The observer issue 28 (2)

The Observer An IIJNM Publication

Ron taluk’s PHCs, catering to 2.6 lakh people, lack basic facilities | P2

Vol 18, Issue 28

Minority tag is a selfish decision: JD(S)

About 50 Lingayat pontiffs have asked members of the community to support Congress candidates | Courtesy: KPN Questions over the timing of the decision gained credence when about 50 Lingayat seers advised the community to support the Congress. “We have decided to support those who supported us,” Shivamurthy Murugha Rajendra Swami, the seer of Chitradurga’s Murugha mutt, he was quoted as saying.

“The community had requested the Siddaramaiah to grant religious minority status to them, but the issue is being politicized by the BJP. The Lingayats are happy, and that is all that matters. There should be no opposition in this matter,” KPCC secretary Chalavadi Narayanaswami said.

Lingayats will not be able to enjoy the benefits of a minority community unless the Centre issues a notification. The Karnataka HC has asked the Centre to clarify its stance on the issue.

The demand for minority status to Lingayats dates long

back. The UPA government had, in 2013, rejected the demand to grant Lingayats a separate religion status.

Bharati Shetty, spokesperson for the BJP, said: “This is clearly for political gains. Why didn’t they grant religious minority tag to Lingayats when they were in power at the Centre. The Congress, not BJP, are the ones who have always practised divideand-rule politics.”

The JD(S), which has shared power with both Congress and BJP, agrees with the latter.

JD(S) functionary B.M. Farooq, who was the party’s candidate in the Rajya Sabha elections held in March, said: “The move to award Lingayats religious minority tag is going to adversely affect the situatioIt is a selfish and dirty move. It will not affect anybody; it is an attempt to manipulate the people of the state.” rayan.m@iijnm.org

EC ups expense limit per candidate to Rs 28 lakh, but parties unhappy G. Manashaa

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hough the expenditure limit for assembly elections in Karnataka has been raised to Rs 28 lakh, candidates are unsure whether they can cover all their expenses. The ceiling was Rs 16 lakh in the 2013 elections.

KPCC spokesman Shafi Ulla said, “While we are happy over the limit being raised, we are not sure if we can manage with it. We had submitted an application seeking permission to use more vehicles and to conduct public rallies. We have not heard from them (the State Election

Commission) yet.”

Shantha Narayan, president of the Jayanagar JD(S) unit, said: “We will abide by the rules and regulations, but it will be difficult to meet all the expenses with this much money.”

In 2014, the Election Commission had raised the expenditure limit for an assembly candidate in major states, like Karnataka, to Rs 28 lakh. It is Rs 20 lakh in smaller states.

BJP joint spokesperson S. Prakash said: “Although I am unhappy with the limit, we need to follow SEC’s decision as per the law.”

Another JD(S) functionary,

On the web: issuu.com/ theweeklyobserver/docs/the observer

PNG consumers unaware of risks in using the fuel

Asked to call 24/7 helpline if there’s a problem

Rayan Mitra

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@theweeklyobserver

BMTC will deploy app that will reduce time taken to repair buses | P2

Congress, BJP spar over Lingayat issue

he Siddaramaiah government’s decision to award Lingayats minority status has been applauded as a political masterstroke by many. But some have criticized the move as a political gimmick to divide the electorally important Lingayat-Veerashaiva community ahead of the Karnataka assembly elections.

Praising the Siddaramaiah government, KPCC general secretary L. Hanumanthaiah told The Observer: “We will win an absolute majority. The BJP has never done justice to the aspirations of the people of Karnataka.

The issue will hardly affect poll results, but now they have got something to complain and create a fuss about.”

Tejashwini Gowda, a former MP and BJP functionary, said: “The timing of the decision is highly questionable. It is driven by selfish political interests of the Congress government. After they failed to address developmental issues, they are resorting to such dirty politics to manipulate the people of Karnataka.”

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

The Observer

Kumar, said: “We will use fewer vehicles to fit into the budget.

We will follow the instructions of the commission and get prior permission for conducting any rallies.”

The SEC on Wednesday apprised candidates and ticket aspirants for the Jayanagar assembly constituency of the rules Returning officer Mamta said: “All parties will provide the expenditure list or account…. Each candidate can spend up to Rs 28 lakh, under which all expenses must be taken care of. Violation of the code of conduct and any rules will be viewed seriously.” manashaa.g@iijnm.org

Ayushi Singh

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onsumers of piped natural gas (PNG), cheaper and more convenient to deliver than LPG, seem unaware of the risks involved in its use.

“I have lived in Bengaluru for five years. Recently, my landlord took a piped natural gas connection, but none of us was told that it could have severe shortcomings. We were only given a customer care number which they say works 24/7,” said Akash Chaudhary, a resident of Koramangala, informed The Observer.

Asked whether PNG consumers have been informed of safety measures, Princy Soni, a resident of HSR Layout, said: “We have been asked to call a 24hour helpline if there is any issue. But we have not been told how to detect a problem. We read about it online. It is considered safer than LPG.” Sunil Kumar Jha, head of the marketing department at the Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL), said: “We hold conferences to educate and make police aware in case of any emergency.

All the information that any customer would want to know is available on the website. We have a customer service that works for 24 hours. In case of a leakage, a complaint can be filed with customer service. The risk of damage is low in PNG.” Piped natural gas consists of 87-92% methane and is much lighter than LPG, causing it to disperse faster. It is supplied through pipes because storing it is not possible. The process includes laying of pipelines in various areas and those interested can opt for it.

Underground PNG pipes hold severe risks like leakages or disasters caused by fire. PNG users are asked to check pipes in their homes for leakages.

It is difficult to figure if there

VISIT WEBSITE, SAYS GAIL All the information that any customer would want to know is on the website.

– Sunil Kumar Jha, head of GAIL’s marketing department

We were given a customer care number which works 24/7.

– Akash Chaudhary of Koramangala

We have not been told how to detect a problem. We read about it online.

– Princy Soni, a resident of HSR Layout

There aren’t any specific safety measures.

– Sheetal R. of Jalahalli is a leakage, though chances of it are low. But in case of leakage and fire safety, PNG users have to be prepared. It is possible that help reaches on time. But maintenance and risk detection have been left to users.

Even though considered safer than LPG and low in risk of fire accidents, PNG is inflammable.

Suppliers need to make users aware of its risks and precautions to be taken.

“I have seen the demand for PNG increase rapidly. Many people in my area took it up after I started using it. Because I have small children at home, such a concept keeps me relaxed. So far, I haven’t faced any problem.

I think small issues can be taken care of with regular and timely checks,” said Shilpa Supahiya, a doctor.

Sheetal Reddy, a resident of Jalahalli, said: “There aren’t any specific safety measures provided to us , but as an initiative of our own, keeping in mind the safety of the building the person in charge of our apartments association makes sure the pipes are checked for leakages from time to time and all the issues are taken care of.” ayushi.s@iijnm.org

2 Don’t screen Tamil films here: Vatal

Rachel Dammala

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olitical activist Vatal Nagaraj on Wednesday said Tamil movies shouldn’t be screened in Karnataka as a protest against actors Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth for demanding a Cauvery Management Board.Addressing a press conference here, he said: “It has been 1,000 days since we began our fight for Cauvery water. National parties promise to solve it, but won’t because they wouldn’t care as much as a Kannadiga would.

He urged the people to support Kannadigas and local parties in the assembly elections, and accused the BJP, Congress and JD(S) of looting the state.

Nagaraj said a federation of Kannadigas would contest from 100 constituencies all over the state, of which 15 are in Bangalore.

Nagaraj said he will file his nomination for the Chamarajanagar seat on April 17. dammala.r@iijnm.org

AIMEP hopes it will win 70-150 seats

Athul M.

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he All-India Mahila Empowerment Party (AIMEP) on Wednesday unveiled its manifesto and first list of candidates for the Karnataka assembly elections. The party will contest all 224 seats.

AIMEP founder Nowhera Shaik on Wednesday said: “We are contesting on a platform of social justice and equality for all.

The welfare of the downtrodden and the oppressed is our main aim. MEP is committed to the welfare of the voiceless woman who faces discrimination.”

Shaik said she expects her party to win between 70 and 150 seats. If her party fails to achieve the mark, it would form an alliance with any party that works towards her party’s goals.

The full list of MEP candidates will be out by April 16.

The highlights of the manifesto are: reservation of 50% of the seats in local bodies for women; waiver of all agricultural loans along with interest; free education from lower KG to postgraduation to all BPL families; ten lakh jobs to be created every year; and CCTV in all government offices.

“Rather than build a digital India or building up a GST economy, our party will focus on housing for the poor and education for all,” Shaik said.

Shaik clarified that she would contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, not an assembly seat. athul.m@iijnm.org

CITY

The Observer Wednesday, April 11, 2018

App to save time taken to repair BMTC buses

Athul M.

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he Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) is testing an app that promises to reduce inconvenience to passengers when buses break down.

BMTC chief systems manager Nagendra informed The Observer: “The app will be launched after the Karnataka assembly elections.” The corporation would launch more schemes for commuters.

The defect management app will connect drivers to mechanical staff at BMTC depots, enabling the latter to rush to the breakdown spot to fix the problem or send mechanics from the nearest depot.

Following breakdown, bus drivers had to earlier fill forms and go through other procedures.

The app promises to simplify matters and save time. Once a mechanic is assigned a job, he will take a picture of the part that has to replaced/repaired.

After fixing the problem, he has to click a photograph as proof.

Once a problem is addressed, a driver can run the bus again

Rajyavardhan Rathore @Ra_THORe Bravo! India bags its first ever medal in mixed team badminton match!

Great work there by the Indian team who fought it hard on the court to clinch a medal.

Sonam Kapoor @sonamakapoor Congratulations Team India on bringing back 11 gold, 4 silver and 5 bronze medals.

Proud of all our athletes on this incredible achievement! #CWG2018

The BMTC app could prove to be a blessing for buses that require repair, especially at night | Credit: Rayan Mitra after getting permission from the respective supervisor. All this will be app-driven.

The app will be widely used as a platform for drivers to raise their technical concerns and come handy in maintaining the history of BMTC buses.

Personnel from the BMTC depot closest to the breakdown spot will rush to the place. The depot the app is registered at will address technical problems.

The app, undergoing trials at the Shantinagar bus depot, will address emergency calls in the

night too..

Conductor Srinivas Murthy said: “Since the app is going to be available round the clock, it is going to help us in late-night trips if there is a breakdown.”

Prakash, senior depot manager at Shantinagar Depot 3, said: “The app will be installed in 229 buses in the initial phase. It aims at improving our services and make them more convenient for our passengers. ” The app will be available in both Kannada and English. athul.m@iijnm.org

Ron’s PHCs, catering to 2.6L people, lack basic facilities No 24/7 power, few ambulances inadequate docs Rayan Mitra

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ealthcare facilities in Ron taluk, Gadag district, are inadequate.

The 11 public health centres (PHCs) in the taluk lack roundthe-clock electricity, ambulance services and an adequate number of doctors. A doctor in the taluk general hospital informed The Observer: “The PHCs have inverters, but they are used only in emergencies. Electricity problems are rampant during summer. The PHCs face a tough time during summer.”

The PHCs, along with a general hospital, are responsible for the medical needs of 2,64,123 people living in 93 villages.

Dr Arvind Kumar, a doctor at the Savadi PHC, said facilities in the taluk hospital have seen a big improvement over the years.

It has much more facilities than general hospitals in some other taluks. But the PHCs have inferior facilities. Seriously ill patients have to be shifted to the taluk hospital.

The general hospital has different wards for emergency patients and different operation theatres for different catego-

Twitterati’s take on #GoldCoastCWG

The taluk General Hospital is often the only option for the villagers due to the absence of enough PHCs | Credit : Bhakti Makwana ries of patients. The number of doctors has increased over the years. “But the number of doctors in the PHCs is still too low.

They have problems coping with the demands of patients,” Dr Arvind Kumar said.

Farmer Mudakappa B mourns his granddaughter, who died due to inadequate facilities at a public health centre.

“I lost my granddaughter a year ago. She had weak lungs.

When her breathing trouble became acute, we took her to the Yavagal PHC. The doctors there decided to send her to the taluk hospital, but we lost her on the way,” Mudakappa said.

An attempt to increase the number of doctors in the PHCs will be of great help, says Dr Arvind Kumar. The health centres should be provided basic

facilities.

Transporting patients is another problem. Seven of the 11 PHCs have an ambulance each.

These vehicles also serve the other four health centres. Matters become difficult in emergencies.

Basha Sab, a partially paralyzed man, said: “I have to take buses to the general hospital.

The PHCs have never helped us transport. The Holealur PHC is far from my house, so I generally travel by bus.”

Lack of sanitation and clean drinking water has made people in the taluk vulnerable to waterborne diseases. Especially during the monsoons, the medical instituitions are heavily packed with people suffering from these diseases. rayan.m@ijnm.org

Rajdeep Sardesai @sardesairajdeep India has won 20 medals at #CWG2018 so far; 13 of them won by our women! Times sure are changing and thank god for that!

Amit Shah @AmitShah Congratulations to Ragala Venkat Rahul on winning Gold in the Men’s 85 kg category at the #CWG2018. India is immensely proud of his accomplishment.

Meet planned on stem cell therapy for eye trauma Pracheta Panja

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Bengaluru hospital will hold a convention to spread awareness about the use of stem cell and gene therapy to treat cases of eye trauma.

The three-day convention will be held at NIMHANS from November 22.

“We are inviting all kinds of people irrespective of their professions,” Dr Sunita Agarwal of Dr Agarwal’s Eye Hospital said on Wednesday.

In this therapy, doctors take one drop of blood which recognizes the stem cell of the patient’s body, draw all the bioinformation, and then treat and inject that drop of blood into the patient’s body.

“As all stem cells are unique, there are no side-effects of this treatment. We have treated 18,000 people till now. Also, 10% of the pediatric patients we treated had congenital errors.”

One injection costs around Rs 18,000. A minimum of 10 injections is required to get good results, she informed. pracheta.p@iijnm.org

Observer Team Editor: Rayan Mitra Desk: Ayushi Singh and Manikankana Sengupta Reporters: Athul M, Manashaa G, Rachel Dammala, Pracheta Panja

Arts & Culture

The Observer

SUPPLEMENT

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

3

A Zine for Our Times Barnana H Sarkar profiles the hippest, collaborative mode of communication

BAIBHAB BOSE

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very culture has its own subculture. For every top streaming songs, there are new covers on SoundCloud. For every new celebrity there is a YouTube fan with a million followers. Similarly, for every magazine or big publication, there is a ‘zine’ which forms a big part of the spreading DIY (Do It Yourself) culture.

“The sky is only the limit here,” says Madhav Nair, a visual communication graduate from Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology in Bangalore. As Madhav explains, zines are self-published magazines which are sometimes produced by a collaboration of artists and sometimes by a single artist. But, in both cases, the zine is a hand-made magazine, designed and written by independent artists.

The word 'zine' comes from its closest English ancestor, 'magazine', which was derived from the Arabic word makhazin (the plural of makhazan) meaning storehouse. In that sense both magazines and zines serve the similar

Baibhab Bose experiments with Dadaism in his Journals of Deceit and Doorknobs.

purpose of storing miscellaneous works of people.But, zines are not a short form for magazines.

Explains Larry Bob, publisher of the zine Holytitclamps, “There is no apostrophe in zine. Zine is not short for magazine. A magazine is a product, a commercial commodity. A zine is a labour of love, producing no profit, and information is just another ingredient, thinly sliced layers to keep the

cream filling of advertising from sticking together. Information is the reason a zine exists.

Zines initially originated from fanzines. Fanzines had a much more personal connotation than zines, in the sense that there were produced by aficionados of a particular subject, mostly fantasy and science fiction. Although the word was initially used as a slang to express loosely a 'fan mag', their sig-

nificance lay in the devotion and personal appeal of the people who created them.

The industry grew in the 70s and 80s as the Amateur Press Association (APA)obliterated the hierarchy between the producer and the consumer. Zines have an even older ancestry in spirit, as being one of the ventures such as the Russian Samizdat material and Dadaism.

The Beats poetry chapbook of the 1940-50s were possibly one of the earliest forms of literary zines, where writers would experiment with various forms of writing.

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ccording to Michael Stutz, the Beats had ‘mimeographed’ tons of chapbooks and poetry rags, most of which were directly created by Allen Ginsberg. “His background was trying to get (his work and that of) his friends (like Burroughs and Kerouac) out there in the public . . . when he hooked up with the SF [San Francisco] people, he did the same thing . . . they made little booklets for self-promotion,

and it worked."

Zines today form a different subculture in themselves, where writers, painters, and other artists collaborate to create something solely for the common crowd. Unlike the comic strips which tend to follow a storyline or a pattern of episodes, zines are mostly characterised by the impulsive stimulation of artistic creativity. “If you're open to supporting independent movements in art, design and journalism (to name a few) there’s bound to be a bunch of zines dedicated to you,” Madhav says.

He believes that to make a zine more viable as an investment, the whole zine community must plays a crucial role in it.

While there are several festivals held all over the world such as DIY Cultural Fest (London), Queer Zine Fest (Berlin), and BOUND: Art Book + Zine Fair (Chicago), social media platforms too have made the distribution of the zine easier. Madhav exclaims, “All of these add up and lend itself to a vibrant, open scene for zines & comix.”

Bolshevik Days Enthusiasts are trying to revive Kerala’s tryst with classic Russian literature, writes Arlene Mathew

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n the 1950s, when Communist ideology was fast gaining ground in Kerala, Russian literature in translation was introduced to analready highly-literate public. A publishing house registered by the Communist Party of India, Prabhath Book House, secured the rights to import Russian books in 1952.

Russian literature maintained a strong hold in Kerala for a long time. Rife with themes and concepts significantly different from that of Malayalam literature, these books left a long-lasting impression on the reader. Contrary to popular belief, they focused more on the cultural life of the Russians rather than politics.

They were translated directly from Russian and type set in Moscow and distributed by regional publishers. Children’s books were published under the head Raduga (Rainbow in Russian). Other books were published under Progress Publishers, and popular science books under Mir

Publishers. Several Russian titles which were widely sold in Kerala were translated by K ‘Moscow’ Gopalakrishnan and his wife Omana Gopalakrishnan, who worked for Progress Publishers and lived in Russia for 25 years.

Deepa Bhasthi, writer and cofounder of Forager Magazine, who was introduced to Russian literature in her childhood by her grandfather, fondly remembers those days when she grew up amidst the the Sashas, Olgas and the Ivans.

“The world depicted in the Russian stories was an exotic one, far removed from the neighborhoods of South India. But the affordable books made it a world its readers felt able to touch, to sense and know well,” she recollects.

Mayalokam, a beautiful collection of children’s short stories written by Alexander Pushkin, was one of the most widely circulated story books in Kerala, in the 1980s and 90s. It had the Russian counterparts of the most loved

Russian folktales stand out from the ordinary with their rich and colorful illustrations.

Disney classics such as The Princess and the Frog and Cinderella.

“I can still remember the image of Kostya and Sashuk standing by the sea in the cover of the book Kadalorath Oru Baalan (A boy by the Sea),”says Sumi Mathew, a Russian literature enthusiast in her early thirties.

“This book by Nikolai Dubov is one of my all-time favorites. It is an intricately woven mass of happiness and despair, put sharply in context. I read it when I was a young child. Now, 28 years later,

I still read them.”

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ut readership for these classics has shrunk. And it is this fact that prompted Sajid A. Latheef, an English professor at MES Mampad College in Malappuram, Kerala, to start a Facebook page called Aa Pazhaya Russian Pusthakangal, to revive interest in Russian classics.

“I tried to digitize Soviet Books because those imprints are not available now. I started this page with the objective of reviving

these books, to create a platform which facilitates dialogue about it,” says Sajid.The Facebook page has links to 40 digitized copies of Russian books in Malayalam, shared by the members of the group.

The PDF copies, stored on a Google Drive, “Soviet Library”, can be viewed by anyone who has access to the links shared through the page. “Recently, a publisher in Kerala, named as Insight Publica, published semi-facsimile editions of ten Soviet Era children’s books which was greeted with enthusiasm by the readers.”

Says Bhasthi, “The online platform The Calvert Journal reports excellently on the contemporary East and introducing creative practitioners from the former USSR region. So does Glagoslav Publications, which has done some great translations of East European writers who weren’t known in the English publishing scene earlier.”Local publishers could profitably follow suit.

Culture & Society

The Observer SUPPLEMENT

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

4

On a Wheel and a Prayer Wheelchair cricket is an incredible challenge to players that needs wider support, says Avijit Dutta

AVIJIT DUTTA

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ricket, they say, is a religion in India so it’s hardly surprising that disability of any kind would prove a bar to playing competitive versions of the game. But Para Cricket, which includes disciplines like Blind Cricket andWheelchair Cricket, is barely known in India.

In Karnataka, wheelchair cricket was launched in 2016 by Divyanng Myithri Sports Academy (DMSA). Formed by a group of para-athletes who represent India in international events, the aim of the academy is to encourage differently-abled people to take up sports at a young age.

In wheelchair cricket, each team consists of 9 players, of whom 3 are substitutes. Matches consist of two innings of 12 overs each, with each bowler allotted 3 overs. Batsmen must retire on reaching 25 runs but can resume their innings if all the wickets are lost. When a wide is bowled, two runs are added to the total without an extra

The National wheelchair cricket champions.

ball being bowled. The ball used is a compound-rubber ball while the bat is a shorter version of the standard cricket bat.

A year after introducing wheelchair cricket in Karnataka, DMSA in association with the wheelchair associations of UP, Haryana and Punjab, hosted a national-level wheelchair cricket tournament on 2nd- 3rd February 2018. The

south zone matches took place at the Kittur Rani Chennama Sports Stadium in Jayanagar.

Says Dilip Gowda, a founding member of DMSA, “To conduct the tournament, we required a budget of Rs. 2 lakh but could only manage Rs. 70,000 through crowd funding.” He adds that wheelchair cricket is more famous in north India than in the south.

Just organising the wheelchairs was a tough ask as the game requires special sports wheelchairs, each costing around Rs. 30,00040,000. As sports wheelchairs are not available in India, DMSA had to seek assistance from the Association of Differently Abled in the UK to get them.

Manzoor Ahmed, member of the Karnataka wheelchair-cricket team, says,“With the limited resources available we represented Karnataka and played against 12 states. So, imagine if we get support and encouragement from the cricket community, stakeholders and state government. We are pretty confident that we can represent India in one or two years.”

Regular coaching is another stone in their way that the players had to face most of them are unemployed and can’t afford coaches.

Sandeep, who was impressed by the enthusiasm and efforts of the players, decided to coach them for the tournament. DMSA was

unable to get a proper stadium to host the matches.

Fortunately, an NGO agreed to help them get Rani Chenamma Sports Stadium. But it being a public ground, they could only play matches up to 4 pm each day of the tournament. hey were unable to find a single sponsor for the event. Says Manjunath, “We wanted to sponsor a T-shirt and wheelchair for the participating teams but due to the cash crunch we couldn’t”.

In the event, the Karnataka wheelchair-cricket team lost the finals to Uttar Pradesh. But the fact that they were able to conduct the tournament at all in the circumstances is commendable.

With encouragement from the government and the BCCI, these incredible athletes should be encouraged and supported in every possible way not just to represent India in international competitions, but to underscore the great motto of all sport: Never give in.

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A Grounded Education

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hould children be taught how to grow food as a part of schooling? In our country, while 60% of the population is dependent in some way upon agriculture, farming contributes to barely 15% of GDP. With its diminishing ability to support livelihoods, young people are fleeing the countryside.

But what if farming could be made more productive and more importantly, more profitable? That is where education could make all the difference. By introducing a learning culture of practical farming education, children will not only learn about best farming methods but could be encouraged to look at it as a viable occupation.

That’s why in Goa, the kitchen garden initiative is already on a roll in local schools. Kitchen garden is an initiative taken by schools to let children grow vegetables as a part of their extra-curricular activity. The state department of agriculture distributed farming kits of worth Rs.5,000 free of cost, which contain vegetable seeds, manure, gar-

dening equipment, bio-pesticides etc.

“My passion for farming dragged me out of my white-collar job to pursue farming in my homeland,” says Ramakrishna, the youngest farmer in the Sagar Taluk of Shimoga district, Karnataka. He says that farming education should be made compulsory for all children. Both theoretical and practical learning is necessary and it will make children understand the distress of the farmers’ today.

Through this education, children will get to learn about various technologies that are helping farmers worldwide and will further create interests to introduce these technologies in India. Ramakrishna believes that, “Farming and environment are two sides of a coin. By practicing farming, knowingly or unknowingly, one is saving the environment.”

The Karnataka department of horticulture has also distributed farming kits to around 500 schools of in and around Mangalore. This kit has two varieties of

THE CHILD TRUST

Children should be given practical training in food production, argues Kritika Agrawal

Kitchen garden initiative in schools is helping children to grow holistically.

tissue-cultured banana, two seedlings of drumstick, two seedlings of papaya, a seedling of coconut and seeds of around 10 different vegetables.

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nder the SWASTHH Plus programme launched by UNICEF in 2005, school teachers in Gulbarga, Raichur and Tumkur districts of Karnataka have been trained to conduct bio-intensive farming in the schools. Bio- intensive farming is an organic form of farming

where students aim to get maximum yields on a small patch of land.

Not only are children getting a nutritious mid-day meal made from the what they grow, but UNICEF reports that girls don’t like to miss school for a single day: “Girls in Balakiyara Girls Govt. Primary School Raichur water their school garden. They come in early to tend to their garden and have a total sense of ownership of the project.”Under the noon-meal scheme in Chennai,

vegetables like tomatoes, brinjal and lady’s fingers are cultivated in the schools provide nutritious meals to students. They even take the surplus produce home.

In December 2016, the Lady Willington Higher Secondary School in Triplicane lost several trees due to cyclone Vardah. Instead of replanting ornamental trees, the school decided to create a kitchen garden to bolster its noon-meal scheme in the school.

Sri R.K.M. Sarada Vidyalaya Model Higher Secondary School in Chennai has been cultivating kitchen garden for the past 7-8 years. The produce from the garden takes care of the two days’ food requirement every week.

Kitchen gardens enable children to learn the basics of growing food. By growing their own food, they also learn to be thoughtful, patient and empathetic. But then why isn’t there more emphasis on it everywhere? With more than 50% of population below 25 years of age, India has an opportunity to turn the tide and rejuvenate the face of its countryside.