57th Alumni Meet of College of Agriculture, PAU, held

Ludhiana: A galaxy of former and present scientists from India and abroad gathered at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) to participate in the 57th Alumni Meet of the College of Agriculture, PAU, today. Dr SS Johl, Chancellor, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda was the Chairman of the alumni meet. Dr Baldev Singh Dhillon, Vice-Chancellor, PAU, was the chief guest, while Mr JS Gill, Squadron Leader (retd.) and Dr Diljeet Pal Singh Brar, MLA, Vancouver, Canada were the guests of honour. Dr KS Aulakh and Dr MS Kang, former Vice-Chancellors of PAU, also graced the occasion.

Dr Johl said, “PAU has talented alumni.” Calling upon the retired alumni to continue serving the society, he said “chalti ka naam gaddi (that which moves is a car).” Dr Johl expressed concern over the farm suicides as well as the poor, who are bereft of their constitutional rights in the state as well as the country. “Awareness is being created among the masses in Punjab through Lok Adhikaar Laher. Support me in my mission,” he urged the alumni. Making a call for resurrecting Punjab, he asked the alumni to think of Punjab and its future and contribute to its welfare. Earlier, Dr Johl inaugurated Alumni Guest Room in the College of Agriculture, PAU.

Dr Dhillon said, “Alumni meet provides an opportunity to greet and meet our mentors, friends and students.” He lauded the alumni for earning recognition in the national and international arena. Dr Dhillon also apprised the alumni of the accomplishments of PAU.

The oldest alumnus Mr JS Gill, while recollecting his old days at PAU, remarked, “My mind and heart are full of PAU.”

Dr Diljeet Pal Singh Brar also shared his nostalgic moments on the occasion.

In his welcome address, Dr SS Kukal, Dean, College of Agriculture and President of Alumni Association, said it was an emotional moment for everyone. The meet saw the presence of three generations – mentors, colleagues and students, he added.

Dr CS Aulakh, Secretary, Alumni Association, proposed the vote of thanks. Two publications entitled ‘AGALUMNUS 2019,’ brought out by the College of Agriculture and ‘Jagat Guru Nanak Dev Ji,’ penned by Dr RS Tambar, former Additional Director Communication, PAU, were released on the occasion.

At the meet, alumni, namely Dr GS Sandhu, Dr SS Gill, Dr RS Tambar, Dr BS Sooch, Dr CL Acharya and Dr Kamalpreet Kaur recited poems. Folk orchestra and dhadi were also performed by the students of PAU. Dr Baldev Singh Aulakh, Urologist and Kidney Transplant Surgeon, delivered a health talk.

On the occasion, alumni were honoured for their contributions to diverse fields. Dr JS Sandhu, Vice-Chancellor, Sri Karan Narendra Agriculture University, Jobner, Rajasthan; Dr Parvinder Kaushal, Vice-Chancellor, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan; Dr MIS Gill, Dean, College of Horticulture and Forestry, PAU; and Dr SK Airi, Director of Agriculture, Punjab were honoured for being elevated to coveted positions.

Besides, PAU scientists, namely Dr NS Pasricha, Dr AS Dhatt, Dr OP Choudhary, Dr SS Kukal, Dr Sandeep Singh, Dr Virender Sardana, Dr MK Sidhu, Dr Prerna Thakur and Dr PPS Gill were felicitated for winning national awards. In addition, Dr JS Chawla, Dr GS Sanghera, Dr Kuldeep Singh, Dr CS Aulakh and teams were honoured for bagging the “Best AICRP Centre Awards” in maize, sugarcane and organic farming, respectively. The PAU scientists, namely Dr GS Mangat, Dr Dharminder Pathak, Dr Thakar Singh, Dr Rajinder Kumar, Dr RK Dhall, Dr SK Jindal, Dr MS Dhaliwal, Dr DS Cheema, Dr Poonam Sachdev, Dr SS Dhaliwal, Dr Arashdeep Singh and Dr GS Makkar were also felicitated.

Dr BS Brar, Join Director, Seed; Dr Sukhdev Singh, Joint Director (Agriculture); and Mr Kulwinder Verma, Excise and Taxation Officer were honoured for being promoted in the state departments.

Dr Sukhpal Singh, Horticulture Development Officer, Gurdaspur and Dr Mandeep Singh Randhawa, Soil Conservation Officer, Mohali were honoured for being the best extension workers from the state line departments.

Dr Bal Mukand Sharma, former Additional Managing Director, Markfed; Dr RS Brar, former Director, Seed Certification; and Mr Rachhpal Singh, former General Manager, UCO Bank were felicitated for retiring from coveted positions.

Dr SS Kandhari and Dr Harwinder Singh, former Joint Director (Agriculture); Dr KR Banga, former Chief Agriculture Officer; Dr Karnail Singh, former Deputy Director (Horticulture) and Dr GS Bajwa, former Additional Director (Horticulture) were felicitated for retiring from line departments.

Alumni, namely Dr MS Kang, Dr NS Malhi, Dr HS Dhindsa and Dr PS Sekhon were honoured for doing social service. Apart from this, alumni Dr DS Benipal, Dr GS Hira, Dr Sarabjeet Singh and Mr MP Singh were felicitated for working for the welfare of needy students. Mr Gurarshbir Singh, a student of PAU, was honoured for being an outstanding cadet./ (Jan 30)