DR DALBIR SINGH DEV (10.02.1936–28.03.2021): A TRIBUTE
Today (28 March 2022) is the First Death Anniversary of Dr Dalbir Singh Dev. He was born at Peeru Banda village near Haibowal, Ludhiana (Punjab, India). After completing matriculation from Govt. High School Ludhiana, he joined Govt. Agriculture College Ludhiana [which served as the nucleus for setting up Punjab Agricultural University (PAU)], competing B.Sc. Agri. and winning the coveted Panjab University Gold Medal. He completed Ph.D. from Ohio State Univ. (OSU) Columbus USA.
Starting as an Assistant Scientist, Dev became one of the youngest PAU Professor and Head in 1969. He was the architect and mentor of Animal Sciences Dept., comprising Animal Breeding, Animal Nutrition, Livestock Production & Management, Animal Production Physiology and Fodder Production sections. The faculty strength, infrastructure, and other resources of the Dept. were at par with an independent College.
As Agriculture College Dean (1985–1989), Dev introduced the concept of Plant Clinic on the pattern of medical colleges and the Entrance Test for admission. He developed ‘Sukhdev Singh Bhawan’ for housing Alumni Association and Faculty Club. Foreseeing scarce employment avenues for B.Sc. Forestry graduates, he boldly discontinued this programme, a rarity at PAU. Establishment of Rural Development Centre was another feather in the cap of institution builder Dev. Many students and scientists mentored by him rose to management positions in PAU and GADVASU.
Dr Dev was nationally respected as an accomplished livestock and poultry breeder and an able administrator. He was instrumental in developing indigenous strains of poultry and establishing elite herds of Murrah buffalo and crossbred cattle. Not opting for a comfortable position after path-breaking achievements, he worked tirelessly on rural and farming issues, shifting his focus from teaching and administration to technology adoption by farmers and the larger outreach.
Throughout his career, Dev not only conducted research but also developed practical uptake pathways for research, especially by small and marginal farmers and the landless. He strongly believed in and advocated farmer-centred and problem-solving research instead of publications. His motto was “We are not just scientists; we are managers of India’s greatest asset — the farmers.”
Relinquishing the cosy job as Department Head, Dev devoted himself to mitigating the problems of landless families and transformed into a sociologist of rural life. Part of his genius was that he was not just a brilliant scientist but also a gifted and creative communicator who developed instant rapport with rural folks. Through an Operational Research Project, his initiatives addressed the problems of low-producing-livestock owned by resource-poor farmers by setting up a network of small model farms in 1980’s. He exposed them to the possibilities of rearing new strains of poultry and high yielding crossbred cows. His theme was “If you want an inclusive society, you must go to the poorest person and ask yourself, whether he/she will gain from technological developments.” His vision was to rid the people of poverty. He helped in establishing over 100 poultry and a similar number of model dairy farms for landless Scheduled Caste families. His team members helped them in accessing loans and subsidies, personally purchasing four cows for each beneficiary, looking after animals’ health, nutrition, and reproductive problems. An agricultural society with a feed mill was set up to supply balanced nutrition and mitigate marketing bottlenecks.
Well past superannuation, Dev was an important voice articulating issues related to animal husbandry, rural development, and primary education at village schools. He was proactive in addressing animal husbandry issues through Progressive Dairy Farmers’ Association (PDFA) and promoting primary education in rural areas. He adopted some village primary schools and developed their infrastructure using his personal savings. Through PDFA, he lectured widely on important topics like balanced ration, green fodder, silage, and using semen of progeny- tested-bulls. In view of its egalitarian nature, he strongly advocated livestock rearing by landless poor.
As Agriculture Dean every 5–6 months Dev will phone me “Paul Singh if you are free, please come for a cup of tea”. We had free flowing discussions on contemporary PAU and larger agriculture issues. After I relocated to Delhi, about once a year we had an extended lunch at Sukhdev Singh Bhawan. He was always keen to learn about policy and institutional reforms we were implementing through World Bank funded poverty alleviation projects. Institutional decline in Punjab pained him.
Once I pointedly asked him “More than three decades later, Dr Dev how do you reflect on sitting in a panel which directly elevated an assistant professor to full professor (the only instance at PAU), perhaps ignoring more competent associate professors”? As always, his thoughtful answer was “Paul Singh ਹੱਥ ਨਾਲ ਦਿੱਤੀਆ ਗੰਢਾਂ, ਕਦੇ ਕਦੇ ਮੂੰਹ ਨਾਲ ਵੀ ਨਹੀਂ ਖੁਲਦੀਆਂ,” although the main facilitator was Director of Research (DR) J C Bakhshi. In fact, the process was initiated around 1970 when, for the reason unbeknown to Dean A S Atwal, the then DR had pushed his case for Ph.D. studies at OSU under USAID programme. It continued with backdoor elevation as Joint Director Extension.
Like any human being, Dr Dev was not infallible. Some of his colleagues in Animal Science Dept. believe he did not mark the red lines when he focused on extension work leaving Head of Dept position. While on field visits, sometimes he used to get very cosy with persons at the lower rungs of hierarchy who often took advantage of his large heartedness towards them. This also resulted in a chasm with some of his senior colleagues and well-wishers. As Dean, he met with an accident at night in front of his 6-type residence. He thought it prudent not to share the details of how it happened. He also had a soft corner for a mediocre agronomist in Fodder Section.
I think, by his quiet unassuming ways, Dev may have directly touched more lives of impoverished people than many of his contemporaries in Punjab’s agriculture and livestock sectors. At a defining moment in a career that had taken him from a teenage prodigy to the verge of immortality, he put in his papers for early retirement, earnestly believing that the PAU, to which he had given everything, treated him unfairly, not once (in 1991) but twice (again in 1994). I have alluded to decades of planning behind the 1991 selection. The 1994 selection was pre-decided by the Vice Chancellor №6 at the height of excitement, the day he became Vice-Chancellor-Designate. By the time VC6 realised the implications of firm stand by polite, suave, and principled Dr Dev, it was too late.
Although disillusioned with top echelons of the University, Dr Dalbir Singh Dev was never bitter. For the next 26 years he remained laser-focused on livestock development, promotion of commercial dairy, and empowering households at the bottom of the social pyramid in Punjab. He was fondly referred to as “Nili Topi Wala” by the rural folks, as the blue cap became his trademark head gear.
(Acknowledgements: This write up is adapted from a Facebook Post last year by Iqbal Bajwa. Manjit Singh and Chet Sarwana provided the photographs.)
