India Shining?

Off late, i was wondering what life is doing to us? Where is our country going to? What is it that we as humankind after? What is happening to our planet? The heat, the famine, global warming, poverty etc. Gandhi had once said that Development in the country is measured by the development in the cities. Ever since i heard tese words in Richard Attenbourgh's Gandhi, it had etched in my heart. I wanted to do something in rural india. Work with the farmers. I remember as a child, during my holidays, i used to help the workers in the adjoining fields when the bulls ploughed the fields. I was very happy sitting on the bulls and having tread in the fertile soil. When i go back into the same place, there is nobody to plough, the land has lost its fertility. That is when the issue of farmers came into my mind and i decided to prod in detail into this little thought.

I had decided quite early that at 45, i would leave everything and enter into politics. But when i think about it now, i think 45 is too late. I have to start NOW. Many of the lands have become infertile over a period of time. Many farmers are committing suicides. Many of them are quitting farming and coming to the cities in search of work, and in the entire bargain, our country needs to import foodgrain. How did this happen? What was the reason behind it?

I hve reason to believe that the countries are not run by Governments, they are led by multi-trillion multinationals, who control the world economy. Here is an example on how one sngle act of charity screws up our nation. Monsanto is a company that develops genetically altered seeds. This seed claims to be resistant to the deadly dendu illi. For its intial rounds Monsanto sold these seeds at a low price to excit the farmers. The seeds worked, and for an initial period of time, after which there were new pests. During these times they also increased the cost of the seeds. Farmers now used to these seeds started taking loans to buy seeds. And then one factor of the crop like rains, new pests etc, caome in and the crops are destroyed. The farmers had the seeds in stock, but what they did not know was that these seeds had a self termination gene which killed the seeds itself after one year. Hence, the farmer has to throw them and they have to take loan again for acquiring seeds. Soon the soil looses fertility. There is an age old tradition of farming which has survived many centuries, but suddenly how does the land become infertile. Obviously playing with nature, nature has the upper hand to deny productivity.

Crops fail. Farmers commit suicides. The agriculture production declines. India has to import. We become dependant on the multinationals who already have a surplus production in their commodity. They dump the surplus material into India and earn a handsome profit. We, sitting in India, buty them and make them rich. Is India really shining? I doubt so! Reliance has big expansion plans. Of late Reliance has bought out acres and acres of FERTILE Land, for what? Does the Ambanis know to lay seeds? I dont think so.

We sitting in the cities dont even know these problems. We get wheat, rice in the shops, we go and buy them. Who cares if it is imported? Who cares if some farmers have committed suicides for he cant grow crops? We have everything at the tip of our fingertips. Why care for that gauthi who doesnt know to speak English. We are much more learned than him, we have gone abroad, done our MBA and working at Call centres telling an American child information on salt water crocodiles, helping the american boy to do his home work!

I have decided to trudge on a difficult path. One day of my week to begn with, i am going to dedicate myself to the cause. I dont know how, but probably the first step would be to educate myself of the situation, then probably i will be in a better position to decide which way to walk....