity studies. Hyderabad hosts the initiative, which centres on strengthening understanding and use of scientific names for plants.
Leadership and participation The course is being led by K. N. Gandhi, Senior Nomenclature Registrar at Harvard University, USA, who will conduct sessions over the next four days. A total of 83 candidates from across the country, representing various organizations or institutions, are undergoing the course. With Gandhi guiding the sessions following the inauguration, participants will engage with the nomenclature-focused sessions over a multi-day format in Hyderabad.
Emphasis on scientific clarity At the inauguration, C. Suvarna, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) and Head of Forest Force, Telangana, emphasized the role of nomenclature in ensuring clarity and consistency in plant names. According to the report, this emphasis links directly to strengthening scientific communication and conservation efforts. By positioning nomenclature as central to communication, the course aligns its training with outcomes that support scientific communication and conservation efforts.
Schedule and format The programme opened on Monday and is structured so that Gandhi will conduct sessions over the following four days. That sequencing places the instructional core after the inaugural day, stretching the course to a total of five days. The multi-day structure gives participants time to work through nomenclature-focused sessions under the guidance of the named faculty lead.
Organisers and acknowledgements The Botanical Survey of India’s Deccan Regional Centre in Hyderabad is the organiser of the course. The event’s opening included acknowledgements, with L. Rasingam, Scientist E (Joint Director) and Head of Office, welcoming the dignitaries and participants. The report notes the institutional framework: BSI’s regional centre hosts the programme; a senior Telangana forest official underscores its significance; and a senior nomenclature registrar from Harvard University leads the instructional sessions.
Participation footprint The report states that 83 candidates are attending, drawn from across the country and representing varied organisations or institutions. This participation reflects the course’s objective of capacity building for researchers and students who engage with the scientific naming of plants. The composition of attendees underscores the importance attached to taxonomy and biodiversity studies that rely on accurate and consistent nomenclature.
Focus and objectives As described, the programme is built around the scientific naming of plants, treated as foundational to taxonomy and biodiversity work. In placing nomenclature at the centre, the course design directly supports clarity and consistency in plant names, which the report links to stronger scientific communication and to conservation efforts. For researchers and students, capacity building in this domain can help align practices with shared use of names that facilitate collaboration.
Timing and publication The Hindu - Telangana published the report on March 17, 2026, at 8:53 pm IST. The inauguration on Monday places the opening immediately ahead of the four days of sessions to be conducted by Gandhi, completing the five-day span highlighted in the report.
Voices at the inauguration The report records that C. Suvarna emphasized clarity and consistency in plant names as essential to scientific communication and to conservation, linking nomenclature training to those outcomes. It also notes that L. Rasingam welcomed dignitaries and participants, marking the start of the programme and acknowledging researchers and students. Together, these interventions frame the course with an articulation of purpose and a welcome from the hosting office.
Participation profile With 83 candidates drawn from varied organisations and institutions nationwide, the profile spans researchers and students focused on the scientific naming of plants. The description of participants “from across the country” situates Hyderabad as a hub for nomenclature-focused capacity building, bringing together a cohort whose work connects to taxonomy and biodiversity studies highlighted in the programme’s aims.
Takeaways Key elements are clear: a five-day structure hosted in Hyderabad; organisational leadership by BSI’s Deccan Regional Centre; instructional leadership by K. N. Gandhi; participation by 83 candidates from varied institutions nationwide; and an emphasis, articulated by a senior Telangana forest official, on clarity, consistency, scientific communication, and conservation in relation to plant names.