Being moody...

By B Jayakishore

Well, It's been five days I haven't written any thing. I really don't know why? Is it a Mood problem? Sometimes I wonder how the mood makes us so lethargic that we tend to lose interest in everything. It's just like feeling sleepy every day...

'Chilling cold of Bangalore might be the reason' said my friend Jnatha. If really this is the reason, then how to beat it? Should I beat it or enjoy it? However,this has prompted me to write on a life in my native that I enjoyed immensly during my school days. I feel, now I've lost such a kind of innocence and mood to to enjoy the situation.

It was a heavy rainy day. There is a small river flowing infront of our farm in my native. It has got a bridge made out of cut arecanut tree, somehow it got drowned in the river due to flood which even entered our farm submerging all tiny arecanut plants kept for the planting,most them were sowed by me! Though I was very happy on that day, as I need not have to go to school, I was shocked to see my tiny plants which I've sowed got submerged.

Interestingly, During my school days, I never used to go to farm. I didn't even knew how and where the arecanut grows in a plant! Only thing I knew was that eating a sweet supari made out of it. One day Appa gave some ripe arecanuts to sow and lured me to have all the money which I'll get when these plants starts to yield after four years!!

I cried a lot whole day. 'Nothing will happen to you plants maga...its my promise..' amma tried to console me. Despite repetitive efforts of amma, I was never able to control my self .Probably, this was the day,I have realised the value of hardwork!

Next morning, I was still sleeping, Appa came and said: 'I have a surprise for you...'
'What..?'
'You come along with me..!'

I went to farm along with appa and was amazed to see my tiny plants are safe! Other than accumulation of mud above the leaves nothing major damage was happened. Even my grandpa told 'These plants can be planted' I really was overwhelmed..!!

Next day was the holiday.I started planting despite heavy rain along with Rama and Sundari. I think as many as 100 plants had been planted on that day.

It's been 15 years since the incident was happened.Now, those tiny plants have grown into trees. I still feel proud whenever I see them. In last years monsoon two of them were fell down when our farm was bufetted by a heavy wind.

Still, when I remember those moments I enjoy it. Also I feel sorry for myself, as today I have lost such a kind of innocence. I really miss those days. My Green Life. My trees. My Innocence. My Enjoyment, as they have all washed away in a flood called 'Bangalore', which drowned me into it.

Are farmers really innocent?

By Amrith Jogi

Finally,I got into your shoes. I was very reluctant to discuss on the issues like agriculture as I have little agricultural background. Whatever I say may sound funny, Still I want to make some comments here.

Okay. Everybody blames a 'System' for the collapse of agriculture. Most of them blame it on governments' inaction. Your article is trying to focus on the mindset of farmers who discourage youth to take this as a profession.

I want to recall an incident where one of my relatives sold out everything in native and came to Bangalore to stay with thier son, who is, yes you are right, a software engineer. Father is a bank employee. Mother is a housewife. Father, after a great effort succeeded in getting transfer to Bangalore. In less than few months, son went to US on work. This left parents alone back at home (again). Following a year after, father was transferred to other place. But now, Mother is not ready to leave the newly built house and stayed back. So a micro family split into three parts. This may sounds like a short story. But Indeed,this is a new trend which has become rampant among agricultural families all around.

One of my colleagues got VRS. Reason: son got an IT job. Where this IT job will take us? Time only should answer. Now come back to agriculture. I always ponder on the issue of providing freebies to farmers. They want free water, electricity, seeds and subsidised fertilisers. This is not new demand. These were there even during golden era of 'Green revolution'. I ask, whether they sale their product 'Free' as they got every needs 'Free'?

Okay, let them fix some price for their produce. Most of the time this price is exhorbitant (rice, vegitables to mention here). You may say middlemen are behind this. I agree with this only to some extent, not fully! Do you think farmers sell their product at the price middlemen quote? Not always. I don't believe all farmers are innocent. Some crucked among them lead to the downfall of a sector.

We need to restructure not only government policies, but also mindset of the farmers. Firstly, We must educate them. Education about the available facilities, less investment- more profit, marketing tools, available storage facilities, etc. These knowledge will give them a room for success. Look at some of the successful farmers, as you have mentioned in your blog, My comments may sound childish.

That's why I mentioned my 'Innocence' in the begining. It may sound like a blind touching an elephant and passing a judgment.

(I Thank AMRITH JOGI for his thought inciting comment on the issue. He is a journalist. Thank you sir!)

Enjoy!

Mother: David, come here.
David: Yes, mum.
Mother: You really disappoint me. Your results are getting worse.
David: But I will only get my report book tomorrow.
Mother: I know that, but I'm going Hong Kong tomorrow so I'm scolding you now.

Girl: Do you love me?
Boy: Yes Dear.
Girl: Would you die for me?
Boy: No, mine is undying love

Man:How old is your father?
Boy: one year older then me
Man:How can that be?
Boy:He became a father only when I was born

(Forwarded by AMRITH JOGI)

Have you ever touched your plant?

By B Jayakishore

Have you ever touched any of plants in your farm? Did you ever walked along in your farm 'bare footed'? Have you ever thought of what not you've done to plants in your farm?

Those were the questions often faced by the visitors to the Kuruvalli M Purushothama Rao's farm near Theerthahalli, Shimogga district, when he was alive. A renowned agriculturist and naturalist, who was once fond of 'Green revolution', finally went on becoming a bonafied nature loving farmer by practicing organic methods of farming. Even he gave birth to several agricultural groups institutions to create awareness among the farmers about 'Organic farming', the only 'Natural' way to 'LOVE' our nature.

An Evolution should happen in Agriculture, not the Revolution- was the punch line he used to deliver in his speeches. 'Once upon a time I was using chemical fertilizers in the illusion of ‘Revolution’ happening in my farm too. But finally, I realized the ill effects of my act, when my mother earth rejected me completely for the reason of ‘Killing’ many of my 'Colleague creatures' of the farm! Still this unkind act of mine haunts me like a nightmare' he used to say.

Some decades ago, a group of farmers visited his farm. Soon after that, another group came to visit and one of the member noticed that a branch of a plant was half broken. Depressed by the harsh act by a fellow farmer, Purushothama Rao said: ' Instead of breaking my plant, why not you break me itself? Obviously, you'll never do that right? Only because it's me not the plant! Then why not the same logic or concern can be applied while dealing with plants also? Even they have life in them; they feed you and inturn give life to you. Are plants are meant only for human beings to exploit them as they wish?'

Nowadays agriculture has become a business practice rather than a practice of life. Rao used to say: The Attitude of loving your nature for 'No reason' has been disappeared from people’s mind. Every thing in agriculture as well as our life has become Money oriented. All are busy with 'Selling' whatever possible. Soil, seeds, manures...even in relationships people are looking for profit. Finding an innocent-child like smile has become a rarest phenomenon!'

'We should be content with what nature gives. That is possible only when we start loving our nature, soil, plants, leaves everything unconditionally. If we force our nature to behave according to our wishes, it won't. If you have 'Commercial' relationship with mother earth, then you are not a farmer. It is sad that nowadays we are witnessing only those kinds of people. We'll buy milk rather rearing livestocks; we'll buy rice rather cultivating it....the thinking which is invading into our farming community is dangerous' he warned once in his speech.

Purushothama rao was always remained unsupportive to the trend of growing only commercial crops. During 80's when areca nut prices were touching its high, though every farms around him was invaded by areca nut plantations, the only farm unaffected was Rao's. He used to warn his fellow farmers that monocropping, growing only commercial crops, neglecting food crops was always dangerous. Finally, his vision came true when areca nut prices crashed severely in subsequent days.

He also showed people how they can make agriculture a viable and rewarding venture by adopting organic farming methods, without disturbing ecology, soil and above all mother earth. Through his ‘Krishi prayoga parivaara’ he was successful in making many of farmers in the region to turn into organic farming.

However, our farmers should become commercial minded only when it comes to selling their crop. But if practiced with mother earth, definitely she won't forgive us. If we keep this in mind, then why can’t we love soil unconditionally? Still, it’s not easy, but not impossible.

Hats off to you rao!

Wither higher education?

By Shashikala Sitaram

My friend’s son, who is studying at the Harvard University, computer science, for a PhD was in Mysore. He works with two advisers, both graciously agreed to give him the autonomy to work from “home” — Mysore.

During his five-month stay, he wanted to do some “good”, especially to the students of his alma mater — the National Institute of Engineering. He volunteered to teach a course, “From NAND to TETRIS in 12 Steps”, which in simple term means the elements of computing systems.

Initially, the course was appreciated for its novelty and was considered relevant by the faculty and the students. Prashanth was overwhelmed with the response as 265 students enrolled. But soon this number reduced to 200 to 140 to 100 to 70 to 37 to 17. Finally, only two students were interested in completing the course.

What use is a course which does not get a student an IT job? The question on the lips of every student was — will you give us a certificate, will this increase our prospects of getting an IT job? This, of course, is the ultimate dream and luxury of the present day right-thinking, educated individual.

The other important reason for the students’ indifference was that the course was not recognised by the Visvesvaraya Technological University. The knowledge-building aspect of learning is obviously absent in a system, which emphasis on churning students for the IT industry and affiliated jobs.

Students get into these institutions either by management quota or the CET. This year, the management quota gets 45 per cent of the seats and requires an up front payment of Rs 8 lakh or more. A fee of Rs 1.25 lakh every year for four years is to be added, making “this” education equivalent to, if not higher than, what is offered in some of the states like Texas in the US. But the quality of education does not anywhere come close to US standards.

For the rest of 55 per cent CET seats, the quota system is applicable, there are so many categories included, over time, that what is left is 9 out of every 100 as “merit” seats. We have reached a stage where there would be a quota for merit.But who is interested in merit or quality of education? Not the politicians. Creating an enabling environment for the students is obviously of low priority. The bureaucracy — in this case an interested one — gets little time in changing curriculum, teaching techniques — as the attention is diverted. The law governing universities in Karnataka keeps the control with bureaucrats/government and not with academic bodies in the university. Even then the university bodies are filled with nominees of politicians.

Given this scenario, is it possible to talk about quality or can we think of competing in the global market? Many of the students with potential get excluded in such a system. We continue to gloat about students like Prashanth, who are with the best of universities in the world, while we should actually be feeling bad that our system isn’t producing more students like him.

(I thank MALATHI BHAT for forwarding an thought provoking article by Shashikala Sitaram, which was published in DECCAN HERALD.Thank you ma'm!)

Its Rajani...Rajani everywhere...!!

By B Jayakishore

Let’s take a break from serious issues. From past one week world around us is not in serious mood! It’s the 'Rajani mania' everywhere. As I too a diehard fan of Rajani, it thrills me to be a part of the madness he created all over!

As you know and already read the latest from style king, ‘Shivaji-the boss’ is the rage ‘n’ craze everywhere now. I often wonder why our people go so much 'Mad' over mere a film! Even this question has continuously haunted me several times. After doing some psycho analysis, I found an answer but not convinced. If you have more appealing answers, you are most welcome to post it. Let’s chat. Come Let’s have fun time!!

I have seen many people sitting around me while watching a movie, so much obsessed about the hero or involved in the plot such that, when their Idol or ‘On screen hero’ gives a punch to a villain, the hands and body of the person also moves here and there automatically! Some times he never cares for others! But some times when came to know about this he him self becomes embarrassed! Frankly, even I have experienced these happening with me without my knowledge at all!! Similarly I've seen our men and women crying when on screen hero or heroin cries, whistling when they come out of their 'On screen trouble'!!

Basically, we idealise someone in our hearts. It’s natural and instant to get ‘mad’ for whatever our ‘Idol’ is doing, though it is on screen! We see ourselves in an onscreen hero. We expect him to do the things at least on screen, which we can't do in our real life. Then obviously, the larger than life characters, the way they portray the characters in 'reel world' really fascinates us. It makes us to forget our day-to-day miseries of life for a moment at least.

When this happens, the hero instantly becomes an Idol in people’s mind, to which they are even ready to offer worship! When these kinds of several people gather in a place, the mass hysteria begins. The Madness begins! Some times this even goes up to an extent that people kill themselves when their hero dies an on screen death. Interestingly, some times they simply follow whatever their onscreen hero does. Added to this is the media hype!

Leave the madness. Interestingly, 'Shivaji', 100th film for Souths only style icon, is the film ever made in the history of Indian cinema with a huge budget of whopping 100plus crores!! What a coincidence! 100crores for 100th film! It is expected that the film will earn back all its investment within 10days! Rajani was paid whopping 40 crores as remuneration which is highest ever paid remuneration for any hero in the history of Indian cinema! Even more than Jackie Chan! Oops!

Shivaji-The Boss-A technological Wonder

Technically speaking, Shivaji equals a Hollywood film in every manner! It has used 4K resolution technology for the first time ever in Indian film industry, which is mostly used on big-budget Hollywood movies!

In India, 2K resolution was the set standard for Digital Intermediate-DI. (Digital intermediate, often abbreviated as DI, is the process of digitizing a motion picture and manipulating colour and other image characteristics to change the look, and is usually the final creative adjustment to a movie before its release) In 4K scanning requires much bigger memory space (almost 4times 2K) than 2K system. Added to this technology is very costly affair. For these reasons technology was never used in India.

For instance, to add special effect to the movie each frame of the film should be scanned. Now, if each frame scanned in a 2K system takes 12mb memory, 4K takes 48mb space! I think now you can imagine how costly and how cumbersome the job is!

The Advantage is that in 4K , you'll get much more high resolution pictures to manipulate as you want. In effect whatever manipulations or special effects you add to each frame, it looks more real! Even colour grading (Colour grading-is the process of altering and enhancing the color of a motion picture or television image, either electronically, photo-chemically or digitally. The photo-chemical process is also referred to as color timing and is typically performed at a photographic laboratory, generally done digitally) also looks so natural in screen. That’s why you can see the ‘Real-Reel Special effects’ in Shivaji!

Saturdays Media reports say that 'Shivaji' is the real treat to watch. However, as one of my friend has said, nobody can dare to write on 'Shivaji's flaws. As both media and Shivaji mutually need each other to lure us!!

However, it’s good to hear that this time Rajani left smoking! Instead he opted for eating bajjis and chewing gums in Rajani style! Added to this is tossing a coin!!

Well, I don't have tickets to watch the film now. Yesterday I only watched Madness of the crowd over ‘Shivaji’ across the Bangalore to write a report. Is anybody having tickets?

Jai Shivaji...from my side!!!

Innovation is the only way

By Sunita Narain

Some innovations change lives. A favourite of mine is the village milk collection system, a cooperative model. There's a dairy in the village, people bring in milk, the dairy in-charge places a sample on an instrument, checks the fat content, prints a receipt that tells the seller the fat content and the price. Once a week, the milk-seller encashes receipts. As most villages do not have electricity, instruments and computers work on diesel generators. Every day the co-operative's van arrives to take the milk for sale in the nearby town.

In villages I visited last week, in arid Rajasthan, I saw this system at work. In the evening young girls, women and men streamed into the dairy. Their milk was checked, they collected their receipt. I asked them if they could read the numbers, written in English. They did not know the language, but could read their receipts. Just consider the economics:one buffalo gives roughly 5 litres of milk each day; people earn, depending on the fat content, Rs 15 to Rs 25 per litre. Even the poorest-one-buffalo owners-earn. The money reaches them directly, in their village.


Consider also that this village, Laporiya, has seen a back-breaking drought for the past nine years. Meteorological data shows the last goodmonsoon was in 1997; it rained 700 mm. Since then rainfall has varied from 300-400 mm, it comes in a few cloud bursts. It is in this situation animals become the mainstay of the economy. Animal care is much less risk-averse than agriculture.

The dairy is the vital link inadversity-it links people to the market. It helps them cope with scarcity. Market and retail proponents must understand this system is simple butnot simplistic. It provides for the poorest and most marginalised, by investing in improving the productivity of common grazing lands. Acritical move, for livestock need fodder, usually desperately short during -peak droughts. Lesser the fodder, lesser the milk. This is investment in hard-core infrastructure, critical for markets to function.

But today, across India, fodder is desperately short. Where there is land but no water for irrigation, farmers cannot cultivate crops, and so cannot use the bonus of residues for animals. The common lands-village grazing lands and forest lands-are over-exploited and under-productive. In most regions, villagers have told me they spend Rs 12,000 to Rs20,000 per year of their meagre earnings, on an average, to buy fodder. But this economy is underground.

There is no fodder policy in India, nointervention to protect the grazing lands or improve the productivity of forestland for food for our livestock. This is the 'other' food crisis. It must be understood that livestock is not wasted or inefficient. It plays a critical role in the village agricultural and livelihood economy-from manure to enhancing soil productivity and nutrition. But its food is nobody's priority.

The pastures-reserved for animal grazing-have shrunk over the years; forestlands are the only remaining commons. Foresters say animals are biotic pressures; they suppress regeneration of forests. They want domestic livestock out of theselands. Their concerns may be valid. But it is equally important to note that domestic animals will need forests, as much as wildlife. We need anexplicit policy for this food crisis. We need to find answers.

For instance, the dairy in Laporiya works even in severe drought because it is connected to the common grazing land. In this village and itsvicinity, the NGO Gram Vikas Navyuvak Mandal has spent huge energies tovacate encroachments from common grazing lands. These lands are administratively under the gram panchayat, but over the years most have been taken over-not by the poor but by the powerful.

It is a tense battle within the village to reclaim the commons. Laws to protect such lands are weak, the administration helpless. But without the supportive common pasture, there can be little private gain, particularly for the poor. Reclaiming the commons is the first step towards regenerating these lands.

In these villages a fascinating technique has been evolved, called the 'chauka' system, to trap the little rainfall they get and improve the grasslands. The villagers dig rectangular trenches-less than1 feet deep-to temporarily hold rainwater before it flows into the next trench and then the next and so into the tank. With this system inplace, the village common land has become a grand water collection area. The aim is to make the entire village a rain collection system, to recharge the aquifer, withstand drought.

In neighbouring Sihalsagar village, every bit of land has been re-crafted for water-villagers have dug three big nadis (ponds), 25 small ponds and made chauka in theirgrazing land. Every field has a bund; every drop of rain is trapped and harvested. As a result, the village has water even as its neighbours donot. Since work began on water conservation, the village has never seen bountiful rain. But it still has some water.

In other words, even meagre rain, if harvested, can provide sustenance.The issue then is to increase the productivity of each raindrop. If that scarce water is used for crops, it will benefit some and not all. It will also deplete the groundwater table, for farmers will dig deeper to get water for their fields. The economy will not be sustainable.

On theother hand, if that water is used to turn it into milk, it will add value to that scarce resource. If that milk is processed locally, so that more value is added, it will make the economy prosper. The market will work, but only if this politics of scarcity is understood. In the dingy dairy of Laporiya I learnt: last year, after nine years of persistent drought, when it rained less than 300 mm, the village of 300 households sold milk worth Rs 17.5 lakh. It was a valuable lesson. I will not forget it easily.

(I thank GANADHALU SHRIKANTA for forwarding an thought provoking article by Sunita Narain, Editor of Down to Earth magazine.Thank you sir!)

Go to hell!

By B JayaKishore

Well, 'Unconditional love' might sound strange or utopic, but in practical if you love what you do, practice or anything for that matter, you'll definitely get returns out of it one day. If not today; may be tomorrow. Only thing is, you should have patience to wait! I call these kinds of thinkings as 'HOPE' rather utopic.

Remember what Krishna has said in Bhagavdgeetha- 'Karmanye vaadhikaarasthe...Maa Phaleshu kadhachana...' (Do your duty first: Don't ever bother about results: Leave every thing to me) I think the term 'Unconditional' can be interpreted in this manner also.
However, going through the both articles by Malathi and Ranjeetha, an important aspect of the issue has incited me to write this.

I have a friend 'Sathya' (Sorry..Sathya...) as we call him, working in an IT company here in Bangalore. Of course he is from an agriculture family, which has more than 5 acres of areca nut plantations, once reared more than 30cows, vegetable cultivation in around 3acres..And much more. Added to this a spacious house, car, computer…every modern amenities under his feat! Above all, fresh air, romance with with lush greenery would have made his life pleasant and beautiful. But it did not happened.

The sad thing is that, though Sathya was eager to continue agriculture, interested to adopt new methods and technologies in his own field, his father was very much reluctant to his wishes. Look at how he puts it: ' See...Farming has no future. Let this legacy be end with me itself. Now, my son is earning handsome Rs.50,000 per month in Bangalore. If he comes back here to look after farming he would not be able to earn that much. Added to this, labour shortage, unstable market, ever increasing input costs has made agriculture a non viable task. I have seen and experienced it. Let it be end with me'

Now, Sathya's family is gearing up to sell the property and thinking of migrating to Bangalore to live with khandan ka chirag-Sathya.Despite his repeated efforts to persuade his family to not sell the property, convince them about the hardships of city life and his interest to pursue farming, he couldn't able to stop them. All they had is a dumb ear to his CRY. Only thing they had in their mind is, in Bangalore one need not do 'Annoying' jobs like milking the cow, feeding them, spraying pesticides, mannuring, watering...moreover getting dirty in soil. And can lead a happy life free from all these 'Tensions'!! Finally, a 'Green dream' was shattered.

Many of our elders have a thinking that agriculture is not meant for educated youths. According to them they have to go to city and earn more money for their family. Agriculture is meant only for dropouts! Isn't it ridiculous? At the this juncture when our agriculture sector is crumbling day by day, and most of our thinkers are advocating educated youth to pursue farming, these kind of established beliefs can certainly make one's dream of 'Green life' miserable.

For instance, if a well educated youth, full of 'Green dreams' wishes to pursue farming, first question he has to face is: 'Why are you here? being such a highly educated why don't you look for a lucrative job in city rather than wasting your time here and making your hands dirty?' This alone is sufficient for a person who encounters such absurd questions repeatedly to loose confidence, who is already 'half heartedly' supported by his family. Literally he becomes lonely and starts losing interest and finally hope.

Added to this is his struggle to cope up with day today problems of the agriculture, market insecurity makes him more vulnerable to lose even traces of hope left. At the end, Nobody comes to his rescue. Nor society, nor government nor his own family! Now, tell me who is responsible for such a situation, which made him to look into road towards city? Obviously, another 'Green dream' was shattered.

Another peculiar thing that has become a social issue nowadays is that no girl is willing to marry a farmer. Interestingly even girls from the agricultural family turning away from a farmer!
According to media reports, coastal and malnad region of Karnataka, about 50 percent of young ryot grooms are still unmarried. Many of them are now in their 40s! Moreover, in most of the cases, parents, though they themselves are farmers, are hesitant to marry off their daughters to a ryot even if girl is willing! When such is the situation, how can farming be remain as respectable profession? However, It hurts me to say that It has already lost its respectabily for wrong reasons.

According to A P Malathi, writer, who recently was conferred Sahitya Academy Award, says that 'Younger generation of farming families are more vulnerable to to lose interest in farming when elder members of the family themselves are unsupportive. Also they feel more freedom, selfsufficient and fulfilling because of money they earn in cities. When parents are also supportive to this kind of life, nobody can stop them hating the soil.

What to say such to 'Characters' of our society-'who doesn't do-and don't let others to do?

Go to hell!

Nothing in this world is 'unconditional'!

By R S Ranjeetha

The very term unconditionally needs to be read, understood and interpreted with a tinge of "conditionality".

Nothing in this world is unconditional, everything comes with a price and hoards of expectations and more so in agriculture. People reverting back to their villages is not the panacea for the agrarian crisis looming large in the country.

There is a proverb in Kannada, which goes like this..."Koti vidhyegintha metividhye ye lesu". However, in the present scenario, with the farmers' suicides increasing by the day, the provern stands as a bitter truth that needs to be examined in a pragmatic manner.

With my observation on agriculture, i don't mean to ring a knell to agriculture, which is so oftenly quoted as the backbone of the Indian economy...a cliche though.

Practising agriculture is not rosy at all.Too much of damage has been done to agriculture,a most respectable job, according to me. A lot of concentrated efforts, a vision, respectability to the profession, greater institutional support in the form of finance, information,guidance, success stories, though not one here and there but a success formula needs to be evolved to save Indian farmers.

Nothing less than a magic wand is required to elevate the agrarian crisis. And it hurts me to read utopic comments about agriculture, keyed in secured physical environment.

Agriculture can be helped only when the governmnet at the centre, state,local bodies, mainstream as well as NGOs pitch in together and work in a complimentary manner.

(We've got a new GUEST WRITER Today. She is a Journalist. I Thank her for sensible interpretation of the issue. Thank you dear friend!)

Who should be our president?

By B Jayakishore

Finally, the time to step down from the President's chair has come for our loving president APJ Abdul Kalam. On July 24, 2007 the five year presidential tenure of 'Peoples President' will come to an end. Though he was not the choice of the people nor elected by them when he was elected as President, he would be leaving a deep impression in our hearts forever while leaving.

Already, the hot debate took its high about on the issue of who should be our next President. Political parties are busy with nominating their 'Political' Candidates for the highest office in the country. Also the debate all over is that who should be our President? Should he be a political candidate? Or apolitical?

I think this not at all a debatable issue. It is immeterial weather the candidate is a political or apolitical to become a President. Rather I would insist that our president should be a elderly person of humble soul who can guide our nation and inspire our youth towards the prosperity than a candidate is political or apolitical.

As we know in India Presidential post is just an Ornamental role. Our constitution has given him role of a mere Rubber stamp. But it is Kalam, who is fond of children, ambassador of knowledge, a thinker, a great scientist, motivator...moreover, now loved by all changed the dead and ornamental chair into a People-friendly!

Think of a elderly grand father at your home. He might be powerless in home affairs, but he is the one who can guide the family, pouring his vast experiences of life. He can tell the stories to grand children. Can share his valuable experiences with family...I remember it always gave me an extraordinary divine experience when listening to Panchatantra stories lying in my grandpa's lap.

Why not we can have a president who is knowledgeable, guiding, motivating and inspiring like our elderly grandfather?

APJ Abdul Kalam broke all the rules of Rastrapathi Bhavan to make it place a worth visit. Every year, every day, every moment he reminded us of achieving our goals with his scholarly, inspiring and motivating speeches. In his five year term he has travelled every length and breadth of the country more than any other his predecessors, with his electrifying and inspiring thoughts which gave him an adobe in every citizen's heart.

Who else had done this before? Up course I don't know much about Dr.Rajendra Prasad or Dr.RadhaKrishnan, But in time in which I have been living in, I have never heard or seen a passion like Kalam has,with among any other presidents who 'Ornamented' the chair!

At this juncture I remember what one of our greatest thinker Ram Chandra Guha has said- "We can however, wish for a president who will more gracefully fill the ornamental role of the office. We cannot, in the present system, get a president who will over rule his ministers; but give us at least a president who can have an elegantly worded speech for every occasion!'

Definitely, we'll Miss you Kalam sir!

-----

Some inspiring thoughts taken from the book INDOMITABLE SPIRIT written by

APJ Abdul Kalam...

*You have to evolve yourself and shape your life.

*Give one hour a day exclusively for book reading and you'll become a knowledge centre within a few years.

*See the flower,how generously it distributes perfume and honey. It gives to all, gives freely of
its love and, when its work is done, it falls away quitely. Try to be like the flower,unassuming
despite all its qualities.

*What matters in this life more than winning for ourselves is helping others to win.

*Think of rising higher, let it be your only thought.

*Science and spiritualism seek the same divine blessings for doing good for the people. Science tries to provide solutions for a better material life, while spiritualism looks at answers on how
to lead a righteous life.

*If you aspire to achieve great things in life you need magnanimity.

*When learning is purposeful,
creativity blossoms,
When creativity blossoms,
thinking emnates,
When thinking Emnates,
knowledge is fully lit
When knowledge is fully lit,
economy flourishes.

* Education is an endless journey through knowledge and enlightenment.

*Every mind is creative,every mind is inquisitive.

*Creativity is seeing something as everybodydoes, but thinking something different.

*With determined efforts you can always suceed against established beliefs.

*Bhakthi is nothing but devotion we show to divinity that resides within us.

*When a mission is in progress, there will always be some 'problems' or 'failures. But failures should not become the master of the programme.

Why can't we 'Love' soil unconditionally?

By Malathi Belur

It's true that the farmers in India are losing confidence and worse the case is, as they seem to have lost hope also.There are several aspects: As I read India Today's special issue on agriculture - GRAIN DRAIN - I was shocked to realise how the troubles have cropped up from everywhere to engulf our farmers.

The government's policy - lack of funds for irrigation - seems to be the main reason - 68% per cent of our population is depended on agriculture. But the grants given to this sector is considerably less - like some 5 per cent or so for irrigation, for example.

To make the situation worse are coming SEZs and importing grain from abroad. As the more and more land is acquired for road, industry etc, the land available for cultivation is reduced to nothing. Like one acre of land for a five-member family.How can the farming community sustain on this?Where is the research on agriculture going?How many students willingly opt agriculture science?And, how many young educated youth are turning back to their home to cultivate their land, to get dirty in the soil?

Of course, ask these questions and many more I can list for you all, to your brother and father back at home... When I asked persistently all my neighbours and my brother..I got some replies which were not so pleasing.. Aditya, my neighbour, (who is also son of a famous agriculturist Udayasimha, in Belur,Hosanagara taluk, Shimoga dist) told me : See, when I came back to my village after graduation, everybody here gave a strange look - probably they thought I did not get a job in City, and showed sympathy for this 'not-so-smart' guy. They could not understand my dream of continuing as farmer as this is not like being a software engineer.

Why should not we toil hard here and be independent in every sense of the word?Why can't we love our village for no reason -vinaa karana- with no expectation of returns..and keep in touch with this soil literally? Why can't this be considered prestigious?

"Wonderful! I was overjoyed to hear this and returned home with a new hope. I discussed the same issue with my brother... his reply was also equally revealing..He said.. this looks fantastic as long as you count your salary by the end of every month. But for us... everything is uncertain.. we don't know whether the seed we sow will give us rich crop or leave us starving.. bare handed.

We don't have state-of-the art machinery to work in the field... we need labour... when everyone is heading towards city, from where do we get people to work in the field? This also has led to increase in pay for the coolies. We can't earn as much as we pay for workers... We alone can't go and harvest... we need others to help us...The ideal of farming with no expectation is possible when you have sufficient money to invest. But we have born in debts and try to clear the loans till we die.

The life, in retrospection, looks like a circus - to clear loan in bank we draw loan in co-op society.. and the vicious circles grows bigger....And, as we work day and night, look dirty, no girl will come forward to marry a village guy.. hallimukka...

Of course, I could not give back to my brother... but there is grain of truth in what Aditya said also...

Why is there no incentive for our brothers to work in the field blissfully?

The false sense of prestige associated with the blue colour job is disgusting...and also the laziness of educated, waiting-for-govt job (unemployed)-youth equally disgusting...Can something practically be done to change the scene.. where like Jayakishore, Amirkhan, youth in village say, with their head straight --We are proud to be farmers?

(Malathi Belur is our GUEST WRITER today for my blog. She is a Journalist. I thank her for an electrifying article,revealing hardships faced by our farming community every moment in our villages. Thank you dear friend!)

Why employees leave organisations?

By Azim Premji, Chairman,Wipro

Every company faces the problem of people leaving the company for better pay or profile.
Early this year, Arun, a senior software designer, got an offer from a prestigious international firm to work in its India operations developing specialized software. He was thrilled by the offer. He had heard a lot about the CEO. The salary was great. The company had all the right systems in place employee-friendly human resources (HR) policies, a spanking new office, and the very best technology, even a canteen that served superb food.

Twice Arun was sent abroad for training. "My learning curve is the sharpest it's ever been," he said soon after he joined.

Last week, less than eight months after he joined, Arun walked out of the job.
Why did this talented employee leave?

Arun quit for the same reason that drives many good people away.
The answer lies in one of the largest studies undertaken by the Gallup Organization. The study surveyed over a million employees and 80,000 managers and was published in a book called "First Break All The Rules". It came up with this surprising finding:

If you're losing good people, look to their immediate boss. Immediate boss is the reason people stay and thrive in an organization. And he's the reason why people leave. When people leave they take knowledge, experience and contacts with them, straight to the competition.
"People leave managers not companies," write the authors Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman.

Mostly manager drives people away?
HR experts say that of all the abuses, employees find humiliation the most intolerable. The first time, an employee may not leave,but a thought has been planted. The second time, that thought gets strengthened. The third time, he looks for another job.

When people cannot retort openly in anger, they do so by passive aggression. By digging their heels in and slowing down. By doing only what they are told to do and no more. By omitting to give the boss crucial information. Dev says: "If you work for a jerk, you basically want to get him into trouble. You don 't have your heart and soul in the job."

Different managers can stress out employees in different ways - by being too controlling, too suspicious,too pushy, too critical, but they forget that workers are not fixed assets, they are free agents. When this goes on too long, an employee will quit - often over a trivial issue.
Talented men leave. Dead wood doesn't.

"Jack Welch of GE once said. A company's value lies "between the ears of its employees"

(The Article by Premji is forwarded By JNATHA P PERLA, Dubai. Thank you dear friend!)

Well said Amir!

By B Jayakishore

After Amitabh bachchan, it seems now its Amirkhan's turn. On monday Maharashtra government ordered an enquiry over purchase of a farmland by Bollywood star Amirkhan near Pune.

The allegation on Amir is that he had purchased the land claiming to be a farmer. But ruling out the allegations, Amir said that he has purchased the land according to the law, as he is from the agricultural family,he is a farmer by birth. Also, he has purchased the land from a farmer who intended to sell it. In Maharastra, according to law (Bombay tenancy act) only farmers are eligible to buy a farmland.

This may sound just like other issues which will die its death eventually. But surely Amir's statements on this is highly commendable. Rather I ask him why not he be a 'Brand ambasador' representing whole Farming community?!

In an interview to TIMES NOW channel, Amir has said: 'My father along with his brother and sisters were into farming since longback. They own a farmland in the form of mango orchads in shahabad, UP. Being a son of a farmer, Iam also a farmer. Also there is nothing wrong in being a farmer. Iam proud to be a farmer'

The electrifying words were came at right time, when our farm community are facing a severe crisis. They are not only facing an economical crisis, but also emotional.

YES. Thing is that our farming community are lacking confidence, skills in various terms. Who is responsible for such a situation? Government? Farmer himself? our system? Certainly a debatable issue.

Don't you find how ridiculous it is in a country which is called as a largest democrasy in world, farmers are deprived of the opportunuity to fix the proper price for themselves for their produce! Every time he is made to look into sky to market prices to go up. But in reality middlemen doesn't allow this to happen anytime.

Our Agriculture produce markets (system), Which is largely controlled by private traders(who happens to be middlemen), are no longer into safegaurding of the interest of farmer.(why should they?) Due to which he has to struggle every time to sell his produce. Some times he has to take his own life so that his family be given some 'Amount' by the government as a 'Relief'!

It is hard fact that continuous struggle makes man more vulnerable to take up negative acts. Country is witnessing this fact in the case of farmers. Each time farmers are becoming prey to either middlemens trap or 'Rain god's' unkind acts or to both. But most of the time our great government maintains its great 'Mum' over the issue though it is possible to revive the situation by intervenig to the market or in the form of insurance cover in the latter case and such several other steps.

But fault doesn't remains only with our system or government. Also with farmers. What they lack is 'Unity' among themselves. For instance, each time they get lured away by the private traders who offer him of a little greater price than those of co-operative societies and many other similar pro-farmer establishments, which were basically established to protect farmer interest. Irony is that when the same private traders play tricks to destabilize the market, coming to rescue of the farmer are the same pro-farmer establishments!

It also important to note is that our farmers are lacking skills to sell. They should be made more educated in making value added products aswell from their produces so that farmer can directly sell his product to consumers bypassing middlemen.

Well, The 'URGE' to live a 'Green' life should come from within. For that one needs to be 'Confident' and stay United' to face the negative.

For this to happen, our farming community should become more positive wihin themselves first. They should feel proud to say 'We are farmers. There is nothing wrong in being farmers. Moreover we are proud to be farmers', like Amirkhan uttered.

Well said Amir!

Learning from experience

By Narayana Murthy,Chief Mentor, Infosys

Some lessons I have learned from my life and career After some thought, I have decided to share with you some of my life lessons. I learned these lessons in the context of my early career struggles, a life lived under the influence of some times unplanned events which were the crucibles that tempered my character and reshaped my future.

I would like first to share some of these key life events with you, in thehope that these may help you understand my struggles and how chance eventsand unplanned encounters with influential persons shaped my life and career. Later, I will share the deeper life lessons that I have learned.

My sincere hope is that this sharing will help you see your own trials and tribulations for the hidden blessings they can be.The first event occurred when I was a graduate student in Control Theory at IIT, Kanpur in India.

At breakfast on a bright Sunday morning in 1968, I had a chance encounter with a famous computer scientist on sabbatical from awell-known US university. He was discussing exciting new developments in thefield of computer science with a large group of students and how suchdevelopments would alter our future. He was articulate, passionate andquite convincing. I was hooked. I went straight from breakfast to thelibrary, read four or five papers he had suggested, and left the library determined to study computer science.

Friends, when I look back today atthat pivotal meeting, I marvel at how one role model can alter, for thebetter, the future of a young student. This experience taught me that valuable advice can sometimes come from an unexpected source, and chance events can sometimes open new doors.

The next event that left an indelible mark on me occurred in 1974. Thelocation: Nis , a border town between former Yugoslavia , now Serbia , and Bulgaria . I was hitch hiking from Paris back to Mysore , India , my home town. By the time a kind driver dropped me at Nis railway station at 9pm on a Saturday night, the restaurant was closed.

So was the bank the next morning,and I could not eat because I had no local money. I slept on the railway platform until 8.30 pm in the night when the Sofia Express pulled in. The only passengers in my compartment were a girl and a boy. I struck a conversation in French with the young girl. She talked about the travails ofliving in an iron curtain country, until we were roughly interrupted by some policemen who, I later gathered, were summoned by the young man who thought we were criticizing the communist government of Bulgaria.

The girl was led away; my backpack and sleeping bag were confiscated. I was dragged along the platform into a small eight-by-eight-foot room with a cold stone floorand a hole in one corner by way of toilet facilities. I was held in thatbitterly cold room without food or water for more than 72 hours. I had lost all hope of ever seeing the outside world again, when the door opened. I was again dragged out unceremoniously, locked up in the guard's compartment on a departing freight train and told that I would be released 20 hours later upon reaching Istanbul.

The guard's final words still ring in my ears -"You are from a friendly country called India and that is why we are letting you go!"The journey to Istanbul was lonely, and I was starving. This long, lonely, cold journey forced me to deeply rethink my convictions about Communism. Early on a dark Thursday morning, after being hungry for 108 hours, I was purged of any last vestiges of affinity for the Left.

I concluded that entrepreneurship, resulting in large scale job creation, was the only viable mechanism for eradicating poverty in societies. Deep in my heart, I always thank the Bulgarian guards for transforming me from a confused leftist into a determined, compassionate capitalist!Inevitably, this sequence of events led to the eventual founding of Infosysin 1981.

While these first two events were rather fortuitous, the next two, both concerning the Infosys journey, were more planned and pro foundly influencedmy career trajectory.On a chilly Saturday morning in winter 1990, five of the seven founders ofInfosys met in our small office in a leafy Bangalore suburb.

The decisionat hand was the possible sale of Infosys for the enticing sum of $1 million. After nine years of toil in the then business-unfriendly India , we werequite happy at the pro spect of seeing at least some money. I let my younger colleagues talk about their future plans. Discussions about the travails ofour journey thus far and our future challenges went on for about four hours. I had not yet spoken a word. Finally, it was my turn. I spoke about our journey from a small Mumbai apartment in 1981 that had been beset with many challenges, but also of howI believed we were at the darkest hour before the dawn.

I then took anaudacious step. If they were all bent upon selling the company, I said, I would buy out all my colleagues, though I did not have a cent in my pocket. There was a stunned silence in the room. My colleagues wondered aloud aboutmy fool hardiness. But I remained silent. However, after an hour of myarguments, my colleagues changed their minds to my way of thinking. I urged them that if we wanted to create a great company, we should be optimistic and confident.

They have more than lived up to their pro mise of that day. Inthe seventeen years since that day, Infosys has grown to revenues in excessof $3 billion, a net income of more than $800 million and a market capitalization of more than $28 billion, 28,000 times richer than the offerof $1 million on that day. In the process, Infosys has created more than 70,000 well-paying jobs, 2000-plus dollar millionaires and 20,000-plus Rupeemillionaires.

A final story: On a hot summer morning in 1995, a Fortune-10 corporation hadsequestered all their India n software vendors including Infosys in differentrooms at the Taj Residency hotel in Bangalore so that the vendors could not communicate with one another. This customer's pro pensity for tough negotiations was well-known. Our team was very nervous. First of all, with revenues of only around $5 million, we were minnows compared to the customer. Second, this customer contributed fully 25 percent of our revenues. The loss of this business would potentially devastate ourrecently-listed company.


Third, the customer's negotiation style was very aggressive. The customer team would go from room to room, get the best terms out of each vendor and then pit one vendor against the other. This went onfor several rounds. Our various arguments why a fair price - one that allowed us to invest in good people, R and D, infrastructure, technology and training - was actually in their interest failed to cut any ice with the customer.

By 5 pm on the last day, we had to make a decision right on the spot whether to accept the customer's terms or to walk out. All eyes were on me as I mulled over the decision. I closed my eyes, and reflected upon our journey until then. Through many a tough call, we had always thought about the long-term interests of Infosys. I communicated clearly to the customer team that we could not accept their terms, since it could well lead us to letting them down later. But I promised a smooth, professional transition to a vendor of the customer's choice. This was a turning point for Infosys.

Subsequently, we created a Risk Mitigation Council which ensured that we would never again depend too much on any one client, technology, country, application area or key employee. The crisis was a blessing in disguise. Today, Infosys has a sound de-risking strategy that has stabilized itsrevenues and profits. I want to share with you, next, the life lessons these events have taughtme.

I will begin with the importance of learning from experience. It is less important, I believe, where you start. It is more important how and what youlearn. If the quality of the learning is high, the development gradient is steep, and, given time, you can find yourself in a previously unattainable place. I believe the Infosys story is living proof of this.

Learning from experience, however, can be complicated. It can be much more difficult to learn from success than from failure. If we fail, we thinkcarefully about the precise cause. Success can indiscriminately reinforceall our prior actions. A second theme concerns the power of chance events. As I think across a wide variety of settings in my life, I am struck by the incredible role played by the inter play of chance events with intentional choices. While the turning points themselves are indeed often fortuitous, how we respond to them is anything but so. It is this very quality of how we respond systematically tochance events that is crucial. Of course, the mindset one works with is also quite critical.

As recent work by the psychologist, Carol Dweck, has shown, it matters greatly whether one believes in ability as inherent or that it can be developed. Put simply, the former view, a fixed mind set, creates a tendency to avoid challenges, to ignore useful negative feedback and leads such people to plateau early and not achieve their full potential. The latter view, a growth mind set, leads to a tendency to embrace challenges, to learn from criticism and such people reach ever higher levels of achievement (Krakovsky, 2007: page 48). The fourth theme is a corner stone of the India n spiritual tradition: self-knowledge. Indeed, the highest form of knowledge, it is said, isself-knowledge.

I believe this greater awareness and knowledge of oneself iswhat ultimately helps develop a more grounded belief in oneself, courage, determination, and, above all, humility, all qualities which enable one towear one's success with dignity and grace. Based on my life experiences, I can assert that it is this belief inlearning from experience, a growth mind-set, the power of chance events, andself-reflection that have helped me grow to the present. Back in the 1960's, the odds of my being in front of you today would have been zero. Yet here Istand before you! With every successive step, the odds kept changing in my favor, and it is these life lessons that made all the difference.

My young friends, I would like to end with some words of advice. Do you believe that your future is pre-ordained, and is already set? Or, do youbelieve that your future is yet to be written and that it will depend uponthe sometimes fortuitous events? Do you believe that these events canprovide turning points to which you will respond with your energy andenthusiasm? Do you believe that you will learn from these events and thatyou will reflect on your setbacks? Do you believe that you will examine your successes with even greater care?


I hope you believe that the future will be shaped by several turning points with great learning opportunities. Infact, this is the path I have walked to much advantage. A final word: when, one day, you have made your mark on the world, remember that, in the ultimate analysis, we are all mere temporary custodians of the wealth we generate, whether it be financial, intellectual, or emotional. The best use of all your wealth is to share it with those less fortunate.

I believe that we have all at some time eaten the fruit from trees that wedid not plant. In the fullness of time, when it is our turn to give, it behooves us in turn to plant gardens that we may never eat the fruit of,which will largely benefit generations to come. I believe this is our sacred responsibility, one that I hope you will shoulder in time. Thank you for your patience. Go forth and embrace your future with open arms, and pursue enthusiastically your own life journey of discovery!

(This Speech delivered at New York University by Narayana Murthy, Chief Mentor, Infosys. Text is Forwrded By AMRITH JOGI.Thank you sir!)

Hats off to farm magazines

As Beluru Sudarshana sir rightly pointed out (in his comment for the article 'Karnataka gets new farm magazine'), I could have mentioned all those farm magazines contributing to kannada farm journalism, As they are only guiding force to our farmers in the state. It was not intentional. When I was writing that article, only farm magazine came to my mind was Adike patrike, which really created revolution in farm journalism in kannada in karnataka.

However, I wiil be writing an article on farm magazines of karnataka soon. Thanks to beleru for inciting an Idea in me!! Thank you once again sir.

Some of the leading farm Magazines published in state are Sahaja Samrudhdhi from Bangalore, SiriSamruddhi from Tiptur, Pairu pachche from Bangalore, Sujatha Sanchike from Mangalore, Sahaja Saguvali from ICRA Bangalore, Krishimithra from Bangalore, Annadata from Hyderabad.Latest is Bharatheeya Krishi Vaibahava from Bangalore.

I REALLY ADMIRE ALL THESE MAGAZINES.

Hats off to them!

-B Jayakishore

Why not BIG B be a 'Farmer'?

By B Jayakishore

It seems that a new kind of controversy has took off to gain its momentum. In a latest development, Faizabad high court ruled out Bollywood Icon Amithabh bachchan'the plea to accept him as a farmer and ordered state government to acquire the 2 acres of land that has been sanctioned to him in 1983 at Dowlathpur,Barabanki district in UP, by then CM Mulayam singh of SP, leading to fears that Icon might loose his 24 acres of farm land near Pune in Mahararastra as well.

According to Bombay Tenancy Land Act, only 'Farmers' are eligible to buy a farmland In Maharastra. While purchasing the farmland in Pune, Amithabh declared himself as a 'Farmer' by showing ownership of 2acres of land in UP. Now, Asper court orders, UP government has acquired the land allotted to Bachchan, It seems that Maharastra government is seriously thinking of acquiring the land belonging to Bachchan near Pune.

Now, The Basic question is why not BIG B be a 'Farmer'? Only because he is not persuing farming and Because of which his plea in highcourt got quashed, should he be deprived of opportunity to farm eventhough he is genuinely Interested? Why is our system still following the age old rules and regulations?

Well, May be Bachchan would have purchased the farmland in UP Illegally or through the backdoor, or there may be some political angles to the issue aswell after Mayavathi took her chair! But here this is not the issue. Even the reason behind why such law is implemented is also not gains any importance here. Only Point to which Bachchan's conroversy gave spark is, If a person finds Interest in farming in his latter part of life or at some point in the life after persuing some other profession for several years and dont have any farming background, can't he fullfill his dream? According to law practiced in maharastra, It is No! Because he is not having a farmer status. So, He can't persue his dream!

How ridiculous isn't it? Nowadays Our farm sector is witnessing severe downtrend. Farmers suicide has become a rage all along the lenght and breadth of the country. Agricultural sector never crossed above two percent growth since a decade. Farming is not at all a lucrative option in the present scenario. Though government is making its continuos effort to revive the sector,it had not reached the needy in the grassroot level.

Moreover, When Our greatest Thinkers,experts are advocating the urgent need of private investment in farming, which is the need of the hour to revive the sector, does it make sense in following a such a law?

However, I Think more and more Bachchans should be allowed liberally to purchase the farmland and practice 'ONLY FARMING' in it. Their motive should be genuine and honest. This is only a humble thinking. Upcourse, Complexities sorrounding this should be suitably addressed and should be sorted out.

Government should think of new law that sholud be enacted or modified accordingly, as those who have the money and access to the knowledge base, can access the latest possible technology easily and can implement them more effectively. Automatically when more and more money starts flowing to the to the sector, there is a high possibility that this act might prove succcessfull in contributing to the revival of the crumbling Agricultural sector evenif it amounts to little.

Bachchan-Mulayam-Mayavathi politics is not important here. This is the time our governments should make efforts to convert agriculture a viable business. For this to happen, there is a urgent need to improving the methods to boost the productivity. Implementation of technology effectively is also plays the major role in this. However, Market security should be the prime area where authorities concerned should look into. This can happen only when more and more private money comes into agricultural sector. Which even can create more and more job opportunities for the rural mass.

Also care sholud be taken such that private people are should not be allowed to practice only 'Blind business of agriculture'. Or 'Business in the name of agriculture' Also, making them to protect the local and traditional interests, practices, methods, and flavours of the area concerned is also becomes very important.

KSPs Nonsense Act!

By B Jayakishore

YES. I think its Absolutely nonsense act by Kannada sahithya parishath members to start agitation campaign against the implementation of English from the standard one from this month. My point is Can we find any thing logical in their protest? In which Era the so called protectors of Kannada living in?

In the Era of liberalization and gliobalization, It is the fact that English has become the language to earn bread and butter. As years will pass, when our world will be further shrinked into one single entity, comman language of communication and criteria for getting job becomes ONLY English, Where will these Kannada pupil will go? Can Kannada create such huge employment opportunities for them? Activists should look into this matter more seriously.

I Agree that that learning the mother toungue is mandatory. But It is also true that, as gandhiji said, the education we receive should give us confidence to face the world. Simply, Look at present situation. What is happening is that those who studied in kannada medium schools (may be private run or government run)are struggling every day and moment to earn a decent living in these highly driven English Atmosphere. Every moment they feel inferior to their counterparts who were from top rated english schools, even if they are equally competitive and intelligent.Only thing they lack is that they dont know how to express a 'Good English'!

One of my friend said.'Hey,You can come up in life and create opportunity for yourself in this high phased race,even if you came from a kannada school, If have a zeal in you to do so. Look at Prof.U R Rao, He studied in kannada medium, look at other such personalities...I can give you so many examples!!'

'I Agree. How many suceess stories can you give? 10?100? 1000? Man, There are lakhs of students. All of them can not become like U R Rao or such others. For the sake of them there is a genine need of a English curriculum which atleast prepare them to face the competition' I Said.

Leave it. See the facts. Nowadays children already familiar with about 200plus english words well before they join 1st standard. Experts who prepared curriculum say that based on these only the curriculum have been prepared. Emphasis will be given only to 'listening and understanding' the foreign language, there will be no writing till standard 3 and there will be no exams. cool !!

Interestingly, it looks like this learning this newly to be implemented curriculum will be a fun learning. As the methods adopted to teach english are like story-telling, simple songs and rhymes, listening to instructions and carrying them out and short dialogues. English will be taught five periods a week or 100 hours a year so that students should not be burdened.

Then what is the problem with kannada activists who look English as a untouchable language? Ironically, It is the hard fact everybody know, that childrens and grandchildrens of such activists(Oratagararu!) are studied in top rate english schools and are now working in top MNC's. Then why should rural students are be deprived of the opportunity as, If this curriculum is introduced successfully, they will be prepared to learn hardcore real english in more effective maner from 5th standard onwards. Which will also give a boost to their morale, as things learnt in the early ages are more effective.

Kannada is our mother tongue. So, protecting the interest of our language, culture is also most important. But at the same time we should move along with the time. India witnessed such an economic growth in recent years only because we have plenty of english speaking youth with us than any other country in the world. Now, China, Europian countrys also are into the race to make their youth to be compititive in english to compete in world market.

Obviously, Competition is inevitable in the era of globalization. Shall we remain behind in the competition? Isn't it true that our education must produce 'competitive youth' to be remain in the race? (Leave the other aspect of the issue such as education should not be job oriented..etc) When this is the real situation, the' ACT' of our KSP, in which most of our literates, thinkers are members, is highly ridiculous and irrelevent.

However, It shows their intolerance towards an evolution. Intolerance towards adopting new beginings. Which would eventually harm the future of our intelligent needy rural mass and make our growth stagnant.