Gandhian ideology of non-violence rests on the pedestal of turning to someone the right cheek, if you get slapped on the left. Almost all nuggets of wisdom imparted to us from childhood are meant to teach us how to operate from the premise of “love and compassion” for years. However, if your neighbour is a tiny-eyed, wolf-warrior diplomat, you need to err on the side of the caution.
With the global citizenry longing for peace and normalcy amidst the havoc wreaked by COVID-19, the role of neighbourhood in shaping the perception and adoption of “new normal” is of paramount importance. Moreover, talking turkey seems to be the only way to wrap our minds around an unedifying reality manifested by darkening of economic skies. While the idea of breaching geographical barriers seems pretty far-fetched at the moment, one can always leverage technology to strengthen bilateral ties that lies at the heart of combating the coronavirus menace.
Sadly, countries like China seem to have lost their sense of perspective on this issue at a very crucial juncture. Till now it was busy turning dross to gold, on one hand, and downplaying gloomy prognoses of pandemic, on the other. If this were not enough to elevate its status from “thriving on the breadline” to “spinning progress almost overnight”, Jinping is now keen to play on attention economy by registering the presence of his PLA in Galwan valley- a name synonymous with #patriotism, #sacrifice, and the very old teleological explanation of its existence as a region in the disputed territory of Ladakh.
If reports are to be believed, our neighbour is in no mood to walk the talk. This means that it would be foolish to assume that military and diplomatic level discussions would translate into actual restoration of peace. Until this happens, our leaders should rely on espirit de corps and our cops to maintain peace in these turbulent times.
For now, let us reserve our love for our next-door neighbour!
Every generalization has an exception. The unavoidable situation we are living in today is a true testament to this. Every one of us has heard the very general saying: “The more, the merrier.” Unfortunately, the terror of an invisible, tiny, non-being has rendered this phrase completely useless. ‘COVID-19 PANDEMIC’- or should we call it ‘The Inevitable Battle for Existence’- has made us realize the true nature of life where nothing but survival matters.
On the one hand, this virus reaffirms Darwin’s theory of ‘Survival of the fittest’ and on the other hand, it is continuously amending itself to the bigger picture, which indeed says ‘Survival of the Richest.’ It is not uncommon even in history to see the burden of the highest battles falling upon those who were not the initiators, but just innocent spectators. Be it a war or a riot, it is poor who always pays the heftiest price.This poem is the cry of those helpless hearts, that are once again trapped in a war and this time against nature itself. Daily-wage workers in our country are in most adverse conditions, something which is difficult to even imagine. Seeing the plight of an innocent soul without their fault, impacts the heart of the society. Whenever a person dies of hunger or the exhaustive nature of journey back to their homes, a little child in the heart of every person who is sitting safely at home; also dies.
What dies is our belief, the belief in the most potent people being helpless and ignorant towards this issue. What dies is the dream, the dream of a society with anything but happiness for all. More often than not, we feel utterly helpless in such situations and just cannot relate to the misery experienced by them. At such moments, we need to start valuing our blessings compared to those who are bearing the brunt of the crisis. Because, with the realization of our own blessings comes a whole lot of compassion which is necessary to build a connection with the needs of the poor. No matter what privileges we are provided, or how secure we are, a compassionate heart is never at rest. This is what society needs, and it is a lesson for all of us.
Let this pain sink in and trigger every nerve in your body until you are ready to relate to their situation. In such trying times, our whole perspective of life has changed, and with everything coming to a long pause, we have finally taken the time to sit back and look at the way we were rushing to reach a destination, which was never ours. This poem tells us that it is not always that we need to find that destination, but enjoy the various checkpoints that life offers. This is one such checkpoint-fill it with compassion, because “In the end, all that matters is what we leave behind- A legacy.” Fill it with nothing but kindness.
Minute by minute, this darkness will fadethat’s what I keep telling myself.Yes there will be lightand good times will again be made.As the moonlight falls unanimously,it becomes easier to sufficethe needs of an aching soul,and a heart that still cries.A little comfort is all I need to continue with this journey. “Is that too hard to give?” I asked the privileged ones with small hearts and big money. Nevertheless I walk through the straddled streets, in the hope of fulfilling a dream which may never come true. To see my father in a village afar; but sure,such dreams have no real value. We’re low-we’re very very low and yet when the trumpets ring, the struggle of a poor man’s life will go through the heart of the proudest king. BUT, none of this matters, as our struggle will again revive, through the realisation that we’ve made ‘SOMETIMES IT’S OK TO JUST EXIST, SOMETIMES IT’S OK TO JUST SURVIVE’. -Mahika Luthra
धर्म! ऐसा पथ जिस पर यदि मनुष्य सदैव चले तो उसे मोक्ष की प्राप्ति होती है। परंतु वर्तमान में धर्म पालन से मोक्ष प्राप्ति के मार्ग में हम कुछ ऐसे कार्य कर रहे हैं जिनसे हमारी आत्मा तृप्त हो ना हो अपितु हम ऐसे अक्षम्य में पाप के भागीदार बन रहे जिसका प्रायश्चित शायद ही किसी शास्त्र या धर्म ग्रंथ में वर्णित होगा।
आदिकाल से ही सनातन धर्म के अनुयायी प्रकृति एवं उसके तत्वों को देवतुल्य मानकर उनकी आराधना करते आए हैं, फिर चाहे वह पर्वत हो या नदियां, पेड़ हो या धरती।लेकिन समय के साथ हम जाने अनजाने उन्हीं पूजनीय तत्वों को प्रदूषित कर रहे हैं।
यदि हम सिर्फ नदियों की तरफ ध्यान केंद्रित करें तो हमें खुद से यह प्रश्न अवश्य पूछना चाहिए कि आखिर कब तक हम अपने देश की नदियों को विभिन्न विषैले तत्वों द्वारा प्रदूषित करते रहेंगे और फिर उसी “पवित्र” जलधारा में अपने पापों को धोने के लिए डुबकियां लगाएंगे। यह सभी नदियां उन्हीं धार्मिक बुद्धिजीवियों द्वारा मैली की जाती हैं जो उन्हें देवी का दर्जा दिया करते हैं। गंगा नदी जिसे युग युगांतर से ही माॅं का स्थान प्राप्त है और यदि उसे विश्व की सबसे पवित्र नदी कहा जाए तो यह संशय का विषय कदापि नहीं होगा,यह उसका दुर्भाग्य ही है कि वह आज विश्व की कुछ सबसे प्रदूषित नदियों में से एक है।
एक अनुमान के अनुसार प्रतिवर्ष तकरीबन 8000000 टन फूल जो कि पूजा के उद्देश्य से नदियों में अर्पित किए जाते हैं वह ईश्वर को अर्पित हो ना हो लेकिन नदियों को प्रदूषित अवश्य करते हैं। यही नहीं हर वर्ष लगभग 35000 शवों को सिर्फ गंगा नदी में प्रवाहित किया जाता है। तनिक विचार करिए यह आंकड़ा कितना बढ़ जाएगा यदि देश की हर नदी में प्रवाहित होने वाले शवों को जोड़कर देखा जाए। यह सब लोग शास्त्रानुसार कर रहे यह मुझे भली-भांति विदित है पर क्या इसके साथ हमारा यह कर्तव्य नहीं कि जिन नदियों को हम अपने पाप धोने के लिए उपयोग करते हैं,हम उनकी अविरलता एवं निर्मलता का ध्यान रखें?
जन्म से मरण तक हम जिन नदियों पर आश्रित हैं क्या हम उन नदियों की स्वच्छता के प्रति कर्तव्यबध्य नहीं? जैसे-जैसे मानव ने खुद को आधुनिक बनाया है उसका झुकाव प्राकृतिक से रासायनिक तत्वों की तरफ बढ़ा है जिसके उदाहरण हम अपने आसपास सरलता से देख सकते हैं। मानव की इस आधुनिक बनने की लालसा से हमारी नदियां भी अछूती नहीं रही हैं।
आज नदियों में विसर्जित की जाने वाली देव प्रतिमाओं पर लगे विभिन्न रासायनिक रंगो एवं तत्वों से हमारी नदियों की शुद्धता का लोप हो गया है। हालात यह हैं कि हम उन्हीं नदियों के जल से आचमन तक नहीं कर सकते जिन्हें कभी हमारे पूर्वज पीने के लिए नित उपयोग किया करते थे।
हम उसी संस्कृति के ध्वजवाहक हैं जिसके मूल धर्म ग्रंथ में ही हमें स्वयं ईश्वर से प्रकृति के महत्व का ज्ञान होता है परंतु विडंबना देखिए की हम अपनी उसी संस्कृति की शिक्षा को ताक पर रख चुके हैं। उच्च पदों पर बैठे जनप्रतिनिधि एवं बुद्धिजीवी भी अपनी सामाजिक छवि को विवादों से बचाकर रखने के लिए इन महत्वपूर्ण विषयों पर कुछ कहने या करने से बचा करते हैं। परंतु प्रश्न यह है कि क्या किसी विषय पर सिर्फ इसलिए आवाज ना उठाना क्योंकि वह विषय अपने साथ धर्म के कुछ पहलू एवं धार्मिक भावनाएं लिए हुए है क्या कर्तव्य विमुखता का पर्याय नहीं है?
विभिन्न पर्वों पर सामूहिक स्नान के दौरान नदियों में अर्पित किए जाने वाले पुष्प, घृत इत्यादि से जल में ऑक्सीजन की मात्रा प्रभावित हुई है जिससे विभिन्न जलीय जीव विलुप्त होने की कगार पर आ गए हैं। जलीय जीवों से इतर सामूहिक स्नान में डुबकियां लेने से लोगों में विभिन्न त्वचा रोग आदि के मामले सामने आए हैं, साथ ही साथ उन लोगों के स्वास्थ्य पर भी प्रश्न चिन्ह लग गया है जो नदियों के जल को पीने के उपयोग में लाते हैं।
मात्र मनुष्य ही एक ऐसा जीव है जो अपनी बुद्धि एवं विवेक से उन्हीं संसाधनों के दोहन के प्रति कार्यरत है जिनसे उसके जीवन की आधारशिला निर्मित है। यदि समय रहते इन गंभीर विषयों के प्रति समाज में चेतना नहीं आई तो भविष्य में हम वही करते रहेंगे जो हम आज कर रहे हैं, “दोषारोपण”।
बस फर्क इतना होगा की वर्तमान में हम नदियों की अशुद्धता पर चिंता व्यक्त कर रहे हैं और भविष्य में हम उन्हीं नदियों के विलुप्त हो जाने का शोक मनाएंगे।
Being born Hindu, I have always been curious about the concept underlying Indra, Vishnu, Mahesh – “Creation, Propagation, Destruction” (CPD) It was only after loafing around Pro-BJP and Vedanta forums I realised that CPD was a much more advanced way to look at time than the cruder: “Past, Present And Future. (PPF)”. PPF is so cold, it almost describes the passage of time as one long continuous chemical reaction. And it isn’t wrong. The universe IS a prolonged chemical reaction, PPF is very functional that way, for setting appointments and measuring algorithms. But if we wish to think about time, beyond the material plane, if you want to step into the mental plane, you have to think about it from the perspective of Create, Propagate and Destroy. (I am not an authority on this so I will stop here. Go scour Hindu forums and find a teacher. You may have to fight a firang for one. I’m a faux Hindu at best, I know zilch. I am wrong.)
Even Vivek Agnihotri (among many others) speak about this in simpler terms. ‘You cannot Become someone else Until you destroy the someone you Were’. And to that I may add: When you manage to become something with the blessings of Indra, and you are not careful about Vishnu, the preservation part, Shiva WILL show up to your party early, get shit stoned, do his Tandav, and burn down your mandap. (Bring your own gods/devils).
Great organisations and great nations do not suffer an ill fate from an external adversary. – They rot from within. The ghost of Veer Savarkar would say. ~ ‘Great Leaders in Congress Party like Sardar Patel, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Narasimha Rao, were giants compared to Modi.’ Men who rose to such heights in an age with very-little electronic media. They literally floated on the power of their Ideas and pulled the nation along. Yet you needed Modi to finally pay homage to them. (Shame on you, Shame on me) The rot that grows within Congress is one of Nepotism. An ancient evil, that swallowed entire empires. Good Congress members and few (rare true liberal) supporters need to destroy themselves before they can be reborn. They have to burn in the Saffron fire that lights these lands and burn in the hearts that Beat, on these lands. THEY HAVE TO SURVIVE THAT FIRE. They need to melt and loose all form. They need to be re-cast. They need to be reforged. Only then may they become a sword that can protect these lands from humanity’s perennial enemy, which my friends, I believe is and always was GREED: The mother of all evils.
Even the BJP was born from the fires lit by Indira (Indra?), Sanjay and Rajiv Gandhi. They were forged from the fires of the Emergency: The most brutal Fascism India has ever seen. But still a much smaller fire, than the century long BLAZE OF INDIAN INDEPENDENCE. A blaze that mothered many children. But not all children could survive the forced sterilisations by Indira Gandhi, the Iron lady with the Iron calipers who was from behind the Iron Curtain. But if you think about that, the RSS actually did survive. And It has survived by keeping an ear to the ‘fertile’ ground. And it will keep surviving because is has become the ground, it has become the land, it is the blade of grass that sways in the wind. It is that Saffron flag that adorns the sky. It is a sterile mother that does not know Nepotism. The dragon may burn her field. But she will sow again.
Anyway. Who is going to rule from the new Parliament building tomorrow, who is going to rule our mind tomorrow, who is going to rule our hearts tomorrow, we don’t know. (If you say you rule yourself, good for you.L-fucking-O-L) In the larger scheme of things change is the only constant. Be OPEN. Anyway Doston, as my demons tire, I retire. Until next time, from me and from many like me … Jai.Shree.Ram.
For the last three months everything is getting tensed on the border day by day. If we go to the April it seemed that there was a normal fight on the border that usually happened at the disputed areas along border. Months passed, talks have been done on many level to de-escalate the matter. But the incident that took place on the 15 June changed all the situation on the border as well as in the country. In that fight our 20 army personnel killed in action(Martyred) showing extreme valour for the safeguard of mother land.
No one knows what the actual situation is on the border and what is being talked in the high level meeting held on various level whether it is military level or diplomatic level. Everyone knows it is 21st century that is far more different than 20th century in various aspect. But I am going to talk on one aspect that is Information circulation that leads to the questioning of Army and Government.
In today India everyone wants gossip that is easily available on the various social media. There is no problem when it limits to the other subject but when it is about the Army and their way of handling things on sensitive issue like border disputes, it is not that simple to talk because very few persons understand the critical conditions of border areas. Asking question in these days very easy, it is just buttons on your phone or keyboard. India is a democracy and every person has the right to ask question. Yes they are right but it is not same in this case.
When you question Army and Government at the time of war like situation, it only deteriorates the morale of the Army personnel who are standing tall on the border without thinking about their life and family. They are ready for the supreme sacrifice to maintain the integrity of India. If an army person can give his whole life for the nation then as a responsible citizen we also have some duties in this critical situation. Can’t we keep these questions reserved for the time when this situation get sorted? It is said that there is always a proper place and time to ask question. Questioning every time never gives satisfactory response. This is applied to all political party of the country whether a ruling party or opposition party.
Abstract:Migrant workers are the worst victims of this COVD-19 induced lockdown, especially the workers of unorganized sectors and their families. One of the objectives of the recently announced economic package is to stimulate the agriculture sector and provide employment to the migrant workers and labourers. It is proposed in this article to invite nationalistic NGOs to participate in sustainable farming, tree plantation and afforestation schemes and push forward the rural economy. Recommendations are also made to fulfill the requirements of herbs and shrubs for Ayurvedic medicines.
Suffering of migrant workers
Labourers and workers are the worst victims of the COVD-19 induced lockdown, especially the migrant workers of unorganised sectors and their families. In my opinion, the employers who enjoy the services are real culprits. State governments of the employers are equally responsible for the suffering of the labourers and workers. In most of the metro cities, migrant labourers drive life. The state governments earn revenue and run their economy using this labour force. But the same governments attend an apathetic attitude towards the plight of the migrant labourers at the time of crisis [Delhi Buses, Mumbai Police]. The union government is also responsible for not foreseeing the problems and not making desirable arrangements to tackle the same. The recent order of the Honourable Supreme Court may relieve the suffering of workers coming back to their home villages and towns [SC order].
The extended lockdown has, while desirable from the point of view to flatten the curve of COVID-19, enhanced the suffering of millions of migrant workers. These migrant workers are usually treated poorly in the states of their employment. They often stay in unhealthy conditions and reside either in squalid slum colonies or even on roadside pavements of the cities they serve. It is the responsibility of union and state governments to jointly address the housing problem of the migrants.
The inward migration of workers at one end will create a shortage of workforce in industries and other sectors. On the other hand, there will be a problem of providing livelihood to the workers and labourers in their villages and home states.
Employments strategy for migrants
The Hindi speaking states, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar (+Jharkhand), Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh (+Chhattisgarh) account for 50% of India’s total inter-state migrants. Whereas, Maharashtra, Delhi, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are the destinations of nearly 50% of the total inter-state migrants [Interstate migrants].
Some of the state governments have geared up to provide employment to the workers and labourers returned back to their states. BJP ruled states have taken the initiative to employ migrant workers coming back to the states [Initiative to employ ].
In the present scenario, the reverse migration is unfounded and some of them may never return to their workplace. They may prefer to stay in their villages or nearby towns. Following the hardship and suffering during the COVD crisis, some may even compromise on the wage front. It is also important to mention that the cost of living is much lower in villages and small towns. Villages and small towns have added advantages of providing better accommodation and environment, as well as workers may also enjoy the company of their people. Farming in this country is a labour-intensive. Therefore rural India, especially the agriculture and allied sectors must prepare to productively absorb the additional workforce. A conscious approach may boost the economic condition of farmers and the nation. In the light of the recent economic stimulus package of Rs 1.63 lakh crore and the government’s focus on the agriculture sector, the investment and diversification in rural India are likely to improve. [Stimulate Agri.].
Proposals to maneuver the crisis as an opportunity
Sustainable farming
Most of the schemes in this economic package to stimulate agriculture and allied sectors do not involve intricate technology however, they are lucrative. Therefore the proposed schemes of government may attract non-serious players with the sole objective of short term gain. Since these schemes are difficult to be monitored by government agencies, entrepreneurs with track records of addressing their social obligation of uplifting the community may be encouraged to participate in the rural development programmes.
Sustainable agriculture techniques enable higher resource efficiency, greater agricultural output while using lesser land, water and energy, ensuring profitability for the farmers. A few volunteer-based humanitarian NGOs and institutions are already in the business of rural development and sustainable farming [RSS, Art of Living, Isha Foundation, Patanjali]. Since they have environment-sensitive and bio-diverse approaches in farming, animal husbandry etc., significant socio-economic upliftment of the rural population is possible under the guidance of these NGOs and institutions. Some of them have credentials of helping society during natural calamities and disasters too. These organizations have extended unconditional supports in the present national crisis [NGOs’ support, Serve people]. The involvement of these non-profit making social organizations will certainly help to improve the economic condition of rural India. Such a step will also initiate much needed social and cultural reform, desirable to restore the lost glory of the nation.
Herbal cultivation
There is an awakening all over the globe to turn back to the traditional health care using herb, shrub and tree parts. The Indian Ayurvedic science is an affordable and effective means to cater this requirement. The uninterrupted supply of genuine raw material is necessary to fulfill the ever-increasing demand for manufacturing Ayurvedic medicines. The present approach of government to encourage herbal cultivation is appreciable. Contract farming of medicinal plants appears to be safe and profitable for the farming community. It is also desirable to process the raw herbs at the harvesting site. This will generate employment in villages, reduce the cost of transportation and minimise pollution around the main production plant. In the recent past, the exploitation of herbs from the forest has resulted in degradation of forests and ecological imbalance. As a result, national manufactures are depending on the import of herbs, shrubs etc. to fulfill their requirements of raw materials. A conscious medicinal plantation within the forest and buffer zone may reduce our dependence on import [Haryana Forest]. The tree plantation, their protection and maintenance followed by harvesting and post-harvest processing are highly labour intensive. To protect the interest of villagers, the medicine manufacturers may directly deal with villagers or their cooperative societies without the involvement of contractors and middlemen. The proper implementation of this programme may generate employment for the tribal and villagers.
Compensatory Afforestation Management
The consequences of deforestation and urban pollution are serious global concerns. A total of Rs. 6,000 crore is allocated to Compensatory Afforestation Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) for tree plantation and afforestation in urban areas [CAMPA funds]. This will also create job opportunities for tribal and poor section of society.
The growing need for environmental conservation has grabbed a lot of attention in the past few years. A lot of progress has indeed been made by several non-profit making NGOs and individuals to address this issue. [Plantation by NGOs, Sankalpa Taru, The Art of Living, Isha Foundation]. It is also true that corruption and misuse of the fund are not uncommon in afforestation and tree plantation programmes [No desired impact]. Therefore it is desirable to involve successful humanitarian NGOs for urban tree plantation, social plantation in rural areas and even afforestation in designated forests. It is worth to mention that conscience and scientific approaches are necessary to deal with environmental issues. It is desirable to plant indigenous desi trees, shrubs etc. Indigenous vegetation is vital for healthy biodiversity and human well-being as well as to support wildlife.
Most of the exotic, non-native species have both the direct and indirect damaging effect on ecosystem and biodiversity [Indigenous vegetation ]. It is also important to note that a holistic approach in tree plantation and afforestation is mandatory to address the issues of deteriorating environment and ecology. The presence of nationalistic NGOs is highly desirable to protect the interest of tribal and safeguard them from the exploitation of greedy local contractors and venom of religious conversion. Involvement of sensible NGOs in the afforestation programme will also protect the degrading culture of tribal effectively.
I am convinced now, that successful politicians do not keep all promises. Yet they are loved by their followers and leave an indelible mark on history, because of an uncanny sense to look beyond the obvious and make daring decisions. Narendra Modi is certainly one of the politicians who meets all these criteria. He has yet to fulfill his promise of delivering high economic growth. And with Corona Pandemic hitting the global economy hard, it’s unlikely that he will be able to fulfill it in near future. Yet, he is loved by millions (Including Yours Truly) for putting Nehruvian Consensus to the rest and showing Islamists their right place in Indian politics.
PM Modi is fully aware of this expectation. In fact, he has many times overtly promised economic well being as one of the main benefits of voting BJP. To make this promise good he launched a series of reforms in 2015. Next year, when India celebrates Three Decades of throwing away the License-Quota-Permit raj, it’s interesting to see how Modi Reforms stack up against reforms carried out by 5 non-Congress governments between January 1991 to March 1998.
These 7 years are such a unique period, that I can’t believe that Political Analysts have missed it. And hence also suspect it’s part of the larger understanding to avoid talking about it. This was a period (but for Jan to May 1991) when no Gandhi was either a Congress President or Prime Minister. And this also happens to be the period when India’s most daring reforms were carried out. Too much of a coincidence, I think.
The ‘Reforms’ were rolled out in July 1991. But the way for them was paved by an audacious act by then PM Chandrashekhar and FM Yashwant Sinha. The fiscal management by earlier two governments (Rajiv Gandhi and VP Singh) was so awful, that when Chandrashekhar became PM in November 1990, the coffers were empty. To tide over this crisis, in exchange for $ 2.2 billion, the Government had to pledge 67 tons of Gold Reserves to the Bank of England. For which Congress exacted revenge by withdrawing the support. Which meant fresh elections, giving an opportunity for Congress to come back to power, with PV Narsimha Rao as PM. Narsimha Rao, to his full credit, picked up from where the earlier Government had left and went on to reform as per guidelines laid out by PM Chandrashekhar in February 1991.
Now, these 1991 reforms are so expansive that it’s impossible to write on all of them here. But to get a flavor and facilitate comparison with Modi Reforms, will discuss some of them in brief.
Fiscal Reforms: 8.4% in 1990-91 was brought down to 6.5% in 1991-92.
Monetary and Financial Reforms: 2(a):The Statutory liquidity ratio (SLR) and Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) drastically. 2(b) : Interest rates on deposits, which were controlled by RBI made flexible. 2(c) : Way cleared for the opening of Private Banks.
Capital Market Reforms: Government control over capital markets were removed, replacing it with a regulatory framework.
Industrial Policy Reforms: Industrial licensing abolished, MRTP act repealed. With this, 80% of the industry was taken out of the licensing framework.
Trade Policy Reforms: Imports and exports were freed. Eg. Peak import was reduced from 300% to 150%. Setting up of trading houses with 51% foreign participation allowed.
Steps were taken to promote FDI and Rationalization of Exchange rates. Eg. The rupee was devalued in one shot by 20%.
These reforms were so radical that they changed the whole outlook of the MNC and domestic businesses towards India. Resulting in massive investment, quick growth which generated hundreds of thousands of jobs. Translating in sudden jump in incomes and change in lifestyles for a sizable population, mainly in urban India.
In 2014 when Modi was elected on the backdrop of disastrous handling of Economy by UPA 2, the expectations were the same as 1991. And Modi in an effort to match those, did try to unleash the economic agenda with the Land Acquisition act in 2015. But once it was defeated by the united opposition, galvanised by Rahul Gandhi’s “Suit-Boot ki Sarkar” he quickly abandoned the plank. And much to the chagrin of his core voters – Urban Middle Class, he went for incrementalism and povertarian economics.
The incremental steps included programs such as Make in India, Stand-up India, Startup India, Mudra Loans, MSME loans etc. Coupled with these, he ensured that RBI keeps the interest rates low. These were supposed to ease setting up, running and winding up businesses. And bring FDI into many existing companies and start many new ventures. They did result in some amount of FDI and a few hundred start-ups. But in no way, they created the big bang, which was promised.
So why couldn’t Modi do in 6 years, what ragtag, tottering, minority Governments achieved in 7 years?
Because the Modi Reforms differ fundamentally with 1991 Reforms. 1991 was an all-out effort to save the economy from going bust. Modi Reforms were more about disciplining the businesses and improving tax compliance. Let us take the most important- GST, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), Reduce Corporate Tax rate, Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT). And, though not a policy reform as such, add Demonetization to this.
GST hailed as one of the greatest reforms, made millions of traders uncomfortable, as it increased their paperwork and made cash transactions difficult. Anybody even with limited knowledge of Indian businesses knows how important ‘Cash’ transactions are to traders. Two biggest industries which were adversely affected by GST and Demonetisation were iron/Steel and Construction leading to job losses. It also killed a large section of the informal economy. What it helped was the formalisation of economy and tax collections.
IBC again was a tool which promised to end crony capitalism and stamp out zombie companies. It certainly did that. It also reduced India’s stressed assets and improved recoveries. But anyone in its right mind will not say all these helped in job creation or increased incomes.
Out of the reforms mentioned, Reduction in Corporate tax rate and DBT resulted in an increase of disposable income. Again reduction in taxes happened after reelection, in Sept 2019. When realisation dawned, that growth is further slipping away. So something which was to be implemented in 2014, took 5 years. Clearly, Modi disappointed the business community here.
DBT was one thing which was implemented with gusto and a sense of direction. And it certainly helped in poverty reduction. Perhaps only one economic program, which was a success. That’s because Modi, though not a Leftist, is a RSS Pracharak. And RSS prides itself for promoting the economic vision of Antodaya (अन्तोदया), having its roots in Integrated Humanism. Antodaya which aims at the rise of the weakest section of society, is hardly in agreement with tenets of Capitalism.
Lastly, Demonetisation to me, was another step to reduce the purchasing power of the rich by taking cash away from them and redistribute it as cheap credit through banks. The plan didn’t work as banks have consistently refused to lend to smaller & new businesses without collateral.
Adding two more examples here, which will make the redistribution obsession clear. Appeal to middle class to let go LPG subsidy (#giveitup) and steep increase in fuel prices. Both these are clear cut attempts to take away from comparatively affluent class and pass it on to the poor.
To sum up, notwithstanding the adulation for PM Modi, I must infer that his Economic Reforms were more about bringing behavioural change in the society. Till now they have failed to bring any additional economic well being or generate new jobs. Hardly any doubt that PM Modi’s ‘5 Trillion Dollar’ dream is a silver bullet for all these economic ills. But again, with current conditions and policy restraints, even reaching closer to it,will require devolution of power.
On the plus side what PM Modi has delivered to the Middle Class is consistent low inflation and many big ticket items on cultural agenda. Such as abrogation of article 370, criminalising triple talaq and construction of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya. And to repeat, has ensured that topics concerning Hindu masses are brought to fore and Congress’ sponsored pseudo secularism is put to rest. However, the promise of delivering Economic well being remains unfulfilled.
Evaluating from 1991, the politically most itchy years between 1991-1998 were the glorious days for Economic Reforms. Against that, the most adored and powerful Prime Minister’s 6 years are a disappointment.
There was very interesting interaction I had with a close friend this morning. She said why do parents expect that son give a shoulder to them after their death. Now according to our Hindu Shastra and religion we all have to fulfill 3 debts in life : One is towards our parents Second is toward the Guru and the third is towards almighty lord the creator
Towards parents it’s by giving them the shoulder on their death. Towards Guru by giving him Guru Dakshina. Third is towards the AlmightyGod by performing our daily Pooja and chanting their name, giving gratitude and what good deeds or karmas we do is given or surrender at his lotus feet.
In Mahabharat Dronacharya tells Arjun to fight in the battle field of the Kurukshetra and this it was the time he wanted to test of his student or shishya had learnt all that was taught to him and if he failed he would return his gurudakshina
Karan was the shishya of Lord Parshuram and Lord Parshuraam had told him to always stand for the RIGHT and the day he would support the wrong he would forget all the knowledge he had received from him.
Now coming back to the topic we as parents start seeing the future of the children and make decisions for them and start training their mind to be away from them and make a future for themselves in a foreign land thinking that they want children to reach the moon without futuristic thinking that towards the end of our life we will want them to around us so that loneliness doesn’t haunt us. By the time we realise all this it’s far too late to bring them back to home land or closer to us as we don’t want to disturb their future and their success.
So Why do we want the children to give us shoulder to us on the last journey of our life when we send them away. Then why do we go through the torture of giving birth ?
It’s all through our selfish attitude we want our children for our last rites. So either we don’t build their future in foreign land or don’t give birth.
At the end of the day it’s we who decide our last rites from the day we are born and it’s our soul which decides our life plan which it has already planned before coming to this world. We are only carriers of the soul and we with our good or bad deeds shape our soul for the next birth or Moksha.
So having children or not having children is immaterial. It’s our soul journey which we have to work on.
कालीकट इंजीनियरिंग काॅलेज (केरल) के अंतिम वर्ष का छात्र राजन 1 मार्च 1976 को अपने दोस्त जोसेफ अली के साथ छात्रावास से उठा लिया गया. राजन के पिता टी वी इचार वारियर ने बेटे की तलाश में थाने के दरोगा से लेकर बड़े अधिकारियों तक से सम्पर्क किया. तब भी बेटे का कहीं पता नहीं था. तत्कालीन गृहमंत्री के. करुणाकरन से भी मदद की गुहार लगाई गई.
पर ये सब प्रयास व्यर्थ थे, आपातकाल लागू था और नागरिक अधिकारों की धज्जियां उड़ा दी गई थीं. सरेआम उठा लिए गए राजन का कोई अता- पता नहीं था. आपातकाल खत्म हुआ तो राजन के पिता ने हाईकोर्ट में अपील की, और अगले दिन सुनवाई हुई. गवाहों ने बताया कि राजन को कालीकट के टूरिस्ट बंगले में बंद कर दिया गया, पुलिस की यातनाएं दी गईं. हाईकोर्ट में केरल सरकार ने जवाब देने हुए कहा कि पुलिस यातना से राजन की मौत हो गई.”
आपातकाल की ये इकलौती कहानी नहीं है. सत्ता में मदमस्त हाकिम की क्रूर दंडपाश ने कई जीवन में अंधेरे ढकेले थे. जब जनता पार्टी की सरकार बनी. और आपातकाल की जांच कराई गई तो, शाह आयोग ने रिपोर्ट में कहा कि करीब एक लाख ग्यारह हज़ार लोगों को निवारक निरोध के आधार पर गिरफ्तार किया गया था. 646 विपक्षी बड़े नेताओं को बंगले पर ही नजरबंद या जेल में ठूस दिया गया था.
और आज बात दो बात पर प्रेस की आजादी पर वज्र चलने और अभिव्यक्ति का गला घोंटने जैसे बड़े बड़े विवाद भले ही हों. पर ये वही दौर था जब रातों रात प्रेस पर ताला मढ़ दिया गया था.
इंडियन हेराल्ड में आपातकाल की खबर 1975
अब आइये आपातकाल की इस पृष्ठभूमि पर नज़र डालें. आखिर क्या हुआ कि कद्दावर प्रधानमंत्री श्रीमती इंदिरा गांधी अचानक मंत्रिमंडल को बताए बिना रातोरात सरकार बचाने की जुगत करने लगीं.
1967 के पश्चात कांग्रेस में एक नेता, एक विचार शाश्वत लगने लगा था. श्रीमती इंदिरा गांधी एक बड़ी नेता के रूप में उभर चुकी थीं. राजनीति विज्ञान में मजबूत विपक्ष लोकतंत्र की बुनियाद की रक्षा करता है. इंदिरा के बढ़ते कुनबे को धाराशाही करना सिर्फ विपक्षी नेताओं की चाह नहीं थी. कांग्रेस के भी कई नेता इस सर्वशक्तिमान वाले रवैये से परेशान थे.
सबकुछ ध्रुवीकृत था. कांग्रेस की आंतरिक राजनीति ना केवल अस्थिर बल्कि एंटी इंदिरा हो गई थी.
एक ओर केन्द्र सरकार आंतरिक राजनीति और सत्ता पक्ष की पार्टी में भिड़ते थी. वहीं न्यायपालिका और सरकार में भी जमकर जंग छिड़ी थी. यहां तक कि जब कई मुद्दों पर न्यायालय ने सरकार के निर्णयों को असंवैधानिक करार दिया, तो कांग्रेस पार्टी और स्वयं प्रधानमंत्री ने न्यायपालिका को ‘यथास्थितिवादी’ कहा.
ये दौर इतना कठिन था कि सरकार से सवाल पूछे जा रहे थे. संकट चहुंतरफा था, और साथ ही देश में भयंकर आर्थिक संकट भी था.
उस वर्ष कृषि उपज आठ प्रतिशत कम रहा, औद्योगिक विकास दर घट गई, तेल की कीमते आसमान छू रही थीं. और ग्रामीण बेरोजगारी भी बहुत अधिक थी. सामान्य वस्तुओं की कीमतों में 1974 के दौरान 30 प्रतिशत की वृद्धि हुई. कुल मिलाकर अर्थव्यवस्था के सभी आँकड़े अधोमुखी थे.
सरकार ने सरकारी कर्मचारियों के वेतन में जबरदस्त कटौती की. इसने भी सर्वत्र असंतोष को जन्म दिया. और 1960 के दशक में ये असंतोष फूटा, छात्र आंदोलन के रूप में.
1970 के दशक में भारतीय आंतरिक सुरक्षा पर भी एक बड़ा धब्बा लगा. बंगाल नकस्लवादी आंदोलन सक्रिय हुए. चारू मजूमदार जैसे नेताओं ने इसे हवा दी. तो तत्कालीन बंगाल की कांग्रेस सरकार इस पर नियंत्रण करने में ना सिर्फ नाकाम रही. बल्कि नक्सलवाद का प्रसार बंगाल से लगे अन्य राज्यों में भी फैल गया.
अबतक जो असंतोष चंद छात्र रैलियों तक सिमटा था. वह अब गुजरात और बिहार के बड़े छात्र आंदोलन में परिवर्तित हो चला. गुजरात में भी कांग्रेस सरकार थी. गुजरात में राष्ट्रपति शासन लगा दिया गया. जिसका विरोध करने वालों में ना केवल विपक्षी दल बल्कि कांग्रेस (O) के मोरारजी देसाई भी शामिल थे.
सबने चुनाव कराने की मांग की और कांग्रेस के ही देसाई जी ने भूख हड़ताल की धमकी दी. मजबूरन चुनाव करवाए गए और नतीजा वही हुआ जिसका डर कांग्रेस को था…. कांग्रेस हार गई.
1974 के अंत में बिहार छात्र आंदोलन शुरु हुआ और यहां जयप्रकाश नारायण (जेपी) ने प्रवेश किया. वैसे जेपी उस समय राजनीति छोड़ समाजसेवा में लग गए थे. लेकिन जब छात्रों ने आंदोलन के नेतृत्व की बागडौर सौंपना चाहा, तो सशर्त जेपी आंदोलन में शामिल हुए. शर्त यह रखी कि सबकुछ अहिंसक होगा और देशव्यापी भी.
जेपी ने नारा भर दिया ‘बिहार सरकार बर्खास्त करो’. जबरदस्त प्रदर्शन और हड़तालें हुईं. पर सरकार टस से मस नहीं. आप याद रखें इस दौर में कांग्रेस के अध्यक्ष डी के बरुआ ने 1975 में ही बोल दिया था, “इंदिरा इज़ इंडिया, इंडिया इज़ इंदिरा.”
सरकारें गिरती भी तो कैसे, जब व्यक्तित्व का महिमामंडन देश या लोकतंत्र का पर्याय बन जाए तो वास्तव में बात स्वाभिमान की हो जाती है. फिर चाहे जितने ही आदर्शों का गला घोंटना पड़े. सत्ता बचाए रखना लक्ष्य हो जाता है.
फिर सम्पूर्ण क्रांति का नारा देकर पूरे देश में भ्रष्टाचार और जन इच्छाओं की बलि के विरूद्ध आंदोलन हुए. अब दिल्ली की कुर्सी का संतुलन बिगड़ने लगा था. पर शायद अब भी स्वहित अन्य हितों से बड़ा ही था. इस दौरान जेपी को सहयोग मिला कुछ और पार्टियों का, जिनमें जनसंघ, कांग्रेस (O) , भारतीय लोकदल, और सोशलिस्ट पार्टी शामिल थीं.सबने जेपी को इंदिरा का विकल्प घोषित किया.
दिल्ली की सत्ता एक बार फिर से डगमगाई.
इसी बीच न्यायपालिका और सरकार में जमकर ठनी. कई बड़े पेचीदगी भरे मामले जिनमें (केशवानंद भारती मामला सबसे महत्वपूर्ण था) सर्वोच्च न्यायालय गए. SC ने साफ कहा कि संसद संविधान के आधारभूत ढांचे में किसी भी परिस्थिति में संशोधन नहीं कर सकती. जो कि सरकार करना चाहती थी.
बता दें कि इसी बीच 1974 में बीस दिनों की रेल हड़ताल हुई. रेलवे कर्मचारियों में भी असंतोष की चादर फैल गई. मज़दूरों ने जब हड़ताल किया तो सरकार द्वार जबरन हड़ताल बंद करवाते हुए, सेना बुला ली गई.
एक और मामला आया.
आमतौर पर सर्वोच्च न्यायालय में वरिष्ठतम न्यायाधीश ही भारत के मुख्य न्यायाधीश के पद पर नियुक्त होते हैं. परंतु इंदिरा सरकार ने तीन वरिष्ठतम न्यायाधीशों की बजाय न्यायमूर्ति ए. एन. रे की नियुक्ति की. कहा जाता है कि जिन दो वरिष्ठ सदस्यों को दरकिनार किया गया. उन्होंने कई मौकों पर सरकार के विरुद्ध फैसले सुनाए थे.
दूसरी ओर 12 जून 1975 को इलाहाबाद हाईकोर्ट के जज जगमोहन लाल सिन्हा ने इंदिरा गांधी के चुनाव को गैरकानूनी घोषित कर दिया. अर्थात् कानूनन श्रीमती गांधी अब सांसद नहीं रह सकती थीं. और छ: मास के भीतर यदि पुन: निर्वाचित नहीं होतीं, तो प्रधानमंत्री भी नहीं रह सकतीं. खैर, सर्वोच्च न्यायालय ने हाईकोर्टके इस निर्णय पर स्टे ले लिया और पूरी सुनवाई होने तक इंदिरा को सांसद घोषित किया साथ ही लोकसभा कार्यवाई से अयोग्य घोषित किया.
अब सारी हवाएं, सारी फिजाएं, सारे कानून भी सरकार गिरने की राह देख रहे थे. पर एक उपाय अब भी बचा था…
25 जून 1975 की रात को श्रीमती गांधी ने राष्ट्रपति फखरूद्दीन अली अहमद से आपातकाल लगाने की सिफारिश की. आपातकाल घोषित हुआ, पर मंत्रिमंडल को खबर ना थी.
आधी रात को ही देश के बड़े विपक्षी नेताओं की गिरफ्तारी हुई. बड़े अखबारों की बिजली काट दी गई. प्रेस सेंसरशिप लगा दिया गया. रात में दिल्ली के बड़े विद्युत अधिकारी के पास सरकार का फैक्स आया और ये सारे काम कर दिये गए.
आधी रात काम चालू था, और कैबिनेट मीटिंग सुबह 6 बजे हुई. तभी सबको पता चला कि देश में लोकतंत्र का सर मूंडने कई तैयारी हो चुकी थी.
जिन अखबारों की बिजली काटी गई, उन्हें कई घंटे बाद बिजली मिल भी गई. पर तबतक बडा कठोर सेंसरशिप कानून बन चुका था…
लोकतंत्र था? यह अपने आप में बड़ा प्रश्न था.
आपने इतिहास की किताबों में लार्ड लिटन के तुगलकी फरमान वर्नाक्यूलर प्रेस एक्ट के बारे में सुना होगा. उस एक्ट के बाद पहली बार ऐसा अकस्मात आदेश आया जब अखबारों को कुछ भी छापने से पहले अनुमति लेनी थी. कई अखबारों ने इस शक्ति के सम्मुख घुटने टेकने बेहतर, बंद होना सही समझा.
आर के लक्ष्मण (टाइम्स ऑफ इंडिया) सरीखे अन्य कई पत्रकारों ने कई कार्टून छापे, जिसमें प्रेस पर हुए इस अलोकतांत्रिक हमले पर दुख और व्यंग व्यक्त किया गया. कई अखबारों ने उन जगहों को काला कर दिया या खाली छोड़ दिया, जहां वे खबरें छपने वालीं थीं. जिसे इंदिरा सरकार बाहर नहीं करना चाहती थी.
कई सम्पादकीय लिखे गए, जहां साफ कहा गया कि भारत में कुछ भी लिखने से कहले सरकार से पूछा गया है. इसी बीच देश के कई इलाकों में सरकार ने अपनी शक्तियों का जबरदस्त तरीके से प्रयोग किया; दिल्ली के तुर्कमान गेट में विध्वंश किया गया. कई झुग्गियां यमुना के किनारे लगाई गईं, कुछ को उजाड़ दिया गया. जबरन नसबंदी करवाई गई
नसबंदी अभियान से कुछों ने लाभ भी कमाया. किसी और की नसबंदी करवाने में जिसने सरकार को खुफिया जानकारी दी. उन्हें इनाम के रूप में जमीन भी मिली. (यह सब मनगढंत नहीं बल्कि शाह आयोग कि रिपोर्ट पर आधारित है).
चारो और एक अजीब सा भय घर कर गया. कई झुग्गियां पर बुलडोजर चले. जनसंख्या नियंत्रण की अतिवादी सोच ने कईयों की जान ली.
और हां इस बीच ना आप कोर्ट में अपील कर सकते थे, ना ही कोर्ट स्वत: संज्ञान ले सकता था. अनुच्छेद 32 का संवैधानिक अधिकार रद्द हो गया था. कहीं से भी, कोई भी गिरफ्तार हो सकता था.
कांग्रेस में आंतरिक खलबली इतनी थी कि कई नेता इंदिरा विरोधियों के साथ आ गए. और किसी भी सरकारी पद पर ना आसीन होते हुए भी एक व्यक्ति की भूमिका प्रशासन में खूब बढ़ गई थी. वे थे; संजय गांधी. इससे प्रशासनिक अमले में अनिश्चितता भी फैली.
आपातकाल में ही आरएसएस और जमात-ए-इस्लामी पर प्रतिबंध लगाया गया. कोई भी धरना, प्रदर्शन, हड़ताल नहीं हो सकती थी.
मतलब साफ था; ना कोई मौलिक अधिकार, ना ही कथित ह्यूमन राइट्स, ना ही कोई जनहित याचिका. बार बार हाई कोर्ट की ओर से सरकारी शक्तियों पर रोक लगाई गई, पर सरकार सर्वोच्च न्यायालय से “न्याय” पा चुकी थी.
आरके लक्ष्मण, द टाइम्स ऑफ इंडिया का कार्टून.
‘इंडियन एक्सप्रेस’ और ‘स्टेट्समैन’ ने प्रेस बैन का विरोध किया. और ‘सेमिनार’ जैसी पत्रिकाओं का संपादन बंद करना पड़ा. इसी बीच पद्मभूषण से सम्मानित कन्नड़ लेखक शिवराम कारंत और पद्मश्री फणीश्वरनाथ रेणु ने लोकतंत्र के हनन का विरोध किया और अपना सम्मान लौटा दिया.
वे इससे अधिक कुछ कर ना पाये, करते भी क्या जेल भर दी जा रही थीं. अब इतना कुछ हो चला तो श्रीमती इंदिरा गांधी ने संविधान संशोधन कर डाला. याद हो कि न्यायमूर्ति जगमोहन लाल सिन्हा ने इंदिरा गांधी का चुनाव रद्द किया था.
अत: 42 वां संशोधन कर प्रधानमंत्री, राष्ट्रपति और उप राष्ट्रपति के चुनावों को न्यायिक समीक्षा से अलग कर दिया. ताकि सत्ता तक आंच ना आ पाए.
और भी बहुत से बदलाव हुए. मसलन आपातकाल के बाद चुनाव 1976 के जगह 1978 में करा सकना आदि आदि. पर सूरज ढलता है….
कई बड़े राजनीतिक उथल पुथल के बाद जब फिर से आम चुनाव हुए, तो कांग्रेस बुरी तरह हारी. और जनता सरकार बनी. फिर मई 1977 में पूर्व मुख्य न्यायधीश J.C. शाह की अध्यक्षता में शाह आयोग बनाया गया, जिसका काम था; आपातकाल की जांच करना.
इस आपातकाल के दौरान और बाद में बहुत कुछ हुआ, गरीबी हटाओ का नारा भी था. शाह आयोग ने रिपोर्ट में साफ हुआ, “पिछली सरकार द्वारा वादों के आगे ज्यादतियों पर पर्दा डालने का भरपूर प्रयास हुआ.” और भी बहुत कुछ….
At the time when the country is fighting COVID-19 pandemic, an uninvited problem in the form of “locust plague” is decimating the standing crops. Not once, but repeated attacks on the crops after the first attack reported recently in December 2019. This locust attack is reported as the worst attack in the last 27 years1. The locust plague destroyed over 25,000 hectares of crops in Gujarat in December 2019 alone. It has caused 33% damage2 to the standing crops in several districts of Rajasthan, Panjab, Haryana, and Madhya Pradesh recently. And, the locust swarm is expected to attack the northern part of India yet again.
Locusts are similar to grasshoppers but have different behavior and life cycle. During the solitary lifestyle, the locusts feed on the patchy areas of land and avoid contact with each other3. The lifestyle changes to gregarious (group) phase due to over-crowding in the rainy season. A swarm containing millions of insects travel several thousands of kilometers and devastate the crops on their path to avoid a threat of cannibalism during the over-crowding.
The current methodology to fight this menace is the use of pesticides. Dichlorvos (DDVP)4 is a potent insecticide and is used to kill the locusts. A drone or helicopter, equipped with high-power imported spraying machines, is used to spray the pesticide on locust swarms. One can imagine the ill-effects of such powerful insecticides on the environment and inhabitants. As per the European Chemicals Agency (ECA), the Dichlorvos is fatal upon inhalation and is a highly toxic pesticide5. This pesticide is thus banned as a plant protection product by the European Union6. The Government of India had also banned the new registration to manufacture it. A complete ban is expected to be in place by December 31, 20207. Many beneficiaries argue that prohibiting the pesticide would negatively impact the country’s food security due to lack of alternative solution. However, the land contamination by this pesticide and direct/indirect consumption would affect the people severely in the long-term. Don’t we have an alternative solution to this problem? The earliest records of locust plague is mentioned in Atharvaveda. It puzzles any curious mind on how our ancestors tackled this menace in the absence of toxic pesticides.
Neem (Nimba, in Sanskrit) is found to be the forgotten ancient solution by the Indian farmers to withstand the crops against the periodic locust infestations. Although the medicinal benefits of the Neem are known from the ancient Sanskrit texts of Ayurveda, the modern scientific understanding made specific observations to the “Locust Swarms”. Indian scientists, RN Chopra and MA Hussain, in the 1920s reported that a 0.001-percent aqueous suspension of ground neem kernels repels the desert locusts8. It is yet again proved the efficiency of this method in the 1960’s by S. Pradhan through field demonstration. The method was demonstrated by spraying the suspension prepared by mixing the ground-up neem kernels with water over different standing crops. Interestingly, the locusts did not disturb the crops for up to 3 weeks after the treatment8. Prof. Heinrich Schmutterer, a German entomologist, was drawn on this work and revealed a similar effect of Neem through his studies on the behavior of treated locust nymphs and beetles9. Extract from Neem leaves also might be adequate to safeguard crops from the locust swarms, but it requires further investigation.
Some more exciting ideas have surfaced at the time of writing this article. A “mud-spray” or “soil-spray”10, an out-of-the-box technique, is proposed by Chintala Venkata Reddy, a famous organic farmer, who received the Padma Shri award this year. He suggests mixing the subsoil from the farms with sufficient water to bring it to soft consistency for spraying over the crops. Mr. Reddy suggested this technique earlier for improving the plant growth, for driving away the pests and insects, and for crop acclimatization11. Mr. Reddy argues that locusts don’t eat the soiled crop as they can’t digest. Spraying water afterward will help in removing the mud.
People in Jaipur were seen bursting firecrackers to drive away the locusts12. Although attacking millions of flying locusts with crackers appears quite amusing, the method seems logical if one has sufficient knowledge on the locust behavior. Past studies showed that disturbance to the collective motion of the locust bands could lead to cannibalism13, which results in the self-destruction of the plague. Further studies based on the collective behavior of locusts are thus required in effectively attacking the locust swarm to favor the cannibalism.
Out of many local ideas presented above, only some of them may require rigorous experimentation and studies to prove their effectiveness. The farming community needs to quickly adopt the existing and tested ideas to save the harvest from the locust plague, and the governments must play a responsible role in this.
National Research Council. (2002). Neem: a tree for solving global problems. The Minerva Group, Inc.
Schmutterer, H. (1990). Properties and potential of natural pesticides from the neem tree, Azadirachta indica. Annual review of entomology, 35(1), 271-297.
