ABOUT OUR JOURNEY
The Cell, as the unit of life, is the common denominator of all the structural and functional diversity that obtains in the living world. It is only logical that the diverse biological investigations should ultimately point towards the functioning of the cell. In full recognition of this fact, the Zoology Department of Delhi University initiated biennial Cell Biology Conferences in the mid 1960s. The Indian Society of Cell Biology was conceptualized in the early 1970s during one of these meetings and an Ad-hoc Governing Body was constituted as follows:
1. Dr C M S Dass
2. Dr S R V Rao
3. Dr H Y Mohan Ram
4. Dr R N Kapil
5. Dr K Vasudeva Rao
6. Dr D M Saxena
7. Dr G R Sapra
8. Dr M R Vijaya Raghavan
The Indian Society of Cell Biology was finally launched in 1976 as a Registered Society. The society aimed to promote confluence of areas such as ultra-structure, immunology, microbiology, genetics, chromosome biology, taxonomy, developmental biology, biochemistry and physiology at one forum. In view of this the following objectives were set by the society:
a. To promote and integrate research and development in the field of Cell Biology and allied areas.
b. To organize periodically Scientific meetings either under exclusive auspices of the Society or jointly with other organization.
c. To facilitate publications in the field of Cell Biology.
Prof S P Ray-Chaudhuri was elected the first President and Prof C M S Dass the first Secretary of the society and the first scientific meeting under the auspices of the society was held in the Department of Zoology, Banaras Hindu University in January 1977. Since then the election of office bearers (President, Vice-President, Secretary, Joint Secretary, Treasurer and 12 Executive members) is held every alternate year, and the scientific meetings are held annually. The society has permanent Headquarters located at the Cytogenetics Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221 005 with an Executive Secretary who maintains the records and assets, and coordinates various activities of the society.