Dorothy Smith - R.I.P.

"Dorothy Smith known by all as Tashi, a good friend and regular visitor to Auroville, 47 years old and of Burmese/Indian origin,
passed away today at 7.45 am at PIMS. She had a chronic heart condition which worsened recently, said NO to surgery and
decided to go the natural way surrendering to Mother and Sri Aurobindo.

...Dorothy had spent much of the last 5 years in and around Auroville, helping at the Matrimandir. She was loved by everyone who met her."

Dorothy passed away on the 16th of December.
After a gap of almost 10 years, we had been in touch over the phone and facebook for last few months.
I invited her often and she invited me, only if I had any inkling to this destiny and this hurry the gods had we would have surely met.
Dorothy was a cousin to a close friend Sean and that's how we met, for us she was a "firang" who we thought was too sensitive to the issues of Indians, to an extent of ridicule.
the beggars on the streets of Bombay were the largest beneficiary of her doles and so were we at times.
Her extreme views and true passionate concern for poor was often our topic of debate.

It was Her and Paul on who's invitation I had the chance to rid my donkey life.
An envelope with the transportation keys and some pounds awaited me at the Gatwick Airport.
She had particularily advised me to carry my international driving License and she made me use it, more than often.
Every time she got back home or we went for treks or outings, she must have bought me more chocolates than my parents would have got for me.
I missed my flight on way back, she came all the way back to London to arrange for my stay at Claudia's, her sisters house , made arrangements for me to attend all London parties, even with the Hollywood biggies, Salman and Sangita Bijlani.

That was then, we met briefly in Calcutta in 1999, she was still erratic, smoked a lot and had more penchant for going real out of the way for helpless and needy.
she would take favors to an extreme of making someone uncomfortable for the cause of an unknown and deserving in her eyes.
This time she wanted to fly some one out of Nepal to Hyderabad and London as that girls life was miserable here.
That was the last I could do much for her.
I am really sorry for have not taken you as much seriously the last conversation we had, with time and responsibilities, we tend to read beyond the words and i will repent it for life.
I wish you were around and I had one more chance to undo.
Rest In peace, Dorothy.

Judgement Of Democracy

The courts of the great nation called India, on who rests the responsibility of justice to some, one sixth of human population have done what is being popularly known as justice.
The title for the disputed site of 2.7 acres of land has been equally divided among faiths as per majority of the believers.
Justice, democracy style. India after all is the largest democracy in this world.
Meticulously, ten thousand pages have been devoted to rationalize the judgment which is as simple as 66% to Hindu’s 33% to Muslims.
This is the same ratio by which Hindu’s and Muslims could be divided in India, more or less.
India has this strange culture of going by the popular demand. Giving In to the majority.

It’s not that, Indians do not understand the judicial system, if we look at the number of cases, pending and filed in the Indian courts, one will clearly realize that, we are not seeking a popular vote in the courts of law. This could be easily done at our age old panchayat system, or what you could call a “loya jirga” of Taliban, Which was more of a populist court, easily influenced by religion or many such factors.

A fair trial and a fair decision is a core of a civilized society. Without, which no civilization could ever move ahead. The governments would always have vested interests to influence the judiciary, because they are perceived to be the representatives of the majority. Only, the courts of law have the authority to cut the govt. to size. What better way, to reduce the judiciary to pressures of popularity, which is the biggest and only strength of the elected govts.
They would introduce the “Panchayat Raj” so that popular decision could be taken at the grass root level, by the elected bodies of Sarpanch. A grass root judge elected by its own people has the authority to sentence his people to rigorous prison. One could guess how honorable the Sarpanch would be to sentence his opponents.
The Allahabad court has brought the Indian judiciary to a level of the panchayat.
A title suit is the most important legal proceeding to recognize the rightful owner of a property.
Even if the evidence was not clear enough, it cannot or in this case surely it should not have been divided as per popular beliefs and faiths.
Justice should not just be done it should be seen to be done.
Every decision becomes precedence; the courts know it too well. This cannot be anything other than a sinister design to surely set precedence.
This is the first step to chaos and anarchy. It might sound too harsh, but strangely, if things persist like this and we set truth aside for so called peace and tranquility. If we forgive the sinners for some complacent attitude of ours! It surely is an invitation to anarchy.
“India has moved on” wrote the influencers, it surely has, for the govt. and the agents tried really hard for last one month harping upon the date of the decision. Revisiting the shameful days of Babri destruction, images and speeches, to a generation, who had either forgotten or did not care or didn’t know. The agents of power, made sure that an event was created.
But to their dismay, India had after all moved on, they didn’t really care and it will be a forgotten episode for another 30 years after this common wealth games.
Like Pakistan, Kashmir and many such bad dreams.
With our complacency we allow the so called prideful democratic representatives to mold our futures in populism.
What we need to learn for the future of our children is to stand up for truth, so what if it is for someone else.

Ego

An existence so small
Much a little smaller than the mole
An identity perceived so huge
Larger than the largest deluge

That “I” is the center of the universe
Woven is destiny around this energy
A Force to survive
A reason to live
Uniqueness meant to fight death


Is it some periphery of obscurity
Webbed to stay stuck
Being stimulated by the more aware
Cuisine for the masters
A purpose for the absolute transience
Living so that I could eventually die


Or does I have shades of either
Maybe neither
Wholesome could be this “I”
Ego so large, so holistic
Where the universe would submerge
All identities merge
Purpose, reason, existence and end are all but none
Forgiveness, love, in concert, futile and naïve
Bliss, untrue, pure to thrive
Maybe “I” is such a life

Miles to go before I sleep

Energies are low
Synergies unheard
New is old and old is now
Where to start and where to go

This transition is a vacuum
A silence of the mind
Of many strings that moved this puppet
Some are gone and some idle
Shall we wait for those fingers to move
Or shall we get out of the groove

There are strings that I lace
There are beings that look upon this face
Who Wish to see a brighter day
Look upon to show them a way

Aspirations mine and theirs
Yet to realize
Make them find their orbits
And stay on course of what is mine

Of some more then me
Of some more than mine
A little more than today
And much more than make hay

A world small as I
Big as the universe
And everything between them
Has a pull and push

There will be a tomorrow
With or without my sorrow
There is only enough one can do
Occupy one’s mind with much ado

For the day will come
When I shall reap
Till then, I have,
Miles to go before I sleep.

An Open Letter to Azim Premji Of Wipro

Dear Mr. Premji,
I like many have been an admirer of the company that you have built. Your entrepreneur skills and persistence, of your integration capabilities and diverse nature of your businesses, all this while were carrying a legacy baggage of an earlier generation business.
It all came to an end, while reading your views in times of India a few days back on the unnecessary spending of 28000 crores on commonwealth games; in fact, you go to an extent of calling any expense on sports as unnecessary.
It feels at this stage of your life’s achievements, crony capitalism and unrealistic philanthropy has taken over, as this cannot be a strategy. You have actually started thinking wrong.
• It cannot be denied that common wealth games, which are happening in India is an absolute bed of corruption, and better things could be done with that money. But you see, even if Rahul Gandhi did spend that money on MNREGA the fate of that public money would have remained the same. Government spending money they have not righty earned will always find the wrong hands. A person of your stature, when airs his view on gullibility of the social schemes and general tax paying citizen, who feels that sports is bad for the country and MNREGA is good.
• This is an absolute fallacy, MNREGA has almost 100000 crores outlay and not even 30 % reaches the needy, which also land up hampering the usual rural SME and Agriculture. Social schemes are a bigger disaster for India than common wealth games.
• You have mentioned about, Bihari’s getting unfair wages and perhaps they would have been better doing stuff back in Bihar. Well, the migrant laborers also built the metro project in Delhi and so many other projects, fair and unfair is an individual’s choice of staying put or going back to his village to dig earth. MNREGA is a way to keep the migrants at home and keep the cities clean of slums, but working for unfair wages and conditions happen due to better opportunities, infrastructure and life available in the cities. It will never stop, no country or civilization ever in the history of this earth has been able to stop migration, the migrants, with time, will earn their fare share.
• Wipro and many other such companies are a product of entrepreneur skills at its best, capital used for pure motive of profit, benefiting, millions directly or indirectly, not because your intention was other people’s benefit but because your motive was profit. When you seek dole money for your good intention of spending on education and health, you have killed enterprise. Thousands of individuals and organizations who are in these fields with a pure motive of profit are doing far better jobs than all the governments put together. There are private schools who seek rupee 1 a day per student and still make their profits. It’s like Wipro selling a shampoo sachet for the same price. Government sponsored social schemes, even in education and health can only construct buildings and pay salaries. They can never offer services.
• Sports on the other hand, besides celebrating the human spirit of excellence, creates enterprise, profits, jobs and infrastructure. There are countries that survive on sports tourism, and if India is a country of poor people with a massive human resource, India perhaps is the neediest of this industry and has the best resource of being a sporting nation.
• 28000 crores of public money is surely down the drain, but if it was a private event this money would look trivial. IPL has a brand value of approx 20000 crores, which does not have a state sponsorship and its core value is profit. If cricket was to survive or any other game, it will be due to the profit motive involved. In the interiors of the villages you will find pitches and boys in their creases in bare soles.
Recalling Gandhi ji’s advice to recall of the poorest person, in taking an affirmative step. Now! You think very hard Mr. Azim Premji, would you rather let that man learn how to fish and leave him a clean pond, or would you rather feed him a fish today?
do give it a second thought, before ending opportunities for millions you have already harnessed to arrive at a state of philanthropy.

Warm Regards,

An Unfair Wage creator Bihari.

WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved…….!!!

There is something fundamentally wrong with the above line.
“We” should be “I” and “people" should be “citizen”.
A collective resolve is no one’s responsibility.
And this is where all civil society where the state is supposed to be a big “we” start to decimate.
India historically and religiously has been a country of individuals.
It is only when the property became for common good did we start denying our roles.

We Indians are too busy feeling good of our democracy and freedom.
Celebrations are for the state to handle, we would rather sleep late on a holiday.
After all, isn’t that what freedom is for?
India, rightly, known as a land of festivals could draw parallels to other Indian festivals!
Well! If you do something religiously for 63 years it’s bound to become a habit.
One tends to forget the significance, value, like age old religious festivals, it gets associated to your culture and routine.
Celebrating, any age old festival as every adult Indian would know, has a lot to do with responsibility as well.
We would clean our premises, update our records, bring in new stuff, devote time with the family, sit in front of the deities and remember our vows, and of course the paraphernalia of the younger lot, sweets, food and the celebrations.
We also make sure that on this day we do not leave the underprivileged unattended.
How it that, this festival of democracy has become a state sponsored festival, where only the state celebrates.
Here, we have the individual’s sleeping on this festive day and their oppressors (state) celebrating.
Well, the state surely has a very good reason to celebrate.

They have our property, (right to property was taken away in 1977) our money (taxation, at times has peaked 90% of our incomes), the basic right of justice,( a well crafted effort by the state is to delay justice, as good as denial) social (reservation of every vote worthy section of society) economic, (till very lately, there are still industries and other means of economic activities that only the state can practice) and political ( only the socialist can represent the people of India in the parliament) have all been infringed upon and the citizens are sleeping.
Isn’t that a great reason to furl the tricolor on all state buildings and distribute sweets?

Freedom is individual.
The role of the state, which is formed by the representatives of these free individuals, is to protect their freedom. Not to increase its own size, citing that its citizens are not capable enough to think and act on their own.
We achieved freedom from oppressors.
Not to give it away to our own Frankenstein.
British like the Gabbar of Sholey, only wanted a handful of grains in exchange of the security of the people of Ramgarh.
That’s what this state is slowly up to.
Oh the poor are dying, so let’s have MNREGA
Oh the roads are terrible and so is the education system so let’s have a little more Cess.
And the farmers need subsidy and a waiver as well!
The planet is getting hot and thus we might need another Cess to take care of it.
Yeah! Ok, first we created Naxal’s, and now have to fight them, and perhaps we should give them a special package as well, little more of that doe please!
Oops! We won’t have enough water or electricity or we need to fight the terrorist and Pakistan also china!
We need all your money.
And by the way, the companies have not been doing much for the society so we will have a CSR bill passed shortly.
And are the individual citizens doing enough for the state, hmm! Some day we will have a “Jaziya” like Aurungzeb did to serve the royalty.
Oh, we did not find many sponsors to the CWG, so can we have more of your money!

Let’s wake up people; we didn’t know that the British were oppressors till 1857, that too we realized the importance of the struggle only after a thin old, bald man made us realize the difference, in being a subject and a citizen.

By being a free citizen we imply that we are committed to the creation of a society based on principles of freedom and tolerance, every citizen has a responsibility that comes with freedom, to protect our own freedom and that of others.

Don’t we need to question the oppressors, why do we need to give all our money for Suresh Kalmadi’s and Omar Abdullah’s of this country, why Arjun Singh is not tried if we don’t have Anderson for 22000 deaths? And a million more questions!
Stop feeling good about everything that is taken for granted. It won’t last long; we have a responsibility to the coming generations, least we have to do is not just pat our backs but question the establishment.
Resentment and disagreement is the essential tool of our freedom and democracy.
Let’s get into the habit of practicing it. To practice freedom one should always have a choiceice and there should always be an alternative.
Do we have one today?
Are you free?

Just like our other festivals, the responsible have a job to do, clean up the place, with some incense and flowers remember the dead and chant that oath.
Freedom and independence is ours and ours alone
Happy Independence Day!






.

Remembering Anniversaries.

What kind of moron would forget a close one’s Birth day!
Well, I am one and there are many like you who would scratch their heads with an apologetic grin.
Shit happens!
For men it is more like dysentery.

Besides the social insensitivity associated with the issue, lately, more so often, if we really think rationally about remembering anniversaries, its, hm…..kind of questionable!

There are different types of wishers:
I for one, wish some people out of habit. I remember the days as they have been around for a while and since childhood days, when birthdays were a big thing; these dates were slammed into my mind. Close friends, ex girlfriends, their friends, and sibling’s et al. remembering these dates are like remembering telephone numbers or car plates, before the advent of cell phones.

I also wish some people out of fear, sisters, their husbands, wives relatives and especially kids who won’t let you forget.
With the modern cell phones and other memory devices and social network sites who keep on beeping like a cuckoo bell before and after every remember able available date, the job has been so much easier for social compulsions.
But then, what is the essence of wishing someone on their important landmark dates?
And is it in the same spirit that everyone makes that call?

I suppose, except for your parents, and possibly someone who is madly in love with you ( which will have a short duration) anyone and everyone who would call you, is to let you know that he or she has managed to remember the dates and let’s see, if you could do the same.
How many who wish you, actually mean the words they use. “Have a great time” a common line, “wish you the best” there is a such a bankruptcy of even choosing the words suitable to that individual, who has an personality of his own, who could surely do with some personal lines.

Well, in a way its fine, as at least we do get to remember the new and old ones, once a year.

Archie’s and event vendors have worked hard on making a festival out of this Georgian calendar.
We are stuck to exchanging pleasantries, filling our memory devices.

P.S : The characters in this article are fictitious and any resemblance or inference to persons living or dead is purely coincidental."

fruitsofindia.com

Dear friends,
With this note, I bring you, fruitsofindia.com
An online store for traditional fruits of India
Let me apologize for the lack of finesse from the first look of it, might appear like a job that could be done better.
Of course, so it will be in due course of time.
The problem here is that we are at the end of the season and we will have to wait for another year before we could do some sample work.
So we start half baked, to your benefit this time.

Here is a why! To fruitsofindia.com
Till some time back and for some lucky people yet, people could select according to their preferences the trees they had their fruits from. They were the favorites and a lot of care went on to handling them.
Nature has been a part of the Indian culture and tradition, Worshiped and a part of our lives and families, especially, the ones bearing quality fruits.
A lot of rural India is still able to do so, for whatever reasons.
And with a little help from the World Wide Web, we could knit this together for our urban friends.
This was the core idea behind the origins of fruitsofindia.com

There is another reason, a more personal one.
It’s an effort to make people at both ends realize their needs, dreams and aspirations.
Like me, there are millions of people who have diversity in their backgrounds and aspirations, their responsibilities and dreams on a course of collision.
Issues of property, ageing parents and the burden of that guilt of not being there for your near and dear ones and society at large.
Many are lost like me in dilemma and how to bridge this gap!

fruitsofIndia.com was born as a vision and that bridge.
A lot of my friends have been through the incubation process over the years. We worked on many models that could be worked and perhaps will sooner or later. But, then there are limited resources and time is not limitless.
But then also, things have to be done to know, if they work.
We had to start somewhere. So we did.
So, we get you fruitsofindia.com, an online store to provide the traditional fruits of this subcontinent.
Mango’s all sorts, litchi’s, jamun, bael, guava’s and the ones that you will suggest.
With time, we would be incorporating your choice of region and up to the opportunity of tracing or booking the tree that’s your favorite.

Well, why would anyone buy fruits online, they are available down the road all over!
Of course, they are, but there are fruits that you would wish you could gift a close and dear one far away.
People having a Haphoos- Alphonso often compare it with the Mango’s available in their regions.
Anyone travelling to a distant place gets a package to deliver, pickles and local seasonal fruits.
Usually, the fruits go bad due to poor post harvest handling, packaging and transportation.

We see an opportunity here. We have tied up with some growers and traders in the most e-commerce affluent area, Bombay, the centre for Alphonso and international movements, professional commitments and good logistics. We store our produce here, pack and ship from here.

But then this is a business of credibility, why would anyone swipe his card on an unknown site!
That’s where you come in, my friend!
This credibility thing is going to take a few seasons for me to be around and bridge that gap.
This year we have lost out, for various reasons. But we are early for the next season.
Thankfully, I have some close friends like you, and your close friends who I can trust and you can trust to lend us a hand.
Do log in, leave your details, and we will try to provide you a free sample of litchi’s this year.
There will be a hundred deficiencies this year, like the quality of packaging, fruits, logistics et al.
Forget the price part and rest what seems to be the follies of the website, you will only get litchi’s this season. “Free of Cost”. This offer goes only to my friends on facebook.
All you have to do is, join our facebook page, and then log your details on to the website.
The dispatches are made automatically to all data put in there.
As the fruits are kept in controlled temperature, which have to be transported in normal temperature, there are bound to be some issues. But do let us know, what went wrong and we will improve on it.

You have to remember one thing. We are still working hard on it, and we need your feedback. We will try not to repeat the pointed deficiencies; we will try to live up to your expectations.
Do join in.

Rajesh

Villy My Friend

“Rajasthan ki team bana raha hai ya Pakistan ki?” Kishore Rungta uttered with a mouthful of whatever he was having for dinner.
The orator, who had just spelled four Muslim names of the six selected, quickly made corrections and omitted all the four names and continued,.
It was perhaps the winters of 1990, at Rungta’s house. I was there with a friend of mine, to find out if he had got in through his Ranji trials. The trials had happened in the afternoon and these results would have been announced next day morning. If one has to play for India, he had to play Ranji for any of the state teams.
Kishore Rungta was the king of Rajasthan cricket, “tiger” as he was fondly called, was an India selector and cricket had more politics than money then.
Of course, the much known Mr. lalit Modi, by whatever selfish virtue, in connivance with the great chief minister Vasundhra Raje, ousted Mr. Rungta later on to do some good to cricket.

However, villy did not make it. Mr. Rungta had killed villy and likes, his pet boy, Gagan Khoda later went to play a couple of matches for India.
I had not known villy then.
Vilayat, I later met at Xavier’s Bombay. He was a Mayo alumnus, Belonged to Ajmer.
Xavier’s those years used to have a substantial strength of mayoites who roamed around in a sort of gang.
Villy was never a part of it, kept largely to self.
When at hostel, he was in his pads and gloves, waving his bat at least 80% of the day he was awake, shadow practice.
He went on to play various county cricket and continued his efforts to play for India.
He was always well dressed for a hostelite. I remember his shark skin jackets and branded English shoes and shirts.
On later years, villy and me got quite close, we shared a pad at Andheri for around a year and that’s how I got to know villy well. I was working those years and villy was playing for Cricket club of India. He played with almost everyone in the Indian cricket team, and I had the opportunity to go with him to the Brabourne stadium many a times for trivial sporting.
Not that I know much about cricket, but I know villy was better than the most. He was meant to be there.
He never compromised on anything, he was not good with words and with little politeness did manage to speak his mind, be it anyone. “Aap to chutiye ho” he had said that to many including Pravin Amre once.
He hated mediocrity and was pissed off with us for having lesser goals in life.
I met villy after 13 years yesterday, and 12 out of these he told me he had a very tough time carrying his head strong, trying various fields in life to get somewhere, with his skills and attitude, the commercial world was hardly a field for success or even survival.
Things are different now.
Villy, however is doing phenomenally good, with perhaps among the few with an international degree in physical conditioning, he trains the top bollywood biggies.
Nothing could be more suited than this, years of hard work is paying and I am glad I have known him.
Way to go villy.

Happy Fathers Day Papa!

“Should I tell you something?” mom sounded worried over the phone. “Well you called, so might as well tell me, anything serious?”
It was an odd time for my mother to call. It was half past two, on a summer afternoon when everyone at the village usually goes on a slumber, considering I was on my way to Delhi and she was aware of it.
“Papa is firing from the roof top and has injured some people”
There were a million questions in my head, but as anything that I might say or do will affect anything and everything. All I asked her to do was to relax and that I am on my way and everything would be alright.
I tried to speak to my father, who though trying to sound confident and in control, had an air of nervousness around.
I knew I had to be in control.
Rest is history, I found the story.
Papa loves his afternoon siesta, last few years, the tractors passing through next to his house used to blare music from loudspeakers. The road partially belongs to him, and he had been warning those tractor owners for some time now. Bringing this issue over many platforms.
That day, he decided to block the road, and new age kids who hardly care for any understanding of elder’s respect, worded some unusual words. Papa, being not used to this kind of treatment. Picked up one of his three guns. Used the most non lethal bullets, and injured five people.
Being injured by a bullet is like being bitten by a snake. Its more psychological than real.
But then I had no way to know, how serious the injuries were! How would the villagers, police and the aggrieved react?
I spoke to the SP, who was quite surprised by my initiative. I tried to explain papa why he needs to take the legal course now, which he had no choice but to agree.
He was brought to police custody and next day sent to the prison.
We tried our best to take the medical route to avoid prison, but he had to spend one night within the red walled premises.
Things changed for all of us that one night.
Papa lost his dignity. Right to private defense is just a law; prison cannot be a barometer for the civilized.
Next day when papa was being taken to the hospital, he had an epileptic seizure, three in a row.
He lost his memory, his left side was semi paralyzed and he had to be rushed to Patna.
What started as a law and order problem was becoming a nightmare, being grind in a six level stone mill.
Police at all levels, lawyers, courts, prison, doctors, hospitals, relatives and above all money.
I did have a little idea of the life around this Wild West, but this was hands on.
Handling issues, with an emotional mindset, to think rationally when papa was perceived to be breathing his last, was perhaps the most difficult of the task.

I don’t blame my father to have done what he did. In fact, at least this time If not proud, I was glad he did that, considering that injuries were minor.
Someone had to stand to remind people of the deterioration of basic social values and norms. Not that I support shooting erring humans, or supporting everything that my father does to be righteous. He suffered and still is for having crossed that line.
But he will surely be leaving us a better society.
The blaring cacophony has stopped and it is our duty to keep it that way.
There are numerous instances where society has gone wrong, where keeping a blind eye is considered civilized.
We have been made to believe that going to prison is the worst thing that could happen to a civilized people. So, do nothing to the nuances of the ones who break law or make law.
Papa changed all that for me
He has lived in a solitary confinement all his life, where he has minimal interaction with the society. Worked all his life, to attain this peace, a 20 ft wall around his 3 acre campus, self generated power and water, food from his farms, milk from his numerous cows.
He couldn’t let someone spoil his life time’s earnings, by using Marconi’s invention to such bizarre misuse.
He did what he should have done.
He is better now, out on bail, with all the injured denying they every saw my father shooting.
He leaves me a job to do.
I know you would never read this, but this is from me to you, to remind me of what you are and in a way who I am.
Happy Father’s Day Papa!

To Bt or Not Bt

Does one protest over a new recipe introduced in a restaurant? Now does one protest if a farmer grows a new variety of a particular fruit or vegetable? Does one protest if we hybrid a tomato and a potato?
Do we object to breaking down of proteins in a lab and then simplifying the same provide life saving drugs?
Is poison not sold over the counter, or cigarettes and alcohol?
But when it comes to bio-technology in agriculture, the whole of human race is worried.
It’s because life revolves around two poles, fear and hope.
For everything we do not understand is fear and everything beyond that is hope.
The case against BT is nothing but fear out of misinformation and lack of knowledge.

There is no reason for the government to be a part of this debate. A consumer that is farmers for purchasing these seeds and household for purchase of crops, have to decide what exactly is good for them.
Companies which are trying to come through the formal and organized route are facing difficulties, from civil as well as government agencies. This helps the insecticide, pesticide and fertilizer nexus. As it is them who would be affected the most out of trans- genic crops.
The Chinese half baked BT seeds are smuggled and sold in India and rest of the world without any hindrance. The consumer and the farmer are both at risk here, simply because the legalized and authentic stuff is banned.
I am a farmer and try to use the minimum of chemical stuff in my produce, if Bt crops were to stand on a counter marked “BT”, perhaps My produce would fetch a better price for not being Bt or partially organic.
The Farmer would benefit from including low capital and low risk. The consumer perhaps can analyze and not rip their wallets buying food for subsistence.
Protesting is like, saying we will not use tractors, and we shall use only bullock carts. Well sure it’s a good thing, but its history, it’s not a possibility anymore.
Why would a corporate spend billions for years into research and come up with a product which a large part of the world is opposing? Does it not have a market? And if there is, that’s all that matters. Well the truth is, it’s not a large part which is opposing, and it’s a very small part of a nexus, driven by some fear painted people, who are hogging the limelight.
Who perhaps never eat Brinjal and are surely not farmers.

Pashuprash

The extreme weather conditions this winter were harsher on the animals than humans.
At village Maniyarpur, my father was a worried man. Someone who would save his pennies was seen spending heavily on his cattle, usually on medicine. Three cows had delivered within a short span, in the middle of sub zero temperature, and as expected had fallen prey to the cold.
Cattle, in this part of the world are treated like god. We worship them in the day, and leave them out as the night falls. As we sleep cuddled in our thick quilts, drink warm water and burn tons of wood to maintain temperature. The cattle gets a worn-torn sack to cover its back, and possibly some burnt leftover of hay to possibly give an impression of a heater.
We had been producing tons of Chyavnprash, a two thousand year old ayurvedic recipe full of Indian herbs, of course for humans, as this is an expensive formulations and not everyone can afford this.
Perceived to be extremely useful human body during winters, to fight cold and improve metabolism, vigor and vitality.

Much out of seeing the plight of the animals and some for commercial sense, there is this unique formulation that has been tried.
The recipe is as follows.
Amla (Indian gooseberry) : 80 kg
Ghee - clarified butter : 6 kg
Gud – Jaggery : 70 kg
Heapto safe forte : 200 gm
(pittapapat,arjun,kakmasi,mandur bhasma,kasmarda,
Bhumi amla,kalmegha,punarnava,guguchi,daruhira,amalki,vidigo.haritki and bhringraj)
Ruchina : 200 gm
(chitrak mool,harrey,sathey,kalimirch,pipal,ajwain,vidrikand,sariva,rakt,
Ponarnava,bhringraj,saindhalavan, kalanamak,yavaksar,saunf, vidang)
Bootisa : 500 gm
Prakshep : 500 gm
Satavar : 5 kg
Ghritkumari (aloe Vera juice) : 2 lts
Til oil (sesame seed oil) : 3 lts
Mangraila : 5 kg
Ajwain : 500 gm
Sodium benzoate : 80 gm

Process: steam cook Amla – deseed – pulp – fry in clarified butter and til oil to retain minimum moisture, fried Pisthi will be 35 kg – make a paste of Satavar – mix Jaggery well in water to form a solution – add Pisthi to Jaggery solution and mix well, cooking at 80 degrees– add Satavar - add all additives and preservatives – cook till paste – pour immediately in final pack or else it will solidify.

Different herbs have different utility, to give it a commercial sense, Satavar, mangraila and Jaggery has been used to enhance lactation.
In fact, it’s quite good enough for human consumption.

Chyavanpraash

According to Ayurveda, Chyawanprash comes under the category of 'Rasayana' which aims at maintaining youthfulness, vigor, vitality of the body and keeping away aging process, senility and debility. It maintains the proper functioning of the cells and rejuvenates the cells. As such it also keeps away diseases.

The Rasayanas are mean to impart long, healthy, disease free life, intelligence, power of memory, youth and luster. Among all the Rasayanas, Chyawanprash is most useful and famous. It is the most popular rejuvenating Ayurvedic tonic in India having a consistency of Jam and consisting of about 35 natural herbs including Amla (Embellica Officinalis) the richest natural source of vitamin C. It works on the immune system of the body protecting body against everyday infections like cough cold and fever. Thus it is very useful in children, old persons, tubercular patients and debilitated persons."

I clipped the above quote from an Indian web site. Obsessing a little here. Those of you who have listened to the Kitchen Doctor tapes have heard this story:

Long, long ago, there was a sage in India named Chyawan who lived in a forest. His hair was matted and he was covered with tree growth after years of meditating in the same place. A young princess was blindfolded and dancing in the forest when her hands touched the hair of the sage. Her father, the king, explained to the sage that it was the custom in his country that a woman could only touch one man in her lifetime. He thus requested the sage to marry to daughter. Chyawan asked if he could have two months to prepare for the wedding for he wished to be young again so as to afford his wife conjugal bliss. Thereupon, he developed the recipe for longevity that has remained India's most popular remedy, some say for 2000 years, others since the times of the Vedas.

Today, there are many recipes for Chyawanprash, ranging in ingredients from a mere 20 or so herbs and spices to 70 or 80 ingredients. However, the main ingredient, regardless of the exact formula is always amla or amalaki, a tropical gooseberry that is the world's richest source of vitamin C. It is, moreover, a source that remains stable in storage for years. The rest of the ingredients vary from regenerative herbs for the reproductive system such as ashwagandha and shatavari to spices that aid assimilation and digestion.

In Ayurveda, it is believed that most disease stems from problems in the digestive system. The Iroquois and many others share this belief. Ayurveda breaks digestion into three stages: the stomach, the small intestine, and the large intestines. Food that is assimilated in the stomach is used very quickly for the building of fluids, blood and lymph. What is assimilated in the small intestine affects mainly muscles and fat; and what is assimilated in the colon is used to regenerate the skin, bones, hair, nerve sheaths, reproductive fluids, and brain. Fragility of the bones and senility are thus colon problems and they are "vata" conditions, derangements of the air and ether. All proper maintenance requires good digestion and assimilation; otherwise, worn out tissues will not be regenerated, i.e. replaced by healthy new tissues.

A "rasayana" is a formula for just such tissue rejuvenation, and Chyawanprash is the most famous, and in my opinion, the most effective of these highly esoteric remedies. Moreover, it has been so thoroughly studied that it is legal to market Chyawanprash as an antioxidant, the best that has ever been researched in modern laboratories.
Sounding too good to be true? Little by little, all systems of the body work better, but most especially those that relate to the lower chakras.

In India, those with the means to afford Chyawanprash take it every day, usually at least from age 40 onwards. They generally use about 1-3 teaspoons a day.

As one might expect, in India, many people take Chyawanprash in warm milk, but I suggest that most people just eat some straight from the bottle. The taste is interesting, a bit sweet-sour in flavor. Most people are surprised that Chyawanprash tastes as good as it does. My dogs fight over the almost empty containers and all the dogs I've had for the last 20 years prefer Chyawanprash to bones.

Copyright by Ingrid Naiman 2002