Hyderabad: The Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI) has named a chickpea variety after Dr Nanvath Ashwini, who died in floods in the last monsoon season, in recognition of her services to agricultural research. The new variety could yield 36 quintals per hectare. According to IARI director Dr Cherukumalli Srinivasa Rao, the Centre in its gazette would formally name ‘Pusa chickpea 4037’ as Ashwini. Expressing happiness over the honour for his sister, N. Ashok Kumar, brother of Dr Ashwini, said that they were elated by her work within one and half years of joining the IARI. Talking to Deccan Chronicle, Prof C. Bharadwaj, principal scientist, plant breeding, IARI, the guide for Ashwini, said she was a brilliant student who won gold medals for her doctoral work as well as in her PG course. She stood as first ranker in the Agriculture Research Service Exam. “Naming the new chickpea variety as Ashwini is the only tribute that we could give it to her. It would help many youngsters to opt for research in our country,” Bharadwaj said. “Pusa Aswini is dedicated to my most sincere, bubbly and intelligent student, whom I co-guided. It is the smallest tribute that I could give to my child whom God loved more than us,” Dr Bharadwaj said. Dr Ashwini graduated in BSc (agriculture) from the Aswaraopet Agriculture College in Khammam and researched on chickpea, while pursuing postgraduation from IARI in Delhi where she won a gold medal. She continued her work on chickpea while doing PhD from Icrisat. Later, she joined the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) at Raipur as a scientist, but died in the floods even before the new variety of chickpea on which she worked was released. Ashwini hails from Gangaram thanda in Karepally mandal in Khammam district. The 26-year-old agriculture scientist, and her father N. Motilal, were washed away in flood waters of Akeru Vaagu near Purushottamgudem of Mahabubabad district on September 2 last year, while travelling in a car to Hyderabad.
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