Principles and Techniques of Veterinary and AH Extension

EARLY ATTEMPTS OF EXTENSION MOVEMENTS IN INDIA

The early efforts of extension work were mostly the contribution of few thinkers who laid the foundation for rural development work in the country. The contribution of some such pioneers is indicated in this section.

Shantiniketan

• The famous poet and Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore established a Rural Reconstruction Institute more popularly known as Shriniketan in 1921. He aimed at inducing each villager to work to the limit of his capacity, and also to help his fellow-men. Tagore believed in both self-help and mutual help and was one of the first to recognize the need for a change in the outlook of villagers as a precondition for improvement.

Gandhian Constructive Programme

• Mahatma Gandhi considered the village to be the essence of Indian life. Gandhiji emphasized the role of the people themselves in constructive programmes. He argued that self-help was the first step towards moral advancement. He also emphasized the need for i). decentralized production and equal distribution of wealth and ii). self-sufficiency of Indian villages. He started a number of movements which have spread throughout India, such as the All India Village Industries Organization, and the Harijan Sewak Sangh.

Bhoodan Movement

• Acharya Vinoba Bhave, the leader of the Bhoodan Movement in India has concentrated on the metaphysical aspects of life. He believed that society is sure to change itself, once people realize and understand love, religion, duty, and truth. Life is not governed by law ; people do not live their lives on account of law. Hence only those can have influence on the villagers who are loving of heart, who are devotees of God, and who show renunciation or sacrifice in their lives. This philosophy naturally led to his great mission in life of persuading the villagers to till their land in cooperation with one another.

Gurgaon Experiment

• Mr. F.L. Brayne, the then official in government official started a fairly extensive experiment in rural reconstruction in the Gurgaon district of the Punjab and succeeded in arousing considerable enthusiasm among the people. He introduced such improvements into the villages as the construction of manure pits and ventilators, and the use of improved agricultural implements. He also encouraged the education of women. For the purpose of disseminating new knowledge among the villagers Mr. Brayne introduced the idea of having a ‘village guide’ in each village who serve as channels for information from outside.
• In 1933, Mr. Brayne was appointed Commissioner of Rural Reconstruction in the Punjab, and his work was further expanded. The Punjab Government aided the work financially in 1935-36, and later the reconstruction work was transferred to the Cooperative Department, and ‘Better Living Societies’ were organized for work in the villages.

Rural Reconstruction by Sir Daniel Hamilton

• Sir Daniel Hamilton had experimented with model villages based on co- operative principles in Bengal. This work continued with the organization of a Central Cooperative Bank and a Cooperative Marketing Society in 1924 and a Rural Reconstruction Institute in 1934. The latter offered training in cottage industries.

Rural Reconstruction works by Christian Missionaries

• Christian missions have for years included education for rural living in their work, and so great has been their dedication that one often hears the admonition to work with ‘missionary zeal’. Their major contributions were in education, medical services and rural reconstruction.

Marthandam Project

• Several agricultural demonstration centres have been established under the auspices of the Y.M.C.A., the most famous of which is that started at Marthandam ( Kerala) by the American agricultural expert, Dr. Spencer Hatch , who pioneered this type of work. It was intended to symbolize the three fold development of spirit, body and mind with economic and social dimensions. The essential technique of the centre was “self help with intimate expert counsel”. From the demonstration centre at Marthandam about hundred villages were covered through YMCA centres in villages. The extension secretary supervised the work.
• At Marthandam, Dr. Hatch started a multipurpose cooperative, with poultry, bee-keeping, seeds, animal husbandry and other projects. The programme was all-round, with extensive social activities included. Marthandam was in a strategic position to serve the villages. It kept prized bulls and goats, model beehives, demonstration plots for improving grain and vegetable seeds, poultry, a weaving shed etc.
• The most successful project was the Egg-selling club. By 1939, the egg-selling cooperative society became a self-governing body. There were honey clubs bull clubs and weavers’s clubs.