The Vice-Chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, Dr Satbir Singh Gosal, congratulated the farmers and other allied sections of the farming community of the nation, particularly, those of Punjab, on the auspicious occasion of Baisakhi - the season of the golden harvest.

Visibly elated over the golden crop of wheat, ready to be harvested, as the lush fields of PAU blaze forth in golden hues, signalling prosperous times to reign in, Dr Gosal shed light on the age-old festival of Baisakhi which marks the unfolding of prosperity for the Punjabi farmers in particular.

Elaborating on the cultural, religious and historical significance of the festival of Baisakhi, Dr Gosal shared, “Baisakhi marks the Punjabi New Year and the onset of the spring harvest season. It is celebrated in the joy of the arrival of the rabi crop, demonstrating the cultural heritage of the people of Punjab and its rich folklore. More importantly, Baisakhi holds a special historical and religious significance for the Sikhs as it marks the birth of the Khalsa Panth by the tenth Guru of the Sikhs, Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, on April 13, 1699.”

Dr Gosal further remarked that the contribution of Punjabis is a significant chapter in the historical annals of the nation’s freedom struggle. He called to memory the mass scale martyrdom of Punjabis at the Jallianwala Bagh massacre on the fateful day of April 13, 1919 in Amritsar. The festival of Baisakhi, thus, underscores the robust resilient spirit and vitality of Punjabiyat. It symbolises the unwavering belief of the Punjabis in the summum bonum – the ultimate welfare of humanity.

Conveying his good wishes to the farming community, hoping for a bumper rabi crop that would fill their coffers and usher prosperity, well-being and fulfilment of dreams, Dr Gosal extended Baisakhi greetings to the entire farming community. He wished for favourable weather, enriching each grain with the goodness of health and nourishment so as to reap a rich golden harvest. In the same breath, in his capacity as the Vice-Chancellor of the nation’s leading agricultural university, he exhorted the farmers to take a pledge to conserve natural resources so that this priceless heritage can be preserved for posterity. He also called upon the farmers to cultivate PAU recommended varieties for the forthcoming kharif season and advised them to purchase seeds of kharif crop varieties from the designated PAU retail counter in the campus, apart from the PAU Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) to ensure good quality harvests.