The Birbal Sahni Medal was instituted in 1957 by Professor T. S. Sadasivan to commemorate the memory of Professor Birbal Sahni, his revered teacher and one of the founding members of the Indian Botanical Society.

This medal is awarded every year to a distinguished Indian Botanist for his or her contributions and devotion to the cause of Indian Botany on the recommendations of the Executive Council. A special function of the Society is held annually during the Botanical Conference in connection with the presentation of this medal and a special lecture is delivered by the recipient of the medal.

The award has given Professor Sharma entry into the select hall of fame that includes scientists of repute such as Dr M. S. Swaminathan, Dr R. Mishra and Dr A. K. Sharma. However, Dr Sharma is the first researcher from the North East to bag this prestigious award.

Professor Sharma, who was formerly the Vice Chancellor of Nagaland University has as many as 200 research papers and 9 books to his credit. He continues to be actively involved in research, guiding 15 research projects. He has the enviable record of having supervised as many as 25 doctoral projects.

The UNESCO, Indian Mycological Society, Kolkata, ICMOD, Nepal have also bestowed rave reviews and recognition to his research work. He has been to several countries on academic sojourns including the USA, the UK, Canada, Japan, China, Malaysia, Myanmar, etc.