The farm land, beside the stream, across where we live, was used for cultivating rice for at least hundred years from what people in the village can remember.
Since one year, acres of land stretching beyond what w can see, got converted to be a rubber nursery, with saplings exported to Malaysia and other countries. I am told it is hugely profitable business.
The ecology of the land has changed. The feathered friends have disappeared as the place is busy with activity all the time of the year.
The land used earlier for farming and residential purposes have got converted for commercial purposes in the recent years. The land as an investment has become a popular concept, with real estate values soaring high!
People who had small holdings got lured by the sale value, that many sold their farms.
The farm land around us has more industrial activity than agricultural activity. The industrialisation that has now got extended to rural areas, has already changed the rural life style. The traction for wealth creation is a powerful motive for young entrepreneurs.
The urbanisation of villages is bringing up another disparity. There is widening economic disparity between those who create wealth and those who remain disadvantaged.
When we see the ethos and ethics in developed countries like the USA, Canada, UK, etc where the value based life pursuit is replaced by conveniences and compromises, one wonders whether the move from being a developing country to a developed country is also with new social hazards!
I wish, economic development springs from some foundational values, of morality, justice, equity and fairness!
When I take a bunch of banana to the market, I fetch 20 rupees for a kilogram, where as when I buy, it is 80 rupees or more for a kilogram. How can a farmer with a small farm survive, when somebody else gets the benefits of his labour! There is injustice at the very root of our developmental pursuit!
I wish there will be more focus in creating social consciousness to be more mindful of others!
M C Mathew (text and photo)
No comments:
Post a Comment