The Golden Jubilee Monument by
Swarnjit Savi
The Golden Jubilee Monument by Swarnjit Savi at the PAU, Ludhiana One of the earliest defining human traits is bipedalism- the ability to walk on two legs. Man in his early stages of evolution gathered fruits for food and hunted for food, leading the life of a vagabond. Numerous years of wandering brought him to a halt on the shores of the Nile and the Indus – the places that curbed his nomad- instincts and provided him reasons enough to lead a life of the settlement. This newfound stability made him need and make tools - tools that got made from mud, rock, wood and bones. During this period of evolution, he passed through quiet emotions of fear, joy, sorrow and his expression found manifestation in symbols which years later evolved into the form of language. In his early days of the settlement, he domesticated sheep, goats, cows, elephants etc and started farming, thus becoming a farmer. Instead of gathering and hunting, he sowed wheat and millet. The evolutionary process later saw him lighting the fire and cooking food. The core of this sculpture is Plough - the most vital human tool- the symbol of that early evolutionary stage to which can be attributed the genesis of modern-day agriculture. The second important feature of the sculpture is language- in a book form- indicative of man’s evolutionary journey from symbols to words. The form of the sculpture is progressive in nature as it proceeds upwards from the plough and the wheel/ gear like structure on to the ladder of the DNA technology resulting into the shape of a wheat stalk. Engraved on the sculpture is many a tale of the journey of human evolution in the form of symbols, languages, images, coins and various forms of tools. This symbolic creation in stainless steel by artist Swarnjit Savi, in the golden jubilee year of Punjab Agriculture University, is a tribute to the immense service rendered by this premier agriculture institution in adding new dimensions to agricultural advancement.
