CM unveils book on 'colonising plants'

PATNA: "Since consumption of tobacco is not desirable, cultivation of tobacco is no longer promoted. But because cash crops form an important component of farmers' income, crops like indigo, tobacco and sugarcane influence the nature of Bihar's agrarian economy to a large extent," CM Jitan Ram Manjhi said on Saturday.
He was releasing a book 'Colonising Plants in Bihar (1760-1950) - Tobacco, Betwixt, Indigo and Sugarcane' at Asian Development of Research Institute (ADRI) here on Saturday.Kathinka Sinha-Kerkhoff, a renowned scholar of Social Anthropology and History, has written the book.
Talking about the book, Manjhi said 'social history' generally focuses on how men interact with other men to create social movements, but here the author has shown how men interact with nature to create social history. "Sinha-Kerkhoff's research also shows how the colonial administration tried to influence India's agriculture. Tobacco cultivation was introduced by the Britishers for purely colonial interests. But it had some positive effects on Bihar's economy and it led to establishment of an agriculture university at Pusa," he said.
ADRI's member-secretary Shaibal Gupta, said, "We all know how Bihar was put on the world map because of Gandhi's satyagraha against indigo cultivation in Champaran. Yet, this socio-cultural and political- economic history of tobacco cultivation, consumption and trade not only somewhat changes this story but also explains the replacement of indigo by sugarcane in Champaran."
Nalanda University VC Gopa Sabharwal said, "This unique study contributes to three important research fields - the history of commodities, the history of colonial development state and the agrarian history of South Asia."
The book also explores how colonial state policy came to stimulate research-based agronomic interventions, often with unintended consequences. ADRI director P P Ghosh was also present on the occasion.