95th Birthday: A TRIBUTE TO INDEFATIGABLE WHEAT BREEDER DR DILBAGH SINGH ATHWAL
Today, October 12, 2023, is 95th birthday of Dr Dilbagh Singh Athwal. He was born in Chak 90 Chitti Khurd in Lyallpur District (now Faisalabad, Pakistan). During partition of India in 1947 his family moved to Indian Punjab. In 1948, he completed B.Sc. Agri. from Panjab University, winning the coveted University Gold Medal. His Ph.D. in genetics and plant breeding was from University of Sydney in 1955. He completed an MBA at Harvard University in 1975.
LAYING FOUNDATIONS OF FOOD SECURITY
In 1955, Athwal began his illustrious career as a plant breeder and was the Founder Head of Plant Breeding Department at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU). He developed an excellent reputation for pioneering work in the development of world’s first hybrid pearl millet (bajra) in 1964. He produced a popular PV18 variety of red wheat in 1965 and the iconic amber coloured ‘Kalyan’ wheat in 1966 in collaboration with his friend, Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Dr Norman Borlaug. His research was instrumental in ushering in the wheat revolution in Punjab, the State contributing 60–75 per cent to the national wheat stock from 1.5 per cent area from 1968 to 1980.
As Athwal was completing a one-year term as visiting professor at Ohio State University, he was interviewed for the third position in top administration of International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Philippines. He relocated to IRRI as an Assistant Director in 1967, became an Associate Director in 1971 and was promoted as its first Deputy Director General. He administered training and international programs, supervised research of postdoctoral fellows, and shared the general administrative duties of IRRI.
In 1977, the Rockefeller Foundation invited Athwal to join as a Program Officer for Asia in International Agriculture Development Services. He travelled extensively in Asia, designing and implementing programmes to raise food production. He joined Winrock in 1985, heading the Technical Cooperation Division. When Winrock reorganized, he became its Asia Director and, later, Senior Vice President of Programs, a position he retained until his retirement in 1991. He decided to retire early.
DECLINING TO BECOME PAU VICE-CHANCELLOR
Athwal was offered to become Vice Chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University by Chief Minister Darbara Singh in 1981. He refused on the grounds that the Punjab Government was not ready to accept his conditions.
INTRODUCING SHUTTLE BREEDING AND ON-FARM EVALUATION
As India was facing grim food scarcity, Athwal started growing two crops of wheat breeding material in a year — one at Ludhiana and the other at Keylong in Lahul Sapiti, Himchal Pradesh — to halve the varietal improvement time. He also established a sytem of rigorous evaluation on farmers fields by providing 2.5 kilogram seed to each of the radomly selected 52 farmers from all the disticts of Punjab before approval of Kalyan variety.
Initially, the seed of 613 segregating lines of wheat provided by Norman Borlaug to Indian Agricultural Research Institute in 1963 was shared with some research institutes but not with PAU. To India’s good fortune, Athwal managed to get some of these lines and promptly developed PV18 and Kalyan varieties. And the rest is history.
PRIORITISING WORK OVER POLITICAL EXPEDIENCY
High yielding hybrid bajra developed by Athwal became very popular in Punjab. One day, his wife Gurdev phoned him that Agriculture Minister Giani Kartar Singh had come to meet him. He asked her to tell Gianijee that he is busy, and he should come after 5 pm. Gianijee returned to Athwal’s Gurdev Nagar Ludhiana house in the evening, accompanied by two person and said, “Dr Dilbagh Singh these two MLAs (members of state parliament) have been pestering me for the last two months as they want to have a glimpse of the person who has banished hunger from Punjab (ਦੋ MLA ਤੁਹਾਡੇ ਦਰਸ਼ਨ ਕਰਨਾ ਚਾਹੁੰਦੇ ਹਨ।).” Is there any minister or MLA today who can wait for six hours for an accomplished scientist? Will they travel 200 km to have a glimpse of a scientist? Will a scientist or even a Vice Chancellor have the guts to tell a Minister that he is busy and will meet him when he is free?
MENTORING SCIENTISTS
Every day from 7-8 am to 12 noon Athwal worked on PAU farm, always going on his bicycle. He travelled by public bus from Ludhiana to Millet Research Station Ferozepur. The scientists trained by him continued his good work for the next thirty years. During a decade’s stay at Government Agriculture College/PAU, he spent more time on the research farm than an average PAU researcher spends in his/her entire career.
During early days of PAU, as Athwal was walking to his room, he saw a big pile of files on the desk of his Head Clerk Kartar Singh Ghai. He was always complaining about the burdensome office work. Athwal perched on a three feet high stool in front of Ghai sitting in his chair and cleared all the files in 30 minutes. Then he told him that from now onwards ensure that all the papers received are put up to him on the same day. Mentored by Athwal, Ghai became very efficient. For the next three decades he handled sensitive desks in the Registrar office with impeccable integrity. More importantly, he became a repository of the institutional memory of PAU. On every trip to Ludhiana Athwal met his mentee, Kartar Singh Ghai.
Athwal was a punctual, calm, and supportive boss. He had sound judgment, was an indefatigable worker, and was highly regarded by the PAU, IRRI, Rockefeller and Winrock staff. He was a guiding presence during the formative years of PAU, IRRI and Winrock International.
WAKEUP CALL
In 2012 as PAU was celebrating its Golden Jubilee, Ghai wrote to the Vice Chancellor that Dr D S Athwal Best Scientist Award should be instituted to commemorate his path breaking research. Concurring with the suggestion, the VC replied that this requires an endowment of Rs 5 lakh (0.5 million). A man of modest means with a big heart, Ghai immediately transferred Rs 5 lakh to PAU. When he insisted the award should be conferred during the jubilee year, he was asked to deposit another Rs 25,000, which he immediately did. On learning about the proposal, Athwal emphasised the prerequisite of being assured about the quality of PAU talent pool from which the winner will be selected and offered to contribute additional funds to raise the award money. Unable to satisfy the perfectionist Athwal, an embarrassed PAU had to return Rs 5.25 lakh to Ghai. It was a wakeup call by a PAU’s well-wisher which seems to have gone unheeded.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
Athwal received many prestigious awards, including Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar Award and Padma Bhushan by the Government of India and a D.Sc. degree by the PAU. India Today magazine ranked him among the fifty most influential Indians as the country completed 50 years as a Sovereign Republic. He ranked very high a Gold Medal awarded by the grateful Punjab farmers for raising wheat productivity.
Athwal passed away peacefully on May 14, 2017, surrounded by his family.
MESSAGE FOR RESEARCH MANAGERS
“A few creative people can breathe life into an entire research system,” Athwal wrote in Winrock’s 1987 annual report. “What does it take to create and sustain an institutional environment that encourages excellence and innovation? I believe the secret is in the leadership skills of the men and women who manage research and in the incentives that the research system offers for professional excellence.” Athwal provided such leadership.
Dr Dilbagh Singh Athwal’s legacy demands that science is respected by the political leadership, adequate resources are provided to research organisations and the science administrators reward merit and nurture competence. Fond memories of iconic Kalyan and PV18 wheat and hybrid bajra six decades after their release convey a loud message to PAU administration and scientists to focus on quality (not quantity), rigorous on-farm testing, sound scientific underpinnings and defining uptake pathways of new varieties/technologies. What is the rationale for releasing hundreds of half-baked technologies/varieties and rushing to organise dissemination events if the farmers do not adopt these?
