- HG Rasamandal Das
Over the past century or so we have seen tremendous information explosion and the scientists in every field have been able to scale newer heights in their pursuits. As more and more research initiatives are underway we see celebrations in the scientific community. The present-day research is getting closer and closer to the smallest unit of creation but at the same time losing what we call the “common-sense” understanding on the subject matter.
Let us take agriculture for instance. Decades ago, the farmer used to be the center of knowledge with regard to his land, soil condition, seeds, weather, growing season, harvesting, pest control, etc. He was all in all and though may not be possessing any qualification according to the present day standards, he was well-equipped for his requirements. He could manage his activity of cultivation based on the knowledge handed over to him from his family environment and confirmed by practical experience. He had the knowledge of weather condition and took advantage of it for sowing seeds and managing irrigation based on moisture condition. He had knowledge when to look for pests and what care to be taken in case of pest incidence. He had full knowledge of the predators in nature and also the available protective mechanism in nature which would not require much external interference. He knew that the yield of crops was dependent on the condition of the soil and he could see a relationship with all the entities in the nature. This means he had a holistic knowledge of what is required in his field of activity. Contrast this with the present day agricultural sciences. Over the decades we have created so many “specialists” and we are adding more and more to the list. We have the breeders, soil scientists, entomologists, pathologists, nematologist, germplasm experts, biochemists, nutritional scientist and of course the sterile laboratories. Each of them are becoming so specialized in their field that they do not understand the relationship that exists between one specialization and the other specialization. It is like the cardiologist, who specializes in his field but does not know what consequences his prescription drugs will have on the lungs, liver or other parts of the body. First it was the anti-biotics and now it is pro-biotics. So the modern education with “specialization” is confining us into narrower and narrower bandwidth of knowledge. Somewhere in the 60’s and 70’s we had the breeders in focus who with some advances in breeding technology established that breeding holds the key to improving crop yields. So they introduced hybrid seeds and with that came the need for use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The debate is still on the extent of damage the “green revolution” has caused to the environment in the most exploited northern states of India. With further advances in biotechnology, genetics, molecular biology, the emphasis is on genetically engineered seeds. It is argued that this is the only way that the growing population could be fed in the coming decades. The GM seeds have only thrown open more issues than it seeks to address. As is evident, in the absence of holistic knowledge the implications of introducing such a technology are not known unless its damages manifest at some point of time. A common-sense understanding is enough to establish that chemicals in the direct food chain will cause irreparable damage to health and progeny in the coming decades. From these advances in the knowledge what is imperative is that these are based on the exploitative nature of human nature and become more pronounced due to the influence of “kali”. The move now is towards mechanization or factory farming of food with control vesting with a few corporations or individuals. Meanwhile, the Varnasrama setup is non-exploitative in nature because everything is dovetailed with the design of the Supreme Lord. The farmer tends to understand his relationship with nature and is dependent on it for his needs and he is confident that all his needs will be fulfilled. Because he understands that he is part of the “living nature”, he develops an understanding and respect for it which is lacking now.
Over the past century or so we have seen tremendous information explosion and the scientists in every field have been able to scale newer heights in their pursuits. As more and more research initiatives are underway we see celebrations in the scientific community. The present-day research is getting closer and closer to the smallest unit of creation but at the same time losing what we call the “common-sense” understanding on the subject matter.
Let us take agriculture for instance. Decades ago, the farmer used to be the center of knowledge with regard to his land, soil condition, seeds, weather, growing season, harvesting, pest control, etc. He was all in all and though may not be possessing any qualification according to the present day standards, he was well-equipped for his requirements. He could manage his activity of cultivation based on the knowledge handed over to him from his family environment and confirmed by practical experience. He had the knowledge of weather condition and took advantage of it for sowing seeds and managing irrigation based on moisture condition. He had knowledge when to look for pests and what care to be taken in case of pest incidence. He had full knowledge of the predators in nature and also the available protective mechanism in nature which would not require much external interference. He knew that the yield of crops was dependent on the condition of the soil and he could see a relationship with all the entities in the nature. This means he had a holistic knowledge of what is required in his field of activity. Contrast this with the present day agricultural sciences. Over the decades we have created so many “specialists” and we are adding more and more to the list. We have the breeders, soil scientists, entomologists, pathologists, nematologist, germplasm experts, biochemists, nutritional scientist and of course the sterile laboratories. Each of them are becoming so specialized in their field that they do not understand the relationship that exists between one specialization and the other specialization. It is like the cardiologist, who specializes in his field but does not know what consequences his prescription drugs will have on the lungs, liver or other parts of the body. First it was the anti-biotics and now it is pro-biotics. So the modern education with “specialization” is confining us into narrower and narrower bandwidth of knowledge. Somewhere in the 60’s and 70’s we had the breeders in focus who with some advances in breeding technology established that breeding holds the key to improving crop yields. So they introduced hybrid seeds and with that came the need for use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The debate is still on the extent of damage the “green revolution” has caused to the environment in the most exploited northern states of India. With further advances in biotechnology, genetics, molecular biology, the emphasis is on genetically engineered seeds. It is argued that this is the only way that the growing population could be fed in the coming decades. The GM seeds have only thrown open more issues than it seeks to address. As is evident, in the absence of holistic knowledge the implications of introducing such a technology are not known unless its damages manifest at some point of time. A common-sense understanding is enough to establish that chemicals in the direct food chain will cause irreparable damage to health and progeny in the coming decades. From these advances in the knowledge what is imperative is that these are based on the exploitative nature of human nature and become more pronounced due to the influence of “kali”. The move now is towards mechanization or factory farming of food with control vesting with a few corporations or individuals. Meanwhile, the Varnasrama setup is non-exploitative in nature because everything is dovetailed with the design of the Supreme Lord. The farmer tends to understand his relationship with nature and is dependent on it for his needs and he is confident that all his needs will be fulfilled. Because he understands that he is part of the “living nature”, he develops an understanding and respect for it which is lacking now. 
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