Tuesday, August 21, 2012

SIKKIM AIMS TO BECOME 'FULLY ORGANIC' BY 2015


Eco-friendly cabbage being sown in Sikkim, which intends to become fully-organic state by 2015

Gangtok: Sikkim, which started eco-friendly farming from a small area of land about a decade ago, is set to become a fully organic state by 2015, a senior state official has said.

“The entire state will be converted into a certified organic state by 2015. Our schemes and policies are well tuned to realise that goal,” Sikkim Agriculture Secretary Vishal Chauhan told IANS here.

According to him, structured organic farming started in the state in 2003 when the government set up the dedicated Sikkim State Organic Board to promote farm techniques that prohibit the use of manufactured synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

“Our Chief Minister, Pawan Chamling, had also introduced a resolution in the assembly seeking to convert entire farming in the state to organic. Now, our farming relies on techniques such as green manure, compost, biological pest control and crop rotation.”

Organic rice being grown in Sikkim. The state intends to become fully-organic by 2015.

Organic Rice...

Over 8,000 hectares of land was covered under organic farming between 2003 to 2009. In a bid to make the state fully organic, various state government agencies have been working in coordination.

The state government has completely stopped lifting of quota of chemical fertilizers extended by the Government of India since 2006-07 and all sales points for chemical fertilizers in public and private sector have been shut.

Sikkim government has also promoted large-scale use of bio-fertilisers and provides certified manufactured organic manure to farmers as an alternative to their chemical substitutes, Chauhan said.

In order to provide alternatives to farmers, 24,536 rural compost units and 14,487 vermi-compost units were constructed in farmers’ fields till 2009.

The bio-village programme was also adopted in 2003 and around 400 villages were adopted by the state government till 2009 to benefit some 14,000 farmers and 14,000 acres of land in four districts of the state.

“We have also launched the comprehensive ‘Sikkim Organic Mission’ as a nodal agency to implement and monitor the programme in time-bound manner. A state-level apex body with the chief minister as its chair oversees the implementation,” the official said.

“Under the new initiative, the government has set a target to implement fully-organic farming technique by 2015. Organic products sell at a premium, which will benefit over 50,000 families in the state and promote organic agro-tourism.”

According to latest data, Sikkim produces some 80,000 million tonnes of farm products, including 45,890 million tonnes of ginger, 3,510 million tonnes of large cardamom, 2,790 million tonnes of turmeric, 4,100 million tonnes of buckwheat, 3,210 million tonnes of urad daal and 20,110 million tonnes of mandarin oranges.

“Significant portion of these products are already organic.”

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

EKLA CHALO RE...


Jodi tor đak shune keu na ashe tôbe êkla chôlo re,
Êkla chôlo, êkla chôlo, êkla chôlo, êkla chôlo re.
Jodi keu kôtha na kôe, ore ore o ôbhaga,
Jodi shôbai thake mukh firaee shôbai kôre bhôe---
Tôbe pôran khule
O tui mukh fuţe tor moner kôtha êkla bôlo re.
Jodi shôbai fire jae, ore ore o ôbhaga,
Jodi gôhon pôthe jabar kale keu fire na chae---
Tôbe pôther kãţa
O tui rôktomakha chôrontôle êkla dôlo re.
Jodi alo na dhôre, ore ore o ôbhaga,
Jodi jhôŗ-badole ãdhar rate duar dêe ghôre---
Tôbe bojranôle
Apon buker pãjor jalie nie êkla jôlo re.

Nobel Lauraete Rabindra Nath Tagore wrote this beautiful inspirational song long-long time ago... ‘Walk alone... even if no one listens to your call... you keep walking alone...’


It is the Priceless Smile of the Tiny-Tots that keeps the individual to work zealously and with passion...

It sounds so inspirational and so wonderful... but ask the individual, who is walking alone... the struggle, the efforts, the pain, the obstacles, the miseries, the depression, the moments of despair & disappointments, the moments of helplessness, the dilemma, the trauma, the moments, where in the individual doesn’t really know what to do next... except God, no one other than the individual can ever understand or feel it and it is so-so very difficult to express it to the world in words... worst of all, the individual cannot even share it with anyone but self... because only the individual can and will understand all that is happening deep down in his heart, mind and soul!

Stories of success is liked by one and all... there are ‘oohs’, ‘aahhs’ & ‘wows’ by one & all shaking their heads for a momentary appreciation and awe, ironically after that particular moment everyone forgets to get on with their humdrum life’s struggle & so-called enjoyment to beat the stressful life that everyone is leading to the point of no-return... and but obvious,  no one seems to or is even bothered to know how the individual has succeeded after the lone long struggle in the quest for the betterment of others’ comfort and life... and worst of all, no one will even understand it... because the individual is often considered to be a crazy or mad person to do something, which the world doesn’t really bother about... but when the individual succeeds, then s/he is worshipped, awarded, talked about, quoted and written about by the same hypocritical people, who had termed the individual crazy, mad and what not... And the world always term it as the “fight”, which is so-so wrong...

While the individual sets out for a purpose to put in all the efforts to see the change one envisions, at the cost of one’s own comfort, the world always terms it a “FIGHT”. Only if the world understands the meaning of the two different words – FIGHT and EFFORTS... While the first one creates destruction, the second one brings good results... Deep down in the heart, mind and soul of the individual it is the ‘efforts’ that is struggling with all the demons of the negativity of the world surrounding the individual all the time, to see the ‘efforts’ bringing in something good in future to benefit others...

Often, I have heard individuals in the social circuit always quoting the cliche – ‘after all, we are doing social service for the satisfaction of the self’ – how wrong it is to say this! What satisfaction can an individual ever get for all the efforts one puts in? Individual, who has set out to see the world being burned, destruction everywhere, killings of innocent by the government, hunger taking lives of children, genocide everywhere etc etc – right in front of the individual’s eyes? SATISFACTION are for those who are satisfied in their own comfort zone of their cozy homes and 9 to 5 jobs... but individuals who set out to bring solace to others with love and care – will never be or can be satisfied till the last person on this earth is being helped and looked after well... with no hungry children deprived of food or water or clothes or homes or schools or jobs... so being ‘satisfied’ or ‘self satisfaction’ is out of this world for the individual.

As I wrote earlier, the world will never be able to understand the long-long struggle of the individual who is walking alone to help the needy with whatever one has... the ability to unite a few of the like-minded individuals to help and support, so that more needy are helped... is totally on God’s grace called ‘destiny’. Individual connects with the common thread of destiny to unite, help and support eachother with no greed, agenda or satisfaction but the sole intention being COMPASSION! Only a very few will dare to walk such a long walk as destined and their long walks are often not lonely, as many presume or will presume, because the individual will always have God’s and Angels’ presence to walk by the side! While the individual will face many obstacles from the world,  the God and the Angels will make sure each obstacle is taken care of, for the individual to march ahead!!!

Saturday, August 4, 2012

CORN O’ DEADLY CANCEROUS CORN...


CORN O’ DEADLY CANCEROUS CORN

Corn O' Deadly Cancerous Corn...
GMOs will cripple or gobble you all down...
So, all you GMOs eaters...
Blow the HORN ! Blow the HORN !!!
Don't, I repeat DON'T
Get. Murdered. Officially. Scientifically (GMOs)
Get. Murdered. Officially. Scientifically (GMOs)
As your own Government is hell bent to feed you the poison
Stop, I repeat STOP
The Genocide of Mankind (GMO)
Boycott the CORN products in your country
Boycott the CORN products in your country
Corn O’ Deadly Cancerous Corn, you are killing one & all
Corn O’ Deadly Cancerous Corn, you are killing one & all...
Corn O' Deadly Cancerous Corn...
GMOs will cripple or gobble you all down...

--- Johnny D ---
3rd August 2012