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Dr. Nambiyath P. Balakrishnan was born on July 27, 1935.  He received his M.A. degree in Botany from Madras University in 1958 and M. Sc. in Plant Taxonomy from Liverpool University in 1967.  his thesis on the flora of Jowai, Meghalaya fetched him Ph.D. degree from Gauhati University, Assam in 1972.  He worked in the Botanical Survey of India from August 1958 to July 1993 and worked in the offices at Coimbatore, Howarah, Shillong, Prot Blair and Allahabad.  At the time of retirement he was Joint Director and head of the office of Madras Herbarium, Coimbatore.  He made extensive botanical explorations and collection of specimens from various forest areas of Peninsular India, Central India, Assam, Meghalaya, Bhutan, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.  His collections amounting to more than 10,000 field numbers are deposited in MH, CAL, ASSAM, PBL, K and L.  On his retirement he continued his research work as Emeritus Scientist at Southern Circle of Botanical Survey of India, Coimbatore.  He guided 4 students for Ph.D. degree.  His research work in Plant Taxonomy yielded 180 scientific articles in various Indian and International journals.  He authored 5 books and edited Volumes 1 & 2 of Flora of India.  He discovered 2 new genera, 72 new species and several new varieties.  He is continuing his interest and research on the family Euphorbiaceae.

Dr. T. Chakrabarty was born on December 21st 1954.  He received M. Sc. Degree in 1978 from Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan West Bengal.  His thesis on the revision of the genus Croton for India fetched him Ph.D. degree from the same University in 1988.  Dr. Chakrabarty joined the Botanical Survey of India, Andaman & Nicobar Circle, Port Blair in 1979 as a Junior Research Fellow and worked on the revision of the genus Croton (Euphorbiaceae) for his Ph.D. thesis under the supervision of Dr. N.P. Balakrishnan.  Apart from Port Blair, he also worked in the Central National Herbarium, Howrah and Sikkim Himalayan Circle, Gangtok of Botanical Survey of India in various capacities.  He worked mainly on the taxonomic studies on the families Euphorbiaceae and Lauraceae.  He also worked on the flora of Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Sikkim State.  In addition, he carried out ethnobotanical studies on the shompen tribe of Great Nicobar Island and on the Jarawa tribe of the Andaman Islands.  He published more than 150 research papers in national and international journals.  He published one book as author and two books as an editor.