our presidents—sir datar singh - Indian Dairy Association

18Our PresidentsThe doyen of the AssociationSir Datar SinghA father figure of IDASIR DATAR SINGH was the first President of IndianDairy Science Association from 1948 to 1954. In 1976,the Association was renamed as Indian DairyAssociation with the intention of expanding its purviewto general subjects besides the scientific ones. Thedevelopment and progress of the Association to itspresent position was possible only by the fosteringcare and able guidance of this great legend. Hismultifarious responsibilities included holding the officeof Vice-Chairman, Indian Council of AgriculturalResearch. He was also Cattle Utilisation Advisor tothe Government of India. He represented India atdifferent sessions of the International Dairy Congress.At the formative stages of the Association Sir Datarhelped it in all possible ways and was a source ofstrength and inspiration to all. His contribution to theadvancement of dairying in this country has beenoutstanding and even when he left the Presidentshipof the Association, he continued to take keen interestin its welfare.A close associate of Mahatma GandhiSir Datar Singh was invited to Sevagram by MahatmaGandhi for advice on the Seva-project. Shri Jamna LaljiBajaj and Sir Datar Singh were closely associated bytheir deep respect for Gandhiji and the common missionof ‘Gau-Sewa’. This association with Gandhiji continuedtill the latter's tragic assassination in 1948. He was alsoclosely associated with Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Ministerof Agriculture, Government of India who later becamethe first President of the nation.A guardian of animalsSir Datar Singh’s love and deep concern for cattle isevident from the following incidents. In 1949, duringthe famine in Kutch, he personally visited and madearrangements for the herds of starved and desertedcattle. Similarly in 1952, during the Hisar famine, SirDatar Singh made arrangements for Railways Wagonsto bring in fodder for the famished cattle.During his tenure as Advisor on Kashmir Affairs,he was largely instrumental in the rapid completion ofthe Leh Kargil Road. From 1960 onwards, he settled athis estate at Bairagarh, Bhopal and was Honorary Advisorto the Madhya Pradesh Government.His multifarious rolesAfter studying at the school in his father’s estates, hewas sent to Montgomery Town and later to Amritsarfor higher education. In 1919, he went to England andreturned in 1921 after completing his studies in Agricultureand receiving the National Dairy Diploma (NDD).On his return, the Government offered him a largearea for the intensive development of cattle. He set upthe Montgomery Dairy Farm and established a herd ofcows of the Sahiwal breed which could give upto 15kilos of milk a day. The farm developed about 500cows and their milk, butter and cream were widelysought for their supreme quality.In 1931, Sir Datar Singh represented India at theInternational Dairy Conference in Copenhagen and in1937, at the International Dairy Conference in Berlin.In 1937, he was also a member of the Trade Delegationof the Government of India to UK which included ShriINDIAN DAIRYMAN APRIL 2011

Starting from this issue "Indian Dairyman" brings to you the Living History of IDA'sPast Presidents ‐the legends who have shaped and nurtured the Association since itsinception in 1947. In the first of the series we salute the 1st President of IDA, Sir DatarSingh. The norms and mores sown by this doyen of the Association have beenintegrated into its bricks and mortar and continue to live with us till date.J.D. Birla and other leading industrialists from India. In1945, he led the Indian Industrial Delegation to Australiaand New Zealand along with Shri Neville Wadia, ShriS.P. Jain and Shri Adamjee. They were warmly receivedby the then Governor General, the Duke of Gloucesterand the Prime Minister, Mr. John Curtin.In 1947, the Govt. of India appointed a CattlePreservation and Development Committee under theChairmanship of Sir Datar Singh. During his tenure, heled the Indian delegation to the FAO LivestockConference held in 1950. In 1953, he led the Indiandelegation to the International Dairy Congress at Hague.His familySir Datar Singh was born in a village in Montgomerydistrict of Punjab. His father, Sardar Hukum Singh wasone of the largest land owners of the district .His mother Smt. Sadabai, was a saintly lady whoused her vast wealth in distributing free medicines tothe poor and needy and in offerings to religious centres.From childhood Sir Datar Singh was very generousheartedwith a deep concern for others. He always hada compassion for animals anda deep respect for all humanbeings – rich or poor, high orlow.In 1914, he married BibiSatwant Kaur, daughter of therenowned Punjabi scholar andAyurvedic Specialist ofAmritsar, Bhai Mohan Singhji.When a famous saint asked himwhat he desired most, heunhesitatingly replied, ‘I wantthe whole world to be myfriend.’Award & AccoladeHe was honoured with the titleSardar Bahadur in 1937.APRIL 2011For his successful attempts to improve cattle breeding,the British Government conferred Knighthood on DatarSingh.In his publication entitled “Reorganisation ofGaushalas and Pinjrapoles in India,” Sir Singh stresseson the need for Gaushalas and Pinjrapoles to adoptmodern methods of breeding and management for thedevelopment of cattle.His immortal memoriesSir Datar Singh passed away peacefully on May 17,1973 leaving behind his widow, two sons MahinderSingh and Mahendrapal Singh and two daughters, KirpalKaur and Amiteshwar Anand and a large number offriends and admirers to mourn his loss. Today his granddaughter,Mrs. Maneka Gandhi carries forth his legacy.Maneka Gandhi, the former minister of environmentand forests is a highly visible face of environment.In conclusion, our editorial team would like tothank late Smt. Amiteshwar Anand for her unstintingcooperation in framing together the life-sketch of thispioneering dairyman of India.INDIAN DAIRYMAN19