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An archaeologist of international repute, Professor B.B. Lal was the Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India from 1968 to 1972. In the latter year, he took voluntary retirement, better to pursue his research programmes independently. He joined Jiwaji University, Gwalior, as a Professor and later moved to the renowned Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Simla, of which he was also the Director for many years. Born on 2 May 1921, Lal had a brilliant academic career throughout. On joining the Archaeological Survey in 1946, he held charge of the Excavations Branch and participated with Sri Mortimer Wheeler in the excavations at Harappa. Soon he paved his way up, becoming in 1959 the first Director of the School of Archaeology. In 1971, Prof Lal was invited as Alexander White Visiting Professor at the University of Chicago. In 1994, he was awarded D.Litt. degree (honoris causa) by the Institute of Archaeology, St. Petersberg, Russia. The same year he was elected President of World Archaeological Congress-3. He has been President and Member of several UNESCO Committees. At home, the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara conferred on him the title of Vidya Varidhi and the Mithila Vishvavidyalaya, that of Mahamahopadhyaya. He has also been honoured by the Indian Science Congress, Indian Archaeological Society and Asiatic Society, Bombay. Professor Lal has many significant excavations to his credit, ranging from the palaeolithic times to early historical. In 1961, under a UNESCO project, he conducted excavations in Nubia, Egypt. His publications include, besides excavation-reports and other books, over a hundred and fifty research papers, published in scientific journals, both in India and abroad: in USA, UK, France, Italy, Egypt, Pakistan, Japan, etc.