The foundation
stone of the Agricultural Research Institute and college was laid
by Lord curzon on the 1st of April, 1905. In his speech, the viceroy
had expressed his vision that the seed he was planting would soon
blossom out, making Pusa the nucleus of agricultural activities,
research and education which would not only benefit Bihar and Bengal
but the whole of the country and would attract the best of talents
from India and abroad. In separate meeting with the Bihar Planters
Association, he fervently hoped that the institute would-be of
immense service to them in their grave hour of crisis caused by
the German Indigo scientist.Lord Curzon left by the end of 1905
and Lord Minto was his successor. Till the last minute he had seen
through each and every detail of the Pusa project which virtually
was his brainchild. Incidentally one major issue on which he had
not agreed was the architecture of the main building, its wings,
vaults and arches but finally he gave his consent of course with
a stint.
At the site of present sugarcane research institute at Pusa, once stood
a magnificent two-storeyed gigantic structure in ornate range with flat
roof surmounted by a massive dome known as Phipps laboratory. This grained
edifice came up by 1907-08, housing the sections of botany, chemistry,
mycology,entomology and one library. Phipps laboratory was also called
as "Naulakha" building by local people. Quite a few renowned
scientists arrived from England including an imperial agriculturist,
and imperial economic botanist. Then came up the issue of starting the
college. As per the original proposal (1903) the experts were assisted
in the teaching programme by a number of junior teachers, instructors,
field overseers etc. and some transferred from the shibpore (Kolkatta)
college which was not functioning well and was to be closed down. Meanwhile
soon after the departure of lord curzon and with the active support of
the educational advisor to government of India, the proposal for opening
four agricultural colleges at sabour (Bihar) , Nagpur (Central Provinces)
comibnatore (Madras) and Lyallpur (Punjab, now in Pakistan) had been
got through and work started in a ;phased manner. So the original idea
of undergraduate education at Pusa was changed over to an institute of
postgraduates studies. Two year postgraduate diploma courses were formulated
in four disciplines and a one-year postgraduate diplomas courses were
formulated in four disciplines and a one-year programme in Agriculture
(later changed to two years). Besides, there was several short-term courses
for in-service candidates. In 1908-09, the first batch of students, for
Licentiates in Agriculture(L.Ag's) and university graduated in science
were admitted. The wishful thinking of the educational advisor as early
as in 1907 that Pusa would become a centre of excellence in agricultural
research and education and could become an agricultural university itself
did come out true after half a century with the stating of the postgraduate
school at the institute's new home at the Indian agricultural research
institute(I.A.R.I), new Delhi. Remarkably a few years later his thinking
came true at Pusa itself where the Rajendra Agricultural University stands
today and undertaken imparting of UG and PG training in various disciplines.
Dr. Albert Howard and his wife Gabrielle worked on wheat and revolutionized
the age-old wheat cultivation especially in the large rainfed tracts
of Bihar and U.P.S.J.F. Shaw also evolved many varieties in other crops.
Some the the best selections or Rice, chilles, tobacco, linseed, mustard,
pulses and vegetables benefited both the planters and the farmers. Research
on the taxonomy, ecology and control of insect pest by H.M.Lefroy,T.B.Fletcher
and H.S.Pruthi. On plants pathogens by R.A.Butler, W.M.Macrae, M.Mitra
and B.B.Mundkur and on bacteriology by W.M.Hutchinson will ever remain
as classical accomplishments. An outstanding example stands in Pusa's
success in cattle improvement of the purely indigenous sahiwal stock
brought from the Punjab on the Bihar soil. A special mention must be
made of the monumental contributions of Dr. J.W.leather on manuring of
corps, water requirements of plants, drainage studies in Bihar and reclamation
of Saline-Alkai Soils. For the first time dissemination of important
and practical results of research was taken up through Pusa Bulletins,
memories of the department of agriculture, and the agricultural journal
of India (1912). Rightfully, Pusa received an imperial status in 1918,
being renamed as the Imperial Agricultural Research Institute (IARI)
Devastation came with the great Bihar Earthquake
in January,1934. The ravages of destruction were badly felt at
Pusa as well and the worst victim was the massive Phipp's laboratory.
One may must wonder how the remarks on the file made by Lord
Curzon (who was no more in this world) about the weaknesses in
the design of the building came out as frightfully true with
its wings and arches totally crumbling down. Bihar received a
shock, when in the year 1935, the imperial Agricultural Research
Institute was shifted to New Delhi.
The fate of the phipp's laboratory having been doomed, the government
decided to abandon Pusa once again by shifting the imperial institute
to once through of location at Dehradun but the controlling department
(education, health and Lands) and the then viceroy (lord willingdon)
decided its shifting in favours of Delhi. Towards the end of 1936 the
imperial agricultural research institute (IARI) started functioning at
its new home on sprawling areas northwest of new Delhi. Thus, Pusa of
Bihar lost this great temple of agricultural education and research.
Pusa estate were then purchased by the government of Bihar at a nominal
cost of RS. 205000, the Government of India still retaining a portion
of it to serve as regional station of its main research institute at
New Delhi. Pusa estate since its purchase by the Govt. of Bihar has undergone
a series of changes with the dawn of independence and one finds today
a number of institutions located here along with the sugarcane research
institute which is the major scientific organization at Pusa and one
of the biggest centres of sugarcane research in the country.
A multidisciplinary sugarcane project, supported by the Indian central
sugarcane committee was already operating since 1932 at the provincial
government farm at Musheri, near Muzaffarpur which got the legacy of
the erstwhile institute, minus the phipp's laboratory. This project was
later shifted to Pusa after the earthquake. After shifting of imperial
institute from Pusa to New Delhi. The sugarcane research institute established
at Pusa has served to satisfy the cause of sugarcane growers in the state
by providing novel technologies. The I.A.R.I., regional station located
at Pusa had been working towards development of wheat varieties Tobacco
Research Station at Pusa has also bred a good number of varieties of
chewing tobacco and are popular in farmer's field.
The agricultural college which had featured in the 1903 Pusa scheme but
had been nipped in the but, did actually materialized in the sixties
as the Tirhut College of Agriculture, Dholi . Now the Rajendra Agricultural
University (RAU) has established (1970) itself at Pusa and has become
an important landmark in agricultural research & education in the
eastern region of the country. The Rajendra Agricultural University now
at Pusa has various faculties and constituent colleges namely, Tirhut
College of Agriculture (Dholi) Muzaffarpur, Bihar Agricultural college,
Sabour (Bhagalpur), Bihar veterinary college, Patna, Sanjay Gandhi Institute
of Dairy Technology, Patna, College of Fisheries, Dholi (Muzaffarpur)
College of Home Science, College of Agricultural Engineering, College
of Basic Sciences & Humanities and a postgraduate Faculty at Pusa
In RAU located at Pusa, M.Sc. Degree is awarded in 34 and Ph.D. in 17
disciplines. There is one central Library, one 450 seat capacity of Boy's
Hostel, one University Girl's Hostel, a VIP Guest House, Kisan Ghar,
IKH Bhavan, Sanchar Kendra, ATIC building, administrative complex, flax
house & cluster of residential building. The old imperial time 14
bungalows & other residential quarters are still holding the ground
with imperial touch.
In present Pusa, apart from the University a number of other organization
such as Regional Research Station of IARI, New Delhi., Tobacco Research
Station of CTRI, Rajamundri,Crop Research programme of ICAR,Kisan Vidyapeeth,
Women's Teacher Training School, Campus Public School (affiliated to
CBSE), Kendriya Vidyalaya, Rajendra Sishu Sadan, Govt. Basic School,
Govt. High School, Govt.Girl's High School, Uma Pandey College, Brahmadeo
Rai Sharma Mahila Mahavidyalaya, Community Development Block, a refral
hospital, Central Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, Cooperative Training
Centre, Post and Telegraph Office, Office of Telecommunication & Pusa
Police Station etc. are also functioning and contributing to the alround
growth and development of Pusa Estate.
Pusa has thus faced many ups and down since July, 5 1784 when a stud
farm was established through a sanad with the seal of East India Company
at a rental fee of 1500 Siccas for the land occupied where captain W.
Frazer was the superintendent of the farm. Even today Pusa is contributing
a lot to the field of agricultural education and research and holds a
bright future.
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