Living on love and fresh air

Author(s): Aparna Pallavi 

http://www.downtoearth.org.in/node/3187

Mar 31, 2009 | From the print edition

A family that has little use for cash

The morning I went to meet her Anusuyabai Meshram did something she does not usually do--milk one of her cows. It was a special day the Meshrams were having guests. "We do not need milk on a daily basis," she explained cheerfully as she served us tea, "Because we drink our tea black."

There are many other things that Anusuyabai, 44, and her 47-year-old husband Pandurang Meshram do not need electricity, piped water, security, a weather-proof house, regular social contact, and for the most part, even money.

For the past eight years, this couple has been living by choice on their seven acre (2.8 hectare) ancestral farm outside village Wasriphode in Maharashra's Yavatmal district without these facilities. Their joy in living a simple life shows on their faces. "We live like this because we like to," Pandurang said. "Two years ago our only daughter, Manisha, was married.Now we are free of parental responsibilities," he added.

Before moving to Wasriphode, Pandurang had worked as a mechanic and driver and also in a fishery for a few years, but the couple was never happy. "We were always anxious about something or the other, especially money and rising prices. Finally we decided to move away here and grow our own food so that we could live without worries," he said.

Over the past eight years, the Meshrams have evolved a lifestyle that requires minimal money. They plant cotton on three of their seven acres, and food crops--jowar millets, a variety of legumes, vegetables, oilseeds and spices on the rest.

The cotton--an indigenious variety--earns them around Rs 40,000 annually, which is enough to buy wheat, rice, the occasional set of clothing and a few necessities; perform their duties on social occasions like weddings in the family, and save a little.

"We do not need money to spend on addictions like tobacco or alcohol, or on visits to doctors," Anusuyabai said.

For transport they have a bicycle, which, they claim is enough, because apart from a monthly pilgrimage to Mahur about 75 km away, they never need to travel more than 25-30 km. They get enough fuelwood from the trees on their land. They harvest food items according to their requirements, leaving the rest on the field for whoever needs them. The couple says that they have never run short of food, and hardly ever harvest more than half of the crops they grow.

Our animals don't let us feel lonely, Pandurang said

"This year we had an excellent okra crop," Pandurang said, pointing to a plant still standing amid a festoon of dried pods, "Each plant yielded more than 100 pods. I gathered baskets of them and heaped them on the roadside for whoever wanted them."

Has he never considered selling his excess produce for money? "Yes, butloche wadteel (it will only create complications)," he replied without missing a beat. This sentence appears to be a refrain with the couple. Why don't they get an electric connection that they can very well afford? Why don't they add to their income by selling the milk from their nine cows? Why don't they avail of government subsidies? Why don't they put their money in a bank? The answer is the same always.

It took some coaxing to get Pandurang to explain the nature of the complications "See, if we get electricity, we will have to earn extra to pay bills, and will be frustrated over power cuts. If we sell our extra produce, I will have to spend more time in the market than with my land and animals. Subsidy means bribing officials."

So why do they bother to grow more than they need? "So we have something to give," he said with touching humility, "Villagers regularly take vegetables and lentils from our farm. Everyone trusts us and we trust everyone."

Love and trust. That appears to be the dominant philosophy of the couple.
Dogs, cats and cattle live in harmony on the farm, and injured wild animals find their way there too. "I have seen a peacock, a deer and a hare in their farm at different times," says Sucheta Ingole of Dharamitra, a non-profit which works in the area of organic farming.

"It is because of these animals that we don't get lonely," explained Anusuyabai, "We have them for love, not for making money."

But what about the investment involved in growing those extra crops and keeping the livestock? "What investment?" asked Pandurang.

This brings us to one of the most important achievements of the Meshrams zero-budget farming. The Meshrams have switched completely to organic farming. They preserve indigenous seeds (and give freely to whoever needs them) of a wide variety of crops they grow. Mulching and contour bunding have enriched the land and reduced the need for irrigation, and have no need for pest control. All other farming techniques have been simplified to a point where the need for labour is minimal.

"We do all the work and in any case our farm does not require more than three hours of work a day," Anusuya-bai said.

"Initially, we taught them techniques for making vermicompost, vermiwash, organic pesticide. But after a year or two, they simply took to tying their animals under some neem trees on the farm. The falling leaves, animal dung, urine and fodder waste accumulating under the trees combined into the best fertilizer-cum-pest repellant you ever saw. I have never heard of crop failure or a pest attack on their farm," Ingole said.

The same simplicity characterizes their financial transactions. The Meshrams keep their money with a trusted money-lender, refusing to bank, but most of their savings are spent in helping relatives.

Indigeneous seeds, the secret of good harvests

For the last two years they have been planning to rebuild their mud-and-tile house, which is sagging, but never got around to doing it because they gave away their money to relatives who were in need. "It does not matter," said a cheerful, sunburnt Ansuyabai, "We are used to living in the open with our animals. We will build the house when people repay us."

They do keep a nest-egg for an emergency though, but neither of them knows exactly how much they have. "I have everything written down," says Pandurang, who has an education up to the fourth grade, with a careless wave of his hand, "And anyway, the man is trustworthy."

The Meshrams have inspired Tarak Kate, agricultural scientist and founder of Dharamitra. A year ago Kate, 60, retired from the non-profit and started living on his own one hectare.

The Meshrams have no doubts nor fear about sustaining their unique self-sufficient lifestyle till the end of their lives. "When you love the land, it yields in abundance. When you love trees and animals, they love you in return. What else do you need to live?"

What else, indeed.

Article on traditional housing

http://www.thehindu.com/features/homes-and-gardens/handmade-homes/article514
9514.ece#.Uj0h3IktQv4.email

Go green - get started!

A very nice article and very nice effort by Shyamagopala Das.

Congratulations!

I remember H.H.Bhakti Rasamrta Maharaj had initiated Green temple project

for sub-continent. Might be good to make a database of green temples of

ISKCON worldwide and encourage others to catch on.

ys, BCD

_______________________________________________________

D.C. Gardener Encourages City Temples to Go Green

By Madhava Smullen for ISKCON News on 19 Jul 2012

As environmentally-friendly living becomes more and more of a concern in a

modern society where Earth's resources are fast running out, ISKCON has an

increasing responsibility to set a good example.

After all, our philosophy is based upon our founder's oft-quoted aphorism

"Simple Living, High Thinking"—the practice of living naturally from the

land while focusing on solving life's mysteries.

This responsibility doesn't fall solely on the shoulders of ISKCON's rural

communities—it's also something city temples can join in on, thus lending

our society much greater credibility in the eyes of the public.

One of those stepping up to the plate is Shyam Gopal, gardener at ISKCON of

Washington D.C.

As well as offering good advice for other temples interested in going green,

Shyam is walking the walk himself. That's something U.S. First Lady Michelle

Obama—

who encourages home gardens and planted one on the White House's South Lawn

just 17 miles from the ISKCON temple—would appreciate.

Shyam, 34, comes with quite a pedigree. The son of a gardener and a forester

in Berkeley, California, he studied environmental science at UC Santa

Barbara, worked as a park ranger and an eco-tourist guide, and served at the

ISKCON farm in Mauritius before moving to D.C. in March of this year.

On only one third of an acre at the temple in Potomac, Maryland—a D.C.

suburb—Shyam has already coaxed an impressive bounty from the earth.

"We have heirloom and lauki squash, golden and green zucchini, hybrid and

cherry tomatoes, red and green bell peppers, and Thai, serrano, habanero,

and cow-horn chilis," he says. "We also grow eggplant, cabbage, okra,

bitter-melon, cucumber, cantelopes, pole beans and bush beans, beats,

carrots, mixed lettuce, various pumpkins, and two-foot long watermelons."

He has to pause for breath, before reeling off a spiel that sounds like a

Simon and Garfunkel song. "Then there are all the herbs: basil, sage,

rosemary, thyme, oregano, marjoram, dill, fennel, fenugreek, and cilantro."

With all these, the garden is ISKCON D.C.'s main source of organic

vegetables, its sole source of herbs, and a considerable supplement to its

overall food purchases.

And that's not all: the temple doesn't have to buy any flowers for its

presiding Deities in the summer time, when rows upon rows of African,

Mexican hybrid and double bloom marigolds, as well as red roses, white Tuber

roses, and even seven-foot-tall sunflowers are available to make beautiful

garlands with.

All this abundance is no accident. Shyam Gopal cares so much about the

plants, which he calls his "children," that he's often spotted talking or

singing to them. In the future, he'd like to set up some outdoor speakers to

play them Srila Prabhupada's kirtan.

This is nothing to laugh at. Shyam's holistic, natural gardening techniques

are no conconction— they're embedded in both scientific and Krishna

conscious principles.

"In trying to debunk the old research done on playing music for plants to

improve their growth, researchers, for instance on the TV show Mythbusters,

have only found that they couldn't disprove it," Shyam says. "It actually

works."

Plants, he explains, respond to music of all types—classical, ragas, heavy

metal, and poetry— as well as simply being spoken to, with vigorous growth,

more flowers and larger fruit development. They don't have favorite genres;

they simply like the interaction and are stimulated by the vibration.

"As I'm checking the plants for fungus, damage and pests every day by hand,

I talk to them," says Shyam. "I just say, 'How are you doing?' or 'Oh, you

have a problem here.' And when I harvest from them I say 'Thank you, we

appreciate what you're giving us for the Deities. You're doing a great

service.' After all, they're souls, just like me. I was a plant before. It

was a rough life. So although they may not understand my words, I want them

to feel on some level that they're not living in vain."

Shyam, following the best practices in permaculture, organic gardening, and

biodynamics,

is considerate in all areas of his work. Seeing the soil as a living system

full of complex, interdependent relationships, he avoids tilling once his

garden beds have been made so as not to destroy this infrastructure.

Instead, worms, which are carefully protected, do the tilling for him.

He also avoids walking on the beds in order to let the roots breathe. And

rather than feeding the plants directly, he feeds the soil—considered to be

"the stomach" in natural organic farming— with "Actively Aerated Compost

Tea."

This is made by blowing a household air pump, such as those used for an

aquarium or air mattress, into a tank of water holding a "tea bag" made from

cheese-cloth. The "tea bag" is filled with worm castings, a high quality

compost created by feeding worms vegetable scraps and manure. This liquid

compost mixture is aerated for 24 hours, then molasses and seaweed are

added.

"Molasses increases good bacteria, and seaweed has natural plant growth

hormones, which helps plants to uilize sunlight and photosynthesize better,"

says Shyam. "It also acts like a B complex vitamin, boosting their immune

system and reducing stress when you transplant."

As he develops his garden, Shyam Gopal will also add Rishi-Krishi, the

ancient farming techniques of sages described in the Vedas, to his

practices.

Some of these techniques, written about by the great Parashara Muni in

Krishi-Parashara and by Kashyapa in Kashyapiyakrishisukti, coincide with

biodynamic principles, and thus are already being practiced in the ISKCON

D.C. garden.

For instance, Shyam Gopal works by the lunar calendar, planting seeds as the

moon is waxing, and pruning, transplanting and composting as it is waning.

He also plants different items on the days the waxing moon goes through

different constellations: for vegetables it's the fire sign; for leaf crops,

the water sign; for flowers, the air sign; and for roots, the earth sign.

This, amongst all his other practices, makes for tastier and healthier

crops.

Shyam encourages other devotees, at any level of experience, to start their

own natural organic gardens at their temples or homes.

For beginners, he advises, "Start small. Don't get overwhelmed by giving

yourself way too much work. Start organic—there may be a pest or problem you

can't control organically at some point, but at least start organic and

learn that way. And start with things that are easy to grow: herbs,

tomatoes, a few flowers for your Deities."

Specific local knowledge is key in gardening, Shyam says, so get advice from

local gardeners in your area who know the local conditions. Your nearest

university's agriculture extension office or its website can also be an

excellent resource for this.

Another key to gardening is awareness. "Observe how your plants are growing

in different conditions," Shyam says. "Go outside and check the weather

every day. Get to know how reliable your local weather report is, compared

to the actual weather. Get a simple rain guage and measure the rain. Get in

touch with the cycles of the sun, moon, and seasons."

Finally, Shyam encourages ISKCON temples to go green by purchasing

biodegradable silverware and plates, since so many are used at every Sunday

Feast and festival. He also suggests using shredded paper and cardboard

boxes in the garden as mulch, and using all rotten vegetables as compost,

not allowing anything to go to waste.

"Once you get started and build your knowledge base, it only gets better and

better," he says.

Shyam Gopal is happy to help other ISKCON temples go green and increase

their fruit, flower and vegetable production. To speak with him and receive

educational resources which he says have benefitted him greatly, please

contact him at syamagopaldasa@gmail.com.

Nuclear families giving rise to crimes against elderly, children: Experts

 

 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kanpur/Nuclear-families-giving-rise-to-crimes-against-elderly-children-Experts/articleshow/13139576.cms

Nuclear families giving rise to crimes against elderly, children: Experts

Ishita Mishra, TNN May 14, 2012, 10.25PM IST

KANPUR: The trend of nuclear families is one of the major reasons of increasing crime in the city. According to the experts, crime against elderly and children rise due to the nuclear family trend as they miss the cushion of love, support and security which a joint family can provide.

According to the psychological experts, stress level has gone up in the society due to emergence of nuclear families. People believe that nuclear families will increase their independence but it is a wrong conception as they became more slave to responsibilities of home.

"Trend of nuclear families is on the rise and majority of young couples want to raise their children without the interference of the 'outdated parents'. However, the condition of senior citizens is not that bad as most of them are self-dependent. But this has increased the crime graph in the city as elderly people and children live alone at home," Dr Vipul Singh, a psychologist at Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital, said.
He added that this approach of parents make the kids rebellious, who consider that the role of grandparents is nothing but a burden on family. On the contrary, the grandparents play an important role as an impartial negotiator between parents and kids and also provide them security in the absence of parents.
According to the experts, sexual abuse of children and murder of elderly persons are rising due to nuclear families.
"It's easy to attack an elderly person and kids living alone. If we see the recent crime graph, majority of child abuse cases and murder of elderly took place in the families where kids and old people were living alone. This gave courage and opportunity to criminals as the way is smooth for them," Dr LK Singh, head psychologist at the Divisional psychological centre, said.
He added: "I don't know why people forgot that elderly people can help the family at crucial times. They tide over any crisis with advice, experience and emotional support and also provide cultural and religious guidance to children." The grandparents can be 'valuable babysitters', he pointed out.

Catastrophe averted in India - Planning commission withdraws proposal

Great thanks to Labangalatika mataji for this post.
** visit: www.globalvarnasramamission@blogspot.com **
******************************************************
From: viniyog parivar <vinyogparivar@gmail.com>
23rd March, 2012
Gudi Padva
Dear Friends,
Catastrophe averted – Planning Commission withdraws proposal to lift ban on
export of beef.
As soon as Viniyog Parivar came to know of the proposal of sub-group
on Meat and Abattoirs in the working group of Agriculture Ministry,
making recommendation to the Planning Commission that the  present ban
on beef export in the Import-Export policy of the  country  should be
lifted, we raised an alarm on 16-2-2012  which was spread  to
thousands and lakhs of people through email and other modes and people
in lakhs sent their protests to the Planning Commission.  This has
yielded the desired result and the Planning Commission has issued a
Press release on 16-3-12 withdrawing  the proposal,  a copy of which
is attached herewith.
The Planning Commission has the audacity to describe this grave
recommendation as "an inadvertent clerical mistake".  If such
inadvertent clerical mistakes can creep up at the level of Planning
Commission of the country, God save this country.
Anyway, congratulations friends, for your successful campaign and
Viniyog Parivar thanks all persons, organizations and Jeevdaya premis
who took very strong and active part in this campaign.  At the same
time, please beware !  The meat lobby will not leave it  so easily.
It is bound to try all tricks in its bag after a lull and we need to
be ever vigilant. The Government machinery has lakhs of clerks and
hence there are lakhs of chances of inadvertent clerical errors !
With regards,
Viniyog Parivar

Release of "Village Life - Our Philosophy, Our Life, Our Education"

"Our philosophy is that you produce your food anywhere you stay, and keep
cows, take milk, produce vegetables, food grains, and chant Hare Krsna.
That's all. This is our philosophy. Make your life successful. By becoming
Krsna conscious, you become free from al these troubles of material
condition. This is our education."
Srila Prabhupada, Conversations, May 25, 1974
Daiva Varnasrma Ministry (In) unveiled its new publication titled - "Village
Life - Our Philosophy, Our Life and Our Education" in an attractive
paperback design. The tasty and insightful articles of author - His
Holiness Bhakti Raghava Swami draws one to deep topics such as Dharma,
Tehnology, Development, Women, Traditional Education, Food, Astrology,
Health and Guiding Principles of Rural Communities of Villages.
The central theme of the book reflected through the main essay titled -
"Village Life - Our Philosophy, Our Education and Our Lifestyle" draw one
attention towards the importance of village living.
Here is an excerpt from the book:
"The basis of 'Simple Living and High Thinking', the norm for civilized
human beings, lies in the acceptance of village life centered on the
performance of sacrifice, yajna, which is born of prescribed duties as
delineated in the scientific system of varnas and asramas. Such a social
system, being very intimately connected with land, cows and higher
consciousness, namely Krsna consiousness, is the most perfect and holistic
way to live. When human society, due to neglect, bad leadership or
misfortune, all based on lust, anger, greed, illusion, madness and envy,
deviates from this established norm, a norm scientifically designed and
created by the highest of authorities, Lord Krsna Himself, a system meant to
uphold, protect and foster the universal principles of dharma or
religiosity, we should know for certain that only chaos will prevail and
immense sufferring must follow".
For devotees interested to collect this valuable piece kindly write to the
following id:
** globalvarnasramamission@gmail.com **
For bulk orders (min 25 copies): Rs80/-
Retail price : Rs100/-
your servant,
Bharat Chandra Dasa
National Coordinator
ISKCON Daiva Varnasrama Ministry (In)
email: Bharat.Chandra.BRS@pamho.net

Get Inspired

---------- Forwarded Message ----------
From:      Internet: "RRRdas" <rajes108@gmail.com>
Subject:   Get Inspired,
------------------------------------------------------------
This is a video where you can find people apart from ISKCON who are
diving into village life or towards farms leaving behind their
lucrative careers. Their aim may not be to please Krishna, but they
are more systematic in their approach and are getting results.

I myself was very much inspired so thought of sharing this video. I'm
going through the usual apprehension among devotees to leave their
career and easy devotional life in cities and take to farm life. But
was very much inspired with this video and went to my village after
15yrs to see the ground reality. please have a look.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljFRI95kLgo
http://farmsnfarmers.org/

your servant
RRRDas

--
Hare krishna. A message from "Village Vrindavana" group.
To post to this group, send email to village-vrindavana@googlegroups.com
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/village-vrindavana?hl=en
(Text PAMHO:21983966) --------------------------------------

------- End of Forwarded Message ------