November 04, 2009
White House Evening of 11/3/09
It must not been an easy evening for the chief resident at the White House yesterday. Being the chief resident of the White House is never going to be easy especially when million people are going to pop up and say I told you so, and many rats will abandon the assumed sinking ship. Democ'rats'not a party of ideology, celebrated for being a big tent, hopefully yesterday's events will exposse them as fair weather friends.
At this time I quote Bhagavad Gita Chapter 3 verses 7 & 8, it is a rough translation into english.
"But he excels, O Arjuna whose mind is
master of his senses and who
free of attachment, engages himself in the
path of action"
"Action is better than inaction
Do thoe, therefore, thy given work; without
action, the very life in thy body could not be"
I believe these words from thousands of years should guide the chief resident of White House's action. If he crumbles he may survive he may have another term but he will leave no lasting impact.
October 29, 2009
Norman Borlaug
In many ways I'm a beneficiary of Norman Borlaug's work. A dedicated scientist whose work was a main ingredient in fighting food shortfall and hunger in India during my childhood. I remember long ration lines for rice and trucks carrying cooked rice across state lines because there was a ban on interstate movement of rice, during periods of food shortfall.
Together with his peer agricultural scientists, India was pulled back from starvation and avoided becoming an example of Malthusian prophecy. Unfortunately, in India the gains he made are not permanent. Social changes, human greed, and ever increasing demands on land for economic development are eroding the gains made. In places like Punjab state of India, preference for male child and subsequent division of family owned agricultral land has reduced farm size below the size required for economic farming. Farmers who made gains thru scientific advances depleted the farm by overuse. Agriculture land is coming under severe pressure to be used for non agriculture purpose to support the India's economic growth
This negative development is not confined to India, it is true for many countries where intensive agriculture is done.
Norman Borlaug passing away comes in the shadow of recent Food and Agricultural Organization report that world has to increase by 70% from today's levels by 2050
With challeneges of climate Change, diversion of food for bio fuels, erosion of good soil and continued explosion of population, it will be a tough task to meet the challenge ahead