The Scientific Grape Revolution

In my small backyard garden I had also tried grape plantation. At that time, grape cuttings were burnt by the few large grape growers. I however managed to get two cutting of grapes from a Mali (gardener) through my cousin sister in Phaltan. These cuttings naturally came in odd season at an odd time. But I got success in establishing them in my garden. It was then taken for granted that grape cultivation in good monsoon zone climate is impossible. My garden had that climate.

I had very little or practically no knowledge of grape cultivation. But, I tended my vines with mother's care, keeping close watch, reading and finding whatever information I could gather on grapes. I kept day by day (one may say hour by hour) observations and records and to my utter joy, in the very next year of plantations, I got more than two hundred bunches of basket size; in the backyard plantation. I had sent the first bunch to Dr. J. P. Naik and he had come straight to see the crop. I may also add, I was very lucky to present, the first box of quality seedless grapes that we later produced at Tasgaon to Shri Jayprakash Narayan who was at Sangli as a guest in college function. He praised the (1968) grapes as superb and remembered how at one time he had worked in the grape gardens in U. S. A.

A train of exuberant events followed with these record grape results. A sugar factory at Bidri, about 12 km from our institute thought of trying grape cultivation in the factory. So they invited me. They also invited one expert grape grower Shri Manilal Mehta, from Nipani, a place 20 km from the factory.

Shri Manilal Mehta was a top class scholar in inter-science examination. But because of Quit India movement he went underground and later due to his father's death had to leave education and take to his farms. Being ignorant in this new line in the beginning he suffered great losses. He then made a dint of his mind to make his farm laborers as his guides. Through them he mastered the whole traditional wisdom in agriculture. He also kept himself in touch with the latest advances in agriculture all over the world. He established close contacts with the experts in Agricultural Universities in his state. He had tried grape cultivation, but after initial heavy failures he had become the master in grape cultivation. He had therefore vowed to give all his expertise in grapes to whosoever would need it.

My meeting at Bidri with him turned very exciting. He wanted to test my knowledge in grape cultivation. So he put up a pointed question about the cane length I would keep in October cutting to get the assured bunches. I knew that in all the books on grapes, the answer was near fifth or sixth bud on the cane. But I had my own findings. I said, if the buds fulfill certain conditions, one can get bunches in all the buds of the cane. He became upset; but in the arguments that followed, he began to feel some sense in my statements. So he insisted to see my vine in the backyard and discuss there. On visiting my vines he became more convinced. But before leaving, he said I believe in science. If your argument is correct, I will test it on random canes in newly planted grape gardens and report. The gardens were planted under his guidance, by friends of his relatives at Tasgaon.

Soon after October cutting, he confirmed that my observation on randomly selected canes and the buds on these canes fulfilling my conditions were observed. One such cane had twelve bunches, one from each bud. Later they sent the photo of these twelve bunches on a single cane.

The grape growers' learning this new grape cultivation, were enthused with these results. They felt the power of close observation. They also felt the power of scientific thinking and the universality of the results if one knows these principles and uses them. They wanted to have interactions with me.

This event happened some thirty-five years ago. The state transport system was not well establised. I had to change the bus two times to reach Tasgaon, 140 kms away from my place. It took one full day to reach Tasgaon. The grape growers asked the Sangli Jilha Parishad C. E. O., Mr. V. V. Gokhale to have meeting of farmers who would like to take their new venture in grape cultivation.

The meeting was arranged and cancelled on the last day. Myself and Manilal Mehta, the two of us were to guide the meeting. But Manilal had some unexpected serious problems. So he could not attend. The Z. P. Agriculture Office raised doubt that if I would lead the meeting and later someone asked the question in the Assembly, 'How a meeting was conducted by one having no regular grape cultivation', it would create problems. So that meeting was cancelled. But the C. E. O. told me that the Tasgaon grape growers group was anxious to meet me. So he would take me to them after the office hours. On that evening we reached Tasgaon late in the evening after dark. I had a very interactive meeting for two hours with them. The 'Scientific Grape Revolution' got rooted with that first 'Peer Venture Cell on Grape' at Tasgaon.