A national seminar on ‘Darwin, Science and Anthropology’ was organised by the Department of Anthropology at the Panjab University today. Vice-Chancellor Professor R C Sobti inaugurated the event.

The seminar marks the 150 years since the publication of Darwin’s Origin of Species and also the 200th birth anniversary of the great naturalist whose work has had a profound influence on life sciences, faith, philosophy and the social sciences.

Dean, Faculty of Science Professor A S Ahluwalia, was the guest of honour. More than 50 delegates from various universities and institutes acropss the North West, North and Northeast are attending the seminar.

Chairman of the department, Professor K D Sharma traced the important contributions that the Department of Anthropology at Panjab University Chandigarh. The golden jubilee celebrations of the department are to be initiated later this year. It is now recognised as a Department of Special Assistance (level III) by the UGC and was identified to receive special grants to strengthen the infrastructure under the ASIHSS programme of the University Grants Commission.

Professor R K Pathak, coordinator of the Special Assistance programme in Anthropology at the department and the organising secretary of the seminar said: “The works of Charles Darwin has had a tremendous impact on the science of Anthropology. Many problems of human evolution, human variation, heredity and environment have been investigated following Darwin’s ideas and findings.”