Professor-Director

Permanent Home Address:

Mohalla: Sapri
Post Office & District:   Chamba
Himachal Pradesh 176 310 (India)

Present Address (for Correspondence):

Office
Professor of Geography
Department of Geography
Himachal Pradesh University
Summer Hill, Shimla 171005 (India)


Director
Academic Staff College
Himachal Pradesh University
Summer Hill, Shimla 171005 (India)

Residence
House No. A - 53
Teachers’ Colony
H.P. University, Summer Hill
Shimla 171 005
India

Educational Qualifications:

Dissertations Written:

1. For M.Phil.:     A Culturo-Geographical Analysis of House Types of Chamba District, Himachal Pradesh, India.  Department of Geography, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 1978
2. 2 For Ph.D.:       Geomorphology of the Ravi River near Chamba Town, Himachal
   Pradesh, India, Department of Geography and Geology, Indiana State University,
   
   Terre Haute, IN, (USA), 1985.  (entered in: Dissertation Abstracts International, Vol. 46, No. 08 (February 1986), p. 2605-B)

Special Training:

• Aerial and terrestrial photogrammetry.
• Terrestrial surveying.
• Socio-economic surveying.
• Cartography.
• Hydrology.
• Photogeology and photogeomorphology.
• Satellite remote sensing (image interpretation) using visual and digital (computer) techniques.
• FORTRAN and BASIC computer laguages.
• Simple and multivariate statistics.
• Soil geography and soil classification.
• GIS (Geographical Information Systems).

Publications:

• Geomorphology of the Ravi River.  New Delhi: Inter-India Publications, 1986, 86 p. (book reviewed by Prof. S.K. Tandon (Department of Geology, University of Delhi) in Bulletin, Geological Society of India, October 1986, p. 338).

• Co-authored with A.H. Siddiqui:  The Muslim World – A selected bibliography on its socio-economic development.  Monticello, Illnois (USA): Vance Bibliographies, 1984, 74 p.

• Co-authored with A.H. Siddiqui:  Planning Policies, Strategies, and Performance in the Agricultural Sector of Developing Countries – A selected annotated bibliography.  Monticello, Illinois (USA): Vance Bibliographies, 1982, 41 p.

• “River capture in the Himalaya: A case study from the Ravi River Valley,” In Dikshit, Kale and Kaul (Eds.) : India- Geomorphological Diversity, Jaipur: Rawat Publications, 1994, pp. 101-116.

• Co-authored with S.K. Tandon and D.D. Joshi; “Evidences of paraglacial conditions in the Himalayan Quaternary valley- fill sequence of the Ravi River,” In Dikshit, Kale and Kaul (Eds.); India- Geomorphological Diversity, Jaipur: Rawat Publications, 1994, pp. 117-125.

• “Sustainable Mountain Development, Watershed Management and Lessons to be Learnt from a Recent Catastrophe in the Himachal Himalaya.” In R.B. Singh (ed.) Sustainable Development of Mountain Environment in India and Canada (CIDA-SICI Project Experience).  New Delhi: Oxford & IBH Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd., 1998, pp. 197-207.

• “Himachal Pradesh: Physico-Geographical Set Up.” In L.R. Verma (ed.): Natural Resources and Development in Himalaya, New Delhi: Malhotra Publishing House, 2000, pp. 505-518.

• “Soils and Soil-Forming Processes.” In Hari Om Agrawal and M.K. Seth (eds.): Sericulture in India, Volume I, General Sericulture, Sericulture Extension, Organization and Management, Dehradun: Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, 2000, pp. 147-157.

• “Soil Classification.” In Hari Om Agrawal and M.K. Seth (eds.): Sericulture in India, Volume I, General Sericulture, Sericulture Extension, Organization and Management,  Dehradun: Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, 2000, pp. 137-145.

• Co-authored with Sanjay Kumar: “Ambient Air Quality in Delhi 1988-1994: A Spatio-Temporal Analysis,”  In Ashok K. Dutt, Allen G. Noble, G. Venugopal, and S. Subbiah (eds.): Challenges to Asian Urbanization in the 21st Cectury, (GeoJournal Library, Volume 75), Dordrecht / Boston / London: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2003, pp. 163-174.

• “Sustainable Development, Mountain Environment, and Watershed Management: Lessons to be Learnt from Some Recent Geomorphic Catastrophes in the Himalaya,” Paper presented in the International Conference on Globalization and Sustainable Development: Perspectives of Digital Revolution and Environmental Management, 23 – 25 August, 2002, and published in Proceedings, Volume I, pp. 254 –269, Edited by G. Victor Rajamanickam, T. Vasanthakumaran, and Rani Senthamarai, Chennai, Tamil Nadu (ndia): Indian Geographical Society, University of Madras.

• “Three Rural House Types of the Ravi River Valley: A Culturo-Geographical Analysis,” In Neelam Grover and Kashi Nath Singh (Eds.): Cultural Geography – Form and Process, New Delhi: Concept Publishing Company, 2004, pp. 60-74.

• Co-authored with S.S. Pathania: “Environmental degradation due to slate mining- A case study of Khanyara mines, district Kangra, Himachal Pradesh,” In Baleshwar Thakur (Ed.): Perspectives in Resource Management in developing countries, Volume 3: Ecological Degradation of Land (Concept’s International Series in Geography – 5). New Delhi: Concept Publishing Company, 2008, pp. 232-243

• “Urbanization in Himachal Pradesh – Case Study of Shimla City,” in M. S. S. Rawat (Ed): Resource Appraisal, Technology Application and Environmental Challenges In Central Himalaya, Vol. II, Srinagar (Garhwal), Uttaranchal: Department of Geography, H.N.B Garhwal University, 2006, pp. 64-72.

• Cold Desert Geomorphology, New Delhi: Anamika Publishers & Distributors Private Limited, Forthcoming.

• Co-authored with Parul Sharma: Urban Primacy in a Hill State, Annals of the National Association of Geographers, India (NAGI), Vol. 29, No. 1, pp.34-43.

Papers Presented:

• “Some geomorphological observations of terraces of the Ravi River near Chamba Town, North-western India,”  Paper presented in the Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers, Washington, DC., April 1984.

• “Study of a river capture in North-western India,”  Paper presented in the Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers, Detroit, Michigan, April 1985.

• “River capture in the Himalaya: A case study from the Ravi River valley,” Paper presented in the VI Convention, Indian Association of Sedimentologists, Dehra Dun,. October 1986.

• “A river capture in the Himalaya: A case study from the Western Ravi River basin, A preliminary report,” paper presented in the International Symposium on Geomorphology and Envriornmental Management, Allahabad, January 1987.

• “Incidence of murder cases in Uttar Pradesh, An exercise in crime regionalisation,”  Paper presented in the XIV Indian Geography Congress, Jaipur, December 1992.

• “Ambient air pollution in Shimla Town 1989-1992,” (co-authored with Sanjay Kumar) Paper presented in the National Seminar on Environment and Development in North-western Himalaya, Department of Geography, H.P. University, Shimla, May 1994.

• “Mapping vegetation characteristics by Indian Resources Satellite IRS-IC/IRS-P2 MSS: An Evaluation,” Paper presented in the National Seminar on Man and Environment in Highland-Lowland Interactive System, Department of Geography, University of Jammu, Jammu, February 1995.

• “Environmental Catastrophe in the Himalayas: Reflections on Chirgaon Event in Terms of Environmental Management,”  Paper presented at the XV IACS International Conference on Canadian Studies  on the theme Twentieth Century in Retrospect: Canada and India, held at the Centre for Canadian Studies, Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla, on April 12-15, 1999.

• “Ambient Air Quality in Delhi 1988-1994: A Spatio-Temporal Analysis,”  Paper presented at the Sixth Asian Urbanisation Conference held at the Department of Geography, University of Madras and Technical Teachers’ Training Institute, Chennai on January 5-9, 2000.

• “Sustainable Development, Mountain Environment, and Watershed Management: Lessons to be Learnt from Some Recent Geomorphic Catastrophes in the Himalaya,” Paper presented in the International Conference on Globalization and Sustainable Development: Perspectives of Digital Revolution and Environmental Management, 23 – 25 August, 2002, on the auspices the Platinum Jubilee of The Indian Geographical Society, 1926 – 2002, Organised by Department of Earth Sciences, Tamil University, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu (India) and and Indian Geographical Society, Chennai

• “Environmental Problems in a Hill Station: Case Study of Shimla Town” Paper presented at National Seminar at Department of  Geography, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi, Delhi – 7, 18th March, 2005.

• “Urbanization in Himachal Pradesh.” Paper presented in the 6th Aassociation of Punjab Geographers Conference held at the Department of Geogaraphy, DAV College, Jalandhar, held on October 29-30, 2005.

• “Tectonic Control on the Channel Patterns of the Beas River, Northwest Siwalik Himalaya” (co-authored with Satish Kumar Rana). Paper presented at the XXVI Indian Geography Congress (NAGI – National Association of Geographers-India), December 2-4, 2005, held at Bangalore University, Bangalore (Karnataka).

• “Urbanization in Himachal Pradesh: A Century of the March of Intra-State Urban Primacy in a Hill State.” (co-authored with Parul Sharma) Paper presented at the 26th Indian Geography Congress – National Association of Geographers – India (NAGI), Bangalore University, Bangalore, December 2-4, 2005.

• “Shimla (Simla): An Enigma of Urban Planning in a Hill Town / City.” Paper presented at the 27th Convention and National Seminar, Institute of Indian Geographers, held at University of Jammu, Jammu Tawi (J. & K.), on February 23-25, 2006.

• “Tectonic control on channel patterns of the Beas River in Siwalik, Northwest Himalaya.” Paper presented in XXVII Indian Geographers’ Meet, held at the University of Jammu, Jammu Tawi, on February 23-25, 2006.

• “Landslide-induced lakes in the Himalaya: Two case studies from the Satluj Valley – Recent case of Pareechu damming and the Palaeo-Landslide in Satluj near Tatapani.” Paper presented in XIX Conference of the Indian Institute of Geomorphologists, held at University of Jammu, Jammu Tawi, on October 14-17, 2006.

• “Topographic Profile Analysis: A Neglected Technique in Physical Geography”, Paper presented in the 10th APG (Association of Punjab Geographers) National Conference held at the Government College of Education, Patiala on 31st October – 1st November 2009.

Workshops and Training Courses Attended:

• DST-Sponsored Winter School in Geomorphology for Young Scientists, at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, from December 1 to 12, 1986.

• Four-Weeks Training Course in Remote Sensing Techniques and Applications for Geography Faculty, Sponsored by the National Natural Resources Management System (NNRMS), at the Institute of Remote Sensing, Anna University, Chennai, from November 17, 1997 to December 13, 1997.

• Manager Level Training on the Application of GIS and Remote Sensing in Mountain Natural Resources Management and Development Planning, sponsored by International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Kathmandu (Nepal) at the Dr. Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan (India), from January 22 to 24, 1998.

• InterGIS Train-the-Trainer Workshop – Status of GIS in European Union and South Asia, held at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi on 7th to 9th November 2003 (co-funded by the European Commission and coordinated by University of Salzburg, Austria). 

• InterGIS Train-the-Trainer Workshop – II, Didactical Aspects of GIScience Education, held at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi on 6th to 8th February 2005 (co-funded by the European Commission and coordinated by University of Salzburg, Austria). 

• RS and GIS Technology and Applications, NNRMS – ISRO Sponsored Course conducted by the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (NRSA, Department of Space, Government of India), Dehra Dun, from 15th May to 7th July, 2006.

• Application of Remote Sensing and GIS in Natural Resource Management, NNRMS – ISRO Sponsored Course conducted by the National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning (Indian Council of Agricultural Research), Nagpur from 20th March to 9th April, 2007. 

Refresher Courses Organised:

• UGC-Sponsored Refresher Course in Geography for University and College Teachers, in Collaboration with the Academic Staff College, Himachal Pradesh University, Summer Hill, Shimla-1711005, from August 17 to September 5, 1998. 

• NCERT-Sponsored Week-Long Workshop on Practical Training in Geography for School Level Lectures, in collaboration with the Regional Institute of Education, Ajmer, held at Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla, in February, 1999.

• UGC-Sponsored Refresher Course in Environmental Awareness for University and College Teachers, in Collaboration with the Academic Staff College, Himachal Pradesh University, Summer Hill, Shimla-1711005, from April 24 to May 13, 2006. 

Seminar Organised:

ICSSR-sponsored seminar on the theme GEOGRAPHICAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF THE  HIMALAYA:  ISSUES FOR THE TWENTYFIRST CENTURY  organized in the Department of Geography, H.P. University on 16 and 17 March, 2001.

Projects Completed and Grants Received:                 

• Geomorphology of the Spiti River Valley in the Trans-Himalayan Region of Himachal Pradesh (India): A Preliminary Analysis of Landforms in Cold Desert Environment, Through the grant awarded by the Institute of Integrated Himalayan Studies (IIHS), UGC Centre of Excellence, H. P. University, Summer Hill, Shimla – 171 005, Completed in May 2008.
• U. G. C. Innovative Programme for starting Advanced (One-Year) Diploma in Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System  - Allotted in 2007 by the University Grants Commission for a period of five years.

M.Phil. Dissertations Supervised:

• Air Pollution in Shimla Town 1989-1992, by Sanjay Kumar, 1993.

• Landuse/Landcover Mapping in Pong Reservoir Area through Visual Interpretation of IRS-1A False Colour Composite, by Dharam Pal Jishtu, 1993.

• Patterns of Literacy in Himachal Pradesh 1981 and 1991, by Beli Ram Sandhoo, 1993.

• Environmental Degradation due to Slate Mining, A Case Study of Khanyara Mines, District Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, by Sanjay Singh, 1994.

• Country-Wise Forest Area Distribution of the World, A Spatial Analysis, by Jagmohan Singh, 1994.

• Environmental Awareness Among People of Shimla Town, by Poonam Verma, 1994.

• Garbage Disposal in Shimla Town, A Spatial Study, by Susharta, 1994.

• Tourist Flow into Shimla 2000: A Geographical Analysis, by Anurag Sankhian, 2001.

• Socio-Economic Development of Solan District, by Nirupama Walia, 2001.

• Health Care Facilities in Himachal Pradesh: A Spatial Analysis, by Naresh Kamal, 2001.

• Environmental Awareness Among the People of Andhra Valley, Chirgaon Tehsil, Shimla District, Himachal Pradesh, by Devendra Kumar Pirta, 2002.

• Spatial Pattern of the Occurrence of Murder in India: 2000, by Sudhir Kumar, 2003.

• Spatial and Temporal Variations of Rainfall in Himachal Pradesh, India, 1980 – 2000, by Parul Sharma, 2003.

• Spatial Pattern of Literacy of Tibetan Refugees in India, 1998, by Tsering Dhundup, 2004.

• Garbage Disposal in Nahan Town, by Jagdish Chand, 2005.

• Ambient Air Quality of Shimla City 1995-2004, by Santosh Guleria, 2005.

Ph.D. Dissertations Supervised:

1. Ambient Air Quality in Selected Indian Towns: A Spatio-Temporal Analysis, by Sanjay Kumar, submitted in May 1999 and successfully defended in viva-voce held on April 10, 2000 for the award of Ph.D. degree.

2. Quaternary Geomorphic Events and River Terraces in Northwest Himalaya: A case Study of the Beas Basin, India, by Satish Kumar Rana, submitted in August 2005 (has been awarded).

3. Shimla – Sanatorium to Pestilentarium: A Spatio-Temporal Analysis, by Parul Sharma, submitted in July 2009.

Employment Record:

Professional Memberships etc.:

• Association of American Geographers.
• Gamma Theta Upsilon (GTU), International Geographical Honor Society.
• Founding Member of the Indian Geomorphology Research Group.
• Indian Society of Remote Sensing.
• Life Member of the National Association of Geographers, India (NAGI).
• National Geographic Society, Washington, DC.
• Life Member of Association of Punjab Geographers.
• Member of the Editorial Board of Punjab Geographerthe journal of the Association of Punjab Geographers.

Mamber of Various Boards and Committees (Selection Committee, Academic Board, Board of Studies, Research Degree Committee, Ph. D. Evaluation Committee, Moderation Committee etc.) and other academic assignments at:

• Panjab University, Chandigarh (Paper setting, Evaluation, Ph.D. Evaluation, Selection etc).
• Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi (Ph. D. and M. Phil. Evaluation, Selection).
• Delhi University, Delhi (Ph. D. and M. Phil. Evaluation).
• Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi (Paper setting, Evaluation, Selection etc.)
• Jammu University, Jammu (Tawi) (Paper setting, Evaluation, Ph.D. Evaluation, etc.)
• University of Rajasthan, Jaipur (Paper setting, Evaluation, Ph.D. Evaluation, Selection etc.)
• Bundelkhand University, Jhansi (Uttar Pradesh) (Ph.D. Evaluation).
• Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra (Haryana) (Paper setting, Evaluation, Ph.D. Evaluation, Selection etc.)
• Punjabi University, Patiala (Punjab).
• Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak (Haryana) (Paper setting, Evaluation, Ph.D. Evaluation, Selection etc.).
• Union Public Service Commission, New Delhi (Item (question) writing, and selecting items for examinations for the last about 10 years).

References:

• Professor A.B. Mukerji (Retired), Professor of Geomorphology, Department of Geography, Punjab University, Chandigarh 160 014 (India).
• Professor William A. Noble (Retired), Department of Geography, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri (U.S.A.).
• Professor G. Venugopal, Department of Geography, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana (U.S.A.).
• Professor S.K. Tandon, Department of Geology, University of Delhi, Delhi 110 007 (India).
• Dr. Kamlesh P. Lulla, Lead Senior Mission Scientist (Earth Observations), National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA), Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas 11058 (U.S.A.).
• Professor Harjit Singh, Centre for Social and Regional Development, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi – 110 067.
• Professor G. K. Chadha, former Vice-Chancellor, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi – 110 067.
• Professor S.K. Agarwal (Retired), Department of Geography, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi, Delhi – 110 007 (India).
• Professor A.K. Bhagabati, Department of Geography, Gauhati University, Guwahati, Assam.
• Professor S. M. Rashid, Department of Geography, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.