Gidnahalli Karagappa Narayana Reddy obtained his BSc (Hons) in Chemistry from Mysore University in 1948. Thereafter, he joined as Lecturer in First grade College, Tumkur. After teaching there for one year, he was deputed on a scholarship to the Banaras Hindu University from where he obtained his Master\'s degree (1951). In 1956, he was at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore with a Government of India Scholarship to work on high pressure reactions involving carbon monoxide and glycols, and then (in 1958) at the University College at London to work in the area of coordination chemistry for which he obtained PhD (1961). He continued to work in the Central College, Bangalore became Dean of the Faculty of Science, Bangalore University, and then Vice-Chancellor of Karnatak University, from where he retired in 1990.

Academic and Research Achievements: Reddy made significant contributions to the chemistry of hydride and carbonyl complexes of platinum group metals stabilized by tertiary arsines and phosphines as well as dienes and nitrogen donor ligands, cyclometallation was identified in some of the systems involving the latter ligands. He also initiated investigations on possible catalytic properties of some of these compounds with respect to hydrogenation of organic substrates. He was Coordinator of COSIP-ULP in Chemistry at Bangalore University for several years and authored three books for undergraduate courses under this programme. He also published over 60 research papers and guided 12 PhD students in addition to some MPhil students.

Other Contributions: Reddy was Local Secretary for the Indian Science Congress Session (1987) held in Bangalore. He founded the Janatha Education Society, Bangalore (1972) and was its President for more than five years. He has been Coordinator for North-South Foundation (NSF) in Karnataka, a Chicago based NRI organization that awards scholarships to deserving students across 16 states in India.

Awards and Honours: Professor Reddy was elected Fellow of National Academy of Sciences (India), Allahabad in 1979 and was President of Karnataka Association for the Advancement of Science, Bangalore.