Das International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) ist ein länderübergreifendes, fortlaufendes Umfrageprogramm, das jährlich Erhebungen zu Themen durchführt, die für die Sozialwissenschaften wichtig sind. Das Programm begann 1984 mit vier Gründungsmitgliedern - Australien, Deutschland, Großbritannien und den Vereinigten Staaten - und ist inzwischen auf fast 50 Mitgliedsländer aus aller Welt angewachsen. Da die Umfragen auf Replikationen ausgelegt sind, können die Daten sowohl für länder- als auch für zeitübergreifende Vergleiche genutzt werden. Jedes ISSP-Modul konzentriert sich auf ein bestimmtes Thema, das in regelmäßigen Zeitabständen wiederholt wird. Details zur Durchführung der nationalen ISSP-Umfragen entnehmen Sie bitte der Dokumentation. Die vorliegende Studie konzentriert sich auf Fragen zu sozialer Ungleichheit.
Not Available ; The Hon'ble Vice President of India Shri. M. Venkaiah Naidu visited ICAR-Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA), Hyderabad on 3rd July, 2018. He was the Chief Guest for the "Consultative Meeting on Doubling of Farmers' Income in Telangana State and Adjoining Areas". Shri. Md. Mahmood Ali, Deputy Chief Minister, Telangana State was the Guest of Honour. Dr. K. Alagusundaram, Deputy Director General (NRM), ICAR, New Delhi, Shri. C. Parthasarathi, APC & Principal Secretary (Agriculture), Telangana State; Dr. K. Sammi Reddy, Director (Acting), CRIDA; Directors and scientists of local ICAR institutes, senior officials of PJTSAU, senior officials from Telangana State, NGOs, Industrialists, Bankers and progressive farmers participated in the meeting. Hon'ble Vice President addressing participants of consultation meeting Deputy Director General (NRM) Dr. K. Alagusundaram, ICAR, New Delhi welcomed the dignitaries and the participants while briefing about the various rainfed technologies developed by CRIDA for the benefit of farmers of dryland agriculture. Hon'ble Vice President Shri. M. Venkaiah Naidu, chaired the interactive session with scientists, research scholars, farmers and representatives of NGOs. He stated that the multifaceted strategy is needed to protect agriculture as agriculture is now under distress. During interactive session, farmers of Ranga Reddy district mentioned that their farm income has been substantially increased due to the interventions of ICAR-CRIDA, KVKs and SAUs. Book releasing during consultation meeting New Research Initiatives CRIDA was awarded a competitive research project entitled "Innovative and contextual agromet. advisory services for climate smart agriculture" funded by Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Ministry of Earth Sciences under Monsoon Mission-II with budget outlay of the Rs. 311.48 lakhs. ICRISAT and ICAR-IIPR, Kanpur are the partner institutes. Dr. P. Vijaya Kumar, Project Coordinator, AICRPAM, ICAR-CRIDA is the Principal Investigator of this project. Dr. AVM Subba Rao and Dr. Santanu Kumar Bal are the CoPrincipal Investigators from ICAR-CRIDA and Dr. Anthony Whitbread and Dr. R.K. Mishra are the Co-Principal Investigators from ICRISAT and ICAR-IIPR, respectively. CRIDA - Newsletter 2 Minimum tillage with crop residue retention on soil surface produced higher crop yields while maintaining better health of rainfed Alfisol The results of 6 year old experiment on conservation Agriculture (CA) in rainfed Alfisol showed that the surface retention of crop residues @ 2-6 t/ha produced 5-13% higher sorghum yield and 28-45% higher cowpea yield as compared to no residue application control. About 56% higher organic carbon (6.80 g/kg) content was recorded with the application of sorghum stover @ 6 t/ha as compared to control (4.36 g/ kg). The increase in available N with the application of 6t and 4t crop residue was to the extent of 19.5 and 28% respectively while significantly higher contents of soil available P (10.67 kg/ha) and K (288.8 kg/ha) were observed with application of sorghum residue @ 4 t/ha. Significantly higher microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and dehydrogenase activity (DHA) were recorded with the application of sorghum stover @ 4 t/ha. Besides reducing the bulk density, the application of residues had a significant influence on the mean weight diameter (MWD) of the soil aggregates. The highest overall soil quality index (SQI: 9.58) was observed with the residue application @ 6 t/ha. A significant positive relationship was observed between SQI and pooled cowpea seed yield (R2 =0.82) and pooled sorghum grain yield (R2 =0.69). This study also clearly indicated that the adoption of minimum tillage in combination with adequate crop residue cover, the soil moisture increased and soil temperature decreased which in-turn made the crops to withstand the mid season dry spells without much adverse effects. Crop residue retention in the field Development of track width & ground clearance enhancing platform and matching Implements for low horse power tractor A reconfigured platform for small horse power tractor with matching weeding and spraying implements was developed. Such new developments will increase effective use of tractor for weeding and spraying operations in crops like maize, castor, red gram, cotton, chilies etc. The developed platform basically consists of three components (i) Front wheel axle (ii) Rear drive wheel axle and (iii) Reworked steering set system for enhanced track width. The prototype high clearance platform fitted mini tractor matching rotary weeder consists of a main frame with hitch mast, gear box housing with power transmission provision, rotor shaft assembly with soil working tools. The developed boom sprayer unit basically consists (i) Base frame to give support / fix various components (ii) Pump with manifold for flow control and pressure regulation (50 lpm & 30kg / cm2 rating) (iii) Boom with height adjustable frame work and (iv) High pressure hose pipes. The pump gets the required power from tractor. The nozzles on the boom were fitted with spacing adjustable provision to use for different types of rainfed crops. The weeding efficiency of rotary machine varied 74 to 82.5.% and 78.5 to 86.8% for castor and pigeon pea, respectively. In case of maize crop, the weeding efficiency observed to be 73.9%, which was low compared to other two crops due to narrow row spacing. The boom sprayer was operated in cotton crop at two growth stages; the first one at flowering stage (75 DAS) and second operation in bolls expansion stage (90 DAS). The operator can steer the tractor comfortably and sprayer worked satisfactorily. The field capacity of the machine ranged from 1.7 - 2.0 ha/hr. The newly developed implements shown significant advantage in monitory terms when compared with traditional practice of bullock operated blade harrow and hand labour spray operation (15 - 20% lower cost). Track width and ground clearance enhanced platform fitted low horse power tractor with matching weeding and spraying implements Research Highlights July - December, 2018 3 Scientific Activities XXVIIth Research Advisory Committee (RAC) meeting The XXVIIth meeting of the Research Advisory Committee of the institute was held during 10-11 November, 2018 under the chairmanship of Dr. Panjab Singh, former Secretary, DARE & Director General, ICAR. The committee reviewed the progress and recommended for strengthening of farming systems research with horticulture and livestock components, scaling up of NICRA interventions to more villages and restructuring of the institute by creating divisions of Social Sciences and Climate Change. Further, RAC suggested to align the research programmes with the challenges and development needs of dryland farmers. RAC meeting in progress Field Institute Research Council (IRC) meeting Field Institute Research Council (IRC) Meeting for 2018-19 was held on 25th September, 2018 at Gunegal Research Farm (GRF) and on 5th October, 2018 at Hayathnagar Research Farm (HRF) under the chairmanship of Dr. K. Sammi Reddy, Director (Acting). The chairman IRC, Dr. K. Sammi Reddy, Director (Acting), Project coordinators, Heads of Divisions / Sections and scientists visited various experiments and discussed thoroughly on various treatment effects. Interaction during field IRC Various suggestions like displaying of the experimental and treatment boards at the experimental site, periodical monitoring of soil moisture in CA related experiments, rainfall amount, rainy days and crop yields needs to correlated for all the experiments etc., were made in field IRC. Quinquennial Review Team (QRT) Under the Chairmanship of Dr. J.C. Katyal, former Vice Chancellor, CCS Haryana Agriculture University & former DDG (Education), ICAR, two review meetings were conducted. QRT meeting was held during 18-19 June, 2018 at UAS, Bengaluru and reviewed the work done by both AICRPDA and AICRPAM centers located in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala & Tamil Nadu. Another meeting was held at ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad during 16-18 August, 2018 to finalize the QRT report. QRT visit to AICRPDA center, Bengaluru Dr. J.C. Katyal presented the salient recommendations of QRT to DG, ICAR and other officials in presence of DDG (NRM) and ADG (A, AF & CC) on 13th September, 2018 at ICAR, New Delhi. Honorable DG, ICAR has appreciated the work done by the QRT. QRT meeting in progress Hindi fortnight celebrations The Hindi fortnight was organized from 1st to 14th September, 2018 at ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad. On this occasion, Hindi Noting & Drafting, Hindi-English technical terminology and other Hindi competitions were organized. Winners were awarded on concluding day, 14th September, 2018. CRIDA - Newsletter 4 Interface meeting on agricultural contingencies for Andhra Pradesh In view of the low rainfall and its poor distribution in some parts of Andhra Pradesh, at the behest of ICAR-CRIDA, an interface meeting was organized by ICAR-CRIDA on August 3, 2018 with Department of Agriculture and ANGRAU under the chairmanship of special Commissioner of Agriculture, Government of A.P. to review and develop mid-course action plans for Rayalaseema (Anantapuramu, Kurnool, Kadapa and Chittoor), Prakasham, Nellore and Guntur districts. The participants included Director of Research, ANGRAU, Special Commissioner of Agriculture, A.P., Joint Collector, Kadapa, Senior scientists from ANGRAU, JDAs, ADAs, Scientists from KVKs and farmer representatives. Dr. NV Naidu, Director of Research ANGRAU, conducted the proceedings of the meeting. Dr. KV Rao, ICAR-CRIDA and Dr. S Malleswari, ANGRAU made detailed presentations on current rainfall scenario and forecast for the forthcoming weeks. Sri D. Muralidhar Reddy, Special Commissioner in his address emphasized that department should gear up to rescue the crops in the field, plans to cover unsown area and preparation of documents for early drought declaration procedures. Dr. NDRK Sharma, Consultant, Department of Agriculture, highlighted the implementation of agriculture contingency plans during past years and requested the officers to prioritize the interventions based on the uptake of preferred technology options by the farmers. Sensitization on district agricultural contingency plans for Mizoram In an interface meeting of ICAR-Mizoram State held on 24.09.2018 to sensitize the Senior officers of the State on District Agricultural Contingency Plans (DACPs). This is the first meeting on sensitization of DACPs to senior officials in the North-Eastern states of India. Mr. Lalsawta, Cabinet Minister for Finance & Planning chaired the meeting. Mr. Lalthanliana, Cabinet Minister for Horticulture, LAD & SWD and Mr. Lalmingthanga, Commissioner & Secretary, Agriculture were guests of honour. Secretaries from Horticulture, Sericulture, Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science; Directors of various line departments; Director, ICAR - Research Complex, NEH Region and Director, ATARI, Umiam also attended the meeting. Dr. N. Prakash presented the technologies developed by ICAR RC for NEH and Dr. Deka highlighted how KVK set up is actively participating in dissemination of technologies. The Commissioner of Agriculture highlighted that only 30% of the food grains are produced in Mizoram. Mr. Lalthanliana mentioned that farming community in Mizoram are facing multi-faceted problems. Mr. Lalsawta emphasized on developing viable alternatives to Jhum cultivation which is responsible for meager yields. Dr. S. Desai, Principal Scientist, ICAR-CRIDA made a presentation on "Sensitization on District Agricultural Contingency Plans to meet the weather aberration impacts on agriculture in Mizoram".The Commissioner & Secretary, Agriculture appreciated the efforts and emphasized on more sensitization about DACPs among district officials. The meeting ended with vote of thanks by Ms. Shakuntala, JD, ICAR Research Complex, Kolasib centre. Contingency Plans Interface meeting in progress Interface meeting at Mizoram July - December, 2018 5 Technology Transfer Hon'ble Prime Minister's interaction with SHGs & women groups at ICAR-CRIDA Web telecasting of Hon'ble Prime Minister's interaction with SHGs & Women's groups was organized by Krishi Vigyan Kendra – Ranga Reddy District, ICAR-CRIDA on 12.07.2018 in KVK Campus, Hayathnagar Research Farm, ICAR-CRIDA. About 74 SHG women from four different villages of Ranga Reddy District, Telangana State participated. The Hon'ble Prime Minister's interaction with SHG women emphasized on improving the economic status of farm families through supporting SHG women by strengthening the Self Help Groups. The Prime Minister highlighted about DAY-NRLM programme (Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihood Mission). Almost 30 lakh SHG women are being supported under Mahila Kisan Sashakthikaran Pariyojana (MKSP) to promote sustainable agriculture practices and the objective of Mission Antyodaya is to develop poverty free panchayats. Web telecasting of Hon'ble Prime Minister's interaction with SHGs & women's groups Parthenium awareness week organized Training cum awareness programme on integrated management of Parthenium was organized by KVK-CRIDA, Ranga Reddy District on 21st August, 2018. About 50 participants from Agriculture College, farmers, teaching and extension officials attended the programme. Subject matter specialists from KVK-CRIDA highlighted the technical aspects of Parthenium management, invasion of Parthenium in India, plant physiology-spread, impact and harmful effects of weed on crop, composting of weed. Displayed posters and removed weeds from demo plots and office premises of KVK. National nutrition month organized The theme for National Nutrition Month for 2018 was "Go Further with Food". On this occasion, organized 3 training programmes and method demonstrations i.e. (i) Prevention of anaemia – preparation of low cost nutritious recipes on 6th September, 2018, (ii) Value addition to millet products as food security & income generating activity on 11th September, 2018, (iii) Demonstration on dried green leafy vegetables – different recipes to prevent Iron & Calcium deficiency on 18th September, 2018 in KVK adopted villages Gummadivelli, Kolanguda and Nerrapally, for about 291 women. These programmes involved total 291 women, of which 67 were SC /ST, 224 were others. Distributed 200 drumstick plants as part of National Nutrition Week to women of self help groups. National women farmers' day (Mahila Kisan Divas) & technology day National Women Farmers' Day (Mahila Kisan Divas) and Technology Day was organized by Krishi Vigyan Kendra-Ranga Reddy District, ICAR-CRIDA on 15th October, 2018 at Hayathnagar Research Farm with the participation of women farmers from Ranga Reddy district. Dr. V. Maruthi, Head & Principal Scientist, KVK briefed the importance of the day and women's role in agriculture. Dr. K. Sammi Reddy, Director (Acting), ICAR-CRIDA, presided over as Chief Guest and addressed about the women farmers' role in agriculture, drudgery management practices to be followed by women farmers, nutritional disorders and health issues. Dr. Y. G. Prasad, Director, ATARI, Guest of honour, requested the women farmers to utilize skill training programmes of KVK related to dairy and floriculture and NARI (Nutri sensitive agri-resources and innovations) programme of ICAR through KVK. The resource persons Dr. K. Aruna, Professor and Head (Retd.), AICRP (Home Science) informed the women farmers about the health, nutrition, diet, nutritive value of millets and gave a detailed presentation on nutritional disorders and remedies. Sri DGP Sharma, Senior Executive officer, Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has explained different schemes in KVIC, loan facilities and Honey production and rearing techniques. Two brochures on Good management practices of chickpea and redgram cultivation, pamphlets on fall army worm in maize, pink bollworm in cotton, hydroponics in fodder cultivation, balanced nutrition diet for livestock were released. Five progressive women farmers and women entrepreneurs from Ranga Reddy District were felicitated on this occasion. National women farmers' day celebration CRIDA - Newsletter 6 World soil day organized ICAR-CRIDA celebrated world soil day on 5th December, 2018 at ICAR- CRIDA under the Chairmanship of Dr. G. Ravindra Chary, Director (In charge), ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad. Around 200 participants comprising of students, scientists, technical officers, KVK officials attended the awareness programme. Dr. G. Ravindra Chary explained historical background of World Soil Day, the usage of Soil Health Cards and its interpretation for effective nutrient management in the field crops for sustainable crop yields. Dr. K.L. Sharma, Principal Scientist, educated the participating students about the importance of soils and clarified the doubts raised by the students. The students were sensitized about the importance of soils through demonstrations, posters and exhibits and practical insights to laboratories. On this occasion posters on "Know your soils", "Soil profile" and "Identification of Nutrient deficiencies in Plants and Crops" were displayed for the benefit of the students. Dr. G. Ravindra Chary, Director (In-Charge) addressing students Kisan Diwas organized during Swachhtha Pakhwada KVK-CRIDA, Ranga Reddy District organized one day Kisan Diwas on 23rd December, 2018 as a part of Swachhtha Pakhwada (16-31st December, 2018). Dr. V. Maruthi, Principal Scientist & Head, KVK welcomed the invited farmers from 12 mandals of Ranga Reddy District and enlightened the objectives of the Kisan Diwas. Dr. K. Sammi Reddy, Director (Acting), ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad was the Chief Guest. He explained to the farmers about the importance of Swachatha and also emphasized to prepare manure from the wastes generated on farmers' fields. Dr. K. Srinivas, Principal Scientist & OIC, HRF shared experiences on Swachhta initiatives by farmers and civil society officials. Farmers were felicitated based on the initiatives/adoptable measurers expressed during the interaction. SMSs from KVK gave lectures on Good Agricultural Practices in horticulture, agriculture, women empowerment and animal husbandry. Farmers visited demonstration units, exhibition, posters presentation of KVK and gained knowledge. About 107 members including farmers, farm women, ADAs, AOs, AEOs, ATMA officials attended the programme and got handful information with printed literature. Felicitation to farmer during Swachhatha Pakhwada Around 200 farmers including farm women and school going children participated in the awareness campaign of Swachhtha Pakhwada in Farmers First Village. The people were trained in the knowledge about segregation of biodegradable and nondegradable wastes. AICRPs XV Biennial workshop of AICRPAM organized The XVth Biennial workshop of the AICRP on Agrometeorology (AICRPAM) was organized at Regional Agricultural Research Station, University of Agricultural Sciences, Vijayapura, Karnataka during 15-17 November, 2018. Participants of XV Biennial workshop, AICRPAM The objective of the workshop was to review the research progress made during 2017-18 and finalization of the technical program for the year 2018-2020. Monsoon mission II project meeting at ICRISAT Monsoon mission II project meeting was held at ICRISAT, Patancheru, Hyderabad on 10th September, 2018. Dr. Peter Carberry, DG, ICRISAT, Dr. G. Ravindra Chary, Director (In-charge), Dr. P. Vijaya Kumar and Dr. AVM. Subba Rao from AICRPAM, ICAR-CRIDA, Dr. Suryachandra Rao, Associate Mission Director, Shri S.M.D. Jeelani, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, Dr. Anthony Whitbread, Research Program Director, Dr. AVR Kesava Rao, Dr. K.P.C. Rao and Dr. D. Ram, ICRISAT July - December, 2018 7 National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) Sixth NICRA Annual Review Workshop Organized A two day Annual Review workshop of National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) was inaugurated by Dr. T. Mohapatra, Secretary, DARE & Director General, ICAR at NASC, New Delhi on 7th August, 2018. Chhabilendra Roul, Special Secretary, DARE & Secretary, ICAR, Shri B. Pradhan, FA & Additional Secretary, DARE & ICAR, Dr. K. Alagusundaram, DDG (Agril. Engg. & NRM I/c), Dr. AK Singh, DDG (Agril. Extn.), Dr. Anand Kumar Singh, DDG (Hort. Science & Crop Sciences I/c), Dr. Joykrushna Jena, DDG (Fisheries), Dr. S Bhaskar, ADG (A, AF&CC), Dr. SK Chaudhari, ADG (SWM), Dr. K Sammi Reddy, Director (Acting), ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad and NICRA Expert Committee Members viz., Dr. B Venkateswarlu, Ex-VC,Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth Krishinagar, Parbhani; Dr. V Praveen Rao, Vice Chancellor, PJTSAU, Hyderabad; Dr. CL Acharya, Ex-Director, ICAR-IISS, Bhopal; Dr. KK Singh, ADG (Farm Engg.), ICAR; Dr. YS Ramakrishna, ExDirector, ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad; Dr. HE Shashidhar, Retired Professor of Genetics, UAS, GKVK, Bengaluru; Dr. RC Upadhyay, Principal Scientist (Retd.) NDRI, Karnal; Dr. AG Ponniah, Ex-Director, ICAR-CIBA, Chennai; Prof. UC Mohanty, Professor IIT, Bhubaneswar; Dr. NK Krishna Kumar, Coordinator, Biodiversity International, New Delhi; Dr. Praduman Kumar, Ex-Head, Economics, IARI, New Delhi, Dr. N. Sudhakar, Ex-Director, ATARI and Dr. H. Senapati, Former Dean, OUAT, Bhubaneshwar, Chairmen of Zonal monitoring teams and Directors of NICRA partner institutes participated in the review workshop. Dr. K. Sammi Reddy, Director (Acting), ICAR-CRIDA presented the highlights of achievements of NICRA Project during the last two years (2016-17 to 2017-18). Various events during sixth NICRA annual review workshop participated in this meeting and discussed on developing a farmer-friendly app and web site for disseminating agromet advisories. AICRPDA centres organized stakeholder consultation workshops Stakeholder consultation workshops were organized in the adopted villages by 9 AICRPDA centres viz. Akola, Arjia, Anantapuramu, Bengaluru, Kovilpatti, Phulbani, SK Nagar, Solapur and Vijayapura to discuss on strengthening the traditional rainfed integrated farming systems (TRIFS). Dr. S. Bhaskar, ADG (A, AF&CC), Dr. G. Ravindra Chary, Project Coordinator (AICRPDA), scientists from AICRPs/ICAR Institutes/ SAUs/KVKs, officials from state line departments, ATMA, NGOs and most importantly farmers participated and gave feedback for identifying component-wise suitable interventions for strengthening traditional RIFSs in the respective agroclimatic zones of the centres. Stakeholder workshop in Sunderpura village, Bhilwara district, Rajasthan on 26.10.2018 Stakeholder workshop in Kalenhalli village, Tumkur District, Karnataka on 13.08.2018 CRIDA - Newsletter 8 Important Visitors Ms. Arnella Trent, Senior Crop Analyst, International Production Assessment Division, U.S. Department of Agriculture / Foreign Agriculture Service along with Mr. Dhruv Sood, Agricultural Specialist from U.S. Consulate, Mumbai visited ICAR-CRIDA on 4th September, 2018 to discuss the cotton crop production, planting area and general assessment of the crop in Telangana State. During their visit information regarding dryland agriculture, soils, watershed management and extension activities was exchanged with them. A total of 1637 students from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu & Andhra Pradesh, 40 Scientists from NAARM, Hyderabad, 283 Agricultural Officers from Tamil Nadu & Telangana and 328 farmers from Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh & Tamil Nadu visited ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad during the period. Dr. T. Mohapatra in his inaugural address suggested to make the 151 Climate Resilient Villages (CRVs) to CRV Cluster Villages and the need to actively involve State Governments for successful upscaling of CRVs. There were eight Technical sessions under different themes viz., Resilience through Natural Resources Management, Resilience through Crop Improvement and Adaptation, Technology Demonstration Component Session: Lessons from Technology Demonstration and Future Roadmap, Resilience through Adaptation in Horticultural Crops, Pests, Diseases & Pollinators,Assessment of Impacts on Fisheries-Adaptation and Mitigation Options, Vulnerability Assessment, Socio-Economic Impacts and Farm Advisories, Adaptation Strategies for Climate Resilient Livestock Production, Integrated Modeling Framework. Each session chaired by concerned DDGs and co-chaired by NICRA Expert Committee members and concerned ADGs from ICAR, New Delhi. A detailed session-wise recommendations was presented by Dr. M Prabhakar, PI, NICRA, ICARCRIDA, Hyderabad in the plenary session chaired by Dr. K Alagusundaram, DDG (NRM), ICAR. Zonal Monitoring Committee Visits During the period, zonal monitoring committee visits were organized in the KVKs of ATARI zones viz. Guwahati, Barapani, Kolkata, Jodhpur, Jabalpur, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. Zonal monitoring committee's visits to various zones were organized to review the technical progress of different modules like NRM, crop production, livestock & fishery and institutional interventions in the NICRA villages and for making appropriate suggestions for improvement. ZMC with VCRMC members, Dimapur ZMC with VCRMC members, Malda July - December, 2018 9 Visits Abroad Dr. K. Sammi Reddy, Director (Acting), ICAR-CRIDA visited Katowice, Poland to participate in the UNFCCC COP-24/CMP14/ CMA1.3 and to organize the side event at Indian Pavilion at COP24 during 30th November - 5th December, 2018. During the visit, he has organized the Side Event at Indian Pavilion @ COP24 on the theme "Scaling up Adaptation Strategies for Climate Resilient Agriculture" on 5th December, 2018. This side event was Chaired by Dr. Anthony Simons, Director General, World Agroforestry Centre (WAC), Nairobi and Co-Chaired by Prof. N.H. Ravindranath, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. In this side event Dr. Reddy has presented two papers and Dr. R.S. Sinha, Additional Commissioner (NRM), Department of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, Government of India presented a paper. The side event was very successful as about 25 Indian and foreign delegates were present. After thorough deliberations, the following conclusions were drawn, • There is a need to revise the vulnerability atlas of India taking into consideration the dimensions and definition of vulnerability and risk in the recent Assessment Report of IPCC. • NICRA project was successful in establishing 151 model climate resilient villages in 151 vulnerable districts. But there is a need to upscale the climate resilient villages in highly and medium vulnerable districts. • There is a need to scaling up successful IFS models developed for different agro-climatic regions of India by taking into consideration the resources available with farmers. Dr. K. Sammi Reddy organizing side event at Indian Pavilion, COP24, Katowice, Poland Dr. Suseelendra Desai, Principal Scientist (Plant Pathology) participated in the Regional Conference on "Role of Soil and Plant Health Towards Achieving Sustainable Development Goals in Asia-Pacific" held during 20-24 November, 2018 at Bangkok, Thailand. APAARI, Department of Agriculture, Thailand and Indian Phytopathological Society jointly organized the conference and the participants included diverse experts from research, development, extension, policy makers, private sectors, professional societies, civil society organizations and donor organizations, to share specific long-term experiences on the neglect of soil and plant health in the Asia-Pacific region. Dr. Desai was invited to deliver a lead lecture on "Potential impacts of climate change on plant pathogens and biocontrol agents and adaptation strategies". He also chaired a technical session on "Plant health management – case studies" along with Dr. GD Sinniah from Sri Lanka. The conference deliberated on soil and plant health aspects in detail and agreed to formulate a group to address these issues in the years to come. Dr. Desai delivering lecture Dr. K.V. Rao, Principal Scientist (Soil and Water Conservation Engineering), Division of Resource Management visited United Kingdom (UK) to participate in Workshop on "Advancing Drought Monitoring, Prediction and Management Capabilities" during 18th - 20th September, 2018 at Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK . CRIDA - Newsletter 10 Forthcoming Events Sl. No. Title of the event Dates 1. XXVI Biennial Workshop of AICRP for Dryland Agriculture, at AICRPDA Bengaluru Centre, UASB 16-19th January, 2019 2. Republic Day 26th January, 2019 3. National Science Day 28th February, 2019 4. ICAR-CRIDA Foundation Day 12th April, 2019 5. IRC meeting 23-25, April, 2019, 9-10th May, 2019 6. World Environment Day 5th June, 2019 DOE sponsored Model Training Course on "Extension Strategies for Participatory Natural Resource Management in Rainfed Agriculture" Model Training Course sponsored by DOE was organised at ICAR-CRIDA during September 24 - October 1, 2018. Twenty eight officials from eight different states viz., Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Punjab and Karnataka attended the model training course. The course covered various extension strategies of Soil and water conservation measures for enhanced productivity in drylands, Technologies for sustainable NRM in Rainfed areas, Horticulture systems in Rainfed Agriculture for sustainable NRM and enhanced productivity, Enhancing productivity of crops and cropping systems through effective use of natural resources, Farming systems approach for sustainable NRM in drylands, Role of Livestock and their management for enhancing productivity and income in drylands, Gender mainstreaming in NRM, Communication tools and techniques for sustainable NRM. Inaugural session of Model Training Course on "Extension Strategies for Participatory Natural Resource Management in Rainfed Agriculture" ICAR-Short Course on 'Assessment of Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change in Agriculture' A ten day short course on 'Assessment of vulnerability and adaptation to climate change in agriculture', sponsored by the Agricultural Education Division of the ICAR, was conducted during 28th November to 7th December, 2018 at ICAR-CRIDA. The short course has provided the participants with various concepts, approaches and methods used in assessing vulnerability and adaptation. Twenty one participants from five ICAR institutes and eight state agricultural universities participated. A majority of the participants expressed that their expectations from the short course were fulfilled to a large extent. Participants of ICAR Short Course on "Assessment of Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change in Agriculture" KVK Programmes About 34 training programmes were organized during the period July to December, 2018 on different aspects of agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, farm mechanization and women empowerment to farmers and farm women from Ranga Reddy district. 1142 farmers and farm women were benefitted from these training programmes. Human Resource Development July - December, 2018 11 Participation in Seminars and Symposia Name of the Personnel Workshop / Seminar / Symposium / Meeting Duration Venue K. Sammi Reddy International Consultation Workshop on Adapting agriculture in semiarid India to a global temperature rise by 1.5 0C. 3-4 October, 2018 WOTR, Pune National Workshop on Sustainability of Indian Agriculture, Natural Resource Perspective with special reference to water. 11 October, 2018 IIWM, Bhubaneswar 83rd Annual Convention of the Indian Society of Soil Science. 27-28 November, 2018 AAU, Anand UNFCCC COP-24 / CMP14 / CMA1.2 Meeting. 30 November to 5 December, 2018 Katowice, Poland G. Ravindra Chary & B.M.K. Raju Brainstorming workshop on "Prioritization of Rainfed Districts in India" organized by NRAA & ICAR-CRIDA. 11-12 December, 2018 NASC, New Delhi C.A. Rama Rao Stakeholders Consultation Meeting on NICRA. 20 July, 2018 NASC, New Delhi Expert consultation meeting for Impact Assessment of the AP Drought Mitigation Project of Govt. of A.P. 14 August, 2018 WASSAN, Hyderabad National Workshop on Promotion of Developing Climate Resilient Villages for Sustainable Food and Nutritional Security. 4-5 October, 2018 MANAGE, Hyderabad 26th Annual Conference of Agriculture Economics Research Association (India) on 'Agriculture and Sustainable Development Goals. 15-17 November, 2018 ICAR-NDRI, Karnal, Haryana Brainstorming meeting conducted by NRAA. 11-12 December, 2018 NASC, New Delhi B.M.K. Raju & R. Nagarjuna Kumar Consultation Meeting on 'Risk and vulnerability of agriculture to climate change: A district level assessment'. 20 July, 2018 NASC, New Delhi B.M.K. Raju 72nd Annual Conference of Indian Society of Agricultural Statistics (ISAS) organized with a broader theme of 'Statistics, Informatics, Engineering Interventions and Business Opportunities: A Road-Map To Transform Indian Agriculture Towards Prosperity' 13-15 December, 2018 ICAR - CIAE, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh Boini Narsimlu International Conference on "Global Water Security for Agriculture and Natural Resources" organized by ASABE USA & ISAE India. 3-6 October, 2018 Hotel, Taj Krishna, Hyderabad R. Nagarjuna Kumar ICAR-ICT Road map. 6 July, 2018 IIMR, Hyderabad National Workshop on Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture: Status and Prospects. 30-31 July, 2018 NASC, New Delhi Josily Samuel and P.K. Pankaj 'Workshop on CLEM-Crop Livestock Enterprise Modelling'. 22-23 October, 2018 ICRISAT, Hyerabad D. Sudheer Indian International Science Festival-Agriculture Conclave. 5 -7 October, 2018 Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh G. Sri Krishna Hands on Training to Master trainers of KVKs on TCS-ICAR-KVK Sandesh. 3 August, 2018 ATARI, Zone X, Hyderabad Training of Trainers for KVKs, SAUs and ICAR institutes. 25-27 September, 2018 PJTSAU, Hyderabad Annual Zonal Workshop of KVKs Zone X 20-22 September, 2018 ATARI-CRIDA G. Nirmala, K. Nagasree & Anshida Beevi C.N. 9th National Extension education Congress on "Climate Resilient Agriculture – Innovations and Technologies" 15-17 November, 2018 CAEPHT, Ranipool, Sikkim CRIDA - Newsletter 12 1. Dr. K. Sammi Reddy, Director (Acting), ICAR – CRIDA was inducted as the Fellow of the Indian Society of Soil Science (ISSS), New Delhi. He received "ISSS Fellow Award" from His Excellency Honorable Governor of Gujarat Shri O.P. Kohli at 83rd Annual Convention of the ISSS held at Anand on 27.11.2018. Dr. K. Sammi Reddy receiving ISSS Fellow Award from Shri O. P. Kohli, Honorable Governor of Gujarat 2. AICRPDA-Vijayapura centre received "ICAR-Vasantrao Naik Award" for Outstanding Research and Application in Dryland Farming Systems for 2017" during ICAR Foundation Day and Award Ceremony on July 16, 2018 at NASC, New Delhi. AICRPDA Vijayapura centre receiving ICAR-Vasantrao Naik Award 3. Dr. G. Ravindra Chary, Project Coordinator (DLA) received "Indian Society of Agronomy Gold Medal Award" on 24.10.2018 during XXI Biennial National Symposium on Doubling Farmers' income through Agronomic Interventions under Changing Scenario at MPUAT, Udaipur, Rajasthan. Dr. G. Ravindra Chary receiving Indian Society of Agronomy Gold Medal Award 4. Dr. G. Nirmala, Principal Scientist (Agril. Extension) & Head, TOT was honored with "SEE Fellow Award" during 9th National Extension Education Congress organized by Society of Extension Education Agra at CAEPHT, Ranipool, Sikkim during 15-17 November, 2018. Dr. G. Nirmala receiving SEE Fellow Award 5. Dr. K. Nagasree, Principal Scientist (Agril. Extension) received "Best Extension Professional Award" during 9th National Extension Education Congress organized by Society of Extension Education Agra at CAEPHT, Ranipool, Sikkim during 15-17 November, 2018. Dr. K. Nagasree receiving Best Extension Professional Award Awards and Recognition July - December, 2018 13 6. Dr. B.M.K. Raju, Principal Scientist (Agril. Statistics) was included as "Member of Task Force" constituted by NRAA, DAC & FW, Govt. of India for 'Prioritization of rainfed districts in India'. 7. Dr. R. Nagarjuna Kumar, Scientist received the "Best Paper Award" for the paper "Spatial Rice Decision Support System (SRDSS) for effective rice crop management", Current Science Vol. 116, No. 3 by IIRR, presented during Annual day Celebrations of IIRR organized at ICAR-IIRR, Hyderabad on 15th December, 2018. 8. Dr. R. Nagarjuna Kumar, Scientist received the "Outstanding Scientist Award 2018" during the International Conference on Agriculture, Horticulture and Food Science held at Hotel Hans, New Delhi during 29-30 December, 2018. 9. Dr. Anshida Beevi C.N., Scientist (Agril. Extension) conferred with "Ganga Singh Chauhan Memorial Award-2018" for outstanding research contributions in the field of Extension Education during 9th National Extension Education Congress organized by Society of Extension Education Agra at CAEPHT, Ranipool, Sikkim during 15-17 November, 2018. Dr. Anshida Beevi C.N. receiving Ganga Singh Chauhan Memorial Award 10. Dr. Anshida Beevi C.N., Scientist (Agril. Extension) received "Best Paper Presentation Award-2018" for the paper "Drudgery Reducing Technologies for Women Empowerment in the Rainfed Areas" during 9th National Extension Education Congress 11. Sri Mula Mahender Reddy of KVK, Chandippa village of Ranga Reddy district received "Best Farmer Award" by Aaj Tak News Channel on 24th October, 2018 for outstanding contribution in "Raised Platform / Elevated Animal Shed in Semi-Intensive Goat Farming". Sri. Mula Mahender Reddy receiving "Best Farmer Award" by Aaj Tak News Channel Personnel Information Appointments / Promotions / Transfers / Joining Name and Designation Joined/ Transferred/ Promoted/ Appointed Date w.e.f Transfers/ Joinings Shri Rajkumar Dhakar, Scientist, ICAR-CRIDA Transferred as Scientist, ICAR- IARI, New Delhi 25.08.2018 Dr. B. Krishna Rao, Principal Scientist, ICAR-CRIDA Joined as Director (A&R), WALAMTARI, Hyderabad on deputation (12.09.2018 to 11.09.2021) 12.09.2018 Dr. A. Amarender Reddy, Principal Scientist Transferred to ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad 06.09.2018 Smt. D. Lakshmi Aruna Gayathri T-3 (Farm Assistant) 22.12.2018 Shri Bandi Srikanth Goud T-3 (Farm Assistant) 26.12.2018 Shri Awinash Brahamwanshi T-1 (Fieldman) 28.12.2018 Promotions Shri Rajkumar Dhakar, Scientist (Agricultural Physics) Promoted to next higher pay Rs. 7000/- 02.05.2016 Shri G. Venkatesh, Scientist (Agro-forestry) Promoted to next higher pay Rs. 8000/- 01.01.2014 Promoted to next higher pay Rs. 9000/- 01.01.2017 Shri Sarath Chandran M. A., Scientist (Agricultural Meteorology) Promoted to next higher pay Rs. 7000/- 01.01.2018 CRIDA - Newsletter 14 Cultural and Welfare Activities Swachhtha Pakhwada Swachhtha Pakhwada was celebrated by ICAR-CRIDA during 16-31 December, 2018. The date-wise activities set out in the programme were implemented at ICAR-CRIDA main office, Hayathnagar Research Farm, Gunegal Research Farm and surrounding residential areas and in villages, involving all the employees of ICAR-CRIDA, farmers and civil society members, VIPs, media persons. Swachhtha Pakhwada Celebration at farmers first village The concluding function of Swachhtha Pakhwada was organized on 31st December, 2018. A brief account of the Swachhtha Pakhwada activities carried out from 16th – 31st December, 2018 was presented. Prizes for debate and essay writing competitions held during the fortnight were distributed. The event received good media coverage. Vanamahotsavam ICAR-CRIDA Cultural and Recreation Club organized Vanamahotsavam at Hayathnagar Research Farm of the institute on 20th November, 2018. All the CRIDA staff members actively participated in the cultural activities. The events generated great enthusiasm and unity among staff. Director (Acting), ICAR-CRIDA distributing prizes to winners XIV Meeting of ICAR-CRIDA IJSC Second meeting of XIV IJSC was held on 20th October, 2018 in Director's Committee room under the Chairmanship of Dr. K. Sammi Reddy, Director (Acting) and Chairman, IJSC, ICAR-CRIDA. The meeting was attended by following official side members Dr. K.L. Sharma, Dr. R. Nagarjuna Kumar, Sri B.D. Phansal, CAO, Sri A. Srinivasa Murthy, SFAO and Dr. Ravikanth V. Adake, Official side Secretary and Dr. (Smt.) K. Salini, Scientist (Genetics & Plant Breeding) Promoted to next higher pay Rs. 7000/- 15.09.2015 Dr. Prabhat Kumar Pankaj, Sr. Scientist (Livestock Production & Management) Promoted to next higher pay Rs. 9000/- 08.05.2015 Dr. (Smt.) R. Rejani, Sr. Scientist Principal Scientist 30.08.2017 Dr. S. M. Vidya Sekhar, Chief Technical Officer (T-9) Advance increment 03.02.2017 Dr. (Smt.) D. Anantha V. Rao, Chief Technical Officer (T-9) Advance increment 03.02.2017 Shri Ram Kumar, Assistant Chief Technical Officer (T-7-8) Chief Technical Officer (T-9) 24.02.2018 Shri S. Vijaya Kumar, Senior Technical Officer (T-6) Assistant Chief Technical Officer (T-7-8) 25.10.2015 Shri K. Surender Rao, Chief Technical Officer (T-9) Advance increment 03.02.2017 Shri G. Prabhakar, Senior Technical Officer (T-6) Assistant Chief Technical Officer (T-7-8) 03.11.2017 Appointment Dr. K.L. Sharma Appointed as Vigilance Officer 15.11.2018 ICAR-CRIDA extends best wishes to them Retirements Name Designation Date of superannuation Dr. (Smt). K. Usha Rani Assistant Chief Technical Officer 04.10.2018 Shri B. Anjaiah SSS 31.10.2018 Shri Buchaiah Ennapally Senior Technician 30.11.2018 Shri Jainender Assistant Chief Technical Officer 31.12.2018 Our best wishes for happy and peaceful retired life to all of them July - December, 2018 15 BOOK-POST To _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ Published by : Dr. G. Ravindra Chary, Director (Acting), ICAR-CRIDA Editorial Board Chairman : Dr. K. Sammi Reddy, Head, DRM Editors : Dr. (Mrs.) K. Nagasree, Pr. Scientist (TOT) Dr. P. K Pankaj, Senior Scientist (TOT) Dr. R. Nagarjuna Kumar, Scientist, (SDA) Dr. Anshida Beevi C.N., Scientist, (TOT) Hindi Translation : Dr. P.K. Pankaj, Sr. Scientist, (TOT) Dr. S.R. Yadav, Asstt. Director (OL) Secretarial Assistance : Mrs. M.A. Rekha, PA Photo credits : Mr. K. Surender Rao, CTO ICAR-Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture Santoshnagar, Saidabad PO, Hyderabad - 500 059 Ph: 040-24530157/161/163 Fax: 040-24531802 E-mail: news.crida@icar.gov.in Website: www.crida.in staff side members Sri V. Venunath, CJSC Member, Sri B. Krishna, Secretary, Staff side, Sri S. Ratnashankar Rao, Sri D. Srinivas, Sri A. Mallesh Yadav and Sri S. Shankar Reddy. Agenda points were discussed in the meeting. क्रीडा, हैदराबाद में स्वर्गीय श्री अटल बिहारी वाजपेयी जी, भूतपूर्व प्रधानमं त्री, भारत सरकार का प्रथम मासिक श्रद्धांजलि दिवस आयोजित भारतीय कृ षि अनुसं धान परिषद (आईसीएआर) के दिशा-निर्देशानुसार कें द्रीय बारानी कृ षि अनुसं धान सं स्थान (क्रीडा-CRIDA), हैदराबाद के प्रांगण में रविवार दिनांक 16 सितंबर, 2018 को भारत रत्न स्वर्गीय श्री अटल बिहारी वाजपेयी जी, भूतपूर्व प्रधानमं त्री, भारत सरकार को प्रथम मासिक श्रद्धांजलि दिवस के अवसर पर श्रद्धा सुमन अर्पित किए गए। इस अवसर पर आयोजित विशेष कार्यक्रम में कार्मिको को सं बो ं धित करते हुए सं स्थान के निदेशक महोदय डॉ के सम्मी रेड्डी ने स्व. वाजपेयी जी को महान कवि, समाज सेवी, सर्वप्रिय जननेता तथा देश-विदेश में भारत की छवि को निखारने वाला राजनेता बताते हुए उनके सिद्धांतो को अपनाने पर बल ं दिया। आपने स्व. वाजपेयी के सं घर्षों से परिपूर्ण जीवन का उल्लेख करते हुए देश को नई ऊं चाइयो पर प ं हुंचाने हेतु उन्हेंप्रेरणा स्त्रोत बताया। इस कार्यक्रम में डॉ पी के जैन, वैज्ञानिक-एफ, एआरसीआई, हैदराबाद ने मुख्य अतिथि के रूप में पधारकर वाजपेयी जी की प्रसिद्ध इक्यावन कविताओं का सं क्षिप्त परिचय दिया तथा उनकी श्रेष्ठ कविताओ का ं वाचन करते हुए भावार्थ समझाते हुए वर्तमान परिदृश्य में उनकी उपयोगिता को सिद्ध करते हुए उनके उद्देश्यों का अनुपालन करने का अनुरोध देश्यों किया। आपने कौरव कौन कौन पांडव; ऊं चाई के साथ विस्तार भी हो; मुझे इतनी ऊं चाई कभी मत देना; मौत से ठन गई; सामने वार कर फिर मुझे आजमा; बिखरे नीड; सवेरा है मगर पूरब दिशा में; सच्चाई यह है कि; ऊं चाई; आओ मन की गांठें खोलें; नामक कविताओ का ं विस्त रूप से भा तृ वार्थ समझाया। इस विशेष कार्यक्रम का सं चालन डॉ नागार्जुन कु मार, वैज्ञानिक ने, धन्यवाद ज्ञापन डॉ एस आर यादव ने तथा डॉ पंकज कु मार ने कार्यक्रम के आयोजन में विशेष भूमिका निभाते हुए सं पूर्ण सहयोग प्रदान किया। इस अवसर पर सं स्थान के अधिकांश वैज्ञानिक एवं अन्य कार्मिक उपस्थित थे। South zone sports meet ICAR-CRIDA sports contingent comprising 31 participants and 1 CDM participated in the ICAR South Zone Sports Meet - 2018 organized by ICAR-CTRI, Rajahmundry at DSA stadium, Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh during 5th-9th September, 2018. In this tournament, Mr. B. Kiran Kumar, SSS, secured 1st place in javelin throw and Mr. Mukund, Senior Technical Assistant secured 2nd place in cycling. Mr.B. Kiran Kumar receiving 1st prize in Javelin throw Mr. Mukund receiving 2nd prize in cycling Independence day celebrations The 72nd Independence Day was celebrated on August 15, 2018 with pride and patriotic zeal. The Director hoisted the flag and addressed the staff of CRIDA. In this occasion, Director distributed cash awards (CCS & CCRC) to the X class toppers of CRIDA staff children and motivated the staff with his message to work with dedication and boost institute's growth. Director (Acting), ICAR-CRIDA addressing the staff CRIDA - Newsletter 16 Dr. K Sammi Reddy, Director (Acting), ICAR-CRIDA Small Farm Mechanization is the Key for Successful Adoption of Climate Resilient Technologies by Farmers in Rainfed Areas Over the years, the National Agricultural Research System (NARS) has contributed significantly to development and transfer of technologies for a more viable and sustainable rainfed agriculture. Of late, timely farm operations has become an expensive preposition due to shortage of agricultural labour in rainfed areas. To obtain the proper response from the rainfed crops, small farm mechanization is the key to meet the timeliness of operations in quick session for establishment of crop and enhancing inputs and moisture use efficiency. Realizing the fact, CRIDA and AICRP on dryland agriculture have identified small farm mechanization as one of the prioritized research area and made continuous untiring efforts to develop dryland farm implements. So far, CRIDA has developed nearly 23 dryland farm implements which are being widely adopted by rainfed farmers. More than 3 lakh units of CRIDA BBF Planters have been sold to farmers during the last 5-6 years in states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana etc. Since about 85% of the rainfed farmers are small and marginal who can't afford to procure farm implements, rainfed farm mechanization is not happening at desired pace. Therefore, CRIDA under its flagship programmes, NAIP and NICRA has conceptualized the Custom Hiring Centre (CHC) and implemented successfully in 151 climate resilient villages (CRVs) of vulnerable districts under NICRA. Suitable farm implements were identified for each CRV through focused group discussions with the farmers pertaining to their farm operations. To oversee the requirements, service and maintenance aspects of these machines, a village climate risk management committees (VCRMC) have been constituted. This approach has showed many positive results in enhancing the crop productivity in climate resilient village clusters due to timely availability of improved implements at affordable cost for the small and marginal farmers in their own village or nearby village. Dr. K. Sammi Reddy, Director (Acting), ICAR-CRIDA From the Director's Desk . निदेशक की कलम से ……… वर्षा आधारित क्षेत्रों में क षेत्रों िसानो द्ं वारा जलवायु समुत्थान प्रौद्योगिकियो को सफलतापू ं र्वक अपनाने में छोटे कृषि यंत्रों कत्रों ी मुख्य भूमिका पिछले कु छ वर्षों में, राषटरीट्य कृ षि अनुसं धान प्रणाली (एनएआरएस) ने अधिक व्यवहार्य एवं टिकाऊ वर्षा आधारित कृ षि के लिए प्रौद्योगिकियो के ं विकास एवं हस्तांतरण में महत्वपूर्ण योगदान दिया है। वर्षा आधारित कृ षि में कृ षि श्रमिको कं ी कमी के कारण कृ षि कार्यों में देरी से कृ षि कार्य अधिक खर्चीला होता जा रहा है। वर्षा आधारित फसलो कं ी सही प्रतिक्रिया के लिए, फसलो कं ी बुआई एवं निवेशो तथा नमी उपयोग ं क्षमता को बढ़ाने के लिए सत्र में समयबद्ध रूप से कृ षि कार्यों को पूरा करने में छोटे कृ षि यंत्रों कत्रों ी प्रमुख भूमिका होती है। इस बात को ध्यान में रखते हुए, क्रीडा एवं अखिल भारतीय समन्वित बारानी कृ षि अनुसं धान परियोजना ने छोटे कृ षि यंत्रों को त्रों प्राथमिक अनुसं धान क्षेत्र के रूप में पहचाना है एवं बारानी कृ षि उपकरणों के विकास में निरंतर अथक प्रयास जारी है। अब तक, क्रीडा द्वारा करीब 23 बारानी कृ षि उपकरणो का ं विकास किया गया है जिन्हें वर्षा आधारित किसानो द्ं वारा व्यापक रूप से अपनाया जा रहा है। महाराष्ट्र, मध्यप्रदेश, तेलंगाना आदि राज्यों में ्यों पिछले 5-6 वर्षों के दौरान क्रीडा बीबीएफ प्लांटरों की 3 लाख से अधिक इकाइयां बेची जा चुकी हैं। करीब 85 प्रतिशत वर्षा आधारित किसान छोटे एवं सीमांत हैं जो कृ षि उपकरणो को खरीद नही ं ं सकते, जिसके कारण वांछित गति से वर्षा आधारित क्षेत्रों में यां क्षेत्रों त्रिकीकरण नही हो पा रहा है। अत: क्रीडा के ं प्रमुख कार्यक्रमो के अंत ं र्गत एनएआईपी एवं निक्रा ने कस्टम हायरिं ग केंद्र की अवधारणा को अपनाते हुए निक्रा के अतिसंवेदनशील जिलो के 151 जल ं वायु समुत्थान गांवो (सीआर ं वी) में इसे सफलतापूर्वक कार्यान्वित किया है। उपयुक्त कृ षि उपकरणो कं ी पहचान प्रत्येक जलवायु समुत्थान गांव के कृ षि कार्य में जुड़ेकिसानो से ं विचारविमर्श के उपरांत की गई है। इन उपकरणो कं ी आवश्यकताओ, से ं वाओं एवं रख-रखाव के विभिन्न पहलूओ को पूरा करने के ल ं िए, गांव जलवायु जोखिम प्रबं धन समितियो (ं वीसीआरएमसी) का गठन किया गया है। इस कदम से कई सकारात्मक परिणाम देखने में आए हैं जैसे कि उनके अपने गांव या समीपवर्ती गांव में छोटे एवं सीमांत किसानो को सही समय पर उन्नत ं उपकरण सस्ती कीमतो पर उपलब् ं ध होने के कारण जलवायु समुत्थान गांवों की फसलो कं ी उत्पादकता में बढ़ोत्तरी हुई है। डाॅ. के . सम्मी रेड्डी, निदेशक (कार्यकारी), भाकृ अनुप-क्रीड ; Not Available
Not Available ; The Hon'ble Vice President of India Shri. M. Venkaiah Naidu visited ICAR-Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA), Hyderabad on 3rd July, 2018. He was the Chief Guest for the "Consultative Meeting on Doubling of Farmers' Income in Telangana State and Adjoining Areas". Shri. Md. Mahmood Ali, Deputy Chief Minister, Telangana State was the Guest of Honour. Dr. K. Alagusundaram, Deputy Director General (NRM), ICAR, New Delhi, Shri. C. Parthasarathi, APC & Principal Secretary (Agriculture), Telangana State; Dr. K. Sammi Reddy, Director (Acting), CRIDA; Directors and scientists of local ICAR institutes, senior officials of PJTSAU, senior officials from Telangana State, NGOs, Industrialists, Bankers and progressive farmers participated in the meeting. Hon'ble Vice President addressing participants of consultation meeting Deputy Director General (NRM) Dr. K. Alagusundaram, ICAR, New Delhi welcomed the dignitaries and the participants while briefing about the various rainfed technologies developed by CRIDA for the benefit of farmers of dryland agriculture. Hon'ble Vice President Shri. M. Venkaiah Naidu, chaired the interactive session with scientists, research scholars, farmers and representatives of NGOs. He stated that the multifaceted strategy is needed to protect agriculture as agriculture is now under distress. During interactive session, farmers of Ranga Reddy district mentioned that their farm income has been substantially increased due to the interventions of ICAR-CRIDA, KVKs and SAUs. Book releasing during consultation meeting New Research Initiatives CRIDA was awarded a competitive research project entitled "Innovative and contextual agromet. advisory services for climate smart agriculture" funded by Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Ministry of Earth Sciences under Monsoon Mission-II with budget outlay of the Rs. 311.48 lakhs. ICRISAT and ICAR-IIPR, Kanpur are the partner institutes. Dr. P. Vijaya Kumar, Project Coordinator, AICRPAM, ICAR-CRIDA is the Principal Investigator of this project. Dr. AVM Subba Rao and Dr. Santanu Kumar Bal are the CoPrincipal Investigators from ICAR-CRIDA and Dr. Anthony Whitbread and Dr. R.K. Mishra are the Co-Principal Investigators from ICRISAT and ICAR-IIPR, respectively. CRIDA - Newsletter 2 Minimum tillage with crop residue retention on soil surface produced higher crop yields while maintaining better health of rainfed Alfisol The results of 6 year old experiment on conservation Agriculture (CA) in rainfed Alfisol showed that the surface retention of crop residues @ 2-6 t/ha produced 5-13% higher sorghum yield and 28-45% higher cowpea yield as compared to no residue application control. About 56% higher organic carbon (6.80 g/kg) content was recorded with the application of sorghum stover @ 6 t/ha as compared to control (4.36 g/ kg). The increase in available N with the application of 6t and 4t crop residue was to the extent of 19.5 and 28% respectively while significantly higher contents of soil available P (10.67 kg/ha) and K (288.8 kg/ha) were observed with application of sorghum residue @ 4 t/ha. Significantly higher microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and dehydrogenase activity (DHA) were recorded with the application of sorghum stover @ 4 t/ha. Besides reducing the bulk density, the application of residues had a significant influence on the mean weight diameter (MWD) of the soil aggregates. The highest overall soil quality index (SQI: 9.58) was observed with the residue application @ 6 t/ha. A significant positive relationship was observed between SQI and pooled cowpea seed yield (R2 =0.82) and pooled sorghum grain yield (R2 =0.69). This study also clearly indicated that the adoption of minimum tillage in combination with adequate crop residue cover, the soil moisture increased and soil temperature decreased which in-turn made the crops to withstand the mid season dry spells without much adverse effects. Crop residue retention in the field Development of track width & ground clearance enhancing platform and matching Implements for low horse power tractor A reconfigured platform for small horse power tractor with matching weeding and spraying implements was developed. Such new developments will increase effective use of tractor for weeding and spraying operations in crops like maize, castor, red gram, cotton, chilies etc. The developed platform basically consists of three components (i) Front wheel axle (ii) Rear drive wheel axle and (iii) Reworked steering set system for enhanced track width. The prototype high clearance platform fitted mini tractor matching rotary weeder consists of a main frame with hitch mast, gear box housing with power transmission provision, rotor shaft assembly with soil working tools. The developed boom sprayer unit basically consists (i) Base frame to give support / fix various components (ii) Pump with manifold for flow control and pressure regulation (50 lpm & 30kg / cm2 rating) (iii) Boom with height adjustable frame work and (iv) High pressure hose pipes. The pump gets the required power from tractor. The nozzles on the boom were fitted with spacing adjustable provision to use for different types of rainfed crops. The weeding efficiency of rotary machine varied 74 to 82.5.% and 78.5 to 86.8% for castor and pigeon pea, respectively. In case of maize crop, the weeding efficiency observed to be 73.9%, which was low compared to other two crops due to narrow row spacing. The boom sprayer was operated in cotton crop at two growth stages; the first one at flowering stage (75 DAS) and second operation in bolls expansion stage (90 DAS). The operator can steer the tractor comfortably and sprayer worked satisfactorily. The field capacity of the machine ranged from 1.7 - 2.0 ha/hr. The newly developed implements shown significant advantage in monitory terms when compared with traditional practice of bullock operated blade harrow and hand labour spray operation (15 - 20% lower cost). Track width and ground clearance enhanced platform fitted low horse power tractor with matching weeding and spraying implements Research Highlights July - December, 2018 3 Scientific Activities XXVIIth Research Advisory Committee (RAC) meeting The XXVIIth meeting of the Research Advisory Committee of the institute was held during 10-11 November, 2018 under the chairmanship of Dr. Panjab Singh, former Secretary, DARE & Director General, ICAR. The committee reviewed the progress and recommended for strengthening of farming systems research with horticulture and livestock components, scaling up of NICRA interventions to more villages and restructuring of the institute by creating divisions of Social Sciences and Climate Change. Further, RAC suggested to align the research programmes with the challenges and development needs of dryland farmers. RAC meeting in progress Field Institute Research Council (IRC) meeting Field Institute Research Council (IRC) Meeting for 2018-19 was held on 25th September, 2018 at Gunegal Research Farm (GRF) and on 5th October, 2018 at Hayathnagar Research Farm (HRF) under the chairmanship of Dr. K. Sammi Reddy, Director (Acting). The chairman IRC, Dr. K. Sammi Reddy, Director (Acting), Project coordinators, Heads of Divisions / Sections and scientists visited various experiments and discussed thoroughly on various treatment effects. Interaction during field IRC Various suggestions like displaying of the experimental and treatment boards at the experimental site, periodical monitoring of soil moisture in CA related experiments, rainfall amount, rainy days and crop yields needs to correlated for all the experiments etc., were made in field IRC. Quinquennial Review Team (QRT) Under the Chairmanship of Dr. J.C. Katyal, former Vice Chancellor, CCS Haryana Agriculture University & former DDG (Education), ICAR, two review meetings were conducted. QRT meeting was held during 18-19 June, 2018 at UAS, Bengaluru and reviewed the work done by both AICRPDA and AICRPAM centers located in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala & Tamil Nadu. Another meeting was held at ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad during 16-18 August, 2018 to finalize the QRT report. QRT visit to AICRPDA center, Bengaluru Dr. J.C. Katyal presented the salient recommendations of QRT to DG, ICAR and other officials in presence of DDG (NRM) and ADG (A, AF & CC) on 13th September, 2018 at ICAR, New Delhi. Honorable DG, ICAR has appreciated the work done by the QRT. QRT meeting in progress Hindi fortnight celebrations The Hindi fortnight was organized from 1st to 14th September, 2018 at ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad. On this occasion, Hindi Noting & Drafting, Hindi-English technical terminology and other Hindi competitions were organized. Winners were awarded on concluding day, 14th September, 2018. CRIDA - Newsletter 4 Interface meeting on agricultural contingencies for Andhra Pradesh In view of the low rainfall and its poor distribution in some parts of Andhra Pradesh, at the behest of ICAR-CRIDA, an interface meeting was organized by ICAR-CRIDA on August 3, 2018 with Department of Agriculture and ANGRAU under the chairmanship of special Commissioner of Agriculture, Government of A.P. to review and develop mid-course action plans for Rayalaseema (Anantapuramu, Kurnool, Kadapa and Chittoor), Prakasham, Nellore and Guntur districts. The participants included Director of Research, ANGRAU, Special Commissioner of Agriculture, A.P., Joint Collector, Kadapa, Senior scientists from ANGRAU, JDAs, ADAs, Scientists from KVKs and farmer representatives. Dr. NV Naidu, Director of Research ANGRAU, conducted the proceedings of the meeting. Dr. KV Rao, ICAR-CRIDA and Dr. S Malleswari, ANGRAU made detailed presentations on current rainfall scenario and forecast for the forthcoming weeks. Sri D. Muralidhar Reddy, Special Commissioner in his address emphasized that department should gear up to rescue the crops in the field, plans to cover unsown area and preparation of documents for early drought declaration procedures. Dr. NDRK Sharma, Consultant, Department of Agriculture, highlighted the implementation of agriculture contingency plans during past years and requested the officers to prioritize the interventions based on the uptake of preferred technology options by the farmers. Sensitization on district agricultural contingency plans for Mizoram In an interface meeting of ICAR-Mizoram State held on 24.09.2018 to sensitize the Senior officers of the State on District Agricultural Contingency Plans (DACPs). This is the first meeting on sensitization of DACPs to senior officials in the North-Eastern states of India. Mr. Lalsawta, Cabinet Minister for Finance & Planning chaired the meeting. Mr. Lalthanliana, Cabinet Minister for Horticulture, LAD & SWD and Mr. Lalmingthanga, Commissioner & Secretary, Agriculture were guests of honour. Secretaries from Horticulture, Sericulture, Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science; Directors of various line departments; Director, ICAR - Research Complex, NEH Region and Director, ATARI, Umiam also attended the meeting. Dr. N. Prakash presented the technologies developed by ICAR RC for NEH and Dr. Deka highlighted how KVK set up is actively participating in dissemination of technologies. The Commissioner of Agriculture highlighted that only 30% of the food grains are produced in Mizoram. Mr. Lalthanliana mentioned that farming community in Mizoram are facing multi-faceted problems. Mr. Lalsawta emphasized on developing viable alternatives to Jhum cultivation which is responsible for meager yields. Dr. S. Desai, Principal Scientist, ICAR-CRIDA made a presentation on "Sensitization on District Agricultural Contingency Plans to meet the weather aberration impacts on agriculture in Mizoram".The Commissioner & Secretary, Agriculture appreciated the efforts and emphasized on more sensitization about DACPs among district officials. The meeting ended with vote of thanks by Ms. Shakuntala, JD, ICAR Research Complex, Kolasib centre. Contingency Plans Interface meeting in progress Interface meeting at Mizoram July - December, 2018 5 Technology Transfer Hon'ble Prime Minister's interaction with SHGs & women groups at ICAR-CRIDA Web telecasting of Hon'ble Prime Minister's interaction with SHGs & Women's groups was organized by Krishi Vigyan Kendra – Ranga Reddy District, ICAR-CRIDA on 12.07.2018 in KVK Campus, Hayathnagar Research Farm, ICAR-CRIDA. About 74 SHG women from four different villages of Ranga Reddy District, Telangana State participated. The Hon'ble Prime Minister's interaction with SHG women emphasized on improving the economic status of farm families through supporting SHG women by strengthening the Self Help Groups. The Prime Minister highlighted about DAY-NRLM programme (Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihood Mission). Almost 30 lakh SHG women are being supported under Mahila Kisan Sashakthikaran Pariyojana (MKSP) to promote sustainable agriculture practices and the objective of Mission Antyodaya is to develop poverty free panchayats. Web telecasting of Hon'ble Prime Minister's interaction with SHGs & women's groups Parthenium awareness week organized Training cum awareness programme on integrated management of Parthenium was organized by KVK-CRIDA, Ranga Reddy District on 21st August, 2018. About 50 participants from Agriculture College, farmers, teaching and extension officials attended the programme. Subject matter specialists from KVK-CRIDA highlighted the technical aspects of Parthenium management, invasion of Parthenium in India, plant physiology-spread, impact and harmful effects of weed on crop, composting of weed. Displayed posters and removed weeds from demo plots and office premises of KVK. National nutrition month organized The theme for National Nutrition Month for 2018 was "Go Further with Food". On this occasion, organized 3 training programmes and method demonstrations i.e. (i) Prevention of anaemia – preparation of low cost nutritious recipes on 6th September, 2018, (ii) Value addition to millet products as food security & income generating activity on 11th September, 2018, (iii) Demonstration on dried green leafy vegetables – different recipes to prevent Iron & Calcium deficiency on 18th September, 2018 in KVK adopted villages Gummadivelli, Kolanguda and Nerrapally, for about 291 women. These programmes involved total 291 women, of which 67 were SC /ST, 224 were others. Distributed 200 drumstick plants as part of National Nutrition Week to women of self help groups. National women farmers' day (Mahila Kisan Divas) & technology day National Women Farmers' Day (Mahila Kisan Divas) and Technology Day was organized by Krishi Vigyan Kendra-Ranga Reddy District, ICAR-CRIDA on 15th October, 2018 at Hayathnagar Research Farm with the participation of women farmers from Ranga Reddy district. Dr. V. Maruthi, Head & Principal Scientist, KVK briefed the importance of the day and women's role in agriculture. Dr. K. Sammi Reddy, Director (Acting), ICAR-CRIDA, presided over as Chief Guest and addressed about the women farmers' role in agriculture, drudgery management practices to be followed by women farmers, nutritional disorders and health issues. Dr. Y. G. Prasad, Director, ATARI, Guest of honour, requested the women farmers to utilize skill training programmes of KVK related to dairy and floriculture and NARI (Nutri sensitive agri-resources and innovations) programme of ICAR through KVK. The resource persons Dr. K. Aruna, Professor and Head (Retd.), AICRP (Home Science) informed the women farmers about the health, nutrition, diet, nutritive value of millets and gave a detailed presentation on nutritional disorders and remedies. Sri DGP Sharma, Senior Executive officer, Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has explained different schemes in KVIC, loan facilities and Honey production and rearing techniques. Two brochures on Good management practices of chickpea and redgram cultivation, pamphlets on fall army worm in maize, pink bollworm in cotton, hydroponics in fodder cultivation, balanced nutrition diet for livestock were released. Five progressive women farmers and women entrepreneurs from Ranga Reddy District were felicitated on this occasion. National women farmers' day celebration CRIDA - Newsletter 6 World soil day organized ICAR-CRIDA celebrated world soil day on 5th December, 2018 at ICAR- CRIDA under the Chairmanship of Dr. G. Ravindra Chary, Director (In charge), ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad. Around 200 participants comprising of students, scientists, technical officers, KVK officials attended the awareness programme. Dr. G. Ravindra Chary explained historical background of World Soil Day, the usage of Soil Health Cards and its interpretation for effective nutrient management in the field crops for sustainable crop yields. Dr. K.L. Sharma, Principal Scientist, educated the participating students about the importance of soils and clarified the doubts raised by the students. The students were sensitized about the importance of soils through demonstrations, posters and exhibits and practical insights to laboratories. On this occasion posters on "Know your soils", "Soil profile" and "Identification of Nutrient deficiencies in Plants and Crops" were displayed for the benefit of the students. Dr. G. Ravindra Chary, Director (In-Charge) addressing students Kisan Diwas organized during Swachhtha Pakhwada KVK-CRIDA, Ranga Reddy District organized one day Kisan Diwas on 23rd December, 2018 as a part of Swachhtha Pakhwada (16-31st December, 2018). Dr. V. Maruthi, Principal Scientist & Head, KVK welcomed the invited farmers from 12 mandals of Ranga Reddy District and enlightened the objectives of the Kisan Diwas. Dr. K. Sammi Reddy, Director (Acting), ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad was the Chief Guest. He explained to the farmers about the importance of Swachatha and also emphasized to prepare manure from the wastes generated on farmers' fields. Dr. K. Srinivas, Principal Scientist & OIC, HRF shared experiences on Swachhta initiatives by farmers and civil society officials. Farmers were felicitated based on the initiatives/adoptable measurers expressed during the interaction. SMSs from KVK gave lectures on Good Agricultural Practices in horticulture, agriculture, women empowerment and animal husbandry. Farmers visited demonstration units, exhibition, posters presentation of KVK and gained knowledge. About 107 members including farmers, farm women, ADAs, AOs, AEOs, ATMA officials attended the programme and got handful information with printed literature. Felicitation to farmer during Swachhatha Pakhwada Around 200 farmers including farm women and school going children participated in the awareness campaign of Swachhtha Pakhwada in Farmers First Village. The people were trained in the knowledge about segregation of biodegradable and nondegradable wastes. AICRPs XV Biennial workshop of AICRPAM organized The XVth Biennial workshop of the AICRP on Agrometeorology (AICRPAM) was organized at Regional Agricultural Research Station, University of Agricultural Sciences, Vijayapura, Karnataka during 15-17 November, 2018. Participants of XV Biennial workshop, AICRPAM The objective of the workshop was to review the research progress made during 2017-18 and finalization of the technical program for the year 2018-2020. Monsoon mission II project meeting at ICRISAT Monsoon mission II project meeting was held at ICRISAT, Patancheru, Hyderabad on 10th September, 2018. Dr. Peter Carberry, DG, ICRISAT, Dr. G. Ravindra Chary, Director (In-charge), Dr. P. Vijaya Kumar and Dr. AVM. Subba Rao from AICRPAM, ICAR-CRIDA, Dr. Suryachandra Rao, Associate Mission Director, Shri S.M.D. Jeelani, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, Dr. Anthony Whitbread, Research Program Director, Dr. AVR Kesava Rao, Dr. K.P.C. Rao and Dr. D. Ram, ICRISAT July - December, 2018 7 National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) Sixth NICRA Annual Review Workshop Organized A two day Annual Review workshop of National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) was inaugurated by Dr. T. Mohapatra, Secretary, DARE & Director General, ICAR at NASC, New Delhi on 7th August, 2018. Chhabilendra Roul, Special Secretary, DARE & Secretary, ICAR, Shri B. Pradhan, FA & Additional Secretary, DARE & ICAR, Dr. K. Alagusundaram, DDG (Agril. Engg. & NRM I/c), Dr. AK Singh, DDG (Agril. Extn.), Dr. Anand Kumar Singh, DDG (Hort. Science & Crop Sciences I/c), Dr. Joykrushna Jena, DDG (Fisheries), Dr. S Bhaskar, ADG (A, AF&CC), Dr. SK Chaudhari, ADG (SWM), Dr. K Sammi Reddy, Director (Acting), ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad and NICRA Expert Committee Members viz., Dr. B Venkateswarlu, Ex-VC,Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth Krishinagar, Parbhani; Dr. V Praveen Rao, Vice Chancellor, PJTSAU, Hyderabad; Dr. CL Acharya, Ex-Director, ICAR-IISS, Bhopal; Dr. KK Singh, ADG (Farm Engg.), ICAR; Dr. YS Ramakrishna, ExDirector, ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad; Dr. HE Shashidhar, Retired Professor of Genetics, UAS, GKVK, Bengaluru; Dr. RC Upadhyay, Principal Scientist (Retd.) NDRI, Karnal; Dr. AG Ponniah, Ex-Director, ICAR-CIBA, Chennai; Prof. UC Mohanty, Professor IIT, Bhubaneswar; Dr. NK Krishna Kumar, Coordinator, Biodiversity International, New Delhi; Dr. Praduman Kumar, Ex-Head, Economics, IARI, New Delhi, Dr. N. Sudhakar, Ex-Director, ATARI and Dr. H. Senapati, Former Dean, OUAT, Bhubaneshwar, Chairmen of Zonal monitoring teams and Directors of NICRA partner institutes participated in the review workshop. Dr. K. Sammi Reddy, Director (Acting), ICAR-CRIDA presented the highlights of achievements of NICRA Project during the last two years (2016-17 to 2017-18). Various events during sixth NICRA annual review workshop participated in this meeting and discussed on developing a farmer-friendly app and web site for disseminating agromet advisories. AICRPDA centres organized stakeholder consultation workshops Stakeholder consultation workshops were organized in the adopted villages by 9 AICRPDA centres viz. Akola, Arjia, Anantapuramu, Bengaluru, Kovilpatti, Phulbani, SK Nagar, Solapur and Vijayapura to discuss on strengthening the traditional rainfed integrated farming systems (TRIFS). Dr. S. Bhaskar, ADG (A, AF&CC), Dr. G. Ravindra Chary, Project Coordinator (AICRPDA), scientists from AICRPs/ICAR Institutes/ SAUs/KVKs, officials from state line departments, ATMA, NGOs and most importantly farmers participated and gave feedback for identifying component-wise suitable interventions for strengthening traditional RIFSs in the respective agroclimatic zones of the centres. Stakeholder workshop in Sunderpura village, Bhilwara district, Rajasthan on 26.10.2018 Stakeholder workshop in Kalenhalli village, Tumkur District, Karnataka on 13.08.2018 CRIDA - Newsletter 8 Important Visitors Ms. Arnella Trent, Senior Crop Analyst, International Production Assessment Division, U.S. Department of Agriculture / Foreign Agriculture Service along with Mr. Dhruv Sood, Agricultural Specialist from U.S. Consulate, Mumbai visited ICAR-CRIDA on 4th September, 2018 to discuss the cotton crop production, planting area and general assessment of the crop in Telangana State. During their visit information regarding dryland agriculture, soils, watershed management and extension activities was exchanged with them. A total of 1637 students from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu & Andhra Pradesh, 40 Scientists from NAARM, Hyderabad, 283 Agricultural Officers from Tamil Nadu & Telangana and 328 farmers from Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh & Tamil Nadu visited ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad during the period. Dr. T. Mohapatra in his inaugural address suggested to make the 151 Climate Resilient Villages (CRVs) to CRV Cluster Villages and the need to actively involve State Governments for successful upscaling of CRVs. There were eight Technical sessions under different themes viz., Resilience through Natural Resources Management, Resilience through Crop Improvement and Adaptation, Technology Demonstration Component Session: Lessons from Technology Demonstration and Future Roadmap, Resilience through Adaptation in Horticultural Crops, Pests, Diseases & Pollinators,Assessment of Impacts on Fisheries-Adaptation and Mitigation Options, Vulnerability Assessment, Socio-Economic Impacts and Farm Advisories, Adaptation Strategies for Climate Resilient Livestock Production, Integrated Modeling Framework. Each session chaired by concerned DDGs and co-chaired by NICRA Expert Committee members and concerned ADGs from ICAR, New Delhi. A detailed session-wise recommendations was presented by Dr. M Prabhakar, PI, NICRA, ICARCRIDA, Hyderabad in the plenary session chaired by Dr. K Alagusundaram, DDG (NRM), ICAR. Zonal Monitoring Committee Visits During the period, zonal monitoring committee visits were organized in the KVKs of ATARI zones viz. Guwahati, Barapani, Kolkata, Jodhpur, Jabalpur, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. Zonal monitoring committee's visits to various zones were organized to review the technical progress of different modules like NRM, crop production, livestock & fishery and institutional interventions in the NICRA villages and for making appropriate suggestions for improvement. ZMC with VCRMC members, Dimapur ZMC with VCRMC members, Malda July - December, 2018 9 Visits Abroad Dr. K. Sammi Reddy, Director (Acting), ICAR-CRIDA visited Katowice, Poland to participate in the UNFCCC COP-24/CMP14/ CMA1.3 and to organize the side event at Indian Pavilion at COP24 during 30th November - 5th December, 2018. During the visit, he has organized the Side Event at Indian Pavilion @ COP24 on the theme "Scaling up Adaptation Strategies for Climate Resilient Agriculture" on 5th December, 2018. This side event was Chaired by Dr. Anthony Simons, Director General, World Agroforestry Centre (WAC), Nairobi and Co-Chaired by Prof. N.H. Ravindranath, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. In this side event Dr. Reddy has presented two papers and Dr. R.S. Sinha, Additional Commissioner (NRM), Department of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, Government of India presented a paper. The side event was very successful as about 25 Indian and foreign delegates were present. After thorough deliberations, the following conclusions were drawn, • There is a need to revise the vulnerability atlas of India taking into consideration the dimensions and definition of vulnerability and risk in the recent Assessment Report of IPCC. • NICRA project was successful in establishing 151 model climate resilient villages in 151 vulnerable districts. But there is a need to upscale the climate resilient villages in highly and medium vulnerable districts. • There is a need to scaling up successful IFS models developed for different agro-climatic regions of India by taking into consideration the resources available with farmers. Dr. K. Sammi Reddy organizing side event at Indian Pavilion, COP24, Katowice, Poland Dr. Suseelendra Desai, Principal Scientist (Plant Pathology) participated in the Regional Conference on "Role of Soil and Plant Health Towards Achieving Sustainable Development Goals in Asia-Pacific" held during 20-24 November, 2018 at Bangkok, Thailand. APAARI, Department of Agriculture, Thailand and Indian Phytopathological Society jointly organized the conference and the participants included diverse experts from research, development, extension, policy makers, private sectors, professional societies, civil society organizations and donor organizations, to share specific long-term experiences on the neglect of soil and plant health in the Asia-Pacific region. Dr. Desai was invited to deliver a lead lecture on "Potential impacts of climate change on plant pathogens and biocontrol agents and adaptation strategies". He also chaired a technical session on "Plant health management – case studies" along with Dr. GD Sinniah from Sri Lanka. The conference deliberated on soil and plant health aspects in detail and agreed to formulate a group to address these issues in the years to come. Dr. Desai delivering lecture Dr. K.V. Rao, Principal Scientist (Soil and Water Conservation Engineering), Division of Resource Management visited United Kingdom (UK) to participate in Workshop on "Advancing Drought Monitoring, Prediction and Management Capabilities" during 18th - 20th September, 2018 at Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK . CRIDA - Newsletter 10 Forthcoming Events Sl. No. Title of the event Dates 1. XXVI Biennial Workshop of AICRP for Dryland Agriculture, at AICRPDA Bengaluru Centre, UASB 16-19th January, 2019 2. Republic Day 26th January, 2019 3. National Science Day 28th February, 2019 4. ICAR-CRIDA Foundation Day 12th April, 2019 5. IRC meeting 23-25, April, 2019, 9-10th May, 2019 6. World Environment Day 5th June, 2019 DOE sponsored Model Training Course on "Extension Strategies for Participatory Natural Resource Management in Rainfed Agriculture" Model Training Course sponsored by DOE was organised at ICAR-CRIDA during September 24 - October 1, 2018. Twenty eight officials from eight different states viz., Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Punjab and Karnataka attended the model training course. The course covered various extension strategies of Soil and water conservation measures for enhanced productivity in drylands, Technologies for sustainable NRM in Rainfed areas, Horticulture systems in Rainfed Agriculture for sustainable NRM and enhanced productivity, Enhancing productivity of crops and cropping systems through effective use of natural resources, Farming systems approach for sustainable NRM in drylands, Role of Livestock and their management for enhancing productivity and income in drylands, Gender mainstreaming in NRM, Communication tools and techniques for sustainable NRM. Inaugural session of Model Training Course on "Extension Strategies for Participatory Natural Resource Management in Rainfed Agriculture" ICAR-Short Course on 'Assessment of Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change in Agriculture' A ten day short course on 'Assessment of vulnerability and adaptation to climate change in agriculture', sponsored by the Agricultural Education Division of the ICAR, was conducted during 28th November to 7th December, 2018 at ICAR-CRIDA. The short course has provided the participants with various concepts, approaches and methods used in assessing vulnerability and adaptation. Twenty one participants from five ICAR institutes and eight state agricultural universities participated. A majority of the participants expressed that their expectations from the short course were fulfilled to a large extent. Participants of ICAR Short Course on "Assessment of Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change in Agriculture" KVK Programmes About 34 training programmes were organized during the period July to December, 2018 on different aspects of agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, farm mechanization and women empowerment to farmers and farm women from Ranga Reddy district. 1142 farmers and farm women were benefitted from these training programmes. Human Resource Development July - December, 2018 11 Participation in Seminars and Symposia Name of the Personnel Workshop / Seminar / Symposium / Meeting Duration Venue K. Sammi Reddy International Consultation Workshop on Adapting agriculture in semiarid India to a global temperature rise by 1.5 0C. 3-4 October, 2018 WOTR, Pune National Workshop on Sustainability of Indian Agriculture, Natural Resource Perspective with special reference to water. 11 October, 2018 IIWM, Bhubaneswar 83rd Annual Convention of the Indian Society of Soil Science. 27-28 November, 2018 AAU, Anand UNFCCC COP-24 / CMP14 / CMA1.2 Meeting. 30 November to 5 December, 2018 Katowice, Poland G. Ravindra Chary & B.M.K. Raju Brainstorming workshop on "Prioritization of Rainfed Districts in India" organized by NRAA & ICAR-CRIDA. 11-12 December, 2018 NASC, New Delhi C.A. Rama Rao Stakeholders Consultation Meeting on NICRA. 20 July, 2018 NASC, New Delhi Expert consultation meeting for Impact Assessment of the AP Drought Mitigation Project of Govt. of A.P. 14 August, 2018 WASSAN, Hyderabad National Workshop on Promotion of Developing Climate Resilient Villages for Sustainable Food and Nutritional Security. 4-5 October, 2018 MANAGE, Hyderabad 26th Annual Conference of Agriculture Economics Research Association (India) on 'Agriculture and Sustainable Development Goals. 15-17 November, 2018 ICAR-NDRI, Karnal, Haryana Brainstorming meeting conducted by NRAA. 11-12 December, 2018 NASC, New Delhi B.M.K. Raju & R. Nagarjuna Kumar Consultation Meeting on 'Risk and vulnerability of agriculture to climate change: A district level assessment'. 20 July, 2018 NASC, New Delhi B.M.K. Raju 72nd Annual Conference of Indian Society of Agricultural Statistics (ISAS) organized with a broader theme of 'Statistics, Informatics, Engineering Interventions and Business Opportunities: A Road-Map To Transform Indian Agriculture Towards Prosperity' 13-15 December, 2018 ICAR - CIAE, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh Boini Narsimlu International Conference on "Global Water Security for Agriculture and Natural Resources" organized by ASABE USA & ISAE India. 3-6 October, 2018 Hotel, Taj Krishna, Hyderabad R. Nagarjuna Kumar ICAR-ICT Road map. 6 July, 2018 IIMR, Hyderabad National Workshop on Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture: Status and Prospects. 30-31 July, 2018 NASC, New Delhi Josily Samuel and P.K. Pankaj 'Workshop on CLEM-Crop Livestock Enterprise Modelling'. 22-23 October, 2018 ICRISAT, Hyerabad D. Sudheer Indian International Science Festival-Agriculture Conclave. 5 -7 October, 2018 Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh G. Sri Krishna Hands on Training to Master trainers of KVKs on TCS-ICAR-KVK Sandesh. 3 August, 2018 ATARI, Zone X, Hyderabad Training of Trainers for KVKs, SAUs and ICAR institutes. 25-27 September, 2018 PJTSAU, Hyderabad Annual Zonal Workshop of KVKs Zone X 20-22 September, 2018 ATARI-CRIDA G. Nirmala, K. Nagasree & Anshida Beevi C.N. 9th National Extension education Congress on "Climate Resilient Agriculture – Innovations and Technologies" 15-17 November, 2018 CAEPHT, Ranipool, Sikkim CRIDA - Newsletter 12 1. Dr. K. Sammi Reddy, Director (Acting), ICAR – CRIDA was inducted as the Fellow of the Indian Society of Soil Science (ISSS), New Delhi. He received "ISSS Fellow Award" from His Excellency Honorable Governor of Gujarat Shri O.P. Kohli at 83rd Annual Convention of the ISSS held at Anand on 27.11.2018. Dr. K. Sammi Reddy receiving ISSS Fellow Award from Shri O. P. Kohli, Honorable Governor of Gujarat 2. AICRPDA-Vijayapura centre received "ICAR-Vasantrao Naik Award" for Outstanding Research and Application in Dryland Farming Systems for 2017" during ICAR Foundation Day and Award Ceremony on July 16, 2018 at NASC, New Delhi. AICRPDA Vijayapura centre receiving ICAR-Vasantrao Naik Award 3. Dr. G. Ravindra Chary, Project Coordinator (DLA) received "Indian Society of Agronomy Gold Medal Award" on 24.10.2018 during XXI Biennial National Symposium on Doubling Farmers' income through Agronomic Interventions under Changing Scenario at MPUAT, Udaipur, Rajasthan. Dr. G. Ravindra Chary receiving Indian Society of Agronomy Gold Medal Award 4. Dr. G. Nirmala, Principal Scientist (Agril. Extension) & Head, TOT was honored with "SEE Fellow Award" during 9th National Extension Education Congress organized by Society of Extension Education Agra at CAEPHT, Ranipool, Sikkim during 15-17 November, 2018. Dr. G. Nirmala receiving SEE Fellow Award 5. Dr. K. Nagasree, Principal Scientist (Agril. Extension) received "Best Extension Professional Award" during 9th National Extension Education Congress organized by Society of Extension Education Agra at CAEPHT, Ranipool, Sikkim during 15-17 November, 2018. Dr. K. Nagasree receiving Best Extension Professional Award Awards and Recognition July - December, 2018 13 6. Dr. B.M.K. Raju, Principal Scientist (Agril. Statistics) was included as "Member of Task Force" constituted by NRAA, DAC & FW, Govt. of India for 'Prioritization of rainfed districts in India'. 7. Dr. R. Nagarjuna Kumar, Scientist received the "Best Paper Award" for the paper "Spatial Rice Decision Support System (SRDSS) for effective rice crop management", Current Science Vol. 116, No. 3 by IIRR, presented during Annual day Celebrations of IIRR organized at ICAR-IIRR, Hyderabad on 15th December, 2018. 8. Dr. R. Nagarjuna Kumar, Scientist received the "Outstanding Scientist Award 2018" during the International Conference on Agriculture, Horticulture and Food Science held at Hotel Hans, New Delhi during 29-30 December, 2018. 9. Dr. Anshida Beevi C.N., Scientist (Agril. Extension) conferred with "Ganga Singh Chauhan Memorial Award-2018" for outstanding research contributions in the field of Extension Education during 9th National Extension Education Congress organized by Society of Extension Education Agra at CAEPHT, Ranipool, Sikkim during 15-17 November, 2018. Dr. Anshida Beevi C.N. receiving Ganga Singh Chauhan Memorial Award 10. Dr. Anshida Beevi C.N., Scientist (Agril. Extension) received "Best Paper Presentation Award-2018" for the paper "Drudgery Reducing Technologies for Women Empowerment in the Rainfed Areas" during 9th National Extension Education Congress 11. Sri Mula Mahender Reddy of KVK, Chandippa village of Ranga Reddy district received "Best Farmer Award" by Aaj Tak News Channel on 24th October, 2018 for outstanding contribution in "Raised Platform / Elevated Animal Shed in Semi-Intensive Goat Farming". Sri. Mula Mahender Reddy receiving "Best Farmer Award" by Aaj Tak News Channel Personnel Information Appointments / Promotions / Transfers / Joining Name and Designation Joined/ Transferred/ Promoted/ Appointed Date w.e.f Transfers/ Joinings Shri Rajkumar Dhakar, Scientist, ICAR-CRIDA Transferred as Scientist, ICAR- IARI, New Delhi 25.08.2018 Dr. B. Krishna Rao, Principal Scientist, ICAR-CRIDA Joined as Director (A&R), WALAMTARI, Hyderabad on deputation (12.09.2018 to 11.09.2021) 12.09.2018 Dr. A. Amarender Reddy, Principal Scientist Transferred to ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad 06.09.2018 Smt. D. Lakshmi Aruna Gayathri T-3 (Farm Assistant) 22.12.2018 Shri Bandi Srikanth Goud T-3 (Farm Assistant) 26.12.2018 Shri Awinash Brahamwanshi T-1 (Fieldman) 28.12.2018 Promotions Shri Rajkumar Dhakar, Scientist (Agricultural Physics) Promoted to next higher pay Rs. 7000/- 02.05.2016 Shri G. Venkatesh, Scientist (Agro-forestry) Promoted to next higher pay Rs. 8000/- 01.01.2014 Promoted to next higher pay Rs. 9000/- 01.01.2017 Shri Sarath Chandran M. A., Scientist (Agricultural Meteorology) Promoted to next higher pay Rs. 7000/- 01.01.2018 CRIDA - Newsletter 14 Cultural and Welfare Activities Swachhtha Pakhwada Swachhtha Pakhwada was celebrated by ICAR-CRIDA during 16-31 December, 2018. The date-wise activities set out in the programme were implemented at ICAR-CRIDA main office, Hayathnagar Research Farm, Gunegal Research Farm and surrounding residential areas and in villages, involving all the employees of ICAR-CRIDA, farmers and civil society members, VIPs, media persons. Swachhtha Pakhwada Celebration at farmers first village The concluding function of Swachhtha Pakhwada was organized on 31st December, 2018. A brief account of the Swachhtha Pakhwada activities carried out from 16th – 31st December, 2018 was presented. Prizes for debate and essay writing competitions held during the fortnight were distributed. The event received good media coverage. Vanamahotsavam ICAR-CRIDA Cultural and Recreation Club organized Vanamahotsavam at Hayathnagar Research Farm of the institute on 20th November, 2018. All the CRIDA staff members actively participated in the cultural activities. The events generated great enthusiasm and unity among staff. Director (Acting), ICAR-CRIDA distributing prizes to winners XIV Meeting of ICAR-CRIDA IJSC Second meeting of XIV IJSC was held on 20th October, 2018 in Director's Committee room under the Chairmanship of Dr. K. Sammi Reddy, Director (Acting) and Chairman, IJSC, ICAR-CRIDA. The meeting was attended by following official side members Dr. K.L. Sharma, Dr. R. Nagarjuna Kumar, Sri B.D. Phansal, CAO, Sri A. Srinivasa Murthy, SFAO and Dr. Ravikanth V. Adake, Official side Secretary and Dr. (Smt.) K. Salini, Scientist (Genetics & Plant Breeding) Promoted to next higher pay Rs. 7000/- 15.09.2015 Dr. Prabhat Kumar Pankaj, Sr. Scientist (Livestock Production & Management) Promoted to next higher pay Rs. 9000/- 08.05.2015 Dr. (Smt.) R. Rejani, Sr. Scientist Principal Scientist 30.08.2017 Dr. S. M. Vidya Sekhar, Chief Technical Officer (T-9) Advance increment 03.02.2017 Dr. (Smt.) D. Anantha V. Rao, Chief Technical Officer (T-9) Advance increment 03.02.2017 Shri Ram Kumar, Assistant Chief Technical Officer (T-7-8) Chief Technical Officer (T-9) 24.02.2018 Shri S. Vijaya Kumar, Senior Technical Officer (T-6) Assistant Chief Technical Officer (T-7-8) 25.10.2015 Shri K. Surender Rao, Chief Technical Officer (T-9) Advance increment 03.02.2017 Shri G. Prabhakar, Senior Technical Officer (T-6) Assistant Chief Technical Officer (T-7-8) 03.11.2017 Appointment Dr. K.L. Sharma Appointed as Vigilance Officer 15.11.2018 ICAR-CRIDA extends best wishes to them Retirements Name Designation Date of superannuation Dr. (Smt). K. Usha Rani Assistant Chief Technical Officer 04.10.2018 Shri B. Anjaiah SSS 31.10.2018 Shri Buchaiah Ennapally Senior Technician 30.11.2018 Shri Jainender Assistant Chief Technical Officer 31.12.2018 Our best wishes for happy and peaceful retired life to all of them July - December, 2018 15 BOOK-POST To _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ Published by : Dr. G. Ravindra Chary, Director (Acting), ICAR-CRIDA Editorial Board Chairman : Dr. K. Sammi Reddy, Head, DRM Editors : Dr. (Mrs.) K. Nagasree, Pr. Scientist (TOT) Dr. P. K Pankaj, Senior Scientist (TOT) Dr. R. Nagarjuna Kumar, Scientist, (SDA) Dr. Anshida Beevi C.N., Scientist, (TOT) Hindi Translation : Dr. P.K. Pankaj, Sr. Scientist, (TOT) Dr. S.R. Yadav, Asstt. Director (OL) Secretarial Assistance : Mrs. M.A. Rekha, PA Photo credits : Mr. K. Surender Rao, CTO ICAR-Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture Santoshnagar, Saidabad PO, Hyderabad - 500 059 Ph: 040-24530157/161/163 Fax: 040-24531802 E-mail: news.crida@icar.gov.in Website: www.crida.in staff side members Sri V. Venunath, CJSC Member, Sri B. Krishna, Secretary, Staff side, Sri S. Ratnashankar Rao, Sri D. Srinivas, Sri A. Mallesh Yadav and Sri S. Shankar Reddy. Agenda points were discussed in the meeting. क्रीडा, हैदराबाद में स्वर्गीय श्री अटल बिहारी वाजपेयी जी, भूतपूर्व प्रधानमं त्री, भारत सरकार का प्रथम मासिक श्रद्धांजलि दिवस आयोजित भारतीय कृ षि अनुसं धान परिषद (आईसीएआर) के दिशा-निर्देशानुसार कें द्रीय बारानी कृ षि अनुसं धान सं स्थान (क्रीडा-CRIDA), हैदराबाद के प्रांगण में रविवार दिनांक 16 सितंबर, 2018 को भारत रत्न स्वर्गीय श्री अटल बिहारी वाजपेयी जी, भूतपूर्व प्रधानमं त्री, भारत सरकार को प्रथम मासिक श्रद्धांजलि दिवस के अवसर पर श्रद्धा सुमन अर्पित किए गए। इस अवसर पर आयोजित विशेष कार्यक्रम में कार्मिको को सं बो ं धित करते हुए सं स्थान के निदेशक महोदय डॉ के सम्मी रेड्डी ने स्व. वाजपेयी जी को महान कवि, समाज सेवी, सर्वप्रिय जननेता तथा देश-विदेश में भारत की छवि को निखारने वाला राजनेता बताते हुए उनके सिद्धांतो को अपनाने पर बल ं दिया। आपने स्व. वाजपेयी के सं घर्षों से परिपूर्ण जीवन का उल्लेख करते हुए देश को नई ऊं चाइयो पर प ं हुंचाने हेतु उन्हेंप्रेरणा स्त्रोत बताया। इस कार्यक्रम में डॉ पी के जैन, वैज्ञानिक-एफ, एआरसीआई, हैदराबाद ने मुख्य अतिथि के रूप में पधारकर वाजपेयी जी की प्रसिद्ध इक्यावन कविताओं का सं क्षिप्त परिचय दिया तथा उनकी श्रेष्ठ कविताओ का ं वाचन करते हुए भावार्थ समझाते हुए वर्तमान परिदृश्य में उनकी उपयोगिता को सिद्ध करते हुए उनके उद्देश्यों का अनुपालन करने का अनुरोध देश्यों किया। आपने कौरव कौन कौन पांडव; ऊं चाई के साथ विस्तार भी हो; मुझे इतनी ऊं चाई कभी मत देना; मौत से ठन गई; सामने वार कर फिर मुझे आजमा; बिखरे नीड; सवेरा है मगर पूरब दिशा में; सच्चाई यह है कि; ऊं चाई; आओ मन की गांठें खोलें; नामक कविताओ का ं विस्त रूप से भा तृ वार्थ समझाया। इस विशेष कार्यक्रम का सं चालन डॉ नागार्जुन कु मार, वैज्ञानिक ने, धन्यवाद ज्ञापन डॉ एस आर यादव ने तथा डॉ पंकज कु मार ने कार्यक्रम के आयोजन में विशेष भूमिका निभाते हुए सं पूर्ण सहयोग प्रदान किया। इस अवसर पर सं स्थान के अधिकांश वैज्ञानिक एवं अन्य कार्मिक उपस्थित थे। South zone sports meet ICAR-CRIDA sports contingent comprising 31 participants and 1 CDM participated in the ICAR South Zone Sports Meet - 2018 organized by ICAR-CTRI, Rajahmundry at DSA stadium, Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh during 5th-9th September, 2018. In this tournament, Mr. B. Kiran Kumar, SSS, secured 1st place in javelin throw and Mr. Mukund, Senior Technical Assistant secured 2nd place in cycling. Mr.B. Kiran Kumar receiving 1st prize in Javelin throw Mr. Mukund receiving 2nd prize in cycling Independence day celebrations The 72nd Independence Day was celebrated on August 15, 2018 with pride and patriotic zeal. The Director hoisted the flag and addressed the staff of CRIDA. In this occasion, Director distributed cash awards (CCS & CCRC) to the X class toppers of CRIDA staff children and motivated the staff with his message to work with dedication and boost institute's growth. Director (Acting), ICAR-CRIDA addressing the staff CRIDA - Newsletter 16 Dr. K Sammi Reddy, Director (Acting), ICAR-CRIDA Small Farm Mechanization is the Key for Successful Adoption of Climate Resilient Technologies by Farmers in Rainfed Areas Over the years, the National Agricultural Research System (NARS) has contributed significantly to development and transfer of technologies for a more viable and sustainable rainfed agriculture. Of late, timely farm operations has become an expensive preposition due to shortage of agricultural labour in rainfed areas. To obtain the proper response from the rainfed crops, small farm mechanization is the key to meet the timeliness of operations in quick session for establishment of crop and enhancing inputs and moisture use efficiency. Realizing the fact, CRIDA and AICRP on dryland agriculture have identified small farm mechanization as one of the prioritized research area and made continuous untiring efforts to develop dryland farm implements. So far, CRIDA has developed nearly 23 dryland farm implements which are being widely adopted by rainfed farmers. More than 3 lakh units of CRIDA BBF Planters have been sold to farmers during the last 5-6 years in states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana etc. Since about 85% of the rainfed farmers are small and marginal who can't afford to procure farm implements, rainfed farm mechanization is not happening at desired pace. Therefore, CRIDA under its flagship programmes, NAIP and NICRA has conceptualized the Custom Hiring Centre (CHC) and implemented successfully in 151 climate resilient villages (CRVs) of vulnerable districts under NICRA. Suitable farm implements were identified for each CRV through focused group discussions with the farmers pertaining to their farm operations. To oversee the requirements, service and maintenance aspects of these machines, a village climate risk management committees (VCRMC) have been constituted. This approach has showed many positive results in enhancing the crop productivity in climate resilient village clusters due to timely availability of improved implements at affordable cost for the small and marginal farmers in their own village or nearby village. Dr. K. Sammi Reddy, Director (Acting), ICAR-CRIDA From the Director's Desk . निदेशक की कलम से ……… वर्षा आधारित क्षेत्रों में क षेत्रों िसानो द्ं वारा जलवायु समुत्थान प्रौद्योगिकियो को सफलतापू ं र्वक अपनाने में छोटे कृषि यंत्रों कत्रों ी मुख्य भूमिका पिछले कु छ वर्षों में, राषटरीट्य कृ षि अनुसं धान प्रणाली (एनएआरएस) ने अधिक व्यवहार्य एवं टिकाऊ वर्षा आधारित कृ षि के लिए प्रौद्योगिकियो के ं विकास एवं हस्तांतरण में महत्वपूर्ण योगदान दिया है। वर्षा आधारित कृ षि में कृ षि श्रमिको कं ी कमी के कारण कृ षि कार्यों में देरी से कृ षि कार्य अधिक खर्चीला होता जा रहा है। वर्षा आधारित फसलो कं ी सही प्रतिक्रिया के लिए, फसलो कं ी बुआई एवं निवेशो तथा नमी उपयोग ं क्षमता को बढ़ाने के लिए सत्र में समयबद्ध रूप से कृ षि कार्यों को पूरा करने में छोटे कृ षि यंत्रों कत्रों ी प्रमुख भूमिका होती है। इस बात को ध्यान में रखते हुए, क्रीडा एवं अखिल भारतीय समन्वित बारानी कृ षि अनुसं धान परियोजना ने छोटे कृ षि यंत्रों को त्रों प्राथमिक अनुसं धान क्षेत्र के रूप में पहचाना है एवं बारानी कृ षि उपकरणों के विकास में निरंतर अथक प्रयास जारी है। अब तक, क्रीडा द्वारा करीब 23 बारानी कृ षि उपकरणो का ं विकास किया गया है जिन्हें वर्षा आधारित किसानो द्ं वारा व्यापक रूप से अपनाया जा रहा है। महाराष्ट्र, मध्यप्रदेश, तेलंगाना आदि राज्यों में ्यों पिछले 5-6 वर्षों के दौरान क्रीडा बीबीएफ प्लांटरों की 3 लाख से अधिक इकाइयां बेची जा चुकी हैं। करीब 85 प्रतिशत वर्षा आधारित किसान छोटे एवं सीमांत हैं जो कृ षि उपकरणो को खरीद नही ं ं सकते, जिसके कारण वांछित गति से वर्षा आधारित क्षेत्रों में यां क्षेत्रों त्रिकीकरण नही हो पा रहा है। अत: क्रीडा के ं प्रमुख कार्यक्रमो के अंत ं र्गत एनएआईपी एवं निक्रा ने कस्टम हायरिं ग केंद्र की अवधारणा को अपनाते हुए निक्रा के अतिसंवेदनशील जिलो के 151 जल ं वायु समुत्थान गांवो (सीआर ं वी) में इसे सफलतापूर्वक कार्यान्वित किया है। उपयुक्त कृ षि उपकरणो कं ी पहचान प्रत्येक जलवायु समुत्थान गांव के कृ षि कार्य में जुड़ेकिसानो से ं विचारविमर्श के उपरांत की गई है। इन उपकरणो कं ी आवश्यकताओ, से ं वाओं एवं रख-रखाव के विभिन्न पहलूओ को पूरा करने के ल ं िए, गांव जलवायु जोखिम प्रबं धन समितियो (ं वीसीआरएमसी) का गठन किया गया है। इस कदम से कई सकारात्मक परिणाम देखने में आए हैं जैसे कि उनके अपने गांव या समीपवर्ती गांव में छोटे एवं सीमांत किसानो को सही समय पर उन्नत ं उपकरण सस्ती कीमतो पर उपलब् ं ध होने के कारण जलवायु समुत्थान गांवों की फसलो कं ी उत्पादकता में बढ़ोत्तरी हुई है। डाॅ. के . सम्मी रेड्डी, निदेशक (कार्यकारी), भाकृ अनुप-क्रीडा ; Not Available
Not Available ; The Hon'ble Vice President of India Shri. M. Venkaiah Naidu visited ICAR-Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA), Hyderabad on 3rd July, 2018. He was the Chief Guest for the "Consultative Meeting on Doubling of Farmers' Income in Telangana State and Adjoining Areas". Shri. Md. Mahmood Ali, Deputy Chief Minister, Telangana State was the Guest of Honour. Dr. K. Alagusundaram, Deputy Director General (NRM), ICAR, New Delhi, Shri. C. Parthasarathi, APC & Principal Secretary (Agriculture), Telangana State; Dr. K. Sammi Reddy, Director (Acting), CRIDA; Directors and scientists of local ICAR institutes, senior officials of PJTSAU, senior officials from Telangana State, NGOs, Industrialists, Bankers and progressive farmers participated in the meeting. Hon'ble Vice President addressing participants of consultation meeting Deputy Director General (NRM) Dr. K. Alagusundaram, ICAR, New Delhi welcomed the dignitaries and the participants while briefing about the various rainfed technologies developed by CRIDA for the benefit of farmers of dryland agriculture. Hon'ble Vice President Shri. M. Venkaiah Naidu, chaired the interactive session with scientists, research scholars, farmers and representatives of NGOs. He stated that the multifaceted strategy is needed to protect agriculture as agriculture is now under distress. During interactive session, farmers of Ranga Reddy district mentioned that their farm income has been substantially increased due to the interventions of ICAR-CRIDA, KVKs and SAUs. Book releasing during consultation meeting New Research Initiatives CRIDA was awarded a competitive research project entitled "Innovative and contextual agromet. advisory services for climate smart agriculture" funded by Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Ministry of Earth Sciences under Monsoon Mission-II with budget outlay of the Rs. 311.48 lakhs. ICRISAT and ICAR-IIPR, Kanpur are the partner institutes. Dr. P. Vijaya Kumar, Project Coordinator, AICRPAM, ICAR-CRIDA is the Principal Investigator of this project. Dr. AVM Subba Rao and Dr. Santanu Kumar Bal are the CoPrincipal Investigators from ICAR-CRIDA and Dr. Anthony Whitbread and Dr. R.K. Mishra are the Co-Principal Investigators from ICRISAT and ICAR-IIPR, respectively. CRIDA - Newsletter 2 Minimum tillage with crop residue retention on soil surface produced higher crop yields while maintaining better health of rainfed Alfisol The results of 6 year old experiment on conservation Agriculture (CA) in rainfed Alfisol showed that the surface retention of crop residues @ 2-6 t/ha produced 5-13% higher sorghum yield and 28-45% higher cowpea yield as compared to no residue application control. About 56% higher organic carbon (6.80 g/kg) content was recorded with the application of sorghum stover @ 6 t/ha as compared to control (4.36 g/ kg). The increase in available N with the application of 6t and 4t crop residue was to the extent of 19.5 and 28% respectively while significantly higher contents of soil available P (10.67 kg/ha) and K (288.8 kg/ha) were observed with application of sorghum residue @ 4 t/ha. Significantly higher microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and dehydrogenase activity (DHA) were recorded with the application of sorghum stover @ 4 t/ha. Besides reducing the bulk density, the application of residues had a significant influence on the mean weight diameter (MWD) of the soil aggregates. The highest overall soil quality index (SQI: 9.58) was observed with the residue application @ 6 t/ha. A significant positive relationship was observed between SQI and pooled cowpea seed yield (R2 =0.82) and pooled sorghum grain yield (R2 =0.69). This study also clearly indicated that the adoption of minimum tillage in combination with adequate crop residue cover, the soil moisture increased and soil temperature decreased which in-turn made the crops to withstand the mid season dry spells without much adverse effects. Crop residue retention in the field Development of track width & ground clearance enhancing platform and matching Implements for low horse power tractor A reconfigured platform for small horse power tractor with matching weeding and spraying implements was developed. Such new developments will increase effective use of tractor for weeding and spraying operations in crops like maize, castor, red gram, cotton, chilies etc. The developed platform basically consists of three components (i) Front wheel axle (ii) Rear drive wheel axle and (iii) Reworked steering set system for enhanced track width. The prototype high clearance platform fitted mini tractor matching rotary weeder consists of a main frame with hitch mast, gear box housing with power transmission provision, rotor shaft assembly with soil working tools. The developed boom sprayer unit basically consists (i) Base frame to give support / fix various components (ii) Pump with manifold for flow control and pressure regulation (50 lpm & 30kg / cm2 rating) (iii) Boom with height adjustable frame work and (iv) High pressure hose pipes. The pump gets the required power from tractor. The nozzles on the boom were fitted with spacing adjustable provision to use for different types of rainfed crops. The weeding efficiency of rotary machine varied 74 to 82.5.% and 78.5 to 86.8% for castor and pigeon pea, respectively. In case of maize crop, the weeding efficiency observed to be 73.9%, which was low compared to other two crops due to narrow row spacing. The boom sprayer was operated in cotton crop at two growth stages; the first one at flowering stage (75 DAS) and second operation in bolls expansion stage (90 DAS). The operator can steer the tractor comfortably and sprayer worked satisfactorily. The field capacity of the machine ranged from 1.7 - 2.0 ha/hr. The newly developed implements shown significant advantage in monitory terms when compared with traditional practice of bullock operated blade harrow and hand labour spray operation (15 - 20% lower cost). Track width and ground clearance enhanced platform fitted low horse power tractor with matching weeding and spraying implements Research Highlights July - December, 2018 3 Scientific Activities XXVIIth Research Advisory Committee (RAC) meeting The XXVIIth meeting of the Research Advisory Committee of the institute was held during 10-11 November, 2018 under the chairmanship of Dr. Panjab Singh, former Secretary, DARE & Director General, ICAR. The committee reviewed the progress and recommended for strengthening of farming systems research with horticulture and livestock components, scaling up of NICRA interventions to more villages and restructuring of the institute by creating divisions of Social Sciences and Climate Change. Further, RAC suggested to align the research programmes with the challenges and development needs of dryland farmers. RAC meeting in progress Field Institute Research Council (IRC) meeting Field Institute Research Council (IRC) Meeting for 2018-19 was held on 25th September, 2018 at Gunegal Research Farm (GRF) and on 5th October, 2018 at Hayathnagar Research Farm (HRF) under the chairmanship of Dr. K. Sammi Reddy, Director (Acting). The chairman IRC, Dr. K. Sammi Reddy, Director (Acting), Project coordinators, Heads of Divisions / Sections and scientists visited various experiments and discussed thoroughly on various treatment effects. Interaction during field IRC Various suggestions like displaying of the experimental and treatment boards at the experimental site, periodical monitoring of soil moisture in CA related experiments, rainfall amount, rainy days and crop yields needs to correlated for all the experiments etc., were made in field IRC. Quinquennial Review Team (QRT) Under the Chairmanship of Dr. J.C. Katyal, former Vice Chancellor, CCS Haryana Agriculture University & former DDG (Education), ICAR, two review meetings were conducted. QRT meeting was held during 18-19 June, 2018 at UAS, Bengaluru and reviewed the work done by both AICRPDA and AICRPAM centers located in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala & Tamil Nadu. Another meeting was held at ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad during 16-18 August, 2018 to finalize the QRT report. QRT visit to AICRPDA center, Bengaluru Dr. J.C. Katyal presented the salient recommendations of QRT to DG, ICAR and other officials in presence of DDG (NRM) and ADG (A, AF & CC) on 13th September, 2018 at ICAR, New Delhi. Honorable DG, ICAR has appreciated the work done by the QRT. QRT meeting in progress Hindi fortnight celebrations The Hindi fortnight was organized from 1st to 14th September, 2018 at ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad. On this occasion, Hindi Noting & Drafting, Hindi-English technical terminology and other Hindi competitions were organized. Winners were awarded on concluding day, 14th September, 2018. CRIDA - Newsletter 4 Interface meeting on agricultural contingencies for Andhra Pradesh In view of the low rainfall and its poor distribution in some parts of Andhra Pradesh, at the behest of ICAR-CRIDA, an interface meeting was organized by ICAR-CRIDA on August 3, 2018 with Department of Agriculture and ANGRAU under the chairmanship of special Commissioner of Agriculture, Government of A.P. to review and develop mid-course action plans for Rayalaseema (Anantapuramu, Kurnool, Kadapa and Chittoor), Prakasham, Nellore and Guntur districts. The participants included Director of Research, ANGRAU, Special Commissioner of Agriculture, A.P., Joint Collector, Kadapa, Senior scientists from ANGRAU, JDAs, ADAs, Scientists from KVKs and farmer representatives. Dr. NV Naidu, Director of Research ANGRAU, conducted the proceedings of the meeting. Dr. KV Rao, ICAR-CRIDA and Dr. S Malleswari, ANGRAU made detailed presentations on current rainfall scenario and forecast for the forthcoming weeks. Sri D. Muralidhar Reddy, Special Commissioner in his address emphasized that department should gear up to rescue the crops in the field, plans to cover unsown area and preparation of documents for early drought declaration procedures. Dr. NDRK Sharma, Consultant, Department of Agriculture, highlighted the implementation of agriculture contingency plans during past years and requested the officers to prioritize the interventions based on the uptake of preferred technology options by the farmers. Sensitization on district agricultural contingency plans for Mizoram In an interface meeting of ICAR-Mizoram State held on 24.09.2018 to sensitize the Senior officers of the State on District Agricultural Contingency Plans (DACPs). This is the first meeting on sensitization of DACPs to senior officials in the North-Eastern states of India. Mr. Lalsawta, Cabinet Minister for Finance & Planning chaired the meeting. Mr. Lalthanliana, Cabinet Minister for Horticulture, LAD & SWD and Mr. Lalmingthanga, Commissioner & Secretary, Agriculture were guests of honour. Secretaries from Horticulture, Sericulture, Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science; Directors of various line departments; Director, ICAR - Research Complex, NEH Region and Director, ATARI, Umiam also attended the meeting. Dr. N. Prakash presented the technologies developed by ICAR RC for NEH and Dr. Deka highlighted how KVK set up is actively participating in dissemination of technologies. The Commissioner of Agriculture highlighted that only 30% of the food grains are produced in Mizoram. Mr. Lalthanliana mentioned that farming community in Mizoram are facing multi-faceted problems. Mr. Lalsawta emphasized on developing viable alternatives to Jhum cultivation which is responsible for meager yields. Dr. S. Desai, Principal Scientist, ICAR-CRIDA made a presentation on "Sensitization on District Agricultural Contingency Plans to meet the weather aberration impacts on agriculture in Mizoram".The Commissioner & Secretary, Agriculture appreciated the efforts and emphasized on more sensitization about DACPs among district officials. The meeting ended with vote of thanks by Ms. Shakuntala, JD, ICAR Research Complex, Kolasib centre. Contingency Plans Interface meeting in progress Interface meeting at Mizoram July - December, 2018 5 Technology Transfer Hon'ble Prime Minister's interaction with SHGs & women groups at ICAR-CRIDA Web telecasting of Hon'ble Prime Minister's interaction with SHGs & Women's groups was organized by Krishi Vigyan Kendra – Ranga Reddy District, ICAR-CRIDA on 12.07.2018 in KVK Campus, Hayathnagar Research Farm, ICAR-CRIDA. About 74 SHG women from four different villages of Ranga Reddy District, Telangana State participated. The Hon'ble Prime Minister's interaction with SHG women emphasized on improving the economic status of farm families through supporting SHG women by strengthening the Self Help Groups. The Prime Minister highlighted about DAY-NRLM programme (Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihood Mission). Almost 30 lakh SHG women are being supported under Mahila Kisan Sashakthikaran Pariyojana (MKSP) to promote sustainable agriculture practices and the objective of Mission Antyodaya is to develop poverty free panchayats. Web telecasting of Hon'ble Prime Minister's interaction with SHGs & women's groups Parthenium awareness week organized Training cum awareness programme on integrated management of Parthenium was organized by KVK-CRIDA, Ranga Reddy District on 21st August, 2018. About 50 participants from Agriculture College, farmers, teaching and extension officials attended the programme. Subject matter specialists from KVK-CRIDA highlighted the technical aspects of Parthenium management, invasion of Parthenium in India, plant physiology-spread, impact and harmful effects of weed on crop, composting of weed. Displayed posters and removed weeds from demo plots and office premises of KVK. National nutrition month organized The theme for National Nutrition Month for 2018 was "Go Further with Food". On this occasion, organized 3 training programmes and method demonstrations i.e. (i) Prevention of anaemia – preparation of low cost nutritious recipes on 6th September, 2018, (ii) Value addition to millet products as food security & income generating activity on 11th September, 2018, (iii) Demonstration on dried green leafy vegetables – different recipes to prevent Iron & Calcium deficiency on 18th September, 2018 in KVK adopted villages Gummadivelli, Kolanguda and Nerrapally, for about 291 women. These programmes involved total 291 women, of which 67 were SC /ST, 224 were others. Distributed 200 drumstick plants as part of National Nutrition Week to women of self help groups. National women farmers' day (Mahila Kisan Divas) & technology day National Women Farmers' Day (Mahila Kisan Divas) and Technology Day was organized by Krishi Vigyan Kendra-Ranga Reddy District, ICAR-CRIDA on 15th October, 2018 at Hayathnagar Research Farm with the participation of women farmers from Ranga Reddy district. Dr. V. Maruthi, Head & Principal Scientist, KVK briefed the importance of the day and women's role in agriculture. Dr. K. Sammi Reddy, Director (Acting), ICAR-CRIDA, presided over as Chief Guest and addressed about the women farmers' role in agriculture, drudgery management practices to be followed by women farmers, nutritional disorders and health issues. Dr. Y. G. Prasad, Director, ATARI, Guest of honour, requested the women farmers to utilize skill training programmes of KVK related to dairy and floriculture and NARI (Nutri sensitive agri-resources and innovations) programme of ICAR through KVK. The resource persons Dr. K. Aruna, Professor and Head (Retd.), AICRP (Home Science) informed the women farmers about the health, nutrition, diet, nutritive value of millets and gave a detailed presentation on nutritional disorders and remedies. Sri DGP Sharma, Senior Executive officer, Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has explained different schemes in KVIC, loan facilities and Honey production and rearing techniques. Two brochures on Good management practices of chickpea and redgram cultivation, pamphlets on fall army worm in maize, pink bollworm in cotton, hydroponics in fodder cultivation, balanced nutrition diet for livestock were released. Five progressive women farmers and women entrepreneurs from Ranga Reddy District were felicitated on this occasion. National women farmers' day celebration CRIDA - Newsletter 6 World soil day organized ICAR-CRIDA celebrated world soil day on 5th December, 2018 at ICAR- CRIDA under the Chairmanship of Dr. G. Ravindra Chary, Director (In charge), ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad. Around 200 participants comprising of students, scientists, technical officers, KVK officials attended the awareness programme. Dr. G. Ravindra Chary explained historical background of World Soil Day, the usage of Soil Health Cards and its interpretation for effective nutrient management in the field crops for sustainable crop yields. Dr. K.L. Sharma, Principal Scientist, educated the participating students about the importance of soils and clarified the doubts raised by the students. The students were sensitized about the importance of soils through demonstrations, posters and exhibits and practical insights to laboratories. On this occasion posters on "Know your soils", "Soil profile" and "Identification of Nutrient deficiencies in Plants and Crops" were displayed for the benefit of the students. Dr. G. Ravindra Chary, Director (In-Charge) addressing students Kisan Diwas organized during Swachhtha Pakhwada KVK-CRIDA, Ranga Reddy District organized one day Kisan Diwas on 23rd December, 2018 as a part of Swachhtha Pakhwada (16-31st December, 2018). Dr. V. Maruthi, Principal Scientist & Head, KVK welcomed the invited farmers from 12 mandals of Ranga Reddy District and enlightened the objectives of the Kisan Diwas. Dr. K. Sammi Reddy, Director (Acting), ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad was the Chief Guest. He explained to the farmers about the importance of Swachatha and also emphasized to prepare manure from the wastes generated on farmers' fields. Dr. K. Srinivas, Principal Scientist & OIC, HRF shared experiences on Swachhta initiatives by farmers and civil society officials. Farmers were felicitated based on the initiatives/adoptable measurers expressed during the interaction. SMSs from KVK gave lectures on Good Agricultural Practices in horticulture, agriculture, women empowerment and animal husbandry. Farmers visited demonstration units, exhibition, posters presentation of KVK and gained knowledge. About 107 members including farmers, farm women, ADAs, AOs, AEOs, ATMA officials attended the programme and got handful information with printed literature. Felicitation to farmer during Swachhatha Pakhwada Around 200 farmers including farm women and school going children participated in the awareness campaign of Swachhtha Pakhwada in Farmers First Village. The people were trained in the knowledge about segregation of biodegradable and nondegradable wastes. AICRPs XV Biennial workshop of AICRPAM organized The XVth Biennial workshop of the AICRP on Agrometeorology (AICRPAM) was organized at Regional Agricultural Research Station, University of Agricultural Sciences, Vijayapura, Karnataka during 15-17 November, 2018. Participants of XV Biennial workshop, AICRPAM The objective of the workshop was to review the research progress made during 2017-18 and finalization of the technical program for the year 2018-2020. Monsoon mission II project meeting at ICRISAT Monsoon mission II project meeting was held at ICRISAT, Patancheru, Hyderabad on 10th September, 2018. Dr. Peter Carberry, DG, ICRISAT, Dr. G. Ravindra Chary, Director (In-charge), Dr. P. Vijaya Kumar and Dr. AVM. Subba Rao from AICRPAM, ICAR-CRIDA, Dr. Suryachandra Rao, Associate Mission Director, Shri S.M.D. Jeelani, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, Dr. Anthony Whitbread, Research Program Director, Dr. AVR Kesava Rao, Dr. K.P.C. Rao and Dr. D. Ram, ICRISAT July - December, 2018 7 National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) Sixth NICRA Annual Review Workshop Organized A two day Annual Review workshop of National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) was inaugurated by Dr. T. Mohapatra, Secretary, DARE & Director General, ICAR at NASC, New Delhi on 7th August, 2018. Chhabilendra Roul, Special Secretary, DARE & Secretary, ICAR, Shri B. Pradhan, FA & Additional Secretary, DARE & ICAR, Dr. K. Alagusundaram, DDG (Agril. Engg. & NRM I/c), Dr. AK Singh, DDG (Agril. Extn.), Dr. Anand Kumar Singh, DDG (Hort. Science & Crop Sciences I/c), Dr. Joykrushna Jena, DDG (Fisheries), Dr. S Bhaskar, ADG (A, AF&CC), Dr. SK Chaudhari, ADG (SWM), Dr. K Sammi Reddy, Director (Acting), ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad and NICRA Expert Committee Members viz., Dr. B Venkateswarlu, Ex-VC,Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth Krishinagar, Parbhani; Dr. V Praveen Rao, Vice Chancellor, PJTSAU, Hyderabad; Dr. CL Acharya, Ex-Director, ICAR-IISS, Bhopal; Dr. KK Singh, ADG (Farm Engg.), ICAR; Dr. YS Ramakrishna, ExDirector, ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad; Dr. HE Shashidhar, Retired Professor of Genetics, UAS, GKVK, Bengaluru; Dr. RC Upadhyay, Principal Scientist (Retd.) NDRI, Karnal; Dr. AG Ponniah, Ex-Director, ICAR-CIBA, Chennai; Prof. UC Mohanty, Professor IIT, Bhubaneswar; Dr. NK Krishna Kumar, Coordinator, Biodiversity International, New Delhi; Dr. Praduman Kumar, Ex-Head, Economics, IARI, New Delhi, Dr. N. Sudhakar, Ex-Director, ATARI and Dr. H. Senapati, Former Dean, OUAT, Bhubaneshwar, Chairmen of Zonal monitoring teams and Directors of NICRA partner institutes participated in the review workshop. Dr. K. Sammi Reddy, Director (Acting), ICAR-CRIDA presented the highlights of achievements of NICRA Project during the last two years (2016-17 to 2017-18). Various events during sixth NICRA annual review workshop participated in this meeting and discussed on developing a farmer-friendly app and web site for disseminating agromet advisories. AICRPDA centres organized stakeholder consultation workshops Stakeholder consultation workshops were organized in the adopted villages by 9 AICRPDA centres viz. Akola, Arjia, Anantapuramu, Bengaluru, Kovilpatti, Phulbani, SK Nagar, Solapur and Vijayapura to discuss on strengthening the traditional rainfed integrated farming systems (TRIFS). Dr. S. Bhaskar, ADG (A, AF&CC), Dr. G. Ravindra Chary, Project Coordinator (AICRPDA), scientists from AICRPs/ICAR Institutes/ SAUs/KVKs, officials from state line departments, ATMA, NGOs and most importantly farmers participated and gave feedback for identifying component-wise suitable interventions for strengthening traditional RIFSs in the respective agroclimatic zones of the centres. Stakeholder workshop in Sunderpura village, Bhilwara district, Rajasthan on 26.10.2018 Stakeholder workshop in Kalenhalli village, Tumkur District, Karnataka on 13.08.2018 CRIDA - Newsletter 8 Important Visitors Ms. Arnella Trent, Senior Crop Analyst, International Production Assessment Division, U.S. Department of Agriculture / Foreign Agriculture Service along with Mr. Dhruv Sood, Agricultural Specialist from U.S. Consulate, Mumbai visited ICAR-CRIDA on 4th September, 2018 to discuss the cotton crop production, planting area and general assessment of the crop in Telangana State. During their visit information regarding dryland agriculture, soils, watershed management and extension activities was exchanged with them. A total of 1637 students from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu & Andhra Pradesh, 40 Scientists from NAARM, Hyderabad, 283 Agricultural Officers from Tamil Nadu & Telangana and 328 farmers from Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh & Tamil Nadu visited ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad during the period. Dr. T. Mohapatra in his inaugural address suggested to make the 151 Climate Resilient Villages (CRVs) to CRV Cluster Villages and the need to actively involve State Governments for successful upscaling of CRVs. There were eight Technical sessions under different themes viz., Resilience through Natural Resources Management, Resilience through Crop Improvement and Adaptation, Technology Demonstration Component Session: Lessons from Technology Demonstration and Future Roadmap, Resilience through Adaptation in Horticultural Crops, Pests, Diseases & Pollinators,Assessment of Impacts on Fisheries-Adaptation and Mitigation Options, Vulnerability Assessment, Socio-Economic Impacts and Farm Advisories, Adaptation Strategies for Climate Resilient Livestock Production, Integrated Modeling Framework. Each session chaired by concerned DDGs and co-chaired by NICRA Expert Committee members and concerned ADGs from ICAR, New Delhi. A detailed session-wise recommendations was presented by Dr. M Prabhakar, PI, NICRA, ICARCRIDA, Hyderabad in the plenary session chaired by Dr. K Alagusundaram, DDG (NRM), ICAR. Zonal Monitoring Committee Visits During the period, zonal monitoring committee visits were organized in the KVKs of ATARI zones viz. Guwahati, Barapani, Kolkata, Jodhpur, Jabalpur, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. Zonal monitoring committee's visits to various zones were organized to review the technical progress of different modules like NRM, crop production, livestock & fishery and institutional interventions in the NICRA villages and for making appropriate suggestions for improvement. ZMC with VCRMC members, Dimapur ZMC with VCRMC members, Malda July - December, 2018 9 Visits Abroad Dr. K. Sammi Reddy, Director (Acting), ICAR-CRIDA visited Katowice, Poland to participate in the UNFCCC COP-24/CMP14/ CMA1.3 and to organize the side event at Indian Pavilion at COP24 during 30th November - 5th December, 2018. During the visit, he has organized the Side Event at Indian Pavilion @ COP24 on the theme "Scaling up Adaptation Strategies for Climate Resilient Agriculture" on 5th December, 2018. This side event was Chaired by Dr. Anthony Simons, Director General, World Agroforestry Centre (WAC), Nairobi and Co-Chaired by Prof. N.H. Ravindranath, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. In this side event Dr. Reddy has presented two papers and Dr. R.S. Sinha, Additional Commissioner (NRM), Department of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, Government of India presented a paper. The side event was very successful as about 25 Indian and foreign delegates were present. After thorough deliberations, the following conclusions were drawn, • There is a need to revise the vulnerability atlas of India taking into consideration the dimensions and definition of vulnerability and risk in the recent Assessment Report of IPCC. • NICRA project was successful in establishing 151 model climate resilient villages in 151 vulnerable districts. But there is a need to upscale the climate resilient villages in highly and medium vulnerable districts. • There is a need to scaling up successful IFS models developed for different agro-climatic regions of India by taking into consideration the resources available with farmers. Dr. K. Sammi Reddy organizing side event at Indian Pavilion, COP24, Katowice, Poland Dr. Suseelendra Desai, Principal Scientist (Plant Pathology) participated in the Regional Conference on "Role of Soil and Plant Health Towards Achieving Sustainable Development Goals in Asia-Pacific" held during 20-24 November, 2018 at Bangkok, Thailand. APAARI, Department of Agriculture, Thailand and Indian Phytopathological Society jointly organized the conference and the participants included diverse experts from research, development, extension, policy makers, private sectors, professional societies, civil society organizations and donor organizations, to share specific long-term experiences on the neglect of soil and plant health in the Asia-Pacific region. Dr. Desai was invited to deliver a lead lecture on "Potential impacts of climate change on plant pathogens and biocontrol agents and adaptation strategies". He also chaired a technical session on "Plant health management – case studies" along with Dr. GD Sinniah from Sri Lanka. The conference deliberated on soil and plant health aspects in detail and agreed to formulate a group to address these issues in the years to come. Dr. Desai delivering lecture Dr. K.V. Rao, Principal Scientist (Soil and Water Conservation Engineering), Division of Resource Management visited United Kingdom (UK) to participate in Workshop on "Advancing Drought Monitoring, Prediction and Management Capabilities" during 18th - 20th September, 2018 at Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK . CRIDA - Newsletter 10 Forthcoming Events Sl. No. Title of the event Dates 1. XXVI Biennial Workshop of AICRP for Dryland Agriculture, at AICRPDA Bengaluru Centre, UASB 16-19th January, 2019 2. Republic Day 26th January, 2019 3. National Science Day 28th February, 2019 4. ICAR-CRIDA Foundation Day 12th April, 2019 5. IRC meeting 23-25, April, 2019, 9-10th May, 2019 6. World Environment Day 5th June, 2019 DOE sponsored Model Training Course on "Extension Strategies for Participatory Natural Resource Management in Rainfed Agriculture" Model Training Course sponsored by DOE was organised at ICAR-CRIDA during September 24 - October 1, 2018. Twenty eight officials from eight different states viz., Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Punjab and Karnataka attended the model training course. The course covered various extension strategies of Soil and water conservation measures for enhanced productivity in drylands, Technologies for sustainable NRM in Rainfed areas, Horticulture systems in Rainfed Agriculture for sustainable NRM and enhanced productivity, Enhancing productivity of crops and cropping systems through effective use of natural resources, Farming systems approach for sustainable NRM in drylands, Role of Livestock and their management for enhancing productivity and income in drylands, Gender mainstreaming in NRM, Communication tools and techniques for sustainable NRM. Inaugural session of Model Training Course on "Extension Strategies for Participatory Natural Resource Management in Rainfed Agriculture" ICAR-Short Course on 'Assessment of Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change in Agriculture' A ten day short course on 'Assessment of vulnerability and adaptation to climate change in agriculture', sponsored by the Agricultural Education Division of the ICAR, was conducted during 28th November to 7th December, 2018 at ICAR-CRIDA. The short course has provided the participants with various concepts, approaches and methods used in assessing vulnerability and adaptation. Twenty one participants from five ICAR institutes and eight state agricultural universities participated. A majority of the participants expressed that their expectations from the short course were fulfilled to a large extent. Participants of ICAR Short Course on "Assessment of Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change in Agriculture" KVK Programmes About 34 training programmes were organized during the period July to December, 2018 on different aspects of agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, farm mechanization and women empowerment to farmers and farm women from Ranga Reddy district. 1142 farmers and farm women were benefitted from these training programmes. Human Resource Development July - December, 2018 11 Participation in Seminars and Symposia Name of the Personnel Workshop / Seminar / Symposium / Meeting Duration Venue K. Sammi Reddy International Consultation Workshop on Adapting agriculture in semiarid India to a global temperature rise by 1.5 0C. 3-4 October, 2018 WOTR, Pune National Workshop on Sustainability of Indian Agriculture, Natural Resource Perspective with special reference to water. 11 October, 2018 IIWM, Bhubaneswar 83rd Annual Convention of the Indian Society of Soil Science. 27-28 November, 2018 AAU, Anand UNFCCC COP-24 / CMP14 / CMA1.2 Meeting. 30 November to 5 December, 2018 Katowice, Poland G. Ravindra Chary & B.M.K. Raju Brainstorming workshop on "Prioritization of Rainfed Districts in India" organized by NRAA & ICAR-CRIDA. 11-12 December, 2018 NASC, New Delhi C.A. Rama Rao Stakeholders Consultation Meeting on NICRA. 20 July, 2018 NASC, New Delhi Expert consultation meeting for Impact Assessment of the AP Drought Mitigation Project of Govt. of A.P. 14 August, 2018 WASSAN, Hyderabad National Workshop on Promotion of Developing Climate Resilient Villages for Sustainable Food and Nutritional Security. 4-5 October, 2018 MANAGE, Hyderabad 26th Annual Conference of Agriculture Economics Research Association (India) on 'Agriculture and Sustainable Development Goals. 15-17 November, 2018 ICAR-NDRI, Karnal, Haryana Brainstorming meeting conducted by NRAA. 11-12 December, 2018 NASC, New Delhi B.M.K. Raju & R. Nagarjuna Kumar Consultation Meeting on 'Risk and vulnerability of agriculture to climate change: A district level assessment'. 20 July, 2018 NASC, New Delhi B.M.K. Raju 72nd Annual Conference of Indian Society of Agricultural Statistics (ISAS) organized with a broader theme of 'Statistics, Informatics, Engineering Interventions and Business Opportunities: A Road-Map To Transform Indian Agriculture Towards Prosperity' 13-15 December, 2018 ICAR - CIAE, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh Boini Narsimlu International Conference on "Global Water Security for Agriculture and Natural Resources" organized by ASABE USA & ISAE India. 3-6 October, 2018 Hotel, Taj Krishna, Hyderabad R. Nagarjuna Kumar ICAR-ICT Road map. 6 July, 2018 IIMR, Hyderabad National Workshop on Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture: Status and Prospects. 30-31 July, 2018 NASC, New Delhi Josily Samuel and P.K. Pankaj 'Workshop on CLEM-Crop Livestock Enterprise Modelling'. 22-23 October, 2018 ICRISAT, Hyerabad D. Sudheer Indian International Science Festival-Agriculture Conclave. 5 -7 October, 2018 Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh G. Sri Krishna Hands on Training to Master trainers of KVKs on TCS-ICAR-KVK Sandesh. 3 August, 2018 ATARI, Zone X, Hyderabad Training of Trainers for KVKs, SAUs and ICAR institutes. 25-27 September, 2018 PJTSAU, Hyderabad Annual Zonal Workshop of KVKs Zone X 20-22 September, 2018 ATARI-CRIDA G. Nirmala, K. Nagasree & Anshida Beevi C.N. 9th National Extension education Congress on "Climate Resilient Agriculture – Innovations and Technologies" 15-17 November, 2018 CAEPHT, Ranipool, Sikkim CRIDA - Newsletter 12 1. Dr. K. Sammi Reddy, Director (Acting), ICAR – CRIDA was inducted as the Fellow of the Indian Society of Soil Science (ISSS), New Delhi. He received "ISSS Fellow Award" from His Excellency Honorable Governor of Gujarat Shri O.P. Kohli at 83rd Annual Convention of the ISSS held at Anand on 27.11.2018. Dr. K. Sammi Reddy receiving ISSS Fellow Award from Shri O. P. Kohli, Honorable Governor of Gujarat 2. AICRPDA-Vijayapura centre received "ICAR-Vasantrao Naik Award" for Outstanding Research and Application in Dryland Farming Systems for 2017" during ICAR Foundation Day and Award Ceremony on July 16, 2018 at NASC, New Delhi. AICRPDA Vijayapura centre receiving ICAR-Vasantrao Naik Award 3. Dr. G. Ravindra Chary, Project Coordinator (DLA) received "Indian Society of Agronomy Gold Medal Award" on 24.10.2018 during XXI Biennial National Symposium on Doubling Farmers' income through Agronomic Interventions under Changing Scenario at MPUAT, Udaipur, Rajasthan. Dr. G. Ravindra Chary receiving Indian Society of Agronomy Gold Medal Award 4. Dr. G. Nirmala, Principal Scientist (Agril. Extension) & Head, TOT was honored with "SEE Fellow Award" during 9th National Extension Education Congress organized by Society of Extension Education Agra at CAEPHT, Ranipool, Sikkim during 15-17 November, 2018. Dr. G. Nirmala receiving SEE Fellow Award 5. Dr. K. Nagasree, Principal Scientist (Agril. Extension) received "Best Extension Professional Award" during 9th National Extension Education Congress organized by Society of Extension Education Agra at CAEPHT, Ranipool, Sikkim during 15-17 November, 2018. Dr. K. Nagasree receiving Best Extension Professional Award Awards and Recognition July - December, 2018 13 6. Dr. B.M.K. Raju, Principal Scientist (Agril. Statistics) was included as "Member of Task Force" constituted by NRAA, DAC & FW, Govt. of India for 'Prioritization of rainfed districts in India'. 7. Dr. R. Nagarjuna Kumar, Scientist received the "Best Paper Award" for the paper "Spatial Rice Decision Support System (SRDSS) for effective rice crop management", Current Science Vol. 116, No. 3 by IIRR, presented during Annual day Celebrations of IIRR organized at ICAR-IIRR, Hyderabad on 15th December, 2018. 8. Dr. R. Nagarjuna Kumar, Scientist received the "Outstanding Scientist Award 2018" during the International Conference on Agriculture, Horticulture and Food Science held at Hotel Hans, New Delhi during 29-30 December, 2018. 9. Dr. Anshida Beevi C.N., Scientist (Agril. Extension) conferred with "Ganga Singh Chauhan Memorial Award-2018" for outstanding research contributions in the field of Extension Education during 9th National Extension Education Congress organized by Society of Extension Education Agra at CAEPHT, Ranipool, Sikkim during 15-17 November, 2018. Dr. Anshida Beevi C.N. receiving Ganga Singh Chauhan Memorial Award 10. Dr. Anshida Beevi C.N., Scientist (Agril. Extension) received "Best Paper Presentation Award-2018" for the paper "Drudgery Reducing Technologies for Women Empowerment in the Rainfed Areas" during 9th National Extension Education Congress 11. Sri Mula Mahender Reddy of KVK, Chandippa village of Ranga Reddy district received "Best Farmer Award" by Aaj Tak News Channel on 24th October, 2018 for outstanding contribution in "Raised Platform / Elevated Animal Shed in Semi-Intensive Goat Farming". Sri. Mula Mahender Reddy receiving "Best Farmer Award" by Aaj Tak News Channel Personnel Information Appointments / Promotions / Transfers / Joining Name and Designation Joined/ Transferred/ Promoted/ Appointed Date w.e.f Transfers/ Joinings Shri Rajkumar Dhakar, Scientist, ICAR-CRIDA Transferred as Scientist, ICAR- IARI, New Delhi 25.08.2018 Dr. B. Krishna Rao, Principal Scientist, ICAR-CRIDA Joined as Director (A&R), WALAMTARI, Hyderabad on deputation (12.09.2018 to 11.09.2021) 12.09.2018 Dr. A. Amarender Reddy, Principal Scientist Transferred to ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad 06.09.2018 Smt. D. Lakshmi Aruna Gayathri T-3 (Farm Assistant) 22.12.2018 Shri Bandi Srikanth Goud T-3 (Farm Assistant) 26.12.2018 Shri Awinash Brahamwanshi T-1 (Fieldman) 28.12.2018 Promotions Shri Rajkumar Dhakar, Scientist (Agricultural Physics) Promoted to next higher pay Rs. 7000/- 02.05.2016 Shri G. Venkatesh, Scientist (Agro-forestry) Promoted to next higher pay Rs. 8000/- 01.01.2014 Promoted to next higher pay Rs. 9000/- 01.01.2017 Shri Sarath Chandran M. A., Scientist (Agricultural Meteorology) Promoted to next higher pay Rs. 7000/- 01.01.2018 CRIDA - Newsletter 14 Cultural and Welfare Activities Swachhtha Pakhwada Swachhtha Pakhwada was celebrated by ICAR-CRIDA during 16-31 December, 2018. The date-wise activities set out in the programme were implemented at ICAR-CRIDA main office, Hayathnagar Research Farm, Gunegal Research Farm and surrounding residential areas and in villages, involving all the employees of ICAR-CRIDA, farmers and civil society members, VIPs, media persons. Swachhtha Pakhwada Celebration at farmers first village The concluding function of Swachhtha Pakhwada was organized on 31st December, 2018. A brief account of the Swachhtha Pakhwada activities carried out from 16th – 31st December, 2018 was presented. Prizes for debate and essay writing competitions held during the fortnight were distributed. The event received good media coverage. Vanamahotsavam ICAR-CRIDA Cultural and Recreation Club organized Vanamahotsavam at Hayathnagar Research Farm of the institute on 20th November, 2018. All the CRIDA staff members actively participated in the cultural activities. The events generated great enthusiasm and unity among staff. Director (Acting), ICAR-CRIDA distributing prizes to winners XIV Meeting of ICAR-CRIDA IJSC Second meeting of XIV IJSC was held on 20th October, 2018 in Director's Committee room under the Chairmanship of Dr. K. Sammi Reddy, Director (Acting) and Chairman, IJSC, ICAR-CRIDA. The meeting was attended by following official side members Dr. K.L. Sharma, Dr. R. Nagarjuna Kumar, Sri B.D. Phansal, CAO, Sri A. Srinivasa Murthy, SFAO and Dr. Ravikanth V. Adake, Official side Secretary and Dr. (Smt.) K. Salini, Scientist (Genetics & Plant Breeding) Promoted to next higher pay Rs. 7000/- 15.09.2015 Dr. Prabhat Kumar Pankaj, Sr. Scientist (Livestock Production & Management) Promoted to next higher pay Rs. 9000/- 08.05.2015 Dr. (Smt.) R. Rejani, Sr. Scientist Principal Scientist 30.08.2017 Dr. S. M. Vidya Sekhar, Chief Technical Officer (T-9) Advance increment 03.02.2017 Dr. (Smt.) D. Anantha V. Rao, Chief Technical Officer (T-9) Advance increment 03.02.2017 Shri Ram Kumar, Assistant Chief Technical Officer (T-7-8) Chief Technical Officer (T-9) 24.02.2018 Shri S. Vijaya Kumar, Senior Technical Officer (T-6) Assistant Chief Technical Officer (T-7-8) 25.10.2015 Shri K. Surender Rao, Chief Technical Officer (T-9) Advance increment 03.02.2017 Shri G. Prabhakar, Senior Technical Officer (T-6) Assistant Chief Technical Officer (T-7-8) 03.11.2017 Appointment Dr. K.L. Sharma Appointed as Vigilance Officer 15.11.2018 ICAR-CRIDA extends best wishes to them Retirements Name Designation Date of superannuation Dr. (Smt). K. Usha Rani Assistant Chief Technical Officer 04.10.2018 Shri B. Anjaiah SSS 31.10.2018 Shri Buchaiah Ennapally Senior Technician 30.11.2018 Shri Jainender Assistant Chief Technical Officer 31.12.2018 Our best wishes for happy and peaceful retired life to all of them July - December, 2018 15 BOOK-POST To _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ Published by : Dr. G. Ravindra Chary, Director (Acting), ICAR-CRIDA Editorial Board Chairman : Dr. K. Sammi Reddy, Head, DRM Editors : Dr. (Mrs.) K. Nagasree, Pr. Scientist (TOT) Dr. P. K Pankaj, Senior Scientist (TOT) Dr. R. Nagarjuna Kumar, Scientist, (SDA) Dr. Anshida Beevi C.N., Scientist, (TOT) Hindi Translation : Dr. P.K. Pankaj, Sr. Scientist, (TOT) Dr. S.R. Yadav, Asstt. Director (OL) Secretarial Assistance : Mrs. M.A. Rekha, PA Photo credits : Mr. K. Surender Rao, CTO ICAR-Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture Santoshnagar, Saidabad PO, Hyderabad - 500 059 Ph: 040-24530157/161/163 Fax: 040-24531802 E-mail: news.crida@icar.gov.in Website: www.crida.in staff side members Sri V. Venunath, CJSC Member, Sri B. Krishna, Secretary, Staff side, Sri S. Ratnashankar Rao, Sri D. Srinivas, Sri A. Mallesh Yadav and Sri S. Shankar Reddy. Agenda points were discussed in the meeting. क्रीडा, हैदराबाद में स्वर्गीय श्री अटल बिहारी वाजपेयी जी, भूतपूर्व प्रधानमं त्री, भारत सरकार का प्रथम मासिक श्रद्धांजलि दिवस आयोजित भारतीय कृ षि अनुसं धान परिषद (आईसीएआर) के दिशा-निर्देशानुसार कें द्रीय बारानी कृ षि अनुसं धान सं स्थान (क्रीडा-CRIDA), हैदराबाद के प्रांगण में रविवार दिनांक 16 सितंबर, 2018 को भारत रत्न स्वर्गीय श्री अटल बिहारी वाजपेयी जी, भूतपूर्व प्रधानमं त्री, भारत सरकार को प्रथम मासिक श्रद्धांजलि दिवस के अवसर पर श्रद्धा सुमन अर्पित किए गए। इस अवसर पर आयोजित विशेष कार्यक्रम में कार्मिको को सं बो ं धित करते हुए सं स्थान के निदेशक महोदय डॉ के सम्मी रेड्डी ने स्व. वाजपेयी जी को महान कवि, समाज सेवी, सर्वप्रिय जननेता तथा देश-विदेश में भारत की छवि को निखारने वाला राजनेता बताते हुए उनके सिद्धांतो को अपनाने पर बल ं दिया। आपने स्व. वाजपेयी के सं घर्षों से परिपूर्ण जीवन का उल्लेख करते हुए देश को नई ऊं चाइयो पर प ं हुंचाने हेतु उन्हेंप्रेरणा स्त्रोत बताया। इस कार्यक्रम में डॉ पी के जैन, वैज्ञानिक-एफ, एआरसीआई, हैदराबाद ने मुख्य अतिथि के रूप में पधारकर वाजपेयी जी की प्रसिद्ध इक्यावन कविताओं का सं क्षिप्त परिचय दिया तथा उनकी श्रेष्ठ कविताओ का ं वाचन करते हुए भावार्थ समझाते हुए वर्तमान परिदृश्य में उनकी उपयोगिता को सिद्ध करते हुए उनके उद्देश्यों का अनुपालन करने का अनुरोध देश्यों किया। आपने कौरव कौन कौन पांडव; ऊं चाई के साथ विस्तार भी हो; मुझे इतनी ऊं चाई कभी मत देना; मौत से ठन गई; सामने वार कर फिर मुझे आजमा; बिखरे नीड; सवेरा है मगर पूरब दिशा में; सच्चाई यह है कि; ऊं चाई; आओ मन की गांठें खोलें; नामक कविताओ का ं विस्त रूप से भा तृ वार्थ समझाया। इस विशेष कार्यक्रम का सं चालन डॉ नागार्जुन कु मार, वैज्ञानिक ने, धन्यवाद ज्ञापन डॉ एस आर यादव ने तथा डॉ पंकज कु मार ने कार्यक्रम के आयोजन में विशेष भूमिका निभाते हुए सं पूर्ण सहयोग प्रदान किया। इस अवसर पर सं स्थान के अधिकांश वैज्ञानिक एवं अन्य कार्मिक उपस्थित थे। South zone sports meet ICAR-CRIDA sports contingent comprising 31 participants and 1 CDM participated in the ICAR South Zone Sports Meet - 2018 organized by ICAR-CTRI, Rajahmundry at DSA stadium, Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh during 5th-9th September, 2018. In this tournament, Mr. B. Kiran Kumar, SSS, secured 1st place in javelin throw and Mr. Mukund, Senior Technical Assistant secured 2nd place in cycling. Mr.B. Kiran Kumar receiving 1st prize in Javelin throw Mr. Mukund receiving 2nd prize in cycling Independence day celebrations The 72nd Independence Day was celebrated on August 15, 2018 with pride and patriotic zeal. The Director hoisted the flag and addressed the staff of CRIDA. In this occasion, Director distributed cash awards (CCS & CCRC) to the X class toppers of CRIDA staff children and motivated the staff with his message to work with dedication and boost institute's growth. Director (Acting), ICAR-CRIDA addressing the staff CRIDA - Newsletter 16 Dr. K Sammi Reddy, Director (Acting), ICAR-CRIDA Small Farm Mechanization is the Key for Successful Adoption of Climate Resilient Technologies by Farmers in Rainfed Areas Over the years, the National Agricultural Research System (NARS) has contributed significantly to development and transfer of technologies for a more viable and sustainable rainfed agriculture. Of late, timely farm operations has become an expensive preposition due to shortage of agricultural labour in rainfed areas. To obtain the proper response from the rainfed crops, small farm mechanization is the key to meet the timeliness of operations in quick session for establishment of crop and enhancing inputs and moisture use efficiency. Realizing the fact, CRIDA and AICRP on dryland agriculture have identified small farm mechanization as one of the prioritized research area and made continuous untiring efforts to develop dryland farm implements. So far, CRIDA has developed nearly 23 dryland farm implements which are being widely adopted by rainfed farmers. More than 3 lakh units of CRIDA BBF Planters have been sold to farmers during the last 5-6 years in states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana etc. Since about 85% of the rainfed farmers are small and marginal who can't afford to procure farm implements, rainfed farm mechanization is not happening at desired pace. Therefore, CRIDA under its flagship programmes, NAIP and NICRA has conceptualized the Custom Hiring Centre (CHC) and implemented successfully in 151 climate resilient villages (CRVs) of vulnerable districts under NICRA. Suitable farm implements were identified for each CRV through focused group discussions with the farmers pertaining to their farm operations. To oversee the requirements, service and maintenance aspects of these machines, a village climate risk management committees (VCRMC) have been constituted. This approach has showed many positive results in enhancing the crop productivity in climate resilient village clusters due to timely availability of improved implements at affordable cost for the small and marginal farmers in their own village or nearby village. Dr. K. Sammi Reddy, Director (Acting), ICAR-CRIDA From the Director's Desk . निदेशक की कलम से ……… वर्षा आधारित क्षेत्रों में क षेत्रों िसानो द्ं वारा जलवायु समुत्थान प्रौद्योगिकियो को सफलतापू ं र्वक अपनाने में छोटे कृषि यंत्रों कत्रों ी मुख्य भूमिका पिछले कु छ वर्षों में, राषटरीट्य कृ षि अनुसं धान प्रणाली (एनएआरएस) ने अधिक व्यवहार्य एवं टिकाऊ वर्षा आधारित कृ षि के लिए प्रौद्योगिकियो के ं विकास एवं हस्तांतरण में महत्वपूर्ण योगदान दिया है। वर्षा आधारित कृ षि में कृ षि श्रमिको कं ी कमी के कारण कृ षि कार्यों में देरी से कृ षि कार्य अधिक खर्चीला होता जा रहा है। वर्षा आधारित फसलो कं ी सही प्रतिक्रिया के लिए, फसलो कं ी बुआई एवं निवेशो तथा नमी उपयोग ं क्षमता को बढ़ाने के लिए सत्र में समयबद्ध रूप से कृ षि कार्यों को पूरा करने में छोटे कृ षि यंत्रों कत्रों ी प्रमुख भूमिका होती है। इस बात को ध्यान में रखते हुए, क्रीडा एवं अखिल भारतीय समन्वित बारानी कृ षि अनुसं धान परियोजना ने छोटे कृ षि यंत्रों को त्रों प्राथमिक अनुसं धान क्षेत्र के रूप में पहचाना है एवं बारानी कृ षि उपकरणों के विकास में निरंतर अथक प्रयास जारी है। अब तक, क्रीडा द्वारा करीब 23 बारानी कृ षि उपकरणो का ं विकास किया गया है जिन्हें वर्षा आधारित किसानो द्ं वारा व्यापक रूप से अपनाया जा रहा है। महाराष्ट्र, मध्यप्रदेश, तेलंगाना आदि राज्यों में ्यों पिछले 5-6 वर्षों के दौरान क्रीडा बीबीएफ प्लांटरों की 3 लाख से अधिक इकाइयां बेची जा चुकी हैं। करीब 85 प्रतिशत वर्षा आधारित किसान छोटे एवं सीमांत हैं जो कृ षि उपकरणो को खरीद नही ं ं सकते, जिसके कारण वांछित गति से वर्षा आधारित क्षेत्रों में यां क्षेत्रों त्रिकीकरण नही हो पा रहा है। अत: क्रीडा के ं प्रमुख कार्यक्रमो के अंत ं र्गत एनएआईपी एवं निक्रा ने कस्टम हायरिं ग केंद्र की अवधारणा को अपनाते हुए निक्रा के अतिसंवेदनशील जिलो के 151 जल ं वायु समुत्थान गांवो (सीआर ं वी) में इसे सफलतापूर्वक कार्यान्वित किया है। उपयुक्त कृ षि उपकरणो कं ी पहचान प्रत्येक जलवायु समुत्थान गांव के कृ षि कार्य में जुड़ेकिसानो से ं विचारविमर्श के उपरांत की गई है। इन उपकरणो कं ी आवश्यकताओ, से ं वाओं एवं रख-रखाव के विभिन्न पहलूओ को पूरा करने के ल ं िए, गांव जलवायु जोखिम प्रबं धन समितियो (ं वीसीआरएमसी) का गठन किया गया है। इस कदम से कई सकारात्मक परिणाम देखने में आए हैं जैसे कि उनके अपने गांव या समीपवर्ती गांव में छोटे एवं सीमांत किसानो को सही समय पर उन्नत ं उपकरण सस्ती कीमतो पर उपलब् ं ध होने के कारण जलवायु समुत्थान गांवों की फसलो कं ी उत्पादकता में बढ़ोत्तरी हुई है। डाॅ. के . सम्मी रेड्डी, निदेशक (कार्यकारी), भाकृ अनुप-क्रीडा ; Not Available
Publisher's version (útgefin grein) ; Objective: To explore genetic and lifestyle risk factors of MRI-defined brain infarcts (BI) in large population-based cohorts. Methods We performed meta-analyses of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and examined associations of vascular risk factors and their genetic risk scores (GRS) with MRI-defined BI and a subset of BI, namely, small subcortical BI (SSBI), in 18 population-based cohorts (n=20,949) from 5 ethnicities (3,726 with BI, 2,021 with SSBI). Top loci were followed up in 7 population-based cohorts (n = 6,862; 1,483 with BI, 630 with SBBI), and we tested associations with related phenotypes including ischemic stroke and pathologically defined BI. Results: The mean prevalence was 17.7% for BI and 10.5% for SSBI, steeply rising after age 65. Two loci showed genome-wide significant association with BI: FBN2, p = 1.77 × 10-8; and LINC00539/ZDHHC20, p = 5.82 × 10-9. Both have been associated with blood pressure (BP)-related phenotypes, but did not replicate in the smaller follow-up sample or show associations with related phenotypes. Age- and sex-adjusted associations with BI and SSBI were observed for BP traits (p value for BI, p[BI] = 9.38 × 10-25; p [SSBI] = 5.23 × 10-14 for hypertension), smoking (p[BI]= 4.4 × 10-10; p [SSBI] = 1.2 × 10 -4), diabetes (p[BI] = 1.7 × 10 -8; p [SSBI] = 2.8 × 10 -3), previous cardiovascular disease (p [BI] = 1.0 × 10-18; p [SSBI] = 2.3 × 10-7), stroke (p [BI] = 3.9 × 10-69; p [SSBI] = 3.2 × 10 -24), and MRI-defined white matter hyperintensity burden (p [BI]=1.43 × 10-157; p [SSBI] = 3.16 × 10-106), but not with body mass index or cholesterol. GRS of BP traits were associated with BI and SSBI (p ≤ 0.0022), without indication of directional pleiotropy. Conclusion: In this multiethnic GWAS meta-analysis, including over 20,000 population-based participants, we identified genetic risk loci for BI requiring validation once additional large datasets become available. High BP, including genetically determined, was the most significant modifiable, causal risk factor for BI. ; CHAP: R01-AG-11101, R01-AG-030146, NIRP-14-302587. SMART: This study was supported by a grant from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research–Medical Sciences (project no. 904-65–095). LBC: The authors thank the LBC1936 participants and the members of the LBC1936 research team who collected and collated the phenotypic and genotypic data. The LBC1936 is supported by Age UK (Disconnected Mind Programme grant). The work was undertaken by The University of Edinburgh Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, part of the cross-council Lifelong Health and Wellbeing Initiative (MR/K026992/1). The brain imaging was performed in the Brain Research Imaging Centre (https://www.ed.ac.uk/clinical-sciences/edinburgh-imaging), a center in the SINAPSE Collaboration (sinapse.ac.uk) supported by the Scottish Funding Council and Chief Scientist Office. Funding from the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the UK Medical Research Council is acknowledged. Genotyping was supported by a grant from the BBSRC (ref. BB/F019394/1). PROSPER: The PROSPER study was supported by an investigator-initiated grant obtained from Bristol-Myers Squibb. Prof. Dr. J.W. Jukema is an Established Clinical Investigator of the Netherlands Heart Foundation (grant 2001 D 032). Support for genotyping was provided by the seventh framework program of the European commission (grant 223004) and by the Netherlands Genomics Initiative (Netherlands Consortium for Healthy Aging grant 050-060-810). SCES and SiMES: National Medical Research Council Singapore Centre Grant NMRC/CG/013/2013. C.-Y.C. is supported by the National Medical Research Council, Singapore (CSA/033/2012), Singapore Translational Research Award (STaR) 2013. Dr. Kamran Ikram received additional funding from the Singapore Ministry of Health's National Medical Research Council (NMRC/CSA/038/2013). SHIP: SHIP is part of the Community Medicine Research net of the University of Greifswald, Germany, which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (grants no. 01ZZ9603, 01ZZ0103, and 01ZZ0403), the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, as well as the Social Ministry of the Federal State of Mecklenburg–West Pomerania, and the network "Greifswald Approach to Individualized Medicine (GANI_MED)" funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (grant 03IS2061A). Genome-wide data have been supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (grant no. 03ZIK012) and a joint grant from Siemens Healthineers, Erlangen, Germany, and the Federal State of Mecklenburg–West Pomerania. Whole-body MRI was supported by a joint grant from Siemens Healthineers, Erlangen, Germany, and the Federal State of Mecklenburg–West Pomerania. The University of Greifswald is a member of the Caché Campus program of the InterSystems GmbH. OATS (Older Australian Twins Study): OATS was supported by an Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHRMC)/Australian Research Council (ARC) Strategic Award (ID401162) and by a NHMRC grant (ID1045325). OATS was facilitated via access to the Australian Twin Registry, which is supported by the NHMRC Enabling Grant 310667. The OATS genotyping was partly supported by a Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation Flagship Collaboration Fund Grant. NOMAS: The Northern Manhattan Study is funded by the NIH grant "Stroke Incidence and Risk Factors in a Tri-Ethnic Region" (NINDS R01NS 29993). TASCOG: NHMRC and Heart Foundation. AGES: The study was funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) (N01-AG-12100), Hjartavernd (the Icelandic Heart Association), and the Althingi (the Icelandic Parliament), with contributions from the Intramural Research Programs at the NIA, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) (Z01 HL004607-08 CE). ERF: The ERF study as a part of European Special Populations Research Network (EUROSPAN) was supported by European Commission FP6 STRP grant no. 018947 (LSHG-CT-2006-01947) and also received funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013)/grant agreement HEALTH-F4-2007-201413 by the European Commission under the programme "Quality of Life and Management of the Living Resources" of 5th Framework Programme (no. QLG2-CT-2002-01254). High-throughput analysis of the ERF data was supported by a joint grant from Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research and the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (NWO-RFBR 047.017.043). Exome sequencing analysis in ERF was supported by the ZonMw grant (project 91111025). Najaf Amin is supported by the Netherlands Brain Foundation (project no. F2013[1]-28). ARIC: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study was performed as a collaborative study supported by NHLBI contracts (HHSN268201100005C, HSN268201100006C, HSN268201100007C, HHSN268201100008C, HHSN268201100009C, HHSN268201100010C, HHSN268201100011C, and HHSN268201100012C), R01HL70825, R01HL087641, R01HL59367, and R01HL086694; National Human Genome Research Institute contract U01HG004402; and NIH contract HHSN268200625226C. Infrastructure was partly supported by grant no. UL1RR025005, a component of the NIH and NIH Roadmap for Medical Research. This project was also supported by NIH R01 grant NS087541 to M.F. FHS: This work was supported by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's Framingham Heart Study (contracts no. N01-HC-25195 and no. HHSN268201500001I), and its contract with Affymetrix, Inc. for genotyping services (contract no. N02-HL-6-4278). A portion of this research utilized the Linux Cluster for Genetic Analysis (LinGA-II) funded by the Robert Dawson Evans Endowment of the Department of Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center. This study was also supported by grants from the NIA (R01s AG033040, AG033193, AG054076, AG049607, AG008122, and U01-AG049505) and the NINDS (R01-NS017950, UH2 NS100605). Dr. DeCarli is supported by the Alzheimer's Disease Center (P30 AG 010129). ASPS: The research reported in this article was funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) grant nos. P20545-P05, P13180, and P20545-B05, by the Austrian National Bank Anniversary Fund, P15435, and the Austrian Ministry of Science under the aegis of the EU Joint Programme–Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND) (jpnd.eu). LLS: The Leiden Longevity Study has received funding from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2011) under grant agreement no. 259679. This study was supported by a grant from the Innovation-Oriented Research Program on Genomics (SenterNovem IGE05007), the Centre for Medical Systems Biology, and the Netherlands Consortium for Healthy Ageing (grant 050-060-810), all in the framework of the Netherlands Genomics Initiative, Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), UnileverColworth, and by BBMRI-NL, a Research Infrastructure financed by the Dutch government (NWO 184.021.007). CHS: This CHS research was supported by contracts HHSN268201200036C, HHSN268200800007C, N01HC55222, N01HC85079, N01HC85080, N01HC85081, N01HC85082, N01HC85083, N01HC85086, N01HC15103, and HHSN268200960009C and grants U01HL080295, R01HL087652, R01HL105756, R01HL103612, R01HL120393, R01HL085251, and R01HL130114 from the NHLBI with additional contribution from NINDS. Additional support was provided through R01AG023629 from the NIA. A full list of principal CHS investigators and institutions can be found at CHS-NHLBI.org. The provision of genotyping data was supported in part by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, CTSI grant UL1TR001881, and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease Diabetes Research Center grant DK063491 to the Southern California Diabetes Endocrinology Research Center. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH. Rotterdam Study: The generation and management of GWAS genotype data for the Rotterdam Study is supported by the Netherlands Organisation of Scientific Research (NWO) Investments (no. 175.010.2005.011, 911-03-012). This study is funded by the Research Institute for Diseases in the Elderly (014-93-015; RIDE2), the Netherlands Genomics Initiative (NGI)/NWO project no. 050-060-810. The Rotterdam Study is funded by Erasmus MC Medical Center and Erasmus MC University, Rotterdam, Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development (ZonMw), the Research Institute for Diseases in the Elderly (RIDE), the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Sports, the European Commission (DG XII), and the Municipality of Rotterdam. M.A.I. is supported by an NWO Veni grant (916.13.054). The 3-City Study: The 3-City Study is conducted under a partnership agreement among the Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), the University of Bordeaux, and Sanofi-Aventis. The Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale funded the preparation and initiation of the study. The 3C Study is also supported by the Caisse Nationale Maladie des Travailleurs Salariés, Direction Générale de la Santé, Mutuelle Générale de l'Education Nationale (MGEN), Institut de la Longévité, Conseils Régionaux of Aquitaine and Bourgogne, Fondation de France, and Ministry of Research–INSERM Programme "Cohortes et collections de données biologiques." C.T. and S.D. have received investigator-initiated research funding from the French National Research Agency (ANR) and from the Fondation Leducq. S.D. is supported by a starting grant from the European Research Council (SEGWAY), a grant from the Joint Programme of Neurodegenerative Disease research (BRIDGET), from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreements No 643417 & No 640643, and by the Initiative of Excellence of Bordeaux University. Part of the computations were performed at the Bordeaux Bioinformatics Center (CBiB), University of Bordeaux. This work was supported by the National Foundation for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders, the Institut Pasteur de Lille, the Labex DISTALZ, and the Centre National de Génotypage. ADGC: The Alzheimer Disease Genetics Consortium is supported by NIH. NIH-NIA supported this work through the following grants: ADGC, U01 AG032984, RC2 AG036528; NACC, U01 AG016976; NCRAD, U24 AG021886; NIA LOAD, U24 AG026395, U24 AG026390; Banner Sun Health Research Institute, P30 AG019610; Boston University, P30 AG013846, U01 AG10483, R01 CA129769, R01 MH080295, R01 AG017173, R01 AG025259, R01AG33193; Columbia University, P50 AG008702, R37 AG015473; Duke University, P30 AG028377, AG05128; Emory University, AG025688; Group Health Research Institute, UO1 AG06781, UO1 HG004610; Indiana University, P30 AG10133; Johns Hopkins University, P50 AG005146, R01 AG020688; Massachusetts General Hospital, P50 AG005134; Mayo Clinic, P50 AG016574; Mount Sinai School of Medicine, P50 AG005138, P01 AG002219; New York University, P30 AG08051, MO1RR00096, UL1 RR029893, 5R01AG012101, 5R01AG022374, 5R01AG013616, 1RC2AG036502, 1R01AG035137; Northwestern University, P30 AG013854; Oregon Health & Science University, P30 AG008017, R01 AG026916; Rush University, P30 AG010161, R01 AG019085, R01 AG15819, R01 AG17917, R01 AG30146; TGen, R01 NS059873; University of Alabama at Birmingham, P50 AG016582, UL1RR02777; University of Arizona, R01 AG031581; University of California, Davis, P30 AG010129; University of California, Irvine, P50 AG016573, P50, P50 AG016575, P50 AG016576, P50 AG016577; University of California, Los Angeles, P50 AG016570; University of California, San Diego, P50 AG005131; University of California, San Francisco, P50 AG023501, P01 AG019724; University of Kentucky, P30 AG028383, AG05144; University of Michigan, P50 AG008671; University of Pennsylvania, P30 AG010124; University of Pittsburgh, P50 AG005133, AG030653; University of Southern California, P50 AG005142; University of Texas Southwestern, P30 AG012300; University of Miami, R01 AG027944, AG010491, AG027944, AG021547, AG019757; University of Washington, P50 AG005136; Vanderbilt University, R01 AG019085; and Washington University, P50 AG005681, P01 AG03991. The Kathleen Price Bryan Brain Bank at Duke University Medical Center is funded by NINDS grant NS39764, NIMH MH60451, and by GlaxoSmithKline. Genotyping of the TGEN2 cohort was supported by Kronos Science. The TGen series was also funded by NIA grant AG041232, the Banner Alzheimer's Foundation, The Johnnie B. Byrd Sr. Alzheimer's Institute, the Medical Research Council, and the state of Arizona and also includes samples from the following sites: Newcastle Brain Tissue Resource (funding via the Medical Research Council [MRC], local NHS trusts, and Newcastle University), MRC London Brain Bank for Neurodegenerative Diseases (funding via the Medical Research Council), South West Dementia Brain Bank (funding via numerous sources including the Higher Education Funding Council for England [HEFCE], Alzheimer's Research Trust [ART], BRACE, as well as North Bristol NHS Trust Research and Innovation Department and DeNDRoN), The Netherlands Brain Bank (funding via numerous sources including Stichting MS Research, Brain Net Europe, Hersenstichting Nederland Breinbrekend Werk, International Parkinson Fonds, Internationale Stiching Alzheimer Onderzoek), Institut de Neuropatologia, Servei Anatomia Patologica, and Universitat de Barcelona). ADNI: Funding for ADNI is through the Northern California Institute for Research and Education by grants from Abbott, AstraZeneca AB, Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eisai Global Clinical Development, Elan Corporation, Genentech, GE Healthcare, GlaxoSmithKline, Innogenetics, Johnson & Johnson, Eli Lilly and Co., Medpace, Inc., Merck and Co., Inc., Novartis AG, Pfizer Inc, F. Hoffman-La Roche, Schering-Plough, Synarc, Inc., Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation, the Dana Foundation, and the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering and NIA grants U01 AG024904, RC2 AG036535, and K01 AG030514. Support was also provided by the Alzheimer's Association (LAF, IIRG-08-89720; MAP-V, IIRG-05-14147) and the US Department of Veterans Affairs Administration, Office of Research and Development, Biomedical Laboratory Research Program. SiGN: Stroke Genetic Network (SiGN) was supported in part by award nos. U01NS069208 and R01NS100178 from NINDS. Genetics of Early-Onset Stroke (GEOS) Study was supported by the NIH Genes, Environment and Health Initiative (GEI) grant U01 HG004436, as part of the GENEVA consortium under GEI, with additional support provided by the Mid-Atlantic Nutrition and Obesity Research Center (P30 DK072488); and the Office of Research and Development, Medical Research Service, and the Baltimore Geriatrics Research, Education, and Clinical Center of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Genotyping services were provided by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Inherited Disease Research (CIDR), which is fully funded through a federal contract from the NIH to Johns Hopkins University (contract no. HHSN268200782096C). Assistance with data cleaning was provided by the GENEVA Coordinating Center (U01 HG 004446; PI Bruce S. Weir). Study recruitment and assembly of datasets were supported by a Cooperative Agreement with the Division of Adult and Community Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and by grants from NINDS and the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health (R01 NS45012, U01 NS069208-01). METASTROKE: ASGC: Australian population control data were derived from the Hunter Community Study. This research was funded by grants from the Australian National and Medical Health Research Council (NHMRC Project Grant ID: 569257), the Australian National Heart Foundation (NHF Project Grant ID: G 04S 1623), the University of Newcastle, the Gladys M Brawn Fellowship scheme, and the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation in Australia. E.G.H. was supported by a Fellowship from the NHF and National Stroke Foundation of Australia (ID: 100071). J.M. was supported by an Australian Postgraduate Award. BRAINS: Bio-Repository of DNA in Stroke (BRAINS) is partly funded by a Senior Fellowship from the Department of Health (UK) to P.S., the Henry Smith Charity, and the UK-India Education Research Institutive (UKIERI) from the British Council. GEOS: Genetics of Early Onset Stroke (GEOS) Study, Baltimore, was supported by GEI Grant U01 HG004436, as part of the GENEVA consortium under GEI, with additional support provided by the Mid-Atlantic Nutrition and Obesity Research Center (P30 DK072488), and the Office of Research and Development, Medical Research Service, and the Baltimore Geriatrics Research, Education, and Clinical Center of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Genotyping services were provided by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Inherited Disease Research (CIDR), which is fully funded through a federal contract from the NIH to the Johns Hopkins University (contract no. HHSN268200782096C). Assistance with data cleaning was provided by the GENEVA Coordinating Center (U01 HG 004446; PI Bruce S. Weir). Study recruitment and assembly of datasets were supported by a Cooperative Agreement with the Division of Adult and Community Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and by grants from NINDS and the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health (R01 NS45012, U01 NS069208-01). HPS: Heart Protection Study (HPS) (ISRCTN48489393) was supported by the UK MRC, British Heart Foundation, Merck and Co. (manufacturers of simvastatin), and Roche Vitamins Ltd. (manufacturers of vitamins). Genotyping was supported by a grant to Oxford University and CNG from Merck and Co. J.C.H. acknowledges support from the British Heart Foundation (FS/14/55/30806). ISGS: Ischemic Stroke Genetics Study (ISGS)/Siblings With Ischemic Stroke Study (SWISS) was supported in part by the Intramural Research Program of the NIA, NIH project Z01 AG-000954-06. ISGS/SWISS used samples and clinical data from the NIH-NINDS Human Genetics Resource Center DNA and Cell Line Repository (ccr.coriell.org/ninds), human subjects protocol nos. 2003-081 and 2004-147. ISGS/SWISS used stroke-free participants from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA) as controls. The inclusion of BLSA samples was supported in part by the Intramural Research Program of the NIA, NIH project Z01 AG-000015-50, human subjects protocol no. 2003-078. The ISGS study was funded by NIH-NINDS Grant R01 NS-42733 (J.F.M.). The SWISS study was funded by NIH-NINDS Grant R01 NS-39987 (J.F.M.). This study used the high-performance computational capabilities of the Biowulf Linux cluster at the NIH (biowulf.nih.gov). MGH-GASROS: MGH Genes Affecting Stroke Risk and Outcome Study (MGH-GASROS) was supported by NINDS (U01 NS069208), the American Heart Association/Bugher Foundation Centers for Stroke Prevention Research 0775010N, the NIH and NHLBI's STAMPEED genomics research program (R01 HL087676), and a grant from the National Center for Research Resources. The Broad Institute Center for Genotyping and Analysis is supported by grant U54 RR020278 from the National Center for Research resources. Milan: Milano–Besta Stroke Register Collection and genotyping of the Milan cases within CEDIR were supported by the Italian Ministry of Health (grant nos.: RC 2007/LR6, RC 2008/LR6; RC 2009/LR8; RC 2010/LR8; GR-2011-02347041), FP6 LSHM-CT-2007-037273 for the PROCARDIS control samples. WTCCC2: Wellcome Trust Case-Control Consortium 2 (WTCCC2) was principally funded by the Wellcome Trust, as part of the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium 2 project (085475/B/08/Z and 085475/Z/08/Z and WT084724MA). The Stroke Association provided additional support for collection of some of the St George's, London cases. The Oxford cases were collected as part of the Oxford Vascular Study, which is funded by the MRC, Stroke Association, Dunhill Medical Trust, National Institute of Health Research (NIHR), and the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford. The Edinburgh Stroke Study was supported by the Wellcome Trust (clinician scientist award to C.L.M.S.) and the Binks Trust. Sample processing occurred in the Genetics Core Laboratory of the Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh. Much of the neuroimaging occurred in the Scottish Funding Council Brain Imaging Research Centre (https://www.ed.ac.uk/clinical-sciences/edinburgh-imaging), Division of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Edinburgh, a core area of the Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility, and part of the SINAPSE (Scottish Imaging Network: A Platform for Scientific Excellence) collaboration (sinapse.ac.uk), funded by the Scottish Funding Council and the Chief Scientist Office. Collection of the Munich cases and data analysis was supported by the Vascular Dementia Research Foundation. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreements no. 666881, SVDs@target (to M.D.) and no. 667375, CoSTREAM (to M.D.); the DFG as part of the Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (EXC 1010 SyNergy) and the CRC 1123 (B3) (to M.D.); the Corona Foundation (to M.D.); the Fondation Leducq (Transatlantic Network of Excellence on the Pathogenesis of Small Vessel Disease of the Brain) (to M.D.); the e:Med program (e:AtheroSysMed) (to M.D.) and the FP7/2007-2103 European Union project CVgenes@target (grant agreement no. Health-F2-2013-601456) (to M.D.). M.F. and A.H. acknowledge support from the BHF Centre of Research Excellence in Oxford and the Wellcome Trust core award (090532/Z/09/Z). VISP: The GWAS component of the Vitamin Intervention for Stroke Prevention (VISP) study was supported by the US National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), grant U01 HG005160 (PI Michèle Sale and Bradford Worrall), as part of the Genomics and Randomized Trials Network (GARNET). Genotyping services were provided by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Inherited Disease Research (CIDR), which is fully funded through a federal contract from the NIH to Johns Hopkins University. Assistance with data cleaning was provided by the GARNET Coordinating Center (U01 HG005157; PI Bruce S. Weir). Study recruitment and collection of datasets for the VISP clinical trial were supported by an investigator-initiated research grant (R01 NS34447; PI James Toole) from the US Public Health Service, NINDS, Bethesda, MD. Control data obtained through the database of genotypes and phenotypes (dbGAP) maintained and supported by the United States National Center for Biotechnology Information, US National Library of Medicine. WHI: Funding support for WHI-GARNET was provided through the NHGRI GARNET (grant no. U01 HG005152). Assistance with phenotype harmonization and genotype cleaning, as well as with general study coordination, was provided by the GARNET Coordinating Center (U01 HG005157). Funding support for genotyping, which was performed at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, was provided by the GEI (U01 HG004424). R.L. is a senior clinical investigator of FWO Flanders. F.W.A. is supported by a Dekker scholarship-Junior Staff Member 2014T001–Netherlands Heart Foundation and UCL Hospitals NIHR Biomedical Research Centre. ; Peer Reviewed
Not Available ; Quality Protein Maize (QPM): Importance and production requirements Ramesh Kumar, DP Chaudhary, AK Das and Sujay Rakshit ICAR - Indian Institute of Maize Research, Ludhiana Introduction The present scenario of increasing population puts pressure on agriculture not only to increase production and productivity but also the grain quality. It is imperative that increasing production of food crops to ensure food and nutritional security of the nation has become a necessity rather a matter of choice. However, the challenge to meet the growing demand for food seems to be a daunting task due to rapid reduction in agricultural land, reduced availability of water resources and climate change. Moreover, ensuring the nutritional security or improving the nutritional status of the poorer section on sustainable manner is an added challenge. The present food production scenario indicates that much of the future food production is expected to come from coarse cereals, particularly maize because of its highest yield potential as compared to any other food crop. Maize has already credited as queen of cereal and further due to its high content of carbohydrates, fats, proteins and some of the important vitamins and minerals, it has also acquired a well - deserved reputation as 'poor man's nutri - cereal'(Kumar et al .,2012). Maize contributes 15% of the world's protein and 19% of the calories derived from food crops (Vasal SK, 2002). Millions of people in the world, and particularly in developing countries, derive a part of their protein and daily calorie requirements from maize (Mbuya et al.,2011). In recent years the diversified uses of maize as food, feed and as an industrial raw material is also increasing. In addition to this maize is part of the livestock - to - meat cycle across the world (Tanumihardjo et al., 2019). The food processing industries are coming up with new value - added products of corn like flakes, chips, biscuits, sooji etc. Increased demand from consumers has led to higher per capita consumption and demand for maize. Improved growth in Indian economy has increased per capita income thereby improving the purchasing power of its people. The consequence of all these events has led to change in the food habits with an increased non - vegetarian population of the country. The increased non - vegetarian populations had its own cascaded of events on food/feed and meat industries. The increased demand of meat has increased the demand of maize from poultry and piggery feed industries. In this particular context, quality protein maize (QPM) can play a crucial and very important special role in ensuring the food and nutritional security of the country. Nutritive Value of Quality Protein Maize The maize grain on an average contains around 15 % moisture, 8 - 12 % protein, 2 - 4 % fat, 3 % fibre, 67 - 72 % starch and around 1.5% minerals. Hence it is a good source of carbohydrates, fats, proteins and some of the important vitamins and minerals and, therefore, termed as nutri - cereal. Majority of the population depend on cereals for their livelihood and maize is the staple cereal food for several million people, especially in the developing countries across Sub - saharan Africa who derive their >30% of the total dietary protein and >20% of the daily calories requirements from maize as it supplies many macro and micronutrients necessary for human metabolic needs. The kernel protein is made up of five different fractions, viz., albumin 7 %, globulin 5 %, non - protein nitrogen 6 %, prolamine 52 % and glutelin 25% and the left - over 5 % is residual nitrogen. The quality of maize protein is poor due to the presence of large concentration of an alcohol soluble protein fraction, prolamine also known as zein in the endosperm. Zein is very low in lysine and tryptophan content and since this fraction contributes more than 50 percent of the total protein, the maize protein is, therefore, deficient in lysine and tryptophan content. On the other hand, zein fraction contains very high amount of leucine and imbalanced proportion of isoleucine. The ill - proportion of four essential amino acids in normal maize kernels results in poor protein quality of traditional maize kernels affecting its biological value i.e. the availability of protein to the body. Thus, the composition of maize protein has an in - built drawback of being deficient in two essential amino acids, viz., lysine and tryptophan. However, high - quality protein sources, such as eggs, meat, dairy products and legumes provide total or complementary sources of these amino acids, but many rural poor have limited access to these foods. Therefore, populations depending on maize as their staple food generally show the protein deficiency disorders like Marasmus and Kwashiorkar. In addition, maize lacks vitamin B and also due to high concentrations of phytate some minerals in the maize grain have low bioavailability. Therefore, a need was felt to improve the biological value of protein in maize varieties. In early 1960s the breeders at Purdue University obtained the natural mutants of maize which have soft and opaque grains. The biochemical and genetic analysis of mutant kernels revealed that they contain higher concentration of lysine and this nutritionally superior maize was named opaque - 2 maize, after discovering that "opaque - 2" single gene mutation is responsible for the improved protein quality (Mertz et al., 1964). It was mentioned that the original mutants obtained were soft and opaque, but they have some draw - backs like higher susceptibility to storage and ear rot. Therefore, to overcome this problem International Center for Maize and Wheat Improvement (CIMMYT) introduced endosperm modifier genes through continued recurrent selection breeding programme led by Dr. S. K. Vasal and team. As a result, hard endosperm o2 stocks were developed and were designated as quality protein maize (QPM) to distinguish it from soft o2 strains. Quality protein maize (QPM) was created by selecting genetic modifiers that convert the starchy endosperm of an opaque2 (o2) mutant to a hard, vitreous phenotype. However, not all of the hard endosperm o2 lines retained high levels of the critical amino acids. Later the genetic studies on QPM have shown that there are multiple, unlinked o2 modifiers (OPM), but their identity and mode of action are unknown. In QPM the concentration of zein is lowered by 30 percent, as a result the lysine and tryptophan content increases in comparison to maize. The lower contents of leucine in QPM further balance the ratios of leucine to isoleucine (Table1). The balanced proportion of all these essential amino acid in QPM enhances the biological value of protein (Table - 2). The true protein digestibility of maize vis - à - vis QPM is almost same, but the biological value of QPM is just double as compared to maize varieties (Fig1), rather it is highest among all cereals and pulses (Fig1). The reason behind it is that all cereals except QPM are deficient in lysine, an essential amino acid and all pulses are deficient in another essential amino acid methionine. Maize breeders have developed several QPM hybrids by incorporating opaque - 2 mutant gene modifiers in different parental lines. QPM looks and taste like normal maize, but it contains nearly twice the quality of lysine and tryptophan along with balanced amino acid profile. QPM as Food and Nutritional Security In India, tribal population constitutes approximately 10% of the total population and is found in most parts of the country especially in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, etc. Thus, a sizable tribal population exist which is economically deprived. Further, most of tribal population depends on maize as their basic diet. In these areas the scope for QPM to ensuring food and nutritional security is paramount. Substituting maize with QPM is a viable option for ensuring their nutritional requirements. Tribal peoples are acknowledged to have very close association with ecosystem and environment because of their dependence on nature directly for daily requirements. However, the problem of malnutrition arises due to inadequate intake of nutrients in the diet. The situations are almost same in some African countries. Several studies are conducted on human beings and animal and are continue to be conducted on positive health benefits of QPM consumption in their daily diet. Gunaratna et al., 2010 reported that consumption of QPM instead of maize leads to an increase in growth rate of height and weight by 12 and 9%, respectively in infants and young children coming from population with mild to moderate under nutrition where maize is the significant component of the diet. This happened due to the higher biological value of QPM as compared to the maize (Table 2). The results are encouraging and based on these results the Indian policy makers can think of providing QPM in the tribal belt or in the areas where there is a problem of malnutrition. Government of India can also think of introducing QPM in public distribution system and QPM based food in mid - day meal in schools and Aanganwadis. Government of India has already started Tribal - Sub Plan (TSP) and under this programme the Directorate of Maize Research has provided QPM hybrid seeds for cultivation in the areas where tribal population is more. Some on - farm trainings have also being organized in these areas for creating awareness to use QPM as staple food. QPM and Animal feed Maize is an integral part of the animal feed used in India and outside. There are several studies where maize has been replaced by QPM as an ingredient of animal feed and encouraging results have been observed in case of broilers, chickens and pigs. Feed trials have repeatedly shown that pigs fed with QPM grow twice as fast as those fed with commercial maize (Krivanek et al., 2007). Some nutritional studies with pigs and chicken diets have shown that performance is improved when QPM is substituted for maize without any additional protein supplement. In broiler diet, the substitution of QPM for maize at a rate of 60% substantially reduces the need for soybean meal and therefore the cost (Subsuban et al., 1990). Similarly, in an experiment with finisher pigs, less soybean meal was needed to maximize performance in diets based on QPM compared with diets having maize. Beef steers fed on high–lysine maize gained faster weight compared to those fed on normal maize. Thus, QPM can reduce the cost of animal feed by decreasing the expenditure incurred on more expensive high protein sources. Linear programming models allow feed companies to identify the cheapest way of providing the minimum dietary requirements for farm stock. Calculations for pig and poultry ration containing maize, QPM, sorghum, soybeans meal and synthetic lysine and tryptophan showed that the usage of QPM instead of maize resulted in saving of 2.8% on chickens feed and 3.4 % on pig feed (Lopez - Pereira, 1992). It is also evident that if QPM was to replace maize in broiler feed in Kenya, the 5% cost reduction would translate into a gain of US dollars 300,000 either as reduced costs for farmers or profit for feed manufactures. In India also it can happen if we use QPM as an ingredient in animal feed. It will help in reducing the cost of feed as well as in increase the growth of the animal either it is broiler, chicken, pig or cattle. The broilers and chickens fed with QPM matured in less time as compared to non QPM fed ones and the farmer benefitted by selling more number of animals in a short span of time. Additionally, QPM fed pigs experience rapid weight gain and are ready for market sooner or can provide an additional quality protein source for small farm families. Impact of QPM Babies and adults consuming QPM are healthier and at lower risk for malnutrition disorders such as marasmus and kwashiorkor. Data from Latin America and Africa showed the role of QPM in reversing the effects of malnutrition in those who are already affected. QPM offers 90% the nutritional value of skim milk, the standard for adequate nutrition value. At a time when UNICEF reports that 1,000,000 infants and small children are starving each month, the inclusion of QPM in daily rations improves health and saves lives. Additionally, QPM fed pigs experience rapid weight gain and are ready for market sooner or can provide an additional quality protein source for small farm families. The commercial success of QPM can be achieved as several QPM hybrids have been developed and tested across varying climatic and growing conditions. At present QPM varieties are grown on roughly 9 million acres (36,000 km²) worldwide. Meanwhile, QPM research and development have spread from Mexico to Latin America, Africa, Europe, and Asia. In Guizhou, the poorest province in China, where QPM hybrid yields are 10% higher than those of other hybrids, and the crop has enabled new pig production enterprises, bringing increased food security and disposable income. In total, the QPM germplasm is being grown worldwide and it is contributing over $1 billion annually to the economies of developing countries. Production requirements Isolation distance The foremost requirement for QPM cultivation is isolation distance of minimum 400 meters. There should not be any other maize crop (non - QPM) in surrounding of 400 meters. The opaque - 2 gene is expressed when it present in homozygous conditions, if any other maize crop is there in surrounding area and pollen of other maize will fall on QPM silk and it will create heterozygous conditions resulting opaque 2 gene will not express that is why it is strongly recommended that we will have to grow QPM crop in isolation or we can grow this in a specified area where only QPM is grown. Soil and climate QPM can be grown successfully in a wide range of soil from loamy sand to clay. But it performs well in high organic matter content soil with high water holding capacity and neutral in pH. Soil should have high drainage capacity as maize is more susceptible to water logging condition. QPM can be successfully grown in varied climatic conditions though out the country in an altitude from mean sea level to 3000 m height. Selection of cultivar A no. of QPM hybrids have been released in India for cultivation namely, HQPM1, HQPM 4, HQPM 5, HQPM 7, Shaktiman 1, Shaktiman 2, Shaktiman 3, Shaktiman 4, Shaktiman 5, Pusa HM 8, Pusa HM 9, Vivek QPM 9 and Pusa Vivek QPM 9 improved. The farmers can select anyone among these hybrids in consultation with local maize breeder/agriculture expert. Sowing time QPM can be grown in all the seasons viz. kharif, rabi and spring. Seed rate Seed rate varied according to seed size, season, sowing method. But on an average 20 kg/ha is optimum for higher yield. Seed treatment To protect the seed from seed and soil borne diseases and pest seed should be treated before sowing with fungicide Bavistin + Captan in 1:1 ratio @ 2 g/kg seed. Method of sowing Line sowing in furrows at 60 - 70 x 20 - 25 cm (row x plant) spacing to obtain the optimum plant population of 70000 to 80000 per ha with sowing depth of 4 - 5 cm is the best method. Nutrient management The requirement of nutrient and fertilizers are as follows: Nutrient Dose Form Requirement (Kg/ha) N 150 - 180 Urea 3255 - 3906 P2O5 70 - 80 SSP 438 - 500 K2O 70 - 80 MOP 116 - 133 Besides that ZnSO4 @ 25 kg/ha and FYM @ 10 t/ha is required for high productivity of QPM. FYM should be applied at 10 - 15 days before sowing. The whole amount of SSP, MOP, ZnSO4 and 10% of urea should apply as basal in furrows. The remaining urea should be applied in three split applications. 20% urea at 4 leaf stage, 40% at 8 leaf stage and remaining 30% at flowering stage. Fertilizers should be applied from both sides of rows. Three days before application of fertilizers light hoeing is needed for optimum use of nutrients by crops. Water management If irrigation facility is available then irrigation should be done in furrows up to 2/3rd height of the ridge at knee high stage, flowering and grain filling stage. Weed management Weed is a serious problem of maize in Tirap district of Arunachal Pradesh which may causes yield loss up to 35%. Therefore, timely weed management is essential for good yield. Pre - emergence herbicide atrazine @ 1.0 - 1.5 kg a.i./ha in 600 litre water is very effective for control of weed. Tembotrione @ 262 ml in 375 litre water is recommended for post - emergence application and it should be applied when the crop is 25 - 30 days old. Earthing up Earthing up is a very essential operation in QPM cultivation. Earthing up should be done when the crop is 35 - 40 days old. Insect Pest Management: Maize stem borer (Chilo partellus) The pest lays eggs on the lower surface of central whorl leaf and the larvae enter the plant from the central whorl and eventually results in dead heat formation Foliar application of Chlorantraniliprole 18.5 SC @ 0.3 ml / litre water in 200 litre water per ha is quite effective The spray should be done at the appearance of symptoms on 2 - 3 weeks old crop. It can also be controlled by release of 8 trico cards (Trichogramma chilonis) per ha at 10 & 17days after germination. Pink stem borer (Sesamia inferens) This insect is more serious in peninsular India during rabi season. Foliar application of Chlorantraniliprole 18.5 SC @ 0.3 ml / litre water in 200 litre water per ha is quite effective. The spray should be done at the appearance of symptoms on 2 - 3 weeks old crop. Shoot fly (Atherigona spp.) It is more serious during spring season in northern India. It lays eggs on emerging seedlings and maggets cuts the growing point resulting in dead heart formation. Seed treatment gaucho 600FS @ 6.0 ml/ kg seed is most effective. Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) It is new exotic pest in maize ecosystem. It feeds heavily on central whorl leaves and it is more serious on crop up to six weeks old. It lays eggs in clusters on upper and lower surface of the leaves. Young larvae cause papery windows on leaves while grown larvae feeds by making bigger irregular wholes, cut the leaf margins and may damage the central whorl leaves also. The infected plants are filled with its excreta. The seed treatment with Cyantraniliprole 19.8% + Thiamethoxam 19.8% FS @ 6 ml/kg of seed offers protection for 15 - 20 days of crop growth against Fall Armyworm is quite effective up to 3 leaves/ 20 days old crop. Release of egg parasitoids viz., Telenomus remus (4000/ ac) or Trichogramma pretiosum @ 50,000/acre at 7 and 14 days following first spray using neem formulation with the trap catch of one moth/day observed continuously. Note: Parasitoid release may be alternated with neem spray at weekly intervals, but not to be applied simultaneously. For management of early instar larvae with a damage level of 5 - 10%, whorl application of Bacillus thuringiensis v. kurstaki formulations 2% (400g/acre) applied @ 2g/l or Metarhizium anisopliae or Beauveria bassiana (1kg/acre) applied @ 5 g/liter is recommended. If infestation is more than 10%, spray with anyone of the recommended insecticides with label claim, viz., Chlorantraniliprole 18.5 SC (80 ml/acre) applied @ 0.4 ml/l or Thiamethoxam 12.6 % + Lambda cyhalothrin 9.5% ZC (50ml/acre) applied @ 0.25 ml/l or Spinetoram 11.7 % SC (100ml/acre) applied @ 0.5 ml/l is recommended. DISEASE MANAGEMENT Turcicum leaf blight: Spray Zineb/Meneb @ 2.5 - 4.0 g/l water 2 - 4 times at 8 - 10 days intervals as a control measure. Maydis leaf blight: It can be controlled by 2 - 4 times spraying of Dithane Z - 75 or Zineb @ 2.4 - 4.0 g/l water at 8 - 10 days intervals after first appearance of the symptoms of disease. Banded leaf and sheath blight: Seed treatment of peat - based formulation (Pseudomonas fluorescence) @ 16 g/kg of seed or soil application @ 7 g/l water as soil drenching or foliar spray of Sheethmar (Validamycin) @ 2.7 ml/l water is effective against this disease. Bird management In some places mature cobs are damaged by birds. In such situations matured cob can be protected from bird damage by tying cobs with leaf of the same plant. Harvesting Harvesting should be done at optimum moisture content (20%) in grain to avoid postharvest loses due to store grain pest and diseases. Harvesting immediately after shower should be avoided. The harvested cobs should be sun dried before shelling and should be shelled at 13 - 14% grain moisture. During storage the moisture content of grain should be 8 - 10 %. Table 1. Essential amino acid content of maize Amino acid Normal (mg per g N) QPM (mg per g N) Lysine Isoleucine Leucine Sulphur amino acid Aromatic amino acid Threonine Tryptophan Valine 177 206 827 188 505 213 35 292 256 193 507 188 502 199 78 298 Table 2. Protein quality of maize Quality measures Normal QPM True protein digestibility Biological value (%) Amount needed for equilibrium 8040 - 47547 92 80 230 References Gunarathna NS, De Groote H, Nestel P, Pixley KV and McCabe GP. (2010). A meta - Analysis of community level studies on quality protein maize. Food Policy. 35: 202 - 210. Krivanek AF, De Groote H, Guraratna NS, Diallo AO and Friesen D. (2007). Breeding and Disseminating quality protein maize (QPM) for Africa. African J. Biotech. 6 (4):312 - 324. Kumar RS, Kumar B, Kaul J, Chikkappa GK, Jat SL, Parihar CM and Kumar A. (2012). Maize research in India - historical prospective and future challenges. Maize Journal. 1(1):1 - 6. Lopez - Pereira MA.(1992). The economics of quality protein maize as an animal feed: Case Studies of Brazil and EI Salvador, CIMMYT, Mexico, DF. Mertz ET. (1970). Nutritive value of corn and its products. In: Inglett GE, editor. Corn: culture, Processing, products. Westport, Conn.: Avi Publishing. p 350–9. Subsuban CP, Olanday PO, Cambel IH. (1990). Advantages of quality protein maize (QPM) In broiler ration. Research and Development Journal (Philippines). 1(1): 5 - 17. Vasal, S.K. (2002). Quality protein maize development: An exciting experience. In Integrated Approaches to Higher Maize Productivity in the New Millennium, Proceedings of the Seventh Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Maize Conference, Nairobi, Kenya,5–11February2002;Friesen,D.,Palmer,A.F.E.,Eds.;CIMMYT(InternationalMaize and Wheat Improvement Center) and KARI (Kenya Agricultural Research Institute): Nairobi, Kenya, pp. 2–9. 3. Mbuya, K.; Nkongolo, K.K.; Kalonji - Mbuyi, A. (2011). Nutritional analysis of quality protein maize varieties selected for agronomic characteristics in a breeding program. Int. J. Plant Breed. Genet. Vol.(5): 317–327. Tanumihardjo, S., McCulley, I., Roh, R., Lopez - Ridaura,S., Palacious - Rojas,N. and Vellakumar, S.(2014). Introgression of low phytic acid locus (lpa2 - 2) into elite maize (Zea mays) inbred through marker Assisted backcross breeding. Aust. J Crop Sci., 8:1224 - 1231. ; Not Available
Part one of an interview with Settimio "Babe" Pellechia. Part of this interview has been redacted as per Mr. Pellechia's wishes. Topics include: Family history. How his parents came to the United States from Italy and settled in Leominster, MA. His father's work at the Leominster Button Company and then as an ash collector. Babe's memories of growing up in Leominster during the Depression. His father's construction work. The work his siblings did. What it was like for Babe working with his father on construction jobs. How his brothers turned the construction business into a concrete block manufacturing business. The different businesses Babe started and worked in. What the Lincoln Terrace neighborhood was like when Babe was growing up. His mother mainly spoke Italian and knew very little English. Speaking Italian in the home. What his mother was like. The types of food his mother would prepare. Babe's work in the motel business. What life was like when Babe was running an ice cream shop and a motel. His children's education. ; 1 BABE: And [DeMazzio]… [Icelano], and then after would actually be Joseph… Enrico. LINDA: Enrico? BABE: Enrico. LINDA: Enrico. BABE: Uh oh, we got caught. Enrico, and then myself, and then Olga. LINDA: Hi, I'm Linda. SPEAKER 3: Hi nice to meet you. BABE: Now there wasn't -- of course Dave passed four years ago. There was another DeMazzio [unintelligible - 00:00:53] Icelano. LINDA: Oh, there were two others that died? BABE: Well, they died at the age of three and one in the same weekend. LINDA: Okay. BABE: Before the others. That's why they renamed the others. LINDA: They renamed -- so. I'll put that in here there were two others. You want that in there? There was another one DeMazzio that died and they named it the next one DeMazzio. And Icelano was one that died, and they named the next one Icelano. SPEAKER 3: I would like that in there. LINDA: Okay. SPEAKER 3: [Unintelligible - 00:01:21] you should have hired her. LINDA: How are you, Tina? TINA: Oh good. I'm… LINDA: Now, your marriage. BABE: Now, there's a bad part. You had to spoil it. October 5, 1945. I'm sorry, October 6, 1945. LINDA: Uh-oh. SPEAKER 3: I was just waiting. I didn't want to say anything. LINDA: October 6, 1945 and you married Augustina, what? SPEAKER 3: Traini. BABE: T-R-A-I-N-I. 2 LINDA: Augustina Traini. BABE: This comes out of that because [unintelligible - 00:02:01] that's part of the book [unintelligible - 00:02:05]. SPEAKER 3: Babe, you're going to have to do this because -- I'm sorry, I have a class. I'm teaching down the college, so… BABE: What was that last one? LINDA: Your children, the names of your children. BABE: Okay, Linda… LINDA: Another Linda. BABE: And Barry David. LINDA: And Barry David. Residential history. Now, you lived on Grove Avenue. BABE: The different places we lived? Well, we started in Lincoln Terrace where I was born, and Miller Street, [Union] Street. After Union Street we went to Sterling, Westminster, to Grove Avenue, and then over here. LINDA: Norfolk, okay. BABE: I missed one, Litchfield Street. LINDA: Where was that at? BABE: That would before Union. LINDA: Litchfield? BABE: Litchfield. Is it recording now? LINDA: Yes. BABE: Then I can't joke as I go on. LINDA: Oh, you can joke. I just wanted to make sure that… BABE: Had I graduated it would've been the class of '40. LINDA: Okay. Work history. What did you do? Your father? BABE: What did I do? I started with contracting with my father. My father was a contractor, so I fit in that very good. And then I was self-employed in the following businesses: Babe's Ice Cream, Dennison Motel, West [unintelligible - 00:04:06] Motel, and Babe's Miniature Golf, subdivision of the real estate [unintelligible - 00:04:07] houses. LINDA: Subdivision of real estate? For housing? 3 BABE: Mm-hmm. That's all I did. LINDA: What about Blocks? BABE: Yes, true. That was another corporation. These were all my own. Blocks was a corporate… LINDA: That was with your father? SPEAKER 3: At least she remembered. LINDA: Contracting with father, Blocks -- was that the name of it? BABE: Well, Blocks was the name of the four brothers. SPEAKER 3: It's a great thing you guys are doing, you know. I'm so glad you got that older woman, that 100 year old lady, 106. Thank God you got her before she went. LINDA: We got a little bit. You didn't get to see her [unintelligible - 00:05:09]. SPEAKER 3: Not me. It was someone who was working before. BABE: To show that we're not always hiding. That first sheet down there, what's that say? SPEAKER 3: This one? BABE: Yeah. SPEAKER 3: The Joy of Growing Up Italian? BABE: No, no, the one above it. SPEAKER 3: American? BABE: No, what's the next one you have there? SPEAKER 3: This one, the Americans? BABE: Oh, that's what you had. [Unintelligible - 00:05:26] LINDA: Babe, my next question here is St. Anne the Church, and that's St. Anna. You always belonged to St. Anna Church? BABE: Off and on. LINDA: Off and on. SPEAKER 3: Yeah. BABE: And now it's off. SPEAKER 3: I'm just going to say bye. And I'll see you. LINDA: Good luck. Nice meeting you. [Unintelligible - 00:05:58] 4 BABE: It was a pleasure. SPEAKER 3: I got pineapples for my still life. LINDA: You're going to paint still life? SPEAKER 3: No, they're drawing. It's a drawing class that I'm taking [unintelligible - 00:06:05]. BABE: Before -- do you want to shut it for just a minute? SPEAKER 3: Not on there, so… LINDA: Thank you, Ann. I would have checked. Okay, we have to start again. I'm Linda Rosenblum with the Center for Italian Culture. It's Tuesday, October 30th at 1:20 p.m. We're with Babe Pellechia, and Rosa Farrell is with me, and we're at his home at 27 North Fourth Drive in Leominster. Hi, Babe. Thanks for letting us come and interview you. I thought that you could tell me a little bit about your parents first. Are they the ones that came to Leominster? BABE: Yes. My father came to Leominster in 1906, and… how far do you want me to expand on that? What he did? LINDA: Sure. Well, first of all, where did he immigrate from? BABE: From Rome. LINDA: Rome? Did he travel with your mother? BABE: No, she came in 1909. LINDA: Okay. Who did he travel with? BABE: He just came on his own, I believe, at that time or whatever, people were coming. He left from Roma and landed in New York then came to Leominster. LINDA: Do you know why he came to Leominster? BABE: You know, that's one of the questions we never asked him, and I'm still trying to find out why he came to Leominster. It must be because of friends; that's where most of them was. You know, there was quite a colony of the Santa Maria Del Combo, and that's from the section of Italy where they came from. So it could have been from other friends where he… 5 LINDA: What do you call that, Santa Maria? ROSA: Del Campo. Santa Maria Del Campo. BABE: It's an Italian organization. ROSA: The particular region in Italy. LINDA: So, close to Rome? BABE: It's south of Rome. It's actually -- El Vita, and [unintelligible - 00:08:00]… which is part of -- give me a minute. My notes over there, please, these little papers here. It's [unintelligible - 00:08:17] Costa Lata. C-O-S-T-A, L-A-T-A, I believe it is. And that's where most of them came from. LINDA: And I had just read in some of the papers over here that he studied industrial agriculture when he was in Rome? Did you know that? BABE: He was a farmer, whatever that may mean. You know, like I say, [unintelligible - 00:08:41]… authority, and that sometimes these things happen like a good friend of ours that was a garbage collector, and he did wonderful things. The city of New York gave him an award, and they said he is a sanitation engineer. And the guy got up and says I am a garbage collector. So I don't think he did much studying at that age because there was -- things were pretty rough there in Italy. LINDA: Did he ever tell you any stories of Italy? BABE: Oh yes. LINDA: Would you like to share some? BABE: Well, he would say the way they used to work and so forth, and their living conditions, which was pretty rough at that time. That was the reason why they came here. Of course, supposedly our roads were paved with gold, and that's out there. But he was always a very hard worker and always wanted to do more, learn more, do more, which he did do in his life. Like the first thing he did when he came in to Leominster was he headed down to Leominster Button Company, which is near, 305 Whitney Street, and they're called [unintelligible - 00:10:01] now. And he was a rubber of buttons and combs. They used ashes, and it's surprising that 6 they [unintelligible - 00:10:11] health in that year one of the filthiest jobs that -- the men worked, and this is outlined -- let's see, this is put out by the Board of Health of Massachusetts. LINDA: So he was called a rubber? BABE: Mm-hmm. LINDA: Did you remember him explaining what he did? BABE: Well, what it is, you take the buttons or the combs or whatever they're working on [unintelligible - 00:10:37] was turtle, made from turtle then [unintelligible - 00:10:39], and what the ashes and what the wheels going at the RPMs that it does go, and the water, that polishes up, really polish it. But of course if you got water and ashes and a wheel going you know what that does to the person, and that's what he did for a few years. Surprisingly though in 1914 he sold that fine ashes -- this was a business for him. LINDA: So he realized that there was a use for that ash. BABE: Mm-hmm, and they got him out of that filthy working conditions. LINDA: I'm wondering what does an ash dealer mean? What would he do with the ashes? BABE: You go around and pick up the ashes from people's home, 10 cents a barrel, bring them down and screen it through a screen that water won't go through, and that's what they used for rubbing. That's the compound that they used for rubbing these plastic -- not plastic but the horns or hooks or whatever they were doing. LINDA: Did he get that idea from someone else, to go and collect the ash? BABE: Well, he got the idea from being in business. He got some wagons to collect the ashes, which were -- and the rubber district was a good business at the time, and then he felt that he had that, why not screen the ashes and sell it to the industries, which he did. Another byproduct of that too that the -- when you screen the ashes you always get the coal that never burnt, and half of Lincoln Terrace was the Italian Colony. He used to go down and pick up the coal, and it kept a lot of people warm up there 7 at that time, so that they would go down -- it was on Middle Street where they did that. So [unintelligible - 00:12:33] he helped out a lot of people by letting them go and they go through these screenings and pick out all the little black diamond gold that heats the house, and that was it. LINDA: So this 75 Lincoln Terrace, was that where you lived, or … BABE: That's where I was born, and that's where we lived at the time. LINDA: So he actually -- I just want to make sure that we get this on tape, so sorry to keep asking you… BABE: That's all right. LINDA: It's an old art, and it's not easily explainable. So he would go around to people's homes, or… BABE: Yes. Because everybody burnt coal in those days. You'd call up and you'd go there and then take the barrels out where -- which as he said was very, very heavy, because you'd either have to go up the stairs if they didn't have an outside door or to the bulkhead or something like that, and he aggravated at some people to get more ashes in the barrel [unintelligible - 00:13:26]. And so that's more weight, and then you couldn't screen it. Other than that he had the horse and wagons, put them on, bring them down -- the screening plant was on Millet Street, which is just off of Lincoln Terrace, and there he would screen what he picked up from the people's homes and separate it and sell the extra fine screened ashes to industry. And he shipped it to a few places all over the United States at the time. LINDA: Where did he get the money to begin this type of a business? BABE: By what most foreigners other than Puerto Ricans, saved their money [unintelligible - 00:14:09] saved their money and do it that way. LINDA: So at this time was he married? BABE: Probably should strike that out. That isn't too nice to say, but it's already on tape. 8 LINDA: Well, it's going to be edited. BABE: Okay. LINDA: What did I ask -- was he married to your mother by this time? BABE: Oh yes, he married my mother in 19… I'll put my glasses on. It would help, wouldn't it? LINDA: Okay, but we can figure out the dates later. BABE: Hmm? LINDA: We can figure out the dates later. BABE: Okay. LINDA: So we'll figure it out. So can you tell me a little bit about growing up on Lincoln Terrace? BABE: It's a good thing that we didn't know better. We enjoyed ourselves. It was a happy life and so forth, but I just wonder what would happen today if children had to go through what we did. Our fun would be getting in a sandbank and digging holes and whatever we could find, cups and make objects out of it. We'd play baseball. Whoever had the baseball and the bat would be the one that would pick the teams and when we'd play and how we'd play. And it was -- on today's standard it was really very, very rough living at the time. We had no entertainment to speak of. We hardly go to movies only it was only a nickel to go to the Gem Theater; we didn't get there too often. And the main highlight, or one of them, was at Christmastime at the -- one thing my father would do, he did everything for Christmas. You know, for food and things like that. And one of the big games as I remember would be getting the table like this and putting sawdust on it, and he'd hide coins in the sawdust, and you each had a shape to pick out a shape where you'd want hoping to get more coins than your brothers and sisters and so forth. So that was one of the fun things that we did. 9 But myself as I grew up I always had a tendency to follow him and get involved with his work. By that time [unintelligible - 00:16:36] he was in the contracting. He was more doing contracting at that time, became a contractor. So I always followed him around on jobs and things like that. So I learned more. I think even for myself I think I grew up real fast as far as a youngster. LINDA: Is that partly because you were the seventh son? BABE: No, because that's what I wanted to do. LINDA: Explain to me though what your name means again. BABE: Settmio is seven in Italian, and that's what it means. It's just that the Sette is seven, and that's where the name comes from. LINDA: So I forgot now. You're the seventh son or seventh child? BABE: Seventh son in rotation. LINDA: And how many sisters? BABE: Out of eleven. There was three girls in the family. LINDA: So by the time you came around your family already had six boys? BABE: Yes. I was the seventh and the last boy in the family. LINDA: So how were your brothers' lives different than yours? Were they harder? Were they… BABE: Oh yes. Well, my oldest brother was quite active in the business and so forth. He did all that. But then my next brother was a -- he worked very, very hard, and entertainment was out as far as that got. No vacations and things like that. It was strictly, as I remember it, when -- don't forget I'm entering about the time, well, 8 years old and that was the beginning of the Great Depression. I remember that quite well. The families were living on $12 a week, quite a few of them, which is what the welfare would give you. LINDA: So during the Depression your father was working? BABE: Whenever [unintelligible - 00:18:44] work. Yeah, he was doing contracting, whatever work he could get. On one job he was a supervisor for doing some work at city hall, and this is choosy but you have to do it 10 by the WPA program at the time. And to do a [unintelligible - 00:19:02] for city hall you did it at the time but they send them 30 men. You know, other people that were on the WPA, and they were on top of one another so my father had to let them be -- he had them closing doors, open doors and sweeping, everything but working because they were all in one another's way. But he was a supervisor at that time. But he did work like that there and then we plowed snow in the wintertime—there was income from plowing the snow, keeping the truck busy. Then he did odd jobs as they came up, but nothing -- it was a tough time. To backtrack, my father was very, very successful up until 1929. He owned 33 houses, and one by one he lost them all because people didn't have money to pay the rent and the banks wanted their money and they would just keep taking the house. You know, the foreclosing, keep doing that. LINDA: So he owned 33 homes and he lost every single one? BABE: All but the one we were living in. LINDA: Oh. BABE: Yeah. LINDA: How did he afford to buy 33 houses? BABE: Because he got to be a good-sized contractor. Like he built – he had the contract for all the concrete work in the Leominster post office, which was quite a job in those days. In 1926 he built the Main Street garage down on -- he did the fence around St. [Lido's] cemetery, which is quite a sizeable job, and he built numerous homes. In those days the first homes he built, regular homes like on Lincoln Terrace, there's probably eight homes up there that he built and was sold for the big sum of $2,800. LINDA: Wow. BABE: That's what they were at that time. In fact, numerous times, her dad would work for my father on his trade. You know, blocks and bricks, plastering 11 so that he and [unintelligible - 00:21:22], whenever they had a job that required brickwork and plaster and so forth, they were the first two that he called to do the work. So you see we would all get things first class with first-class people. But he couldn't -- the Depression was too much for everybody at that time, not only him. LINDA: Before we go on, let's back up a little bit. He came to this country, he started -- he used ash to rub buttons et cetera, then he opened his own business selling ash. BABE: He started that, yeah. LINDA: Right. So what kind of time frame are we talking about? BABE: I beg your pardon? LINDA: What's the time frame that we're talking about? BABE: [Unintelligible - 00:22:05] LINDA: Where was it, 1914? BABE: Yeah. LINDA: So he was selling ash in 1914, and then he went into the construction business? BABE: I can give you year by year. Let me show you. See, this is the -- you know, all the concrete work on this job there's his -- do you see that there on the box [unintelligible - 00:22:27] and Company? LINDA: Mm-hmm. Oh that's interesting. That's in '29, so this was a bad time. BABE: No, that was the good time; the beginning of the bad started right after that. So that the -- well, he worked the button shop, at Leominster Button… then he -- let's see as we go along here. Okay, now in 1913 he put a grocery store in the house. LINDA: He put a grocery store in your house? BABE: Well, [unintelligible - 00:23:14] to sell groceries, yeah. LINDA: So at 75 Lincoln Terrace? BABE: Yeah, that's still 75 Lincoln Terrace. And then of course he got both here the ashes and the grocery that he did. LINDA: So who's running the grocery store? 12 BABE: My mother. LINDA: Oh, was it your mother? BABE: Yeah. It's just on Lincoln Terrace a small street though, there wasn't -- no store, like you think of stores today. And it keeps on changing. Now right now, then in 1916, he added trucking to that too. LINDA: Trucking? So that's when he's an ash dealer though? BABE: No, he started with regular trucking after that. Sand and gravel and so forth at that time. LINDA: So again, he'd buy the sand and gravel, and then… BABE: No, we had our own pit. LINDA: You had your own pit? BABE: Yeah. He owned the land down on Miller Street, which was back in there. LINDA: So at least we understand the chronological. BABE: Hmm? LINDA: At least we understand it a little bit more, I think. I was going from the ash business right to building. BABE: [Unintelligible - 00:24:43]. LINDA: That makes more sense. We get into trucking, gravel and sand, and then construction. And he would build these buildings himself? BABE: He did all kinds of construction work. He even built the 38 -- he had the contract for the bridge on [unintelligible - 00:25:05] Street in Pittsburgh, which was Route 2A at the time. ROSA: He put the sand and the gravel and the ashes. Didn't he make his own blocks, make blocks for construction? BABE: Started making blocks around 1920. That was part of the… LINDA: So he would use the materials that he was gathering or buying and selling? So who would he sell the blocks to? Or would he use the blocks for his own building? BABE: He would use the blocks or sell them to whoever needed them. LINDA: And how would he make the blocks? 13 BABE: From our own pit, with the sand and gravel we had there on North Smith. He would make the blocks at that time. LINDA: Was it a mold, or did people do them… BABE: It's a machine, the machine that the mold would take care of it. LINDA: What was the name of the construction company? BABE: Pellechia and Company. LINDA: Pellechia? Did they have many people working? BABE: At some times he had quite a few people. LINDA: You don't have to worry so much about those dates, because I can look through that after. I'm just trying to understand how someone comes here from nothing and owns 33 homes. BABE: It was 1925. LINDA: Sand and gravel, ashes and store. So he goes from his buggy to his truck. Now, who's Charles? BABE: That's my oldest brother. LINDA: Your oldest brother. Okay, so your brothers went into business with him? BABE: Yep. LINDA: All six of them? BABE: We all worked for him. We all worked for him. We built a lot of gas stations, too. We had quite a team. Because amongst the team there was my father, who strictly did supervisory work, figured the job and things like that. And then we had Charlie, who was [unintelligible - 00:27:09] equipment as well as piping and so forth; Red was a great laborer; Rico was a carpenter first class; I was a mason, but what I picked -- I went to trade school to be a mason, you know. So when we would get on a job we were pretty much able to do quite a bit of it ourselves. LINDA: Now, who's Red and Rico? Are those brothers? Red and Rico? BABE: Brothers. LINDA: So those are nicknames? BABE: Mm-hmm. LINDA: For who? 14 BABE: Well, DeMazzio and Enrico. LINDA: And where did you get your nickname? BABE: Babe? After 11 kids it's time to call somebody Babe. No, my sister Lena gave it to me as she said when I was a baby at that time. LINDA: So how did your brother Red learn how to build pipe for -- what did you say that he did? BABE: When you run a gas station there's a lot of pipings involved. You know, water and gasoline and so forth. That was how he -- my brother Red was a hard worker and the one that never asked for too much and always -- education-wise Red was very, very limited. In fact, one of the side stories on that is he couldn't learn his general orders in the Army, and as a result of it, on his record, they said he would never be anything other than a private, and he couldn't get any Class A pass. So they went overseas, and he had two companies that he was in that were completely all injured or so forth, and he became the top sergeant of the whole group. So he knew what to do when it was important. He had the smarts for that, but as far as the learning he just didn't have the ability to learn. LINDA: So, how did you all learn and know -- was it, were you apprenticed? Did you have any kind of… BABE: No, no you just learned from one another. That's how [unintelligible - 00:29:19] families just keep going, and it was just, you know, you started off -- and our father knew what was what and we picked it up real fast and just kept going on it. LINDA: Can you tell me or share with me an early experience of working with your father? BABE: Well, I just started, just jumped and started doing it. In fact, I was 15 years old and I built the gas station on the corner of Walnut and Main Street in Leominster. I was supervisor and so forth because they had other jobs, but it all came natural. I just enjoyed it and I just did it. In fact, 15 when I was with the trade school, at the end of the school year I was in the brick mason department, and the instructor told me, "Don't come back; you're wasting your time." LINDA: Wow. And is that why you didn't go back? BABE: Well, I had to go to work. LINDA: Well, bring me back though to a day when you're working with your father. What was it like? Did you all kind of disperse and go to different jobs? BABE: Go to different jobs. He never drove, so one of us had to drive him. One thing about him he was very honest, and he was very thorough. In fact whether we were doing a job contractor or day work he would even tell us, you do the same thing whether it's day work or contract, even if you lose money. So you know, with a bringing up like that, you can't go wrong. So of course when I was very young and we were doing a lawn on Berne Avenue, and we had the big roll that you use to roll with, and I was very young and the roll was banking, and I'll never forget I came close to the bank and I couldn't hold the roll, and it went down and right through a flower garden. That was one of the unpleasant days. [Unintelligible - 00:31:33] let me know that I did wrong. He never hit us or anything like that. But I was worried for a while on that score. But then I'd go figure jobs and then he'd take me with him, because I'm the one that probably liked it the most and did it the most. That was good days. I enjoyed it. I never resented -- I think he taught us an awful lot, so we couldn't lose with that combination. And with a mother that would watch us like we're all just a baby -- whether you're six years old or 40 years old, she wouldn't go to sleep until you were in the house. It was good times under the conditions. As I said though, we didn't know better. If I did that like -- I know that many a times on the job when things 16 were that the -- come time to eat and all we had the money for was probably a cheese sandwich or something like, that you know, just limited, which is -- my son now later on was putting in overhead doors, he had a business he did that, and he was developing by the South Shore there and he came home and he said, "Dad, you know I forgot my money today," he says, "I didn't eat." "What do you mean you didn't have no money at all?" He said "Well, I only had a dollar." I said, "You know, you still could have had a cheese sandwich." He said, "Dad, those days are gone." So that's the difference. LINDA: So, when you'd go with your father to figure jobs you said, did someone call him? Not call him probably, but contact him to build something? BABE: Yeah, people would call from his advertisement. He did advertise, and they'd call him too. You know, a lot of people wanted bids; you have to bid it. So I'd go with him a lot of times and do the bidding and help him do the bidding and so forth. As I grew older. LINDA: So would he write a contract out and then have a company sign it, or…? BABE: Most of the time you just did it with the individual, it was all by -- in those days everything was with a good shake hand, which they meant. Very rarely was there a contract drawn up. Unless it was a big job, and then they'd have that. LINDA: And who was his competitor? BABE: A lot of competitors. There was a lot of competitors. Must have been -- Leominster probably had about 15 to 20 contractors at the time when it got to contracting. LINDA: Were there any other Italians? BABE: Oh yeah. There was probably half a dozen or so I think Italians. LINDA: Did your father apprentice anyone? Did anyone begin working with him and then venture out on their own? BABE: Well, we wouldn't call it apprentice. They just did that, which is the American way to do things. You never met anybody better than 17 themselves, so that -- yeah, we had somebody. I mean, that never bothered him. LINDA: How long did your father do this kind of work? BABE: Until he retired at about age -- he stopped working I think at about age 60. LINDA: And did the company survive? Did the sons take it over? BABE: Well, what happened, we kept the thing going quite a while. Even by that time, the brothers, we went into the manufacturing of concrete blocks on a real production method. We used to manufacture quite a few a day, and that became our sole business then. LINDA: So tell me about that then. BABE: Well, we came back from the Army, and with the -- three of us were veterans, and we got a loan from the government on the G.I. Bill, and we bought this production machinery and put up a whole plant and went into manufacturing of concrete blocks all type on full production. We used to make at that time about 4,000 blocks a day and get out -- plus the building supplies that went with it. And my father first saw [unintelligible - 00:36:15] he gave us the land and he also would watch the building of it when we did that. That was in 1945. In 1946 we started selling the blocks from our new plant. LINDA: And what was the name of the company? BABE: Blocks Incorporated. LINDA: Blocks Incorporated. And you and your three brothers started… BABE: And myself yeah. [Unintelligible - 00:36:42] Well, there were three veterans, but then one wasn't there. One didn't go into the Army and he was part of the corporation. LINDA: So four brothers plus yourself? BABE: No, four brothers. LINDA: Oh, four brothers. Three [unintelligible - 00:36:55]. So you would make these blocks and then sell them to… BABE: To whoever wanted to buy them. LINDA: Do you have advertisement for that company too? 18 BABE: Yeah. LINDA: Good. And how long did you do this? BABE: We did it up until 1979. LINDA: Oh, so what happened to the business? BABE: Well, at the age of all of us at that time it was time to liquidate it, and we did. We just sold off the -- we had an auction for the equipment, we sold the real estate, and by that time we were all -- other than myself all my brothers were ready to retire. Well, one other brother, the one next older to me, he had passed away. So it was just the two oldest brothers, and it was too much at that time to run the business of that, because we built another plant after that. The original plant was at -- our second plant we were doing 8,000 a day, so -- but it's, it was competitive, and getting out to sell them and everything else, it was quite a job. So I decided -- well, what happened was actually while I was out doing all my things at the time, I left. I was still part owner, but I left to do my motels and everything else with it, and they did get in trouble financially. And I went in and helped them straighten it out again, and when we straightened it out. That's when I told them we're selling the business, and so that's what we did. So we sold it in good graces [unintelligible - 00:38:47]. LINDA: So did any of your sons -- well, you have one son, but you must have some nephews. They didn't want to take over the business? BABE: We tried and it didn't work out. My son actually went to college and so forth, so he didn't fit into that. Then my -- there weren't too many boys in the family [unintelligible - 00:39:12], and Red had two boys, and one didn't want nothing to do with it all, and the other tried and he didn't like it. So it really was limited as to who could run it after that. LINDA: Now, did you sell the blocks locally or out of state, too? BABE: Well, out of state, New Hampshire, we sell New Hampshire. And we made a special block that we did one delivery in New York City with a special block, but we also had -- my brother had invented a new face for the blocks, and the -- it was a glazed block, and we did manufacture them, 19 and there are three school in Leominster have them. The Army has it in Leominster, and we sold a school in Gill, Mass. and [unintelligible - 00:40:07] and in Worcester, so that we did do quite well with that glazed block, which did very, very good. But like I say, age probably got that business why we finally sold it. LINDA: So the blocks though were they pretty standard size? BABE: They were all standard. LINDA: And then it only changed when your brother invented the glaze? BABE: Well, they were a standard block; it was just something added to it. LINDA: Added. Did he patent that invention? BABE: We worked on patenting it, but surprisingly when you patent something, there's always something close to it. In other words they did a whole lot of research on it and we didn't think it was patentable at the end, because the concrete goes way back year and years and years, and there's always somebody that did something close to it that you -- it just wasn't patentable. LINDA: So how did he develop the glaze? Do you know? BABE: Just working at it. In other words he just -- that was Joe, and Joe was the one in the family that was probably ahead on thinking of doing things and so forth. He was the one that always experimented, in other words, come up with ideas of doing special things. LINDA: So during the time as you're part owner of this company, you did other things. Can you explain? BABE: Did he do other things? LINDA: Yes. BABE: Yes, I did all those things that you wrote down in the book there. There were a few of them. LINDA: Yeah, I know. But could you explain some of them? BABE: Okay. What do you want me to start off? Which one, the first one, the ice cream place? 20 LINDA: Is that the first one that you started? BABE: Maybe I had a little of father in me that you do different things, you know. I went to an auction, and they had an ice cream machine, a brand new one, at the auction for sale, and I bought it for $1,000. And before I left, the salesman that sold it from the Mills Company came there and he found out that I bought it, and he offered me $1,500 for it. The minute he said that I immediately said if this thing is worth $1,500 to the salesman, I'm going to see what this machine will do. And I built an ice cream place around it. That was the beginning of Babe's Ice Cream at the time. LINDA: And where was that located? BABE: On Route 12. LINDA: Route 12. BABE: [Unintelligible - 00:42:44] started that, which is very interesting. We were going to open up on July 4th, and this was in 1950. On July 2nd it was one of those hot, miserable days, miserable, real miserable, [unintelligible - 00:42:56]. And this busload pulls in. There was 38 people on the bus, and one came out. They were monks from Rhode Island of the Vow of Silence, and one came in and he said could he please have 38 glasses of water. So my wife and I packed up 38 sandwiches, 38 ice creams, 38 cold drinks, and the bus leaves. And as the bus is going out of the circular driveway, there's a bus leaving, people just funneled in. And of course I knew most of them, and they said, "Babe, how can you be so lucky that you aren't even open and you get them by the busload?" not knowing what happened. And I said I hope I don't get too many busloads, I don't want to close before I get -- so that's how we started that there. But it growed real fast after that, just kept on growing and growing and growing. It meant nothing to sell a thousand ice cream cones on a Sunday afternoon. LINDA: So you knew nothing about ice cream? 21 BABE: I knew nothing about ice cream. I knew nothing about motels, and I built a motel and ran that. I bought another motel and ran that. But the -- I didn't know anything about subdivisions, but I did that. I think a lot of my father's in me. In other words, you just keep going. As long as you do what's right, work hard, you accomplish it. In other words I won't take no for an answer when it comes to trying to do business. Because I've had people, when I went into the [unintelligible - 00:44:41] and doing hardware, I didn't mention that one. When we were doing hardware, in other words it was on the wholesale level to sell to contractors. I did that, and that was very, very difficult because they felt that I should have went to school, you know, because you got to know what hardware's proper for certain jobs. You've got to know your fire codes and so forth. And a lot of people in the beginning wouldn't sell me. They said in other words we don't want to sell to you, you do things wrong and it could come back to us. So I made it clear to them if I got to go from here to California I'm going into the business and I'm going to buy the stuff. You're either going to sell it to me or somebody else is going to sell it to me. And what that did, I got them, built up that business, which was real good. So I just did it. I think maybe I was just blind. I just went into some of these things. We got kind of carried away. We're supposed to be talking on the Italian Colony, aren't we? ROSA: This is all part of that. LINDA: This is all part of it. But as far as getting the ice cream machine and maybe the motel, were you just in the right place at the right time? Just kind of… BABE: That's probably the story of my life, yeah. I think that -- I really believe the gift of the seventh son really played a part on me. Because everything always works out. 22 LINDA: So would you like to tell us a little more about Lincoln Terrace? You're the first person I've interviewed, I'm thinking, isn't it true that grew up on Lincoln Terrace? BABE: You read this book? LINDA: I've looked at it. I haven't finished it. BABE: You haven't finished it? LINDA: No. BABE: Our family's mentioned in that quite a few times. But first of all he just about hit it on the way it was, you know. It was close-knit, Lincoln Terrace, and it was different than what today is. If you did something wrong and somebody scolded you and you went back and told your parents that the neighbor or whoever it was did this to you, you would get a call down again from him. It isn't that knock at the door saying what -- like today, you got assault and battery like that. In other words, they all watched one another. It was really a family unit up there. So you couldn't do anything wrong, and if anybody came on the street that wasn't part of the street, everybody knew about it and they watched them. So it was quite a neighborhood, it really was. And like I say, we enjoyed the -- now, the early part of it is I can look the -- they all had gardens the way they all had pigs in the back of the house, and when the fall of the year come they would all slaughter and they'd all help one another. I got that on film by the way, 8 mm. LINDA: What, the slaughtering the pigs? BABE: Yeah. LINDA: Oh, that's interesting. Now, was there a smokehouse? BABE: No. They did things themselves. They take the hams and they make the prosciutto out of those. You know how they do that? LINDA: Nuh-uh. BABE: Actually, they take the hind of the pig, and they really salt it and pepper it, all that it will take, and then they put it in most cases in the cellar up 23 against some beam or another beam, and then with a hydraulic jack or whatever kind of a jack, they keep squeezing it until the ham starts this big until it [unintelligible - 00:48:37] that big, but the salt and the pepper is actually curing it out. You heard of that, did you? No? So they did that. They made the meat, they made the sausages. Very few people used to cook the blood. We never did that, but a few of them did and make the… use that. But the whole pork chops, the whole thing, they saved every bit of it. LINDA: Now, did most people have a pig? BABE: In Lincoln Terrace they did. LINDA: They did. BABE: Yep, in those days. LINDA: So they'd all get together on one day and … BABE: They always worked together. Helped one another do things. LINDA: Was that day called something in particular? BABE: No. LINDA: No. BABE: No, and then like the -- I got a large grapevine. See, the whole hill did [unintelligible - 00:49:37] grape used to make his own wine. Then they all had big gardens. And another thing the Italian women up on Lincoln Terrace, on tomato time they would actually make tomato paste. I don't know if you ever saw that. They would have all these boards of pine nice and clean, they spread all the tomato on it, and then put one of those nets on it that they used to cover babies in a carriage to keep the flies out and so forth. And just by working that they made their own tomato paste. And they'd do all different things like that, you know, which they don't do today. It's easier to go to the store today and buy it. 24 LINDA: So when they slaughtered the pig and they made the prosciutto and et cetera… BABE: [Unintelligible - 00:50:24]. LINDA: When they slaughtered the pig, how did they store the -- how did they store what they had made? BABE: Mostly in the cellar. The meats [unintelligible - 00:50:34] like they'd make the sausage and they'd hang them up to dry. They had them covered and they'd hang them up to dry, and they would dry until they dried out with the [unintelligible - 00:50:45] it was all ice boxes what they had then, you know. But they'd have a place in the cellar which was damp enough or so forth that would last -- none of it wasted; they certainly ate it all before anything got to be wasted. LINDA: Was there any trading between families? BABE: I wouldn't say so, no. They had it all. They would give it to somebody like that, but there wouldn't be any trading. If somebody needed something, they would give it to them. LINDA: For some reason I can't remember what you call this, but when you dig out, let's say, a little hill when you keep food in it, what is that called? BABE: They didn't do that. They had it all in the cellar. ROSA: They just used the cellar cold. They can't do it today -- you can't do it today with the heat in the houses, but in those days the cellars were damp and cold sausages could be strung up in the rafters. And prosciutto. They made their sausages with the tubing, I remember seeing them. LINDA: Was that a long process, making the sausage? BABE: Well you got a 300-pound pig; you got a little work to do. You've got quite a bit of meat there to… ROSA: They'd grind it … LINDA: Now, was that woman's work, men's work? BABE: Oh, they all worked. The women did the cooking. They did a lot of that there, and the women probably -- some of the women would put the 25 [rosin] in the hot water to clean the hair of the animals. Hot water and rosin [unintelligible - 00:52:29] take the hair all off. LINDA: Was the skin used for anything? BABE: Yeah, they cooked that up. ROSA: Salt pork. BABE: Yeah. LINDA: So that's really what salt pork is? BABE: There was no waste. Probably threw the hoof away, didn't use that. ROSA: The head. LINDA: Did they throw the head away, or did they use part of it? BABE: Some people ate the head. Yeah some did. We didn't. ROSA: The ears, too. BABE: They all had chickens. LINDA: [Unintelligible - 00:53:05] throw the head away! BABE: And they all had chickens. In fact, my mother had her own little hobby [unintelligible - 00:53:11] times she had chickens and the eggs, and you know, feed the family, and if there's any eggs over she would sell them to the neighbor. So she would do that. My mother never learned to speak English too well even though she did the answering for my father, but it was -- my father could interpret what she would say even though she was saying it wrong. Like there was a company called Bowen and Fuller in Leominster, and my father always said this to people that they called my mother and have your husband come, we've got some deliveries to make, and she asked what company they said Bowen and Fuller. She said "Damn Fool?" He said no, Bowen and Fuller. She asked two or three times and yes. So my father came home, and she said, "Damn Fool wants you to pick up." So he knew them when he went there. The guy says, [unintelligible - 00:54:09] your message and the guy says yes. But they did understand one another. Of course the guy knew that she wasn't doing it to insult him 26 or anything. She didn't know any different on that. But she never learned the -- very, very little English. My father, working with the French people, he learned to speak French, and he learned the English right away, and of course he had the Italian. LINDA: Well, what about you and your brothers and sisters? Did you speak Italian? BABE: We understood it and so forth. They can speak it, but very [unintelligible - 00:54:50], and I can understand quite a bit what happens. Incidentally the three oldest children went to a French school at that time, and they learned French also. LINDA: What school? St. Cecelia's? BABE: St. Cecelia's, yeah. They went three years and then the French people needed a school for themselves and they transferred to St. [unintelligible - 00:55:14] school. LINDA: Now, I heard some people tell me that they weren't allowed to speak Italian in their homes after they learned English at school. Was that true for your family? BABE: Nope. No, we always spoke it. But my wife now, when she came over -- she came from Italy, and I didn't -- and when she came home with the school -- she's not from here, she's from Pennsylvania. But she refused to learn English until the teachers got -- one friendly teacher, "But why don't you want to learn?" She says, "I won't be able to speak to my mother and father then." She thought she'd lose the English. And after that day she made all kinds of honors in school. So she -- but in our house, now, my children, two of them they didn't speak -- we never spoke in Italian, but -- so we [unintelligible - 00:56:12] secret family thing when you're in front of the children, we'd speak Italian, my wife and I, not to be heard, but that's all done now because my daughter went out and became a professor of Italian history, so that brought us out. We can't even… 27 LINDA: So was it important for your family, your father and mother, for their children to assimilate, to become more American? BABE: We never discussed that. I don't think that ever came a thing -- you do the best you can do. That was about the biggest teaching that my father ever gave. Do the best you can do, stay out of trouble. And the other thing he always was a stickler for was he said you always respect authority. He said if someone does something wrong you respect it, you do it when you come home, you tell me about it, and I will take care of it. Of course it was just [unintelligible - 00:57:06] he never did anything everything after it, but meanwhile he kept peace in the family. LINDA: So he didn't want you to confront an adult; he would. BABE: Nope, and you know, in most cases you don't win with authority. You listen to it, and that's it. LINDA: So tell me about your mother. What was she like? BABE: My mother was strictly a loving for her children. She'd do anything for us. To quote my wife, which we shouldn't put on tape… LINDA: You don't want to? BABE: No, I'll tell you what my wife says about my mother. If it's not on tape. LINDA: If it's not on tape, okay. BABE: One of the things that happened though before [unintelligible - 00:57:56] we got married, my wife would go with my sister shopping and so forth. And in our house everybody -- they're all married now, but everybody would end up at the kitchen table at nighttime after the day's work, and my mother would -- you know, there was just the two of them, my mother and father at home, but there was always two or three pounds of spaghetti made, and we'd all eat there and then go home and say we're not hungry. But there was this one day we're there and my wife and my sister went shopping. They were late when they came in, so my brother-in-law and I said so let's have some fun. So the minute they came in, I says "Tina, where have you been? You know I worked all hard all day. I come home 28 and I want to eat." And so she says, "Well, we shopped." And my mother spoke up, she says, "That's not right. You got to feed your husband when he comes…" Well, then my brother-in-law to my sister says the same thing, you know. And my mother spoke up, and maybe she had something important to do. Same conversation. So -– but she was [unintelligible - 00:59:07] she was sick for a while. She had lost one eye too, and so for a while she was a -- but she could find -- after that she could find things that we couldn't, with that one eye. We would lose something and she would find it, even a pin or something like that, but… LINDA: Did she come from -- she came from Italy but differently than your father? I mean … BABE: Three years later. 1909 she came. LINDA: Did she come directly to Leominster? BABE: Well, she landed in Boston. Now, how she got there from Italy I don't have any information on that. LINDA: Do you know how your parents met each other? BABE: Probably out in the farm someplace, I would guess, because that's all they did; they were farmers. Even the woman worked the farms out there and so forth. So, a lot of them out there worked in [unintelligible - 01:00:03] actually who worked for the people that owned the land. LINDA: Where? BABE: In Italy. LINDA: Oh, they knew each other in Italy? BABE: Oh yeah. LINDA: Oh. 29 BABE: When she came here she -- well, that picture there shows her when she came in 19 -- with her children there, that's the picture when she came in 1909. LINDA: Okay. BABE: One of those. LINDA: Okay, so they knew each other in Italy? BABE: Yeah, they got married in Italy. They got married in Italy. LINDA: Then came here separately. BABE: Yes. LINDA: Not at the same time? BABE: No. LINDA: Okay, I didn't understand that. Did they have children [unintelligible - 01:00:45]? BABE: Yeah, yeah. This one here it was 1910 when she came. There was three of them. There was the three. They would be 1, 2, 3 that she came back with. Of course she came here in 1909, 1910 there was another one added at that time. LINDA: So your father came without the family first and then brought them over? BABE: They all did that. They all boarded. If you will look at the directory, they all, the Italians all boarded someplace. They -- none of them had their own home or anything like that in the beginning, so their wives came over and then they would find a place. LINDA: So growing up and you're working with your father, did you work six days a week? BABE: Sometimes seven. Not too often, but sometimes we'd have things to do and we'd do it. So in other words you have to realize when I got to the working age, I was in the Depression, actually. So you took it as you could get it as far as work is concerned. LINDA: Did you work out during the daylight hours? 30 BABE: Oh yeah. We generally got home [unintelligible - 01:02:06] unless there was an emergency job you stayed later. We'd get home about five, five thirty from a job, start at eight o'clock in the morning. LINDA: And then you would eat dinner with your parents? BABE: Mm-hmm. LINDA: And who made the dinner? BABE: My mother. LINDA: What about your sisters? BABE: They were married by that time. Don't forget, they were completely -- they were much older than I was, so they were -- by the time that I started eating, you know, they were married. LINDA: So tell me what kind of things you ate. The types of things your mother made. BABE: All the good things that I like. LINDA: Which is what? BABE: She made spaghetti, pasta [la jour], even polenta. I know you know what that is. LINDA: Mm-hmm. BABE: In those days that was a poor man's meal. Today you go in restaurants you pay a fancy price for it. LINDA: I should have said no, I don't know what it is so you can explain to us on tape. I'll have to get that sometime. So what's polenta? BABE: Lentils, I like lentils. She used to make that, different soups. I'm sorry, what did you say? LINDA: What's polenta? What is it? BABE: Corn -- mush is what it is, actually. LINDA: How would she serve that? BABE: We'd put it on the board, on the table, you spread it all over a board, and then what we'd do, the fun we'd have is try to decide what we're going to carve, and everybody would just carve whatever shape we wanted. And another thing she'd do too at times would be so we would eat all of it, 31 she'd put meat in the middle, and you had to work your way. If you didn't work your way you wouldn't get to the meat. You know, whether it was a meatball a piece of pork chop something like that. LINDA: So it was kind of polite eating. You eat from the outside in? You don't just dig in. BABE: No, no you have to work your way in, clean the road as you go. But on holidays, surprisingly, my father would do the cooking. I know on Easter especially he would make the ham and fix it all up and put the garlic in it and so forth. He always did that. LINDA: Now, during the Depression, did you eat meat at all, or was that really a luxury? BABE: It was a luxury. LINDA: Were different foods prepared on a Sunday compared to the rest of the week? BABE: Yes, Sunday you would have a bigger meal. And during the height of the Depression, we'd probably get oranges at Christmastime, maybe a banana at Christmastime. The rest of the year you didn't need it, so you didn't get it. LINDA: Do you want to go back to your jobs then? BABE: My jobs? LINDA: Yeah, jobs. BABE: Such as? LINDA: Or your companies or your interests. Like the motels. How did you get involved in the motels? BABE: Well, we went out to get some materials. It was in New Jersey, picking up some pallets for the block plant at that time, and it was next door to a motel, the pallets and so forth, and I started talking to the fellow and so forth. And [unintelligible - 01:05:44] the business, and now I had the ice cream place, I had the tourist stopping, so the brain just clicked in it would be nice to have a motel in Leominster. We had none. That was the first one. So that's what I did. I built a motel. 32 LINDA: Where did you build it? BABE: On Route 12 right next to my ice cream place. So that -- I didn't have any money at that time, so that was a problem. I went to the bank, it was the first bank I went to, told them I wanted $25,000, to borrow $25,000, said what are you going to do and I explained. They said you can't do that for that price. I said oh yes, I can I buy all my materials wholesale, and I do all the work myself. And he said well, in that case you have to give me a list of what it's going to cost you because I can only loan you 80 percent of what you're going to pay. So my answer to him was you really don't want me to build the motel, do you? But I fought it. Like I say, I made up my mind I was going to fight it and I did, so I just kept going and we built it. LINDA: So did you end up borrowing the money from a bank? BABE: Oh yeah, I got money from a bank—not that bank though, another bank. But then I started with eight rooms and built another eight and built another eight, and then four more on that same site, and so that worked out good. That was a good business. LINDA: And you kept the ice cream business in addition? BABE: Yeah. LINDA: So who ran the motel? BABE: Hmm? LINDA: Who ran the motel? BABE: I did. There was nobody else to run it. My wife was busy with the children at that time. LINDA: I thought there were only 24 hours in a day! That's why I'm asking. BABE: Well, I still slept three hours. You get up in the morning at eight o'clock. About eight we'd go have some breakfast and then close about two o'clock. Three nights a week I'd make ice cream until about three or four o'clock in the morning. Then with the motel beside it, you get -- break up during the night, people checking in late, so that was the schedule for a number of years. 33 LINDA: Where were you living at this time? BABE: We built a house in back of the motel and ice cream place. LINDA: Okay. So did you advertise for the motel? BABE: Yeah, we did advertise on that. LINDA: So who was staying in the motel, people visiting? BABE: We had -- mostly it was a commercial motel and we had mostly salesmen, engineers, buyers. It was all very good class of business that we had, and tourists and so forth, but we had quite a reputation that we even had quite a few of the national companies that if they were within 50 miles of our place such as Gates Rubber from Colorado, Singer Sewing Machine, if any of their people were within 50 miles of our motel, we had direct billing with them, they'd stop with us. But we made it very, very comfortable for them, because we learned very early that a salesman or an engineer or anybody that's traveling alone is the most lonesome guy in the world. So the thing that we would do is if a guy comes in and he could be with the plastic industry, he's alone, somebody else we know is in the motel in the plastic business he's alone, we have them meet one another. They'd go out and from then on they'd come back, because they knew that it was always -- they were going to meet somebody there instead of just sitting in a room all night long. And we built up a wonderful business that way. In fact, even -- we had a regular customer of ours once got in an automobile accident, and he couldn't go back home and we were full, and we asked [unintelligible - 01:09:51] two people of other customers that one of our customers was in an accident and can't go home, would you mind packing up and leaving? They did. LINDA: Wow. BABE: You know, which is so unusual. We explained what it was, but even that was a family affair that they would. It was a lot of fun. We had a lot of 34 fun doing that. One of the regulars that came in would we would always be pulling jokes, stuff like -- one time he brought somebody in and my wife was in Florida with her mother at the time, so I don't know what made me do it, but this guy was saying I've got to meet your wife, I hear so much about it from the other guys. So I said, yeah, but you know, when you talk to her she's hard of hearing, so then I pick up my wife and I said this wonderful guy from Chicago is in room 9. Wonderful guy. He was doing management surveys for the [unintelligible - 01:10:58] on Adams Street. So I told Tina he's hard of hearing. So now when they come in, they're all there, because they always -- we had a lawn area that we sit at, and so I said, Tina there's the guy, so, "How are you," and they're hollering like two idiots back and forth, and everybody starts laughing. But it was good for a joke. But they all accepted it as such, and that's it. Now, the one I got to say on the ice cream place now, I'm going to take a [unintelligible - 01:11:30] had his favorite place. I gave ice cream to every church in Leominster but my own. We'll have to continue. LINDA: We were talking about you had a story about churches and giving ice cream. BABE: Yes, I gave ice cream to every church in Leominster but St. Anne's, my church. Because what would happen, even the synagogues, the Jewish would call up and they want ice cream, how much is it. And I'd say $5 a tub. When I'd bring it up I'd give them a receipted bill. My own people, when they'd call, they'd say, "Oh, we can buy it for $4.50," so I never had the opportunity to give it to them, right? LINDA: Really? BABE: That was in six years I think I gave to every church in Leominster but my own. Now, I never told them I was going to give it to them for nothing. They asked me what the price was. The price was $5 a tub. So I guess that's all right. We all still made it. 35 LINDA: How long did you keep the ice cream? BABE: From 1950 to 1958. LINDA: And what about the motel? BABE: Motel, sold that in '64. LINDA: You had two didn't you? BABE: Yep, sold the other one about the same time. The other one I bought. I didn't build the other one. LINDA: And what was that, West… BABE: West [unintelligible - 01:12:59] Motel. LINDA: Is that the one that's across from -- well, it's Sam's now -- I mean, not Sam's, Walmart. Is that the one? BABE: No, it's up further. It's at the junction of 110 and 12. LINDA: All right. So again, give me an idea of what a day was like for you when you owned both the ice cream shop and the motel. BABE: Hectic. Get up in the morning, help out at the place… you know, noon time was busy there and so forth. And then at night start checking in people at the motel, then come back and make the ice cream. Like I said, I did all my building in the wintertime, too. [Unintelligible - 01:13:48] like I built the motel myself, I did that all. And the other thing we did during that time again was one summer, which was really -- my wife got me involved, and we built -- with the people of Leominster now, they're very generous; we built a swimming pool for the Nazareth Home for Boys. So I'm the owner, I'm doing the blocks, and I'm doing all the rebuilding of it. And people always like to have fun, and I had fellows working for me, a police officer mowing my lawn at the motel and stuff. And I know that the day I laid blocks I was just about dead, and I come home and [unintelligible - 01:14:35] is really doing good you hired people to do work for you, you're getting lazy. 36 But that was all, it was a lot of work, just busy, busy. But I enjoyed it. I think someone said one time that work won't kill you, and it didn't. LINDA: It sounds like your wife was supportive. Very supportive. BABE: Yeah, she is. She did. She had to take care of the children, and she also, at the same time, she was taking care of her sister's. She was one of the waitress I had. She had to waitress, she took care of their two children too, then at night she would come up and help with serving customers. Although she was a troublemaker. She's the one that liked to joke with the customers. For example, we used to have -- a new product came out, the ketchup that you squeeze it, the pump it, they called it. On Saturday night we'd get those big gang of dancers come in, dress suits, ties. So this one guy was trying to get the ketchup on and it wouldn't work on a hamburger. We said, "Tina, why don't you throw these away? They don't work." So she says, "You don't mind if I squeeze it at you?" "Go ahead," he says, so of course, ketchup all the way down his face. She never worked on Saturdays, but one Saturday she's working and one of our good customers from Connecticut would come by every Saturday with his wife and family going to New Hampshire camping. I'm outside talking to the guys and he came out and said, "You know, I don't know who that new waitress you got, but you better fire her or you won't have no customers left." I said, "Which one?" I said, "I can't fire her, she owns it!" But it was always funny, and I think that's what kept it going. It wasn't -- we enjoyed it, and that's probably what kept us going. We didn't look at it as a job or as work. We looked at it as something to do, and we were happy while we did it. LINDA: Did you have many employees? 37 BABE: Well, probably on the weekends was the most. It was probably about eight or nine of us on a weekend working. LINDA: Working at the ice cream shop, or… BABE: As far as the motel, it only required -- two girls would work just in the morning. That was separate girls, you know. A few hours they would have the rooms all ready. Then my children, we had the miniature golf. LINDA: Oh, that's right did. You built the miniature golf next to the ice cream shop? BABE: Yeah. LINDA: Now, where did you get that idea? BABE: I saw one, and I thought it would be nice to have, so I built one. LINDA: So, again, would that be the first miniature golf place in Leominster? BABE: No, there had been one for years and years up on North Main Street behind the bowling alleys. The motel was the first one in Leominster. LINDA: Well, then tell me about building the miniature golf. You actually designed it and built it? BABE: No, I didn't design it. The people I bought the equipment from did the designing of it. But I built it, I put it in there. Everything was designed by them, and I bought all the fixtures and so forth from them. LINDA: And then your children worked there? BABE: Yeah. LINDA: So how did you and your wife feel about education for your children? BABE: We felt tops for education. We probably made a couple of mistakes educating our children. To be very honest, I think St. Ann's, my son went there, and I think that was a mistake because there was [unintelligible - 01:18:44] 60 kids in the first grade. And had he went to where I went to school, they had 11 children. It would have been almost like a private tutoring. So what we did with him to pick up, we sent him to Julie Country Day afterwards, which is a private school, and from there he went to Worcester Academy. LINDA: I guess I'm interested to know how something like that happens. 38 BABE: Like what? LINDA: Like that you went to the 9th grade, you said, and your father is an immigrant who came over here to work so hard, and you know, he may not have had much schooling, and then all of a sudden your son is going to Worcester Academy. BABE: Because I wanted him to go there. LINDA: Because you wanted him… BABE: Oh yeah. LINDA: And why did you want him… BABE: In fact, [unintelligible - 01:19:34] when people ask me what I did I say I'm a bum. And of course my son must have heard me two or three times and, I know when he was ready to go to college, he said, "Dad, I don't want to go to college. I want to be a bum." I said, "You're going to be an educated bum." And he went to college, which he did very, very good [unintelligible - 01:19:51]. But no, we felt that the he lacked the basic knowledge at the very beginning. /AT/pa/mlb/es
In the 15-years I have served in the United States Army, the focal point of my tactical and academic study has been almost entirely centered on the Middle East and its unique cultural complexities. As an Infantryman, I was embroiled in the early efforts to prevent a Sunni-Shia civil war in post-invasion Iraq, while also hunting down al-Qaeda operatives under the leadership of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. A year later, during General Patraeus's troop surge, I was in the urban sprawl of Northwest Baghdad fighting not only a Sunni insurgency, but also the Iranian-backed Jaysh al-Mahdi, comprised of local Shia militia groups. In 2010, I led a battalion reconnaissance team in the Arghandab River Valley of Afghanistan against the Taliban near the very birthplace of their Salafi-jihadist movement. In subsequent years, following my graduation from the Special Forces Qualification Course, I served in the 5th Special Forces Group (SFG) on a variety of missions in support of Operation Inherent Resolve in Turkey and Syria. As a fluent Arabic speaker, I was heavily involved in early efforts to train and equip the Free Syrian Army for its fight against the Islamic State. Following this deployment, I served as a liaison officer to the United States Embassy and Turkish General Staff in Ankara, having daily interaction with foreign dignitaries, defense attachés, and military officials in strategic level planning and coordination efforts. I culminated my time with 5th SFG as the assistant operations sergeant of a detachment fighting the Islamic State in Syria. My understanding of the culture of jihad, the various jihadist groups operating throughout the Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility, and the intricacy of Middle Eastern problem sets as a whole, has come from years of dedicated cultural analysis, in-depth study of Sunni and Shia Islam, and field experience from the strategic to the tactical level. It is because of this experience that I am compelled to discuss the culture of jihad in the 21st Century. ; Winner of the 2020 Friends of the Kreitzberg Library Award for Outstanding Research in the College of Graduate and Continuing Studies Degree Completion category. ; 1 The Culture of Jihad in the 21st Century Michael J. Bearden Norwich University SOCI401: Cultural and Anthropology Studies Dr. Timothy Maynard April 30, 2020 2 The Culture of Jihad in the 21st Century In the 15-years I have served in the United States Army, the focal point of my tactical and academic study has been almost entirely centered on the Middle East and its unique cultural complexities. As an Infantryman, I was embroiled in the early efforts to prevent a Sunni-Shia civil war in post-invasion Iraq, while also hunting down al-Qaeda operatives under the leadership of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. A year later, during General Patraeus's troop surge, I was in the urban sprawl of Northwest Baghdad fighting not only a Sunni insurgency, but also the Iranian-backed Jaysh al-Mahdi, comprised of local Shia militia groups. In 2010, I led a battalion reconnaissance team in the Arghandab River Valley of Afghanistan against the Taliban near the very birthplace of their Salafi-jihadist movement. In subsequent years, following my graduation from the Special Forces Qualification Course, I served in the 5th Special Forces Group (SFG) on a variety of missions in support of Operation Inherent Resolve in Turkey and Syria. As a fluent Arabic speaker, I was heavily involved in early efforts to train and equip the Free Syrian Army for its fight against the Islamic State. Following this deployment, I served as a liaison officer to the United States Embassy and Turkish General Staff in Ankara, having daily interaction with foreign dignitaries, defense attachés, and military officials in strategic level planning and coordination efforts. I culminated my time with 5th SFG as the assistant operations sergeant of a detachment fighting the Islamic State in Syria. My understanding of the culture of jihad, the various jihadist groups operating throughout the Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility, and the intricacy of Middle Eastern problem sets as a whole, has come from years of dedicated cultural analysis, in-depth study of Sunni and Shia Islam, and field experience from the strategic to the tactical level. It is because of this experience that I am compelled to discuss the culture of jihad in the 21st Century. 3 Since its beginning in circa 610 CE, when the prophet Muhammad ibn Abdullah was visited by the angel Gabriel in a cave near Mecca, Islam has shaken the foundations of the Middle East and remained in a state of near-perpetual conflict with the Western world. Islam is an Arabic term most closely relating to the English words submission or surrender. Mujahedeen, or holy warriors, spread this new religion by the sword throughout Asia, forcing the "submission" of thousands, and have hardly been at peace with their neighbors since. Centuries later, in the two decades following the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon in the United States, radical Islam's stance against the West has altered the diplomatic landscape between the world's great powers, fundamentally changed the United States' national strategic direction, and caused youth from all walks of life to sacrifice the best years of their lives in holy war to protect the supra-national community of Islam. From the invasion of Afghanistan to the subsequent invasions of Iraq and Syria to the ongoing peace talks with the Taliban, diplomatic and military efforts to eradicate jihadists from the Middle East have to-date been nearly ineffectual. Not only have these efforts failed to contain or defeat jihad, but at times have served to strengthen Islamic extremists' resolve in their call to arms against the West. Because jihad is such a fundamental part of the Islamic faith, it can never be "defeated" in the sense of traditional military eradication of an enemy force, but it can be confronted, contained, or refocused, as this paper will address. I argue that enabling local solutions and promoting education, alongside tailored surgical strike and security cooperation operations where necessary, are the keys to confronting, containing, and countering jihad. 4 Background Defining Jihad and Salafism Jihad is a transliterated form of the Arabic word meaning to struggle or to strive. In the traditional teachings of the Islamic faith, jihad is broken into two distinct categories: Greater jihad and lesser jihad. Greater jihad includes the personal struggle against selfish desires, emphasizing discipline and morality, as well as the struggle against Satan and the forces of evil. It includes jihad of the heart, jihad of the mind, and jihad of the tongue, involving praise for those who follow the will of Allah and correction for those who have gone astray (Gorka, 2016). The second category, lesser jihad, is viewed as the struggle against the enemies of Islam and the defense of its people. Lesser jihad is commonly referred to as Jihad of the Sword. Gorka (p. 60) reveals that, over time, this category of jihad has been used as justification for at least seven different subsets of holy war: 1. Using holy war to build an empire 2. Going after apostate regimes or individuals 3. Revolting against non-pious Muslim leaders 4. Fighting against the forces of imperialism in Muslim lands 5. Countering the West's pagan influence 6. Guerrilla warfare against a foreign invader 7. Using jihad as justification for terrorist attacks against civilian targets In a broad sense, lesser jihad can be viewed as offensive or defensive martial action. On the offensive side, jihadists use religion to justify building an empire, such as the Islamic State, attack apostate regimes, like those of the Taliban against Afghan government forces, and use terrorism against civilians, like the attacks on the World Trade Center. This offensive action 5 often takes jihadists beyond the borders of the ummah, or the people of Islam, striking fear into hearts of unbelievers around the globe. The defensive variety, especially in recent history, has most often correlated directly with the use of guerrilla warfare against foreign invaders, such as al-Qaeda's attacks on the international military coalitions that invaded Afghanistan and Iraq. This radical view of Islam is mostly practiced by those who follow the way of the Salafi, or the pious predecessors from the time of Muhammad, who experienced Islam in its purest form. It is believed that the first three generations who practiced the teachings of the prophet Muhammad are the ones who all Muslims thereafter should try to emulate. Themes of Salafism focus on complete adherence to sharia law, the fight against apostate Muslim regimes, and the spread and protection of Islam and its followers. At its core, Salafism is a very traditionalist view of Islam and has been practiced by multiple 21st Century terrorist organizations. The terms jihad and Salafi have shared such a close relationship in the last few decades that they have become nearly synonymous, at times described as Salafi-Jihadism or Jihadi-Salafism (Gorka, 2016; Nilsson, 2019) What Cultural Influences Lead One to the Path of Jihad? Before the attacks on 9/11, the largest call to jihad answered by the international Muslim community was in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. Stopping the spread of communism and defending the ummah against the atrocities of Russian ground forces was seen as a noble and just cause for young Muslim men, and not just among Muslims (Gorka, 2016; Nilsson, 2019). Many nations, including the United States, funded, equipped, and trained the Afghan mujahedeen (those who conduct jihad) for the fight against the Soviet empire. Jihad in the 21st Century has been viewed in a much different light, as it is most closely associated with acts of extreme violence against Western nations. While the piles of rubble that used to be the 6 World Trade Center smoldered, and a gaping hole scarred the wall of the Pentagon, people of the world were forced to ask themselves, "How could a person do this? Why would someone take their own lives and thousands of others in the name of Allah?" Religious Justification for Jihad. Though jihad has become almost entirely associated with Islamic holy war, the term itself is still simply the Arabic word for striving. Struggling against one's selfish desires, striving to maintain traditional values, and defending a community against a common enemy are not just Islamic concepts, they are universal to most tightly-knit cultures. Similarly, Christians and Jews are taught self-discipline, adherence to moral codes, and defending their belief against enemies of their faith. So, why has the Islamic flavor of this common cultural theme become so violent, causing deep unrest around the world in our modern era? Verses from the Qur'an can begin to unpack why horrific public executions, suicide bombings, and advocating for generalized violence against non-Muslims may be justifiable in jihadist culture. The Qur'an (2015) lays out the following decree in chapter 9, verse 29: Fight those from among the People of the Book who believe not in Allah, nor in the Last Day, nor hold as unlawful what Allah and His Messenger have declared to be unlawful, nor follow the true religion, until they pay the tax with their own hand and acknowledge their subjection (p. 208). My personal study of Islam and conversations with Muslims in the field revealed that this bit of prose has been used as motivation and justification for jihad by groups like al-Qaeda, the Taliban, the Islamic State, and Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham of our modern age. Some of the following themes are evident in the translation: 7 • Jews and Christians are recognized as People of the Book, but are required to accept the following—Allah as the one true god, sharia as the acceptable law, and Islam as the one true religion. • If Jews and Christians refuse to accept these statutes, they must pay a tax called the jizyah to show their subjugation. • If they refuse to do either of these, they are to be put to the sword (p. 208). Salafi-jihadist groups such as the Taliban and Islamic State have tried to revive the jizyah tax in areas under their control. Likewise, hundreds of Christians, Jews, and even Muslims who refuse to adhere to strict sharia law have been publicly executed. This vehement enforcement of arcane Islamic law is seen as a return to the purest form of Islam, as pious as the first few generations who followed the Prophet Muhammad. Another common religious cultural theme that ties these jihadist organizations together is a message of religious oppression. They preach to young Muslims that the Islamic world is under siege by the West and that their god, their value systems, and their way of life are being threatened by the evils of capitalism and democracy (Venhaus, 2010). In joining organizations like al-Qaeda or the Islamic State, young men from across the globe find a sense of purpose and direction in their cause to protect the ummah. This theme is manifested in the teachings of Anwar al-Awlaki, the spiritual leader of al-Qaeda and the father of home-grown terrorism in the United States. He calls on Muslims living among those in the West: How can your conscience allow you to live in peaceful coexistence with a nation that is responsible for the tyranny and crimes committed against your own brothers and sisters? How can you have your loyalty to a government that is leading the war against Islam and Muslims? Hence, my advice to you is this, you have two choices: either hijra [migration 8 to an Islamic land] or jihad. You either leave or you fight. You leave and live among Muslims or you stay behind and fight with your hand, your wealth, and your word. I specifically invite the youth to either fight in the West or join their brothers on the fronts of jihad: Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia (as cited in Gorka, 2016). This way of thinking is also captured in chapter 9, verse 5 of the Qur'an (2015): Kill the idolaters wherever you find them and take them prisoners, and beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them at every place of ambush. But if they repent and observe Prayer and pay the Zakat, then leave their way free (p. 204). When taken literally, as they are by followers of Salafi-jihad, scriptures such as these leave no choice. To these men who have committed themselves fully to the ways of the pious ones, they are compelled to become shahid, or martyrs in the protection of the ummah. The Qur'an promises paradise for those who do: Surely, Allah has purchased of the believers their persons and their property in return for the Garden they shall have; they fight in the cause of Allah, and they slay and are slain—a promise the He has made incumbent on Himself in the Torah, and the Gospel, and the Qur'an. And who is more faithful to his promise than Allah? Rejoice, then, in your bargain which you have made with Him; and that it is which is the supreme triumph (p. 222). The concept of becoming a martyr in the struggle for Islam is romanticized by jihadist groups, like al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, and even state governments in local programming. In Lebanon, Mothers of Martyrs are interviewed to share the stories of their sons' glorious end while fighting abroad against the infidels (Venhaus, 2010). The Qur'an itself calls this sacrifice the supreme triumph for a jihadist, striving for the glory of Allah. 9 Though enforcing the jizyah, publicly executing those who do not follow sharia law, and seeking opportunities to kill infidels through suicide attacks represent a very small, extremist cultural sect of Islam, each of these practices is still justifiable if one looks to the Qur'an. This could be viewed as no different than a rural Pentecostal church in the Deep South who maintains strict standards for how women must dress and act: it all comes down to interpretation and a community's willingness to subjugate themselves to these standards. Spiritual leaders of jihadist groups in the 21st Century have used the Qur'an as continued justification for a variety of cruel, inhumane, and brutal actions that served to shock the West. The holy book of Islam acts as the essential glue, binding together all facets of Arab and Islamic culture. Artistic Inspiration for Jihad. A far cry from the harsh proclamations of the Qur'an, Arabic poetry predates Islam by centuries and serves as a bedrock of Arabic culture across the Middle East. Early desert nomads composed poems mostly in mono-rhyme and in one of sixteen standard canonical measures, which made them easy to commit to memory (Creswell & Haykel, 2015). Naturally, this beautiful form of cultural expression has found a home in the modern jihadist movement, where it has become an inspiration for new recruits to join the cause and crucial in the sustainment of those already fighting infidels abroad. Creswell and Haykel assert that although analysts have generally ignored this facet of jihadist culture, it is woven deeply into the fabric of modern Islamic extremism. Osama bin Laden, most recognized as the former head of al-Qaeda, was also a highly-celebrated jihadist poet. Without question, his lyrical genius inspired young Arabs with stories of a return to the heroic and chivalrous past of Islam. One of his most famous works celebrates the martyrdom of the 9/11 hijackers. This is a theme among modern jihadist poetry, which preserves the tales of suicide bombers, the conquered apostate regimes of Iraq and Syria, and the glories of jihadist heroes (Creswell & Haykel). Likewise, in a 10 group of individuals who have each traveled far from home to defend Islam against the kuffar, these poems help to establish a sense of cultural identity, strengthening their wartime bond and solidifying their resolve. In seeing the videos of the Islamic State as they carved a path of destruction across large swathes of Iraq in early 2014, it may be difficult for one to believe that its members were motivated by the rhythmic lines of jihadist poetry. It is hard to accept that the same young fighter who is willing to behead an infidel for all the free world to see, could also be found passionately reciting lines celebrating the glorious return of an Islamic caliphate. During its rise, the Islamic State capitalized on the lyrical talent of a Damascus-born woman named Ahlam al-Nasr. In her first broadcast, called the Blaze of Truth, she sang each one of her 107 works a cappella, in accordance with the Islamic State's ban on musical instruments. The video was uploaded to Youtube, receiving thousands of views and further shares on multiple social media platforms (Creswell & Haykel, 2015). In the early days of the group's brutal campaign in Iraq, al-Nasr celebrated victory in Mosul as a new dawn for the country: "Ask Mosul, city of Islam, about the lions— how their fierce struggle brought liberation. The land of glory has shed its humiliation and defeat and put on the raiment of splendor" (as cited in Creswell & Haykel, 2015). Her choice of words helps one sense her deep passion for jihad, hidden within the lines. Mujahedeen are called lions and liberators. Mosul is called both a city of Islam and a land of 11 glory that, because of its liberation, has been released from the chains of shame and can now live in the splendor and pride of its former renown. Poetry has succored those serving in times of war for hundreds, even thousands of years. In the same manner, this key element of artistic cultural expression has helped bind together the modern jihadi movement, capturing the heroic deeds of martyrs who would otherwise remain nameless and unrecognized by the outside world. Serving in lands far away from home, young jihadists find inspiration, strength, and a renewed sense of identity in these haunting bits of rhyme. Social Pressure to Join Jihad. Abdullah Anas was an Algerian who served as one of the mujahedeen in Afghanistan in the 1980s and spent several years studying under Abdullah Azzam, the Palestinian "Father of Resistance to the Soviets" (Gall, 2020). Working to help Algerians achieve nonviolent change in their government, Anas, now in his 60s, has spent a life living and working among jihadists. To Anas, jihad is a fundamental principle of Muslim culture through which mujahedeen receive rewards in heaven: "I will never denounce jihad. As a Muslim, I know this to be a noble deed—where man can be the most beastly" (Gall). In a study of three Swedish jihadists, with experiences ranging from 1980s Afghanistan to the modern fight in Syria, Nilsson (2019) suggests that one of the fundamental social justifications for joining jihad is the sense that Islam and Muslims are collectively under attack. This, again, is a theme that applies to more than just the modern jihadist movement: Americans lined up in droves outside recruiting stations following the attacks on Pearl Harbor and decades later after September 11, 2001. Following the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, many Muslims from around the world began to see this not as just the West going after the 9/11 conspirators, but as a global attack on Islam. Each day, fresh news stories of coalition soldiers' crimes against 12 Muslim civilians and pictures of burning villages continued to motivate men to join the fight to protect the ummah from the foreign invaders. Nilsson contends that since most jihadists are very young, in their teens and early twenties, they are very susceptible to the influences of close friends and social groups. Safet, a young Muslim living in Sweden, was pressured by a friend to join the Islamic State in Syria, saying that he became convinced by his friend Ahmed that the group was fighting to protect Muslims (Nilsson). However, after realizing that the Islamic State was actually killing other Muslims in a practice called takfir, or excommunication, Safet became disillusioned and returned to Sweden (Nilsson). From the fight against the foreign invaders in the early 2000s in Afghanistan and Iraq, to the struggle for the establishment of an Islamic caliphate in 2015, it seems jihadists have most often been motivated by the need to protect the international Muslim community. Aside from the social responsibility of defending their faith and people, the need for adventure also seems to permeate the ideations of young men seeking to join a jihadist group. One of Nilsson's (2019) most interesting theories is that jihad is not the radicalization of Islam, but rather the Islamization of radicalism. Individuals who are already naturally predisposed to such adventurous or nihilistic behavior get caught up in the social dynamics of their time, ending up in a jihadist movement. Venhaus (2010) explains that in interviews with over 2,000 al-Qaeda prisoners from Iraq to Guantanamo Bay, he found that young Muslim men sought the cause of jihad for a number of normal social pressures felt by normal teens worldwide: "Revenge seekers need an outlet for their frustration, status seekers need recognition, identity seekers need a group to join, and thrill seekers need adventure" (Venhaus). The Effects of Social Media and Technology on Jihad. In the modern era, news is no longer bound by the time it takes for an article to be published, printed, and distributed across 13 great distance in a community. Social media platforms like Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, and Instagram have made sharing news instantaneous. Additionally, the advent of the smartphone, which acts simultaneously as a hand-held computer, high definition camera, and telephone with nearly world-wide coverage has forever changed the media landscape. In the era of modern jihad, one can post a single video that moves the minds of thousands in a matter of seconds. Following the 2003 invasion of Iraq to topple Saddam Hussein's regime, news stories of atrocity among the efforts of coalition troops over the next decade served to further the cause of local and foreign jihadists to protect the ummah from these invaders. Accidental bombing of civilians, mistreatment of the prisoners at Abu Ghraib, and a general ignorance toward Muslim culture were fueled by social media and smartphone technology. Venhaus (2010) claims that throughout this early phase of the war in Iraq, al-Qaeda very rarely had to actively recruit, their global brand was aggressively promoted through satellite television, internet chat rooms, and social media platforms; willing candidates sought them out. This use of media continued to be perfected by jihadist organizations like the Islamic State, who published a digital magazine called Dabiq, named for the ideological capital of the proposed caliphate, which rallied Muslims to jihad through stories of glory and heroism in the cause for Islam. The Islamic State also posted grisly execution videos, with stunning music and production value, including super high-definition shots of their brutality. Publications and videos such as these could be copied, saved, shared, and re-shared before any sort of government intervention could stop them. Creswell and Haykel (2015) reveal that jihadists were running a massive, secret network of social media websites and fake accounts that could be rapidly assembled and dissembled by hackers. The effects of social media and technology on modern jihadist culture are easy to understand, but challenging to measure in scope and reach. Just as easily as videos of Islamic 14 State propaganda or poetry can be shared, so too can stories of coalition force atrocities in Afghanistan and Iraq. This has put strategists in a unique position, where it is nearly impossible to control the narrative. Unfortunately, the story that breaks first is still the one that is liked and shared the most, even if the truth comes out after. Effects of Western Culture on Jihad. Rapid globalization, including the widespread diffusion of the internet and technology into the Middle East in the last two decades has continued to foment jihadist hatred for the West. Personal conversations with multiple Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan revealed that the decadence, lavish richness, and sinful lifestyles portrayed by Western movies and media served to fuel the fires of disdain among the pious Salafi-jihadists. Additionally, Muslim men living in Western nations following the attacks on the World Trade Center were ostracized and feared by society, often leading them to an eventual radicalization process. Being denied a peaceful coexistence because of continued Western misperception, caused many young Muslims to become angry and seek community and brotherhood among other Muslims experiencing the same problems. Venhaus (2010) notes that out of the over 2,000 captured jihadists interviewed, more than 30 per cent of them sought al-Qaeda because they were angry. Under the tutelage of local al-Qaeda mentors, the frustrations of these young men were then turned upon their neighbors through careful instruction and manipulation. They were taught to see the West as the enemy of Islam, with hundreds of the ummah being harmed by their military coalitions in Afghanistan and Iraq each day. They were instructed in the ways of the pious ones who came before them, inspiring them to turn from the sinfulness of their Western neighbors and take pride in their newfound self-discipline and righteousness in the eyes of Allah. Eventually, many of these young men would travel to their 15 ancestral homelands to join the struggle, or conduct terrorist attacks on their own Western communities. Analysis A Unique Challenge Given the litany of reasons one might join jihad, the incredibly complex cultural and social environment, and the fluidity of the modern jihadist movement, how can the United States begin to contain this problem? The reasons one individual might join a jihadist cause are as various and sundry as why one might choose to join any movement or profession over another. As Nilsson (2019) and Venhaus (2010) have detailed, there appears to be no singular marker: one could be an extremely religious or a passive Muslim, rich or poor, single or married with a family, have a completely stable social life or be isolated with no friends. Jihadists can be from any country, any walk of life, and usually do not widely broadcast their intentions prior to taking part in acts of violence for the cause of Islam. It is because of the near-impossibility of clearly identifying a pattern of distinguishable cultural markers that make it such a challenge for the United States government and its allies to address the threat of jihad. Targeting an individual before they become a jihadist or before they commit a terrorist act has been one of the most formidable challenges of our time for military and law enforcement professionals alike. Usually, the much simpler job is finding a jihadist who has allowed their communications discipline to slip before an act, or catching them in a pitched battle on foreign soil. In order to protect citizens of the West and East alike against jihadists' aims, the United States Government must be prepared to confront, contain, and counter the jihadist narrative "left of bang," before an attack occurs. 16 The Global War on Terrorism: Taking the Fight to the Jihadists. In the months that followed September 11, 2001, President George W. Bush deployed Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) paramilitary officers and US Special Operations Forces (SOF) to find, fix, and finish pockets of al-Qaeda militants being harbored by the Taliban in Afghanistan. A fierce campaign of relentless aerial bombardment and mounted assaults by the forces of the Afghan Northern Alliance led to a swift and decisive defeat of al-Qaeda and the Taliban. With Kabul and Kandahar in allied hands, and an interim government established under the leadership of the Pashtun Hamid Karzai, the future of a free and prosperous Afghanistan seemed assured, but what came to be known as The Long War had only just begun. Trillions of dollars, thousands of lives, and 19 years later, the United States and its allies have been forced to the negotiating table with the Salafi-jihadist Taliban. Likewise, after Saddam Hussein's continued disregard for international law, threats against the United States, and open violence against his own people, the administration of President Bush decided again to pursue a military option. Much like Afghanistan, the coalition was led by CIA operatives and SOF operators, coordinating airstrikes on key positions in a tactical display of American firepower affectionately titled Shock and Awe. However, unlike Afghanistan, a massive conventional invasion followed the bombing campaign, bent on toppling the Baathist regime and finding Saddam's chemical weapons stockpiles. What followed was a series of policy failures, leading to a steady influx of jihadists partnering with local insurgents seeking to oust the foreign invaders and protect the ummah from the atrocities of the kuffar. In my professional opinion, Iraq is still recovering from the decade-long military occupation, cleaning up the destruction left by the Islamic State, and on the brink of civil war due to concerns about being an Iranian puppet state. 17 Ineffective Military Methods to Combat Jihad Operation Iraqi Freedom. During my first combat rotation as an Infantryman in the Triangle of Death in southern Iraq in 2005-2006, I experienced the initial rumblings of a civil war between the Sunni and Shia Muslims in Iraq, each wrestling for power in a post-Saddam world. I was also witness to the inundation of foreign jihadists, joining the ranks of al-Qaeda in Iraq under the leadership of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who at times headquartered in my area of operations. As I analyze our highly-kinetic and aggressive initial campaigns years later, I can see that the coalition's fight, first against Saddam, then against al-Qaeda, only bolstered jihadist motivation. In being a foreign invader, we inadvertently created a jihadist resistance movement, bent on the removal of their occupiers. Kilcullen (2010) explains this dilemma by explaining that focusing on the wrong metrics in a fight against insurgents can be deceptive: If you kill 20 insurgents, they may have 40 relatives who are now in a blood feud with your unit and are compelled to take revenge. Again in 2007-2008, I was deployed to Iraq as an Infantry squad leader to the sacred city of Khadimiyah in Northwest Baghadad. This was during the famous troop surge, meant to fix the ongoing problems with stability throughout the country. Being in the home of the beautiful Shrine of the Seventh Imam, it was a predominantly Shia area. Over the course of 15 months, my unit fought several engagements against Iranian-backed Shia militias and worked on project after project to strengthen local civil infrastructure, all while maintaining the utmost discretion against damaging homes or creating civilian casualties. Yet again, although we had conducted a nearly perfect counterinsurgency fight, it seemed that Kilcullen's insurgent math still applied: Fighting the jihadists only served to create more unrest within the population, no matter if we were restoring essential services and reducing damage to homes or not. 18 Operation Enduring Freedom. Nearly a decade after the fall of al-Qaeda and its Taliban hosts, I was deployed to the mountains of Afghanistan from 2010-2011. Stationed along the Arghandab River, just north of Kandahar, we were in the heart of the Pashtun Taliban. Again, the same story remained true: We fought the Taliban jihadists almost daily, but could not seem to win over the true key terrain in a counterinsurgency fight: The hearts and minds of the people. The Taliban would harass our unit's base of operations with a few pop shots as we called them, which would unleash a massive response in firepower and resources. Thousands of rounds of machine gun ammunition would be fired into the farm fields surrounding our Combat Out Post (COP), squads would be sent in pursuit of the attackers, and helicopters would spend hours scouring the terrain in an attempt to heap justice on the insurgents. This massive effort against so few served to erode the unit's motivation, exhaust our supplies, and alienate the civilian population whose homes and fields had been damaged in the process. Reflections on Personal Combat Experience. After years of combat experience and deeply studying Muslim culture, I can now see how the mistakes the coalitions made early-on in both operations only fueled the fires of insurgency, resistance to foreign occupiers, and generalized hatred for the West. Porch (2013) argues brilliantly that US counterinsurgency doctrine made the same mistake as its imperialistic predecessors of centuries before: Believing that military action was a proper vehicle for providing Middle Easterners with Western values, as well as a foundation for governance, social programs, and economic transformation in a region. This became evident in my own experience, realizing that no matter what sort of social, infrastructure, or economic programs ran alongside our military efforts, the people of both Afghanistan and Iraq felt the enormous social weight of being occupied by a foreign power, rendering these efforts nearly ineffectual. On the contrary, local and foreign jihadist movements 19 capitalized on each and every mistake of coalition forces, increasing their recruitment and resolve against the West. Though our military may have been winning every major battle against the jihadists, our policy makers and field commanders made the fundamental mistake of believing that these non-Western nations lived in some sort of time-warp, in which the adoption of Western democracy, rule of law, and capitalism would allow them to thrive as a nation (Porch). Effective Military Methods to Combat Jihad Surgical Strike and Precision Targeting. A unique feature of the Global War on Terrorism was the US military's continued perfection of covert strike operations with surgical precision deep into enemy safe havens. This was put on display in the rout of al-Qaeda by CIA and SOF in Afghanistan, in the kill/capture missions against the Baathists in the deck of cards in Iraq, and later in the killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan and Sheik Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in Iraq. Having the ability to appear out of nowhere in the middle of the night, kill or capture an intended target with zero damage to infrastructure or civilian casualties, and leave within minutes of arrival struck fear into the hearts and minds of jihadists across the globe. The success and efficacy of this type of operation was acknowledged in the 2015 National Military Strategy, which stated: "The best way to counter VEOs [violent extremist organizations] is by way of.military strengths such as ISR, precision strike [emphasis added], training, and logistical support" (p.11). Likewise, President Obama's massive expansion of the use of drones, which could watch individuals for days and execute a precise strike that only touched the intended target, has continued to sow fear and deny jihadists' freedom of maneuver on a global scale. The US military and its allies have only continued to master these types of operations throughout the 20 fights in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and other locations. The jihadists know this, and realize that one wrong move at any time could mean disaster. Security Cooperation. An additional theme that has spelled the end for jihadists throughout the globe has been the training, advising, and equipping of security forces and partners within Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and other nations. Enabling the host-nation military to handle jihadist movements on their own helps the United States military work itself out of a job. US Army Special Forces are uniquely suited to accomplish this mission: With specialized training, language capability, and cultural understanding, they are able to train foreign security forces through a variety of Principle Tasks. These tasks include Foreign Internal Defense, which focuses on a holistic approach to internal security and protection of citizens against lawlessness and insurgency, and Security Force Assistance, which can be focused internally or externally against threats to a nation's stability and security. The success of these mission sets was evident in 2014, during my own experience with the Afghan Commando Kandaks' continued fight against the Taliban and in closely following the Iraqi Counterterrorism Service's efforts against the Islamic State. Both of these forces, built from the ground-up by US Army Special Forces have continually fortified weak conventional military force operations against jihadist groups in their respective nations. Muslim Youth Efforts Against Jihad Globalization, though it has been proven to bolster the jihadists' narrative against the West, has also been beneficial to the movement against jihad itself. Because youth of the world have access to technology that allows them to see the atrocities and lies associated with global jihadist organizations, they are beginning to turn the tide. During the Islamic State's rise to power in Iraq and Syria, Muslim youth from across Europe travelled to join the jihadists in their 21 fight against the West. However, groups of Muslim youth also spoke up to counter this narrative. In 2015 the Muslim Youth League, an anti-Islamic State cultural movement, declared a holy war against all extremist organizations (Dearden, 2015). The group called on all Muslims to stand united against those who have hijacked Islam and misrepresented the faith. Through engagement work in schools and communities, as well as a robust online campaign, the Muslim Youth League is fighting back against jihadist propaganda that bids young Muslims join the Islamic State and other extremist groups (Dearden). Since the time of this publication, the Muslim Youth League has spread to several countries throughout the Middle East, Asia, and Europe, each with their own social media presence, outreach programs, community events, and websites. Local Government Efforts Against Jihad In the years following the Islamic State's spread across Iraq and Syria, the United Kingdom has developed a robust strategy to help at-risk Muslims avoid the radicalization process. The program itself is called Contest, and includes four distinct categories: Prevent, Prepare, Protect, and Pursue (British Broadcasting Corporation [BBC], 2017). Police departments and social organizations have built relationships with doctors, faith leaders, teachers and others, who are required to report suspicious persons to the proper authorities. In response to these reporting requirements and recommendations, over 7,500 reports were filed between 2015-2016, with one in 10 being actionable intelligence for government and police forces (BBC). In 2015 alone, over 150 people, including 50 children, were kept from traveling to conflict zones in Iraq and Syria (BBC). The strategy has of course drawn criticism, for fear that it will further alienate Muslims from their local communities, but it presents as an excellent plan of action for identifying individuals who are at risk beyond just using traditional signals intelligence and 22 surveillance techniques. It does more than just target the individual, it also seeks to reform them through education, outreach, and community programs. Counterarguments You Can Kill an Idea. I have heard the opinion throughout my time in the military that jihad and the idea of Islamic supremacy can be completely eradicated. The example most often given is that Nazism, including the idea that the Aryan race was superior to all others, was effectively destroyed by a global military campaign. This argument is weak. The Nazis represented a very small portion of German culture, including among those serving in the military, so it was relatively easy to contain once there was an overwhelming military victory by the Allies. However, although the German Army of the 1940s was defeated militarily, the idea of white supremacy lives on in small social groups throughout the world to this day. The Ongoing Taliban Peace Talks. I have colleagues throughout the military who are convinced that the current negotiations with the Taliban are a key indicator of success in our two decades at war against the Salafi-jihadist group. The issue with this is that temporary cease fires have already been violated several times, leading one to believe that the strategic level leadership's messages are simply not reaching their subordinates or that local factions are not adhering to the agreement. Trusting that radical Muslim extremists will not allow Afghanistan to become a future safe haven for other jihadists, as it has in the past, is simply unrealistic. Believing some sort of quasi peace deal is going to miraculously pacify an organization that hates everything the West stands for is misguided. My own experiences throughout the Middle East have proven that the spirit of jihad and hatred will live on in Afghanistan. The Islamic State is Nearly Defeated. Multiple global media outlets continue to run stories about the dismantling of the Islamic State, as though the battle is won. Though Sheik Abu 23 Bakr al-Baghdadi has been killed, and the proposed Islamic caliphate was never fully realized, it would be naïve to think that the Islamic State's jihad is over. The movement will metastasize and take on new forms in other parts of the globe: It is already happening. Jihadists are continually leaving the battlefields of Iraq and Syria, headed back to their former homes in mainland Europe. As these individuals reenter the diaspora, the concern is that they will radicalize other individuals and conduct terrorist attacks within the continent. Conclusion The reasons an individual seeks to join a jihadist movement are deeply rooted in personal social dynamics, the security situation of their country, and a multitude of other religious, cultural, and economic factors. I agree with Venhaus (2010) and Gorka (2016) who assert that there is no singular military operation or strategy that can bring about a decisive victory against something so intangible as why one might join the modern jihadist movement. Use of the US military as a vehicle for the establishment of Western democracy and nation-building efforts in tribal nations like Afghanistan and Iraq only served to invigorate the jihadists' call to arms. Jihad is not something that can be eradicated completely by military force. Jihad must be confronted, contained, and countered through a comprehensive approach that empowers state and non-state actors to develop local solutions and directs expeditious military applications only where completely necessary. Recommendations Promote and Protect the Muslim Youth Leagues In order to truly create a cultural paradigm shift in Muslim youth at risk of radicalization, groups like the Muslim Youth League (BBC, 2017) should be promoted by governments worldwide as a bastion of true and peaceful Islam. While they should no doubt be supported, 24 governments must also protect these organizations from becoming targets for violent acts of terrorism or influence operations by jihadists. Through a combination of deep cultural understanding and positive messaging, the Muslim Youth League has already shown its effectiveness in the United Kingdom and beyond. Because the youth of each nation understand the social pressures and cultural influences that may lead one to seek jihad, they can effectively develop tailored, local solutions to persuade at-risk individuals. The Muslim Youth Leagues are on the front lines of countering the jihadist worldview, taking a stand and declaring war on jihad and its misrepresentations of Islam. Enable Local Solutions for Local Problems This should be accomplished through unified government action that involves all the United States' instruments of national power including diplomacy, information sharing, military action where necessary, and economic stimulus as needed. The specific issue with efforts like these, is that they cannot be accomplished during what is perceived by locals as a military occupation. This was proven true in Afghanistan and later in Iraq. Despite massive efforts to rebuild infrastructure, aid in agricultural processes, build schools, and organize community projects, the United States and its allies were still viewed as pushing Western values and democracy on nations through military occupation. As much as possible, we must limit our military presence in areas that are ripe for developing a jihadist movement, or in ones that are recovering. I have seen firsthand that government efforts against jihadist organizations or at-risk communities have often been fragmented, poorly staffed, and uncoordinated. Venhaus (2010) suggests the creation of an agency that is staffed, trained, funded, enabled, and equipped for strategic communications, calling it the United States Strategic Communications Agency. An 25 agency like this could ensure that a comprehensive national communications strategy is developed and achieved, with a focus on enabling local community efforts to counter the jihadist narrative. By promoting social outreach, religious education, and community programs, this agency could bolster the efforts of community leaders and stifle jihadist aims in their areas. Support Religious Education and Reintegration Reintegration programs in Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Singapore and elsewhere have successfully rehabilitated former jihadists through religious education (Venhaus, 2010). Countering the apocalyptic world view of jihadist groups like al-Qaeda and the Islamic State requires local religious leaders who understand their community's issues to band together and refute the extremist narrative. Through careful, patient, and individually-tailored instruction, Muslim religious leaders can invalidate each and every one of the extremists' claims. Individuals who turn to jihad are often seeking this type of direction, they just find it in the wrong places. Counter Threats with Tailored Military Force Packages Continued themes among the military failures in counterinsurgency and counterterrorism operations during the early years of the Global War on Terrorism are indiscriminate use of force, lack of cultural understanding, and hyper-focus on tactical gains while failing at the strategic level. US government nation-building efforts on the backs of the military cost our country trillions of dollars, thousands of lives, and years of frustration, bogged-down in an endless quagmire of misunderstanding. US Army Special Forces are selected, trained, equipped, and enabled to clandestinely handle complex problem sets in denied or politically-sensitive environments. Each Special Forces Group is regionally-aligned, with Operational Detachments developing deep cultural understanding through Area Studies and continuous relationship-building with regional state and 26 non-state actors. Special Forces operators understand the complex cultural and security situations in their areas of responsibility and have the language capability and strategic understanding to operate with complete independence of outside support. Frankly, if given the authority and autonomy to do their jobs, Special Forces can coerce, disrupt, or overthrow jihadist organizations unilaterally, or train, advise, and equip foreign security forces to accomplish this task on their own. This can all be done independent of a large, slow, and expensive conventional military occupation. Organizations like al-Qaeda must be kept in a state of constant fear and uncertainty. US Special Operations Forces are uniquely suited to this task. Through structured, rapid application of military force, SOF can find, fix, and finish intended targets with surgical precision. This has proven true in the capture of Saddam Hussein and the elimination of Osama bin Laden and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, among numerous other targets throughout the Global War on Terrorism. Continuing to deny safe havens through short, precise applications of combat power is crucial and does not rely on a conventional military occupation of the target area. Operations such as these, characterized by discriminate use of force and strategic impact, should be the main avenue for denying the relative safety, security, and freedom of maneuver of jihadist organizations. 27 References British Broadcasting Corporation (2017, June 4). Reality check: What is the prevent strategy? Reality Check. https://www.bbc.com/news/election-2017-40151991. Creswell, R., & Haykel, B. (2015, June 1). Battle lines: Want to understand the jihadis? Read their poetry. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/06/08/battle-lines-jihad-creswell-and-haykel. Dearden, L. (2015, March 21). Young British Muslims declare own jihad against ISIS and other terrorists who 'hijack' Islam. Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/young-british-muslims-declare-own-jihad-against-isis-and-other-terrorists-who-hijack-islam-10146534.html. Dempsey, M. (2015). The national military strategy of the United States of America 2015: The United States military's contribution to national security. The Joint Staff. https://www.jcs.mil/Portals/36/Documents/Publications/UNCLASS_2018_National_Military_Strategy_Description.pdf. Gall, C. (2020, January 31). From armed struggle to peaceful protest, a road still to travel: A veteran of the Afghan jihad working for nonviolent change in Algeria. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/31/world/middleeast/from-armed-struggle-to-peaceful-protest-a-road-still-to-travel.html. Gorka, S. L. (2016). Defeating jihad: The winnable war. Regnery Publishing. Kilcullen, D. J. (2010). Counterinsurgency. Oxford University Press. Nilsson, M. (2019, 18 June) Motivations for jihad and cognitive dissonance: A qualitative analysis of former Swedish jihadists. Studies in Conflict and Terrorism. https://doi.org/10.1080/1057610X.2019.1626091. 28 Porch, D. (2013). Counterinsurgency: Exposing the myths of the new way of war. Cambridge University Press. Qur'an (M. Ali, Trans.; 7th ed.) (2015). Islam International Publications. (Original work published ca. 1537). Venhaus, J. (2010). Why youth join al-Qaeda. Special Report, 236(1), 1-12. https://www.usip. org/sites/default/files/SR236Venhaus.pdf.
Transcript of an oral history interview with Robert D. Forger conducted by Joseph Cates at Forger's home in Newtown, Connecticut, on 16 March 2016 as part of the Norwich Voices oral history project of the Sullivan Museum and History Center. Robert D. Forger was a member of the Norwich University Class of 1949. The bulk of his interview focuses on the history and development of his relationship with Norwich University, including as a student, alumnus, and trustee. ; 1 Robert Forger, NU '49, Oral History Interview March 16, 2016 At His Home in Newtown, Connecticut Interviewed by Joseph Cates, of the Norwich Oral History Project JOSEPH CATES: Mr. Forger, Bob, can you please state your full name and date and place of your birth? ROBERT FORGER: Robert D. Forger, May 24, 1928, in Norwalk, Connecticut. JC: Talk a little bit about growing up in Norwalk. RF: I grew up in Westport. Westport did not have a hospital. And for years we could get our birth certificates in Westport but then they stopped. If you were born in Norwalk, you can't do it. (Laughs) JC: (Laughs) RF: That was a wonderful place to grow up in. It was a town of about 5,000 people. I went to a high school that took in students from two other towns and had a graduating class of about 96, almost 100. And 11 were from one other town and 13 were from the other town, so the other 75 were from Westport. I got a wonderful preparation there. We had a very, very good faculty. If you can believe this, I learned all my English from the Latin teacher. I took four years of Latin. We had to diagram the sentences. Latin sentences. And I had an English teacher whom I had for three years who was hung up on the classics, so we learned very little English, but we sure know all of Shakespeare and everybody else. (Laughs) And I got a good preparation because when I went off to Norwich, the curriculum as a chemist, I had to take trigonometry. And I said, "But I've had trigonometry." Oh, no, you haven't had trigonometry like this. This is really …, so you have to take it. So, I took it and got a 98 and the instructor said to me when it was all over, he said, "You know, I think you've had this subject before." And I said, "I certainly have." (Laughs) JC: What made you decide to go to Norwich? RF: I went to the physical – I wanted to go to West Point and I have a military bend and nobody in the family knows from whence it came. And I wanted to go to West Point and as a junior in high school I flunked the physical because of astigmatism in one of the eyes in which they would not give a waiver. And it was very difficult to get into it at that time because the war was on and everybody wanted to get in and be protected for four years or maybe the three-year curriculum they were doing at the time. So, our local dentist said, "Why don't 2 you go up the Norwich?" I knew nothing about Norwich but his nephew, who practiced not very far from where we are now, had gone there, Class of '39, and had become a dentist and he said, "You ought to go there." So, I applied. We went up to take a look at the place and I got accepted. JC: Okay. This is a question for you. Tell me a little bit about your rook year, about being a rook. RF: I think it was pretty darn easy. JC: (Laughs) RF: I don't think it was bad. A lot of people complained about it but I had read some stories about what went on at West Point, I had a book West Point Today about what they had to go through. As long as you didn't try to think as an individual, and not do what they wanted you to do, you were fine. One of my experiences was, they came in, and I doubt they do this today, came into our room. My roommate, myself, they turned the heat up on high and said, "At 9:30 we're going to have everybody in here." And they had everybody in our room and you had to bring your blankets, you had to wear your mackinaw, wear your blanket – wrapped in a blanket and it was so darn hot in that room and then you had to jump up and down, singing "God Bless America." At 10:00 (inaudible) [0:05:08], everybody left. They left our room in shambles. And we had to get up at 4:30 in the morning to straighten it out for inspection. (Laughs) But that was – and that was not a bad experience, it wasn't bad at all. JC: You were also in a fraternity. Tell me about that. RF: Sigma Phi Epsilon, Sig Ep. In the building where the president now lives. That wasn't as plush as it is now. They've added to it since those days. And it was interesting because nobody was around fraternities in my freshman year and they rushed the new pledges in October of my sophomore year. And the house president got up, I understand, later. He said – now you have to remember, they were all civilians, because Norwich took in anyone who had been there before. To come back in civilian clothes and finish up his education. Didn't have to wear a uniform. Didn't have to participate in the military. Really a very good decision, I think. And, he said, told them, "You have to remember, we're a military school and our future is military. And you guys shouldn't be voting in people who are civilians now, just because they're your friends. You've got to stick with the military." Sig Ep took in five cadets and we were the most cadets, we were down there with cadets with 45 other civilians. (Laughs) And, we developed from there. But it was a really wise thing to say, because some of the fraternities took in only two and that was, I think, a mistake on their part. JC: Well, how did you feel about when they did away with the fraternities? 3 RF: Mixed emotions. It was sort of a second-class citizenship, particularly athletically because we had a troop league and when I left there were six troops. A headquarters troop, which was the band, and five line troops. And we had an athletic league with the troops and an athletic league with the fraternities. And it ended up that the guys who were left behind in the troops, they just felt like second class citizens. They didn't play with the big boys. And I think that was one divisive effect that the fraternities had. But it was a great place to go and to relax. When you went through the front door, why military was out the window. But when you went out the front door, your tie better be straight and your cap on right and in everything else, the military prevailed. JC: Now, you said there was an incident that happened that caused the fraternities to be done away with. RF: Yes, this was what – I left in June of '49 and early '50 when General Harmon came on board as the president. And I believe it was Winter Carnival that year and one of the fraternities, a guy in a drunken stupor went headlong down the stairs and did damage to his neck and his back and everything else and lost a semester of school because of the injuries. And that was the catalyst for Harmon getting rid of the fraternities. He – it took him a while, but he usually gets his way. (Laughs) JC: What is your – what do you remember most about your years at Norwich? RF: I think the camaraderie. I think it was a wonderful small school. I made so many friends. It was the type I liked and could live with and getting up at 6 or 6:15, that kind of thing, it – the rules and regulations never bothered me. I may have been an exception but I never walked a tour in my life. When it was O.D. (?) [0:10:05] my senior year, I can remember the temperature – 10 degrees in the middle of winter, starting a tour line with a hundred guys in it. (Laughs) JC: (Chuckles) RF: And they had a system, which I overlooked at the time, I knew what was happening. The first three guys in the line would peel off and go into Alumni Hall. Now when the line came around again, the next three or five or whatever number they had decided on, would peel off and the other ones would come back out, get at the end of the line. Because it was so darn cold. JC: (Laughs) Now, Homer Dodge was president when you were a student. RF: Yes. JC: Tell me about that. 4 RF: I don't think he was – in retrospect, I didn't have that much of an insight. I don't think he was a very effective president. He was – he wore a uniform, but that was about it. He didn't know how to wear it. He was an eminent physicist and – well we had Fuzzy Woodbury. We had a good physics department. He was the wrong guy for the job. And we finally got to him and he realized he wasn't doing anything. Fortunately, we had a guy, in fact two of them, that were commandants and assistant commandants that really kept the Norwich activity going. And some of the guys that returned, some of the veterans, I can remember the veterans getting after it. They got dressed up in their uniforms and they got all the sophomores together and they said, "We see that you're violating some of the traditions and these are what they are." And one of them was Jack O'Neil. "These are what they are and you've got to start living by them." JC: Tell me about when Eisenhower came to the commencement and gave the commencement address. RF: I don't remember anything about the commencement address, but it was allegedly his first or maybe only one of his first appearances in 1946. In my freshman year, we had three graduates. Who – how they did it – but finished up their last year and their last semester. And Eisenhower came, both senators were with him. JC: (Laughs) RF: As you might expect. And the one thing I do remember is the pushing match he got into with President Dodge. In the military, the lowest ranking guys get in the car first. And the highest ranking last, so he can be the first one out of the car. And Homer Dodge would not let – he would not precede Eisenhower. And Eisenhower solved the issue by putting the palm of his hand in the back of Dodge's back and propelling him into the car. And it worked pretty well. But that's the only thing I really remember about the commencement. JC: Tell me about some of the professors that really had an influence on your life. RF: Well, I think there were probably two. Both junior chemistry professors. They were probably only instructors at the time. And one was Bill Nichols, who taught most of the advanced organic and inorganic. He was only here the one year I was there, in my senior year. He taught most of the organic and inorganic advanced classes. Whereas, the other professors taught the physical chemistry, the more difficult courses. He was a great guy and the other was Jack O'Neil who was a senior when I was a junior and a senior only because he came back. He was the Class of '44 and returned after the war. He ran most of the labs down in the bottom of Dodge Hall. He was a true Norwich guy. And one of the things I think that proved it was when our son, Gary, went up to Norwich, he was the Class of '75. When he went up in '71, we were in the orientation line and Jack O'Neil comes up and said "hi" to me and shook hands with Gary and he said, "Things get pretty rough up there. If you need some relief any time, here's my telephone 5 number. I live right down the street. Give me a call and come on over and get away from it all." And that was really a very nice thing to do. JC: What does the idea of the citizen soldier mean to you? RF: This is a put-up question, because this is something I answered on the questionnaire that your predecessor sent out. JC: Yes. It's on the first page. RF: Read it. "Citizen soldier" by my definition is an individual with a strong interest in the military, who is willing to act in the secondary line of military preparedness, rather than full-time service. Now, that was true in my day. And up until the second Gulf War started. It really isn't true anymore because anyone who is in the national guard or the reserves is going to get called one way or another. JC: Now, you served in the reserves from 1949 to '72, correct? RF: '72, yes. JC: Can you talk a little bit about that? About being in the reserves. RF: It was a nice experience, a great experience. I got some fairly good jobs out of it. I was with a tank battalion in Stamford and the C.O. was a 1934 graduate from the University of Massachusetts. I went to my first meeting and a guy sidles up to me and he says, "You know, that isn't an army uniform. That's a Norwich uniform." I didn't have any uniforms. I graduated in June and this was a September meeting and who was this guy but Phil Marsilius. JC: Oh. (Laughs) RF: (Laughs) Who was the emeritus chairman of the board. He was the S2 of the battalion. And the next day when he brings up another guy and introduces him to me, he's the S3 and it's Tommy, they called him in those days, Andy I always knew him as, Andy Boggs, who was the Class of '44 and who was the S3. (Laughs) JC: (Laughs) RF: And I got this C.O. that I had, I got some good jobs out of it that proved to be good because I could do them. And, he went to summer camp with the Norwich guys. And he was ROTC, not military. ROTC such as Norwich. And he told me later, he gave me these jobs because those Norwich guys could do anything. And he observed it at camp, at his summer camp, they could do anything. And we had 6 two Norwich guys. We had a bunch of lieutenants who had just come in when I left the tank battalion. And he – so I got some pretty good jobs out of it. JC: Where did you go to summer camp? RF: Ft. Meade, Maryland. And we spent a week down at A.P. Hill in Virginia, living in tents in rain storms and everything, because they didn't have a range big enough. That was the closest range large enough to fire the tank guns. Now I guess they all go out to Washington some place, Ft. Lewis, I think. JC: Oh, yes. RF: And of course, we were at, in those days, I got a commission at Armored Cavalry Reserve. Now I think you get branch and material and you sort of get your branch when you graduate, but I'm not sure. JC: I know if they're in ROTC, they pick which branch for ROTC now. If they want to go navy ROTC – RF: Oh, yes. See, we didn't have any navy or any air force. And when our son was there a year and with us paying the money for him, he got offered an air force ROTC scholarship for the last three years. Which we spoke to him and said, "You've got to serve five or six years or whatever," and he turned it down. JC: Now, one thing I wanted to ask you was – you were at Norwich when they still had the horse cavalry, correct? RF: Correct. JC: Can you talk a little bit about that? RF: (Laughs) Well, I was a stellar horseman. They brought back the horses at the end of our sophomore year, the summer between sophomore and junior. As the graduate, you had to take equitation. So, I took equitation in my junior year and my claim to fame was I led the class in being thrown. JC: (Laughs) RF: (Laughs) My roommate at the time was about 5'4" and every day – every Thursday when we went down for equitation, he got assigned the biggest horse, Burma. And he couldn't get up on the darn horse, because he fixed the stirrups the way you had to and they watched over you and made sure you did this, and he couldn't get up on the horse. And they had to boost him up. It was an interesting experience and something I really didn't want to continue. And they took the horses away at the end of our junior year. So, it was over. 7 JC: They came and they went within about a year. RF: Yes. JC: Now, how did Norwich prepare you for life? RF: I think it brought out the – my leadership aspects. I think I had some during elementary and junior high school. I think perhaps they faded in high school but they sure brought them out in being willing to step in and do something and to take charge when you had to. And I'm really quite proud of – when the organization of Society of Plastics Engineers that I was executive director for the last 22 years of my civilian career, I had a president whom I was not close and some you get very close to and others you don't. At the annual meeting, after I retired, he asked me to make sure I was at the annual meeting, he had a poem that he did that went on and on and on, citing really my whole life. And at the end, he said he left us with many attributes. He represented us well in the plastics industry, he did this, he did that. But most of all, was his leadership that we value. And that was brought out later on by a couple of people that I was not particularly close to. (Laughs) They told my son, who ended up with the same organization, they told my son, "We really miss your father, because he always did what he said he would do and he did it on time and we knew exactly where we stood on every issue." JC: Another question that we ask everybody in these oral histories is what does the Norwich motto "I Will Try" mean to you? RF: I really don't know. I think it means you'll do the very best you can under any circumstances, whatever circumstances may confront you. And we use it here every day. I go out in the car and I leave Eleanor behind and she says to me, she says, "Drive safely," and I always reply with, "I will try." (Laughs) JC: So, what did you do after you left Norwich? RF: I only worked for two companies in my life. One was Dorr-Oliver, which was involved in the separation of liquids and solids, starting with ores but later got into sewage and water treatment and things such as that. And then for 33 years with the Society of Plastics Engineers. Which I got aimed into with the only two electives I ever had in my life at Norwich. I was ordered with 84 or 86 credits in chemistry and so much in math and physics and all this stuff and I took a course from Peter Dow Webster; a semester of advertising and a semester of public relations. And I enjoyed it. And I ended up doing this with Dorr-Oliver after I left the lab. And I applied for some way to do this kind of thing, with the Society of Plastics Engineers and got the job at SPE. And I did virtually every job – the meetings manager, and the local sections and divisions coordinator, the publisher of four magazines, associate executive director and then, finally, executive director. 8 JC: So, you didn't go to Korea right after – you ended up with deferment, correct? RF: Correct. (Laughs) JC: Now, how did that happen? RF: I was with Dorr-Oliver in the labs and I got called into active duty. And they said this kind of thing could happen and the personnel director put up a statement that if any of you are called to active duty, let us know immediately. And I got called to be a filler second lieutenant in a Tennessee tank battalion. And down south, your country. (Laughs) JC: (Laughs) RF: And so, they put in, or I had to put in for it but they backed it up through the Department of Mines or the Department of the Interior. And I got strictly a political deferment. And I was the first one to get the deferment and they never lost anybody in the Korean War. And interestingly enough, the deferment was signed by I.D. White, who was the chief of staff for the second army, a major general in Governors Island. And he put a handwritten note on it. "I certainly don't enjoy giving a deferment to a Norwich man." (Laughs) JC: (Laughs) I can understand that. Now, talk a little bit about what you did at Dorr-Oliver. RF: I was – as a result of the courses I took with advertising and public relations and getting back to my high school chemistry teacher, I wasn't – chemistry was not my bag and how he recognized it, I don't know. I said I would like to get into advertising or public relations and they discouraged me. They said, "Well, we just hired a second guy for the ad department. So, chances are you're not going to do it." And four years later when the deferment was no longer necessary, they had an opening and I went down there as the third person in the ad department. After a merger, I went with my boss who was the ad director, who became the ad director of public relations at the revised corporation, and got involved in being the liaison for the technical and engineering societies and the technical publications. And that's what I gravitated into and then applied to SPE for a somewhat similar type of job, and got that job. JC: And, so you continued doing that type of work for SPE and then became the executive director. RF: For a short time. And then with changes and everything, why I ended up doing meetings when the meetings manager left. I ended up doing division when they had nobody to do the technical divisions, only because I had a technical 9 background. And I ended up as an associate executive director and then when my boss got fired, I got the job. JC: Let me see – RF: Can I interject something here? JC: Yes. Absolutely. RF: I believe I was at Norwich in a very transitional time. In fact, as I look back on it, it was – you'd never know what was coming next. When I went there, we had one dormitory, Hawkins, filled with cadets. And we took in, in the summer of '49, about 50 cadets who started in July and then about 50 others who started in September. And, I made a count of this, as it might be of interest. The ones that came in July, only 16 graduated. And in my class, the September class, only 11 graduated. JC: Oh, really? RF: We were losing guys like crazy to the draft. And I was young enough so I didn't get drafted until the war was – I didn't get – I didn't have to sign up for the draft until after V.E. Day and then V.J. Day came and they were drafting people – they evidently didn't need me. The mistake the other guys made was going up to Montpelier to register for the draft. And in two weeks they might pick them off because they came from Long Island City or Aurora, New York or someplace they weren't locals. And seeing this, I went home to Westport to register for the draft. Where they knew me. (Laughs) JC: (Laughs) RF: For some reason, I never came up or they never had the quotas to fill or whatever. But, we had, at one dorm full of Norwich cadets. We had two dorms, I don't know what they call it now, it's Cabot, the one right next to it at the time. It might be Goodyear or something. With – in Alumni Hall, we had four companies of fast tracks, army reserves specialized training guys who they sent to college for a year or so and then when they needed infantry troops they pulled them right out. They were -- at the end of my first year, they were gone. And we had enough when the Class of '50 came in, to fill two dormitories, Cabot and Hawkins. And in Cabot – in Hawkins, pardon me, in Hawkins they had a veteran troop; some guys that wanted to take ROTC but came back – but they had to wear a uniform if they took ROTC. And we had the veterans living in Alumni and fill/Phil/Bill (?) [0:31:02] Jackman Hall. And in my third year, why the cadets took over Alumni Hall. And, we had the veterans just in Jackman. And my fourth year, we had a few of the overflow senior bucks living in Jackman with the veterans because we didn't have enough room with the three existing dormitories. But it was – I went 10 through my yearbook and made a count. I had a hundred thirty-six in the class. And we had 27 that started that went through for four years and graduated – JC: And graduated. RF: -- as you would normally expect. And it was very, very transitional and very unusual. You'd never know what was coming next. In my sophomore year, we were loaded with veterans. They could wear their uniforms if they wanted to, if they didn't have civilian clothes. We had five lieutenant colonels walking around the campus. (Laughs) JC: (Laughs) RF: Which was unusual. JC: You were also involved a lot in the Alumni Association. RF: Yes. JC: Can we talk about that a little bit? RF: Yes. I – somebody put my name in to run for the alumni board. This was like 1983. No, '81. And at that time, they had an election. They nominated three reasonably recent graduates and two were elected and two of the old timers, in which classification I fit in. And two of the three in both classes were elected. But, the problem was, the guy who was the oldest class, always lost, because nobody knew him. And, so, I was on the alumni board for three years and the system was, it may still be, that at the end of three years and four years, those eight guys were eligible and we have girls on there now, were eligible to be elected president of the alumni board. And we knew who was going to be elected. A fourth-year guy who had seemed to be in line forever. And, a third-year guy came up to me and asked me if he was going to run for alumni president and would I support him? And I made an immediate decision. He'd been on the board and never done a darn thing in my estimation and I had done a number of things. When I said, no, I couldn't support him because I was going to run. And, fortunately, we had every preponderance of Boston people and the rest from around the country, although not many outside New England. And I ended up splitting the Boston vote and I had three people in the Boston group whom I knew, who were my contemporaries, and I'm sure they voted for me. And it ended up we had 19 that voted and I got 10 so I got the majority in the first ballot. That was it. I also got hell from my wife when I told her. She said, "You never mentioned it." I said, "No, not until last night was I even thinking about running for office." (Laughs) And she didn't have the right clothes. (Laughs) JC: (Laughs) 11 RF: And then from there, usually the outgoing alumni president is elected the alumni trustee for that year. And in the other year, when there's an outgoing president, it's somebody else who the alumni board recognizes is worth being an alumni trustee. JC: So, you were on the board of trustees? RF: For a five-year term. JC: Five-year term. RF: Yes. JC: And what was that like being on the board of trustees? RF: Oh, it was very interesting. There had to be the five alumni trustees but of the 30 of them, even the board, there were 22 of them that were alumni to begin with. And they supported the president very fairly, particularly when you had a take charge guy like Russ Todd, and I would guess, Harmon and Hart, President Hart. He was there between Harmon and Russ Todd. But it was interesting and I think this is where we were interrupted, that I tangled with Russ three times when I was on the board of trustees. I look upon it as I won one, I lost one and we tied one. (Laughs) JC: (Laughs) RF: The first was when he had the bright idea that we should form a Norwich University savings and loan association. And it could be a bank and put out loans to parents who wanted to bankroll their kids to go to Norwich. And I think I tied that one. Fred Haynes and myself of the Haynes Stadium were the only two that voted against it. But, within a year, they had the savings and loan association in crisis and they ended up selling of -- giving the very infantile savings and loan association they had to the bank which is now ensconced down there by – was down there by the alumni center. I think that one I won decisively. When I was chairman of the alumni board we did a survey of eight colleges that we had considered our equals, our size, Middlebury, Babson, I can't think of any of the others, St. Lawrence. We had two people on the board go to each school and ask certain questions as to how what they did – (break in audio) RF: We did this survey and compared how we stacked up with other schools in a number of different things that the Alumni Association did. And I was only on the board for one year. I was only a trustee for one year. And Russ came up with the idea that we would get a – we would subscribe to some kind of alumni magazine where we had a four page insert, all the rest would be "pat" material. 12 And a number of previously prepared and published that a number of schools did. And I called to his attention that we had done this survey and he had seen it and we stacked up very well with our alumni communications, in other areas we did not. But the communications – and they like the Alumni Record the way it was. And I said, "I think we're going to do this." His only comment was, "I hear you," and he dropped it. We never had anymore – Of course, the third thing I tangled with him on was when President Schneider came. And what they did was, they kept Russ on the board of trustees. And the Alumni Affairs Committee of the board the trustees felt this was wrong. The alumni association thought this was wrong. And that he should not be on the board when the new president arrived. I guess I didn't do a very good job with my point earlier with remaining Norwich graduates around, Russ insisted on leaving the room and I said, "I don't want you to because I'm not going to say anything I wouldn't say to your face." We ended up starting to discuss it and somebody made a motion that we elect him to the board of trustees and have somebody resign so it would be a vacancy. I said, "I resign everything." And I said, "This is the wrong way to do it." And I moved to table the motion until the next meeting. And the chairman at the time didn't even hear my motion. And I said, "This is a parliamentary motion and it supersedes all others." Which is does. And he just didn't even listen to me and he called for the vote and he was elected to the board of trustees. (Laughs) And he was on it until he was 70. And it was interesting because shortly thereafter we played our last game with Middlebury, football game, which was a very disappointing thing that we should give up or have to give up that rivalry which was over one hundred years and only because the conference that Middlebury was in, the Little Ivy League, said that you can only play within your own conference. And, my gosh, we get a call from Carol Todd – were we coming up for the game. And we said, "Yes." And she said, "Will you stay with us." (Laughs) JC: (Laughs) RF: And this was a month after my tangling with him. (Laughs) JC: (Laughs) RF: And all my son could say was, "Who is going to taste your food." (Laughs) JC: (Laughs) RF: But we've come along very, very well with the Todds. And he was, he was a good president, a very good president. JC: Now, you were also a proponent of merging with Vermont College, correct? RF: Yes. 13 JC: Can you talk about that a little bit? RF: (Laughs) It was very difficult to enact. I ended up, and I kept my secretary at SPE busy for a week, writing letters. And I wrote to the class agent of all the five-year classes and we substituted the name of VC class agent in the Norwich letters and the Norwich class agent in the VC letters trying to get them to coalesce. And this was, I think my last year on the alumni board. The only person I was successful in getting to march with our class was my lady. (Laughs) JC: (Laughs) RF: And she marched with the Class of '50. And some guy says, "Where did you come from? I never knew any girls in my class." JC: (Laughs) RF: And we got to our reunion and he wasn't having a reunion and he got there and at the start, he got up before we started the program, and he said, "Bob, I would" -- in front of everybody, -- he said, "Bob, I wouldn't have said what I did if I realized she was your wife." And he says, "I apologize." And Eleanor jumped up and she said, "You don't apologize to him, you apologize to me!" (Laughs) JC: (Laughs) RF: His wife got up and laughed at him and said, "That's wonderful!" (Laughs) JC: (Laughs) Let me think, what else do I want to ask you about. Life milestones. What are your major milestones in life? Can you talk about those? RF: Well, (Laughs) I was among the first to advocate a VC/Norwich union. And did so by marrying a gal who was the Class of 1950 from Vermont College. If I got the wrong year there, she'd kill me for that. (Laughs) JC: I'll fix it on mine. RF: And we had – a number of other people did. And I think it was just very natural that you had a boy's school and essentially a girl's school 10 miles away. And it worked out very well. And the girl's school were willing to relax their rules whenever we had a dance or a big weekend or something such as that. But, let me tell you, it was difficult enough having to ring a quarter of ten every Saturday night. (Laughs) JC: (Laughs) RF: Of course, I dated her only during her freshman year. During her second year, I was gone. (Laughs) 14 I think another milestone was having our son, Gary go to Norwich. Although he was not necessarily in accord with us. (Laughs) JC: (Laughs) RF: He was, unfortunately, he was a very good student, but he tested poorly in the SATs. And he applied for college when they were integrating some of the men's colleges, such as Bowden or Middlebury where he wanted to go. And they were also – with females and they were also integrating them with as far as the Afro-Americans go and diverse Americans. So, he said, when a gal got accepted to Middlebury, he ranked something like eighth in his class out of 250. And a gal who was way down in the ratings got accepted at Middlebury and all he could say was, "She took my place." And it was probably true. And Norwich was a safety school. And he went there and went through. Unfortunately, he doesn't have the love for the place that I do. And I think part of that is because of his wife. And she just doesn't have anything to do with the military and that kind of thing. And the reunion, when I was at his reunion. It falls the same five years as Eleanor's and it was – he was up there for a reunion and it was when I was the alumni president and placed the wreathes on the graves and gave some of the awards and everything. And it was Eleanor's reunion year. And he was there and he drifts in after the alumni parade was over and after everything is over, with his buddy. And said, "We just didn't get up early enough." Which to me was crazy. And I don't think he's ever been back. I think that's the only reunion he was ever back for. And Dave Whaley, he's having a hell of a job getting any money out of him! (Laughs) JC: (Laughs) I'm sure. And you have another son, Jeffrey, correct? RF: Another son, Jeffrey and he said, "You don't think I'm going to go to Norwich and be a rook, when my brother is the regimental supply officer." (Laughs) JC: (Laughs) RF: He said, "It's just not going to happen." He loved Norwich. He went four years to the summer camp so he says that's his alumni. And he loved the athletic department. He learned to play soccer there and he was a star of the Wilton High School soccer team, as the goalie. He – Joe Sable and Wally Baines were just his ideals. They were the ones that ran the summer camp. And another thing that I could mention, the Norwich camaraderie. This flyer came for summer camp and I said, "Well, maybe the boys would like to go." And at the dinner table, I brought it up. I said, "There's a camp at Norwich. You may like to go. I'll drop it on your bed." And they said, "No way." And a week later, they came to me and said, "You know, we think we'd like to do it." So, they did it. And the first week they were up there, it shows how soft-hearted they are, the first week they were up there, they called home on Sunday and reversed the charges, of course. Called home on Sunday and they 15 were both in tears. First time they'd ever been away from home, and (inaudible) [0:11:14], and who walks by but (inaudible) Wally Baines. He says, "What's your problem?" And they said, "Well, we're talking to him at home." He took the phone, he says, "They're finished talking with you. We're going to put them to work." (Laughs) JC: (Laughs) RF: My son, Gary went back another year and Jeffrey went back three years they enjoyed it so much. And Gary called at the start of his sophomore year, and he said, "I can't believe what they're doing to these rooks." He was almost in tears. He said, "They shouldn't be doing this." I said, "Well, Gary, you went through this and it makes them better people." He said, "Yes, but I don't like to see them do it." He was just soft-hearted. (Laughs) JC: (Laughs) Now, he graduated in '75. RF: '75, yes. JC: And Bob Hope was the commencement speaker. RF: Yes. JC: Do you want to talk about that a little bit? RF: Well, that was – Gary told us, for almost a year in advance, Hope was going to be their commencement speaker. And I said, "That's crazy. Bob Hope is not going to Norwich-- (Laughs) JC: (Laughs) RF: -- to be the commencement speaker." And, sure enough, he was. And came strutting in, typical Bob Hope. (Laughs) Making remarks to the audience and everything and it was just a wonderful occasion. The great disappointment was you could get up front and take a picture of your graduate getting their diploma from Hope. Which I did. And the development company that took – we had them developed – lost the negative. So, he doesn't have that. JC: Oh, goodness! Tell me about some of the places that you've traveled. You said you traveled to England, France, Switzerland, Germany, Portugal, Ireland, Canada and Mexico. RF: Some of these were vacation. Some were business. And all of them, Eleanor went along. I think the greatest trip we ever had, I was involved in an organization, The Council of Engineering and Scientific Society Executives – who were guys who were executive directors like myself. About 130 in the U.S. 16 and Canada. I ended up as president of the organization in about 1987, I guess it was. And, they had their annual meeting in San Francisco. And it was the year I came in a vice president. And we left home and went out to San Francisco for the annual meeting on Monday. We went out and it was over on Thursday night. And on Friday, we flew home. On Saturday – it takes all day to get back from the West coast. On Saturday, Eleanor did the laundry, I did the lawn. And on Sunday, we left for my counterpart in Great Britain, the British Isles, his retirement party. We went over on the Concorde. Went to his retirement party and came back on the QE2. So, that was the most eventful two weeks we ever had. JC: I bet it was something flying on the Concorde. RF: Yes. Well, we left at noon from Kennedy and we got over there in time to have dinner. Which, otherwise, it's an overnight flight. JC: Oh, yes. I've done that one a couple of times. RF: And, the other countries -- we were bitten on cruises, both with our close friends and our closest friends over the years, have always been (inaudible) [0:15:24] alumni, the guys that I was associated with and their wives. One time, there were 18 of us, there are only four of us left now. And well two others that moved a long distance away. And we went on a cruise with them. And then we went on a cruise with Bro Park who used to be the alumni – used to be the PR director at Norwich. Organized after he left Norwich. And there was the Mediterranean and we went to Alaska. And for our 50th anniversary, we took a cruise from the Hawaii Islands through the Hawaiian Islands and up to Victoria, British Columbia. And that's the way we got to a lot of these places. Mexico, we went to because we had two sections down there that we visited. And never were we so glad to get back to this country and be able to have a salad and some good water in New Orleans. (Laughs) JC: (Laughs) Well, there's always good food in New Orleans. RF: Oh, yes. JC: What is your favorite memory of Norwich? RF: I don't think I could pick it out. JC: (Laughs) RF: I have – no really, I have so many good memories that I couldn't have one above the other. JC: Well, is there one of those memories that we haven't talked about? 17 RF: I don't know. No, I don't think so. I think maybe this time we didn't – well, it's not a favorite memory, it's a humorous memory. I don't think we talked about it. Some of the veterans, in either – I think it was the beginning of my junior year, pulled out by the roots, the parking meter in Montpelier. And they came and installed it in President Dodge's private parking spot. Dug it into the ground and everything. And we got up in the morning for reveille and here's the parking meter. (Laughs) JC: (Laughs) RF: Which the Montpelier Police came over and traded it at a later date. JC: Well, let me ask you this. What was it like being a teenager during World War II? RF: Well, (Laughs) I was too young to get my driver's license until my senior year. But I think the biggest thing was the lack of transportation. And I was on the football team in my senior year, and we had to take a common carrier, a bus that -- had to get dressed, walk up to the bus route, then get on the bus, common carrier, to go to Fairfield. And get off the bus and walk to their field because you couldn't get enough parents that had enough gas coupons and or you couldn't hire a bus because they couldn't get the gas for a football game. So, -- (Laughs) JC: Was there anything else that you'd like to add, that we haven't talked about? RF: I'll think of all of them after you leave. JC: (Laughs) RF: That will happen you know. JC: That will happen. Let me see if there's anything I haven't – we haven't discussed. RF: I enjoyed my days in the Army Reserve. The tank battalion I was in, we had a great bunch of officers. But the enlisted men we had were out of the bowels of Bridgeport. And these guys, you never knew what kind of a scrape they were going to get into or anything, but they were the best damn enlisted men. I was a supply officer for the battalion. We got ready to turn in our equipment and (Laughs) we were short something like 40 gas cans. Where would 40 gas cans go? The resupply sergeant said, "Don't worry. Me and the boys will have them by morning." And I go over at 6:30 in the morning and here's the 40 gas cans. Lined up. And you know where they got them. (Laughs) JC: (Laughs) 18 RF: I've seen them – I've seen them stop a jeep, two of them, stop a jeep and ask directions. And in the confusion and everything, the first one is talking to the driver and the other one unhitches that gas tank off the back and that's the way they got them. (Laughs) JC: (Laughs) RF: They could do anything, really. And the battalion commander thought I could get anything done. (Laughs) And it was only because of these guys – JC: Yes. RF: -- that did it. JC: Well, can you think of anything else? RF: No. I'm very pleased of graduating from the general's staff school. After I'd been in the reserves maybe two or three years. I said, "I'm going to do 20 years." I said, "I'm going to go to the command and general staff school, and, I'm going to make lieutenant colonel." And I made all three of those. JC: So, you retired a lieutenant colonel. RF: And, as you might say, I'm on the dole now, because I did 20 years and it wasn't until about 19 – no 2002 that Senator Warner from Virginia said, "You have to treat retired reservists the same as the regular army reservists." And up until that time, I was on my own for health care and everything else. That action by the congress -- I got Tricare and prescriptions paid for and every other darn thing. So, what was so – and I think, now deceased Senator Warner, who was Elizabeth Taylor's last husband I think. (Laughs) JC: (Laughs) RF: I think that's about it. JC: Okay. Well, I thank you very much for this interview. It will be a great addition to our collection. And I will --
Transcript of an oral history interview with Robert F. Crecco, conducted by Jennifer Payne on 28 August 2013, at the Norwich University campus in Northfield, Vermont, as part of the Norwich Voices oral history project of the Sullivan Museum and History Center. Robert Crecco was a member of the Norwich University Class of 1947; his education was interrupted by his military service in World War II. His experiences during the war and as a student at Norwich University are discussed in his interview. ; WWII WW2 World War II World War Two World War 2 ; Robert F. Crecco Oral History Interview Interview Date: August 28, 2013 Interview Location: Sullivan Museum & History Center, Norwich University Interviewed by Jennifer K. Payne Transcribed by Thomas H. King III JENNIFER PAYNE: Today is August 28th 2013 and I'm with… ROBERT CRECCO: Robert Crecco and, what else would you like to know? JENNIFER PAYNE: What is your date of birth? ROBERT CRECCO: April 27th 1925. JENNIFER PAYNE: And where were you born? ROBERT CRECCO: Medford Massachusetts JENNIFER PAYNE: And where are we right now? ROBERT CRECCO: We're in Killington at the Woods Resort where we've been coming for the last eight years and we're up here for July and August. JENNIFER PAYNE: What is the address we are at? ROBERT CRECCO: This is 53 Woods Road, Killington Vermont. JENNIFER PAYNE: Thank You. JENNIFER PAYNE: Alright. So I've got some questions I'm going to ask you again from the survey if that's ok? ROBERT CRECCO: Yes. JENNIFER PAYNE: Okay. So how and why did you join the service? ROBERT CRECCO: Join the service? JENNIFER PAYNE: Umhmm ROBERT CRECCO: I was drafted, and I was drafted while I was attending Norwich as a freshman, and I was inducted in Montpellier and then sent to Fort Devens for pulmonary activities and then sent to, I think it was Fort McClellan in Alabama for basic training. JENNIFER PAYNE: Where were you when you were drafted? ROBERT CRECCO: I was at Norwich and I think there was about a 179 freshmen at that time and the school was basically taken over by the Air Corps. There were 1200 Air Force Cadets and so the school revolved around them and it's surprisingly that Norwich had a freshmen class. All the classes had left, the junior and seniors were immediately inducted in to the service and the sophomores were being decimated by drafting and so forth. So the school basically, (coughs) was empty and I guess they had a contract with the Air Force to give the Air Force the basic training in education I guess and also calisthenics and everything else. So we merged within basic we didn't, all the dormitories were taken up by the Air Force and so we stayed in the fraternity houses. I stayed in the Theta Chi house and then SAE and Sig Up were also occupied then there was another one and I can't think of the name and then there was a four or fifth one called the Lanscers. So, we freshmen were in those places and we had Air Force non-coms as our instructors and, I think, the academic courses were all those set up for the, for the Air Force so we took the same courses. Which was basically a little different from the normal Norwich curriculum, like we took Chemistry, Physics, Geography, I think we took English, and Mathematics. There were five courses as I remember and we didn't sit in with the Air Force. Our classes were with ourselves so you know the, the freshmen. But we had the same curriculum as the Air Force, because I guess the faculty was geared to do that and so we participated. So I got drafted out of Norwich, (clears throat) I (un-audible) my throat here. JENNIFER PAYNE: Do you want a glass of water? ROBERT CRECCO: That would be good. JENNIFER PAYNE: Okay, alright. ROBERT CRECCO: And I was the first one to be drafted. Cause basic I was I think I was the about the oldest follow in the, the group. I was 18 in April in my senior year in high school and most of the, the fellows with me were under 18 and, that's the reason why I was the first one to get drafted, because I was the oldest one in the class. JENNIFER PAYNE: What year, what exact year and month was that, do you recall? ROBERT CRECCO: Well I graduated in 1943. JENNIFER PAYNE: Umhmm ROBERT CRECCO: And, we started. I think we started in August and, I believe it was August, it was early, actually it was, it was, it was a little undecided whether Norwich is going to have a freshmen class and so, we didn't know until just before they asked us to come up that they were going to have a, a freshmen class. JENNIFER PAYNE: How did you decide to go to Norwich? ROBERT CRECCO: Well, a neighbor of mine, was at Norwich. Ya know he, I was talking with him before he even came up and he sort of convinced me it was the place to be and so I said ok and he was a freshmen, but then when I got up to Norwich there was actually no classes there and I found out later on that he had received an appointment to West Point. And so he would even if the, the whole discombobulation hadn't happened because of the war he probably would have left any way and, and even though he convinced me to come up, that he wouldn't have been there and, I lost track of, his name was Louie (Lacanti) and I lost track of him, and the strange, on our last cruise or a transatlantic in last past April one of the people with us at our table was a Colonel. Who had been at West Point when Louie was there and so I asked if he knew Louie and he said, not really, he says I know the name. And I said can you check later on to find out whatever happened to Louie but I never did hear from this person. But anyway I, I, I, as I say I get drafted and, inducted in Montpellier, and then they made me acting corporal to take the crew down to Fort Devens (Chuckles) on the train at that time there was a train travelling back and forth between Montreal and White River Junction. JENNIFER PAYNE: Umhmm. ROBERT CRECCO: And it split in one part went to New York and one part went to Boston. So we get down to Fort Devens and, eventually get to my basic training at Fort McClellan. JENNIFER PAYNE: So did you have a choice in where you went or.? ROBERT CRECCO: No I didn't but they told me at Fort Devens that, I was to be put in Army Specialized Training. Called ASTP, Army, specializing training program. Yeah. JENNIFER PAYNE: Umhmm ROBERT CRECCO: And that I was scheduled to go to Texas A&M for the specialized training, but three months later after basic, conditions changed and the war plans and so forth and they decided to cancel all ASTP programs and, since we were being trained as an infantrymen we were to go back to that and we shipped out for England about a month later. JENNIFER PAYNE: Wow. ROBERT CRECCO: And so we're on a troop ship that went to, went to England we came in at Bristol England. It was on an Australian, meat, refrigerator ship. I guess they used to bring mutton from Australia to England with it but that was our troop ship and it was pretty bad. It was run by, by Australians and we'd have some real, real bad food. But anyway it was, it was, it wasn't that bad. JENNIFER PAYNE: What, what was the food do you remember? ROBERT CRECCO: Oh things like, fish for breakfast, and then something like a porridge, ya know it was almost like gruel. Ya know and some bread. Things like that and I don't remember much about dinner. We didn't have lunch. We had breakfast and then we had dinner early and I can't remember much about the dinner. JENNIFER PAYNE: That's okay ROBERT CRECCO: Yeah JENNIFER PAYNE: But it was, it was not a fun ship it was ROBERT CRECCO: Oh no, no JENNIFER PAYNE: (Chuckles) ROBERT CRECCO: We were packed in there like sardines. And the smell below deck wasn't too great. JENNIFER PAYNE: What did it smell like? ROBERT CRECCO: Well sweat, and people, and ya know that sort of thing you get used to it after a while but we were always up on deck when we could be. JENNIFER PAYNE: What did you do to pass the time on the ship? ROBERT CRECCO: Well we used to have, formations, and calisthenics, and lectures. Ya know military indoctrinations so forth. But that was it. JENNIFER PAYNE: So what happened when you got to Bristol? ROBERT CRECCO: Well we went into, went into camp. Near a place called Leamington. And we're in tents and I think there were what four, four men to a tent, yeah, and all we did was march, and march, and march up and down all those, those winding roads in, in England and of course we got leave. But they told us, ya know, don't go to the restaurants because they don't have much food and you got all the food you need right in camp. But we did get fish and chips and you go into a place and ya get a, a newspaper full of a, of the fish and chips and they were delicious, they were delicious. At that time they were using Cod and we heard later that there was a Cod war between England and Iceland cause England was in Icelandic waters and there was a standoff there and they had destroyers and there Icelandic trawlers out there with guns on them and I guess they came to an agreement any way but… (Laughs) JENNIFER PAYNE: (Laughing) ROBERT CRECCO: Cod, Cod was a, is a very well-known food in Europe. All the, all those foreign countries sent trawlers way over near off Nova Scotia for Cod and so forth. But that goes on too long and there's not much Cod left there. JENNIFER PAYNE & ROBERT CRECCO: So JENNIFER PAYNE: Yep ROBERT CRECCO: I guess you'd want me to continue with this… JENNIFER PAYNE: Yeah ROBERT CRECCO: What we're doing over in England. Well after it seemed like a long time with this, this training over there. We finally get word to, pack up and, get on these trucks and low and behold we're in South Hampton and they loaded us on ships and the, the, the initial attack on the continent had, had begun. And we were on the ship I think overnight and then finally we sailed the next day and it was on the second day. I forget the, what it was June 6th, June 6th was the initial, yeah, so it would be June 7th, late in the, late in June, late on the June 7th, that we landed in Omaha beach. JENNIFER PAYNE: What was that like? ROBERT CRECCO: Well, it was still a mess, ya know the fighting had proceeded up off the cliff and they were going inland and the beach was littered with all kinds of equipment, there were some, still some, dead bodies on the beach, they had been lined up and so forth and I guess they were in the process of taking them off. And so after we get off from the beach we went up on the, on the, on the top of the cliffs. They had already pushed a couple of miles inland. The, the Rangers had cleared the cliffs the previous day even though they sustained quiet heavy casualties. And then the 20, I think it was the 24 th, 24th or 29th, I'm not sure, yeah we didn't know what was going on. All we knew was that we had to get off the, the landing craft but we didn't know it was, what was, we could hear the, the, the noise up ahead, ya know the shells and everything. They were still bombarding the area from the, the battleships and the cruisers and they were still shelling way inland but, then we got up of the area there and they kept us there for a while and then they told us to advance and evidently the, the advance, the lead troops had pushed way inland. And so we weren't in the front line at that time we were in the backup and, I think maybe ten days later I was with the second infantry division. And about ten days later, we were near Saint-Lô. And, cause the approaches of Saint-Lô was surrounded by small villages. JENNIFER PAYNE: Umhmm ROBERT CRECCO: And the, we were near a village as I remember, it was called Sofria, Sofree, Sofra? I don't know how they pronounce it. And it was near that village where I was on a patrol and I got, I got wounded. By a, a mortar shell. JENNIFER PAYNE: What happened? ROBERT CRECCO: Well we were on patrol it was, it was at night, and ya know that whole country there is full of hedge rows. And these hedge rows would, would be, you'd have roads going, not roads even, these were dirt roads going between the hedge rows and then across the hedge, or on the near side of the hedge row would be a little pasture and then on the other side road would be another hedge row and then a pasture and the hedge rows all the way around that's how the country in, in Normandy was, was either made that way by the people or I, I don't know but anyway Normandy was full of hedge rows and it was very difficult fighting in those areas. But then we were on patrol at night. Patrol is you go over a hedge row and then you'd sit there and see what the opposition or the Germans were going to do. Whether they were putting out patrols either and this is known as feeling out what the enemy is doing and so they, they, they must have seen us because they sent over three mortar shells and there were three of us and the Sergeant got killed and I was wounded and the other g-, the other fellow he didn't get hit at all. So we dragged the Sergeant back to the, our lines and I got wounded in the arm and also my foot so I got evacuated. At that time they were evacuating everybody to England. They, they had, we had, we had controlled some air fields so we're able to get these ambulance plans there and, so they'd load them into one of those and I got evacuated to England. To a general hospital near Oxford. JENNIFER PAYNE: Yeah ROBERT CRECCO: Oxford and, what was the other town? I can't think of the name of the town now that, Shakespeare. JENNIFER PAYNE: Stratford-Avon ROBERT CRECCO: Stratford-Avon, right, ha, was near there, because for activities they took us to Stratford-Avon to and we went to see the Shakespearian plays. JENNIFER PAYNE: When you recuperated. ROBERT CRECCO: Yeah, yeah, so I was in the, I was in the general hospital for about two months JENNIFER PAYNE: Wow ROBERT CRECCO: Cause I couldn't walk. And then, then it got infected. So I was there for about two months and they reclassified me as limited service but then they sent me back to France. But ya know while we were in England, we, we had, it was pretty good. We got to visit a lot of places and see a lot of those Shakespearian plays. And anyway I got sent back, on reassignment, and they sent us back to Paris. And I was in a reassignment depot and we got some leaves to Paris and so, I went to Paris and it was all right but, ya know I was really not into it. And I was still pretty young and some of these guys were hept for getting drunk and then picking up women or and actually going to some of the whore houses and I was, I wasn't into that. I didn't enjoy Paris that much. But anyway, when I got, we got reassigned. Since I was on limited duty I wasn't going to go to a, a combat, well not combat, but I wouldn't be going to a front line outfit and so I ended up in, in 90th division of 5, 547th? What was that? It was 530, no, yeah 537th headquarters battery on an automatic weapon, it was an automatic weapons battery, they had multiple 50s mounted on halftracks, and they had anti-aircraft guns and I was in the headquarters duty, (Chuckles), and they were looking around to put me to do something all of a sudden it was, this Warrant Officer was in charge, he said, you went to, you went to college didn't you? And I said, (Chuckles), well we're going to have you do the morning report. And the morning report was a form and description as you put what happened of what happened in the battery and how many, how many, how many were killed, how many were wounded, how many were sick, how many had to go to the rear and then what the activity of the battery was that day. And it had to be signed by the commanding officer of, of our group which was a captain and, that was my job, which was a nothing job, ya know. Which was fine by me because it kept me out of the frontlines being on limited duty. So that's how I survived the war and when the war ended we were in occupation duty, which wasn't too much and all the fellows were fraternizing which was against the rules but either during, during the war or towards the end, the last few months some of the fellas who knew German, because we had a couple German guys, the original group was from Texas and I guess where they were from there was a lot of German people and they, they knew German. But they would go out at night and bring food with them and go to these houses where they knew there were women and, so they used to have a pretty good time and they'd used to bring the food there, and then, course the people didn't have much food at that time so they were very well welcomed. But anyway after we got, after the war was over we sat around for, I think a month or so. And then we got sent up to, Amsterdam, oh Brussels, Brussels and we stayed in tents up there for a few weeks and then we saw the star, the star, Stars and Strips newspaper on day and big headlines was Atomic Bomb dropped on Japan, and then a, next day another bomb had been dropped. Well we were sitting there waiting for transportation back to the states and we were to be retrained for, well I wouldn't be but I would be with some unit that was going over to the Pacific, ya know for Japan and so the dropping of the bomb, we didn't understand, ya know the implications of this until we saw a reading in, in the Stars and Strips that the war was coming to a close in the Pacific and instead of being retrained for that we would be sent home and then they had a points system. They decided that the order in which you would go home be decided in the number of points you have and points took everything from years of service, overseas service, combat service, if you were wounded or something like that, so it all add up to these points and low and be hold I had enough points so I knew that as soon as we got a ship I'd be sent home and then eventually discharged. So I got home and they, where was it, not Fort McClellan, is there another camp, let's see. JENNIFER PAYNE: Po New York? Nope that was… ROBERT CRECCO: Well let's see. We did come in New York. But then we get, sent to another camp I think in Alabama, I can't remember the name. JENNIFER PAYNE: Do you remember where you were when you, when you heard, when VJ-day occurred? ROBERT CRECCO: I think, I think we were on the ship coming back. And it was a little better ship, it was a transport, and an American transport so coming back was, I think, I think it was either, was either on our last couple of days in camp in Brussels or on the ship that we heard that VJ-day had occurred. But by that time they already set the point system because they knew the war was coming to an end, after they dropped these bombs and so forth. And we, I got, I got that 30 day furlough when we, when we, when we got to this camp fort, I didn't say over here, Fort Brag, Fort Brag. We were sent to Fort Brag and then they gave us a 30 day leave from Fort Brag, so I spent it home in Medford and then we had to report back. Reported back and then they told us we were going to be discharged. So all this time back and forth and they could have done it right in the beginning but I guess they weren't ready. And so I get discharged and I came back to Medford and then all my old friends we got together. They were all out of the service too. And we just paled around for a couple months and I got tired of that so that's when I, I got in touch with, well I didn't get in touch with Norwich right away. I was looking around for what I wanted to do. And a doctor friend of my father's talked me into being an optometrist. A, with a medical degree though, it was not, it was a ophthalmologist, ophthalmologist. So he says, I will recommend you to go Pennsylvania, University of Pennsylvania and so I applied there and they came back and said, we are deluged by veterans and we can't take you for a year and a half. They suggested I go back to Norwich and take prescribed courses and at the end of my sophomore year they would take me in. And so I get in touch with Norwich and they say yeah come on back, (Laughing), and I said well, ya know I'm not keen on, on this military and they said, well we're giving veterans the option of going into the military, I mean the corps or coming in as civilians. So I opted for the civilian and so I came back to Norwich and they gave me credit for the courses I took when I was with the, taking the Air Corps curriculum. And there were just as many veterans back as there were Cadets in the Corps. Ya know they had started the Corps again and they were getting young fellas to come into the Corps. And I came back as a civilian and I roomed with Bob Dorman. JENNIFER PAYNE: Ah ROBERT CRECCO: And (Hobie?) Smith. Bob Dorman had been a junior here. Umhmm ROBERT CRECCO: And (Hobie?) Smith would have been a junior too and we roomed together in Alumni Hall. Alumni Hall was pretty crowded with all the civilians there and. Bob Dorman was sort of a screw up. All the years he remained a, a, a senior private in the corps (Laughing) and (Hobie?) Smith had been a corporal or a sergeant, I'm not sure, but Bob I think almost got thrown out of Norwich when he was here, before the war and he got involved with a girl from Barre and, this is when he came back afterwards and so he, he had his ups and downs with her and Hobby Smith and I were not involved with anybody we were just trying to get the job done that we came back to do and Bob Dorman a Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity guy and same with (Hobie?) Smith. So they both got me into Sigma Alpha Epsilon and after that first year in Alumni Hall I didn't live down in the SAE house and that was a good deal I didn't have to eat in the mess hall, we had our own cook who prepared all our meals, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and this was all for $25 a month. I mean but things were pretty, still pretty cheap there, there were people were making $18 dollars a week as clerks, ya know in stores. Salaries were pretty low it's no wonder we could live there for $25, so I, I, I was bunking in a room with Lenny (Fillam?). Lenny (Fillam?), the fish man we used to call him, cause his father owned a wholesale fish company in Boston and Bob Dorman's father was, was a correspondent for associated press, he's from New Jersey. And (Hobie?) Smith was Connecticut I think his father was a lawyer. So we, at that time I was getting support from the VA for college, I was, I was on the PL 16 because I was disabled and I was getting more money then you would've regularly get. And I had, in order to get the PL 16 I had to tell them what I was studying for and I was, I was taking, courses that Pennsylvania had said I should take. I was taking German, analytical geometry, calculus, physics, chemistry then I took an elective in history. And I was plowing through that but not doing too well. Ya know I did alright in chemistry but physics, the labs were killing me and mathematics, analytical geometry I was doing alright in that, German I was, the first year was ok, the second year I just couldn't hack it. So I wasn't doing too well in these courses they wanted me take in preparation for opthalamy, optho-, ophthalmology. In, in Pennsylvania and I was beginning to like history and English. So ya know I, I, I was getting B's and C's but a lot of C's in, in the courses they wanted me to take. So I decided this wasn't for me and I started taking more English and history courses and I decided to drop all this other stuff. And I had put down for the VA I was going to be a teacher. And then I remember my senior year I had courses in teaching and I have to practice teaching at Northfield High and after a fe-, couple of semesters of that I said this wasn't for me either. (Laughing) So I, I, these, these kids in, in Northfield High weren't interested in history at all. (Laughing) I don't know what they were interested in but I could tell I wasn't making the head way so I decided to drop that and I was on the newspaper in my senior year I became editor of the Guidon. JENNIFER PAYNE: Umhmm ROBERT CRECCO: And I decided this was a thing I'd like to be in, public relations or writing, editing and so forth. And so I graduated in history and I was able to take summer courses and everything else so I get out. I got my degree in two and a half years. JENNIFER PAYNE: Wow ROBERT CRECCO: And cause I went summers and everything else and I took accelerated courses which they offered to veterans cause lot of them, a lot of these veterans were married. JENNIFER PAYNE: Umhmm ROBERT CRECCO: And some had children and they had a veteran's village made up of surplus government trailers. JENNIFER PAYNE: Where was this, where'd the put them? ROBERT CRECCO: It, it, ya know on rt.12A? JENNIFER PAYNE: Uhuh ROBERT CRECCO: There was a pasture in there where they set these up and it was veteran's village and these married people were there and some of them had children. And I remember they'd get extra money, these married veterans selling sandwiches at night and so forth. JENNIFER PAYNE: They sold sandwiches, what kind of sandwiches? ROBERT CRECCO: Well they would make ham sandwiches and roast beef and stuff like that and they would come around at night and we would buy the sandwiches from them. And, that was one of the interesting, ya know they were doing all sorts of things to get extra money cause the, what the government was paying them wasn't, wasn't enough. And they had to pay rent in those trailers. But any way, I graduated in 1948 as the class of '47 and my roommate had, was getting married, Bob Dorman getting married (Laughing) he, he was a character. He, he got into an argument with his wife and they were downtown Montpelier and he jumped off the bridge into the Winooski River. He got so mad at her or something like that. JENNIFER PAYNE: On Stonecutter's Way? ROBERT CRECCO: What's that? JENNIFER PAYNE: On Stonecutter's Way, that bridge? The little bridge. ROBERT CRECCO: The Bridge entering Montpelier JENNIFER PAYNE: Oh, from Rt. 12, yeah. ROBERT CRECCO: Yeah, right JENNIFER PAYNE: He jumped into the… ROBERT CRECCO: He jumped off the bridge there. And another time he went into the what is now the, the hotel. Not, not the Pavilion, at the. What is it? The, the Hotel in Montpelier. JENNIFER PAYNE: Oh the Capital Plaza. ROBERT CRECCO: The Capital Plaza yeah, it was not the Capital Plaza it was some other name and he was so mad at something he, well he was drunk too he got in and just ripped the toilet off. (Laughing) He, he was, he was a big guy, he, he played on the football team and he get so incensed at something and then he was drunk, he pulled up, just pulled up the toilet off the. JENNIFER PAYNE: The whole thing, not the lid? ROBERT CRECCO: No he just pulled up the whole, the whole toilet and of course there's water all over the place. But any way he got into trouble all the time, but he eventually married this woman and they had, they had three or four children. In fact he still has a son that I think live in Castleton. Last time I talked to Bob, he was, he was at the University of Kansas, on the military staff there. He was a Major, and that was the last time I talked to him. He, he died of a heart attack soon after that. JENNIFER PAYNE: Oh. ROBERT CRECCO: And (Hobie?) Smith I lost track of all together. And (Vinny Vesch?) who was, a chem major and who was our, our house steward at the SAE house. I met him once in Tom's River. He was working for the national light company. He was a chemical engineer down there and actually one of my fraternity brothers, put me on to the job I eventually got when I, when I left Norwich. Working for General Electric. JENNIFER PAYNE: What did you do? ROBERT CRECCO: I was an editorial assistant. So he knew, he knew I was editor of the Guidon and he knew that I was interested in that kind of work. So when heard that this opportunity, he graduated a year before me. Or was it two years? I forget, but any way he was from Swampscott Massachusetts and he was working for GE too and he heard about this opening there and I applied for it and I got the job because I put together a portfolio of the two years I worked on the Guidon and I was able to bring that and show that. I even had some letters in there were I corresponded with President Dodge. JENNIFER PAYNE: Oh really? ROBERT CRECCO: On various things, one of them I remember our football team was losing by big scores and I said. I wrote an editorial and I said let's do something about this or stop football. University of Vermont, UVM had dropped football and we used to play them and we did pretty well with them but they dropped it because they couldn't, couldn't hack it either. So I said we should either drop football or let's go out and get some people to come to Norwich who can play football. Well he, he didn't like my editorial, he, he took issue with it so he and I had a conference with it and I had written, I wrote a letter in response to that meeting we had. So I had that sort of stuff in the portfolio (Laughing). So, and Dodge was a nice guy, I liked him. He was, he was quite an outdoorsman. He liked to kayak, and canoe, he, he was quite an expert in canoeing and kayaking and he had done a lot of trips into the wilderness, ya know I'd say. And he eventually, I think went back to Bowdoin. JENNIFER PAYNE: Umhmm. In Maine? ROBERT CRECCO: I, I think yeah Maine, on the faculty there after he left Norwich. Well, but any way I got this job at General Electric as an editorial assistant and eventually I became an editor. And I was transferred to. I worked in Lyne, Lyne Massachusetts and then I got transferred to, get a newspaper going in Cincinnati at the jet engine, new, a new jet engine plant. So I got transferred out there. JENNIFER PAYNE: So you started a, you were working a newspaper or you were working at the plant? ROBERT CRECCO: Well the plant had a newspaper. JENNIFER PAYNE: Ah, gotcha ROBERT CRECCO: So it was a weekly newspaper. And so that's what I was putting out and then when I went to Lockland Ohio that's where the plant was, near Cincinnati. I started one there. JENNIFER PAYNE: You started a newspaper? ROBERT CRECCO: Yeah JENNIFER PAYNE: What was it called? ROBERT CRECCO: It was called the GE News at the jet engine plant and I stayed in that field I, I eventually left GE went to work for AT&T in Cincinnati also working on publications. Several publications that I started working on and report and then I started flip charts for instructions and so forth and I eventually left them and went to work for… (inaudible) I had a short stint, with an advertising agency. And then I went to work for… the greeting card company. JENNIFER PAYNE: Hallmark? ROBERT CRECCO: Hallmark. JENNIFER PAYNE: What was that like? ROBERT CRECCO: Well I was a director of sales promotion. JENNIFER PAYNE: Wow ROBERT CRECCO: And I was working with a sales force of about 400 people. Wow ROBERT CRECCO: All over, all over the country and they were in various regions and districts and so it was my job to put these fellas to sell. JENNIFER PAYNE: How did you do that? ROBERT CRECCO: Well, I used to. I put out a weekly publication. That had standings of salesmen and also hints in how to sell and so forth. Salesmen who did a, a, a good selling job and how they did it I'd, I'd translate into how you might do it too and course I was getting 2% of the sales. I was working for the Vice President of the sales and he must have been getting 10%. And I was getting 2%. And so I used to put out this publication and then I'd used to travel out to the salesmen and help them build up sales promotion, projects they could sell this to their customers. Our customers where in the whole gamut from banks, to feed companies, to the big companies, big national companies. Cause we, in addition to lot of printed material we sold we also sold executive gifts made of teak and so forth. And so these executive gifts were, were quite expensive. Could be desk sets, or could be, could be what would you call them? Ice buckets. JENNIFER PAYNE: Oh yeah ROBERT CRECCO: Made of teak and then inside would be a glass bowel and so forth all different kinds of boxes and so forth. They, these were all finely made in teak and they would sell those as well as sell Hallmark calendars and kinds of dodades, ya know like pens, and any kind of a trinket. And so these men would, would, would put together their sales pitches and have all these things on display. And they did very well some of these guys and we, we got the wives involved. We had a, at that time. Do you remember green stamps? JENNIFER PAYNE: Umhmm. I do. ROBERT CRECCO: HNS green stamps JENNIFER PAYNE: That's right ROBERT CRECCO: We used to give those away to the salesmen and we had a catalogue that they put out. And you could get anything from a grand piano down to a charcoal barbeque. So we gave those away as well as, as other things special and so forth and these were all incentive programs. And that was my job to get these guys incentive programs to get them to sell JENNIFER PAYNE: Wow ROBERT CRECCO: And then I eventually decided that I had enough of that and I came to Washington. And I went to work for a, a portion control meat company JENNIFER PAYNE: Hmmm ROBERT CRECCO: And when I got to there. I, I was sorry I got into that mess there. So I had made some friends in Washington and they told me about a job available with a lobby outfit. Highway lobby. JENNIFER PAYNE: Oh yeah ROBERT CRECCO: And it was known as the Highway Safety Federation and eventually became, merged with another one to become the Highway Users Federation and they had organizations in every city, every state. There is one in here, probably in Montpelier. I'm pretty sure there was one located there. JENNIFER PAYNE: Was it like AAA? Did it become AAA? ROBERT CRECCO: No it wasn't AAA it was still the Highway Users Federation. It was supported by the automobile companies, advertising companies, suppliers, all kinds of automobile suppliers, and it was the auto industry. The idea was to build roads. JENNIFER PAYNE: Right ROBERT CRECCO: To build more roads and… JENNIFER PAYNE: Did you like that? ROBERT CRECCO: It, it was alright. We put up publications that, that was in publications and we had conferences with the Highway User Federations. And the idea was to help the state federations work with the highway people to build roads. And course there were a lot of people didn't like the highway people because they felt they were building over the country. But anyway I worked with them naturally we, we had close, close working with the, the U.S. Department of Transportation. JENNIFER PAYNE: Sure ROBERT CRECCO: So I had a friend, who was in the, who was in the, the administration was Highway Safety, that was it, Highway Safety and he became the administrator of this division in the Department of Transportation. So, they needed somebody to work in sort of a lobby group. The government can't lobby but they can get other people to do it for them. So he asked me to come in to work as a coordinator for a program that he wanted to do with Highway Safety and one of the big things in safety that time was that there was a lot of drunk driving and the deaths on the highway had reached I think about 26,000. 26,000 highway deaths, many of them due to drunk driving. JENNIFER PAYNE: Annually ROBERT CRECCO: Yeah annually so he asked me to come in and coordinate a program and they had determined the best way to reach this drunk driving problem was through women. That wives, sweet hearts, and etc. etc. would have more influence on the men how were doing this drunk driving. So one of the things we were going to do was have a, a national conference in Washington and my job was to work with the, putting together this national conference. So that must have been, 19, 1940, somewhere around there. And so we did we, we, we got a lot of national organizations to put up the money cause the, the government couldn't put up the money this. It had to be through national organizations and companies so forth. And so we put together a three day conference in Washington. In the conference was to invite women leaders. These women leaders were from garden clubs, from political organizations, and other people who were leaders in their community, other women who were leaders in their community. And we invited I think about 2,000 women to come to this national conference in Washington. JENNIFER PAYNE: Wow ROBERT CRECCO: And, we had to put together a program to, in order to get women involved in drunk driving and so we had all garden clubs and there were all these women from women's clubs and we invited them. They, they had to pay their way, but we paid, they had to pay their way and also their hotel room and then we got the companies to put up the money for the conferences, the meals, all the printing material everything. They, they paid for that, they were (Coughs) there were companies in the automobile business, companies in highway building, advertising companies, anybody associated with, with highways. And we put together a three day conference and we had a lot of political people involved and we had vice president, vice president's wife involved. She was our chairman, our honorary chairman and so forth. And… JENNIFER PAYNE: Was that Eleanor, or who, who was the president, who was the VP at the time? Do you remember? ROBERT CRECCO: Volpe. JENNIFER PAYNE: Volpe? ROBERT CRECCO: Was the secretary of transportation. JENNIFER PAYNE: Uh huh ROBERT CRECCO: And, he had, oh I can't think of his name. He used to be governor, governor of, I can't think who he was governor of, but he was a governor and his wife, Mrs. Volpe. When I knew Volp… Volpe had been governor of Massachusetts and he was then appointed to be secretary of transportation and then his assistant secretary had also been governor of Massachusetts. And, his wife was the titular head of our conference. Course we had kinds of government people speaking and so forth and we had a lot of women speakers and we had a three day conference on drunk driving. JENNIFER PAYNE: Was it the first real big national one that you'd you had? ROBERT CRECCO: Yeah, the first big national, push to reduce drunk driving on the highways. Because the, the death and injuries from drunk driving had reached proportions that the government was concerned. JENNIFER PAYNE: Umhmm ROBERT CRECCO: And out of that conference grew the, the government's program that reached all the way from upgrading the police forces with training and vehicles to apprehend drunk driving on the highways and then after you apprehended them you had to have a judicial system to deal with it and then you had to have a penal system to deal with it. JENNIFER PAYNE: Umhmm ROBERT CRECCO: And then you had to have instruction in the various parts of the, the city system, the state system to teach people the dangers of drunk driving, over drinking and so forth. Then you had to have the medical people involved too because these people were habitual drinkers that were involved in this and you had to have a, a system set up to deal with it. So it went all the way down through all the strata's that you had to go through in order to deal with driving drunk on the highways JENNIFER PAYNE: Wow ROBERT CRECCO: And to reduce the casualties that happened from drunk driving and then the impact it had on homes and so forth. So it went into all facets and the Federal Highway Administration had to deal with this and they had to set up all the various facets of, of, of state and local government to deal with it. And over the years it proved to be workable at the reducing of drunk driving. And so I think now drunk driving is still a problem not, not the problem it would have been with all the facets that had been brought in to deal with it and… JENNIFER PAYNE: Wow ROBERT CRECCO: We had a three day conference and with all these women coming in. Mostly, mostly women cause it was set up for that. Because we felt that women had the greatest influence in through their families, in the men and so forth to reduce the drunk driving. JENNIFER PAYNE: How did, how did you, what did you tell the women? What was the message that you, or was it multipronged? ROBERT CRECCO: It was multipronged we, I, I, think that the clinical studies I mean clinical facilities that were set up to deal with this helped. JENNIFER PAYNE: Umhmm ROBERT CRECCO: Because a lot of these men were, were drunkards and, and needed medical as well as psychological training I guess. And you have that situation today. Where you, you have the courts set up, and you have the, the social, social welfare organizations set up to deal with it that we didn't have before and this was all the result of this early, early effort. JENNIFER PAYNE: Wow, that's terrific. ROBERT CRECCO: Yeah, and I stayed in the Department of Transportation after that, but I, I, I went to public influence type things. JENNIFER PAYNE: Lobbying at a different level? ROBERT CRECCO: Yeah, yeah lobbying but, it was, really I, I, I got away from most of that and got into more public relations. JENNIFER PAYNE: Umhmm ROBERT CRECCO: In the Department of Transportation and that's, I retired from the Department of Transportation. JENNIFER PAYNE: Wow ROBERT CRECCO: I was there for many years. I think I was there for 14 years. Yeah, that's, that's what I retired from. JENNIFER PAYNE: Wow. So it sounds like you stay in touch with your Norwich classmates? The ones you… ROBERT CRECCO: I became secretary of the class. JENNIFER PAYNE: Umhmm ROBERT CRECCO: And that's how I stayed in contact, but actually I stayed in contact with… Let's see, what did I say in here? JENNIFER PAYNE: It didn't mention your Purple Heart. ROBERT CRECCO: Oh I didn't? JENNIFER PAYNE: No you didn't. You won a purple heart? ROBERT CRECCO: Yeah I, I was… JENNIFER PAYNE: As well as… ROBERT CRECCO: I was wounded, I was wounded on that pat-, that patrol on… JENNIFER PAYNE: Yep ROBERT CRECCO: We're, yeah we were on a patrol and we were hit by motor shells. JENNIFER PAYNE: Umhmm ROBERT CRECCO: And I got wounded in the arm and the foot and I got evacuated to England. I think we talked about this. JENNIFER PAYNE: Yeah, yeah ROBERT CRECCO: Yeah JENNIFER PAYNE: But that's what you got the Purple Heart for. ROBERT CRECCO: Yeah I got the Purple Heart for that. JENNIFER PAYNE: And Emit campaign medal with four bronze service stars. ROBERT CRECCO: Yeah that was, that was well the invasion and then I was, I was in, I joined the, the automatic weapons battalion in France after they had taken Paris. JENNIFER PAYNE: Okay. ROBERT CRECCO: And then I went with them all the way through, through the campaigns in, in the Ardennes and the… JENNIFER PAYNE: Central Europe. ROBERT CRECCO: Yeah then and… JENNIFER PAYNE: Okay, I just wanted to make sure we got that in because we had… ROBERT CRECCO: Yeah, yeah, yeah ok JENNIFER PAYNE: Yeah, well… ROBERT CRECCO: And that was… Yeah I, I don't know is there… JENNIFER PAYNE: Is there anything else you want to say? You… ROBERT CRECCO: No I, I, I got, well after I decided I didn't want to go to the University of Pennsylvania I wanted to stay at Norwich. I became the editor of the Guidon. JENNIFER PAYNE: Umhmm ROBERT CRECCO: And I enjoyed doing that also it was good training for what I got into later on. JENNIFER PAYNE: Right ROBERT CRECCO: I, I got into publication work and I became the director of publications at the telephone company in Cincinnati. JENNIFER PAYNE: Umhmm ROBERT CRECCO: And then from there I went to, went into sales promotion and I, I stayed in sales promotion and then I came into Washington with… JENNIFER PAYNE: Yeah ROBERT CRECCO: With the, with the government. Actually I was with the Highway Users Federation. JENNIFER PAYNE: Umhmm ROBERT CRECCO: Prior to that. Then from that I went into the Department of Transportation. But no that's, that's about it I guess. JENNIFER PAYNE: Well thank you so much for your time. You have done a wonderful interview. It's going to be great. I can see a lot of people using it, so thank you so much for your time. ROBERT CRECCO: Good, I'm glad you thought so. JENNIFER PAYNE: Alright.
23 A^ March, 1896. PUBLISHED BY THE STUDENTS OF PENNSYLVANIA (GETTYSBURG) COLLEGE. "STAR AND SKNTINKL" Offire, (JetlyHburg, P. GETTYSBURG COLLEGE LISRARY GETTYSBURG, PA. ADVERTISEMENTS. Importers and Jobbers of Nos. 16 and 18 W. German Street, BALTIMORE, Offer to the trade their large and well-selected stock of Make a specialty to have on hand everything required by Pharmacists. A complete stock can at any time be selected or wants supplied. tigjfc, ALONZQ L. THOMSEN,^ RACK, WINDKIt. SHARP AND LEADENHALL STS., P. O. Box 557, Baltimore, Md. I bog to call to the attention ot the Trade that I have re-cently added to my Plant a complete set of Drug Milling Ma-rhm. Tv 011 lir most Improved pattern. G. B. SPANGLES, Successor to J. W. Eicholtz & Co., DEALER IN €tS S€8fi&?. —DEALER IN-Hats, Shirts, Shoes, Ties, Umbrellas, Gloves, Satchels, Hose, Tockei (Books, Trunks, Telescopes, (Rubbers, Etc., Etc. AMOS ECKERT. IBOJ^RJJDXISTCST By Day, Week or Month. RATES REASONABLE. HOUSE EQUIPPED WITH ALL MODERN IMPRO VEMENTS. Grocery Store In same building. Full line of Goods kept and sold at small profits. House and Store located on Cor. of College Campus, opposite Brua Chapel. 8@"Public Patronage Solicited. SAMUEL H. TATJQHINBAUGH, Prop'r. ENEELY BELL COMPANY, Troy, N. Y., MANUFACTURER OF SUPESIOB BELLS. The 2,000 pound bell now ringing in the No. 127 Chambersburg St., GETTYSBURG, PA. j tower of Pennsylvania College was manufac- JOHN E. PITZER, MEMBER POST 9, G. A. R. I tured at this foundry. The College Metcuty. VOL. IV. 1 i THE COLLEGE MBSCIPRY, ^Published each month during the college year by the Students of Pennsylvania (Gettysburg) College. GETTYSBURG, PA., MARCH, 1896. No. 1. UMN O STAFF. Editor: D. EDGAR RICE, '96. Associate Editors : EDNA M. LOOMIS, '96. GRAYSON Z. STUP, '96. HENRY W. BIKLE, '97. WEBSTER C. SPAYDE, '96. WILLIAM E. WHEELER, '97. HERBERT D. SHIMER, '96. ROBBIN B. WOLF, '97. Alumni Association Editor: REV. D. FRANK GARLAND, A. M., Baltimore, Md. , Business Manager: WILLIAM G. BRUBAKER, Assistant Business Manager: E. A. ARMSTRONG, '97- 96. "_• . fOne volume (ten months). . . . $1.00 iEKMS-\Slngle copies, . . . ' 15 Payable in advance. All Students are requested to hand us matter tor publication. The Alumni and ex-members of the College will favor us by \ sending Information concerning their whereabouts or any items ^they may think would be interesting for publication. All subscriptions and business matters should be addressed to the business manager. Matter intended for publication should be addressed to the Editor Address, THE COLLEGE MERCURY, Gettysburg, Pa. CONTENTS. EDITORIALS, --- 1 OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES AS THE POET OF COLLEGIANS, 3 TALE OF A MOUSE, 6 AD THAI.TARCHnM, 7 COLLEGE LOCALS, --- 7 WILLIAM M. ADKERMAN, . --- 9 ALUMNI NOTES, -10 ATHLETICS, - --- 12 FRATERNITY NOTES, ___.__ 12 TOWN AND SEMINARY NOTES, --- 13 LITERARY SOCIETIES, - - --- 14 EDITORIAL. THIS number of the MERCURY marks the beginning of the fourth year of its existence. In looking back over its history of the past three years, we feel that it has succeeded in fulfilling the hopes with which it was started, and has represented the various interests of the college as satisfactorily as any could wish. It must be admitted that it has not always pleased all its readers, and in every respect, but yet we believe it has succeeded in satisfy-ing every reasonable expectation. There is, however, considerable room'for improvement, which could be made if Only a greater interest were taken in it by the students. The literary character could be raised if articles were writ-ten especially for publication ; the locals could be made more interesting if "jokes" were handed in to the editors ; and the alumni, as well as other departments, could be improved by a more hearty co-operation of the students. So many appeals of this kind have already been made, however, that it is almost useless to repeat them. Financially, the MERCURY has been a suc-cess, and a nice little sum could soon be handed over to the societies, if our subscribers and advertisers were more prompt in meeting their obligations. We regret to be compelled to mention this matter, as it is, to say the least, uninteresting, but self-preservation makes it necessary. The subscriptions of a number of alumni are considerably overdue, and in addition some of our advertisers have neglected to make remittance. We believe that in many cases this neglect may be attrib-uted to pure thoughtlessness, so we take this occasion to remind you that a due consider-ation of our Business Manager will be very much appreciated by us, as well as by our lit- GETTYSBURG COLLEGE LIBRARY GETTYSBURG, PA. |(u?H>- THE COLLEGE MERCURY. erary societies which are anxiously waiting for a dividend. The term ot the present staff will soon expire, and we hope remittances will be made promptly to the Business Manager in order that he may settle his accounts in an agreeable way. * * * Is has been suggested that as there have been no class reunions for the last several years, the coming Commencement should be made the occasion of several such reunions. We desire to bring this suggestion before our alumni with the hope that some may become sufficiently interested in the matter to take the initiative steps. Several reunions could, we believe, be arranged without much trouble, and besides being enjoyable to the participants themselves, would add much to the pleasant-ness of the whole Commencement. * * * THE recent meeting of the Board of Trustees adjourned, leaving all in as much uncertainty as the previous meeting. The committee ap-pointed on Dr. McKnight's resignation was continued, but all definite action in the matter has been postponed until the regular June meeting. Meanwhile we shall all continue to guess and speculate as to what will be the final result. * * * THEFT AT YALE.—A few weeks since the authorities of Yale discovered that some one had stolen $10,000 worth of the rarest speci-mens of taxidermy, etc., from the Peabody In-stitute. The theft is a remarkable one iu more senses than one. It was discovered that one of the Professors' sons was the guilty party and upon being charged with the theft confessed that he had taken about the amount stated and had sold half of it to European and Ameri-can dealers. He is an expert on taxidermy and spent several years of special stud)' abroad. It is a sad commentary on the depravit)- of man. Restoration will no doubt be made to the Institute but no power on earth can restore to this young man the loss sustained in the tarnished reputation which will henceforth be his in life. For a few thousand dollars he has sold himself to sin and must henceforth bear among his fellows the mark of Caiu. G. * * * COLLEGE BOYS EXPELLED.—Twenty-one young men of the Sophomore class were ex-pelled from Ottawa University last month. The boys had given a banquet to feminine members of the class at a down-town restau-rant at 10.30 o'clock at night. The Faculty had made no objection to the banquet but in-sisted it should be held early in the evening. The class was summoned for discipline. The young ladies in tears submitted to the demand of the faculty which required them to sign a declaration of regret. Two of the young men joined them in this but twenty-one were ob-durate and were accordingly expelled in a body. The event enforces its own lesson. The authorities evidently took the position that strict discipline must be enforced if it cost the institution more than half a whole class. It seems strange that so many young men have no proper conception of the need of respect for authority in college, in the church as well as in the State. Who will not be ruled by the rudder must be ruled by the rock. G. * * * DR. MCKNIGHT AND THE PRESIDENCY.— It is to be regretted that Dr. McKnight felt constrained to insist on the Board's acceptance of his resignation. After such a successful ad-ministration of the affairs of the college for nearly twelve years, with his peculiar fitness for the position, and with such a prestige of advantage in this position as the Doctor has earned so well, all friends of the college must feel a deep sense of the loss sustained to the institution in his retirement. During these twelve years Pennsylvania College has pressed rapidly to the front under the zealous adminis-tration of Dr. McKnight. He worked faith- > I THE COLLEGE MERCURY. jiilly and enthusiastically. He won many [friends to the college, secured many new stu-lents, much additional patronage, and added property and endowment to the extent of sev-eral hundred thousand dollars. The Doctor las earned his retirement from the presidency. G. OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES AS THE POET OF COL-LEGIANS. I I GR.EFF PRIZE ESSAY BY L. P. EISENHART. There is a peculiar glamour about the old town of Cambridge—it is that of poetry. Here and there along its quiet streets flanked by majestic elms and throughout its beautiful environs are spots and scenes made sacred by its poetic sons. The silent windings of the river Charles, whose praises Longfellow sung from his home near-by, complete the beauty of the quaint old town. To the north are the grounds of Harvard College. "Nicest place that ever was seen, College red and Common green, Sidewalks brownish with trees between." Along its northern front might have been seen at the beginning of the century a yellow hip-roofed house, one of those mansions of early New England. This was the birthplace and home of Oliver Wendell Homes. A fondness for old Harvard arose from his boyhood ram-bles over the college green. One year at Philips-Andover ended his pre-paratory work. In "The School Boy," read at the centennial celebration of the school, he calls up the town and its quaint acedemic scenes. "How all comes back ! the upward slanting floor. The masters' thrones that flank the central door, The long outstretching alleys that divide The rows of desks that stand on either side,— The staring boys, a face to every desk, Bright, dull, pale, blooming, common, picturesque." Next year he entered Harvard, a member of the Class of'29, and soon knew the ways of good comradeship. The rolling cannon-ball that "comes bouncing down the stairs" and the midnight song were then as now the bane of the tutor's life. Holmes saw in the college career not only the learning, but also the full rounding-out of the man from associations. This the collegian gets from the close contact, of his societies. Holmes was a member of the Porcelain Club, whose members reckoned themselves of finer stuff than common clay pottery. He also shared the pot of pudding at the feasts of the Hasty Pudding Club. These clubs, the foremost in society life at Harvard, have many famous names upon their rolls. Thus while at college there were traces of his fondness for the "Brahmin caste of New England."* Holmes was also a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, which had more of a literary character. Bryant, Emerson and many others have written poems for its annual meetings. The first of Holmes' occasional poems, "Poetry : A metrical essay," was read before it. Subsequent gatherings called forth others. In many of these verses the humor of the col-lege poet is in evidence. While at college he wrote several comic and satiric poems for The Collegian. "The Height of the Ridiculous" and "The Spectre Pig" stamp the future wit. Sprinkled among these boyish rhymes are several graceful verses, with delicate touches of humor and satire. "Go, plant the lily on the shore, And set the rose among the waves, And bid the tropic bud unbind Its silken zone in arctic caves." Harvard claims as her sons the leading American men of letters. In their writings are brought up the life and scenes of their col-lege days. To them Alma Mater was very dear. But Holmes has always been her most devoted son. There was a filial love that grew stronger with age. "As now we lift its lengthening chain. That held us fast of old, The rusted rings grow bright again, Their iron turns to gold." ' He was her bard and songster for more than fifty years, the laureate of Harvard life. At her anniversaries, alumni banquets and other dinners, his verse-toasts were the charm. He *An expression used by several authors, of which I do not know the source. THE COLLEGE MERCURY. was her chosen minstrel to mark the passing of two hundred years, and again was he turned to a half century later. At the former the young doctor jested about the founding and early life of the old college. Fifty years later the genial Autocrat glanced back over this span and called to mind the faces and songs of "that joyous gathering." He sketched five scenes of Harvard life in his steps back-ward through American history. Then he turned and with a poet's sight read her his-tory as it shall be "when the third ripe century stands complete." All of these poems show Holmes' love for fair Harvard. It is "the fountain of youth," around which "Age forgets his staff And lays his glasses down. And gray-haired grandsires look and laugh As when their locks were brown." Class spirit is something refreshing in the humdrum of college days, and is wont to flash out in contests and athletic games. Class fellows are united by a friendship stronger than the college tie. Holmes has sung of the golden girdle which held together "the Boys of'29." Among the fifty-eight were many whose names are treasured by memory. Here are the Unitarian divines, Channing and Clarke,' Pierce, the astronomer, and Chandler Robbins, and there Smith who "shouted a song for the brave and the free, Just read on his medal, 'My country,' 'of thee !' " But Holmes has always been its central figure. He has given the "Class of'29" an unfading lustre. Never was another college class so commemorated. His are ideal class odes, in which the mirth and frolics of college boy^s are happily mingled with the thoughts and senti-ments of old age. He was the life of those cheer}' class reunions. It was the fire of that old gun loaded with "college-day dreams" that the boys came to hear. In their appre-ciation he found his reward. To him it was a pleasant task, which in time he could not give up. " 'Why won't he stop writing?' humanity cries: The answer is briefly, 'He can't if he tries; He has played with his foolish old feather so long, That the goose-quill in spite of him cackles in song.' In a group of judges, doctors and states-[ men, and greeted by their merry smiles the old college-boy's calendar was turned back to '29. And as he held "the cup of blood-red | wine," he saw "In rosy fetters prisoned fast, Those flitting shapes that never die, The swift-winged visions of the past." How the old college scenes came up ! The bump, bump of the cannon-ball, the sleepy tutors, the gray-haired professors. And then the associations ! Here was Bill and there Joe, Jim and George. They had no titles, that was | a mistake. These two were not Judges, they were Ben and George who "battled in discussion hot, Shall we wear gowns? and settled: We will not." And as the narrowing circle met each year to pass the "loving cup" around, the shadows of the absent came and the fifty-eight of '29 were one again. At times he did not bring merry verses of college life, but noble tributes to those who during the year had left their circle. These breaks in friendship's girdle pressed close the pathos of human things. "And can we smile when thou art dead ? Ah. brother, even so! The rose of summer will be red, In spite of winter's snow. Thou wouldst not leave us all in gloom Because thy song is still, Nor blight the banquet-garland's bloom With grief's untimely chill." Here and there through his verses ranged many fine figures, illustrations and allusions. "The Old Cruiser, 'Twenty-nine" with her masts and merry crew sails her course un-harmed by blowing squalls and frowning clouds. Father Time, who entered college with them, shared their fun and yearly made the name Classmate more dear, is their oldest classmate and will be their last survivor. In the later poems are still the vim and force of his school-boy days. "Age cannot wither him nor custom stale his infinite variety, and there is as much powder in his latest pyrotechnics as in the rockets which he THK COLLEGE MERCURY. sent up half a century ago."* The memories [of his school days at Andover, called up when le was hearing the alloted three score and ten, [are as fresh as a college-boy's vision of last [night's fun. Holmes is a departure from the Puritanism Jof New England's yesterday. He believes that there is a time to laugh as well as to weep, lumor is the essence of his class poems, flow-ing as from a natural spring. "I never dare to write As funny as I can." ^And from a near-by pool comes "the pathos touching all Life's sins and sorrows and regrets, Its hopes and fears, its final call And rests beneath the violets, "t Aheir mingled waters oftentimes appear in lany of the poems, so ' 'that when the reader's I eyes are brimming with tears, he knows not whether they have their source in sorrow or in laughter. "J "Don't you get a little sleep after dinner every day ? Well, I doze a little, sometimes, but that always was my way. Don't you cry a little easier than some twenty years ago? Veil, my heart is very tender, but I think 't was always so. ******'*** Don't you stoop a little, walking? It's a way I've always had, [ have always been round-shouldered ever since I was a lad. on't you hate to tie your shoe-strings? Yes, I own it—that is true. Don't you tell old stories over? I am not aware I do." Nor does the comic vein destroy or even mar the beaut}' of the poems. The most hu-rorous poems are of no less perfect grace. 'The Last Leaf", and "The Old Man ims" will remain unique. Scattered imong the poems are many maxims and pithy sayings of wit peculiarly happy in phrase. "Moral for which this tale is told ! A horse can trot, for all he's old." Holmes along with Whittier and Lowell :akes up the trio of American patriotic poets, lis literary life began with that outburst of feeling, "Old Ironsides," which added more than fifty years to the old ship's life. How-ever, he took no part in the slavery discussion before the Civil War and was reproached by ♦Beers' Outline Sketch of American Literature, page 176. tWhittier's Poem "Our Autocrat." jNorth American Review, Jan., 1849, page 201. manj' for his seeming indifference. But when Fort Sumter fell and the war became a reality, his school-boy patriotism was ■ awakened, and he gave his pen and tongue to the cause of freedom. His war lyrics are unique for their sentiment and intense feeling. "He always has displayed the simple instinctive patriotism of the American minuteman."* This is seen in the poems read to the class during the struggle, the first of which is an ardent call to duty. "Enough of speech ! the trumpet rings ; Be silent, patient, calm, God help them if the tempest swings The pine against the palm ! " He had complete confidence in the nation's strength. Although we had been made tame by almost a century's toil and would be slow to drop our tools and take up arms, yet he did not forget the truth, "When once their slumbering passions burn, The peaceful are the strong " Loyalty to his country and love for old Harvard are together in the song written for the laying of the corner-stone of Harvard Memorial Hall, built in honor of her fallen sons. These musical lines are the expression of his boyhood feeling calmed by long studies of life, and in them are the sentiments of fer-vent poetry. "Hushed are their battle-fields, ended their marches, Deaf are their ears to the drum-beat of morn, Rise from the sod, ye fair columns and arches ! Tell their bright deeds to the ages unborn ! Emblem and legend may fade from the portal, Keystone may crumble and pillar may fall; They were the builders whose work is immortal. Crowned with the dome that is over us all!" Holmes has been called an egotist, and, in fact, he does like to talk about himself, but because the I is jovial it is well passed by. "I have come with my verses—I think I may claim It is not the first time I have tried on the same. They were puckered in rhyme, they were wrinkled in wit; But your hearts were so large that they made them a fit. ********* I have come to grow young—on my word I declare I have thought I detected a change in my hair ! One hour with "The Boys" will restore it to brown— And a wrinkle or two I expect to rub down." How much more his class-mates must have *Stedman's Poets of America, page 299. THE COLLEGE MERCURY. enjoyed it! Through the colored glass of friendship the lines had added beauty and were loved by all his fellows, for he was the boy who "sung their last song on the morn of the day That tore from their lives the last blossom of May." It was the cheerful face back of the verses that his class fellows liked to see. They did not want him to give his person dramatic hiding. Holmes shows originality in the choice of his subjects and in his meter. His class poems are simple in style, and pervading all is a fine sense of melody. Their rhythm is natural and easily gains an attentive ear. Holmes is a lyrist, a natural songster. There is a pleas-ing jingle in the verses that almost compels one to read them aloud. "Where, O where are life's lilies and roses, Nursed in the golden dawn's smile? Dead ns the bulrushes round little Moses, On the old banks of the Nile." Poems for college feasts join with the olives in giving tone to the menu-cards, and like these dainties their impressions are fading. "It cannot be expected that verses manufact-ured to pop with the corks and fizz with the champagne at academic banquets should much outlive the occasion."* And yet the songs that made the old boys laugh and forget their "ermined robes" and LL. D.'s are echoing still. Their notes of humor and pathos struck a higher key than the society verse of every day. These lyrics and class songs mark the ideal minstrel of college lays. And it was in lyrical poetry, the most sterile soil of letters, that the clever Autocrat found the ivy which placed him among American poets. A wizard of the piano-keys makes most magic in the sounding melodies of his own creation. His own minuet is phrased by him with unwonted delicacy of feeling. And only the lyrist himself can give to his verses the ex-act fitting of sound and sense. How much greater beauty there must have been in these lyrics to the listening fellows gathered round, when punctuated by the poet's niceties of ac-cent, enforced by his kindly countenance and ♦Beers' Outline Sketch of American Literature, page 176. lighted up by merry twinkling eyes likely to sadden ! "Has there any old fellow got mixed up with the boys? If there has take him out, without making a noise. Hang the Almanac's cheat and the Catalogue's spite ! Old time is a liar ! We're twenty to-night! We're twenty ! We're twenty ! Who says we are more? He's tipsy, young jackanapes ! show him the door ! "Gray temples at twenty?" Yes ! white if we please ; Where the snow-flakes fall thickest there's nothing can freeze !' 'COLLEGIAN.' LIST OF AUTHORITIES: Holmes' Poems, Household Edition. Beers' Outline Sketch of American Literature. Stedman's Poets of America. Richardson's American Literature. Also the following articles: "Scribiler's Monthly," Vol. VIII "North American Review," LXVIII. "'New England Magazine," March, 1892. All quotations not otherwise accredited are from his works. TALE OF A MOUSE. Within the shelter of these walls A tiny rodent dwells, It rambles thro' the classic halls, It climbs anon the stately stair, It finds out secrets unaware, And yet it never tells. Remote from scenes of noisy strife, No pussy cat to fear, I leads a free and peaceful life ; At night it roves along the walls, Explores the still and silent halls, Till morning rays appear ; And then it hurries out of sight, —A footstep draweth near,— Its little eyes how strangely bright, Its silky coat how smooth and soft, Its tiny tail held straight aloft, It scampers off in fear. Sometimes it sallies bravely out And ventures into class, Oh, then the boys do raise a shout; It runs around beneath the chairs, Amuses all the boys, and scares Each timid little lass. How does it live, the little mouse, What does it have to eat ? Does it find food in this great house? Of cheese it gets a good supply, And lots of plain but wholesome "pi" To serve for daily meat. It is a timid thing of course, But somehow, strange to say, 'Tis never frightened by a "horse;" But let a savage boy appear It scampers off in wildest fear, And hides itself away. For boys are cruel things, you know. And do not care for mice ; Thy'd frighten it to see it go, M^MMi THE COLLEGE MERCURY. They'd torture it in wicked play, Or even kill it, any day. And think the fun quite nice. Then let it live, poor tiny mouse, As happy as a king, There's room for it in this big house ; And let each student when he comes Bring in his pocket lots of crumbs To feed the little thing. A. R. W., ,99. AD THALIARCHUM. (Adapted from Horace.) Seest thon not Soraete standing still, Serenely high, Gleaming a snow-white hill Against the sky ? The forest trees now bend their branches down, So meekly low, Their yielding summits crowned By wreaths of snow, And streams stand motionless thro' all the land, Checked by the cruel Frost King's icy hand. Drive back the chilling breath of sleet and snow, Stir up the fire, Brighten the flame into a glow E're it expire. Heap with unsparing band the welcome wood This winter day, And while enjoying warmth so good Oh Thaliarchus, pray Bring forth from Sabine jars thy pneient wine, And let us drink to your good health and mine. Trust to the gods, who rule the stormy deep With mighty hand, At whose nod the wild winds sleep, O'er sea and land. When every sombre cypress on the hill Is motionless, The ancient ash is still, The woods have rest. Ask not, what fortune will tomorrow see? Count all that Chance may give as gain to thee. Enjoy, Oh Youth, the happiness of love, While yet you may, E're the dark locks thy brow above Shall turn to gray. Now strolliifg in th*^7.*7^,^:.¥.Mai«iuWl«««U«^^ THE COLLEGE MERCURY. I ministry, resides with his family in Emmits- I burg, Md. Greatly afflicted in the loss of his I hearing and impaired sight, he yet remains an I earnest student and frequently inquires after I the welfare of Gettysburg college. '61. On the ist of Feb. Rev. J. B. Reimen- ■ snyder completed fifteen years in the pastorate I of St. James Lutheran Church, New York | City. He has met with unusual success in his work. '63. Rev. E. J. Wolf was in Philadelphia at the meeting of the Luther Union and de-livered one of the two principal addresses. Dr. Henry E. Jacobs, '62, Rev. Chas. Al-jbert, D. D., '67, and Rev. Wm. M. Baum, D. D., '46, took part in the Luther memorial ex-ercises in the Academy of Music, Philadelphia on Feb. 13. '76. Rev. A. G. Fastnacht has entered upon : the 20th year of his pastorate at Union Luth-j eran Church, York, Pa. '74. Rev. J. B. Wolf, of Glen Rock, Pa., is still confined to his bed. Neighboring pastors ! have been assisting him in filling his pulpit appointments. '76. Rev. W. F. Rentz, pastor of our church at Atchison, Kan., on account of a persistent throat trouble, has not been able to preach for the past two months. The members of the faculty of Midland College and Seminary have dndly supplied the pulpit very acceptably. '77. On March the ist, F. P. Manhart ad-dressed Christ Lutheran Church, Gettysburg, ?a., on the subject of the Deaconness Work Df the Lutheran Church. '78. Rev. Adam Stump, of York, Pa., has been elected treasurer of the York Lutheran. He is now both editor and treasurer. '80. Rev. M. F. Troxell, of Springfield, 111., recently delivered an address on "Public Charities" before the Single Tax Club of that city. The/ournat of the following day pub-lished an extended abstract. '80. Rev. C. W. Heisler, of Denver, Col., is spendiug a few clays in California, deliver-ing his lecture on the "Life of Christ." He pent a few days at Los Angeles, and was re-ceived with great pleasure and cordiality by his many friends in that city. '81. Rev. W. P. Swartz has lately been called from Wilmington, Del., to Poughkeep-sie, N. Y. '82. Rev. H. H. Weber, General Secretary of Church Extension, will spend the latter part of this month in New York State. '83. A Lutheran congregation has been organ-ized at Goldsboro, York county, Pa., by Rev. C. W. Baker, missionary secretary of the York County Conference. '83. W. M. Duncan lately sent to the min-eralogical cabinet a specimen of limestone from his quarry at Eureka Springs, Arkansas. '84. Rev. A. S. Fiehthorn, of Norristown, Pa., has declined the call as an assistant to Dr. Albert at Germautowu, Pa. '85. Rev. Daniel R. Becker, of Mt. Carmel, visits Gettysburg quite often in order to see his wife who is here, in hopes of improving her health. '86. Rev. W. F. Berger has been called from Camden, N. Y., to Fairmount, Ind. '87. Rev. T. L. Crouse was installed on Sun-day, Feb. 9, as pastor of the Lutheran church of St. Thomas, Pa. Rev. Herbert Alleman de-livered the charge to the pastor, and Rev. E. H. Leisenring delivered the charge to the peo-ple and performed the installation service. '8g. Rev. Cyrus E. Held has received and accepted a unanimous call to the Brunswick Md. Mission charge. '89. Paul Kuhns, of the First National Bank, Omaha, Neb., has been highly compli-mented on a clever bit of detective work he accomplished in capturing and securing the conviction of several rogues who attempted to swindle the bank. '91. Rev. Stanley Billheimer paid a visit to his parents Feb. 22nd. '91. R. Bruce Wolf, of Eureka, Kan., we are glad to learn, is recovering from a severe attack of typhoid fever. '92. Rev. Geo. J. M. Ketner and wife, of New Chester, spent Sunday, Feb. 23, with Mrs. Ketner's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Warren, of this place. '92. Rev. Charles Bikle, a recent graduate of the college and seminary here, has been in-stalled pastor of Zion Lutheran Church, at Spruce Run, N. J. '92. Calvary Lutheran Church, Baltimore, Md., Rev. Geo. Beiswanger pastor, is having a phenomenal growth. The chapel is crowded at nearly all the services, and the work pro- THE COLLEGE MERCURY. gressing in every way. On Feb. 16, General Secretary Weber of the Church Extension Board visited the people. '93. Gellert Alleman, son of Rev. Dr. M. J. Alleman, a student at Johns Hopkins Uni-versity, of Baltimore, received a letter from Berlin, Germany, announcing that he has been elected a member of the German Chemical Association. Mr. Alleman will graduate from Johns Hopkins University this spring. '93. Rev. A. A. Kelly, of Gettysburg Semi-nary, has been called to the new pastorate, the Trindle Spring congregation, near Me-chanicsburg, Pa. '93. Marion J. Kline has recovered from his severe attack of sickness which confined him to bed for some time. '93. Frederick H. Knubel will have an article on "The Lutheran Symbols and the Holy Scriptures," translated from a paper by Prof. Noesgen of Rostock, Germany, in the Ltdheran Quarterly for April. '95. L. H. Waring delivered his lecture on "Ups and Downs in Germany,"to a crowded house in Philipsburg, Pa., recently. ATHLETICS. WILLIAM 1-:. WHEELER, Editor. Since our last issue interest in the base-ball team has greatly increased. At the call of Captain Leiseuring for all applicants to report for indoor practice fully thirty men responded and presented themselves as applicants for the various positions. A fair idea of the abilities of the men was obtained, after several weeks of indoor practice, and it is anxiously hoped that they will show the same snap and energy in the diamond as was manifested in the cage. The box is the weak place and considerable doubt is expressed as to filling that posi-tion. There are several applicants, but Brown, '99, seems, at the present writing, to have a "cinch" on it. His speedy and most deceptive curves look very nice in practice games. The field has been put in good order for the coming season, and clear weather is waited for that active practice may begin. Manager Armstrong has almost completed his schedule and from the following dates a profitable and successful season is anticipated: Apr. 17. Wash. &. Jef. at Gettysburg. Apr. 18, Frank. & Mar. at Lancaster. Apr. 25, Indians, at Gettysburg. May 8, Western Md. at Westminster. Mav q, Frank. & Mar. at Gettysburg. May H. Ursinus, at Gettysburg. May i.s, State, at State College May 16, Bucknell, at Lewisburg. May 23, West. Md. at Gettysburg. The applicants for the relay race to be run at U. of P., April 25, have been training on the running track during the past few weeks. Quite a good showing was made by the men, and especially from the lower classes. . The material for a good running team is here, and only needs development. Gettysburg has not been very careful of her interests in this part of athletics during the past, allowing material, I and good material at that, not to receive the proper care and attention. It is hoped that all interested in track work will show their interest by hearty co-operation and sup-port. FRATERNITY NOTES. EDNA M. LOOMIS, Editor. PHI KAPPA PSI. Carty, '96, and Reitzell, '96, will represent us at the Phi Psi banquet to be given March 7th, at Philadelphia, Pa. C. G. White was initiated Feb. 13, 1896. Eisenhart, '96, has been awarded the Graeff prize for the Senior essay, subject "Holmes as the Poet of Collegians." Reitzell, '96, vice-president of Penna. I. C. A. A., will attend its annual meeting to be held Mar. 7, at Philadelphia. D. C. Forney, '56, recently celebrated his 49th birth-day by giving a Phi Psi dinner to J. C. Kohler, '65, H. L. Jacobs, '82 and W. H. Hoftheins, '82, of Pa. Eta, all of Hanover, Pa. We wish him many happy returns of the day. , Reitzell, '96, and Lark, '98, recently made flying trips to Baltimore and Washington. PHI GAMMA DELTA. Bros. Edgar A. De Yoe, '99, of Ramsey, N. J., and Ferdinand E. Kolb, of Allegheny, Pa., were initiated into the fraternity, Feb. 21. THK COLLEGE MERCURY. 13 Bros. A. S. Fichthorn, '84, and Blint, '90, paid the chapter flying visits during last month. Bros. J. H. Fichthorn and Herr, of Beta chapter, U. of P., formerly of Xi, and Bros. Stahler, '82, and Hoffer, '94, spent several days with us and enjoyed the festivities of the 22nd ult. Bro. A. R. Aukerman, ex-'97, accompanied by his father, paid us a short visit the begin-ing of February. Bro. W. E. Stahler, '80, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church, Lebanon, has been deliver-ing a series of illustrated lectures to his con-gregation, on his recent foreign travels. The Lebanon papers praise the third lecture of this series, which was delivered recently. SIGMA CHI. Dr. Geo. E. M. Herbst, '75, of Oley, Pa., has announced himself as a candidate for the Democratic nomination for Congress in the 9th Penn'a District. Charles W. Humrichouse, formerly a mem-ber of the class of '97, spent the 22nd and 23rd ult., with the chapter. He is traveling for his father's coffee and sugar house, Baltimore, Md. Leisenring, '97, spent the 22nd ult., with his parents at Chambersburg, Pa. Lawyer, 1900, spent a few days recently at his home, Westminster, Md. PHI DELTA THETA. Bro. H. H. Weber, '82, spent the 15th of Feb. in Gettysburg. Bro. E. C. Henderson, Missouri Beta, visited the chapter last week. Bro. C. Reinewald, '85, spent the 22nd ult. in Gettysburg. Bro. H. S. Ehrhart, '93, of Hanover, spent the beginning of the week in town. Bro. J. E. Meisenhelder, '97, spent the 22nd of Feb. at his home. Bro. B. R. Wolf, '91, of Eureka, Kan., is just recovering from a severe attack of typhoid fever. The chapter spent a very pleasant evening on the 29th of Feb. at the home of the Misses Gettier, in Littlestown. ALPHA TATJ OMEGA. Franklin Meuges, Ph. D., spent Saturday, Feb. 29th, at his home. M. R. Zullinger, '98, was home over the 22nd. F. M. Bortuer, '93, who is studying law at York, will finish his course in June. ToW|\l AND SEWJINAFJY NOTES. WEBSTER C. SPAYDE, Editor. TOWN. About two hundred subscribers have been secured for the telephone line and subscrip-tions to the stock to the amount of $5000. During the session of court work was practi-cally suspended, but it will now be pushed to completion, if possible. Now that the neces-sary number of subscribers has been secured, there should be no trouble in getting the stock taken. Governor Hastings and the military officers of the National Guard of Pennsylvania held a conference in Harrisburg, a short time ago, and decided to hold a division encampment from July 15 to 25, 1896. The place for hold-ing it will be considered later. Among the places mentioned is Gettysburg. The pupils of the High School had special exercises on Friday afternoon, Feb. 21st, ap-propriate to Washington's birthday, at 1.30 o'clock. On Friday, Feb. 14th, a committee of gentlemen, Hon. Wm. T. Ziegler, Hon. N. G. Wilson, Messrs. Robert Bell, Paul Hersh, S. E. Wampler and Joshua Happold, appeared before the Count}' Commissioners in behalf of the county monument project. G. J. Ben-uer, Esq., was present by request of the com-mittee, and urged.the fulfillment of the plan. The matter was informally discussed at con-siderable length, but definite action was post-poned. Monday evening, Feb. 17th, about 5 o'clock, smoke was seen coming from the residence of Dr. Stouffer, on Lincoln avenue, and it was discovered that a fire was burning in one of the partitions. It was extinguished without much trouble, but the loss is about $50. An over-heated flue was the cause. The 87th anniversary of the Birthday of ex- President Lincoln was celebrated by Camp MMM^HMH ■■^■■n >4 THE COLLEGE MERCURY. 125, S. of V., of this place, on Wednesday evening, Feb. 12th. The exercises opened with an invocation by Jacob I. Mumper, fol-lowed by an address of welcome by Dr. Henry Stewart, who presided over the meeting. Miss M. McMillan gave several appropriate selec-tions, Win. Hersh, Esq., delivered an address on Abraham Lincoln, and Capt. Long gave some war reminiscenses and recited Mr. Lin-coln's address at Gettysburg, in 1863. The Ladies' Aid Society contributed choice re-freshments, and the evening was an enjoyable one to all present. The foundation of the new hotel to be erected on the site of the old Battlefield Hotel, Balti-more street and Steinwehr avenue, is being laid. The new structure will be somewhat smaller than the one destroyed by fire some months ago, but will be handsomer aud have more conveniences. At a late meeting of the County Commis-sioners, it was determined to postpone further consideration of the County Monument project indefinitely. Owing to the illness of the pastor, Rev. Black, the pulpit of Christ's Lutheran Church was filled on Sunday, Feb. 16, in the morning by Dr. Wolf, and in the evening by Dr. Bill-heimer. About eighty visitors to the Carlisle Indian school came to Gettysburg on Friday, Feb. 28, to visit the battlefield. In the party were General Oliver O. Howard, General Fitzhugh Lee, Judge W. N. Ashman, of Philadelphia, and VirginiusS. Newton, of Richmond. Gen-eral Lee rode in the carriage with General Howard. It is stated that the purpose of General Lee's visit to Gettysburg is to gather data for an answer to General Longstreet's ac-count of the battle and his reflections on Gen-eral Robert E. Lee. On Sunday morning, Mar. 1, the pulpit of Christ's Lutheran Church, of this place, was filled by Rev. F. P. Manhart, of Philadelphia, Secretary of the Deaconess Board of the Gen-eral Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. He spoke in the interests of that in-stitution. SEMINARY. The Rev. Edwin Heyl Delk, '82, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Hagerstowu, Md., has been requested by President Lewis, of Western Maryland College, Westminster, Md., to deliver the annual address before the Christ-ian Association, during Commencement Week. On Sunday, Feb. 9, Dr. Billheimer preached in the Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Harris-burg, Pa.; on Sunday, Mar. 1st, he filled the pulpit of St. Mark's Lutheran Church, Steel-ton, Pa. Rev. F. Hilton preached at Martin's Creek, Pa., Sunday, Feb. 16th. The pulpit of St. Mark's Lutheran Church, Steelton, Pa., was filled on Sunday, Feb. 9, by Dr. Richards; on Sunday, Feb. 16, by Rev. A. Bredenbeck. Rev. Erwin Dieterly preached for Rev. Wolf, at Glen Rock, Pa., Sunday, Feb. 23. Rev. W. S. Oberholtzer has been very ill for several weeks, and there seems to be no change in his condition. On Sunday, Feb. 16, fourteen of the Seniors were out preaching. An unusually large number for one Sunday. On Sunday, Mar. 1st, the following semi-narians were away preaching: Rev. A. J. Rudisill, at Freedom, Md.; Rev. J. C. Bowers, at Frederick, Md.; Rev. W. C. Heffner, at Manheim, Pa.; Rev. Geo. M. Diffenderfer in the Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Harrisburg, Pa.; Rev. M. J. Kline in the St. Paul's Luth-eran Church, Newport, Pa.; Rev. Chas. P. Wiles, at Rossville, Pa.; Rev. L. F. Myers, at Dickinson (near Mt. Holly), Pa.; Rev. M. J. Killian, at Arendtsville, Pa., Rev. Koser's charge. LIJERARY SOCIETIES. EDNA M. LOOMIS, Editor. PHILO. The following officers were installed on Fri-day evening, Feb. 28 : President, Baum; Vice-president, Abel; Cor responding Secretary, Friday; Recording Sec-retary, Kohler; Critic, Eisenhart. Notwithstanding the very disagreeable weather of Friday evening, Feb. 28, a large audience was present at the special program rendered exclusively by our Philo brothers of the Seminary. The character of. the program was kept a close secret until the evening for its rendition, and when it was finally disclosed the surprise was a most delightful one. The Seminarians had decided to kindly remember their society, and this they did in a most sub- THE COLLEGE MERCURY. 15 stantial and gratifying way by presenting to her a beautiful piano lamp and stand. The society can not be too strong in its apprecia-tion of this gift. The exercises of the evening were most en-tertaining, and the society was much pleased and encouraged by this visit from its ex-mem-bers. The chair was occupied by Mr. Ehrhart, and the programme was as follows: ROLL CALL, . . . INVOCATION, . G. M. K. Diffenderfer. READING OF MINUTES, . U.E.APPLE. SONG, . . : . . Octette. GREETING, . . Marion J. Kline. PIANO SOLO, . . . Miss Bowman. [RECITATION, . G. M. K. Diffenderfer. RETROSPECTION, . . J. E. Byers. [SONG, . . . . . Octette. RECITATION, . . . J. C. Bowers. PIANO SOLO. . . Miss Wisotzki. PRESENTATION ADDRESS, . W. A. Kump. RESPONSE G. Z. Stup. SONG Octette. [PRAYER, . . A. J. Rudisill. PHRENA. The following officers were installed on Fri- | day evening, Feb. 28 : Pres., Moser, '96; V. Pres., Manges, '97; Rec. Sec , Snyder, '99; Treasurer, Meisen-helder, J. E., '97; Chaplain, Brnbaker, '96; Monitor, Brown, '99; Ass't Lib., Lauffer, '99; Critics, Spayde, '96, Brubaker, '96, Stahl, '97, Reisch, '99. Two new names were added to the roll—C. E. and J. E. Smith, '99. The debating club elected the following officers several weeks ago : Pres., Sprenkle, '98; V. Pres. Weeter, '99; Rec. Sec, Raffensperger, '99; Treas., Living-ston, '98. New names are still being added to the list of membership. Joint treasurers have lately been appointed I by the two societies to collect reading-room dues from non-society men who make frequent use of the reading-rooms. On Wednesday evening, Mar. 4, the con-test was held for representative in the State Intercollegiate Oratorical Contest at Swarth-more, Mar. 20. The judges, Dr. Richards, Rev. Ege and Prof. Klinger, chose I. O. S. Moser as first, with H. D. Shimer as alternate. Mr. Moser's subject is "Lafayette, the Cham-pion of Liberty." THE BELL. (After Edgar A. Poe ) 7.45 a. m. Hear the chapel with its bell— Booming bell, While with the woolly blankets its noise I try to quell, How it roars, roars, roars, In the morning bleak and grey ! When my sleep I'm most enjoying, Comes it's howl—all rest destroying, Driving visions sweet away With its bang, bang, bang. And its clang, clang, clang. With its fiendish clash and clatter On the ever louder swell. O ! that bell, bell, bell, bell. Bell, bell, bell ! O ! the sounding and the pounding Of that bell ! —The Lafayette. —» »—•— WHAT THE WILD WAVES SAID. Do you hear the ocean moaning, Ever moaning sad and low? 'Tis because the fat old bather Stepped upon its undertow. —Tlie University Herald. —« ♦ « Under an ancient elm she stood, A'fairy form in grey— Her eyes were bright as the stars at night And she merrily trilled a lay. I stood in the shadow and watched her face, It was eene and passing fair, As the ditty she sang so merrily rang On the waves of the evening air. I was stirred to the depths of my very soul- Ne'er heard I a voice like that, And I threw all I owned at her very feet, For she was my neighbor's cat. —Exchange. COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS I SURGEONS, •BALTIWIORE, W]D.-* The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Balti-more, Maryland, is a well-equipped school. Four ses-sions are required for graduation. For full informa-tion send for the annual catalogue, or write to THOMAS OPIE, M. D. Dean, Cor. Calvert and Saratoga 9ts. ^■^"^■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■^^^■^M ADVERTISEMENTS. L M. BUEHLER, cM. MiirrjpQP, SUCCESSOltTO A. D. BUEHLEIt &CO., fl \J_ ' STATIONERY AND BLANK BOOKS, DAVID TROXEL, .DEALER IN. FINE CROQERIES AND NOTIONS- 'ork Street.- • CLOTHIER, * FASHIONABLE TAILOR, us GEM'S FDRNISHER. No. 11 Balto. St. - GETTYSBURG. ,T. E. BOYLE, OF LEECH, STILES & CO. EYE SPECIALISTS, 1413 Chestnut Street, Phila. Will be in Gettysburg, Pa., at W. II. TIPTON'S, THURSDAY, MAR. 26, From 9 a. m. to 3.30 p. m. No charge for consulta-tion and examination and every pair of glasses or-dered guaranteed to be » satisfactory by LEECH, STILES, & Co. . ~>M0TEL GETTYSBURG* ^BAHBEH SH0P.K-Centre Square. «^B. M. SEFTON. 2/ou will find a full line of {Pure 2)ruys 6c J'ine Stationery {People'a iDru£f Store. ^Prescriptions a Specialty. {Photographer^ ollege u\^)opk. No.' 29 Baltimore St., OETTySBU^Q SPECIAL ATTENTION PAID TO ->IEIM ISl'A. T/r\POf\TE.R,5 U/n/MJlJF.J^L^ DETROIT, MICH. ^FRATERNITV| BADGES SEND FOR PRICEUST jjps Established 1876.— iPBNfiOSB MVBUSjfe- WAT6HMAKER AND tTEWBLER, Gettysburg Souvenir Spoons, College Souvenir Spoons- No. 10 Baltimore Street, GETTYSBURG, PENN'A. MflTjIIiIiER HATS, CAPS, —^ BOOTS*SHOES. G^Satisfaction Guara nteed.i^r; No. 6 S. Baltimore Street, GETTYSBURG. PA. por all the 'latest styles in Suitingsar,d Trousers, AND FULL LINE Ob1 Cents' Furnishing Coods, Call or, D. H. WELSH, York, F»a. JOENL. SHERDS. NEW GIGAR STORE 'Next door to W. M. 'Depot, Gettysburg,
COVID-STORM Clinicians Giuseppe Foti1, Giacomo Bellani 1, Giuseppe Citerio1, Ernesto Contro1, Alberto Pesci2, Maria Grazia Valsecchi3, Marina Cazzaniga4 1Department of Emergency, Anesthesia and Intensive Care, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, San Gerardo Hospital, Monza, Italy. 2Department of Pneumology, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, San Gerardo Hospital, Monza, Italy. 3Center of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, San Gerardo Hospital, Monza, Italy. 4Phase I Research Center, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, San Gerardo Hospital, Monza IT ; COVID Clinicians Jorge Abad1, Sergio Aguilera-Albesa2, Ozge Metin Akcan3, Ilad Alavi Darazam4, Juan C. Aldave5, Miquel Alfonso Ramos6, Seyed Alireza Nadji7, Gulsum Alkan8, Jerome Allardet-Servent9, Luis M. Allende10, Laia Alsina11, Marie-Alexandra Alyanakian12, Blanca Amador-Borrero13, Zahir Amoura14, Arnau Antolí15, Sevket Arslan16, Sophie Assant17, Terese Auguet18, Axelle Azot19, Fanny Bajolle20, Aurélie Baldolli21, Maite Ballester22, Hagit Baris Feldman23, Benoit Barrou24, Alexandra Beurton25, Agurtzane Bilbao26, Geraldine Blanchard-Rohner27, Ignacio Blanco1, Adeline Blandinières28, Daniel Blazquez-Gamero29, Marketa Bloomfield30, Mireia Bolivar-Prados31, Raphael Borie32, Cédric Bosteels33, Ahmed A. Bousfiha34, Claire Bouvattier35, Oksana Boyarchuk36, Maria Rita P. Bueno37, Jacinta Bustamante20, Juan José Cáceres Agra38, Semra Calimli39, Ruggero Capra40, Maria Carrabba41, Carlos Casasnovas42, Marion Caseris43, Martin Castelle44, Francesco Castelli45, Martín Castillo de Vera46, Mateus V. Castro37, Emilie Catherinot47, Martin Chalumeau48, Bruno Charbit49, Matthew P. Cheng50, Père Clavé31, Bonaventura Clotet51, Anna Codina52, Fatih Colkesen53, Fatma Çölkesen54, Roger Colobran55, Cloé Comarmond56, David Dalmau57, David Ross Darley58, Nicolas Dauby59, Stéphane Dauger60, Loic de Pontual61, Amin Dehban62, Geoffroy Delplancq63, Alexandre Demoule64, Jean-Luc Diehl65, Stephanie Dobbelaere66, Sophie Durand67, Waleed Eldars68, Mohamed Elgamal69, Marwa H. Elnagdy70, Melike Emiroglu71, Emine Hafize Erdeniz72, Selma Erol Aytekin73, Romain Euvrard74, Recep Evcen75, Giovanna Fabio41, Laurence Faivre76, Antonin Falck43, Muriel Fartoukh77, Morgane Faure78, Miguel Fernandez Arquero79, Carlos Flores80, Bruno Francois81, Victoria Fumadó82, Francesca Fusco83, Blanca Garcia Solis84, Pascale Gaussem85, Juana Gil-Herrera86, Laurent Gilardin87, Monica Girona Alarcon88, Mònica Girona-Alarcón88, Jean-Christophe Goffard89, Funda Gok90, Rafaela González-Montelongo91, Antoine Guerder92, Yahya Gul93, Sukru Nail Guner93, Marta Gut94, Jérôme Hadjadj95, Filomeen Haerynck96, Rabih Halwani97, Lennart Hammarström98, Nevin Hatipoglu99, Elisa Hernandez-Brito100, Cathérine Heijmans101, María Soledad Holanda-Peña102, Juan Pablo Horcajada103, Levi Hoste104, Eric Hoste105, Sami Hraiech106, Linda Humbert107, Alejandro D. Iglesias108, Antonio Íñigo-Campos91, Matthieu Jamme109, María Jesús Arranz110, Iolanda Jordan111, Philippe Jorens112, Fikret Kanat113, Hasan Kapakli114, Iskender Kara115, Adem Karbuz116, Kadriye Kart Yasar117, Sevgi Keles118, Yasemin Kendir Demirkol119, Adam Klocperk120, Zbigniew J. Król121, Paul Kuentz122, Yat Wah M. Kwan123, Jean-Christophe Lagier124, Bart N. Lambrecht33, Yu-Lung Lau125, Fleur Le Bourgeois60, Yee-Sin Leo126, Rafael Leon Lopez127, Daniel Leung125, Michael Levin128, Michael Levy60, Romain Lévy20, Zhi Li49, Agnes Linglart129, Bart Loeys130, José M. Lorenzo-Salazar91, Céline Louapre131, Catherine Lubetzki131, Charles-Edouard Luyt132, David C. Lye133, Davood Mansouri134, Majid Marjani135, Jesus Marquez Pereira136, Andrea Martin137, David Martínez Pueyo138, Javier Martinez-Picado139, Iciar Marzana140, Alexis Mathian14, Larissa R. B. Matos37, Gail V. Matthews141, Julien Mayaux142, Jean-Louis Mège143, Isabelle Melki144, Jean-François Meritet145, Ozge Metin146, Isabelle Meyts147, Mehdi Mezidi148, Isabelle Migeotte149, Maude Millereux150, Tristan Mirault151, Clotilde Mircher67, Mehdi Mirsaeidi152, Abián Montesdeoca Melián153, Antonio Morales Martinez154, Pierre Morange155, Clémence Mordacq107, Guillaume Morelle156, Stéphane Mouly13, Adrián Muñoz-Barrera91, Leslie Naesens157, Cyril Nafati158, João Farela Neves159, Lisa FP. Ng160, Yeray Novoa Medina161, Esmeralda Nuñez Cuadros162, J. Gonzalo Ocejo-Vinyals163, Zerrin Orbak164, Mehdi Oualha20, Tayfun Özçelik165, Qiang Pan-Hammarström166, Christophe Parizot142, Tiffany Pascreau167, Estela Paz-Artal168, Sandra Pellegrini49, Rebeca Pérez de Diego84, Aurélien Philippe169, Quentin Philippot77, Laura Planas-Serra170, Dominique Ploin171, Julien Poissy172, Géraldine Poncelet43, Marie Pouletty173, Paul Quentric142, Didier Raoult143, Anne-Sophie Rebillat67, Ismail Reisli174, Pilar Ricart175, Jean-Christophe Richard176, Nadia Rivet28, Jacques G. Rivière177, Gemma Rocamora Blanch15, Carlos Rodrigo1, Carlos Rodriguez-Gallego178, Agustí Rodríguez-Palmero179, Carolina Soledad Romero180, Anya Rothenbuhler181, Flore Rozenberg182, Maria Yolanda Ruiz del Prado183, Joan Sabater Riera15, Oliver Sanchez184, Silvia Sánchez-Ramón185, Agatha Schluter170, Matthieu Schmidt186, Cyril E. Schweitzer187, Francesco Scolari188, Anna Sediva189, Luis M. Seijo190, Damien Sene13, Sevtap Senoglu117, Mikko R. J. Seppänen191, Alex Serra Ilovich192, Mohammad Shahrooei62, Hans Slabbynck193, David M. Smadja194, Ali Sobh195, Xavier Solanich Moreno15, Jordi Solé-Violán196, Catherine Soler197, Pere Soler-Palacín137, Yuri Stepanovskiy198, Annabelle Stoclin199, Fabio Taccone149, Yacine Tandjaoui-Lambiotte200, Jean-Luc Taupin201, Simon J. Tavernier202, Benjamin Terrier203, Caroline Thumerelle107, Gabriele Tomasoni204, Julie Toubiana48, Josep Trenado Alvarez205, Sophie Trouillet-Assant206, Jesús Troya207, Alessandra Tucci208, Matilde Valeria Ursini83, Yurdagul Uzunhan209, Pierre Vabres210, Juan Valencia-Ramos211, Eva Van Braeckel33, Stijn Van de Velde212, Ana Maria Van Den Rym84, Jens Van Praet213, Isabelle Vandernoot214, Hulya Vatansev215, Valentina Vélez-Santamaria42, Sébastien Viel171, Cédric Vilain216, Marie E. Vilaire67, Audrey Vincent35, Guillaume Voiriot217, Fanny Vuotto107, Alper Yosunkaya90, Barnaby E. Young126, Fatih Yucel218, Faiez Zannad219, Mayana Zatz37, Alexandre Belot220* ; Imagine COVID Group Christine Bole-Feysot, Stanislas Lyonnet*, Cécile Masson, Patrick Nitschke, Aurore Pouliet, Yoann Schmitt, Frederic Tores, Mohammed Zarhrate Imagine Institute, Université de Paris, INSERM UMR 1163, Paris, France. *Leader of the Imagine COVID Group. ; French COVID Cohort Study Group Laurent Abel1, Claire Andrejak2, François Angoulvant3, Delphine Bachelet4, Romain Basmaci5, Sylvie Behillil6, Marine Beluze7, Dehbia Benkerrou8, Krishna Bhavsar4, François Bompart9, Lila Bouadma4, Maude Bouscambert10, Mireille Caralp11, Minerva Cervantes-Gonzalez12, Anissa Chair4, Alexandra Coelho13, Camille Couffignal4, Sandrine Couffin-Cadiergues14, Eric D'Ortenzio12, Charlene Da Silveira4, Marie-Pierre Debray4, Dominique Deplanque15, Diane Descamps16, Mathilde Desvallées17, Alpha Diallo18, Alphonsine Diouf13, Céline Dorival8, François Dubos19, Xavier Duval4, Philippine Eloy4, Vincent VE Enouf20, Hélène Esperou21, Marina Esposito-Farese4, Manuel Etienne22, Nadia Ettalhaoui4, Nathalie Gault4, Alexandre Gaymard10, Jade Ghosn4, Tristan Gigante23, Isabelle Gorenne4, Jérémie Guedj24, Alexandre Hoctin13, Isabelle Hoffmann4, Salma Jaafoura21, Ouifiya Kafif4, Florentia Kaguelidou25, Sabina Kali4, Antoine Khalil4, Coralie Khan17, Cédric Laouénan4, Samira Laribi4, Minh Le4, Quentin Le Hingrat4, Soizic Le Mestre18, Hervé Le Nagard24, François-Xavier Lescure4, Yves Lévy26, Claire Levy-Marchal27, Bruno Lina10, Guillaume Lingas24, Jean Christophe Lucet4, Denis Malvy28, Marina Mambert13, France Mentré4, Noémie Mercier18, Amina Meziane8, Hugo Mouquet20, Jimmy Mullaert4, Nadège Neant24, Marion Noret29, Justine Pages30, Aurélie Papadopoulos21, Christelle Paul18, Nathan Peiffer-Smadja4, Ventzislava Petrov-Sanchez18, Gilles Peytavin4, Olivier Picone31, Oriane Puéchal12, Manuel Rosa-Calatrava10, Bénédicte Rossignol23, Patrick Rossignol32, Carine Roy4, Marion Schneider4, Caroline Semaille12, Nassima Si Mohammed4, Lysa Tagherset4, Coralie Tardivon4, Marie-Capucine Tellier4, François Téoulé8, Olivier Terrier10, Jean-François Timsit4, Théo Trioux4, Christelle Tual33, Sarah Tubiana4, Sylvie van der Werf34, Noémie Vanel35, Aurélie Veislinger33, Benoit Visseaux16, Aurélie Wiedemann26, Yazdan Yazdanpanah36 1Inserm UMR 1163, Paris, France. 2CHU Amiens, France. 3Hôpital Necker, Paris, France. 4Hôpital Bichat, Paris, France. 5Hôpital Louis Mourrier, Colombes, France. 6Institut Pasteur, Paris, France. 7F-CRIN Partners Platform, AP-HP, Université de Paris, Paris, France. 8Inserm UMR 1136, Paris, France. 9Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative, Geneva, Switzerland. 10Inserm UMR 1111, Lyon, France. 11Inserm Transfert, Paris, France. 12REACTing, Paris, France. 13Inserm UMR 1018, Paris, France. 14Inserm, Pôle Recherche Clinique, Paris, France. 15CIC 1403 Inserm-CHU Lille, Paris, France. 16Université de Paris, IAME, INSERM UMR 1137, AP-HP, University Hospital Bichat Claude Bernard, Virology, Paris, France. 17Inserm UMR 1219, Bordeaux, France. 18ANRS, Paris, France. 19CHU Lille, Lille, France. 20Pasteur Institute, Paris, France. 21Inserm sponsor, Paris, France. 22CHU Rouen–SMIT, Rouen, France. 23FCRIN INI-CRCT, Nancy, France. 24Inserm UMR 1137, Paris, France. 25Centre d'Investigation Clinique, Inserm CIC1426, Hôpital Robert Debré, Paris, France. 26Inserm UMR 955, Créteil, France; Vaccine Research Instiute (VRI), Paris, France. 27F-CRIN INI-CRCT, Paris, France. 28CHU de Bordeaux–SMIT, Bordeaux, France. 29RENARCI, Annecy, France. 30Hôpital Robert Debré, Paris, France. 31Hôpital Louis Mourier–Gynécologie, Colombes, France. 32University of Lorraine, Plurithematic Clinical Investigation Centre Inserm CIC-P; 1433, Inserm U1116, CHRU Nancy Hopitaux de Brabois, F-CRIN INI-CRCT (Cardiovascular and Renal Clinical Trialists), Nancy, France. 33Inserm CIC-1414, Rennes, France. 34Institut Pasteur, UMR 3569 CNRS, Université de Paris, Paris, France. 35Hôpital la Timone, Marseille, France. 36Bichat–SMIT, Paris, France. ; CoV-Contact Cohort Loubna Alavoine1, Karine K. A. Amat2, Sylvie Behillil3, Julia Bielicki4, Patricia Bruijning5, Charles Burdet6, Eric Caumes7, Charlotte Charpentier8, Bruno Coignard9, Yolande Costa1, Sandrine Couffin-Cadiergues10, Florence Damond8, Aline Dechanet11, Christelle Delmas10, Diane Descamps8, Xavier Duval1, Jean-Luc Ecobichon1, Vincent Enouf3, Hélène Espérou10, Wahiba Frezouls1, Nadhira Houhou11, Emila Ilic-Habensus1, Ouifiya Kafif11, John Kikoine11, Quentin Le Hingrat8, David Lebeaux12, Anne Leclercq1, Jonathan Lehacaut1, Sophie Letrou1, Bruno Lina13, Jean-Christophe Lucet14, Denis Malvy15, Pauline Manchon11, Milica Mandic1, Mohamed Meghadecha16, Justina Motiejunaite17, Mariama Nouroudine1, Valentine Piquard11, Andreea Postolache11, Caroline Quintin1, Jade Rexach1, Layidé Roufai10, Zaven Terzian11, Michael Thy18, Sarah Tubiana1, Sylvie van der Werf3, Valérie Vignali1, Benoit Visseaux8, Yazdan Yazdanpanah14 1Centre d'Investigation Clinique, Inserm CIC 1425, Hôpital Bichat Claude Bernard, APHP, Paris, France. 2IMEA Fondation Léon M'Ba, Paris, France. 3Institut Pasteur, UMR 3569 CNRS, Université de Paris, Paris, France. 4University of Basel Children's Hospital. 5Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, Utrecht, Netherlands. 6Université de Paris, IAME, Inserm UMR 1137, F-75018, Paris, France, Hôpital Bichat Claude Bernard, APHP, Paris, France. 7Hôpital Pitiè Salpétriere, APHP, Paris. 8Université de Paris, IAME, INSERM UMR 1137, AP-HP, University Hospital Bichat Claude Bernard, Virology, Paris, France. 9Santé Publique France, Saint Maurice, France. 10Pole Recherche Clinique, Inserm, Paris, France. 11Hôpital Bichat Claude Bernard, APHP, Paris, France. 12APHP, Paris, France. 13Virpath Laboratory, International Center of Research in Infectiology, Lyon University, INSERM U1111, CNRS UMR 5308, ENS, UCBL, Lyon, France. 14IAME Inserm UMR 1138, Hôpital Bichat Claude Bernard, APHP, Paris, France. 15Service des Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales; Groupe Pellegrin-Place Amélie-Raba-Léon, Bordeaux, France. 16Hôpital Hotel Dieu, APHP, Paris, France. 17Service des Explorations Fonctionnelles, Hôpital Bichat–Claude Bernard, APHP, Paris, France. 18Center for Clinical Investigation, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Bichat-Claude Bernard University Hospital, Paris, France. ; Amsterdam UMC Covid-19 Biobank Michiel van Agtmael1, Anna Geke Algera2, Frank van Baarle2, Diane Bax3, Martijn Beudel4, Harm Jan Bogaard5, Marije Bomers1, Lieuwe Bos2, Michela Botta2, Justin de Brabander6, Godelieve de Bree6, Matthijs C. Brouwer4, Sanne de Bruin2, Marianna Bugiani7, Esther Bulle2, Osoul Chouchane1, Alex Cloherty3, Paul Elbers2, Lucas Fleuren2, Suzanne Geerlings1, Bart Geerts8, Theo Geijtenbeek9, Armand Girbes2, Bram Goorhuis1, Martin P. Grobusch1, Florianne Hafkamp9, Laura Hagens2, Jorg Hamann10, Vanessa Harris1, Robert Hemke11, Sabine M. Hermans1, Leo Heunks2, Markus W. Hollmann8, Janneke Horn2, Joppe W. Hovius1, Menno D. de Jong12, Rutger Koning4, Niels van Mourik2, Jeaninne Nellen1, Frederique Paulus2, Edgar Peters1, Tom van der Poll1, Benedikt Preckel8, Jan M. Prins1, Jorinde Raasveld2, Tom Reijnders1, Michiel Schinkel1, Marcus J. Schultz2, Alex Schuurman13, Kim Sigaloff1, Marry Smit2, Cornelis S. Stijnis1, Willemke Stilma2, Charlotte Teunissen14, Patrick Thoral2, Anissa Tsonas2, Marc van der Valk1, Denise Veelo8, Alexander P.J. Vlaar15, Heder de Vries2, Michèle van Vugt1, W. Joost Wiersinga1, Dorien Wouters16, A. H. (Koos) Zwinderman17, Diederik van de Beek4* 1Department of Infectious Diseases, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, Netherlands. 2Department of Intensive Care, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, Netherlands. 3Experimental Immunology, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, Netherlands. 4Department of Neurology, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, Netherlands. 5Department of Pulmonology, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, Netherlands. 6Department of Infectious Diseases, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, Netherlands. 7Department of Pathology, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, Netherlands. 8Department of Anesthesiology, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, Netherlands. 9Department of Experimental Immunology, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, Netherlands. 10Amsterdam UMC Biobank Core Facility, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, Netherlands. 11Department of Radiology, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, Netherlands. 12Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, Netherlands. 13Department of Internal Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, Netherlands. 14Neurochemical Laboratory, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, Netherlands. 15Department of Intensive Care, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, Netherlands. 16Department of Clinical Chemistry, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, Netherlands. 17Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, Netherlands. 18Department of Neurology, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, Netherlands. *Leader of the AMC Consortium. ; COVID Human Genetic Effort Laurent Abel1, Alessandro Aiuti2, Saleh Al Muhsen3, Fahd Al-Mulla4, Mark S. Anderson5, Andrés Augusto Arias6, Hagit Baris Feldman7, Dusan Bogunovic8, Alexandre Bolze9, Anastasiia Bondarenko10, Ahmed A. Bousfiha11, Petter Brodin12, Yenan Bryceson12, Carlos D. Bustamante13, Manish Butte14, Giorgio Casari15, Samya Chakravorty16, John Christodoulou17, Elizabeth Cirulli9, Antonio Condino-Neto18, Megan A. Cooper19, Clifton L. Dalgard20, Alessia David21, Joseph L. DeRisi22, Murkesh Desai23, Beth A. Drolet24, Sara Espinosa25, Jacques Fellay26, Carlos Flores27, Jose Luis Franco28, Peter K. Gregersen29, Filomeen Haerynck30, David Hagin31, Rabih Halwani32, Jim Heath33, Sarah E. Henrickson34, Elena Hsieh35, Kohsuke Imai36, Yuval Itan8, Timokratis Karamitros37, Kai Kisand38, Cheng-Lung Ku39, Yu-Lung Lau40, Yun Ling41, Carrie L. Lucas42, Tom Maniatis43, Davoud Mansouri44, Laszlo Marodi45, Isabelle Meyts46, Joshua Milner47, Kristina Mironska48, Trine Mogensen49, Tomohiro Morio50, Lisa FP. Ng51, Luigi D. Notarangelo52, Antonio Novelli53, Giuseppe Novelli54, Cliona O'Farrelly55, Satoshi Okada56, Tayfun Ozcelik57, Rebeca Perez de Diego58, Anna M. Planas59, Carolina Prando60, Aurora Pujol61, Lluis Quintana-Murci62, Laurent Renia63, Alessandra Renieri64, Carlos Rodríguez-Gallego65, Vanessa Sancho-Shimizu66, Vijay Sankaran67, Kelly Schiabor Barrett9, Mohammed Shahrooei68, Andrew Snow69, Pere Soler-Palacín70, András N. Spaan71, Stuart Tangye72, Stuart Turvey73, Furkan Uddin74, Mohammed J. Uddin75, Diederik van de Beek76, Sara E. Vazquez77, Donald C. Vinh78, Horst von Bernuth79, Nicole Washington9, Pawel Zawadzki80, Helen C. Su52, Jean-Laurent Casanova81 1INSERM U1163, University of Paris, Imagine Institute, Paris, France. 2San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milan, Italy. 3King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 4Kuwait University, Kuwait City, Kuwait. 5University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA. 6Universidad de Antioquia, Group of Primary Immunodeficiencies, Antioquia, Colombia. 7The Genetics Institute, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center and Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. 8Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA. 9Helix, San Mateo, CA, USA. 10Shupyk National Medical Academy for Postgraduate Education, Kiev, Ukraine. 11Clinical Immunology Unit, Pediatric Infectious Disease Departement, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Averroes University Hospital; LICIA Laboratoire d'Immunologie Clinique, d'Inflammation et d'Allergie, Hassann Ii University, Casablanca, Morocco. 12Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden. 13Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA. 14University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. 15Medical Genetics, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milan, Italy. 16Emory University Department of Pediatrics and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA. 17Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Victoria, Australia. 18University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. 19Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA. 20The American Genome Center; Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA. 21Centre for Bioinformatics and System Biology, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London, UK. 22University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA; Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA, USA. 23Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital for Children, Mumbai, India. 24School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA. 25Instituto Nacional de Pediatria (National Institute of Pediatrics), Mexico City, Mexico. 26Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland. 27Research Unit, Hospital Universitario Nuestra Señora de Candelaria, Canarian Health System, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain. 28University of Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia. 29Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, Northwell Health USA, Manhasset, NY, USA. 30Department of Paediatric Immunology and Pulmonology, Centre for Primary Immunodeficiency Ghent (CPIG), PID Research Lab, Jeffrey Modell Diagnosis and Research Centre, Ghent University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium. 31The Genetics Institute, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel. 32Sharjah Institute of Medical Research, College of Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE. 33Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA, USA. 34Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA. 35Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA. 36Riken, Tokyo, Japan. 37Hellenic Pasteur Institute, Athens, Greece. 38University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia. 39Chang Gung University, Taoyuan County, Taiwan. 40The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. 41Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. 42Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA. 43New York Genome Center, New York, NY, USA. 44Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. 45Semmelweis University Budapest, Budapest, Hungary. 46KU Leuven, Department of Immunology, Microbiology and Transplantation, Leuven, Belgium. 47Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA. 48University Clinic for Children's Diseases, Skopje, North Macedonia. 49Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark. 50Tokyo Medical & Dental University Hospital, Tokyo, Japan. 51Singapore Immunology Network, Singapore. 52National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. 53Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Rome, Italy. 54Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome "Tor Vergata," Rome, Italy. 55Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. 56Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan. 57Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey. 58Laboratory of Immunogenetics of Human Diseases, Innate Immunity Group, IdiPAZ Institute for Health Research, La Paz Hospital, Madrid, Spain. 59IIBB-CSIC, IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain. 60Faculdades Pequeno Príncipe e Instituto de Pesquisa Pelé Pequeno Príncipe, Curitiba, Brazil. 61Neurometabolic Diseases Laboratory, IDIBELL–Hospital Duran I Reynals; Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA); CIBERER U759, ISCiii Madrid Spain, Barcelona, Spain. 62Institut Pasteur (CNRS UMR2000) and Collège de France, Paris, France. 63Infectious Diseases Horizontal Technology Center and Singapore Immunology Network, Agency for Science Technology (A*STAR), Singapore. 64Medical Genetics, University of Siena, Siena, Italy; Genetica Medica, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Senese, Italy; GEN-COVID Multicenter Study. 65Hospital Universitario de Gran Canaria Dr. Negrín, Canarian Health System, Canary Islands, Spain. 66Imperial College London, London, UK. 67Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. 68Saeed Pathobiology and Genetic Lab, Tehran, Iran. 69Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA. 70Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, Spain. 71University Medical Center Utrecht, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 72Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, Australia. 73The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. 74Holy Family Red Crescent Medical College; Centre for Precision Therapeutics, NeuroGen Children's Healthcare; Genetics and Genomic Medicine Centre, NeuroGen Children's Healthcare, Dhaka, Bangladesh. 75Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, College of Medicine, Dubai, UAE; The Centre for Applied Genomics, Department of Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 76Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Department of Neurology, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 77University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA. 78McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Canada. 79Charité–Berlin University Hospital Center, Berlin, Germany. 80Molecular Biophysics Division, Faculty of Physics, A. Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznanskiego 2, Poznań, Poland. 81Rockefeller University, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Necker Hospital, New York, NY, USA. *Leaders of the COVID Human Genetic Effort. ; NIAID-USUHS/TAGC COVID Immunity Group Huie Jing1,2, Wesley Tung1,2, Christopher R. Luthers3, Bradly M. Bauman3, Samantha Shafer2,4, Lixin Zheng2,4, Zinan Zhang2,4, Satoshi Kubo2,4, Samuel D. Chauvin2,4, Kazuyuki Meguro1,2, Elana Shaw1,2, Michael Lenardo2,4, Justin Lack5, Eric Karlins6, Daniel M. Hupalo7, John Rosenberger7, Gauthaman Sukumar7, Matthew D. Wilkerson7, Xijun Zhang7 1Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, Division of Intramural Research, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA. 2NIAID Clinical Genomics Program, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. 3Department of Pharmacology & Molecular Therapeutics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA. 4Laboratory of Immune System Biology, Division of Intramural Research, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA. 5NIAID Collaborative Bioinformatics Resource, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Frederick, MD, USA. 6Bioinformatics and Computational Biosciences Branch, Office of Cyber Infrastructure and Computational Biology, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA. 7The American Genome Center, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA. ; Clinical outcome upon infection with SARS-CoV-2 ranges from silent infection to lethal COVID-19. We have found an enrichment in rare variants predicted to be loss-of-function (LOF) at the 13 human loci known to govern TLR3- and IRF7-dependent type I interferon (IFN) immunity to influenza virus, in 659 patients with life-threatening COVID-19 pneumonia, relative to 534 subjects with asymptomatic or benign infection. By testing these and other rare variants at these 13 loci, we experimentally define LOF variants in 23 patients (3.5%), aged 17 to 77 years, underlying autosomal recessive or dominant deficiencies. We show that human fibroblasts with mutations affecting this pathway are vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2. Inborn errors of TLR3- and IRF7-dependent type I IFN immunity can underlie life-threatening COVID-19 pneumonia in patients with no prior severe infection. ; We thank the generous donation from Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research Foundation for our research. The Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases is supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Rockefeller University, the St. Giles Foundation, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (R01AI088364), the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program (UL1 TR001866), a Fast Grant from Emergent Ventures, Mercatus Center at George Mason University, the Yale Center for Mendelian Genomics and the GSP Coordinating Center funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) (UM1HG006504 and U24HG008956), the French National Research Agency (ANR) under the "Investments for the Future" program (ANR-10-IAHU-01), the Integrative Biology of Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratory of Excellence (ANR-10-LABX-62-IBEID), the French Foundation for Medical Research (FRM) (EQU201903007798), the FRM and ANR GENCOVID project, ANRS-COV05, the Square Foundation, Grandir - Fonds de solidarité pour l'enfance, the SCOR Corporate Foundation for Science, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), the University of Paris. The French COVID Cohort study group was sponsored by Inserm and supported by the REACTing consortium and by a grant from the French Ministry of Health (PHRC 20-0424). Regione Lombardia, Italy (project "Risposta immune in pazienti con COVID-19 e co-morbidità"), and the Intramural Research Program of the NIAID, NIH. The laboratory of Genomes & Cell Biology of Disease is supported by "Integrative Biology of Emerging Infectious Diseases" (grant no. ANR-10-LABX-62-IBEID), the "Fondation pour la Recherche Medicale" (grant FRM - EQU202003010193), the "Agence Nationale de la Recherche" (ANR FLASH COVID project IDISCOVR cofounded by the "Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale"), University of Paris ("Plan de Soutien Covid-19": RACPL20FIR01-COVID-SOUL). IM is a senior clinical investigator with the FWO Vlaanderen; IM and LM are supported by FWO G0C8517N – GOB5120N. The VS team was supported by "Agence Nationale de la Recherche" (ANR-17-CE15-0003, ANR-17-CE15-0003-01), and by Université de Paris "PLAN D'URGENCE COVID19". LK was supported by a fellowship from the French Ministry of Research. VS-S is supported by a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship (MR/S032304/1). SZA-M is supported by the Elite Journals Program at King Saud University through grant number PEJP-16-107. JM lab is supported by Columbia University COVID biobank and grant: UL1TR001873. Work in the Laboratory of Virology and Infectious Disease was supported by NIH grants P01AI138398-S1, 2U19AI111825, and R01AI091707-10S1, a George Mason University Fast Grant, and the G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Charitable Foundation. JLP is supported by a European Molecular Biology Organization Long-Term Fellowship (ALTF 380-2018). Work at the Neurometabolic Diseases Laboratory received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 824110 (EasiGenomics grant COVID-19/ PID12342) to A.P., and Roche and Illumina Covid Match Funds to M.G. C.R.G and colleagues are supported by cInstituto de Salud Carlos III (COV20_01333 and COV20_01334), Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, with the funding of European Regional Development Fund-European Social Fund -FEDER-FSE; (RTC-2017-6471-1; AEI/FEDER, UE), and Cabildo Insular de Tenerife (CGIEU0000219140 and "Apuestas científicas del ITER para colaborar en la lucha contra la COVID-19"). D.C.V. is supported by the Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec clinician-scientist scholar program. Helen Su is adjunct faculty at the University of Pennsylvania. A-L.N. was supported by the Foundation Bettencourt Schueller. The Amsterdam UMC Covid-19 Biobank was funded by the Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development (ZonMw, NWO-vici 91819627), The Corona Research Fund (Amsterdam UMC), Dr. J. C. Vaillantfonds, and Amsterdam UMC. Work on COVID-19 at the AG-S lab is partly supported by NIH supplements to grants U19AI135972, U19AI142733 and R35 HL135834, and to contract HHSN272201800048C, by a DoD supplement to grant W81XWH-20-1-0270, by DARPA project HR0011-19-2-0020, by CRIP (Center for Research on Influenza Pathogenesis), a NIAID funded Center of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance (CEIRS, contract HHSN272201400008C), by an NIAID funded Collaborative Influenza Vaccine Innovation Center (SEM-CIVIC, contract 75N93019C00051) and by the generous support of the JPB Foundation, the Open Philanthropy Project (research grant 2020-215611(5384)) and anonymous donors. The Virscan analysis presented in fig. S11 was performed with financial support from Sidra Medicine ; Peer reviewed
IMPROVINGSEVENTHGRADERS'ABILITYOF MTs MANBAULULUMKWANYARINWRITINGPROCEDURE TEXTTHROUGHESTAFETGAME Nur Fadilah S1- English Education, Language and Art Faculty, Surabaya State University, nurfadilah.annamirah@gmail.com Esti Kurniasih, S.Pd., M.Pd English Department, Languages and Arts Faculty, State University of Surabaya estikurniasih87@yahoo.com Abstrak Menulis merupakan kecakapan yang perlu dipelajari. Akan tetapi, menulis itu tidak mudah (Scott & Ytreberg, 1990). Preliminary study yang telah dilaksanakan menunjukkan bahwa menulis menjadi masalah bagi siswa, apalagi jika siswa diminta menulis dengan menggunakan genera atau tipe tulisan tertentu seperti teks prosedur. Menulis merupakan sebuah proses mencipta, mengorganisasi, menulis, dan mempoles/mengedit (Hague, 2003). Menulis tidak dapat langsung dikuasai oleh siswa tingkat Sekolah Menengah Pertama/SMP. Oleh karena itu, mengajar menulis seharusnya dilakukan dalam atmosfer kelas yang nyaman dan menyenangkan semisal menggunakan permainan. Apalagi, menggunakan permainan dalam proses belajar mengajar dapat membuat kelas menjadi nyaman (Uberman, 1988). Dalam studi ini, proses belajar mengajar dilakukan dengan menggunakan sebuah permainan yang disebut Estafet game/permainan Estafet. Estafet game/permainan Estafet adalah sebuah permainan yang di adopsi dari permainan olahraga. Focus studi ini adalah tentang memperbaiki kemampuan menulis siswa dalam menulis teks prosedur melalui permainan Estafet. Adapun tujuan studi ini adalah untuk mendeskripsikan bagaimana permainan Estafet memperbaiki kemampuan menulis siswa dalam teks prosedur. Pendeskripsian tersebut meliputi: (1) bagaimana pelaksanaan permainan Estafet dalam pengajaran menulis teks prosedur pada siswa kelas 7 MTs Manbaul Ulum Kwanyar, (2) bagaimana hasil menulis siswa kelas 7 MTs Manbaul Ulum Kwanyar dalam pengajaran menulis teks prosedur selama dan setelah pelaksanaan permainan Estafet, dan (3) bagaiman respon siswa kelas 7 MTs Manbaul Ulum Kwanyar dalam pengajaran menulis teks prosedur setelah pelaksanaan permainan Estafet. Dalam menganalisis data, peneliti menggunakan melakukan beberapa proses, yaitu: (1) pendeskripsian dan (2) sense making. Di tingkat pendeskripsian, peneliti mereview data-data yang sudah dikumpulkan sebelumnya. Sedangkan dalam tingkat sense making, peneliti menorganisasi data berdasarkan pertanyaan penelitian. Peneliti menyortir data menjadi data yang relevan dan yang tidak relevan kemudian mengelompokkannya sesuai dengan pertanyaan penelitian. Penelitian dalam studi ini dilakukan dalam 2 siklus. Siklus pertama dilakukan dalam 3 pertemuan. Hasil dari siklus pertama tidak menunjukkan adanya perbaikan sehingga penelitian dilanjutkan dengan siklus ke 2. Siklus ke 2 dilakukan dalam 2 pertemuan. Dan hasil dari siklus ke 2 menunjukkan adanya perbaikan dalam tulisan siswa selama dan setalah pelaksanaan permainan Estafet. Jawaban siswa dalam kuesioner pun mengalami perbaikan. Kata kunci: kemampuan menulis, teks prosedur, permainan estafet, kelas tujuh. Abstract Writing is a skill which is necessary to learn. However, writing is not always easy (Scott & Ytreberg, 1990). Preliminary study which was conducted showed that writing becomes the problem of students, moreover if the writing is based on a specific genre such as procedure text. Writing is a process of creating, organizing, writing, and polishing (Hague, 2003). It cannot easily be mastered by students of Junior High School level. Therefore, teaching writing should be done in an enjoyable atmosphere such as using game. In addition, using game in teaching and learning process can create a relaxing atmosphere in the classroom (Uberman, 1988). In this study the teaching and learning process was done by using a game which is called Estafet Game. Estafet Game is a sport game which is adopted into teaching. This study focuses on improving students' ability in writing procedure text through Estafet Game. The purpose of this study is to describe how Estafet Game improves students' ability in writing procedure text. The description includes: (1) how the implementation of Estafet game in teaching writing procedure text to the seventh graders of MTs Manbaul Ulum Kwanyar, (2) how the students' writing results of procedure text during and after the implementation of Estafet game in teaching writing procedure text to the seventh graders of MTs Manbaul Ulum Kwanyar, and (3) how the students' responses after the implementation of Estafet game in teaching writing procedure text to the seventh graders of MTs Manbaul Ulum Kwanyar. In the data analysis, the researcher does some processes of analysis, they are: (1) description and (2) sense making. In description stage, the researcher reviewed the data that had been collected before. While in sense making stage, the researcher organized the data based on the research questions. The researcher sorted the data into relevant and irrelevant data for the research and grouped the relevant data based on the research questions. The research was done in two observations. The first observation was done in three meetings. The result of the first observation did not show improvement, so that the study was continued with the second observation. The second observation was done in two meetings. And the result of the second observation showed improvement in students' writing both during and after the implementation of Estafet Game. It also showed improvement in students' writing results, and the result of students' answers in the questionnaire. Keywords: writing ability, procedure text, Estafet Game, seventh graders. INTRODUCTION English is a tool to communicate in oral and written form (Depdiknas, 2004). It is used by more than half of the world population. Because of its importance, English is also studied at schools as students' preparation to face the global world. Communicating using English can be in the form of oral, and written. Written observation consists of reading and writing while oral observation consists of listening and speaking. From the four skills above, writing is an essential skill to be mastered. Writing is a productive skill in which someone shows his/her thoughts through written words. According to Nunan (2003), writing is the mental work of inventing ideas, thinking about how to express them, and organizing them into statements and paragraph that will be clear to readers. Writing is not only writing something. Writing is a process of creating, organizing, writing, and polishing (Haque, 2002). As Halliday (in Nunan, 1995) says that in the modern world, written language serves a range of functions in people's life such as for action (for example, public signs, product labels, television and radio guides, bills, menus, telephone directories, ballot papers, computer manuals), for information (for example, newspapers, current affair magazines, advertisements, political pamphlets), and for entertainments (for example, comics strips, fiction books, poetry and drama, newspaper features, and film subtitles). Seeing the importance of writing skill above, it is necessary to learn writing. It is said in the 2006 English Standard Competence that Junior high school students have to master and be able to compose a short functional text, and procedure, and descriptive essays. Related to writing procedure text, the researcher found that students of MTs Manba'ul Ulum Kwanyar got difficulty to compose and write the text. Therefore, the researcher collaborated with the English teacher of the school to overcome the problem by teaching using Estafet Game as a technique in teaching writing. However, teaching English as foreign language in Indonesia is not simple, it is caused by the Indonesian students who do not have similarities between learning English and learning their mother tongue (Scott and Ytreberg, 1990). Therefore, teachers should find out a solution to the problems through getting interesting techniques, such as using game to make students motivated and interested in the lesson during the teaching and learning process. Teaching by using game has been promoted and applied for many years to help students understand the various aspects of languages. As Uberman states that games are highly motivating and they can give shy students more opportunities to express their opinion and feeling (Uberman, 1988). In addition, games provide an opportunity for real communication although within artificially defined limits, and thus constitute a bridge between classroom and the real world (Hardfield, 1990). Thus, suitable games are needed to help teachers in delivering the materials and to encourage students to be active in class such as Estafet game. Estafet game is a game which is adopted from estafet race. The meaning of the word estafet itself is 'connected to each other'. In this study, estafet game is made as a technique in teaching English. The researcher chose the game as a technique because it is appropriate to be conducted in her research to solve the problems the teacher has in classroom. When the researcher had a school visit to MTs Manba'ul Ulum Kwanyar, she found that students in one classroom were not motivated and interested in learning English. She asked the teacher why the students were not motivated and interested in English class. The teacher said that maybe the students do not like the situation of the classroom in which the teacher only explains the lesson, asks the students to read and answer the questions that follow the passage. The researcher also asked several students in the classroom and she found that most of students were not satisfied and did not really understand the teacher's explanation about the lesson. Therefore, they were not motivated and interested in the lesson. From the problem above, the researcher has an initiative to conduct a research to solve the problem in the classroom. She suggested the teacher to use Estafet Game during the teaching and learning activity. The game is done by making a group of five or ten students. Then each group should make a rank from the first to the last students in each group. When they are ready for the game, the teacher gives each group a board marker. After that, the teacher counts for the start of the game. The game begins when the teacher blows the whistle. Then the first student in the first line comes forward brings the board marker and writes the sentence he/she has on the whiteboard. After the first student finished, it is continued by the second student and so until the last student. If each member in a group has gotten their turn to write their sentence on the whiteboard, the turn should be given to the first student, then the second and then the next student to write all sentences they have until the sentences are all written on the whiteboard. This work team can create a fun situation in the classroom, so that the students can be motivated and interested in learning English. The researcher expected that by using this game as a technique in teaching writing, students' writing ability can improve better. Hopefully, this study can help teachers to find more interesting games to be used in class in order that the teaching and learning process does not run monotonously. METHODOLOGY The aim of this study was to report the implementation of Estafet Game in improving students' ability in writing procedure text, the students' writing result during and after the implementation of Estafet Game, the students' responses toward the implementation of Estafet Game in teaching writing procedure text of MTs Manbaul Ulum Kwanyar.In line with the aim of the study above, a classroom action research was used in this study. Since this study belongs toclassroom action research, the researcher should take an action in the classroom which was in the form of teaching. However, because the researcher was not a teacher yet, she collaborated with the teacher of the classroom in conducting her research. Therefore, the researcher only became the observerduring the teaching and learning activities in the class.She conducted the research in two observations which was said in the study as observation, so that, there were two observations in this study. The first observation was done in three meetings, they were on 12th, 20th, and 26th of January while the second observation was done in two meetings, they were on 2nd, and 3rd of February 2014.At the end of the second observation, the researcher found that the students' writing improved during and after the implementation of Estafet Game. And the students' answers in the questionnaire also showed improvement so that the research ended at the fifth meeting. The instruments that the researcher used to collect the data were observation check list, field-note, students' writing task, and questionnaire. Observation check list and field-notes were used as the instruments to answer the first research question. The observation check list is in the form of yes and no answer, while field note was in the form of words and sentences that contained teachers' and students' activities in classroom from the beginning until the end of the meeting. During observation, the researcher wrote the descriptive and reflective part of the field note to ease to find the answer of the research question. Writing task was used to answer the second research question. This instrument was in the form of writing which was given at the end of each observation. And the questionnaire was used to answer the third research question.There were eight questions and three to four choices of answers of each question in the questionnaire. It was used to collect the data about the students' responses toward the implementation of Estafet Game in teaching writing procedure text. The questionnaire was given at the end of the observation in order that the students could answer all the questions. After collecting all of the data which were gotten from the observation checklist, field-note, students' writing task, and the questionnaire, the researcher then analyzed them descriptively. In analyzing the data of this research, the researcher did two stages of analyzing the data namely, description and sense making(Ary, Jacobs, & Sorensen, 2006). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Results The researcher did the observation in two observations in which there were three meetings of first observation and two meetings of second observation. The first meeting was on January 12th, 20th, and 26th, 2014 while the second observation was on February 2nd, and 3rd, 2014. On the second meeting of first observation and the first meeting of the second observation, the teacher implemented Estafet game in teaching writing procedure text. He implemented the game by asking students to make a group of five to seven students. Since the students' number was thirty four, there were four groups with seven students and one group with six students. Each student in a group should write a sentence based the given title. Then they should stick their sentence which they wrote on a long piece of paper on the whiteboard. The students stuck the longpiece of paper in the third counting from the teacher. The students who have gotten the turn should move backward to ease the next students in taking their turn writing the sentence until the complete text are all written on the carton. Then the teacher corrected the students' writing and asked some of the students to write the correct sentence on the blackboard. On the third meeting of the first observation and the second meeting of the second observation, the teacher gave the students writing task and the questionnaire. Discussion This part presented the discussion of the study which included the discussion of the first observation and the discussion of the second observation. The Discussion of the First Observation The meeting of this study was done in five meetings in which three meetings were done in the first observation and two meetings were done in the second observation. In the first observation, the first meeting was used as material explanation because the time was very limited. The class began late.Though it was late, the teacher could explain the material completely to students and the students responded well to teacher's explanation. Before the teacher explained the material, he gave a printed procedure text to students. The printed material was given in order that the students had an understanding to the lesson they would study and as sample of procedure text. The teacher asked them to read the text then gave them some questions related to the text. After that, the teacher explained the lesson. During the explanation, the students listen to the teacher's explanation well. They were also very active. It was seen when the teacher gave them several questions related to procedure text in the printed text, most of them raised their hands and tried to answer the questions.Because the lesson was for writing skill, the teacher asked students to write their answers on the blackboard. It was to make students used to writing. The Discussion of the Implementation of Estafet Game in the First Observation The second meeting in the first observation was for implementing Estafet Game. The game was used to create a positive atmosphere in class. As stated by Uberman (1998) in chapter II that games are used to create a relaxing atmosphere in the classroom.Students tended to be tense and clumsy in English class, especially when they were asked to make writing in English. So that using games iseffective since they motivate the students, lower students' stress, and give chances to use and practice the language (Deesri, 2002).One of the games that was used in the classroom to motivate and give students chances to practice the language was Estafet Game. In fact, Estafet Game is one of the games in athletic competition (Indarto, 2013). However, the researcher adopted it into a game which could be used in teaching and learning process in the classroom.Moreover, Estafet Game has been applied in other field of education, so that the researcher could have more references on how the game was used. Seeing the possibility of Estafet Game that can be used in teaching English, the researcher took it to be used during her study. During the implementation of Estafet Game, students were very enthusiastic. They could have a situation of learning in which they could learn while playing a game that made them felt enjoy and relax during the teaching and learning process. During the implementation of the game, each student was asked to write a sentence based on the given title of procedure text in group. This aimed to make students enjoy the lesson during the teaching and learning process. The implementation of Estafet Game in the first observation was not really successful if it was seen from the result of students' writing during the implementation of the game. The other thing that influenced the success of the implementation of the game was time management which was needed to implement the game, including the time which was needed by students in building the complete text with their group. The teacher gave evaluation to the result of students' writing which was done in group during the implementation of the game. And the students were not afraid when the teacher evaluated their writing because the teacher had told them that it was only a game for learning not a game for competition. The Discussion of the Result of Students' Writing Task in the First Observation And after the implementation of the game, the students were given a writing task. It was given at the third meeting of the observation. This writing task aimed to measure students' ability in writing procedure text. The students' writing were measured by five writing components which are proposed by Heaton (1988) – content, organization, vocabulary, language use, and mechanic. Each of these components has criteria which could be used to decide whether students' writing was excellent or poor. There are four criteria for each component, they are excellent to very good, good to average, fair to poor, and very poor. However, the main point which was measured in this writing was the three criteria which must exist in procedure text, they are goal, materials, and steps. This was based on the problem which the researcher found during the preliminary study that was the students got difficulty in composing and writing procedure text. After the students' writings were analyzed, the researcher found that their writings were not improved yet. There were several mistakes in students' writing which pervaded the incomplete generic structure of the procedure text. The procedure text should have the complete generic structure as Anderson (1998) has proposed that the structure of a procedure text should consist of goal, materials, and steps. However, students' writing in this first observation did not fulfill the structure yet. Besides, the mistake also came from the organization of sentences which were written by the students which were confusing, the vocabulary which was used were mostly and essentially translation from Indonesian into English, language use, and the mechanics which were used in writing the procedure text. The Discussion of the Result of Questionnaire in the First Observation After being given the writing task, the students were also given questionnaire to find out their responses toward the implementation of Estafet Game. However, students' answers in the questionnaire did not reach the standard minimum that the researcher made, that is eighty. Therefore, the researcher and the teacher were in an agreement to repeat the observation with the second observation. The Discussion of the Second Observation The second Observation was done in two meetings. The first meeting was done on February 2nd, 2014. This meeting was used to implement Estafet Game, since it was not successful yet in supporting students to improve their writing in the first observation. In this observation, students more understood about how to play the game, so that it did not take a long time to give them explanation on how to play the game. Because of that, the teacher could compress the time needed to implement the game. Besides, the students looked more ready than the first observation. It was because the students had known everything that should be done during the game from the first observation. During the game, the result of students' writing was better than in the previous one. It was shown by the mistake which was less than the first observation. In addition, the result of students' writing task also showed a better improvement than the previous one. It was also supported by students' answers in questionnaire that reached the standard minimum 80 for the class average. This questionnaire was used to know students' responses toward the teaching and learning process during the study. As stated by Harmer (2007) that student's responses are different students' reactions in the same class activities and tasks which are given by the teacher. From the results of both students' writing results and the students' answers in the questionnaire, it was concluded that Estafet Game was successful in improving students' ability in writing procedure text. CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS Conclusion Based on the results of the data in the previous chapter, the researcher made a conclusion that the implementation of Estafet Game could improve seventh graders' ability in writing procedure text. The research was conducted by the researcher and the teacher in classroom in which the teacher taught the students while the researcher took data during the teaching and learning process. The research was conducted in five meetings, three meetings in the first observation and two meetings in the second observation. The result of the first observation did not show improvements both in the result of students' writing task and the questionnaire. But then in the second observation, the result of students' writing showed improvement both during and after the implementation of Estafet Game. The students' answers in the questionnaire also showed better responses than the first observation. From the five of both of the observation, it was shown that the implementation of Estafet Game could make students more interested and motivated in learning English. Therefore, it could be concluded from the finding of the research that using Estafet Game in teaching and learning process in the classroom could make the students' writing ability improve. Suggestions From result of the data of the research, the researcher made some suggestions related to the study, they are: the teacher should have come on time to the class. In addition, the teacher should pay more attention to situation of teaching learning process which includes the students' need and interest in learning, the teacher should change his way of teaching once in a while such as using game. Monotonous way of teaching could make students not interested and motivated to the lesson which causes students could not master the skill that becomes the objective of the lesson, for other researchers who will conduct an action research, it is better to be well-prepared in everything which is needed for the research such as media, time preparation, and the instrument for the research. And if the research has been successful, it is not necessary to add another observation of the research. REFERENCES Depdiknas. ( 2006). Standar Isi dan Standar Kompetensi Lulusan: Mata Pelajarn Bahasa Ingggris (SD/MI, SMP/MTs, SMA/MA, MA/MAK). Jakarta: Depdiknas. Agustien, HelenaI.R. The English Curriculum in Nutsell (paper): presented at national seminar. 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