One more story from Indian Express, on 06 December: http://www.indianexpress.com/story/247445.html. Anupam Pal, Agriculture Development Officer at Agriculture Training Centre (ATC) in Phulia, West Bengal, used a small plot of land next the ATC, to plant 70 varities of indigenous and obsolete varieties of rice.

Only four decades ago 5800 varities of rice were cultivated in West Bengal. Today, only 516 varieties exist. All this has happened because of the government sponsored High-Yielding Varities (HYV) promotion programmes, which were supposed to produce more yield per acre.

This initiative coincides with several such initiatives of seed-protection, among which one of the most popular in India (atleast that I know of) being that of by Navdanya.

An excerpt from the article:

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His effort has provided exceptional results, as the yield is expected to quash popular misconceptions about the productivity of the indigenous varieties compared to the HYVs.

Under the same soil conditions, local varieties like Bahurupi fared better than their HYV counterparts like Swarna Kamal and Minikit in terms of grain yield. So a full bloom Khejurchari rice plant on the ATC farm had 75 tillers or branches. In fact, none of the rice varieties had less than 25 tillers which is comparable with the HYVs.

The number of grains borne by a mature Bahurupi, a local variety, is 450, which easily scores over popular HYVs. More importantly, unlike the HYVs, the local varieties yield hay, which is used for cattle feed and in mushroom farms. So local varieties make for better economic sense.

“Even if the HYVs give a yield of 720 kg in one bigha plot and the local varieties yield around 480 kg per bigha, the latter leads to higher profit margins. This is because the cost of inputs—pesticides and fertilisers—for the HYVs is significantly higher than for the local varieties,” said Bahadur Chetri, one of the two farmers roped in for the project.

“It is sad that the farmers have turned their backs on these varieties which can compete with the HYVs. Also there isn’t any effort to explore the export potential of fragrant rice varieties,” said Pal.

Perhaps his experiment will mark the beginning of the return to local varieties.

Please read the complete story as appeared on 06 December in the Indian Express: http://www.indianexpress.com/story/247444.html.

How wonderful to see co-operatives covering some real ground and reaching out to farmers, eliminating or reducing their purchase requirements of expensive farm-equipment.

Also, in some ways, such sharing of machinery and equipment is a way towards ‘enlightened capitalism’, a form of capitalistic society which encourages sharing of equipment, thus reducing the need of families in owning non-critical goods, and rather have a shared pool of equipment which is used and returned to the pool – a co-operative.

This is certainly positive news. You may

It is Srijan Foundation’s goal to help form and facilitate such enlightened co-operatives in various sectors, across India. God willing, we shall be able to take some steps forward in this area. We had carried another story in a similar area earlier in our Blog. See: http://srijanfoundation.wordpress.com/2007/03/04/free-tractor-service-to-small-landowners/

Extracts from the diary of a recent visitor to Malaysia

“He is a fifth generation Malay Punjabi trader. At dinner, I met some more Malay Hindus, and a discussion started on the future of the Hindu community there. They spoke about how Hindus were feeling the heat of growing Muslim intolerance, which otherwise was never a part of Malay society.

“We feel isolated. One day they will ask us either to convert or to get out,” lamented an octogenarian Malay, who also worked as a priest at a local Kaliamman temple. A young engineer said that Hindus were looked at with disdain and it had become very difficult, if not impossible, for Hindu youths to get government jobs. But frankly, I didn’t take that seriously. Getting a government job is difficult anywhere. And I have believed it is only the less enterprising who complain the most. But then our conversation turned to the spectacular progress Malaysia was making.

I said, look at the IT super corridor, the highways, malls, modern and industrious women and above all Malaysia’s courage to stand up to American pressure.

They agreed that Malaysia was making progress, but they felt this progress could not be sustained if Arab money continued to pour in for the Islamisation of Malaysia. Wahabi influence was increasing in every walk of life. The Sharia courts and religious policing were terrorising non-Muslims, especially Hindus, as the neo-flagbearers of conservatism extended their control over power.

 At another party, a Malay foreign ministry official presented me with a book written by Dr Mahathir Mohammed, the former Prime Minister, Islam and the Muslim Ummah. At best it can be described as the stray thoughts of a modern Islamist who failed to reform his home turf. Apart from making speeches, he couldn’t garner support for his version of Islam, though a look at what is happening to Hindus in Malaysia would make many parts of Dr Mahathir’s book interesting.

He writes, “Today Islam has become different from the religion of peace and tolerance that was brought by the Prophet Muhammad… Islam has become a rigid, intolerant and seemingly an unjust religion to the faithful and to others because of the fanaticism and misplaced orthodoxy of people with vested interest” (Islam and the Muslim Ummah, page 33).

Now put this in the context of Malaysia: Islam is the official religion, and Bhumiputra (sons of the soil) Malays must be Muslims. For Muslims, marriage, property and divorce are governed by Sharia courts. They are prohibited from converting.

Economic failures often create a one-way escape route through exhibitionist fundamentalism. Malaysia too saw this phase with Mahathir (derived from Sanskrit Maha-Sthir, meaning Vishnu), encouraging extremist positions and thus shocking Hindus who saw the worst chapter of their lives unfolding in his last days as Prime Minister.

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is considered to be following in his footsteps. T he news that has been coming from Malaysia over the last few weeks is horrifying for Hindus.

Consider these headlines: “Malaysia’s Islamic officials seize baby from mother who sought a Hindu life”; “Hindu in Malaysia given Islamic burial amid protest by family”; “Don’t greet Hindus on Diwali: Malaysian Muslims told by the head of Sharia department”; “Hindus blame Islamisation for temple trashing”. These are not isolated incidents, nor are they a new phenomenon.

Hindus in Malaysia have waited too long to emerge from their shells. And then, when for the first time they tried to participate in a well organised demonstration, they were cruelly beaten and chemical-mixed-water cannons were used to disperse them. This year Diwali was not celebrated in Malaysia publicly.

Only small pujas were conducted when Hindus tried to express their anger against the demolition of the century-old Maha Mariamman temple.

Bengal, Maharashtra tops suicide tally: NCRB

West Bengal: West Bengal and Maharashtra have retained the dubious distinction of having the highest number of suicides in the country, according to statistics available with National Crime Records Bureau.

The provisional data for the year 2006 revealed that the total number of suicides in the country have increased by 4,198 to touch 1,18,112 last year but there was a decline in the cases of farmers taking their lives last year.

The statistics revealed that the number of suicides by farmers were 17,060 last year as against 17,131 in 2005.

Bengal topped the list of suicides with 15,725 suicides, including 6,605 women, compared to 15,015 in 2005 and 13,424 the previous year.

Maharashtra, which topped the list of farmers’ suicide with 4,453 compared to 3,926 in 2005, recorded 15,494 suicides as against 14,426 in 2005.

These two states were followed by Andhra Pradesh (13,276) which registered a decline of 166 in the suicides, Tamil Nadu (12,381), Karnataka (12,212).
The national capital registered 1,492 suicide cases last year, which is an increase of 247 from 2005 figures. There were three cases of farmers committing suicide in the capital, down from seven in 2005.

The main reasons for people taking the extreme step were family problems, failure in love affairs, illness, examination blues and dowry harassment, an official said adding majority of them took to consuming poison or hanging.

It was in Bengal where a maximum number of 6,605 women committed suicide last year followed by Maharashtra (4,984) and Tamil Nadu (4,872). The total number of women who committed suicide was 42,410.

There appears to be a delibérate attempt to vilify persons of Indian origin in Malayasia.

There is no doubt that the Malaysian government has over the last nearly three decades has been isolating the Malays od Chinese and Indian origin. This has worsened after the islamisation drive by the government and the influx of fanatical wahabists in to a Malasia which was earlier an area of racial harmony.

Hindraf denies terror links, lodges complaint against PM

Kuala Lumpur: The Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), a Malaysian rights outfit, has lodged a police complaint against Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi after allegations linking the group with Sri Lanka’s Liberation Tigers for Tamil Eeelam (LTTE).Hindraf’s senior leader and legal advisor P. Uthayakumar asserted that the outfit had “zero links” with the LTTE or any other terrorist group.“We do not support violence. We are a non-violent group,” Uthayakumar was quoted as saying in The Star newspaper Sunday.

Uthayakumar, who lodged the report at the Jalan Travers police station Saturday, also named Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail, minister in the prime minister’s office Mohamed Nazri Aziz, and Inspector General of Police Musa Hassan in the complaint.

The Hindraf’s response came amidst reports that the government could invoke the stringent International Security Act (ISA) against top Hindraf leaders who organized a protest rally on Nov 25 to voice their grievances, claming to speak for the two million-plus, predominantly Tamil Hindu population of immigrants from India.

The rally was declared illegal and forcibly dispersed. Thirty-one people associated with the rally have been denied bail and are being persecuted on charges ranging from disturbing peace to attacking a policeman on duty with intent to murder.

The Badawi government has reacted strongly to the Hindraf’s reported charge of religious discrimination and “ethnic cleansing” of the Indians, who account for eight percent of the country’s 27 million population.

The government has said Hindraf was an “extremist” group, but has so far stopped short of calling it “terrorist”, something that would invite invoking of draconian laws. Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak asked Hindraf leaders to “be prepared for the consequences”, saying there was “no room for extremists and fanatics