UBKV, Where Wisdom Is Free

We all know that agriculture is the backbone of Indian Economy. Agriculture contributes to about 14.5% in India’s GDP & engages 52%of country’s total labour force. But there is a dire need of development in the whole agriculture sector,as well as in the agriculturists.Well, apart from these informations,today I’m going to put forward to you some glimpses of one of such an institute,which is directly related with agriculture.

We’ll make our journey to UBKV:Where Wisdom is Free…

UBKV, A BRIEF OVERVIEW

Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya aka UBKV, is a SAU i.e State Agriculture University.

It is located in a small village named Pundibari, CoochBehar, of West Bengal.The northern part of West Bengal is endowed with diverse natural and aesthetic creations like hills,rivers, economic plant resources,forests, agro-ecosystem, biodiversity, etc.The economy of this part of West Bengal is predominantly agrarian and agriculture is characterized by low productivity and subsistence farming with a limited number of crops due to various  inherent agro-ecological & soil-climatic conditions. Improved technologies befitting the agro-climatic and socioeconomic characteristics of this region is an important issue & it is the main moto of UBKV.

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I think it is becoming a little bit informative,you all can google it,to know more about the academics as well as educational area of UBKV.

But the real hype lies in the campus life of a college.So,lets take a tour into the deepest core of UBKV.

CampusLife@UBKV

Each & every UBKVian will admit that their daily schedule is not quiet enjoyable. Every morning you have to wake up to the noisy alarm, roommates shouting and a strong urge to sleep for yet another 10 more minutes. Just after finishing off with the breakfast, you have to rush to the field,for attending the field practicals, which are must for all agricos. Sometimes you have to end up in a field full of weeds,for weeding purpose; sometimes in a marshy field, which is in waterlogged condition,for wedding or transplanting purpose. Sometimes you have to plough the soil,for land preparation,sowing & many a times you’ll also have to harvest the whole field,after maturation of crops.

Whatever the season might be,field practicals are a necessity. It might appear to be a bit boring & worthless chore but trust me on this, field practicals are one of the most fun part of college provided you have the correct friends to make it fun.

Thereafter comes the classes. Some classes are really amazing & you’ll really enjoy them, but quite a few are a bit boring too. The lab practicals are also great & very interesting. But it becomes really painful when you have to attend these classes continuously upto 5.30 in the evening,which starts at 8 in the morning.

After a lot of classes & practicals,time comes for a bit of chill. You can find most of the folks hanging around the whole campus & it’s vicinity.

One thing I forgot to mention,is that the beauty of UBKV will amaze you. I already stated that it is full of greenery,besides that the sunset from some particular viewpoints are really amazing. The sunset with the gentle breeze will washout all your tiredness.

You can also find some nocturnal like me,at 1 am,roaming around the campus,aimlessly.

UBKV becomes more fascinating as the time increases at night. You can feel the silence & it’ll heal your soul.

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Life in UBKV is totally incomplete without it’s hostel life. The only thing that keeps us going alive is the unbreakable bond among all of us. There are 7 Halls in the total university campus. Out of them PCM HALL (Named after the renowned statistician Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis) is for U.G. & you’ll get 4 golden years to live at this place. You are sure to make a lot of memories at this place. Sometimes it may seem it is “Hard to live” at this place due to the lack of various facilities & infrastructure,it is must that you’ll find it “Harder to leave”.

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If you find the classes & academics are lengthy,then you just have to wait until the exam festival comes.

After all, everybody is a gangster until the real gangster comes.

The exam sessions are really depressing. It takes about 3 months of a semester to fulfill the whole exam system. After all those sleepless nights,when the exam period is over, nothing seems better than this.

It’s Masti Time

I know you guys are starting to feel low. All those classes,exams, practicals are just so boring. Then just wait a bit,because it’s fun time.

Lets take a look at the social & cultural life of UBKV.

The festive calendar of UBKV begins with NAVODAYA, the fresher’s welcome ceremony. After overcoming all the awkwardness of first few months,the newcomers get to lay their wings for the very first time.

Each & every newcomer joins the program by wearing Panjabi & Saree as the traditional attire. Then everyone has to perform on the ATIC Mainstage.

The program goes on throughout the whole day & it continues up-to 2 ‘o clock at night,with full potential.

If you ever come to UBKV during Saraswati Puja ,you are going to remember it forever. It is really a great festival of Bengal & the pomp of this festival at UBKV will really amaze you.

From Pushpanjali to Cultural programs, BANIBANDANA is full of package.

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Besides that,there is an another type of program,called Meal-Bandhan. It is very different from the rest of all. This is the festival of food,mainly organized by Seniors. There are a lot of delicious food items & anyone can eat whatever they want. What waits ahead is the most interesting part of the program. Each & every junior has to tell the name of their favorite senior,who gives him/her a task or dare to be performed in front of all the folks.The program comes to an end with dancing, photo session,DJ & all other  such staffs.

The main purpose of this program is to strengthen the bond between all these activities.

One of the most awaited days is the annual picnic of UBKV. As you know,UBKV is surrounded by all the natural beauty of Dooars, so this picnic takes you on the lap of those magnanimous green hills of Dooars.

It is mainly organized by 3rd year students of U.G. & this is really a great challenge to the organizers to carry on the whole program so smoothly.

The journey begins in an early morning of winter & when you reach at the spot,the beauty of the spot will always amaze you. From playing cricket on the lap of the hills,to trekking throughout the unknown bushy paths ,it is full of package. After taking the delicious meal,when the day comes to an end, we bid our goodbye after a great log-fire encircled by all the students & a lot of crackers, sky lanterns which fly above our heads.

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Ohh!! did I forget to mention the great grand fest of UBKV.

Yeah I missed it!!

Well,it is the Social of UBKV,we call it by different names like Ullas, Spandan,but the main spark is always  remains same. 3 days of unlimited fun, enjoyment & a lot of memories wil just blow your mind. The whole area beside the ATIC auditorium is perfectly decorated. It starts with a 10 km marathon race.  In the afternoon,the cultural program starts. There are a lot of events like Drama, Mime, Songs, Raps, Photography & much more where each & everyone showcases their talents. But as the time goes on, you’ll feel the beats more & more.

Finally in the middle of the night,a renowned band performs on the main stage & by the 3rd day,the dopamine rises at its peak.

Besides all of these,there are few more festivals like Krishi Mela, Ganesh puja,VISWAMVAR,Pre Xmas Celebration, Holi, Farewell ceremony called Smritipote, Hostel Mass, Annual Athletic Meet, UBKV Premier League popularly known as UPL etc which supplies us the Oxygen to live our life.

Throwback

Let’s take a journey down the memory lane from our pass-out seniors…

*জীবন নামের রেলগাড়িটার যে কটা স্টেশনের স্মৃতি চিরকাল অমলিন থেকে যাবে তার একটা এই UBKV।কেননা,নিখাদ সাদাকালো বইএর রঙ্গীন অধ্যায়গুলো যে এখানেই লেখা। একপ্রকার বাধ্য হয়েই যেখানে পড়তে যাওয়া ,সে যে এত সহজে আপন করে নিয়ে আমার সব দুঃখ অভিমান ভুলিয়ে নতুন করে ভালোবাসতে শেখাবে তা আমি স্বপ্নেও ভাবিনি। ফার্স্ট ইয়ার এর তথাকথিত ‘Interaction’ এর গন্ডি পেরিয়ে Senior দের সাথে সম্পর্কটা যখন দাদা-ভাই কিংবা বন্ধুত্বের পর্যায়ে পৌছেছিল ,তখন বুঝেছিলাম তার গুরুত্বটা। প্রেমে ছ্যাঁকা খাওয়া রুমমেট আর হতভাগা ইয়ারমেটদের কথা নাহয় নাই বললাম। পরীক্ষার আগের রাতেই যে কেন সব গল্প একসাথে মনে পড়ত তা এখনও বুঝে উঠতে পারিনি। বছর পুরোনো আঁতলামির কথা টেনে এনে বন্ধুকে দেওয়া খোঁচা কিংবা রেজাল্ট খারাপের দুঃখে তারই সাথে করা অবাস্তব ফিউচার প্লান সবই যেন গতকালের ঘটনা। জন্মদিন সেলিব্রেশন থেকে শুরু করে সারা সপ্তাহের অগণিত ক্লাসের পর শনিবার রাতের হঠাৎ প্লান করা পিকনিক কিংবা ক্লাস অথবা পরীক্ষা ক্যানসেলের অপ্রত্যাশিত আনন্দ, কোনোটাই ফিকে হয়ে যাবেনা কখনও। সময়ের হাজার অভিশাপেও স্মৃতির পাতা থেকে মুছে ফেলা অসম্ভব সেই Field Practical এ কাঁচা হাতের কাজ, চার বছরের পিকনিক, “উল্লাস” কিংবা “নবোদয়” এর রাতের উদ্দাম নাচ আর শেষদিনের সেই স্বজনহারানোর কান্না। সবশেষে তাই শুধু একটাই কথা কানে বাজে…”আবার আসিব ফিরে”

 ___By Md. Firoz Mondal,Dept. Of Plant Pathology,IARI,New Delhi (2015-2019)

*Amidst apprehension and skeptism standing in the pedastal of life some insane people like me had decided to persue a carree in Agriculture just after HS exam.

Our journey started with some unknown faces from different districts of WB along with some ‘dada’, corridor of hostel and departing souls of our parents. Like me everyone struggled at the initial phage to cope up with a new lifestyle & taunting, bullying of seniors took our life to a tunnel. Fortunately, from that period we realised the value of friendship, sharing heartbreaks of not getting Medical,personal lives & this depth of friendship somehow became the source of paramount importance throughout the journey. We fought, argued among us over silly things, awakened till dawn this is how we tied ourselves in the rope of friendship. Attending morning classes was horrible, still that walk with those bunch of people towards Horticulture faculty building is beyond explanation. Professors, tea stall (chaka), ‘Boudir dokan’, ‘Asim dar dokan’ also became an integral part of our lives. Meanwhile through this beautiful journey one day suddenly we discovered that ‘this is our last common class’, yes standing in 2017 at the penultimate day of completion of 3rd year.How can I forget those nights in common room watching football matches, although majority was addicted to cricket still TT, carrom were also a source overcoming depression. Honestly, I have no idea how should I describe those social nights, freshers, Biswakarma puja, Saraswati puja, farewell nights, tours, Annual sports those moments are indeed very special to all of us.Conclusion of all the experiences of UBKV is beyond this summary, all of we can write pages and pages on it and at the end all I can say live long UBKVians …

___By Kingshuk Das,ICAR JRF RESEARCH SCHOLAR(M.Sc.)DBT-AAU,Agricultural Biotechnology Dept. (2014-2018)

*UBKV লাইফে শুরুটা বেশিরভাগ ছাত্রের স্বপ্নভঙ্গ দিয়ে হয় আমার ক্ষেত্রেও তার ব্যতিক্রম হয়নি আসলে এগ্রিকালচার প্রত্যাশা ছিল নেহাতই মেডিকেল না পেয়ে হতাশার মধ্যে যা হোক কিছুকে আঁকড়ে ধরা…

তারপর চারটে বছর কেটে গেলো দেখতে দেখতে ইউজি লাইফের একদম শেষে এসে বুঝতে পারলাম একটি কালচার কোন হতাশা নয় বরং UBKV হল একরাশ স্বপ্ন সৃষ্টির প্রথম ধাপ একদিক দিয়ে বলতে গেলে EVERY CULTURE..আমার মত জীব বিদ্যা প্রিয় ছেলেকেও এখানে এসে একরকম বাধ্য হয়েই স্ট্যাটিসটিকস ইকোনমিক্স কম্পিউটারের মত সাবজেক্ট পড়তে হয় এটা আমি হলফ করে বলতে পারি অন্তত প্রতিটা এগ্রিকালচার স্টুডেন্টদের এইটা ভেবে গর্ব হবে সে প্রতিটা সাবজেক্টে কিছু না কিছু জানে সেটা হয়তো খুব গভীরে নয় কিন্তু জানে….

আর সব শেষে যেটার কথা না বললেই নয় সেটা হল পিসিএম হল…. PCM HALL কোন হোস্টেল নয় এটা প্রতিটা ছাত্রের কাছে একটা আবেগ…হোস্টেল লাইফ এর প্রকৃত সংজ্ঞা প্রকৃত খুনসুটি, প্রকৃত বন্ধুত্বের যদি কোন প্রমাণ পেতে চান তাহলে আপনাকে একবার PCMএ আসতেই হবে…. শুধু বন্ধুত্ব নয়, বিপদে পরলে দাদার মতো সিনিয়ররা কিভাবে  জুনিয়রদের পাশে দাঁড়ায় বা ভাইয়ের মতো জুনিয়ররা দাদাদের সাথে যে খুনসুটি করে তারও একটা অদ্ভুত নজির এই পিসিএম….. এখানে হয়তো রাগিং শব্দ টা ঠিক খাপ খাবে না… প্রথম বর্ষের ছাত্র দের প্রতি বাকি তিন বর্ষের ছাত্রের অতিরিক্ত ভালোবাসা, সচেতনতা হয়তো তোমায় মাঝেমাঝে হলেও কিছুটা বিপদে ফেলতে পারে। কিন্তু পরের দিকে দাদা হয়ে বুঝেছিলাম এই ভালোবাসা, এই সচেতনতাটা কতখানি দরকার….. এই ভালোবাসা আর সচেতনতাটা ছিল বলেই হয়তো UBKV  লাইভ টা পেরিয়ে আসার পরেও সিনিয়ার জুনিয়ার রিলেশনশিপ এখনো ঠিক আগের মতই আছে। এখনো দাদাদের দেখলে আনন্দ যেমন খিস্তি দিতে ইচ্ছা করে, তেমন আবেগ এ চোখে জল ও চলে আসে…. আর দাদা হিসাবে যখন PCM এর দিকে তাকাই বা ছোট্ট ছোট্ট ভাই গুলোর মুখের দিকে তাকাই তখন তাদের মুখে যে শ্রদ্ধার একটা হাসি দেখতে পাই সেটা দেখে গর্বে বুক  ফুলে ওঠে…বর্তমানে শিক্ষিত সমাজে যেখানে ভ্রাতৃত্ব কথাটা প্রায় লুপ্ত প্রায় সেখানে প্রকৃত ভ্রাতৃত্ব কি আপনি PCM হলে না এলে হয়তো বুঝতে পারবেন না…

___By Rounab Sarkar,Int.Phd in Biological Science,IISC, Bangalore.(2015-2019)

*As everyone says, “Agriculture is every culture” and that is true to the last word. The subject variety  includes subjects from basic sciences like biochemistry, genetics to economics, statistics and till core subjects like agronomy, soil science. Though I would not say that every department gives the required quality of teaching but some are very much proficient in it.By the end of the final year students are broadly divided into two categories- JRF pursuers and IBPS, WBCS,UPSC pursuers. No matter which path anyone desires help of seniors and as well as of some professors are there for those who ‘really’ pursue it.  Being a professional course one could aim the normal path of being a scientist, professor or to go being a civil servant or bank employee. The choice is wide and this is what takes this subject to a whole other eve.

The fourth year is always be special because it enables us to go close to the main reason we are studying, the farmers. During our RAWE, Agro-industrial attachment and ELP programs we got the much needed exposure to the practical fields, and also give ideas to those looking for entrepreneurship. The things we learned from this place, which we call our second home cannot be all expressed by writing in terms of words.                               

___By Uttarayan Dasgupta,Division of Genetics IARI,New Delhi.(2015-19).

*                                                          UBKV- স্বপ্নের শেষ ঠিকানা

___From the deepest core of heart,of one of our beloved senior, (2013-2017)

LAST TALK

Life in UBKV is a frame within a frame within a frame..It is like a never ending process and the memories always manage to secure a cozy soft corner in your heart even after years of graduating.

It is like a roller-coaster ride that only goes up and you will remember it..ALWAYS

By the end, I want to convey my gratitude to my friend Shubhankar Kundu,for giving me such a great opportunity.

I want to thank each & everyone who helped me their best to complete this entire blog.

& Finally, I am eternally grateful to my friend Nasrina Naurin for her valuable suggestions to make the entire piece meticulous and fascinating.

Sayonara…

By,

Saikat Jana