My Model School always mesmerized me.

I did my schooling from sixth standard to the tenth standard in Government Model High School in Trivandrum. It was the only one Model School in Kerala and the name is worthy enough that the school always topped in the SSLC examinations with many ranks and distinctions.  My thoughts take me now to an old English bungalow in the school campus where I did my sixth standard.  There was a well furnished English styled bath room with tubs and taps (a rare site for us in the sixties) by the side of the class 6 F. This building was painted yellow during the sixties and the window panes were just different. Some of the panes were French windows and some English style where in one can adjust the flow of winds and lights by driving down a wooden lever. I was positioned in the last bench (fifth row from the front) for I was not so bright at that time. Smarties were given the front rows and average guys sent to the back. In Model School, I had the feel that children of parents employed in descent levels were given some special previlege. I was the son of a farmer and that too from a village, around 15 kms away from the city. I can boldy write here how I felt the discrimination during the school days. I used to get good beating from my class teacher whenever I came late to the school. It was not deliberate as the late arrival was due to the erring public transport service of KSRTC those days.

The distance of 15 kms from my home in Oorutambalam is not a far distance these days when we cover it in 15 minutes. Those days, the bus used to take 45 minutes to one hour to the city. However whenever I came late, the class teacher will ask me every time about the location of my house. He will show a gesture on his face that clearly reveals why this boy from the wild is here.

With all those discriminated experience in my sixth standard, as I moved to the adjacent long white two storeyed building for my seventh class, things started changing in my way. Mr Moses my class teacher then, who is still active in teaching in Christ Nagar school in Trivandrum, was a wonderful teacher who identified my talents in public speaking. I place my tribute here for that great human being whom I remember still in my prayers.

His English classes were superb and I still recollect his way of teaching. I could deliver speeches in my class as he prompted students to speak every week. My first speech was on " People of the East and West", which was prepared by my father. He before taking to farming was a Havildar with the Royal Indian Army Records in Nagpur. He had travelled to the Persian Gulf ( Now gulf countries) during War periods.Though he did not complete his matriculation, I am proud to state here that he had good English with good vocabulary and top class Grammar. His observation powers and good perception brought light to me and started kindling my thoughts. I would have taken to a bigger career if he would have been alive. I lost him when I was in my first year degree classes. Mr Parameswaran Nair, my dad only got me admitted to the Model High School in Trivandrum which was the rank maker and trend setters till the 80s. My Amma,  Sulochana Thankachi, who was my mentor and everything after my Dad’s Death was a teacher then (retired as Headmistress later) and her connections got me admission very easily to this BIG school. Model School of Trivandrum, a sought after educational  institution where Stalwarts taught and young bright scholars studied. Salute to this great altar of education. What now seems to be funny is my engagements during intervals. During 60s and 70s, it was Manian at the Sasthamkovil side gate (no gate now)  and Swami at the Eastern gate who were running shops , frequented by almost all students for toffees, coconut cookies, chickies, bubble gums, sodas, lemonades etc. A cople of cyclewallaha will also be at the gate selling ice sticks of all flavours. Come noon intervals, most of the students will be at the gate flocking round the shops and cyclewallahs for the preferred purchases. Manian was friendly, while Swamy was a strict person more reserved. The icecreamwallahs were arrogant. I used to be everywhere with friends tasting things without the knowledge of my parents. I JUST UNROLLED BY MEMORIES.

MY MEMORIES FLOWED DOWN AUTOMATICALLY BY SEEING THE PICTURE OF WHITE BUILDING.

 The Relevance of the Green thought of Gandhi

There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread. This thought can come only in a person who could feel the pain and helplessness of many in the lowest strata of society who do not have anything to eat and drink. What is needed is to give a morsel of food and a few drops of water to quench the thirst.  This  humanitarian thinking and feeling for the unfortunate hungry poor millions found its clear expressions from Mahatma Gandhi, who had a clear vision and mission on food security.

The humanity is progressing and prospering all round with better living conditions, luxuries, opportunities and accomplishments.  These sparkling spots are overshadowing the important concern on the very existence of mankind, food to feed the hungry in the first instance and for the masses at a later stage.

Money can never be a substitute for food. Money can buy food but cannot generate and produce food. This fact is conveniently not understood or realized. Across the country, there is shortage of food now.   Prices shoot up many fold on rumors of scarcity. Independent India has been witnessing these shortages in the case of onion, potatoes, chillies, sugar and what not. The production, supply and availability of the main staple food are important criteria for international accreditation.

For ensuring uninterrupted production and supply of food, the primary sector agriculture needs to be recognized.   “To forget how to dig the earth and tend the soil is to forget ourselves”, Gandhi remarked and wished to bring back home the vital role of agriculture. Forgetting ourselves meant self declared anarchy. Non availability will harbor  supply shortages leading to price rise and hunger situations.

Leaving exceptions to one or two progressing countries in Africa, the rest of the world continue to be starving. The accumulation of this sorrow leads to malnutrition and deteriorating health of the people.  Coming back from the Dark Continent of Africa, the traditional food producing tracts in many countries are changing the stature to accommodate modern trends of development. Requirements of raw and processed food in the country are rapidly addressed through the means of imports. This is the only easy prescription even the Governments in power can do. Likewise, from being a merchandise, food is turning tables of international politics and diplomacy.

This has its total relevance in the modern day situations when many people who are not seen in open are still fighting for one meal a day.  As the society revels under progress and development with sufficient food to eat and variety of drinks and beverages to drink and rejoice, far away in the shanties  and huts in the hills, in the valleys plains and on the shores ,

Agriculture as a main stream in the country’s economy and the farmer in the central place would bring prosperity to the people and the nation.  Mahatma Gandhi’s thought about agriculture went beyond just ordinary expectations. What India needs in its agricultural sector are millions of lok sevaks selflessly committing to the singular tasks of tapping the vast expanse of human resource to produce crops and produces to feed the nation.   As Mahatma Gandhi said To forget how to dig the earth and tend the soil is to forget ourselves.

Bapu, as all in India fondly calls Mahatma Gandhi, in his untiring travels and struggle to free the nations from the Western supremacy had been basically addressing from the very basics. From poverty to hunger, from discrimination to deprivation and from agriculture to small agri enterprises and from small industries to cottage industries. Every segment has its direct linkage from supply of raw materials to the ultimate production front.  Yes in all its complexities, farmer was in the central place.

Gandhi had right from his basic thoughts considered the problems in  agriculture as the  issues of the peasants and farmers.  There is a core link to the very basic existence of human being, his family and children and their future. When he proclaimed that India lives in its villages, he meant that Villages are the souls of the country which further brought the two players to the fore - The farmer and the farm labourer, the two electrifying forces of the agriculture economy. 

Gandhiji was never against mechanization but advocated use to a limited extent.  As agriculture lost its preferential choice, vast expanse of cultivable lands went unutilized and is remaining fallow. Farmer and the farm labour, the two main actors, have stopped their role plays. The many centuries old script of these two actors also got erased.  The inactivity is contributing to the phasing out of the two species.  Farm labour as a vocation is not very popular now. New generation is not attracted or amused in accepting farming as a way of life.  The result heavy pressure on service and other allied sectors on account of excessive presence of manpower.

For Gandhiji, agriculture was a way of life and the path for rural development.  In fact his experiments with different strategies to win over his arguments for his fight for social, economic and political freedom had its beginnings in farm related activities engulfing the entire gamut of agriculture including animal husbandry. What he said and practiced many decades ago in the Tolstoy and Phoenix farms are finding its true applications universally now. The 2014 International Year of Family Farming (IYFF) by the United Nations aims to raise the profile of family farming and smallholder farming by focusing world attention on its significant role in eradicating hunger and poverty, providing food security and nutrition, improving livelihoods, managing natural resources, protecting the environment, and achieving sustainable development, in particular in rural areas. Family farming includes all family-based agricultural activities, and it is linked to several areas of rural development. Family farming is a means of organizing agricultural, forestry, fisheries, pastoral and aquaculture production which is managed and operated by a family and predominantly reliant on family labour, including both women’s and men’s.

Family farming has an important socio-economic, environmental and cultural role.

Prior to his tirade against the British rule in India, South Africa was Mahatma Gandhi’s testing ground. His outcry against the racial discrimination in South Africa paved the foundation for this conviction of non violence. The Gandhian Constructive Programmes had its early structuring during the African days as we go by learning the genesis and working of the Tolstoy and Phoenix farms.

Tolstoy farm founded in 1910 by Gandhi proved to be an ideal laboratory his experiments with education and agriculture. "Tolstoy Farm was a family in which I occupied the place of the father," wrote Gandhi, and that I should so far as possible shoulder the responsibility for the training of the young". The routine of the children on the farm was divided between attending classes and contributing to the maintenance of the farm. As at the Phoenix settlement manual work was combined with instruction on a daily basis, but Gandhi took this concept one step further at Tolstoy by introducing vocational training to give "all-round development to the boys and girls". Although at this stage there was no attempt to educate the children through the medium of a specific handicraft, Gandhi enabled each child to become self-supporting by supplementing their education with vocational training. Their ages ranging from six to sixteen, the children had on an average eight hours of manual training per day, and one or, at the most two hours of book learning".

The activities at Tolstoy Farm included general laboring in the farms, cooking, scavenging, sandal- making, simple carpentry and messenger work. But Gandhi did not recommend manual activities merely because they were materially productive or remunerative. In addition to productive crafts, manual work of a purely constructive nature was also essential for the maintenance and development of community life. The contribution of work such as sweeping, scavenging and water fetching was seen to be invaluable to the psychological, social and moral well-being of an integrated community. Gandhi's objective in this context was to inculcate the ideals of manual work, social service and citizenship through all the activities of children from the earlier formative years.

As he returned to India to the din and bustle of political activities, Gandhiji had set his foot in two major activities in agriculture sector - His first Satyagraha in Champaran district of Bihar in 1916 and the struggle in Kheda district of Gujarat in 1918.

In  Jabir in Champaran of Bihar, British landlords forced many thousands of landless labourers and poor farmers to grow indigo and other cash crops instead of the food crops which were necessary for their survival. The ruthless militias of the British landlords silenced the people and offered only measly compensation. In the aftermath of a devastating famine, the British levied an oppressive tax which was raised in due course. Without food and without money, the situation was growing progressively unlivable and the peasants in Champaran revolted against conditions in indigo plant cultivation in 1914 at Pipra and in 1916 at Turkaulia. Raj Kumar Shukla, an indigo cultivator, persuaded Mahatma Gandhi to go to Champaran and the Champaran Satyagraha began. Gandhi arrived in Champaran 10 April 1917. He visited many villages and interacted with over 8,000 cultivators and recorded their statements to gain an understanding of their grievances.  Gandhiji could realize that the ignorance of the cultivators was one of the main reasons why it was possible for the European planters to repress them. He set up voluntary organizations to improve the economic and educational conditions of the people and opened schools and also taught the people how to improve sanitation. The government realized Gandhi’s strength and his devotion to causes. They themselves then set upon a committee to enquire into the grievances of the cultivators. They invited Gandhi to serve on that committee, and he agreed. The result was that within a few months the Champaran Agrarian Bill was passed. It gave great relief to the cultivators and land tenants.

In Gujarat, again Gandhi toured the countryside, organized the villagers and gave them political leadership and direction. Many aroused Gujaratis from the cities of Ahmedabad and Vadodara joined the organizers of the revolt, but Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhai Patel resisted the involvement of Indians from other provinces, seeking to keep it a purely Gujarati struggle.

A major tax revolt was organized with the result all the different ethnic and caste communities of Kheda rallied around it. The peasants of Kheda signed a petition calling for the tax for this year to be scrapped in wake of the famine. The government in Bombay rejected the charter. They warned that if the peasants did not pay, the lands and property would be confiscated and many arrested. And once confiscated, they would not be returned even if most complied. None of the villages flinch.

The tax withheld, the government's collectors and inspectors sent in thugs to seize property and cattle, while the police forfeited the lands and all agrarian property. The farmers did not resist arrest, nor retaliate to the force employed with violence. Instead, they used their cash and valuables to donate to the Gujarat Sabha which was officially organizing the protest.

The revolt was astounding in terms of discipline and unity. Even when all their personal property, land and livelihood were seized, a vast majority of Kheda's farmers remained firmly united. Gujaratis sympathetic to the revolt in other parts resisted the government machinery, and helped to shelter the relatives and property of the protesting peasants.

And today after over 65 years of the passing away of Mahatma Gandhi who authored Hind Swaraj, the country is now calling back home the forgotten tips of Mahatma Gandhi. More sensibly the country has found its impacting strength in the Gandhian model as an alternative development model which has the moral values illustrated in community oriented experiments in agriculture to address the current day crisis in agriculture.  Gandhian ideas in agriculture are finding its total acceptance when there is a great mass movement towards organic agriculture, decentralization at the local government and cooperative level to bring in the benefits of development to the farmer and the farm labourer.  *

My thoughts:

The meaning of life is
encapsulated in our own subconscious mind.
This is realized, known and understood by man;
whether he or she is a theist or atheist.
This part of the truth is recorded and
cemented in our thoughts and after a day's score
before falling asleep this is reminded in one way or the other.
We are just actors and not promoters in our chapters of life.
But as the next day unfolds, all these realizations get back to the
interior as there is a temptation to believe
that we own the "soil and soul". The magical whip of money,power,
position and privileges steer us to follow the route of selfishness lush with
riches, glory and splendor to treacherously believe that we are going to be
ever permanent in this world. This is what is haunting our societies -
tensed moments, rising pressures and suspicious acts.

BUT THE FINALE WILL BE TOTAL REALIZATION
THAT THE WORLD IS NOT OURS. WHAT GOODNESS WE SHOWERED WILL ONLY GIVE SOLACE AND CONTENTMENT. FIND TIME
TO TALK TO ELDERS TO HAVE THEIR FEELS AND THAT IS THE
BEST EDUCATION WE CAN GET.

Codex Lessons for spices : Imparting science based business proposition

When Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) celebrated its 50^th anniversary in 2013, India was one among the member countries to rejoice during the festivities.  Being the world’s largest body inter-governmental body on setting standards, CAC has gained lots of repute and respect across continents on account of its science based resolutions having total global ramifications on matters relating to food standards. At the peak of its glory of the 50^th year, Codex Alimentarius Commission gave birth to yet another Commodity Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs, thanks to the Indian proposal. The Indian effort to establish an exclusive Codex platform for spices and culinary herbs became a reality as the international forum finally decided to go for its total constitution.

The formation of the Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH) is aimed at elaborating worldwide standards for spices and culinary herbs in their dried and dehydrated state in whole, ground, and cracked or crushed form. It also engraved the basic thought of consultation as necessary, with other international organizations in the standards development process to avoid duplication.

As India became the host country for the CCSCH, the country also got on to the authentic route to the Codex platform. Being the host country for CCSCH, the Indian responsibility to participate and deliberate in Codex courts also grew.

The host organisation for the CCSCH, Spices Board India catapulted to the central arena of Codex activities with its newly constituted Codex Cell in Cochin.  The successful hosting of the first Session of the Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH1) in less than one year from its formation, from 11^th -14^th February 2014 in Kochi, Kerala had in fact strengthened the capacities for handling Codex assignments.  To make the first session an astounding success within a short span of time was an onerous task which was possible only due to close liaison with the Codex Secretariat in Rome and the National Codex Contact Point of India in FSSAI. The outreach of the committee can be gauged from the participation of delegates from 40 member countries.

Though the youngest of all Codex Committees, the first session of CCSCH saw  proactive involvement with substantial inputs from member countries. CCSCH1 deliberated on eight project documents proposing new work, on oregano (Argentina), paprika (Argentina), pepper (India, United States of America and Indonesia), rosemary (India), cumin (India), thyme (India), saffron (Iran) and nutmeg (Indonesia).  The Committee agreed to establish, subject to the approval of the Commission, four  Electronic Working Groups to prepare draft standards for two spices and two herbs for circulation for comments at Step 3 and consideration at its next Session. The eWG on “Black, white & green pepper” led by India and co-chaired by Cameroon and  Indonesia is now on full steam. The eWGs on “Brown Cumin” led by European Union and co-chaired by India, the eWG on “Thyme” led by European Union and co-chaired by Switzerland and the eWG on “Oregano” led by Argentina and co-chaired by Greece have started work fast and are deep into its procedures.

The CCSCH provided avenues for the Indian spices and herbs industry to make sorties to other Codex Committees of vital importance from point of view and other producing countries. The establishment of a Codex Cell in Spices Board to manoeuvre Codex commitments has brought in an element of Codex culture to preferentially study all documents and offer comments. New work proposals on various parameters for spices and culinary herbs got signed in by the Codex Cell. The Spices Board on behalf  of India submitted a new work proposal on maximum limit of aflatoxin in spices for consideration at the eighth session of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food (CCCF). As a part of the Indian delegation, the officials of the Board got represented in various codex meetings such as 45th session of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH) held at Hanoi, Vietnam during 11^th -15^th November 2013.  As per the decision taken during the 45^th Session of CCPR,  Spices Board in consultation with all stakeholders co-ordinate generation, consolidation and cataloging of national residues and toxicological data and is in the process of ensuring its submission to JMPR besides actively participating and keeping the shadow committee of CCPR ( Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues) briefed on Indian viewpoint related to various agenda items.

The triumphant journey of the Spices Board towards various committees of Codex is unending and as on today, the Codex Cell has marked its presence in the floor of the house for food hygiene, on contaminants in food, on method of analysis and sampling, and on pesticide residues. Further into each of these committees, associated involvement has resulted in getting on board of nearly ten Electronic Working Groups whose final output will have direct or indirect implications for India which is a major exporter of spices and herbs The following is the list of assignments the Codex Cell has taken  up exclusive of CCSCH.

1.              Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH)

·         Draft Code of Hygienic Practice for Low-Moisture Foods (LMF)

·         Annexes on Statistical and Mathematical matters related to principles and guidelines for the establishment and application of microbiological criteria related to foods

2.              Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food (CCCF)

·         Revision of the maximum levels for Lead in the General Standard for Contaminants and Toxins in Food and Feed

·         Code of Practice on Mycotoxin Contamination in Spices (including specific annexes)

·         Review Mycotoxins in spices for prioritization of the work in spices

3.              Codex Committee on Method of Analysis and Sampling (CCMAS)

·         Discussion paper - equivalency to Type I methods

4.              Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (CCPR)

·         Electronic working groups on Criteria for Methods of Analysis for the Determination of Pesticide Residues

·         Electronic working groups  on Minor Crops

·         Electronic working groups  on Priorities

The new association with Codex Alimentarius Commission is bequeathing lots of science, scientific and intellectual thinking and logical presentation in the standard setting process for spices and culinary herbs.  The Codex Cell activity in Spices Board India is embedding a new culture of serious science based thinking in the country for national and international business.

Never! those days will return

Turning back to my child hood now, I am glad that I grew with lots of experiences. But I am equally sad that I miss many precious moments which will never come to back to me in my life. The very set up of my old world had undergone significant changes. The set up, social fabric, interpersonal relations, perceptions, life style, ecology, atmosphere, greenery all underwent significant changes.  Whenever I return to my village to see my Amma, Sister and brother and their families, I terribly miss my treasures.

I loved my village where I grew up under the protection of my dad and mum. I had brisk schedules till my upper primary education having eventful mornings and evenings with my friends cycling, playing, organizing discussions and listening to radio programmes. My pedaling to the distant libraries to take books and return the red ones, walks with my father to the paddy and coconut fields, working with the labourers in the paddy fields and thereafter eating lunch with them as I listened to their experiences and life stories, early morning dash with the milk milked from our domestic cattle to the nearest milk society, attending to the small domestic jobs of bathing the cattle, cleaning the cowsheds, watering plants, rushing to the shop to buy the essentials for my Amma to help her in the kitchen, drawing water from the deep well for our kitchen and bathrooms, de husking coconuts to make copra to mill coconut oil, cleaning my father’s pride possession – bicycle , the list of assignments is endless. I was given special coaching by my dad in English and as he lavishly lie on the Easy Chair, I will sit beside him on a stool listening.  His sharing of experiences during his days in the Indian Army working in North India and in the Gulf region , his narration of stories from his childhood and his explanations to my silly queries are events I remember now.  But these are never to come back to me again.

My introspection now registers a fact that I had a strong confidence in my childhood days, since all in the village were my near and dear.  The rich and the poor, the people of all classes and all castes were my well wishers. On seeing them I smile and show my gesture of respect and love. The people who worked for my Dad in our land were treated as our own people and they were always there for us for anything and everything. The blacksmith who had a workshop near my house, the village laundry man, the provision shop owner, the person with a hat who comes in a horse driven cart from the city every week to supply us Brook Bond tea, the village man who shows his face once in a month with a bundle of new textiles on his head, the vendor who walks down with a glass box full of bangles, perfumes, eye anoints  and “bindhi”, the village postman who walks for long distances with a giant umbrella, an young boy who is summoned to our house every month to iron the clothes, the boys and girls who helped my Amma and Dad in the domestic jobs,they are all coming back to life as I write this.

 The festivities like Onam, Vishu, Deepavali etc were remarkable with the whole village seemingly involved in celebrations. Village road will be brimming with activity as people will get engaged in playing games and sports and those who win will make thundering applauses. There was a bonding relationship with every one. The vertical and horizontal connections made life smooth and joyful.

I left the village for my higher studies and from there on I found myself distancing from my heartland.  My career still distanced me away from my home sweet home. Whenever I make a return, stray thoughts of the bygone days resurrect in my thoughts. It is really sad to realize that it is never to come back. My old friends, my cousins have become grownups like me. The characters who had a profound influence in me are not to be seen in this world. The changes are inevitable but it is really sad, saddening and sorrowing to still realize that every present moment is precious but will hop off into book of history. Yes I too will become part of history and with that my sorrows will also end but the inspirations may exist somewhere in the horizon.   As I write this, the heart beat a different rhythm and eyes  full of tears and me voiceless too.  I am looking forward to the auspicious day when God will bless me with the inspiration to detail about all the Characters in my personal life.

THAMPI VIEWS: Food Matters for Global Peace

THAMPI VIEWS: Food Matters for Global Peace: The global recessionary trends may not affect all the nations. In the latest edition of the recession, the better off nations got ...

Food Matters for Global Peace

The global recessionary trends may not affect all the nations. In the latest edition of the recession, the better off nations got affected and a few others are slightly fortunate to be out of its catch.  But some are crippled and few remain safely off from the onslaught.  The global trade and commerce gets the reflection of this trend. Imports and exports get affected.  This subject in global business and economists and policy makers every where discuss, deliberate and formulate policies and corrective measures to revive economies. The economy body building exercise that is staged irrespective of territories feature revision of bank rates, curbing or relaxing of bank advances, devaluation of currencies, soliciting of investments, clamping of protective measures, imposition of austerity steps.  These could be seen as efforts to ward off putting the national economies to ventilators.  Few nations may outlive the challenges while others continue to be in blackout stages.  The whims and fancies of the political administration matters a lot and knowing or unknowingly their agendas are a priority rather than the country interest.

Away from these tasks of economists, the other side of sociology is seldom noticed by many. The fluctuation of the economy has tilting influence on the fillings of golden and silver plates of the rich classes. Those of these affordable sections can afford to stay for long due to the buffer in their built up fortunes.  The challenge may be the small dwindling share of their accumulated wealth which is just meagre. Sooner or later the lost grounds could be retrieved through managerial skills of diversification in allied fields. Contradicting factors like reaping of benefits in adverse situations also happen. The lucky ones remain so. The countries and societies affected may be rich or even poor.  But is it not a fact that across continents, live human beings who are deprived of food and shelters. The unfortunate are gravely sick. Those unfortunate and unlucky thousands have no option but to be wary, angry and hungry. There is no way that their horrifying and sorrowful ways and means of life will be attended to.  Deflation and Inflationary trends, rising unemployment, rise in prices in market front are slowly killing many thousands of people including innocent children.

Future is lost, their sustainability is at stake.

Whether it be the developed nation or the developing nation or the under developed nation or the less developed nation, human beings dwell in all these territories.  Let there be a policy of co existence in economics since we deliberate on this philosophy only in terms of global peace and communal harmony. The barriers of language, region, class, caste, groups and subgroups are to be overcome. In the parlance of pure economics of foreign trade, the tariff and non tariff barrier though are supposed to have been extinct, still holds good disguised as revamping thoughts. The information technology build up brought people shoulder to shoulder in terms of conveying ideas and information.  Some countries even block internet sites and domains for their safety.

Why the fear across the borders. How come the life of the average country citizen slips out of the priority list?  The national interest may remain for the development of nations. While this is a parochial thought and action, the need of the hour is to rework the philosophy of development incorporating the need of the deprived people all over the world. The Universal thought for peace and food for the world can occur only in devout hearts. 

Across the world deliberations take place on iron and steel, aviation, surface and water transport, tourism, space technology, communications, research and developments, defence, maritime activity, infrastructure build up, financial resource generation, global stocks, currency rates, exports, imports, balance of payments, delegations, arms build up, terrorism combats and what not. High time to do a worthwhile study on global production of agriculture- on the figures for farm and farm related sectors.

I do not think it is too much to say that “silently everywhere in all continents agriculture sector is facing a crisis of production fall and productivity decline”. As the administrators are vying each other to project economic development attention is being given for commercially important crops.  The traditional crops which sustained billions of people are going with the wind.  The rhizomes and the roots, the green leaves and the stems, the fruits and flowers which fed the global population in earlier times are not in use these days in many countries.  The new managers and spokesmen of industries had been influencing their administrators to do commercial farming and processing for value addition to boost their exports.  All the intrinsic qualities of those natural supplies are brought under protective UV sheet farming with better productivity and the final products are “crushed and mutilated” to take out their extracts to supply the richness of these produces in encapsulated forms.  The extracts are available in their rich concentrated form. But the nature has its own theory that the extracts activate only with their own fibres, which are thrown off as just waste residues.

It is high time that basic farming and basic consumption of farm products are brought in. Just the concept of organic farming will not do.

It is also sad to note that the modern world speak of many natural products like herbs, leaves, spices, forest produces having naturally given power in them to combat many modern life style diseases. And the result, the Corporates come out with R & D models to produce new formulations. This is culminating in the launch of new brands and all throughout the world consumers queue up just forgetting that it is just a waste.

Farming and not framing is the ultimate answer. To feed the poverty stricken people in all continents, basic food is required. The tins, cans, bottles, packaging, extracts, encapsulations, seasonings are not the answer for a vast majority of people. They go for the affordable groups of affluent societies.

The Governments across the seas should see that the issue of food is addressed globally to bring in global peace. Food for the man and animal in land, air and water is of utmost concern. Recession or No recession, Food MATTERS.

TAIL PIECE: An earth quake, tsunami, drought, flood and similar epidemics are signs of the nature reminding of a vital fact that the “Earth is not for Exploitation but for Experiencing”. (22nd July 2013 in Cochin)