It is time for second Green Revolution

After a gap of a few weeks I venture into my nearest grocery cum vegetable shop. Looking at the price tags of various pulses and vegetables, I am terrified. I remember days when I used to buy a kilo of chilli for Rs eight, now it costs me around Rs 150. The pulses are all above Rs 100, not to mention about onions and potatoes. I limit the number of items as well as quantity of my purchase and still end up checking the bill twice and thrice in disbelief. They have not made a hole in my pocket, but have actually burnt it.

The food inflation is at 10-year high and they say it is due to supply shortage. The cultivable lands have shrunken and degraded due to overuse of pesticides and fertilizers, water bodies are mismanaged and groundwater depleted and the effects of climate change too is hampering crop, but what about the wastage and defective food supply system.

I was talking to a member of the Cold Chain task force set up the Union government, the other day. He tells me the horticulture wastage in the country is 30 per cent when the permissible limit in major economies is five per cent. What does that mean, when the government cries about supply shortage we are wasting 30 per cent of the fruits and vegetables at the farm, while transporting, at the warehouses and the wholesale as well as retail shops. What about wheat and other cereals that lay rotten at farms and warehouses?

When I pay 10-year-high prices for the food materials I buy, how much has the revenue of the farmer gone up. Logically thinking, that too should be highest in 10 years. On the other hand you hear about farmer suicides and demands for crop loan waiver. So the trade is still in the hands of the middlemen.

There have been some initiatives like ‘farmers market’ in some states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The farmers bring their produce to the market and sell themselves. A fair price for his produce not only motivates the farmer to increase his production, but checks other wholesalers and retailers in the town from charging exorbitantly. But it is not a viable option when the produce is large and where the farmer has to travel hundreds of kilometers to the nearest town.

For a country like India, where 40 per cent of farmers wish to quit cultivation due to unprofitability, ensuring them technology, good price, marketing facilities and adequate funding should be the priority of the government. Why government alone, why cannot the private sector explore ways to make agriculture profitable?

Better education about newer and eco-friendly technologies, accessibility to funding channels, effective management of the produce to minimize wastage and better profits to the farmer ---- when is the second Green Revolution coming?

Democracy-- the rule of majority

Mankind and his societies have come a long way through different forms of leaderships. As a group, the tendency to lead and be led is innate with not only human beings but animals too. Apart from real and natural leaders emerging out of the unknown and unexpected corners only at very few instances of history, man was forced to follow some sort of system that he thought would establish truth and justice in the society.

We had monarchy in which truth was what the King believed. We study about good kings in history who were married to justice, but what about hundreds of them for whom life was an indulgence in excesses. People had no choice other than moving along with the whims and fancies of the ruler. There was oligarchy where law meant what a handful of prominent heads in the society thought.

We also have seen theocracy or the rule of the religious authority. If God is the supreme authority of truth, religion is a path towards God. Obviously people who followed one path belittled those following other paths. In an intolerant theocracy justice is a far cry.

Socialism claims to be inclusive. It is a form of rule where the state has the control over the classless society. But what if one wants to be different for the good? How tolerant is the system for the odd one?

Then we have largely acclaimed democracy—a system where the majority rules. If two out of three claim it is night, it should be night. If the three happen to be blind and claim that it is night, is there a way out? Democracy has some fanciful instruments like referendum which seeks to arrive at a decision on major reforms and policy changes through vote of the people concerned.

What if, all the people residing near a forest land agree to clear the vegetation and drive away the animals for cultivation? Who will vote for the animals and the trees?

In democracy we have a system to ensure justice—the court of law. The court judges individual situations of the basis of a pre-set tenet. The tenet has been formed by experts who thought about the well-being of the people, precisely the majority population. So what happens when a eunuch or a gay stands up for his rights? For the largest democracy in the world it took over 60 years to hear the voice of this minority.

Climate change or change in perception Sangeetha G

There is a very popular legend on ancient poet Kalidasa. It says he was dumb before enlightened by goddess Kali. To prove Kalidasa’s dumbness, the legend goes on to say that he would sit on the very same branch of a tree that he would cut.

If pre-enlightened Kalidasa was dumb, so is the modern man. What are we doing to ourselves and our fellow creatures? Killing the planet where we live -- poisoning the air we breathe, water we drink and food we take.

Even after doing all possible damage to eco system, it is not yet time to revert. Climate change talks are flavour of the season and it seems the developed nations will go on talking endlessly until the earth collapses.

Climate change summits themselves have become rituals. Each summit comes up with a framework, protocol or a roadmap for the industrialized nations, which are reluctant to own the responsibility of the damage they have caused to the planet in the mad rush towards ‘development’. The question is how to save ourselves from the damage we have caused to the earth by thoughtless industrialization and the answer is simple -- cutting down green-house gas emission levels.

Now the key framework for the climate change talks, the Kyoto protocol itself deviates from this basic solution and gives the industrialized nations the privilege called carbon trade. This enables them to maintain status quo while shifting their responsibility of making amends to their follies to poorer nations, which are willing to take up the paid task. Despite this convenient solution, bigwigs in the global circles are still fighting among themselves over compliance.

The basic underlying cause of all environment-related problems is the man’s vanity, which makes him think that he has a legitimate right over whatever he beholds and to make any change for his convenience without owning up the consequences of the deeds.

All talks on climate change will start bearing fruit only when man accepts his rightful place in this world -- one among the crores of other species inhabiting the planet. The conflict between man and nature will continue until he goes on thinking that he can exploit the earth, its resources and other creatures for his own selfish ends, just because he happens to be most ‘intelligent’.

In this thoughtless race towards self-destruction, the so-called intelligent modern man has made the earth a ‘poisonous planet’ using his scientific knowledge. Science has definitely made man think rationally. But he has used it only partially for his convenience -- to make a change and not to make amends to the consequent changes.

In this context, I should tell you about a temple ritual practiced since time immemorial in Kerala. Before felling a tree for a temple flag-staff, people associated with the temple will seek the tree’s ‘permission’ and that of all the creatures living on it. Further, in respect of the tree, they take due care that it does not touch the ground from where it has grown tall over the years.

One can term this as a primitive and unscientific ritual, which does not serve any purpose. But the thought behind it is solemn -- whosoever framed this ritual found man as part of the eco system and not above it.

Education—is it making one wise? Sangeetha G

During one of the daily story sessions at dinner, I narrate a popular Panchatantra tale to my four-and-half year-old son, expecting him to arrive at the moral of the story. The story says about four learned men who recreate a lion out of its skeleton using their hard-earned knowledge, only to be killed by the hungry beast. However, my son is in no mood to ponder over how wisdom should reign in knowledge; maybe he is too young to get into such a question. But it puts me into one of the gnawing questions about today’s education system.

Aren’t we living in similar times – oceans of knowledge, but not a drop of wisdom. We are using science to create self-destructive nuclear bombs; genetically modified foods and creatures without properly understanding the consequences.

Today’s schools bombard children with the immense information of various kinds – both useful and useless. Further, there are lot many other avenues for information – invading media, newspapers, books, internet… But how far does information make a person wise. For that matter, does today’s education make a person wise? Does it help a person choose right over wrong at each crossroad of life?

Is wisdom something that can be taught at school? I learn that during ancient Gurukul times, there had been a lot of emphasis on ‘attaining wisdom’. This was done mainly through presenting life-like situations before the students in the form of stories. The students had to arrive at solutions themselves.

Now, what sort of stories does today’s child hear (rather watch)? He-Man, Superman, Spiderman and the endless list of ‘mans’ who are ultimately doing the same thing – playing the game of destruction just because they happen to be ‘powerful’(read physical power). These can only make our children think that growing up is getting strong enough to beat others.

Let our nursery schools not hurry in teaching the tiny kids alphabets and numbers or words and phrases. Let the teachers narrate stories that inculcate values in them during their formative years.

Communism -- Can it die? By Sangeetha G

As the news of the latest skirmishes in CPI(M) poured in, some of my friends (mainly anti-Lefts) walked up to me amusedly, seeking an "explanation" for the happenings, only to proclaim that the Left ideology has worn out. But why should I speak on behalf of the party and the leaders? Was I inspired by this political party or its leaders before developing a Left-leniancy? Has Karats, Achuthanandans or Pinarayis or Jyothi Basus played a part in the making of Left supporters? The answer is a big 'No'.

Socialism or Communism(or whatever you like to call it) is an aspiration of those people who believe in the equality among humankind. It could be dated long before the times of Marx, Lenin or Mao Tse Tung. Perhaps even to India's mythological times(if ever it existed). Indian mythology speaks about King Mahabali of Kerala(don't know how many centuries back), who had ushered in a rule of equality. The legend says that all citizens were equals-- This is nothing but socialism. (Thats why you see more socialists in this tiny state)

Even before Marx and Lenin gave shape to their communist ideologies, Kerala had embraced another system(though religious) which said "God loves all humans alike and everyone is equal before Him". They welcomed the missionaries who preached this Good News. Infact, Christ was the first Socialist.(His disciples belonged to the working class). The first group of Christ's followers led a 'Commune life'. They shared whatever they had and rejoiced in brotherhood-- Isn't this Communism?

Next time when Pinarayis and Achuthanandans fight in the open, dont sneer at a 'Leftist'. The ideology is not Achuthandan's of Pinarayi's, or even Marx's of Lenin's. It is the dream, every human being who believes in the equality of humankind, carries.