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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.

A.K. Sharma received M.Sc. (Mathematics), B.Ed., M.A., (Economics) L.L.B. and M.Phil, degrees from Meerut University Meerut. He has over 16 years of teaching experience of both graduate and post graduate level and also guiding the candidate appearing for various competitive examinations. He has written more than three dozens textbooks in mathematics. his bublication "Combined Engineering Entrance Examination Guide" and I.I.T. Mathematics" is being widely acclaimed and also adopted by the students in India and abroad. He is in the Committee of degree college Pt. Tej Ram College of Education and Law. He is also Director of Modern Public School, Raj Nagar Ghaziabad.

Kattalai S. Ramachandran (b. 1926) graduated from the University of Madras in History and Economics in 1947. Soon after, he joined the Archaeological Survey of India associating himself with the explorations and excavations aspects of the Survey. For more than a quarter of a century Ramachandran has participated in almost all the major excavations conducted by the Survey viz. Sisupalgarh, Sanur, Ujjain, Lothal, Kalibangan, Purana Qila, etc., and has specialized in the Iron Age, particularly of Tamil Nadu. He has also developed a lasting interest in art and iconography. Ranachandran has contributed more than four-score research papers of lasting interest to various journals, besides editing more trhan half a dozen books. His other books are: A Bibliography on Indian Megaliths; Radiocarbon Dates of Archaeological sites in India; A Bibliography of Harappan cultures of India and The Neolithic cultures-an annotated bibliography.