Reflections from Wayanad: A Glimpse into Life, Death, and the Tapestry of Existence

 We Bought A Huge Orange Together: The Camp to Tholpetty

At lunchtime I bought a huge orange—

The size of it made us all laugh.

I peeled it and shared it with Robert and Dave—

They got quarters and I had a half.

And that orange, it made me so happy,

As ordinary things often do

Just lately. The shopping. A walk in the park.

This is peace and contentment. It’s new.

The rest of the day was quite easy.

I did all the jobs on my list

And enjoyed them and had some time over.

I love you. I’m glad I exist.

-Wendy Cope, “The Orange”

As we retrospect and introspect on our week-long journey to Tholpetty Wildlife Reserve in Wayanad, Kerala, we are struck by the simplicity that enveloped the entire experience. What began as a seemingly straightforward camp turned into a profound exploration of life, death, happiness, and the interconnected threads that weave the intricate tapestry of existence.

The journey itself was poetic, with the sky resembling soft pink cotton candy as the train carried us to our destination. Nights were adorned with a myriad of stars, too numerous to count. The Kabini River's clear, cold streams caressed our feet, and the landscape was a canvas painted with various hues—lush green trees, golden sunsets, and flowers in shades of pink, yellow, white, and red. Nature's symphony played in the background with the morning chirps and the evening crickets.

Amidst impromptu conversations, crackling bonfires, and food that exuded homely comfort, the experience was simply wonderful. We entered the camp expecting to discover the aspects of life we had been missing in our daily hustle, and indeed, we were surprised. It made us ponder the essence of just being, of existing for the sake of it.

The camp prompted contemplation not only on sociological and environmental issues but, more significantly, on life and death. Conversations with a 63-year-old man, who lived alone following the recent death of his wife, brought forth a profound realization. His response to our inquiry about how he spends his time was a simple revelation – "We just sit." The man's content smile hinted at our inability to grasp the concept of doing nothing, of merely existing without a constant buzz.

This encounter sparked discussions on happiness—a theme that lingered throughout our time in Wayanad. When are we truly happy? Has modernity stolen the true essence of happiness from us? Is the old man, residing alone in this remote land, genuinely happy? Are the villagers, toiling against the invasive Senna spectabilis, as content as they claimed? These questions force us to reconsider our pursuits and question whether they bring genuine satisfaction.

Linked closely to the pursuit of happiness is the rarely pondered theme of death, an ever-present companion that surrounded us during the camp. Surprisingly, by the end, the thought of a tiger consuming us became a comfortable, even happy, notion—a testament to the transformative power of a few days away from the urban cacophony.

However, simplicity belied complexity. The seemingly straightforward experiences exposed the intricacies of existence, revealing issues we were oblivious to and encouraging us to connect dots we might have otherwise missed. The key takeaway was that everything is interconnected; our challenge is to observe closely and identify the interlinking threads of life's intricate tapestry.

To borrow from the metaphorical imagery of a shared orange, the camp in Wayanad was akin to purchasing a colossal orange together. We laughed as we shared its slices, finding joy in its ordinariness. It was easy, like dipping our feet in cold water or savoring a warm cup of black tea.

In essence, the Tholpetty Wildlife Reserve camp in Wayanad offered a one-of-a-kind glimpse into rural life, providing a unique opportunity for us to delve into issues such as invasive species, human-wildlife conflict, the role of NGOs, and more. It was an enriching journey that left an indelible mark on our perspectives, urging us to be better thinkers and appreciators of the intricacies that define our existence.

CREDITS : Akshika

Energizing Tikekarwadi: A Tale of Self-Reliance and Ambition

 Introduction

Tucked away from the spotlight, Tikekarwadi village stands as a testament to the indomitable spirit of communities striving for progress despite facing a lack of government support. During our recent visit, we uncovered a narrative of resilience, ambition, and the unique practice of selecting leaders through the sound of claps.

Self-Reliance in Action

While the villagers assert that government aid has eluded them, Tikekarwadi showcases an impressive list of accomplishments. A functional biogas plant, RO water supply facilities, and solar power initiatives demonstrate our commitment to self-sufficiency. The discrepancy arises when comparing the villagers' narrative of limited support with the tangible projects that have transformed our village landscape.

Rising Stars: The Talented Children of Tikekarwadi

Amidst the village's self-reliance, the children emerge as beacons of promise. Despite studying in a lower grade, their enrollment in advanced courses like MSCIT showcases a hunger for knowledge. Notably, the children, especially the girls, master archery, adding a unique and empowering dimension to their talents. The children's confidence reflects not only their individual abilities but also the nurturing environment that Tikekarwadi provides.

Balancing Aspirations and Realities: The Biogas Plant Saga

The pride in Tikekarwadi's biogas plant, although evident, seems to be tinged with a touch of exaggeration. With the plant supplying gas to 35 homes for just two days, the village still relies on purchasing cylinders. This revelation underscores the challenges of translating aspirations into sustainable, widespread solutions.

Empowering Women: Breaking Barriers

While women hold positions of power, a hesitancy to lead persists. The cultural backdrop, where men traditionally assume leadership roles, presents a hurdle. Encouragement and support can empower women to overcome this barrier, fostering a more inclusive and dynamic community leadership. Notably, the women of Tikekarwadi actively contribute to the village's economy, earning Rs 300 - Rs 400 per day, showcasing their economic independence.

Towards a Sustainable Future

With a population of around 1500 people, Tikekarwadi, led by its Sarpanch and an educated engineer, is steering towards new projects. Solar energy, water purification, and other initiatives signal a proactive approach to garner government support. The village's model of decentralized energy production could serve as an inspiration for communities across India.

Conclusion: Lessons Learned and Paths Forward

Tikekarwadi is more than a village; it's a living example of resilience, resourcefulness, and community-driven progress. As we reflect on the experiences gained, it becomes evident that the smallest entities, like villages, hold the potential to revolutionize energy decentralization.

The journey of Tikekarwadi unveils the blueprint for a self-sustained community. With careful planning, dedication, and encouragement, this model can be replicated, offering a ray of hope for villages across India. The lessons learned provide insights into the gaps in government facilities and illuminate pathways for improvement.

In the heart of Tikekarwadi lies a story of collective determination, and as we tread the path of innovation, we beckon others to join hands in building a brighter, self-reliant future.

Sharing with you experiences of Gulam Sarwar, being a part of GRA - "Anubhav"

Gulam Sarwar has completed his dual degree in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Bombay in 2019. And currently he is working with IITB and Embryo Technology, Pune based Med Tech start up for early stage detection of cancer.

"I am immensely indebted to GRA for the plethora of experiences, exposure as well as amazing friends.

In GRA, I was in the vicinity of people who were thoughtful, inquisitive, humble and funny. Camps, indeed, were the best part of GRA. They were like myth busters. Many of the laid down prejudices dissolved and it was always a dawn of fresh learning and new stories. Stories, that taught me to value little things, respect the differences as well as empathetic about others. 

I would say that the values I learned from GRA still guide my decision and shape my outlook about job, society and life in general."

Dnyanesh Sharing his experiences with GRA - "Anubhav"

  Here is an excerpt from experiences Dnyanesh Borse had being a part of GRA. He has completed his B. Tech in Civil engineering from IIT Bombay in 2019 and he is now pursuing a Ph. D at IIT Bombay.

“GRA made me realize the fundamental things in life that I could have never learned otherwise. It gave me a perspective for leading a purposeful life. GRA camps and meeting rural folks, community life, and developmental activities being done by great social workers not just motivated me but also helped me and are still helping me while taking crucial decisions in life.

The exposure I gained in traveling and meeting new people, getting new ideas for the overall well-being of the country and development helped me to become a complete engineer. I learned that Technology assisted with an understanding of grassroots and social sciences is something very important. I got to interact with all levels of students from all disciplines and professors in a very friendly way. Discussions with these people gave me numerous different perspectives and developed my thinking abilities along with knowledge and understanding of social problems in our society. I am thankful to be part of this awesome group.”

Gram Charcha, India’s deepening rural water crisis

EXTRACTS FROM THE DISCUSSION

DAY, DATE:- Saturday, 1st August 2020

• As rice and sugarcane are water intensive crops, according to NITI Aayog, more focus should be given for production of millets, since they contain 81% more proteins than rice and they are rainfall resilient.

• According to a survey, in Maharashtra, Sugarcane is grown in only 4% of total Agricultural land, but it utilizes about 65% of irrigation water.

• Both surface and ground water should be seen with an integrated view and not as separate entities.

• There is a huge inequality in the utilization of groundwater, which is a common pool resource, in villages. There is over exploitation of ground water by the large farm holders, leading to a crisis for small and marginal farmers.

• Some of the very useful government laws regarding ground water usage are not implemented properly. And we are still following the groundwater laws laid during colonial rule.

• We should have a shift in perspective from resource production towards resource management(like groundwater recharge, maintenance of wells, lakes, etc.)

• More importance should be given to participatory and community management approaches for water sharing. Aquifer mapping should be done in villages in a participatory way.

• There is a huge difference between water potential created and water supplied to villages. Most water doesn’t reach villages far from dams and reservoirs.

• Priority should be given to villages’ drinking water supply and it’s maintenance.

• There is less adequate data regarding water(in states like Jammu Kashmir, UP, etc.).The data regarding rainfall and ground water is collected at taluk and district levels, not at village levels. 

• Inter river linking is expensive and it destroys river ecosystems. Instead of this, water storage and groundwater recharge at local level should be focused.

• Groundwater levels are going down since lakes, natural water percolation grounds, are being utilized for urban development. And there is no place for water percolation in urban areas.

• The loss of Sahyadri forest cover, prevents the condensation of monsoons in south west regions, hence droughts are being observed in these regions. And as a result, heavy monsoons hit Himalayan regions, leading to extreme rainfall and floods, in the north.

• We should try to study and understand the water cycle in regions like the Amazon river basins, where the water cycle is completely localized.

• Solutions for water crisis like cropping patterns and watershed structures should be region specific and localized for villages.

• One should conserve native trees which act as natural water conservers.

• Automatic Weather forecast stations should be set at village levels, which could help farmers in cultivating crops in sync with the unstable rains.

• We should also restore traditional water conservation techniques, and native climate resilient crops.

• Urban people should ponder from where they are getting water, just because they have purchasing power, they shouldn’t waste water without any care.

Gram Charcha, Problems faced by Indian Agriculture - 2

EXTRACTS FROM THE DISCUSSION

DAY, DATE:- Saturday, 18th July 2020

• The Green Revolution has made the farmers dependent on the industries for fertilizers, pesticides and hybrid seeds. This is leading farmers to debt.

• Hybrid seeds are designed in bulk under certain requirements and conditions, hence those seeds will grow in one soil not in another. These seeds are highly dependent on fertilizers and pesticides, which increases load on farmers, leading to a collective debt.

• Hybrid seeds are not resistant to changes in environment, whereas native seeds are resistant to such changes than hybrid seeds. Native seeds can have very high quality produce compared to hybrids.

• Excess use of chemicals destroys microflora of soil, causes runoff to water bodies, leading to low soil productivity in 4-5 years. Regeneration of soil fertility can help in better food security in India. Fertilizers should have proper balance in N,P,K concentrations, whereas in India , the majority of farmers use only urea.

• Schemes like Seed Villages are present , where in a cluster of villages , farmers are trained to conserve better quality seeds.

• Tribals still conserve their native and better quality of seeds through religious worship and festivals of seed conservation through their wisdom. Such cultures and traditions should be brought to the forefront.

• We have considered the green revolution to be the baseline for our agriculture, but in India agriculture is in practice from thousands of years, we should learn from our ancient culture. In pre-colonial rule, India used to contribute about one third of GDP to the world. Hence we should look back at  those days and learn our natural strengths and bring them back

• The innovation in agricultural technology should be based on the needs and requirements of farmers and should be customized according to them and must not be built on vague ideas. Majority of agricultural engineering products in India are just getting exported.

• Soil health cards(SHC ) are helping farmers in  producing better yields.

• There is a lot of scope of modern technologies like AI and ML in agricultural development, they could be used in many ways to predict the crops which could be sown in a given soil in a given time, which could be of great help to farmers.

• We used to have more than 1 lakh varieties of rice in India, now due to modernization and commercialization we have lost more than 90000 varieties , some were capable of curing cancer, some had silver nanoparticles in them. We really have no idea what we have lost by losing them. Hence conservation of seeds is essential. Mention of black rice(in Manipur) found only in India, highly nutritional.

• In countries like the USA , people are unaware of what comes and goes through their plates, as there is no labelling of GM crops. Hence there are a lot of protests happening against GM crops and in favor of natural and organic farming.

• Farmers should be provided with warehouses, where they can deposit their crops and collect receipts , which could be used for getting bank loans. This prevents the farmers from distress sales and provides economic security to them.

• Liberalization in the agricultural domain is essential in India. At present there are many corporate efforts to buy produce directly from farmers, leading to removal of middlemen.

• Farmers should be given freedom to decide where and for what price he wishes to sell his crops. There are schemes like E-NAM (E-National Agricultural Marketing) where farmers can choose where they want to sell their crops on the basis of their convenience.

Gram Charcha, Problems faced by Indian Agriculture - 1

EXTRACTS FROM THE DISCUSSION

DAY, DATE:- Saturday, 11th July 2020

• India is an agriculture dominated country. Large instability in agriculture. We have to reduce pollution and also try to get good output.

• A large workforce of India is involved in agriculture but contributes low to GDP. Low investments in agriculture and related industries like food processing, cold storage, warehouses are some of the reasons.

• Quality of products should also be given importance in measuring Agriculture. One should also look at the fact that only raw food produce goes into the GDP, but final processed food should be included. As lots of industries depend on agriculture and contribute to it. And no other industry or service can provide employment to such a large population.

• One should think about whether the farmers are getting a fair price for their produce. Farmers put a lot of effort into Agriculture, but their efforts are not properly acknowledged. As the prices are dictated by others. They have no control over the prices. 

• In states like Himachal Pradesh where all the products will be shared locally, with no intervention of external markets, if we consider only GDP there won’t be any contribution from them.

• In order for children’s’ education, farmers are getting into distress sales and into debts.  Children’s’ education is the first contact of rural farmers with urban life.

• Students have to go out for studies since the education they receive in rural areas doesn’t enable them to earn on their own. Also in this way, they lose contact with the skills they have learned from generations. Urban education renders them useless in rural fields by training them only for urban jobs.

• Villages in Himachal Pradesh have a high standard of living with good literacy. But things have been changing recently due to contact with the external world.

• Although rural people have reservations in government jobs and many such facilities, they migrate to urban areas due to uncertain incomes in Agriculture.

• Under FPO’s and FPC’s, activities are being held for helping farmers, in a collective way. Also under van-Dhan yojana, tribals are being trained to create processed final products with technology.

• Commercial markets are directing agriculture, leading to low production of food crops. When commercialization takes priority, incorrect and unethical practices take place, which has to be stopped.

• Educated minds should try to understand what comes and goes in their plates. We who can understand the economy and technology should try to help farmers. 

• The green revolution has impacted Punjab and other states with good products and also cancer and other disorders due to chemicals. Genetically modified seeds, which require a high intensity of water, have caused greater damage to the groundwater table. We are exporting our groundwater in the form of paddy and such crops.

• The colonial rule has pulled a lot of Indian farmers into the industries like cotton mills, etc. also it disrupted small scale industries in villages and led to the creation of large populations with no land, who became the Agricultural wage laborers

• Due to lack of awareness, farmers are not raising their voices against governmental policies, they are not asking for fair prices for their produce. 

• Farmers do not know what will be in demand in the future so that they can produce that particular product. Hence they are getting stuck in the cycle of unstable agricultural prices again and again.

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