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Padayatra 22nd Jan- 28th Jan

The Padayatra begins on the 1st day of the new year, 2006. We are attempting to log the progress of the Padayatra everyday. There are, however,some difficulties in connecting due to some remote locations, as well as the 12 hr powercuts in the rural areas. We will be documenting various experiences and stories as we go along, in an attempt to create awareness amongst ourselves. If you would like to reach us, please write to grnearth@vsnl.com or if you want to reach Ranjit in the field, write to ranjitster@gmail.com

22Jan'06 - Shelu Javalga, Yay for toilets!

Shelu Javalga has toilets! It may sound like a mundane statement, but in rural India, it is something to rejoice about.
Read the 15Jan blog to get a context for this write-up.
In rural India (and even some places in the cities), it is the norm to use the open fields, roadsides and any place that one thinks "appropriate", as toilets. Before entering any village, one is greeted by the noxious smell and sight of human waste lined by the roadside. But not in Shelu Javalga.
Shelu Javalga is "Hagandari Mukta" (free of human waste in the open). Toilets have been constructed in every house (in the picture). Most of these have an attached bathroom. There is a tank built next to the toilet, so one does not have to carry water with them. No, there is no flush system that uses tons of water. The outlet of the ceramic toilet block is connected to a 3-5ft deep, 3ft wide circular pit (in the picture). This pit is constructed with bricks or stones, leaving gaps in between for the water to seep into the ground, as well as to let in microorganisms from the earth to break and decompose the human waste. In some places, there are two pits, one of which is in use at one time. This allows the cleaning of the other pit without interrupting the use of the toilet. Also, it is a good idea to leave the filled pit idle for a period of time, so all the human waste is decomposed. There is no bad odor.
The bathroom attached to the toilet is also well designed. A metal pot is permanently installed in the bathroom for hot water (in the picture). There is a "choolah" (small furnace) under the metal pot for burning the wood. Its access is from outside the bathroom. The grey water from the bathroom is let out in an open gutter, but quickly runs into a percolation pit dug near each home. Water pipelines are laid out through the village, and water connections are provided near each home.
Shelu Javalga has developed a very clean and healthy atmosphere. So why don't other villages go for this concept and development? How did Shelu Javalga overcome the many obstacles to provide toilets for every house?
When the Gram Panchayat (local government) decided on this project, they started enrolling people in this concept. The toilet/bathrooms cost about Rs 3000-6000. Villagers contributed to provide for the poorer families. This shows that if people come together for a common cause, they can change the face of the village, or country, for that matter. Today, the people of Shelu Javalga have a clean village. Diseases like cholera and jaundice are negligible. Women can use the toilets any time of the day, since they don't have to go out in the open, and hence, lead a much healthier life.

23Jan'06 - Gondhala, Superstition says, sacrifice a goat and get a job

The people of Gondhala worship the goddess of Mahalaxmi. January is the month of the goddess, roughly, since in the Indian lunar calendar, the month is from one new moon to the next. Belief says that if one sacrifices a goat to the goddess during this month, their wish will be granted.The wish could be anything, from getting over a sickness, getting a job to finding a wife. The sacrifice takes place on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, which are considered the days of the goddess. The belief is extremely strong, so much that the entire village, barring a few families takes part in this butchery. Even people, who do not eat meat, offer the sacrifice.
The ceremony is overseen by a priest called "Pothraj", someone practicing witchcraft (in the picture to the left of the goat). There is at least one person who is usually "possessed by the goddess" during the ceremony. There are about 15 men and 5 women in this village who have the "ability" to be possessed and are invited to the ceremony. When something goes wrong during the ceremony, like breaking the coconut at the wrong time, then the person gets possessed and tells the people how to rectify the mistake. There are various theories why these people get possessed, like being mentally unstable or fragile that get affected by the ceremonial atmosphere to possessing some special abilities.
The ceremony can take place during the day or night. Every sacrificial day, 5-7 goats are sacrificed. On the last new moon, almost 20 goats are slaughtered. Men, women and even children witness this ceremony (in the picture).The goat is doused with water. There is a wait till the goat shakes the water off. Everyone's eyes are on the goat. It's pushed around and kept in the center of the crowd. Silence. The goat seems to sense something. Death is in the air. Finally, it shudders and shakes the water off its fur. Four men pounce on the goat, lift it and pin it to the ground (in the picture). Then one of them opens its mouth and fills it with water. Belief is that if the animal dies thirsty, its spirit remains restless. Then, with a swift slash, its throat is slit. The goat struggles for a minute before it gives in. The wish is granted.

24Jan'06 - Why organic farming? Does it work?

The green revolution of the sixties assured the use of chemical fertilizers in Indian agriculture. From the government to NGOs, everyone promoted their use, and a huge campaign transformed our fields. Yields shot up and using these chemical fertilizers and pesticides became the norm. Today, we are seeing their ill effects everywhere. Hybrid and genetically modified varieties of seeds are being used. In most cases, their seeds cannot be reused for the next season, either because the company does not allow or the seeds simply do not bear good plants. Companies are now introducing seeds that have a terminator gene that will ensure that the grains or seeds do not yield if planted. This ensures their market for the next year. They control the prices. Over the years, the price of seed bags has gone up. Yield is not ensured. So the farmers, who in most cases take loans to buy the seeds, barely pay their loans if the yields are good, or go in loss if the yields are bad. Crop insurance is not available for most crops, and even if it is, the farmers don't know much about it. Almost all the farmers are in debt.
The use of chemical fertilizers destroys the land over the years. Land is a living ecosystem. Various micro-organisms live in it. The fertilizers and pesticides tend to kill them, effectively killing the land. Eventually, the field needs to be kept fallow for a year, before taking another crop.
Companies like Monsanto are trying to control the entire food production of the world by patenting the traditional varieties and introducing their genetically modified ones, making the farmers dependant on them.
This bleak picture can be changed by organic farming. The organic farming has been too glorified. But simply put, it's the traditional farming that was practiced before the onset of hybrids and chemical fertilizers. Many people have developed best practices that ensure a good yield, where farmers can save their seeds for the next season, the land fertility increases over time and the farmers get a chance to be debt free and independent of any external companies.
One such farm is in Khandali (both pictures). Kalidas Pol converted his entire sixty acres to organic farming in 99. Tur, wheat, mustard, chillies, peanuts, onions, garlic, turmeric fields are seen here. For fertilizers, he uses a special mix while tilling and planting the seeds. For one acre, a mixture of 1 kg gur (jaggery), 10 kg cowdung, 2 kg grain flour and 5 lit 'gomutra' (cow urine) is used. 'Gomutra' and 'Dasparni' or 'Top Ten' (a concoction of ten plants) is sprayed on the crops for pests. According to Kalidas, he gets almost the same yield as the one using chemical fertilizers. But his profits are much higher since his input is much less. He reuses his seeds, his cattle provide for the fertilizer and the plants for the pesticide concoction are locally available.
So why don't all farmers turn towards this? One reason is that the organic farming results are not seen immediately. It takes a year or two to get good yields after converting to organic farming, because the "dead" land needs to be revived. Since farmers are already in debt, they cannot sustain even if they lose one yield. They see it as a big risk. Another reason is lack of knowledge and confidence. There are several more. But in the end, if they want to take care of their land for years to come, they have to seriously consider this path.
Another interesting aspect is that there are only a few agriculture colleges in the state, when most of the population practices agriculture. Even in these colleges, the use of chemical fertilizers and genetically modified seeds is preached. Shouldn't the government and us citizens feel the need to establish more agricultural institutes and promote organic farming practices?

25Jan'06 - Sugar factory in the midst of a desert

Walking from Khandali to Ralga Tanda, one comes across a sugar factory in the midst of this desert stretch of land. The fields here are full of stones. There is barely one yield of crop. The population is quite sparse. Yet one sees quite a few EGS (Employment Guarantee Scheme) projects of percolation lakes and water shed development in this area. There are canals that are dry that extend out to the factory. These will be connected to a water source in the future, and bring hope of water to the people in the nearby villages. However, the factory is closed. Rs 120 crores were poured into this project. The factory survived for a year before it closed down.
Where did this money come from and why was this factory developed in this area that doesn't have enough water? Are these EGS projects, whose budget comes from our professional tax, especially created to provide water for this sugar factory? The EGS projects will provide a chance for corruption, of course. The EGS projects could have generated some employment opportunities for our village poor, but ultimately it is serving the needs of a sugar factory and private profit. The question is not about starting a sugar factory, but whether this project was actually viable. It just seems that government money is used to develop private profits. Also, the price of sugar in India is higher than the international market, and hence sugar is subsidized. Duty is imposed on imported sugar. Where do the subsidies come from? Our tax money. So why is so much money spent to raise a sugar factory? Is it because the politicians, who are leading the boards of these factories, get assured votes because they provide a market for the local sugarcane farmers, and employment opportunities, at the same time making money off the factories? Politicians in Maharashtra do tend to run sugar factories. A few of them started this trend, coming into power, and now serve as role models for the rest of the politicians. There are about 105 sugar factories in the state, with about 25 in Marathwada. These are run as cooperatives, with the sugarcane farmers as members. So when the farmers get loans from the cooperative, about 5% is cut for shares. But the interest is calculated based on the original amount. The farmers are to get dividends on those shares, but none have seen it. The shares cannot be inherited by the farmer's kin, but the debt is carried over. If a factory goes down, the farmer gets no compensation, because technically, the farmer is the owner in a cooperative. Quite a few of these factories are closed in Marathwada. Huge projects have gone down the drain. The politicians have made their money. The losers - farmers and tax payers.

26Jan'06 - Drought Forum

Since the past few months, a drought forum has been meeting on the 26th of every month to discuss how to contain the drought in Maharashtra. Marathwada and Vidarbha has been experiencing severe drought and so are other parts of the state. The reasons are partly because of the environment and partly, human action. But depending on the environment and blaming it for lack of rain and water won't do any good. There are great examples in Rajasthan and Israel that experience much less rainfall. There, people have transformed their lands by saving every drop of water. But here, water is wasted away. There are no taps (faucets) and water is seen flowing whenever available. People are dependant on outside help, dependant on tankers. Farmers are drilling bores deep, more than a 1000 ft, to suck up water for their fields. Ground water level is falling. Yet there is inaction to stop this trend. Marginalized populations, the economically and physically weak, women and children are bearing the brunt of this human created drought.
The drought forum is an attempt to get different organizations together to understand the drought and to take action. This month's meeting took place in Malegaon on the Padayatra route.

27Jan'06 - Nagdarwadi and Wagdarwadi, Neighbours but worlds apart

Two villages. Neighbors. Similar topography. Similar people. But worlds apart. One has plenty of water and the other, a severe water shortage. How are these two villages, Nagdarwadi and Wagdarwadi, so different?
Nagdarwadi had a severe water shortage till 2001. The wells would dry up in early summer and water had to be lugged from a source, 4 kms away. The village was dependent on the tankers for a limited water supply. In 2001, the present sarpanch, Baburao Kendre, got the village together and brought in WOTR, a watershed development organization. WOTR, an Indo-German project at the time, develop watershed projects and provide employment to the villagers. So all the villagers do the work. However, they expect the villagers to contribute 20% of the work involved. The villagers of Nagdarwadi jumped at their proposal. They established a village committee that involved people from all sections of the community. Women self help groups were established. A government project of a percolation lake and bund was left unfinished since the seventies. The people paid the extra cost and got the project completed from the government. CCTs (Continuous Contour Trenches) and WATs (Water Absorption Trenches) were dug and trees were planted. Small weirs were built on the rivulet, downstream from the lake that had water even in January (in the picture). Tanks and wells were built that now have water even in the summer months. This enabled the villagers to get good yields on both Kharif and Rabbi crops. Trees like mango, Saag (teak) and tamarind are planted everywhere. The project was completed in 2005 and the people are already seeing its positive effects.
In nearby Wagdarwadi, however, the situation is grim. There is one drinking water source near the village that is a 1 km walk over a treacherous steep slope. Old women and children are seen lugging water on this slope (in the picture). This source runs out before the summer. Under a government water scheme, water is pumped from a lake in nearby village, Langewadi. The people of Langewadi use this lake to wash clothes and buffaloes. The water is green and is not potable. However, school children and the old, who are unable to bring water from the well, do drink this water. People have gotten sick from it in the past. A rivulet passes through Wagdarwadi as well. 17 cement weirs were built on this. Not one remains today. The weirs have a weak base, where the whole structure is washed away in the monsoons (in the picture). In some cases, the side walls of the weir are not high enough. They need to be at least as high as or higher than the weir by as much as the height of the weir. The walls need to be long enough. Since they are not, in the monsoons, the water enters in the neighboring field. It is not contained in the limits of the rivulet. So the farmer, in an attempt to save his crop, literally breaks the weir with a sledge hammer. So no water is stopped and the rivulet remains dry. The agriculture department is responsible for these weirs. The present agricultural assistant is usually drunk, even during the day.
So why hasn't the work in Nagdarwadi replicated in Wagdarwadi? What do the villagers need to do to develop their own land, the land of their village?

28Jan'06 - But what about the animals?

In all this drought study and campaign, much thought has been given to humans and their needs. But not enough attention is given to the rest of the species. It's only to the extent of thinking about fodder for the cattle.
Drought severely affects animals. But even without a drought, animals are severely affected, merely by human presence or actions, or our way of life. With heavy logging and lost of forest cover, the population of wild fauna is dwindling. Wagdarwadi, whose name comes from "Wagh" or tiger, regularly witnessed these animals till about 25 years back. Human encroachment has pushed our wild species in a tight space. Poaching or killing for game is common.
Humans use animals as slaves. Donkeys and horses are commonly used for transportation, and so are bullocks. Looking from a point of view that all species are equal, does this seem fair? Even if we assume that it is OK to use them for carrying our stuff, why do their feet need to be tied up so tight that they can't even walk (in the picture)? Is that THE way to stop them from running away?
Another interesting aspect. Milk is promoted in our lives as part of a healthy diet. There is a booming milk industry that provides healthy consistent milk to almost all of human kind. Behind this industry are cows and buffaloes. Now, if humans needed so much milk to grow and be healthy, wouldn't nature take care of it by providing it in plenty through our mothers? This thought came across when we saw a young calf being pulled away from its mother in 10 seconds, after suckling on her, so the mother buffalo could be milked (in the picture). The point is not about not consuming milk, the point is about being conscious about it.
These experiences and thoughts could help think about the bigger picture. The world is not just made of humans and our needs but of an entire ecosystem with flora and fauna. To eradicate drought, we need to lead our lives by balancing our ecosystem and eliminating our ecological footprint. This thought captures a balanced, organic agricultural system, limiting our water use, removing discrimination within our human species, educating and creating awareness in our own and controlling our numbers. Let's think about our world as a whole. After all, we will become dust and be one with it when we die. But even now, we are a part of it. Just that we don't act like it.