The university of Saskatchewan

Founded in 1907, modeled on the American State University system, University of Saskatchewan is one of the very famous Canadian  Public Research Universities that stands as Prairie university. Although I am in the discipline of Psychology, I was amazingly attracted to the discipline of agriculture. The college of Agriculture and Bio resources is a faculty at the University of Saskatchewan. It has an annual budget of $ 38 million. Every year approximately one thousand students enroll for its programs that include Agricultural and Bio resource Engineering (ABE), Agricultural Economics (AGEC), Agricculture (AGRC), Agronomy (AGRN), Animal Science ( ANSC), Environmental Science (EVSC), Food and Applied Micro Biological Science (FAMS), Indigenous People resource Management (IPRM),  Large Animal Clinical Sciences (VLAC), Plant Sciences(PLSC), and Soil Science (SLSC).

Why am I attracted to this faculty? I asked myself. I was born in the village of Karunagappally in Kerala in India. I lived there until I was seven years with my parents. I went to our farmland with the workers just one or two times. But the memory is even now so live. I saw hundreds of agricultural laborers working on farm land including our land. I remembered the folk song they sung while spreading the seeds or manuring the field. " Manam Thelinjallo Elayya, Elayya". It was a KPAC theater song that had aroused the fighting spirit among the farmers community during the struggle for seeking the right to land.  Later in my life, I studied in different universities in India and in the California State University in the USA. I worked in a very famous university called the Cochin University of Science and Technology in Kerala in India and retired as a Professor. I have not seen until now hundreds of students as agricultural laborers in 250 acres of their farm land involved in experiential learning in their field of study! The result is also amazing. They actively participate in the country's production process.
I thought of Kerala- my home land. Now we can see either factory buildings or multi level residential apartments in the place of farm land. Industries replaced agriculture. To generate electricity, we destroy the ecological balance. We destroy forests without any delicacy. Monsoon season eclipsed leaving us to the mercy of the scorching Sun. Deadly diseases are promoted through the use of chemicals as preservatives on imported and indigenous vegetables and fruits. Also promoted is pharmaceutical business!
Why can't we observe the experiential farm learning of the  the Saskatchewan University? Why can't we lease sufficient acres of land that can be used for farming to universities to promote agricultural study so that the energy of the youth can be fruitfully directed to the country's production process? Such serious thoughts flashed in me. I consoled myself. I am a psychologist. Let me concentrate only to self esteem!

     A day after, I went to the Department of Agriculture. I met Jayakrishnan and Divya, both from Kerala, the former doing his research work  in the Doctoral program and the latter in the Masters program in this Department. I met Mridula, wife of Jayakrishnan who is in the  department of Veterinary Science.  They promised me to show horticulture garden. I am sure to visit it soon.