Sir,
An addition to what has been written by R C Ganjoo (DE,2/8/2015) ,Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah just on assuming premiership after independence, sanctioned an Agriculture college at Sopore and laid a foundation stone titled “Sherwani Memorial Agricultural College Sopore” during 1951-52. Naming the proposed college was in token of the supreme sacrifice Sherwani made for the country during Kabaliyee invasion. Being a visionary, Sheikh had understood the urgency of Agricultural teaching and Research for the development of agriculture in the state much before other leaders. However with the change in governance in the state in 1953,the establishment of Agricultural college at Sopore was shelved and half constructed H shaped building in the heart of Sopore town was allotted for opening an intermediate college during 1956-57 . It was due to the great efforts made by Late Gulam Rasool Kar, MLA Sopore, in the State Legislative Assembly that an Agriculture College at Sopore was re-sanctioned by the Government led by Bakshi Gulam Mohammad in 1959-60. The college was initially housed in an extended portion of the original building and later shifted to Wadoora near Sopore. In the process the original name of the college was forgotten and Sheikh’s vision of establishing an Agriculture college at Sopore delayed by about two decades.
It would be a tribute and honour to Maqbool Sherwani if the present Faculty of Agriculture (FOA) that was the erstwhile Government Agriculture College, Wadura Sopore, Kashmir established in the year 1960(SKUAST-K) is renamed as originally conceived and named by Sher-i-Kashmir ” Sherwani Memorial Faculty of Agriculture (FAO)”Sopore.
Yours etc…..
Prof. (Dr. B L Puttoo,
118 Apna Vihar, Jammu.