उपवनविनोद (आचार्य शार्ङ्गधर - वृक्षायुर्वेद, भू-जल संधान एवं उद्यान-विज्ञान सटीक)

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It is therefore, very gratifying to me to see that a right and
earnest endeavour has been made to found a Research Institute in
Calcutta with the noble mission of presenting and interpreting Indian
culture in its compresensive sense. This Institute which has already by
its recent publications and activities attracted attention of the public
and the scholarly world outside may be congratulated for opening its
Positive Sciences Series with the Upavana-Vinoda, critically edited by
Professor Majumdar with valuable introduction, an English trans-
lation and useful notes. Nothing could be a pleasanter beginning.
Mr. Majumdar who is a trained botanist and who commands a
wide acquaintance with the Indian texts bearing on the subject
of plants and the knowledge of plants, is a competent scholar
for undertaking a responsible task as this. It pleases me to
note that he has devoted many years of patient study to the history
of Indian Civilization in a plant-perspective. His Vanaspati and two
articles on Food and Dress published in the Indian Culture (nos. 2 & 3)
sufficiently indicate his wide range of information on the subject. The
text is well introduced by the editor with elucidation of each item,
glory of trees, selection of soil, classification of plants and the rest
with an additional information brought to light from the ancient texts,
inscriptions and foreign accounts. It may be hoped that this publi-
cation will be received as a welcome edition of a genuine Hindu
treatise on Arbori-Horticulture.
Calcutta
1st January, 1935 } Brajendra Nath Seal