Farmer's Dasara, anybody?

Around this season of the year, although I am present physically here, my mind is loitering around Mysore and Mylapore, two places where I have made a few pleasant memories during Navaratri. I have  subscribed to pages of these places so that I get updated with pictures and news of the buzz happening there. 

It was interesting to note in the Mysooru Dasara news feed, that this year The mysore Dasara apart from the regular features of Horticulture exhibition, kavi goshti, consumer exhibition, sports and concerts will celebrate the farmers too in a unique way. There will be a series of plays, events , music shows and films especially for Karnataka Farmers. Apart from entertaining, There will be interactions, counseling talks to stop farmers suicide and help them to overcome the problems

Pic courtesy: google images

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Infact, this year’s Dussehra launched at Chamundi hills was not by a VIP but by a progressive farmer 67 year old Puttiah. His speech at the inaugural was  inspiring and he surely is a role model for all the farmers.( and other professionals too)

His advice to farmers is that they should look at constant income, adopting inclusive farming by cultivating short term, medium term and long term crop besides venturing into diary farming for daily income. He says he has prospered through daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly ,half yearly and yearly earnings.

For his daily income, he relies on selling milk, for weekly income he sells vegetables, quarterly by harvesting coconut, half-yearly by selling pulses and after an year, he earns through harvesting sugarcane, turmeric and other yearly crops. This way, he has ensured constant flow of income to the family and also gets returns through animal farming.

It’s energizing to note that this son of a bonded labourer has sensibly prospered from a 4 acre land to a 40 acre land without taking loans.

His message to fellow farmers — “Adopt inclusive farming, don’t lose hope and be brave to face the uncertainties. Suicide is not the solution to your problems.”

 Hope this message reaches the farmers , for it is really heart wrenching to read the sad news of their suicide almost daily . I think this message could apply not just to farmers but all those people who lose hope

Coming to the Dasara festivities, apart from street plays , films, talks related to the farmers, This dussehra will also host games like Running in the Mud (Kesaru Gadde), stone lifting competition, running while carrying fertilizer bags, running with a water filled pot etc…

So unique! This Mysore dasara must be motivating and encouraging to the farmers!!

I too had a dream - an inspiring book

I needed a condensed milk can to bake a cake and so went to the supermarket to buy one. Normally would have picked up the Nestle brand for this is the one I grew up with and more popular especially with condensed milk. But this time, I picked the Amul brand and the reason for my change of mind is a fantabulous inspiring book that I finished reading recently “ I too had a dream”.

The book is an auto biography of Verghese kurien. The man behind the Amul brand and fondly called “The father of White revolution”. The book talks about the trials, struggles that Dr, Kurien had to go through for taking up the cause of Indian diary farmers,consumers and co-operative societies.

Dr. Verghese Kurien a science and engineering graduate from Madras University Who was more interested in making metallurgical Engineering a career but was sent to USA on an Indian Government grant to study Diary engineering. He was least interested in making Diary field as a career but on return to India he was sent to Kaira in Gujarat as part of Government bond for 3 years. How a reluctant Dr. Kurien inspired by Tribhuvandas Patel , a community leader went to stay on in Kaira a backward village,built the AMUL empire and was responsible for  founding IRMA is the story.

The book is less on his personal life and more on his professional life, his struggles with the bureaucrats and politicians for the cause of farming. It’s amazing how a single man could stand against giants like Nestle,  the corrupt bureaucrats and politicians and fight the system, get maligned by the press for no wrong deed and take home a paltry sum as salary. He deserves all the awards and accolades for committing to the country’s welfare. He truly is an institution.

The book has many orientations on leadership, management and people power, the book is a must read for everyone who wants India to be self sufficient.

Especially now when the whole world is gearing towards a digital world and catching fancy terms like globalization and liberalization which is pretty abysmal. We are already facing a huge threat of environmental degradation, food shortage, electronic garbage etc…Organic vocations like farming,weaving, pottery etc. are facing crisis. There is a large scale migration of the rural population towards cities.

The responsibility before society is to encourage the rural economy by supporting Indian farmers, weavers and artisans thus indirectly contributing towards a sustainable and balanced environment and help them in marketing their products to the outer world. We need visionaries like Dr. Kurien. 

This was a borrowed book i read, i am now adding this book to my library. 

P.S : Another late night or early morning post, posted at 1.02a.m