A prodigious renaissance man, Dr Gurcharan Singh Kalkat was a man of varied attainments who dedicated a substantial part of his time, energy and life to the farming community. He left for his heavily abode on January 27, 2018 leaving a large vacuum in the society. The right mix of brain, heart, talent and faith, Dr Kalkat worked with the farmers at the grass-root level to solve their problems and understand their needs. Not only did he have the ability to communicate a vision clearly and contagiously, he also possessed the determination for its logical transference and precise execution to reach a valid conclusion. This Thinker and a Feeler rolled into one, played an important role in the agricultural development of the country.

Born at village Sahora in Hoshiarpur on June 17, 1926, Dr Kalkat had his initial schooling in District Montgomery (Sahiwal) Pakistan and he obtained his B.Sc. Agriculture degree from Punjab Agriculture College, Lyallpur (now Pakistan) in 1947. He was declared the “all-round best student” of the year 1946-47. He did his Masters in Agriculture in 1956 from the Punjab University, Solan. As a Rockfeller Fellow, he joined the Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA in January 1957 and completed his Ph.D. in Agricultural Zoology Entomology in December 1958. He was later honored with the “Distinguished International Student Award” of the Ohio State University, U.S.A.

Dr Kalkat became Deputy Director Agriculture, Punjab (India) in 1960 and was appointed as Director Agriculture, Punjab in 1971. His perceptive thought for successful agriculture directed him towards building a system in which transfer of technology could be supported by all the necessary inputs. He developed a system of coordination with Punjab Agricultural University, both at the Headquarters and at the field level, which ensured coordinated approach for timely flow of technical information to the agricultural field staff and the farmers. In addition, he established coordination with the Punjab State Cooperative Marketing Federation (Markfed), and field level cooperatives, to ensure timely storage and supply of inputs and provide necessary credit to the farmers.

He was appointed as Agriculture Commissioner/Additional Secretary Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India (1973-1978). At the national level, he coordinated various agricultural development programmes of the states, coordinated with Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) and National Seeds Corporation for requisite production of seeds of varieties/hybrids needed for different regions of the country. He was ex-officio Vice Chairman of Central Commodity Committees for major commodities established by the Government of India for planning of specific programmes for development of these commodities, namely sugarcane, cotton, jute, pulses, oilseeds, wheat, rice, tobacco, coconut, millets etc.

The vast repertoire of assignments that Dr Kalkat undertook also includes working as a Senior Agriculturist with the World Bank. He was stationed at Washington DC, USA, 1978-1989. During this period, he worked on agriculture and rural development programmes of Nigeria and Ghana and he was pioneer in introducing shallow tubewells for irrigation and hand pumps for the purpose of drinking water in Nigeria. He also supervised the implementation of World Bank assisted programmes in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Indonesia. He ably held the reins of Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana as the Vice-Chancellor from April 1998 to March 2001. During his tenure, he identified the priority areas to find the problems of farmers and farming in consultation with experts in agricultural economists and farm scientists.

This tenacious icon of sheer devotion and determination continued serving the state and the country in different roles. He worked as a member of Steering Group of the Planning Commission, Government of India, which helped devise ‘National Agriculture Development Programme’ (RKVY) to improve resource use efficiency, achieve food security and develop agriculture in the low producing areas of the country.
Dr Kalkat was appointed as the first Chairman of the Punjab State Farmers Commission since June 2005 and he worked in this position for 12 long years. His work profile included advising the State Government on various policy issues concerning farmers and farming, particularly economy of farmers, sustainability of agriculture, conservation of soil, water and environment. The Commission got studies conducted on Agriculture and Rural Development in Punjab, Rural Suicides and suggested measures to mitigate the distress of the affected families; Flow of credit and indebtedness of farmers; Rural education which is considered necessary to learn skills for off-farm employment; and Fall in water table in Central Punjab- How Serious?

During his tenure as Director Agriculture Punjab and Agriculture Commissioner/Additional Secretary, Government of India, the country witnessed ‘Green Revolution’, and became self reliant in food. The National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS), in association with Indian Council of Agricultural Research and Indian Agricultural Research Institute, commemorated Golden Jubilee of Green Revolution on November 27, 2015 at New Delhi. The Chairman of NAAS in his communication to Dr Kalkat stated, “The deliberations recalled your contributions that turned the country from food shortage to self-sufficiency,” and further added “I would like to once again thank you for the leadership provided by you in Green Revolution in the country and guidance over the years”.
Many prestigious institutions bestowed on Dr Kalkat their highest awards and honours in recognition of his extensive contributions. The Government of India felicitated this doyen of agricultural science with Padma Shri in 1981 and Padma Bhushan Award in March 2007. He was awarded degree of Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) (Honoris Causa) both by Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana (PAU) in 2013 and Punjabi University, Patiala in 2014. PAU salutes this unassuming gentleman who has been at the helm of affairs while steering and transforming Punjab into a food-surplus state.