Last week’s ‘who will feed the
farmer?’ received a lot of comments and feedback.
Many readers supported the
farmers’ cause and a few farmers from around the world wrote in to share the
plight of farmers worldwide.
Their concerns were well placed
and I thought it would only be fair to share their concerns on this forum this
week too.
One of the farmers had written
in to say that his land can longer be used for farming as huge business houses
are eyeing his land. His comments have come in at the correct time.
How long are we going to shut
our eyes continue to think that the world around us is dark?
I would like to recall the
words of Thiruvalluvar in his work Thirukkural (Chapter104, verse 1033).
"Uzhudhundu Vaazhvaare Vaazhvaar,
Matrellaam Thozhudhundu Pin Selbavar".
Most of the revolutionaries
have hailed agriculture as the best and noblest of professions. The Thirukkural
above translates thus:
Those who till the land live
life, the rest simply march behind them as followers.
"Those who labour in the
earth are the chosen people of God," were the wise words of R. G.
Ingersoll. In fact Emerson went one step higher and declared, "To plough
is to pray."
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| "To plough is to pray" Photo Courtesy:greenfieldgeography.wikispaces.com |
The time is ripe once more and
the good earth requires farm hands that can till and plough. We have had enough
inventions and progress that have turned our focus away from agriculture.
In a hurry to earn money to
make life more comfortable for us and our children, we have become self-centric
and lazy.
Let the farmer’s voice fill the
air. We have filled the earth with material wealth and money. Let us lend our
voices in support of the farmers.
Beginning with celebrating farmer's day, let us make it to farmer's week and then slowly turn it into the farmer's decade!
Your voice will make it happen...
2 comments:
The farmer's cry about his land being eyed for commercial usage is a common one. Where will our food supply come from if the farms are bought by realtors looking only to make a quick profit, without giving consideration to the ones who provide the food they eat? That's why some foods are becoming costly to purchase, due to limited quantities being produced.
Unless we seriously take a re-look at our current lifestyle, it may be too late for us to reverse the trend...
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