Insightful newsletter of Drishtikone: Issue #197 - Ossifying the Living
Our current ways will bring untold disaster - economic, ecological, and social. Yet the unscrupulous are pushing false and regressive narratives. State of Indian agriculture and its future - let' see.
(Photo by Alok Mazumdar on Unsplash \ Gaiety Theatre in Shimla (HP) opened on 30th May 1887, has the Gothic style of architecture. Legends like K.L. Sehgal, Prithvi Raj Kapoor, and Balraj Sahni have performed here)
“The purpose of computation is insight, not numbers.” ― Richard Hamming
Some people have a great idea to counter the march of karma - do nothing. Karma is multidimensional. As long as there is breath and time, karma is a natural consequence.
An ossified society is usually destroyed. Because the world is moving all the time.
Either you are up for the challenge of life or you are safe in death.
The binary is stark.
India has lost tremendously in the last 2-3 decades at least in terms of farmers, ecology, water, soil, and lives. And, yet, those who have the power to grab and those who have their idea of supremacy to install upon the world have thrown every tool in this fire that engulfs our lives.
Anarchists have been fashioned into farmers, chameleons have taken hues of activists and politicians have abandoned all qualms about breaking the country up. For what?
A narrative that makes the future of Indian agriculture even bleaker. While bringing our environment to the brink of a disaster.
It is time to look at the future seriously.
Indian farming of today is orchestrating an ecological disaster
The world is at an interesting juncture right now. The value of global equities is now 115% of the global GDP.
MSCI ACWI captures large and mid-cap representation across 23 Developed Markets (DM) and 26 Emerging Markets (EM) countries*. With 2,990 constituents, the index covers approximately 85% of the global investable equity opportunity set. Now, the share of US in the MSCI ACWI has increased from 50% in 2003 to 58% today (Source)
And, within the US, the Richest 1% of the Americans account for over half of household equity wealth! (Source)
Are we looking at the financialization of the global economies?
It’s when all the stocks in the world are worth more than all the goods and services produced in the world. (Source)
Why is this important? Because the mechanization, automation, and digitization in global economies and different sectors are fundamentally changing the future employment structure.
Here is a very interesting graph showing how the increase in automation = lower employment = rising productivity in a sector. As employment in agriculture plummeted, the amount of food grown increased exponentially!
What does this mean for India?
India is one the largest producers of most of the agricultural crops (both food grains and non-food grain) but ranks are very low in terms of productivity.
Check this table. India is even lower than Pakistan in cotton productivity, whereas the virtual water content is the highest in the world!
And, India exports produce such as Cotton, Rice, and Wheat to other countries. And, these exports are rising!
Exports of Cotton in India averaged 3962.62 USD Million from 1996 until 2020, reaching an all-time high of 9926.42 USD Million in 2013 and a record low of 800.13 USD Million in 2020. (Source)
Exports of rice and wheat have been growing at 84% (non-basmati) and 105% (wheat) now.
When you combine this with the almost mind-numbing situation in the virtual water wastage in India, you just cannot help but shake your head in complete disbelief!
Virtual Water Trade refers to the volumes of water that are embedded (or used) in the flow of exports and imports of products to and from a country or region. For example, 1 kg of wheat requires 1350 liters of water. That is the Water footprint of wheat. The Water footprint of different food commodities underlies the virtual water trade that is going on when those food products are imported or exported. (Source)
India’s record of VW waste is the worst in the world!
About 70% of the global unsustainable water consumption for irrigation (hereunder UWC) is contributed by India (28%), China (16%), Pakistan (13%), and the United States (12%) alone (Source)
India’s virtual water content - water used to produce the crop - for different crops is probably the worst in the world! Look at the table below - adapted from the data available. India ranks #1 in 8 categories and #2 in 11 in terms of the virtual water content of crops.
The bad practices embedded in the virtual water content of India’s crops mirror the very low levels of productivity in Indian agriculture. What does this mean?
We are exporting products where we are by far the most unproductive in the whole world - the exact opposite of competitive creed
We are maximizing the loss of virtual water in India and making other countries richer instead. This is an irreparable ecological loss!
This is an ecological disaster being constructed by our generation (and the past) with remarkable alacrity.
We are not just driving off the cliff, we are agonizing as to why we aren’t speeding fast enough!
And, this is not all. India’s Wheat and Rice storage facilities are downright useless, given the task at hand.
The Wall Street Journal reports that state-run warehouses have a capacity of 63 million metric tons, while grain stocks are expected to be 75 million. To make things worse, many existing storage facilities are low-quality structures that aren’t up to the job. This means millions of tons of grain could be lost through exposure, deterioration and pests—bad news in a country of 1.2 billion with widespread hunger and an estimated poverty rate of 32 percent. (Source: WorldBank)
The amount of food that is wasted in India is criminal, as we discussed earlier in our newsletter.
According to official data released by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, almost 62,000 tonnes of food grain was damaged in FCI warehouses between 2011 and 2017. In 2016-2017 alone, more than 8,600 tonnes of food grain was lost. Pests can be to blame, as are poor quality storage facilities that suffer water leaks. This waste of grains, mainly rice and wheat, is cruel in a nation with millions of poor. (Source)
Now, can you imagine the catastrophe of our own making that we are so hell-bent on accelerating with all these protesters who call themselves farmers?
why the ‘farmers’ protests are criminal in the context of our future
The Punjab politicians and other unscrupulous ones like Yogendra Yadav and the Khalistani backers are using this pretext to find their political relevance. But in that self-promoting journey, they are gutting the future of India down the drain.
If the farmer cannot learn to work with the new markets and the digital systems in the next decade or so, then he will die. He will be hanging himself to death at an alarming rate. For, whether the Indian farmer likes it or not, the world will not stop for him. He is already decades behind global ways. It is time he learns - and is helped - to shape up. And, the most well equipped in this fight should actually be the farmer from Punjab! Instead, the farmer who is running away from facing the future - like a timid, fearful creature - is the farmer from Punjab. That is the crazy irony of this situation!
one man - mass rapist - father of millions
Here is a quote attributed to Genghis Khan:
The greatest joy for a man is to defeat his enemies, to drive them before him, to take from them all they possess, to see those they love in tears, to ride their horses, and to hold their wives and daughters in his arms.
That is precisely what Genghis Khan did.
Since a 2003 study found evidence that Genghis Khan’s DNA is present in about 16 million men alive today, the Mongolian ruler's genetic prowess has stood as an unparalleled accomplishment. (Source)
When Khan’s DNA strain was followed and tracked, it was found to follow his march across Asia.
the Genghis Khan haplotype The haplotype we’re focusing on clearly tracks the boundaries of the Mongol Empire as it was at the death of Genghis Khan. The main exception to this are the Hazara people of central Afghanistan, who importantly have a claim of paternal descent from Mongol soldiers who fled turmoil in Persia after the collapse of Mongol rule over that nation. (Source)
The map shows it very clearly.
In fact, most of the Asian men have descended from just 11 powerful dynasts who lived as far back as 4000 years ago (including Genghis Khan). (Source)
something brewing - China, Pakistan, and new activity?
Meanwhile, a “joint-exercise” between Pakistan and China is in progress in Pakistan. Earlier yesterday, independent analysts found some activity going on.
AirForce (PLAAF) Y20 Heavy lift plane was spotted descending into #Pakistan near Bholari Airbase, along with it was spotted another unknown aircraft (suspected PLAAF) following the same route (Source)
And, the Chinese media confirmed it as well.
The Chinese air force’s troops set off on Dec. 7 for the Pakistani Air Force’s air base in Bholari at Thatta District in Sindh, northeast of Pakistan’s Karachi to participate in the China-Pakistan Joint Air Force Exercise "Shaheen (Eagle) - IX". (Source)
Also, China is creating a lot of reinforcements in the Tibetan area.
Came across a new observation at Shigatse Airbase, apart from the SAM sites & upgrades at the main aerodrome, its quite interesting to see how large auxiliary support units like the new solar farm, greenhouses spell out the overall intensity of expansion & population involved (Source)
The work of Galwan is not over as yet. The assault is continuing as are new plans by the enemy.
market corner - 10 quick bytes
Supreme Court in a recent ruling said that GST is applicable on the sale of lotteries, gambling, and betting - impact the Rs 50,000 crore lottery businesses in the country - more
Looking at India as a strong Supply Chain base and looking to hiring a dedicated India CEO, Says Bata CEO Sandeep Kataria - more
Cargo Traffic At 12 Major Ports Falls For 8th Month In November - more
Despite Covid-19, Rs 1 Crore-Plus Pay Packages Are Back At IITs - more
China trade surplus with the USA hits record $75 Billion in November as exports soar - more
ICICI Bank enters fintech space, launches 'iMobile Pay' application - more
Seven in 10 Indian workers say they’re experiencing stress at work on at least a weekly basis, according to new data out from global payroll and HR firm ADP - more
HDFC Bank's frequent digital outages credit negative says Moody's - more
Hindalco invests Rs 730 cr in 34,000-tonne extrusion facility at Silvassa - more
Modi govt opens up the highway construction for mid-sized firms; new move may bring more bids for road infra projects - more
nota bene
Actor joins BJP: Actor-turned-politician Vijayashanti quit Congress to join the Bharatiya Janata Party today, a day after meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah. (Source)
Sex Workers badly hit: Findings of new research indicate that more than 90 percent of commercial sex workers in three states are facing the prospect of permanent debt bondage by the end of this year. The research, conducted by Dr. Beulah Shekhar, Emeritus Professor of Criminology at Karunya Institute of Technology Sciences (KITS) in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, examines the financial exploitation the community faces in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Source)
Kerala Govt to trash farm laws: The Kerala government will not implement the contentious farm laws and will move the Supreme Court against them this week itself, Agriculture Minister V S Sunilkumar said here on Monday. "We will not implement the farm laws. The state government is ready to face any action to be taken by the central government. (Source)
Israel and US dealing with 'aliens': Prominent Israeli Professor and Retired General Haim Eshed has claimed that Israel and the US are dealing with aliens who do not want to be identified because "humanity is not ready yet," Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Saturday. Eshed served from 1981 to 2010 as the head of Israel's security space program, explained the Jewish Press. It noted that he received the Israel Security Award three times, twice for confidential technological inventions. (Source)
Weather Mods by Chinese: CNN reports that China wants to increase the total size of its weather modification test area to 5.5 million square miles by 2025 — a huge increase, and an area larger than that of the entire country of India, which could affect the environment on an epic scale and even potentially spur conflict with nearby countries. (Source)
the Shaolin Master - journey to the mountain
It is very easy to find a spiritual tradition that is true to seeking the Truth. It will not involve any belief. It will need trust for sure to undertake the journey and steadfastness in a journey, but whether you continue on that journey or not is totally up to you. How you undertake that journey will decide how far you go.
For me, it is always refreshing to see products of a true spiritual tradition that still has its core intact. There is none in the West, and with the foundational ethos that there is in the West, I don’t think any can even come about until every belief is thrown out. In the East, the curse of the belief systems of the deserts has also destroyed a lot. Some do remain intact somehow though. Here is a talk that one should listen to quietly and slowly. Just beautiful.
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