USA: Highest % of voter turnout, may be in 100+ years. Highest postal/mail votes. Some 100 Million, against 60 Million in-person votes. No landslide. Slender margins in good number of states. No one is ready to concede easily. Both the candidates are getting ready for a legal battle. Joe Biden reached 294, Donald Trump is at 214. 30 yet to be confirmed either way. Popular Vote is 7.5 Crore for Blue. Highest ever to any Presidential Candidate in history. Trump is still not conceding. In fact, he is already in the courts. We have to wait and watch, may be till 8 December when the electors formally vote. World is waiting. House of Representatives may have a Blue majority. Senate may still continue with Red Majority.
Till that time, it is Blue in. Not a wave. Joe (Joseph) Biden, 77, Congratulations. An earlier Vice President for 8 years. A lawyer. Recipient of Presidnetial Medal of Freedom with Distinction. A rare award. Kamala Devi Harris, 56, Congratulations. An attorney, Attorney General. Senator. First ever woman as Vice President. First ever Indian descent Afro-American Woman. Namma Akka. Surely, the world sees more promise in her.
Bihar voting phase 1, 2, 3 end. Exit polls say tight race, neck-to-neck. Mahaghatbandhan has edge. 31-year Tejaswi may lead the new Government. Bypolls across the country – exit polls see BJP on top. Dubbaka exit polls divided: TRS, BJP. Let us wait till 10 November.
Let us not forget – deep inside ‘most of them’ are the same when they arrive. Still we cannot lose hope.
Revisited 1989-94, the period the country went through implementing Market Intervention Operation, through Dairy Board. India was an exporter of edible oils before Independence; self-sufficient till ‘70s; regained self-sufficiency during 91-94; then became importer, biggest importer now. The credit truly should go to MIO. Oil consumption patterns in sync with cropping patters. Reasonable returns for oilseed crop production.Technology Mission. Maintaining prices not fall below a reasonable level and not allow to go beyond a certain level. Collectives of oilseeds growers. At least 10% oil in the cooperative sector, faciltated through Operation Goldenflow. Dhara brand of oils, achieveing 50%+ market share of the organized market. Increasing the size of organized market. Bringing in transparency in oil transactions, packaged, volume sales. Data about trends, production, consumption etc., in the public domain.
After putting edible oil import under Open General Licence, the saga started to fade. Added by emergence of undifferentiated consumption pattern. Organized sabotages-conspiracies. Led to cooperative network, architecture, infrastructure collapse. Loss of cropping patterns, due to stagnated prices. Increased health bill. Suffering Dairying and poultry.
We need atma nirbharata. Self-sufficiency. Food-Nutrition-Health-Immunity Security. Particularly to the poor, vulnerable and marginalized. In grains, pulses, oils, fruits-vegetables, nutrients-micronutrients, eggs, meat etc., without chemicals. Without losing soil. With less water.
This is possible. If we go for national mission on natural farming. For 15 Crore farm families and farm worker families. Customized to local farming situations. Mutiple crops. 365 day cover. Integrated with livestock. Short, local value-chains. Commons, Landscapes included. Convergence is possible. Some Rs.3 lakh crore over 15 years. Savings in subsidies. Savings in health bills. Increases in incomes to decent levels.
In any case, paradigm shifts can happen in fits and bouts. In slow jerks. Breathe in. A longer breathe. We may have to go on. With some little pauses. For caring the indigenous; for more dignity of all hues; for more democracy in and out; for more for human equity across; for more equitable market; for more kindness and compassion all around; for more life everywhere; for a better planet for NextGen.
A young friend, entrenched in the existing dispensation in higher echelons, talked to indicate that we need to take up a long struggle to get out of the existing dispensation, existing paradigm, across. The long standing it is, the less is its usefulness. We cannot ignore this ‘message’. The need today is to introspect and reflect. The praxis. The foundation. The opportunities. The possibility of a new paradigm. New dispensation. That is useful. That is for local. That is for meaningful virtuous co-living. That is for celebrating life.
Most of us are domesticated and/or self-domesticated by the ideas implanted early in life. And we play the ‘play’ of it. We need to breakfree. First, by being aware of it. Then, make conscious choices. And remain firm on them. Second, by being aware of attachments – things, ideas, beliefs et al. Probably domesticted/self-domesticated. Although it is not genuine, right, rational etc. These keep us separated from our Authentic Self. Trapped in the ‘play’.
COVID19 can be playing domestication and self-domestication with us. Let us be watchful.
Let us get back. Let us be loving. Just that. Nothing else. Let us forgive. No revenge. Let us promise and keep the promises. Dignity, Choice, Joy, Integrity. Let us have hope, faith, promise, love. Let us share them. The only way for the new paradigm. In N. With N. For 7L.
Join us in the world of yoga of useful local life together – sthaanikajivayoga for 7L.
G Muralidhar