Pongal, Kanuma. The festival of nature. We can celebrate nature. Pray to nature. Can we cool her a bit? By greening, 365 days, diversified green covering, multi-layered multiple crops, including trees. On as much land as possible, as quickly as possible. With no chemicals. In 10 years, 20 years. Time is running out. It also helps our health. Our nutrition. Our food, nutrition, health security. Our resilience against climate. Our wellbeing. Better returns, remunerative, while meeting our needs. Better livelihoods, living, lives. For all of us. Beyond the private lands. Commons, public lands.
Martin (alias Michael) Luther King Jr., 96 [15 Jan 1929 – 4 Apr 1968]. 39 years of making all the difference. Non-violent Civil Rights activist, Peace seeker. Inspiration to Native American Rights Movement. Influenced strongly by non-violence of Mahatma Gandhi. He described Gandhi as: ‘being one of the individuals who greatly reveal the working of the Spirit of God’. He visited India and reflected: ‘Since being in India, I am more convinced than ever before that the method of nonviolent resistance is the most potent weapon available to oppressed people in their struggle for justice and human dignity.’ Youngest (at 34) Nobel Prize winner. When receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, King described Mahatma Gandhi establishing the successful precedent of using non-violence in a magnificent way – to challenge the might of the British Empire, he struggled with the weapons of truth, soul force, non-injury and courage.
Awarded: 50 honorary doctorates; Presidential Medal of Freedom; Congressional Gold Medal. He was also canonized. His birthday became a national holiday: Martin Luther King Jr day. His famous ‘I have a dream’ speech: ‘…… Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy….. I have a dream….all men are created equal … they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today….This is our hope. This is the faith ….our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. … we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, … to stand up for freedom together… let freedom ring … from every mountainside …from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city ….’
His writings include: The Measure of a Man; Why we can’t wait; Stride toward Freedom; Strength of Love; Where do we go from here: chaos or community? The Trumpet of Conscience; The Autobiography; A Testament of Hope.
‘We shall overcome someday’ song.
Can we have a world constitution for Earth? Can we get over with poverty, racism, casteism, materialism, militarism? Soon. In amrt kaal. Can we overcome it? Can we have better rights and entitlements for the PVMs that include the disadvantaged? At least equal rights and entitlements.
Without our knowledge, most of us might be living a borrowed life. Life owned by the universe. We should go by its intelligence. We should get going. Not alone, but as a team, teams. Complementing, supplementing. With clear plans, tested. Toolkits. With committed ‘clients’. With patient ‘capitals’, no initial overheads to worry about. With alternative sources to support, just in case. Can we? Can we articulate? Come together, join hands, be a collective. Inclusive. Enthused. With agency. Can we plan? Going forward on the plan. Nurtured, mentored, mandated. With Deeksha.
Yes, we can. If we coexist, keep flowing. With care to change course. In N? Pongaliyoga for 7L.
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