JOIN US For a shy and composed Mamta Kumari, it was evident that the attention she was receiving after bagging an unbelievable 11 gold medals was a little too much to handle.
Kumari, now pursuing MSc from Sam Higginbotom Institute of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences in Allahabad, recieved the medals at 47th convocation of the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore (UAS-B) on Friday for her performance in her BSc (Agriculture).
“I got 10 awards for individual prizes and one for merit,” said Kumari, who did her BSc from College of Agriculture, Shimoga. She wants to pursue higher studies in genetics and be a full-time researcher.
For Sarat Kumar from Jharkhand, getting seven gold medals for his top scores in BSc (Agriculture) is only a step forward to fulfil his ambition of helping farmers in rural areas. “I am currently pursuing an MBA degree from Xavier’s Institute of Management and will be getting into rural management. I will set up an NGO after some years to help underprivileged farmers,” he said.
With a gold medal for sports and another for her academics, Gauthami R Bhaskar is the perfect example of some one who follows one’s passion and academic pursuits with equal zeal. Gauthami was declared the best woman athlete at the all-India inter-agricultural sports meet 2011-2012.
“When I go and practise on the field, it helps me concentrate on my studies. However, time management is crucial as it helps in organising my schedule,” she said.
Having come out with flying colours in her Masters in Genetics and Plant Breeding, Gauthami has now set her sight on clearing her civil service
exams.
Convocation address
Nobel laureate R K Pachauri, who delivered the convocation address, highlighted the various ways in which students from renowned universities such as UAS-B can contribute for the development of agriculture sector and overall growth of the country.
Expertise of agricultural scientist will be needed to tide over the crises caused by climatic changes, he said.
“Agricultural scientist can, on the basis of rigorous research, estimate how agriculture would be impacted by specific levels of climate changes. They then can work in partnership with institutions which are involved in climate modeling,” said Dr Pachauri.
“Agricultural scientist need to expand their frontiers to cover those allied disciplines that would ensure the development of rural areas and supplement employment opportunities in the farms of India,” he said.
Governor H R Bhardwaj was present at the anual convocation.