Every Indian must have heard the slogan Jai Jawaan Jai Kisaan (“English: Hail the Soldier, Hail the Farmer”) coined by the 2nd Prime Minister of India Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1965. The slogan was given to boost the morale of soldiers to defend India and simultaneously cheering farmers to do their best to increase the production of food grains to reduce dependence on imports. Later in 1998, the 10th Prime Minister of India Hon’ble Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, after the Pokaran tests, added Jai Vigyan (Hail Science) to the slogan to underline the importance of knowledge in India’s progress.
In order to pay tribute to PM Vajpayee, who raised ‘Jai Vigyan’ slogan along with Jai ‘Jawan-Jai Kisan’, realizing the importance of science & technology in every walk of life- be it defense, agriculture, biomedical and industrial development, Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University (RLBCAU), Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh initiated a lecture series called Atal Jai Vigyan Lecture Series (AJV). This lecture series is aimed to share wisdom and valuable thoughts with the new generation, delivered by eminent scientists, researchers and teachers for the benefits of students, faculty and as a part of the development of quality human resources.
On the occasion of National Science Day, celebrated on 28th Feb, I had the privileged and honor to deliver the 10th lecture of this series, where I talked about the role of science in agriculture improvement for food and nutrition security. I was overwhelmed to see the excitement of students, staff and participating scientists who attended this lecture at RLBCAU. Such experiences reaffirm ones’ belief about the commitment and zeal of our next generation to serve the country and to work for the betterment of smallholder farmers and agricultural community, towards more prosperous, food and nutrition secure future.
During this visit to southern and northern part of Uttar Pradesh, I had opportunity to interact with friends, colleagues and collaborators at (a) Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University (RLBCAU), Jhansi, (b) ICAR- Indian Grassland & Fodder Research Institute (IGFRI), Jhansi and (c) ICAR- Indian Institute of Pulses Research (IIPR), Kanpur. Apart from discussions on topical scientific issues, I also participated and delivered an invited lecture on “Genomic Selection” in pulses in Rabi Pulses Crops Meet at IIPR, Kanpur.
This visit could not have been so productive and fruitful without the support and help from longtime friend and collaborator Dr. SK Chaturvedi, Dean, College of Agriculture, RLBCAU, Jhansi. Also sincere thanks to all colleagues and friends especially Dr. Arvind Kumar, Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Anil Kumar, Director of Education, at RLBCAU; Dr. VK Yadav, Director, IGFRI and Dr. NP Singh, Director, IIPR. Thanks to Dr. Shailesh Tripathi, ICAR-IARI for joining us on this visit.
Being fond of traveling and visiting new places, how could have I missed to visit some of the monumental architecture of historical city Jhansi. I availed this opportunity to visit some monuments- like Jhansi Fort, Orcha Palace, Jahangir Mahal, Ram Raja Temple, Royal Chhatris, Orchha in Jhansi and Orcha. I was very impressed to see these architectural marvels which are also a testament to our rich Indian culture and architecture of India.
It was indeed a memorable visit to UP, my home state, after a long time.
Rajeev k Varshney 