Among the 2026 Padma Shri recipients from Bihar, Gopalji Trivedi’s name shines brightly for his transformative contributions to science and engineering in agriculture. His narrative, rooted in Muzaffarpur’s rural expanse, reveals a profound commitment to elevating farmers through cutting-edge knowledge.
Born to farmers in Matlupur, Bandra block, Gopalji’s early life revolved around village trails and crop cycles. This backdrop shaped his scientific bent, leading to education at local institutions, Pusa High School for Class 10, and Langat Singh College for higher secondary.
Economic pressures paused his academic path, requiring him to support the family through farming and schooling others. Persistence paid off with a teaching role that funded his return to studies, yielding BSc, MSc, and doctoral qualifications. He advanced to professor at Tirhut College of Agriculture and later Vice-Chancellor of Pusa University in Samastipur.
Trivedi’s hallmark is innovating techniques that amplify farm outputs and earnings, seamlessly integrating lab innovations into everyday farming. His deep-rooted rural empathy ensures ongoing involvement, advising post-retirement to foster growth in agriculture and fisheries.
The Padma Shri salutes not just his professional milestones but his enduring spirit, demonstrating science’s potential to redefine rural prosperity and inspire a new generation of farmer-scientists.