A History of Agriculture in India v1.c3.3

v1.c3.3

On 14 January 1977 the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation of the Government of India appointed me Chairman of a Committee to examine all agricultural universities in India, so that their working is improved. This assignment enabled me to meet agricultural scientists and farmers all over India and enabled me to fill gaps in my knowledge. On a visit to Bhopal, I saw the newly discovered cave paintings at Bhimbetaka and also met Dr V. S. Wakanker. On the way to Jabalpur, I saw the rock shelters and cave paintings at Adamgarh. I also noticed that whereas in Punjab and Haryana modern agriculture with the use of inputs such as tractors, threshers, electric motors and fertilizers is being commonly practised, in some parts of Madhya Pradesh the old wooden Persian wheel still persists, and threshing of wheat is done by treading the harvested crop under the feet of teams of bullocks tied with a rope to a wooden post, as in the Buddhist period. How the past persists in many parts of India! At Deccan College, Pune, I met Dr H. D. Sankalia, eminent archaeologist of India, who showed me his finds from Navdatoli and Nevasa. After seeing the new campus of the Agricultural University at Rahuri, I crossed the Pravara River on my way to Aurangabad. It was on the banks of this river that the chalcolithic farmers and hunters of Maharashtra lived. At Bombay I saw the collection of Harappan finds from Mohenjo-daro which the Museum had recently acquired. Apart from pots it also has the terracotta toy representing a plough. On a visit to Hyderabad to see the Andhra Pradesh Agricultural University, I saw the collection of Mughal miniatures in the Salar Jung Museum and discovered some interesting paintings of wild sheep and markhor.