Dr. A M Michael: Pioneering Water Conservation and ...

41Informatics Studies 8(1), January-March, 2021

Dr. A M Michael: Pioneering Water Conservationand Agricultural Informatics

M Jayapradeep and T K Gireesh Kumar

Abstract

Dr. Michael is an internationally acclaimed figure in the field of Water Resource Developmentand Management. He is known for developing irrigation systems, which minimise water loss. Heestablished his position as an institution builder of high repute in agricultural sector of India.Beyond all this he is one who first initiated projects that can harness the power of ICT foragricultural education, research, extension and development and laid the foundation for applyingAgricultural Informatics to prepare the sector in India for the networked society. Actually thedevelopments that resulted in the establishment of Knowledge management Systems like Shodganga,KrishiPrabha etc have roots in the innovative ICT projects he initiated in nineteen nineties whensuch systems are not even dreamed off. Even after three decades the higher education andresearch systems especially for agriculture could not envision or implement ICT compliant systems,which he achieved.

Keywords: Agriculture, Agricultural Engineering, Irrigation Technology, Water Management,ICT, Informatics, ARIES, KAULIS, Knowledge Management, ICAR,

Introduction

Dr. Arayathinal Michael Michael is aninternationally acclaimed figure in the fieldof Water Resources Development andManagement. He is known for developingirrigation systems, which minimizes waterloss and utilizes the water resources effectively.He established his position as a zealousinstitution builder of high repute inagricultural sector of India. Dr Michaelpioneered projects that could harness ICTfor agricultural education, research, extensionand development. The developments thatresulted in the establishment of Open Accessto full text of PhD Theses of universitiessuch as Mahatma Gandhi University ThesesArchive launched by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam,Shodhganga, a reservoir of Indian thesismaintained by INFLIBNET under

Informatics Studies. ISSN 2320 – 530x. Vol. 8, Issue 1First Quarterly Issue. January – March, 2021. P 41-56

University Grants Commission (UGC) ofIndia as well as KrishiPrabha the digitalrepository for accessing agricultural doctoraldissertations maintained by ICAR can betraced back to the ICT projects Dr. Michaelinitiated in nineties.

The exemplary vision of Dr. Michael couldonly be appreciated if one understands thatsuch systems were not even thought off inagricultural education, research and extensionor even in ICT field at that time. IndianAgricultural Research Institute (IARI) andKerala Agricultural University (KAU) havebeen benefited in this aspect on hisfunctioning as Director and Vice Chancellorrespectively. Even after three decades ofMichael era in KAU, the higher educationand research systems for agriculture in Keralacould not envision or implement ICT

Informatics Studies 8(1), January-March, 202142

systems, which he achieved during nineties.Information capacity and comforts presentlyheld by KAU is the natural result of ICTinfrastructure enjoined into the system atnational level by government and agencieslike ICAR. However it is built on the residuesof past era left by Dr Michael.

Dr. Michael functioned as Vice Chancellorof KAU from the year 1992 for a five-yearterm and left the office without completingthe tenure due to peculiar political equationsthat prevailed in the State of Kerala. He heldthe office at a time when twenty first centurywas at the doorsteps and the process ofglobalization had just begun. But, the pulseof digital communication and networkingwas alien to the academic, research, extensionand Information Service professionals ofthe university. Dr. Michael had a dream tofulfill and a vision to actualize when he tookover the office of the Vice Chancellor.

Education

Dr. Michael was born on June 17, 1930 atPathampuzha, Poonjar in Kottayam Districtof Kerala State, India. He studied at theAllahabad Agricultural Institute (now SamHigginbottom University of Agriculture,Technology and Sciences) when Prof. MasonVaugh was the Professor and Head of theDepartment of Agricultural Engineering.

Prof. Mason Vaugh (1894 - 1978) was anAmerican agriculturalist who developed thefirst agricultural engineering departmentoutside North America in nineteen twentiesat Allahabad Agricultural Institute. Prof.Vaugh utilized traditional Indian materials,which he adapted for farmers to use asmodern agricultural implements. Among hisinnovations was the 'Shabash', an improvedplow consisting of a plowshare, amoldboard, a few bolts and a wood beam.It cost only Rs. 15. Improved implementslike this made it possible for farmers to plowlarger areas than previously possible. He alsointroduced several other implements, suchas hoes, cultivators and the wheat threshers.He retired in 1957 and returned to the United

States. Dr. Michael was one of the petstudents of Prof. Vaugh and he continuedhis communication with him even after heleft India. Prof. Vaugh was a great inspirationand role model. The innovations Dr. Michaelmade later are akin to that of Prof. Vaugh.Professor Vaugh has often been called theFather of Agricultural Engineering in India.In his honor Indian Society of AgriculturalEngineers (ISAE) established the MasonVaughn Agricultural Engineering PioneerAward. Dr. A M Michel was one of therecipients of this award considering hiscontribution to the field.

Dr. Michael obtained the degree of B.Sc.Agricultural Engineering in 1953 and MTechand PhD degrees in Agricultural Engineeringfrom the Indian Institute of Technology,Kharagpur in 1962 and 1968, respectively,specializing in Soil and Water ConservationEngineering.

More Crop Per Drop

Dr. Bhavarlal Hiralal Jain founder Chairmanof Jain Irrigation Systems Limited whocomposed and popularized the slogan 'MoreCrop Per Drop' once stated 'I believeconservation of water is the most importantduty of any individual, community ornation. When millions die of thirst orhunger, who has the right to squander water'(Dudhedia, 2009). Dr. Michel's major researchand development also was based on the samethought.

Dr. Michael's academic pursuits, research andinventions were on conservation andoptimum utilization of water. The mostimportant factor to increase agriculturalproduction in India lies in more efficient useof irrigation water. Water the preciousresource of irrigated farming needs to bewisely used. 'Water lost by surface run off,deep percolation, evaporation and permeableconveyance channels generally exceeds thewater available for crop use. Non-uniformexcessive application of water is not only awaste of water but it may also depress yields.Further the excessive water applied to the

Dr. A M Michael: Pioneering Water Conservation and Agri.Informatics


soil may cause a rise of the water table leadingto unfavorable soil conditions for plantgrowth. Excess water that evaporates leavessalts on the soil surface. An accumulation ofsalt is detrimental to growth of plants'(Michael, 1968). It implies that judiciousapplication of water is essential for highyields of the crop and also to maintain afavorable salt balance.

Irrigation and farming accounts for the majorportion of India's agricultural production.The area under irrigation in India is 22% ofagricultural area in 1960s. Seven and a halfmillion hectors were sown under wheat barleyand other close growing fodder crops at thattime. The check basin method of irrigationwas commonly used in India. In this methodwater is applied to small relatively level plotssurrounded by ridges. Water is conveyed tothe field by a system of supply ditches andfield ditches. The disadvantages of themethod are comparatively lower irrigationapplication efficiencies since irrigation streamsapplied to check basins are difficult to controland there will be inefficient utilization ofland and labor. Also the land under fieldditches and ridges sustains crop of low yieldcompared to the crop in the basin. The areaof land covered by ditches and ridges areproportionately much larger than in borderirrigation. Another disadvantage of checkbasins is that the network of ridges interferewith the use of animal and tractor drawnimplements (Michael, 1968).

Dr. Michael found that the border methodof irrigation is the most suitable for closegrowing crops such as wheat, barley andfodder crops. If properly designed borderirrigation systems are introduced to the areaunder these crops irrigation efficiency can besubstantially increased. But successfuloperation of the border method requiresthat the system be properly designed. Propergrading of land surface is also necessary andMichaels' study concentrated on these areas.

The border method has number ofadvantages -ridges can be constructed

Dr. A M Michael. ‘Life is not what one lived,but what one remembers and how oneremembers it in order to recount it’ - Marquez.

economically with simple instruments, oneman can irrigate larger area with severalborders, uniform distribution and highwater application efficiencies are possible, largeirrigation streams may be used efficiently,operation of the system is simple and easy,and adequate surface drainage is provided ifoutlets are available (Michael, 1968.

In the circumstances Dr. Michael found thatresearch and developments on the hydraulicsof water irrigation and the subsequentimprovement in efficiency of waterapplication is a priority and has greatpotential for development of irrigatedagriculture in India. This made him selectthe topic 'Evaluation of HydraulicCharacteristics Influencing Border IrrigationDesign' for his research (Michael, 1968). Inhis study he states that an improvementmere 10% in water application efficiency couldbe made on 7.5 million hectors of land underclose growing crops an additional 40 to 50million hectare -centimeters of water per yearwould be available. This could irrigate about8 lakh hectares of additional lands withoutdeveloping new facilities.

From results of investigation, which was nota mere formal PhD like those of present days;



Dr. Michael evolved a criteria for design ofborder irrigation system based on measurablecharacteristics of the site. Instruments andtechniques to evaluate the dominant variablesand also characteristics of border flow weredeveloped. The behavior of irrigation systemin the field was also identified. Adaptationof flow pattern and relationships to flow ofwater in furrows was found possible byaddition of a shape factor to the variablesstudied in the borders. He has also influencedcolleagues doing research on computer scienceto develop some programmes that can beused in these areas, which can be consideredas raw stages of Irrigation Informatics. Hisfindings and suggestions have influenced theirrigation and water management systemsworldwide and his book based on his studiesis the most popular text on irrigation inuniversities worldwide teaching the subject.

Water Management and Irrigation R &D

The subjects water management andIrrigations systems were close to his heart.Even though he held high administrativepositions in agricultural education andresearch systems during major part of hiscareer he never left his passion for this area.He guided numerous professionals in takingup and successfully completing research anddevelopment projects in the specific area evenwhile he was Director of IARI and ViceChancellor of KAU. In these positions heinitiated or supported many projects forwater conservation. He himself helped ICARand other organizations in developingvarious technical reports and manuals onIrrigation and water management. After hisretirement he continued to act as consultantto various national and internationalorganizations. Some of the studies availableare still used by researchers are discussedbelow.

A.M. Michael, in his research anddevelopment under the guidance of Prof AC Pandya on 'Water front advance in irrigationborders' found that the time-distancerelationship in water front advance is an

important factor to be determined indesigning an efficient border irrigationsystem (Michael and Pandya, 1971). Waterfront advance in a border strip is a case ofspatially varied unsteady flow with decreasingdischarge. Based on the investigations ofthese research equations to express empiricallythe functional relationship between advancedistance and elapsed time, an advancedistance and accumulated infiltration weredeveloped and their limitations was defined.In another study by the same team'Hydraulic resistance relationships inirrigation borders'' is a very important oneon resistance to flow in borders due to theroughness of the ground surface and theretardance offered by vegetation (Michael andPandya, 1971).

In a study in association with Rajput, T.B.S.,'Scheduling of canal deliveries-I-development of an integrated canalscheduling model' a comprehensive policywas framed for operation of differentcomponents of a canal system to meet theactual water requirements of the crops indifferent reaches of the command area(Rajaput and Michael, 1989). The study alsosuggested computer based Integrated CanalScheduling Model for scheduling the canalwater deliveries on the basis of the actualwater requirements of its command area. Itestimated the water requirements ofdifferent crops and operation duration ofdifferent components of the canal system.These methods were successfully adopted inthe irrigation systems of the country.

In another study by the same team 'Optimallayout of water courses in outlet commandareas' a modified minimal spanning treemodel was developed for determining theoptimal layout for watercourses in an outletcommand area (Rajput and Michael, 1988).This technique was used in agriculture fordetermining the layout of water coursesconnecting the outlet with different fields,providing at least one delivery point for everyfield with a minimum possible length.



Dr. Michel's work 'Environmental impactassessment of a major water developmentproject in India: a case study of the MahiRight Bank Canal system, Gujarat' gives aclassic overview of the irrigationdevelopment in India, the characteristics ofIndia's river basins and the environmentalimpacts associated with major (Indian)irrigation projects (Michael, 1987). The casestudy of Mahi Right Bank Canal projectwhere large scale diversion transfers waterfrom the Mahi for irrigation use is providedas a sample to show environmental impactsof such projects and is one of the earliestsuch studies from India stressingconservation aspect.

Career

After his education Dr. Michael joined theRajasthan Agricultural University, Jobnercampus as Lecturer. He worked there asReader, and Professor till 1966. In that yearhe joined as Professor at Punjab AgriculturalUniversity, Ludhiana and continued there upto 1968.

In 1968 he joined the IARI, as Senior ResearchEngineer - Professor. He served as Professorin Water Technology Centre from 1971 to1974. He took over as Project Director, WaterTechnology Centre, IARI, New Delhi in 1975and continued till 1983. In between he alsoserved as a Resource Scientist at Universityof Nairobi, UN University and LundUniversity and has been a visiting Professorat Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok.In 1984 he became Director of IARI andcontinued till 1990.

KAU, headquartered at Thrissur was in adeplorable condition during early nineties.The State has to invite him to join as ViceChancellor of KAU for reviving the systemand ensuring funds and support of ICAR.After leaving KAU he acted as Consultant inSoil and Water Conservation to variousnational and international organizations. Healso served as Consultant to World HealthOrganization, World Bank, CommonwealthSecretariat, Food and Agriculture

Organization (FAO), United StatesDevelopment Agency (UNDP), WinrockInternational, Asian Institute of Technology(AIT), Water and Power ConsultancyServices Limited (WAPCOS), InternationalCrops Research Institute for Semi AridTropics (ICRISAT) Hyderabad, IndianCouncil for Agricultural Research (ICAR) andEducational Consultants (India) since 1997.

Dr. Michael is Fellow of Institution ofEngineers (India), Indian National Academyof Engineering, Indian Society ofAgricultural Engineers (ISAE) and IndianAssociation of Soil and Water Conservation(IASWC).

An Unique Institution Builder

A man with honesty and dedication to work,Dr. Michael is an institution builder of highrepute. In Rajastahan, Punjab and KeralaAgricultural Universities he initiatednumerous innovative projects and alsoestablished advanced centers on emergingareas of research in agriculture. The immenseprogress in research, higher education andagricultural technology transfer are landmarkachievements of IARI under his leadership.KAU, which was in a very bad condition interms of quality and integrity at the time ofhis joining, Dr Michael gave a new life andrevived it as one of the best State AgriculturalUniversities (SAU) in the country. Thedevelopments he had embarked upon, isclearly visible in KAU even today, after aquarter century of his leaving the office.

National Institute for PlantBiotechnology

Immediately after joining as Director ofIARI; he founded the Lal Bahadur ShastriBiotechnological Centre in 1985, which isalso known as the National Institute for PlantBiotechnology (NIPB) at IARI. It is nowpremiere research institution of the ICAR.Its initial mandate was research on molecularbiology and biotechnology application incrop plants. The prescience of the role ofbiotechnology in agriculture led to a bigger



responsibility for this centre and it was laterelevated as National Research Centre on PlantBiotechnology (Now NIPB). It has theresponsibility of developing new tools andtechniques and to deliver breakthrough inbiotechnology for crop improvement.

The centre could successfully deliver varietiessuch as Pusa Jai Kisan, which is one of thetop three mustard varieties released by theICAR till date. Besides, the centre has releaseda rice variety Improved Pusa Basmati-1resistant to bacterial leaf blight using markerassisted selection (MAS) in collaboration withthe Division of Genetics, IARI. Moricandiabased CMS system developed at NIPB hascontributed to the commercial productionof mustard hybrids namely NRC SankarSarson (DRMR, Bharatpur) and Coral 432(Advanta India). The rice blast resistance genePi54 identified, mapped, cloned andcharacterized at NIPB has been transferredin mega varieties of rice like Pusa Basmatiand BPT 5204 and in many other varietiesby the rice breeders using MAS. The centrehas matched steps with the changing timeand conducted research in basic and appliedresearch for crop improvement. The state-of-the-art infrastructure and expert scientistshave enabled the successful execution ofinternational (on rice, tomato and wheat) andnational (on Pigeonpea, Mango,Mesorhizobium, Puccinia andMagnaporthe) genome sequencing projects.NIPB is also engaged in teachingpostgraduate students with regular PhD andMSc degree programmes in MolecularBiology and Biotechnology.

Identifying Possibilities ofBiotechnology & Bio Informatics

India is one of the first few countries, amongthe developing countries, to have recognizedthe importance of biotechnology as a toolto advance growth of agricultural and healthsectors as early as in 1980s. India's Sixth FiveYear Plan (1980-85) was the first policydocument to cover biotechnologydevelopment in the country, proposing to

strengthen and develop capabilities in areassuch as immunology, genetics,communicable diseases, etc. The documentsuggested ensuring coordination on inter-institutional, inter-agency and on multi-disciplinary basis, full utilization of existingfacilities and infrastructures in major areasincluding biotechnology.

Programmes in the area of biotechnologyincluded tissue culture application formedicinal and economic plants, fermentationtechnology and enzyme engineering forchemicals, antibiotics and other medicalproduct development, agricultural and forestresidues and slaughterhouse wastesutilization and emerging areas like geneticengineering and molecular biology.

Thus it has become increasingly importantto bring dynamism in the functioning ofthe agricultural science and technology systemat the national level. While the existence of astrong physical infrastructure is necessary forthe development of an effective S&T system,the critical factors remain the institutional set-up that supports this system and thecohesion between the overall developmentalobjectives and the R&D endeavors indifferent streams.

Biotechnology Information SystemNetwork (BTIS)

Recognizing the importance of informationtechnology for pursuing advanced researchin modern biology and biotechnology, abioinformatics programme, envisaged as adistributed database and networkorganisation, was launched during 1986-87.Dr. Michael found it to be a successful vehiclefor transfer and exchange of biotechnologyinformation among ICAR institutes andSAUs and established a strong tie up of IARIwith it, which contributed much for BTISalso.

BTIS was developed as a very sophisticatedscientific infrastructure for bioinformaticsinvolving state-of-the-art computational andcommunication facilities and is playing a vital



role in the success of the bioinformaticsresearch and development especially inGenomics and Proteomics. Numerousdatabases dealing with these aspects and ofefforts in biotechnology have been developedunder it. A Biotechnology Patent FacilitatingCell has also been established.BioinformaticsUnderstanding the possibilities in 1989during his tenure as Director, Dr Michael tookinitiative to establish Bioinformatics Centreat IARI under BTIS Network to function asa computerized information base in fieldsrelated to Agricultural Biotechnology inparticular and the fields allied to agriculturein general. Since its inception, the Centre atIARI has provided state of the artinformation services on biotechnology,bioinformatics etc., to the scientists,researchers, students and farmers inagricultural sector. A number of databases,information retrieval system andBioinformatics tools were developed at thecentre. The centre developed the systems'Wheat Informatics', Genome Browser,MiRule (Rule based micro RNA predictionTool), Plant Transmembrane Receptor,Kinase Prediction Tool etcNow ICAR is one the major agenciesfinancing and supporting research in therealm of biotechnology. Under Departmentof Biotechnology (DBT) a hugeinfrastructure for bioinformatics has comeup, canalizing information from sourcesworldwide. Dr. Michael was instrumentalin establishing strong links between ICARand DBT, starting full-fledged departmentsof biotechnology in IARI and SAUs andstarting UG and PG programmes inBiotechnology in agricultural stream ofeducation.Kerala Agricultural University (KAU)The State of Kerala is isolated from itsmother country by mountains in the eastand oceans in all other sides, resulting cultural,political, social isolation, slow spacedevelopment and meager exposure to the

scientific, technological and infrastructuredevelopments that take place in other partsof the country. Nevertheless, Internetsurfing, e-mail, digital platforms, digitalequipments like VSATs, computer server, etcwere ubiquitous in KAU when rest of theState was deprived off and unaware of ICTamenities in majority of the research,academic, administrative and governmentorganizations during 1990s. This lead ofKAU was only possible due to pragmaticand astute Michael, knowing trends anduprisings in the fields of science, technology,commerce, research and developments.

Dr. Michael and his work would haveinspired the predecessors in advancing thefrontier functions of the university. However,by and large, they remained reapers of theflowers bloomed by Dr. Michael. Withregard to ICT applications in agriculturalresearch, education and extension in KAU,Dr. Michael stands alone as the immortalgiant of quality and perseverance among theheads of the universities in nurturing funds,development programmes, technologyadoption, etc for scientific and scholarlyresearch. Certainly the success and enduranceof Library and Information System in KAUis indebted to Dr. Michael and the Libraryscientist who acted in congruence of hisdreams, demands, realities, manpoweravailable, etc.

Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI)



Environment for AgriculturalInformation Handling

During 1995-97 Dr. Michael initiateddevelopments in various aspects at KAU andif he could continue to be at the helm ofaffairs, KAU would have been one of theworld's best Agricultural Universities on allaspects and criteria of assessments. Againstmany odds, Dr. Michael continued to pursuehis plans and relentlessly worked for it underthe force of his strong will power and questfor excellence, working seriously on newerdimensions of application of ICT inagricultural research, education, extension,biotechnology, library and informationsystems, radio tracing, remote sensing, foodprocessing etc by taking pro active measuresfor the development of the university. Anyobserver into his personality could visualizea rare power of judgment and diligenceagainst all odds in him.

During his tenure as Vice-Chancellor, therewas all-round development of academic andinfrastructure facilities in all the campuses ofKAU. Even after 25 years of theestablishment of the university, manycolleges and campuses of the university weredevoid of permanent buildings, boundarywalls, hostels, structures, ground facilities,etc. His dynamic personality and involvementhas made it possible to acquire land,buildings, equipments, vehicles, machines,tractors, tillers etc in the campuses. Collegeof Fisheries Kochi, College of AgriculturalEngineering Tavanur, and College ofAgriculture, Nileswar and many researchcampuses at high ranges and remote placeshad shifted offices and quarters from tinnedor temporary sheds to modern buildings,pumping a new lease of life in the universitysystem.

The University did not have UniversityLibrary, University Librarian, professionalstaff, etc since 1971 the year of establishmentof KAU till Dr. Michael took over. Till then,libraries were functional only at the colleges,built on a default system. It was Dr. Michael

who took initiatives for the establishmentof the University Library System in KAU. Afuture proof university library building andinfrastructure he garnered is exceptional eventoday when compared to national andinternational standards. He involvedinternationally acclaimed architects, designers,technologists and professionals for makinghis dream come true.

The University Central Auditorium madeduring his tenure was of internationalstandard, capable of hosting internationalevents, symposia, conferences, etc. All theseinfrastructure developments andprofessional staff development catapultedthe university to fame which was doomedwith non-exposure of its achievements,incapable of reaching the unreached till then.The water conserving and harvesting systemhe designed and implemented wet and feedvarious farms and crops in the headquartercampus of the university even today. He hasimplemented various such projects not onlyin the main campus but also in stations andcampuses spread throughout the State.

The period during which Dr. Michael headedthe university can be termed as the 'GoldenAge of the KAU' without any hesitation.He remains a hero who has initiated'development era' by practice and not byprecept. His beautiful and brilliant mindworked incessantly to place the university inthe front line. Dr. Michael carried forwardthe vision of the nation on biotechnologyto KAU by establishing a BiotechnologyInformation Centre of DBT, state of the artBiotechnology laboratories, centers forvarious agricultural technologies, laboratoriesof remote sensing, radio tracing, foodprocessing etc.

Development of AgriculturalInformatics

Dr. Michael initiated a number ofprogrammes for the development ofAgricultural Informatics (AgI) - a nascentterm and thought that time - during histenure. The access, storage and dissemination



of knowledge and information being crucialfor development of any field, especiallyagriculture, he coursed Library andInformation System as Kerala AgriculturalUniversity Library and Information System:KAULIS and designated its networkKAULNET as the main carrier forAgricultural Information Highway. Hedevised Central University Library as the apexcentre of the library and information system,and laid infrastructure for campus wide LANnetwork in main campus and in all satellitecampuses state wide, linking to the KAUNetwork by harnessing funding from ICARand other national agencies. The UniversityLibrarian assisted by devout LISProfessionals have made his dreams practical.Dr. Michael was very fond of LISprofessionals, fully understanding their rolein the new century.

A state of the art Electronic Data Complex,Agricultural Digital Library for disseminationof topical awareness and global informationto those in agricultural sector was establishedwithin the university central library as the

knowledge hub. This was expected tobecome a show case of the electronic age inagriculture and allied disciplines which couldpromote, propagate and catalogue theagricultural economy that India is sodependent on. KAULIS ensured access,storage and dissemination of the cachedrepository of agricultural informationavailable worldwide, besides acting as a datasilo for research forums, concurrent research,electronic publishing and global bulletinboards. Even ICAR or IARI could notdevelop at that time knowledge resource baseas he developed at KAU.

Technology for Informatics at KAU

Machine for Internet Gateway Server usedwas Alpha Server 1000 A5/300, which canretain the performance and power spectrumand continuum of the hub 900 solution.For hosting the knowledge repository, aserver based on Pentium processor was used.The system was later ported to an Alphabased machine under UNIX/LinuxOperating System. The Digital Unix of

A future proof facility with plug and play type of LAN, into which about 300 systems can beplugged in, with digital storage systems, Internet Servers, ICT training facilities etc built by

Dr. Michael in 1997 to house KAULIS headquarters and other ICT Systems.



Digital Electronics Corporation UK the firstGUI based Unix was used as OS. Forstoring and disseminating less used digitalcontent a jukebox with 1000 CD capacity wasused in initial phase to which Jukeboxes canbe added subsequently. For electronicdocuments of middle level usage a 100 driveCD Server was used. To mount highly useddatabases like CABI database, AGRIS,ASFA, etc., a hard disk based CD server withlarge storage capacity into which the CDs canbe cached was used. As end userworkstations Pentium 4 with 2.5 MHzregarded at that time as the industry standardwas used. Even NIC or ICAR or any otherorganization in India or other Asiancountries did not implement such powerfulsystems for Knowledge Management at thattime. An image of the configuration of thesystem given in the project report is given inthe figure above, so that readers can appreciatethe communications stacks and solutionsused in the KAULIS project then (Ramanand Bhagi, 1995.

The high-tech auditorium built adjacent tothe University Library was directly linked so

that all the academic conferences and seminarsconducted could be video recorded andarchived at the digital storage systems in thelibrary. Programme could also be made visibleonline instantly in all campuses of KAU. Thescattered campuses of KAU and alliedinstitutions were also linked throughelectronic bridges that enabled spontaneousexchange of information between theagricultural diasporas of students, faculties,researchers, extension workers andadministrators.

The mandate of the system, the specificationof computers and communication stack thatKAU Campus Wide Information Systemand Network has to use, the architectureprescription, network design, MultiStack andDEChub900 options, etc were clearlydefined. The host environment, financialterms, implementation methodology,installation support continuum, networksynthesis and integration, systemsengineering support, administrativearrangements etc were clearly specified. OpenNetwork with Protocol Switching andNetworked Systems Management based on


Configuration of KAULIS Network Developed by Dr. A M Michel in 1996


Digital's enVISN Networking Architectureand Enterprise Management Solutions wasused. Detailed Technical literature andspecifications of each and every item ofcomputer and communication stack andsolution recommended was documented.The project initiated in 1995 can be ofinterest for those who research on ICTdevelopment in India especially in agriculturalsector for comparison of technology usedthen with contemporary positions. KAULIShas integrated the college and research stationlibraries spread over the length and breadthof the State. Library units were separated,fractioned and isolated in their roles andfunctions till then (Raman and Bhagi, 1995).

HRD for Informatics

Dr. Michael initiated the establishment of aCentre for Library and Information Sciencesat KAU under the KAULIS Project. Itinitially designed, developed andimplemented twelve national level shortcourses and workshops targeting scientists,teachers, research scholars and library andinformation science professionals of ICARinstitutes and SAUs. National Academy ofAgricultural Research Management(NAARM), Hyderabad and KAU were thetwo leading organizations offering suchadvanced programmes in those days. Detailsof some of the programmes developed aregiven below. (Raman, 2001).

Advanced course on CDS/ISIS andWINISIS: CDS/ISIS (ComputerisedDocumentation Service / Integrated Set ofInformation Systems) and WINISIS (CDS/ISIS for Windows) the powerful DBMSavailable that time could be systemized forany Data/Information/ KnowledgeManagement function in agricultural sectorand the course was meant for networkadministrators, information professionalsand extension workers.

National ICT Workshop on InformationInfrastructure: was conducted for SeniorManagers like Vice Chancellors of SAUs,

Directors of Central Research institutesunder ICAR, and senior administratorsinvolved; to create necessary awarenessamong them to help their decision-makingin ICT related matters. The course wasdeveloped in cooperation with IndianNational Scientific Documentation Centre(INSDOC) and financial support fromMinistry of Science and Technology,Government of India. Prof. T Viswanathan,Director of INSDOC who was aninternationally known expert in Electronicsand Communication acted as the resourceperson and delivered most of the lectures.

Computer Application to Library andInformation Services: Short Course onautomating library and information systemswith support from Ministry of Science andTechnology, Government of India meant forlibrary and information service professionalsfrom agricultural universities, colleges andallied organizations.

Digital Presentation: National training forteachers and scientists in agricultural sectoron computerized presentation techniquesorganized with support from IASLIC,Calcutta.

Alpha Server 1000 A with DigitalUnix of DEC.(1996)



Modern Information Access Facilities:Course for teachers, students, scientists inagricultural universities and researchinstitutes on techniques for retrieval ofscientific information from online sources;with support from Ministry of Science andTechnology, Government of India.

Managing Digital Libraries inAgriculture: Course on digital libraryhardware and software meant for Managersof library and information systems inagricultural universities and researchinstitutes, with support from ICAR,Government of India.

Internet for Education and Research:Familiarization of Internet basedinformation sources and search mechanismsfor research students.

World Wide Web for ManagingAgricultural Information: Course forAgricultural Scientists with support fromICAR.

Taking cue from KAU Centre for Library andInformation Sciences, ICAR tried to conductthe courses at INFLIBNET but could notsustain it. After Dr. Michael era, unit librariesof the university have gone back to thesquare, fragmented individual units withoutgoals, objectives and directions fromUniversity Library at the apex.

The inbuilt facilities of KAU high-techuniversity library consisting training facilities,Digital Library, Farmers Division, themechanics devised for ensuring inter andintra departmental participation in thefunctioning of the system, etc are uniqueand still have no parallel in the highereducation sector.

Open Access Initiatives

The PhD research in hundreds ofuniversities in India cost approximately Rs3000 crore per annum. But the result ofresearch using public funds is not transparentor made useful or known to the society.Generally dissertations remain limited to itsorigin. Due attention on and application ofthe results are very feeble in the society. Evenin the beginning of the 21st century, it wasnever thought of providing online or openaccess of these knowledge and informationfor wider visibility and access to theresearchers, academicians and professionalsfor use and refinement.

In 1990s, western universities startedinsisting on submission of theses inelectronic form also. The earliest known E-Theses project was initiated in the US, in1987. In 1990s, Adobe's Portable DocumentFormat (PDF) became available. In the mid-1990s, European Initiative in Library andInformation in Aerospace (EURILIA)project successfully tested the uploading ofthesis metadata and full text for online access.In 1997 Virginia Tech University in the USmade electronic submission of PhDcompulsory.

If we examine the attempts in India fordigitizing and delivering Open Access to PhDTheses of universities, it can be seen thatDr. Michael was the first academician toinitiate such a project in India. In India, thefirst OA Repository of Doctoral Theses wasenvisaged in the year 1995, under theleadership of Dr. Michael. This landmarkstep of OA Repository of Doctoral Theseswas a subset of KAULIS. Dr Michael

Hightech University Central Auditoriumconnected to the Net with facility forConferences, Seminars, Workshops, Exhibitionsand webcasting established by Dr. Michael in 1996.



ensured support of ICAR/ARISprogramme and KAU initially digitized 400of its 3000 Theses and launched a repositoryin 1997 at a time when even the term digitallibrary was not coined or any special softwarepackages for digital libraries have come intoexistence. The repository used MS Access atfront end for Metadata and to link pdfversions of dissertations. Initially thecollection was accessible through universitywebsite and WAN. It was one of the earliestsuccessful attempts to bring PhD theses intoopen access, second only to the EURILIAproject in Europe. Shortly the data wasexported to Basis Plus TechLib Plus and thedigital archive was made accessible over theweb for a short time for testing, using thewebspace freely allowed to the university byVSNL in 1998.

As KAULIS project was intended to transferagricultural information to farmers at remotevillages, a large collection of literature in locallanguages was collected by KAULIS fordigitization and incorporating in the systemfor online access. The project found that thepotential of the local language and scriptsfor search in the system was very important.Dr. Michael envisioned projects to developMalayalam and Tamil language technologyfor use in DBMS and digital archives inagricultural sector (Bino Jose, 2016)

KAULIS has conducted more than a dozennational level workshops hosted jointly byKAU and ICAR. National InformationSystem for Science and Technology (NISSAT)under Ministry of Science and Technologyhas also associated in some courses. Butbefore materializing the goals of KAULIS,Dr. Michael and the information Scientist atmanagerial level in KAULIS were forced toleave the university due to politicalinterference. The system could never gainmomentum; the University Library andother Divisions remained withoutpermanent heads since then.

Approximately, 10 crore rupees had beenspent for infrastructure facilities of KAULIS

in nineties. All the initial phases weresuccessfully completed and systems likedigital library and web based services as wellas training in these areas were successfullytested. But there was an abrupt end toKAULIS. History if written, shall divulgethe great loss that the country especially,agricultural sector suffered due this. It shallalso mark a quarter century retrace from theforward march attained by KAU in AgI andLIS. This gap will never get patched up. Achance missed is a chance lost in thisInformation Age where technology andtrends are always in a flux. An Open Access(OA) repository project was initiated 10 yearslater by the same information scientist atMahatma Gandhi University (MGU),Kottayam, Kerala, successfully launching anOA Digital Library of PhD Thesis in 2008,named MGU Theses (Mahatma GandhiUniversity Online Theses Library).

MGU Theses archive was an indigenouspackage capable to process Indian languages.It consisted of e- Theses in English,Malayalam, Hindi and Sanskrit, which was

The Central Space into which the user enters inKAULIS/ University Library Building depicting areplica of Planet Earth and technology compo-nents involved, Satellites etc



teh wish of Dr. Michael to develop at KAUto enable farmers to search and access digitalcontent using local anguages and scripts. Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam, President of India on9th November 2008, launched MGU OAarchive of theses. It became the first Indianrepository of E-Theses approved andincorporated into information system forresearch maintained by INTUTE and led byJoint Information Systems Committee(JISC). Inspired by MGU Theses OpenRepository, UGC initiated Shodhganga(Open repository of ETDs in India) projectto extend coverage to research in all IndianUniversities (Bino Jose, 2016).

Centre for Agricultural Informatics, an NGO,gave a proposal to ICAR for developing anational online e-theses archive in 2001,taking cue from KAU success story. By thistime many digital library packages have come.So ICAR sanctioned the project to HaryanaAgricultural University, which resulted inKrishiPrabha -the repository for accessingIndian Agricultural Doctoral Dissertations-starting with digitized collections of thesesincluding those digitized at KAU.

A Reputed Author

Dr. Michael has authored numerous researchpapers, monographs, handbooks andbooks. He has authored and co-authoredseveral books on subjects related toIrrigation and Water Resources Managementthat include Water Wells and Pumps,Handbook of Farm Irrigation Structures,Design and Evaluation of IrrigationMethods, Principles of AgriculturalEngineering: Agricultural Surveying,Irrigation, Agricultural Drainage, Soil andWater Conservation, Water Resources ofIndia and their Utilisation in Agriculture, andHow to Improve Irrigation Farming inIndia. Popular books were revised, updatedand edited from time to time, sometimesby other scientists by joining him as co-authors. Some of his important works arethe following.

Irrigation Theory and Practice

His book 'Irrigation: Theory and Practice' isconsidered an all-encompassing encyclopediaand authority on the subject of irrigation,its management, and methodology and thetechnological advances affecting it. It coversdifferent aspects of irrigation such as Dripand Sprinkler Irrigation and its economicevaluations as well as lift irrigation Systemsand their design, water requirement of cropsand irrigation management etc. with a focuson techniques to improve the developmentof water as a resource for irrigation. Since thepast three decades, this book has always beenheld in high regard and is considered as finalauthority on the subject.

Principles of Agricultural Engineering

The book deals with the various aspects ofFarm such as Farm Power, Machinery,Buildings and post harvest technology andscope of mechanization. Also covers theprinciples of operation of oil engines, tractorpower trains and agricultural processing andplant protection machinery including dairymachinery, agricultural surveying, irrigationdrainage, soil and water conservation.irrigation wells and tanks etc. This is one ofthe most popular publications on thesubject in India with a wider readership.

Land Drainage: Principles, Methods andApplications

It deals with the concepts and technologyfor ensuring sustainable agriculturalproduction and environmental managementby adopting land drainage measures. Topicscovered are Drainage and Salt Managementfor Sustainable Agricultural Production,Physical and Surface MorphologicalProperties of Soil in Relation to Drainage,Chemical Problems of Soil and Water,conventional and non conventionalmethods including model studies and casestudies in drainage and salt management inirrigated areas.



Water Wells and Pumps

It provides the essential theory and designof ground water structures, wells/tube wells,and pumps, with particular emphasis onproblem solving and meeting therequirements of developing nations.Describes the science and technology ofwater wells and pumps, allied appliances andtheir applications, development and testingof tube wells as well as a variety of pumps,location-specific and non-conventional andenvironment friendly. Introduces groundwater recharge methods, well rehabilitation,and animal-powered water lifts. Suggestsmethods to design secure, reliable systems.It is an internationally acclaimed textbookon the subject.

In addition to the above books, 'Water Well& Pump Engineering', 'Water Resources ofIndia and their Utilisation in Agriculture' and'Design and Evaluation of IrrigationMethods' are some of the popular bookswritten by Dr. Michael

Honors Received

Dr. Michael has made immensecontributions in Agricultural Engineeringeducation, research and development, withemphasis to Irrigation and Soil' and WaterConservation. Some of his books are usedas textbooks by agricultural universitiesworldwide.

In recognition of his outstandingprofessional contributions he has beenhonored with many awards and recognitions.These include the Rafi Ahmed KidwaiMemorial Award and the Dr. RajendraPrasad Award of ICAR, Mason VaughAward of Indian Society of AgriculturalEngineers (ISAE), Degree of DSc. (h.c.) fromN D University of Agriculture andTechnology at Faizabad; Engineer of the Year1995 Award of Institution of Engineers(India); Gold Medals of Indian Society ofAgricultural Engineers and SoilConservation Society of India and Eminent

Engineer Award (2014) of Institution ofEngineers (India).

Conclusion

Eugene Garfield, eminent informationscientist of Institute of Information Sciencefame, on one of his great predecessors HenryE Bliss both who influenced InformationScience and Knowledge Managementscenario in this century said, 'Individuals liveon in the works they leave behind'.Dr.Michael's work needs to be sustained andfully utilized to ensure the quality of researchand developments in AgriculturalInformatics as well as in water management.New scientists need to be stimulated on hisvisions and hard work he radiated in a shortspan at the helm of affairs. .

Dr. AM Michael has an impressive and fastcareer, made possible only because of thecombination of abilities and character traitshe possess. The first author had worked inthe KAU Libraries and BioinformaticsCentre (DBT-KAU) and therefore, the articlespecially highlight incredible mark left behindby Dr. Michael at KAULIS benefiting theagricultural education, research and extensionin general and informatics in particular. Wereminiscent the enormous dynamism hedevoted and when linking it in this age ofInformation Superhighways, we see thetorch bearing for the Agricultural Informaticsdone by Dr. A M Michaelto enable reachingthe unreached.

Access to information is directly linked tothe enjoyment of basic rights and freedomsand influences the achievements of all thedevelopments in the society. But thesedevelopments can only take place if theopportunities are made available to all. In ahighly interconnected global society, lack ofequal access to information shall increasemarginalisation and rapid exclusion from therest of the world. In this background theefforts of Dr. AM Michael is praiseworthyin the fields of agricultural research,education and extension; Agricultural



Informatics; Irrigation Informatics,Agricultural Library and InformationSystems; and ICT applications in agriculturefor reaching the unreached, in India.

References

Bhattacharya, A K and Michael, A M (2006).Land Drainage: Principles, Methods andApplications. New Delhi, Vikas PublishingBino Jose (2016). The Movement to BringKnowledge Produced by PhD Research InIndian Universities into Open Access. InPerspectives on Knowledge Management.New Delhi, Knowledge Management by KMadhavan, and R K Bhatt. New Delhi. K KPublicationsDudhedia, I I; Farhad, Gimi andKrishnakumar, B (2009). An EntrepreneurDeciphered. Jalagon, Bhavarlal and KantabaiJain Multipurpose Foundation, 2009.Michael A M (1994). Irrigation Theory andPractice. New Delhi, Vikas, 1994.Michael A M and Ojha T P. (2010) Principlesof Agricultural Engineering. New Delhi,Vikas, 1994Michael A M, Khepar, S D and K Sondhi,SK (2008). Water Wells and Pumps. NewYork, McGraw-Hill Education; May 2008Michael A. M.; Gupta A. K.; Bhattacharya M(1970). Handbook of Farm IrrigationStructures. New Delhi, ICAR.Michael, A M and A.C. Pandya, A C (1971).Hydraulic resistance relationships in irrigationborders. Journal of Agricultural EngineeringResearch, Volume 16, Issue 1, 1971, Pages72-80. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0021863471800069.Accessed on November 2020Michael, A M. (1968). 'Evaluation ofHydraulic Characteristics Influencing Border

Irrigation Design. PhD Dissertation. IITKharagpur.. Guides: Prof. A C Pandya andProf. J V Rao. Department of Agricultural &Food Engineering, IIT Kharagpur.

Michael, A.M (1987). Environmental impactassessment of a major water developmentproject in India: A case study of the MahiRight Bank Canal system, Gujarat. In: BiswasA.K and Geping Q (Ed) . Environmentalimpact assessment for developing countries1987, Pages 126-160

Michael, A M and A.C. Pandya, A C (1971).Hydraulic resistance relationships in irrigationborders. Journal of Agricultural EngineeringResearch, Volume 16, Issue 1, 1971, Pages72-80. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0021863471800069.Accessed on November 2020

Rajput, T.B.S. and Michael, A.M (1988).Optimal layout of water courses in outletcommand areas. Irrigation and Power Volume45, Issue 3 , Jul. 1988, 1988, Pages 29-37

Rajput, T.B.S., and Michael, A.M (1989).Scheduling of canal deliveries-I-developmentof an integrated canal-scheduling model.Irrigation and Power, Volume 46, Issue 2,April 1989, Pages 23-39

Raman Nair, R. and Bhagi, Surya N. K(1995). Establishment of Kerala AgriculturalUniversity Campus Wide Information Systemand Network: Feasibility Report.,1995.[Report]. http://eprints.rclis.org/cgi/users/home?screen=EPrint%3A%3AView&eprintid=8618

Raman Nair, R (2001). Kerala AgriculturalUniversity Library and Information System: AWorking Model for the New Millennium.CLIS Observer, 2001, vol. 18, n. 1 & 2, pp.3-12. [Journal article (Paginated)]http://eprints.rclis.org/7735/1/2001CLIS.pdf


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