Science Minister Jitendra Singh unveiled a variety of lotus called ‘Namoh 108’ at a function in the CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow, and described it as a “grand gift to the relentless zeal and innate beauty of Shri Narendra Modi, coming as it does in the tenth year of his tenure as the Prime Minister.”
The lotus has 108 petals and was discovered several years ago in Manipur and kept at the institute as part of its collection of flowers and plants, on which the institute conducts research. However, it wasn’t until four years ago that one of the scientists discovered that it had 108 petals — a number that Ajit Kumar Shasany, Director, CSIR-NBRI told The Hindu — and was of religious significance to Hinduism.
“Considering the religious importance of the ‘lotus flower’ and ‘the digit 108’, this combination gives an important identity to this variety,” Mr. Singh said on Saturday.
Other than the possession of 108 petals, the flower on initial inspection was ordinary compared to several other kinds of lotus available in India. In fact, its “fibre quality” was less and it bloomed only in one season, said Mr. Shasany.
“Until the apple fell on Newton, no one understood its significance to gravity. However, once this connection (of 108) was made then we undertook a more detailed study of its characteristics and later on sequenced the genome of the flower. This is the only lotus variety in India to have had its genome sequenced,” Mr. Shasany told The Hindu. The only other lotus variety to be sequenced in the world was from China and it was “completely different”.
It was only after the number of petals was discovered that the NBRI cloned and worked on improving its germplasm and modifying its characteristics in a way that it could be cultivated relatively easily outside of Manipur.
“We will be registering as the official lotus variety out of India. After all, this is our national flower,” said Mr. Shasany, adding, “We have plans on facilitating an entire industrial and entrepreneurial ecosystem around this.”
At the launch on Saturday, Minister Singh made public, apparel made from the 108 fibre as well as perfume, named ‘Frotus.’
The name of the variety was given by an internal committee of the NBRI. “Somebody (in the meeting) said Om Namaha Vasudeva...we took the ‘Namoh’ from that,” Mr. Shasany told The Hindu. Namoh in Sanskrit translates to ‘salutations.’
Mr. Shasany said that the naming committee didn’t have Prime Minister Narendra Modi in mind, as the name was Namoh and not Namo (a portmanteau of Mr. Modi’s name and popular reference to him in political rallies) when the name was chosen but said that Science Minister linking the flower to Mr. Modi was “an act of dedication by him and he fully stood by the Minister’s gesture”.
CSIR-NBRI would be initiating a ‘Lotus Mission’ as part of a larger ongoing horticultural mission to have more of the 108 Namo flowers grow in other parts of India.
Mr. Singh was at the CSIR-NBRI as part of the organisation’s ‘One Week One Lab’ initiative under which every lab would showcase its history and scientific achievements for a week. Director General, CSIR, N. Kalaiselvi, was also present at the function.
