Punjab Agricultural University cherishes the visit of Charles 40 years ago
During his visit to PAU, Charles, who was then the Prince of Wales, was apprised of varsity's buffalo breed improvement programme, different crop varieties, and dairy farming. Agri-economist Dr S S Johl was among the dignitaries who had welcomed the British royal.
3 min read
Former Vice-Chancellor of the university and Padma Bhushan awardee, Dr Johl says that he does not even remember the exact year when Charles had come calling to PAU and shown great interest in some of its research projects. The ascension of Prince Charles as the next monarch of the United Kingdom upon the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II has brought to life some unforgettable moments for the scientists of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, who had got the rare honour to host Charles on the university campus, nearly 40 years ago.
Among those who had welcomed Prince Charles (now King Charles III) at the PAU was the revered agri-economist Dr S S Johl, now 94.
Charles being apprised of dairy farming in Punjab by PAU experts.
Former Vice-Chancellor of the university and Padma Bhushan awardee, Dr Johl says that he does not even remember the exact year when Charles had come calling to PAU and shown great interest in some of its research projects.
“It was sometime after 1978 when I had joined PAU as director research when he had visited PAU. He visited several places of research on the campus and we had long interactions and discussions over lunch. However, I did not keep any record because it was usual for VIPs to visit PAU because our university always presented a bold picture and was an institute of great repute. We simply did our duty of hosting our guests in the best possible way and were not after any propaganda,” says Dr Johl, adding that Dr Amrik Singh Cheema was then the VC of PAU.
“Dr Sukhdev Singh Gill and Dr Mewa Singh had explained about the varsity’s buffalo breed improvement programme to Charles and he had listened with great interest. We had also inspected the highest milk yielding buffalo along with him,” remembers Dr Johl.
King Charles III, who was the then Prince Charles, visiting Dr Uppal Museum of water in PAU.
Dr Jagtar Dhiman, former additional director of the varsity, says that he was a student when Charles had visited PAU. “A festive fervour had gripped on hearing that someone from the British Royal family would be visiting our campus. At that time, there wasn’t any madness related to security and everyone got a glimpse of him quite comfortably. Mostly it was the women who were excited to see him and one woman also presented him a bouquet of roses which he accepted humbly. The Prince had also asked her if she plucked those roses on her own,” he remembers.
“Being an environmentally-conscious person, King Charles III is known for his keen interest in planting trees, organic farming and combating climate change. During his visit to PAU, when he was then Prince Charles of Britain, he was apprised of different crop varieties, soil and water resources, and dairy farming. The Royal visited Dr Uppal Museum of Water and Power Resources of Northern India at PAU,” said Dr S S Gosal, Vice-Chancellor, PAU.
“Being a committed environmentalist, King Charles III has been making consistent efforts towards tackling global warming, which is a growing concern across the globe,” said Dr Gosal.
You May Like
