the speaking tree - The Most Intimate Secret of the Universe

K M Gupta





Until Einstein, space had not been conceptualised. Science, religion and philosophy counted in only what occupies space, not space per se.No one ever asked the question what is space or how it happens ­ except the Upanishads where Brahmn is space. So in Vedanta, God is space! This is evident in the Rig Veda, Brihadaranyaka, Chhandogya and Taittiriya Upanishads and in the Brahmasutras.
In the beginning, there was a point.The point exploded and expanded into space. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad has an interesting story about it.
Yajnavalkya decided to retire to the forest for tapas. Before leaving, he had to arrange maintenance for his two wives Maitreyi and Katyayani. He asked them to specify the amount of alimony . “Happiness, which money cannot buy ,“ said Maitreyi. She was imparted Self-knowledge. “A chest full of gold and a shed full of cows,“ demanded Katyayani. As Yajnavalkya was thinking about how to procure such fabulous wealth, news came that King Janaka was conducting a grand yagna. He had arranged a quiz contest and the winner could take home a thousand cows with 10 gold coins tied to the horns of each ­ more than enough to satisfy Katyayani. Yajnavalkya left for Janaka's place. Even before entering the contest, he asked his disciples to drive home the cows with gold coins tied to their horns. The other scholars assembled objected, but Yajnavalkya fielded all questions. When all the male scholars accepted defeat, Gargi rose, challenging Yajnavalkya.“Yajnavalkya, i ask you just two questions. Answer them and take the cows.“ Her second and final question was: “What is it that extends as space?“ Yajnavalkya answered: “Akshara.“ Now Gargi told the assembled scholars, “You had better save your honour by letting Yajnavalkya take the cows.“
Gargi's question and Yajnavalkya's answer represented the summit of all knowledge. Akshara means a letter, the constant. What expands as space is the most fundamental constant of the universe, the worldstuff, Brahmn, represented by a letter. Akshara is the virya-samb hruti (condensed energy) of the universe, and space is its dyu-vyapti (radiation).
If you ask which letter represents the condensed energy of the universe, and what it reads, it is a `forbid den fruit'. Before answering her final question Yajnavalkya had warned her: “Gargi, if you don't want to r head hung (in shame), don't get your head hung (in shame), don't ask too much.“ Gargi understood.That is why she didn't ask the next question as to what that letter is and its meaning. That is why she asked the scholars to save their honour by letting Yajnavalkya take the cows.The Letter is to be found and shared in silence, not to be shared in public, for it is the most intimate secret of the universe which it guards so closely .Bandying it about is insult to the worldstuff, Brahmn, and to the Self.
How to share it in silence is illustrated in another story . Someone found the answer to Gargi's unasked questions in the silence of one's heart and went to a guru for confirmation. Unable to verbalise his question, he just looked at the guru quizzically . The guru gave a slight nod. The disciple left clear in mind. “The guru explained with silence, and the disciple understood in silence“ ­ gurostu mounam vyakhyanam shishyastu chhinnasamshayah.

Dhanuka Agritech launches Diploma in Agricultural Extension Services 

Dhanuka Agritech Limited, an agrochemical formulations company of India, recently launched a course on Agricultural Extension Services in Public Private Partnership mode. The course jointly launched in association with Junagadh Agriculture University in Gujarat is said to benefit the agri-input dealers and distributors.

A one year diploma, the course will focus on Agricultural inputs and services and training for new technologies. Previously, the course has been launched at Anand Agricultural University, Anand and Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari.

The Agricultural Extension Course devised as per the norms of IGNOU (Indira Gandhi National Open University) is offered on a distant education learning mode. The duration of the course will be for one year and would be divided into eight modules in which applied topics will be taught by scientists of different faculties.

Sowing the seeds of a disaster

The Compensatory Afforestation Fund Bill in its present form could squander away staggering amounts on meaningless afforestation. It must be recast to protect India’s forests.

While vigorously pursuing a slew of reforms to ease forest clearances, the Prime Minister and his Environment Minister have repeatedly averred that development will not be pursued at the cost of India’s remaining forests. Welcome as these statements are, there is cause for apprehension in the form of the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Bill, 2015 (CAF Bill), which was introduced in the Lok Sabha on May 8, 2015.

‘Compensatory Afforestation’ is a convenient Indian concept that has been in place since 1980. Whenever development projects seek land inside a Reserved Forest or a Protected Area (PA), such as a sanctuary or a national park, certain levies are imposed on the project proponent. This money is to be utilised to plant trees elsewhere, ostensibly to compensate for the loss of forest.

Over the last 10 years, a staggering corpus of Rs.35,000 crore has accrued from such levies in a fund called Compensatory Afforestation Management Planning Authority (CAMPA). The Central government now wants to release 90 per cent of this money to States for carrying out afforestation projects. On the face of it, this might seem like a progressive step. But given that the Bill is anchored on a flawed and unscientific premise, it is only likely to provide a ‘fig leaf’ for covering up the increasing diversion of forests in the name of development.

Threat of fragmentation

When ill-planned development projects are thrust into the heart of PAs, the result is fragmentation, that is, the breaking up of large forest blocks into smaller and more vulnerable patches. Peer-reviewed scientific research has clearly established that fragmentation is one of the most serious threats to long-term biodiversity conservation, causing several devastating impacts; among other things, it disrupts landscape connectivity, affecting dispersal of animals, and creates new edges that expose forests to exploitation and severe degradation. Sadly, instead of addressing this critical issue, successive governments have been pursuing the flawed idea of trying to ‘compensate’ for forest loss and fragmentation by raising artificial plantations elsewhere.

Here is just one example of how the compensatory afforestation approach ends up not just being a ‘greenwash’, but an ecological disaster as well. From 1980 to 2005, the Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Limited (KIOCL) strip-mined hill slopes clothed in virgin rainforests in the heart of Karnataka’s Kudremukh National Park. Besides the horrendous damage to the fragile ecosystem, over 150 million tonnes of tailings — the waste mud left over after extraction of low grade ore — were dumped into a pristine, 100-metre-deep, forested valley. To ‘compensate’ for this loss of natural habitat, KIOCL went on a massive compensatory afforestation spree, planting millions of trees. The problem with this was twofold: the trees were non-native species with zero biodiversity value; and they were planted on adjoining areas of natural grassland, which are an extremely important component of the Bhadra River’s watershed. Thus, apart from the forested hill slopes and the valley that were destroyed by mining activities, a third natural habitat, in the form of ecologically important grasslands, was destroyed through mindless tree planting. To add insult to injury, governments and project proponents alike proclaim such travesties as achievements towards a ‘Green India’.

The CAF Bill 2015, if approved in its current form, would end up repeating such colossal mistakes all over the country. In order to provide real benefits, the Bill must be modified to allow a major percentage of CAMPA funds to be utilised for consolidating the remaining large blocks of natural old-growth forests.

Poor results

Despite the investment of more than Rs. 4,600 crore during the last three decades, from international aid agencies such as the World Bank, U.S. Agency for International Development, The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, Overseas Development Institute and others, there is ample evidence of the extremely poor results of past afforestation efforts. In Karnataka, where more than Rs. 1,500 crore have been spent on afforestation projects over the past 30 years, data from the Forest Survey of India shows that dense and moderately dense forest cover in the State went down by 2,898 sq km between 1997 and 2011. In Maharashtra, a recent official evaluation of ten-year old plantations (2004-2014) in all 11 forest circles has shown that 74 per cent of them have failed while 13 per cent are partially successful and only 13 per cent successful.

Under the 12th Plan, an allocation of Rs. 2,500 crore was made for the National Afforestation Programme, but with little to show on the ground. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology and Environment and Forests in 2015 has recorded that despite massive budgetary provisions, 40 per cent of forests in the country are still degraded. Currently, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has committed Rs. 15,000 crore for 22 forestry projects in 13 States. Ignoring all this, the Ministry of Environment is pushing forward with a poorly conceived CAF Bill that will only trigger massive corruption in the forestry sector, without providing any ecological benefits to the country.

There is further justification for a review of the CAF Bill. CAMPA is India’s sovereign fund, and is thus the only one available for consolidation of large forest blocks. None of the international aid agencies funding afforestation projects allows for this ecologically vital activity.

Other than investments to consolidate large Reserved Forest blocks, PAs, and the creation of wildlife corridors, the other important activity that needs to be funded through CAMPA is natural restoration or regeneration of degraded forests. The approach must be to first identify degraded forest areas with existent root stock, and invest only on appropriate protection measures such as trenching, fencing and fire prevention. The degraded forests will then recover through a natural process at a very nominal cost to the exchequer. Funding for artificial plantations should only be considered in extremely degraded areas with no existing root stock.

We are at a critical moment in India’s fight to achieve ecological security while ensuring economic and social progress. If recast on the basis of sound science, the CAF Bill 2015 will form the basis of a far-sighted and genuinely beneficial strategy to protect India’s forests. However, given the way it is crafted presently, it will allow Rs. 35,000 crore to be squandered away on corruption-ridden ‘afforestation’ projects involving digging pits, buying polythene bags for raising saplings, and planting trees that can never become forests.

(Praveen Bhargav has served on the National Board for Wildlife, and the 2008 CAF Bill sub-committee. Shekar Dattatri has served on the National Board for Wildlife, and is currently on the State Board for Wildlife, Tamil Nadu)

Keywords: Compensatory Afforestation Fund Bill, forests, Afforestation, Wildlife

Agrarian distress and suicides

Too much of public discourse on farmer suicides could bring on unseemly haggling over the numbers. Activists and the media rightly question loopholes in the National Crime Records Bureau data, pointing out that several State governments often report no farm suicides, contrary to local media reportage. However, there is also much needless suspicion and conspiracy-theorising; the NCRB’s data are from police station-level First Information Reports, and FIRs are often contested documents, not conclusive proof. Attacking the NCRB for the numbers rising or falling is illogical; media reports about the NCRB changing definitions or manipulating the data this year are demonstrably false. For the government’s part, it could start by accepting that these numbers are the bare minimum, unlike Chhattisgarh’s Agriculture Minister who responded by insisting that no farmer had killed himself and the NCRB must be wrong. Moreover, while the NCRB lists several reasons, including marital and family problems and illness, as the causes of farm suicides, this should not be taken as the gospel truth; initial police reports often have little to do with the complex factors that drive someone to take his or her life. The government would do better to study more scientifically what is driving farmers to take their own lives at the rate of over one every hour.

What’s clear is that suicides represent only the tip of the iceberg that is agrarian distress in India. So far in July, an estimated 90 farmers have taken their lives in Karnataka, while the government and the media struggle to understand the immediate catalyst; these did not occur in the State’s drought-prone regions, nor was there a sudden crop failure or similar emergency. Interviews with farmers in the region have pointed to lack of institutional credit as one of the major problems, an issue that has been repeated by farmers across the country, including in the suicide epicentres of Vidarbha and Marathwada in Maharashtra. The income of an average farm household is just over Rs.6,400 a month, National Sample Survey Office data show, and this is grossly inadequate to meet consumption demands, not to mention rising input costs. Only households with over one hectare make more than they spend, and they constitute less than 35 per cent of all farm households. This leaves over half of all farm households in debt. These are no small debts; the average amount outstanding for a farm household today is Rs.47,000. These must be extremely heavy burdens for them. Farm suicides, whether owing to purely agricultural reasons like crop failure, or the complex pressures on an Indian farmer, must be tackled seriously on the basis of a comprehensive examination of the causative factors, and the context.

Keywords: farmer suicides, NCRB, agrarian distress, agriculture

the speaking tree - Become the Unique You

A P J ABDUL KALAM





Life is a journey that must be travelled, no matter how bad the roads are. But there are some unique people who have learnt to navigate life in the best way possible.There are four proven steps I've studied about unique people: the first step is to decide which road you want to take by having a great aim in life. The second step is to acquire knowledge through great books, great people and great teachers.
The third is hard work. When everybody is sleeping, there are lights burning in some people's places. The fourth step is that when you do any work, whether spiritual, technical or political work, there will always be some problems.
With perseverance, overcome all your problems. So, if you wish to become unique, you need to have four qualities: great aim, continuously acquiring knowledge, hard work and perseverance.
As a 10-year-old boy in Rameshwaram, every evening after school, I would deliver newspapers from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. and then go home. Often, on Fridays, I would find my father, who was Imam of the local mosque, his friend Lakshmana Shastrigal, the head priest of Rameshwaram Shiva temple, and Rev Father Bodal, who built the first church in Rameshwaram, in discussion. They dressed differently , followed different faiths and so on, yet they would discuss the famine on the island, the need to generate work and how to improve healthcare and education. From them, I learnt the important and beautiful lesson of how to work together for common good.

the speaking tree - Philosopher-Scientist And A Great Inspiration

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan





A P J Abdul Kalam, former President of India, was a man of in tegrity . Intellectually, he was scientific in temper and morally , a very humble person. He was born into a poor South Indian family which could not even afford to pay his school fees.But he worked very hard and continued with his education, and consequently went on to become a highly respected aerospace scientist in the country .Abdul Kalam was not `born with a silver spoon in his mouth'; yet he was born with a great `incentive spoon' which was responsible for his tremendous success. His self-motivation and high ideals helped him, and he rose to the highest office of the country . Kalam's life has a very significant lesson, that is, that people's categorisation into rich and poor or haves and havenots is unrealistic. The real categorisation is that people are either ac tual haves or potential haves. Those who today apparently belong to the category of have-nots can convert their potential into actuality, and thus enter the category of haves.
Kalam once said that, “If a country is to be corruption-free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel there are three key societal members who can make a difference. They are the father, mother and teacher.“
This statement is a correct analysis of nation-building, because a person develops his personality in his formative period, during which he is under the supervision of his parents and teachers. If these three members of society resolve to guide the child in the right direction, then within one generation the whol within one generation the whole situation of India will undergo a drastic change.
Regarding youth, Kalam said: “My message, especially to young people, is to have courage to think differently , to invent, to travel the unexplored path, discover the impossible and to overcome problems and succeed. These are great qualities that they must work towards.“ If we express these qualities in one word, it can be said that young people should make `excel lence' their goal; they should not accept anything less than striving for the excellent. In doing so, not only will they re ach great heights of success, but will also be able to reform society along constructive lines.
It is said that even amidst his tight schedule, Kalam g found time to put pen to paper, almost every day . This is a ve ry creative habit because if a person restricts himself only to routine office work, he will experience intellectual stagnation. However, if he makes time for reading and writing, his intellectual development will go on unhindered.
Kalam once also said: “India has a message for the world that religion could be transformed into a mighty spiritual force.“ This is without doubt a realistic statement, because India has traditionally been a country of high spiritual values. If India develops in spirituality, it will certainly become a lighthouse of spirituality for the world.
When Kalam was President, a reporter who was interviewing him was referring to him as “Your Excellency“.Kalam cut him short, saying, “Call me Kalam“. This is the key to Kalam's personality ­he was modest to the core.His message is: Be modest and you will achieve success.

I can get the youth to dream. They have fewer biases about society: APJ Abdul Kalam - 


One of your passions is the youth of this country. But is there any reason to assume that the youth is any different from the older generation? What make you optimistic about the youth?

 It’s when children are 15, 16 or 17 that they decide whether they want to be a doctor, an engineer, a politician or go to the Mars or moon. That is the time they start having a dream and that’s the time you can work on them. You can help them shape their dreams. Tomorrow if I address a group of youngsters and talk about the flag flying in my heart and how I will uphold the dignity of the nation, I can get them to dream. But if I talk to people who are 40, 50 or 70 plus, it will not go down that well. Also, the youth have fewer biases about their society as compared to the grown-ups. 


Which of the former Presidents inspired you the most?

 I believe every President before me contributed something in their respective fields — some in politics, some in education and others in social services. At Rashtrapati Bhawan I found a letter from our first President, Rajendra Prasad to Nobel laureate Sir C V Raman in 1954 asking him to come to Rashtrapati Bhawan to accept the Bharat Ratna. Anyone would have jumped at the offer. Then I read Sir CV Raman’s reply to the invitation. It said, “Dear Mr President, I thank you for giving me such a great honour, but I have a problem. I am guiding a scholar and he is submitting his thesis in December-January. I have to sign the thesis and won’t be able to accept the invitation.” -