Naveed Aslam at 22:15, 16 March 2026

2026-03-16T22:15:20Z

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{{Short description|Indian specialist in economic geology, marine geology, and nuclear geology}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Use Indian English|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox academic
| name = Calamur Mahadevan
| occupation = Geologist, Principal of Andhra University
| discipline = [[Geology]]
| sub_discipline = [[Economic geology]] [[Marine geology]] Nuclear geology [[Ore dressing]]
| notable_students = [[U. Aswathanarayana]] [[Bunyan Edmund Vijayam]] [[T. C. Rao]] [[Bangalore Puttaiya Radhakrishna|B. P. Radhakrishna]] [[K. Padmanabhaiah]], Home Secretary
| image =
| alma_mater = [[University of Madras]] ([[M.A.]]) [[Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science]] ([[D.Sc]])
| workplaces = [[Andhra University]] 
[[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] 
[[UNESCO]] 
[[Council of Scientific and Industrial Research]] (CSIR) 
[[Atomic Energy Commission of India|Atomic Energy Committee]]
| academic_advisors = Sir [[K.S. Krishnan]] [[M.O.P. Iyengar|M. O. Parathasarathy Iyengar]]
| relatives = Sir [[C. V. Kumaraswami Sastri]] Sir [[C.P. Ramaswami Iyer]]
| doctoral_advisor = Sir [[C.V. Raman]]
| awards = Fellow of the [[Indian Academy of Sciences]] (FASc) 
Fellow of the [[National Academy of Sciences, India]] (FNASc) 
Fellow of the [[Indian National Science Academy]] (FNI) 
Fellow of the [[Indian Science Congress Association]] (FISC) 
Fellow of the [[Geological Society of India]] (FGS) 
Fellow of the [[Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences]] (F.Pb.S) 
Fellow of the [[Paleontological Society|Palaeontological Society of India]] (FPSI) 
President and Fellow of the Geological, Mining, Metallurgical Society of India (F.G.M.M.S.I.)
}}

'''Calamur Mahadevan''' [[Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy|FNA]] {{Post-nominals|country=||list=[[Indian Academy of Sciences|FASc]]
[[National Academy of Sciences, India|FNASc]]
[[Indian National Science Academy|FNI]]
[[Indian Science Congress Association|FISC]]
[[Geological Society of India|FGS]]
[[Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences|F.Pb.S]]
[[Paleontological Society|FPSI]]
[[American Institute of Mining Engineers|MAIME]]}} FGMMSI (6 May 1901 – 8 April 1962), sometimes known as '''C. Mahadevan''', was an Indian specialist in [[economic geology]], [[marine geology]], and nuclear geology,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Calamur Mahadevan FNA |url=https://fellows.ias.ac.in/profile/v/FL1934048 |website=Indian Academy of Sciences' Fellows Portal}}</ref> and 1934 Founding Fellow of the [[Indian Academy of Sciences]],<ref name=":0" /> elected for [[Earth and Planetary Science Letters|Earth and Planetary Sciences]]. He served on the [[Indian Academy of Sciences|Council of the Indian Academy of Sciences]] from 1948 until his death in 1962. Chosen as a [[Fulbright scholar]], with aid from the [[National Research Council (United States)|United States National Research Council]], he taught at the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Academy |first=Indian National Science |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=snQ7AQAAIAAJ |title=Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Indian National Science Academy |date=1976 |language=en}}</ref> Appointed to the first [[Professor|Professorship of Geology]] at [[Andhra University]] after fourteen years as Superintendent Geologist at the [https://mines.telangana.gov.in/MinesAndGeology/Views/Index.aspx Geological Survey of Hyderabad], he was known as a doyen or foundational figure in the field of [[Indian geology]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=UCS: Geology |url=https://www.osmania.ac.in/sciencecollege/geolog.html |access-date=2024-03-22 |website=www.osmania.ac.in}}</ref>

At [[Andhra University]], where he was further appointed Principal, he introduced the subjects of [[Oceanography]], [[Marine geology]], [[Marine biology]], [[Mineral processing]], and Nuclear geology as firsts in India, which some scholars trace to his time at [[MIT]].<ref name=":1" />

He was a major contributor to the Geological and Mineralogical Research Committee of the [[Council of Scientific and Industrial Research]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=INSA :: Deceased Fellow Detail |url=https://insaindia.res.in/old_website/detail.php?id=N45-0420 |access-date=2024-03-23 |website=insaindia.res.in}}</ref> and to the Nuclear Research Board of the [[Atomic Energy Commission of India|Atomic Energy Committee]], of which his cousin-in-law, [[M. R. Srinivasan]] was Chairman.<ref name=":1" /> He was additionally [[UNESCO]]'s designated Expert in Geology, in relation to which he spent 1956-7 in [[Brazil]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kothari |first=H. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3Lc0EAAAQBAJ |title=Who is Who in Indian Science 1969 |date=1969-01-01 |publisher=Alexander Doweld |language=en}}</ref> The [[U. Aswathanarayana|Mahadevan International Centre for Water Resources Management]] was named in his honour, as was the [https://www.geosocindia.org/index.php/gsi/pages/view/EL_cmel Calamur Mahadevan Endowment Lecture] of the [[Geological Society of India]].

== Early life ==
He was born to Calamur Subrahmanya and C. Janaki, into the Calamur family, renowned for its scholarship,<ref name=":1" /> especially in [[Classics|Indian classics]],<ref>{{Cite book |last=Krishnan |first=Maharajapuram Sitaram |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wOQJAQAAIAAJ |title=Mahadevan Volume: A Collection of Geological Papers in Commemoration of the Sixty-first Birthday of Prof. C. Mahadevan |date=1961 |publisher=Publication Committee; [copies can be had from S. Balakrishna, Geology Department, Osmania University] |language=en}}</ref> and attended primary school in [[Buchireddypalem]] and in [[Madras]], where he enrolled at [[Muthialpet|Muthialpet High School.]] He earnt his M.A. in geology from the [[University of Madras]] in 1927 under [[K. S. Krishnan|Sir K. S. Krishnan]], where his other teachers included [[T. Muthuswamy Iyer|T. N. Muthuswamy Iyer]] and [[M. O. P. Iyengar]], and obtained his [[D.Sc.]] at the [[Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science]] under [[C. V. Raman|Sir C. V. Raman]].{{fact|date=March 2025}}

== Hyderabad Geological Survey ==
Mahadevan joined the [[Hyderabad State|Hyderabad State Geological Survey]] in 1931 as Assistant Superintendent, where he became a protege of [[Alexander Heron|Dr. Alexander M. Heron]], recently retired as the [[Geological Survey of India|Director of the Geological Survey of India]].{{fact|date=March 2025}}

== Family ==
As a Calamur, he was closely related to [[C.V. Kumaraswami Sastri|Sir C.V. Kumaraswami Sastri]] and [[C. P. Ramaswami Iyer|Sir C. P. Ramaswami Iyer]], among others.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Calamur Mahadevan – Humane professor {{!}} Brahmin For Society |url=https://brahminsforsociety.com/tamil/2016/06/27/calamur-mahadevan-humane-professor/ |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=brahminsforsociety.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Academy |first=Indian National Science |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CUAFAAAAIAAJ |title=Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Indian National Science Academy |date=1976 |language=en}}</ref> His sister Kanthammal Calamur married Dr. Cpt. Pennathur Krishnaswamy; their two daughters Saraswati and Kamakshi married Sir C.P.’s sons [[C. R. Pattabhiraman]] and C.R. Sundaram,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ramakrishna |first=P.C. |date=16–31 July 2008 |title=The Captain of Cathedral Road |url=https://madrasmusings.com/older-archives/Vol%2018/Vol%20XVIII%20-%20No%2007.pdf |work=Madras Musings Vol. XVIII No. 7 |pages=6–8}}</ref> whose respective granddaughter and son are [[Nanditha Krishna]] and [[C. Aryama Sundaram]].

Mahadevan himself married Satyavati Rao, niece of [[V. N. Viswanatha Rao]] and Lakshmi Calamur Viravalli, daughter of [[C. V. Kumaraswami Sastri|Sir C. V. Kumaraswami Sastri]]. Satyavati's sister Lalitha and brother V. N. Krishna Rao both married Calamurs. Mahadevan's son Calamur Subrahmanyam, meanwhile married Lakshmi, daughter of [[C. R. Pattabhiraman]] and his first cousin Saraswati.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:1901 births]]
[[Category:1962 deaths]]
[[Category:Academic staff of Andhra University]]
[[Category:Economic geologists]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Indian National Science Academy]]
[[Category:Marine geologists]]
[[Category:People from Nellore district]]
[[Category:University of Madras alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian geologists]]

Calamur Mahadevan - Revision history

Naveed Aslam at 22:15, 16 March 2026