july-sep 2008

Title............

Honey Bee Vol 19(3) July - September 2008

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Contents

EditorAnil K Gupta

Editorial AdvisersRiya Sinha, Vijaya Sherry Chand

Associate EditorShalini Sharma

Editorial Support TeamKirit K Patel, Jyoti Capoor, Hema Patel, Ramesh Patel,Mahesh Patel, Deepa Moni Gogoi Tripathi, Vipin Kumar, NitinMaurya, Vivek Kumar, Rakesh Kumar Maheshwari, AnamikaDey, Ravikumar, Nirmal Sahay

Graphics and DesignUnnikrishnan, Shailendra Goraiya

Cover DesignPravin Mishra

IllustrationPalash Graphics

Administrative TeamR P S Yadav, R Baskaran, Bhoomi Shah, Daksha Makwana,Devshi Desai

Editorial AddressHoney Bee, C/o Prof Anil K GuptaIndian Institute of ManagementVastrapur, Ahmedabad-380015, Gujarat, IndiaPhone: 91-79-66324927; Fax: 91-79-26307341

Email: [email protected] http://www.sristi.org

Published by Riya Sinha on behalf of Sristi Innovations, Gujarat University Boys Hostel Campus,Near University Library, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad-380009

Printed at M/s Bansidhar Offset, Ahmedabad

PROFILEFor The Sake of Mother's Pain:Asu Yarn Winding Machine ............. 4

Honey Bee Regional Newsletter

Aama Akha Pakha (Oriya)Dr Balaram SahuKeshari Enclave, B- Block, Flat No-401Nayapalli, [email protected]

Hittalagida (Kannada)Dr T N PrakashCoordinator, HB NetworkDepartment of Agricultural EconomicsUniversity of Agricultural Science,GKVK, Bangalore - [email protected]

Ini Karshakan Samsarikkatte (Malayalam)Fr Hubby Mathew & T J JamesPeermade Development SocietyPeermade, Idduki - 685531, [email protected]

Loksarvani (Gujarati) andSujh-Bujh Aas Paas ki (Hindi)SRISTI, P O Box No. 15050Ambawadi, Ahmedabad - [email protected]

Num Vali Velanmai (Tamil)Mr P Vivekanandan45, T P M Nagar,Virattipathu,Madurai - 625010, Tamil [email protected]

Palle Srujana (Telugu)Brig Pogula Ganesham VSM (Retd)C/o Ms. Aruna Ganesham102, Vayupuri, Sainikpuri PostSecunderabad - 500 094Andhra [email protected]

Honey Bee HumsGujarati .............................................................................. 14Kannada ............................................................................. 15IAS Ideas ........................................................................... 21Book Review ..................................................................... 18News and Views ................................................................ 20Dialogue ............................................................................. 21

student went to a Zen master and askedhim if he would be willing to take him as

a student. The teacher told him that he wouldhave to take a test before he can accept him.He took him to a door and told him, “Behindthis door is a dark room, filled with several winebottles. If you can cross the room without spillingeven a single bottle and come out of the dooron the other side, then I will take you as mystudent”. The student entered the room and afterseveral hours triumphantly came out of the otherdoor. The teacher promptly accepted him as astudent. Then he told him, “And now you areready for your first lesson”. He went and openedthe door to the room and put on the light.The room was absolutely empty. He said, “Andthis is how you have lived through your lifetill now”.

Don’t we fear the unknown all the time,claiming to be affected by images ofunfelt and unseen phantoms? Weactually begin to justify inertia, evenwhen the road ahead is clear and visible.Perhaps those who pursue innovativesolutions do not suffer from such fear,such phantoms.

ACHIN-IVGolden Fungus in the Corn Field:A Case Where Weeding DoesNot Pay ............................................ 7

21st SHODHYATRA:Agony in Diversity : Will PatiencePersist? ............................................. 9

PROFILEKanti Bhusan Sen – A DoyenAmong Innovators ......................... 16

Kool sChOOL!Police DAV Public SchoolJalandhar Cantt. .............................. 12

Fear of Unknown


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EDITORIAL

Will you stand by the IPRs of peasants ?

Reciprocity with Grassroots Knowledge Holders

H oney Bee Network took lot of pride in unraveling theknowledge, innovations and practices of the localcommunities and individuals in the last two decades.

National Innovation Foundation (NIF) has already received morethan 90,000 ideas, innovations and traditional knowledge practices.Large number of these are not unique or even distinctive. Atthe same time, when similar idea or practice is reported from manyplaces, then it shows either simultaneous and independentdiscovery of these ideas or diffusion of these ideas from oneor a few centres of origin. My concern, however, is aboutreciprocity with those who have shared their knowledge withus. Let me first explain the processes through which thereciprocity is attempted in the Network and then ask ourselvesas to whether what we are doing is enough. The time has comewhen such questions must be asked because generosity of thepeople, thousands of whom have shared their knowledgeunhesitatingly with us, cannot be taken for granted. Lot ofknowledge is in public domain though the domain itself may berestricted either by way of the format of knowledge, the contextin which it is published or the means through which it can beaccessed. For instance, if there is a publication including a useof a plant similar to the one reported by the community, thenit makes the knowledge public domain. However, community maynot have accessed this journal or book and may also not knowthe language in which it is published. If it is in electronic format,then local communities constrained by their access to internetor other means of using electronic data may not be able to useit. Public domain in this case does not include certain vitalsections of publics? The transaction costs of learning for peoplein the formal sector go down through such publications withoutreducing the same for knowledge providers. Hence, the need forreciprocity towards local communities with due respect for, andrecognition of their knowledge and learning rights.

The reciprocity is attempted through dissemination in differentforms (publications, shodhyatras, posters, exhibitions, villagemeetings, workshops, students, visibility on the web, valueaddition, business development, Micro Venture Innovation Fundinvestment (MVIF), licensing and other means of lateral learningi.e., people to people learning). In addition, the feedback fromthe experts is also shared with the knowledge providers. Incases, where relevant and requested, patents are also filed. Thefact remains that if all the numbers are added, not even one percent of those who have shared their knowledge have receivedany tangible support from the Network or the Institutionsspawned by the Network. Is it only because of the lack ofresources, which is the reality or is it also because the Networkfor scouting and documentation has to bring in new skills,actors, and processes for similar excellence in dissemination andbenefit sharing?

What has been shared may be more than any other similarBenchmark but should that suffice? What are the questions we

must address if we have to find new ways of reaching themasses?a Can students of rural and urban schools and colleges be

involved actively in the process of disseminating relevantknowledge to the farmers, mechanics and other potentialusers in villages and cities?

b. Can the experience of IGNITE (a competition to scoutinnovations and ideas of school children) be drawn upon fordisseminating season and space/location specific knowledgefor solving local problems?

c Can children be encouraged to experiment from an early ageand use both modern and traditional knowledge with an equalamount of curiosity and healthy skepticism?

d. Can the knowledge holders themselves become the agentsof dissemination in their neighbourhoods? Can we reformatthe structure of local language newsletters/wall magazines sothat the message reaches the largest number of people in ausable manner?

e. How to create Village Knowledge Banks/Registers so thatlocal knowledge asymmetries among different sections of thecommunity can be overcome, erosion of knowledge can bechecked and local access can be improved? Can ICTs playa role in this mission? Will cell phone be the great equalizer?

f. Can a Network of Postgraduate Botany, Pharmacy, Chemistryand other Life Science departments be formed so as toinvolve students in doing experiments as a part of theirlearning, to validate local traditional knowledge claims?

g. How can the problems of grassroots mechanical innovatorsbe placed on the agenda of engineering students from degreeand diploma colleges so that they learn from innovators andat the same time pursue projects which have real lifeapplications and pre identified users?

h. How to create SCAI (Students Club for AugmentingInnovations) chapters in various Management, Commerce,and Accounting colleges so that the innovators and traditionalknowledge holders receive support for business planning?

i. Can we create GRIDS (Grassroots Innovation Design byStudents) chapters in design and communication schools sothat innovators can get the design support?

j. How to mobilize intellectual property lawyer community towork on the concept of technology commons to promotepeople to people learning and at the same time preventusurpation of their knowledge rights by the largecorporations? This is a huge agenda ahead of the Networkand will require fresh approach to achieve these goals. I hopethe members and the well wishers of the Network will sharetheir feedback, suggestions and action alternatives forinvolvement in achieving this mission of generating a fair andgenuine reciprocity towards knowledge holders.

Anil K Gupta


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For the Sake of Mother's Pain : Asu Yarn Winding Machine

Everyone gets inspiration from mother. But here is a story of a young innovator who not only got inspired byhis mother but also relieved the pain and suffering of all the mothers of his community. The financial conditionof his society has improved a lot due to his innovation, the automatic Asu machine. It has revived the dyingsilk sari of Pochampalli variety. Innovation rewriting the history!

PROFILE

Background

Mrs Laxmi Mallesham is perhaps the happiestmother in the small village of handloom weavers,Sharjipet. She has got freedom from the hours ofphysical pain and stress. Now she has all the timefor herself and her family, thanks to her 36 yearsold son, Chintakindi Mallesham.

Life without weaving onlooms is difficult in hiscommunity, so hisparents taught him towork on looms fromhis tenth year. Hestudied in the night,worked on looms in the

day, and managed to pass tenth class in the thirdattempt. Considering the financial condition of thefamily, he finally gave up his studies in 1986.

Pochampalli silk sari is an exquisite tradition ofdouble ikat style of weaving with combinationof variety of colours and intricate designs ofgeometrical patterns. It is distinguished becauseit has similar appearance of design on the frontas well as the back side of sari. Pochampalli saritradition got geographical indications certification(GI) four years ago making its copying outsideits region illegal. Before weaving these patterns

on loom, hand winding process of yarn has to bepursued, called Asu. Mallesham’s family has beeninto this tradition of weaving saris involving theprocess of Asu for several generations. Entire

design on the saris is totally dependenton Asu process. Traditionally, ladiesof the family performed this activityas it was done sitting under the shadeor at home. But it involved long hoursand lot of physical effort.

Inspiration

Mallesham’s mother used to do theAsu for the saris woven by his fatherand him. This process involvesmoving hand, over a space of onemeter up and down around multiplepegs, 9000 times for one sari. It alsodemands high concentration andaccuracy. For each sari almost fourto five hours were required. In a day,at the maximum, his mother could doAsu for two saris only, as it involved18000 to and fro movements of onehand. On each peg one had to windfour times before moving to the nextpeg. Thus a series of to and fromovement along a semi-circular setof pegs for the whole day causedtremendous pain in the shoulders andelbow joints. She would often tell herson that she could not do this anymore. For the family two saris perday were not enough to fetchsufficient means. This was not thecase with his family alone. Womenof his community looked after family,performed chores and also workedfor 8-9 hours to supply Asu materialfor two to three saris per day. Evenso many hours of physical drudgerywould fetch hardly any sufficientincome for the family.

His mother’s insistence on changingthe profession used to disturb him.Working on the loom was notstrenuous for him, but the pain of hismother did bother him a great deal.He wondered if there could be an

alternative method for Asu that wouldmean a better living condition as wellas less physical drudgery for hismother. If there is a power loom toreplace manual loom, why can notthere be a mechanical device toalleviate his mother’s pain? Thisthought became the genesis of the AsuMachine. So by the age of 20 years,in 1992, this young innovator startedhis dream project.

Earning, Saving, ImprovingMachine, Again Earning...

The vibrant world of modern,technology was unknown toMallesham, who had been a weaversince childhood. But a strong desireto relieve his mother of the paininspired him and led him further. Hestarted working on the idea anddivided the entire process into fivedifferent parts. Part by part, hedeveloped and fitted mechanicaldevices to a wooden frame. Sincehe did not have the right technicalknowledge he would end up wastingmoney in buying incorrect parts.That money used to be the savingsof days of his hard work. He thenhad to wait for some time to poolin his savings again and buymore parts.

A Dialogue on People’s Creativity, Experimentation & Innovation

Source: http://www.scribd.com/doc/9881856/GI-on-Poccham-Palli-Ikat-Designs


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He did not get much free time since he had towork on looms by the day and on the Asu machinein the nights. Earning, saving, spending on hisproject, earning and so on, became a cycle thatwent on for four years.

At the age of 24, he married Swarna. His wifesupported him by giving him whatever moneyshe had. With that money, he managed to completethree parts successfully in 1997. By now he haddrained all his resources. He stopped weaving andlooked for loans.

Perseverance

No one was ready to give him loans. Everyoneknew that he might default at repayment.Determined, he approached all the peoplewith the hope that some good heartedSamaritan might help him financially. Some didhelp by extending loans. With that money somemore parts of the Asu machine werecompleted. He used to go to Hyderabad toshop for relevant parts. By observation ofdifferent machines parts, he managed to completesome more portions of the machine successfully.

After sometime he reached a stage where he didnot know what to do, what devices to fit andfrom where to get more money. He needed sometechnological help also but did not know whomto approach.

By then, his family was fed up with his desire ofmaking a machine for Asu process. They perceived

it to be a useless distraction. He wasadvised not to pursue the machine andget back to weaving seriously.Frequent visits from the people whohad given loans, hurt his family. Hedecided to leave village to make aliving in Hyderabad. This way, hethought he would be able to clear thedebts and avoid constantdiscouragement for his dream.

The semi-finished machine waspacked in a room. He went toHyderabad in mid 1997 and startedworking as an electrical contractor

on daily wages. There he worked fora year and the money earned wassent home. After a year, he shiftedthe unfinished machine to Hyderabadand fitted it in his rented room. Hestarted working part time also to earnmore money. The additional moneywas used for buying machine parts.It was almost ready except for onemovement.

He reached a blind alley where he hadno idea about which part to use inthe machine for a particular activitythat involved the thread to go roundthe stem or peg and slide down tothe last thread perfectly. This actionwas taking a long time in becomingfunctional in the machine.

The Breakthrough

In Feb 1999, he went to work in amachine shop in Balanagar area inSecunderabad. A number of machines,caught his attention. He startedobserving each one of them. The ownershouted that he had come for workand not for watching the machines.This incited him to watch the variousmachines even more seriously. In onehe noticed a movement similar to whathe required in his machine. Immediatelyhe told the shop owner that he wasoff for the day and was prepared toforego the wages. He rushed to a

When did you last think of a new idea ?


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workshop, and got a part manufactured to suitthe requirement. With excitement in his heart, hereached his room, fitted the component to themachine, and started the operation. Hurray it worked!Next day he disassembled the machine and wentto a friend’s house in Aler. The machine wasreassembled and Mallesham demonstrated theprocessing of Asu. His friend used the Asu machinefor weaving a sari. The quality that came out wasbetter than the one obtained through hand operatedAsu process. The news spread like wild fire andthere was a beeline at his friend’s house to seethe Asu machine.

A Social and Financial Revolution

History was made that day. It was for the firsttime that a machine was used for Asu process,which was done by hands for centuries. Weaversfrom neighboring villages came to see the machineand asked him to supply one such machineimmediately. Overwhelmed by the response, hedecided to pass on the comfort to all the women

Salient Differences between Manual and Machine Asu Process

Manual Machine

Time for one sari - Four hours One hour thirty minutesNumber of saris per day - Two EightLabour cost for one sari - Rs Eighty Rs TwoConcentration and good eye sight required Not much human effort requiredOnly limited designs possible A wide variety of designs possibleSevere shoulder pain No effect on operators

of weaver community. No motherwould undergo the suffering like hismother did, for so long.

With the help of his brother and fewfamily members he started a workshopin 2000 to produce the Asu machinesfor supplying these to the weavers.He was now a contented man as hismachine helped a wide cross sectionof weaver community involved inPochampalli silk sari tradition.Employment, productivity andmarketability have visibly increased.Separate work centers for only Asuhave come up especially by those whocould not afford a loom. Ladies whowere hitherto engaged in manual Asuprocess have now learnt to weaveon looms like men. They have beenable to supplement their family income.Some loom less weavers have set up‘Asu Machine Center’ only and started

supplying Asu to weavers with looms.This is a new opportunity, only possiblewith Mallesham’s machine. For thoseweavers who wanted to ceaseweaving due to the difficulty in handAsu process, he has become a rayof hope. His mother can’t stop praisinghim.

Recognition

On 17 Oct 2008, while felicitatingMallesham in a Workshop conductedby Honey Bee Andhra Pradesh, inthe premises of Osmania UniversityEngineering College, Hyderabad, theeditor of the Honey Bee magazinenamed this machine “Laxmi AsuMachine” and dedicated it to SmtLaxmi, mother of the Innovator whowas the inspiration for such anexcellent innovation. The Laxmi AsuMachine is in the process of beingpatented. When invited to theInventors of India workshop held onNov 28, 2008 at IIM Ahmedabad,

Mallesham proudly talked about hismachine. In the same workshop hismachine was observed by theWeavers’ Association of Gujarat. Asuprocess is developed for a doubleikat weaving process. Interestinglyit was found to be useful for thesingle ikat weaving process also andso can be used by the weavers ofthat tradition in Gujarat also. Thepossibilities of introducing hismachine for different weaving stylesin other parts of India are also beingexplored. Till date he has sold 500machines. His mother does notcomplain of pain in her arms anymore. And Mallesham’s happiness isbeyond measure.


s


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CHIN-IV

Yongtiangui and Tangshugang toil in their farmsthroughout the year. Although educated only tillJunior High School, they have been inventing orinnovating affordable and useful devices andmethods for the farmers.

For a month after summer crop of corn, theyremained free. They found that during the sametime the farmers of the Muyu village were engagedjust for three-four hours per day, but earned asmuch as 300 Yuan (One Chinese Yuan = 7.2 IndianRupees) in a day. They were busy in tillinganother crop in their corn fields in a greenhouse.That crop was Dictyophora sp. It is generallysown in the green houses in the bamboo groves.Both the farmers started wondering if it could begrown in their corn fields also.

The Queen of Fungi

Dictyophora is a parasitic fungus, which growsat the root of the withered bamboo. China’s wildDictyophora originally grows in the hot and humidsub-alpine zone with the elevation ranging between200-2000 meters in the areas like Yunnan-Guizhoumountains. Because of the scarce supply in recent

years, its market price has risen rapidly. In otherplaces its cultivation has been undertaken in thebamboo fields. Dictyophora is delicious in tasteand rich in nutrients and thus is known as “the

Golden Fungus in the Corn Field: A Case Where Weeding Does Not pay

With an innovative bent of mind, two Chinese farmers stumbled upon a cache in their corn fields.They successfully cultivated expensive Dictyophora, a delectable, nutritious, parasitic fungus, asa secondary crop. The innovation has widened the prospects for the corn-growers and reducedthe investment which was manifold when the fungus was cultivated in a greenhouse on the bamboobase.

queen of fungi”. It is used to makeone of the luxurious banquet dishes.

Innovation Motivation

The market price of the wildDictyophora is about 250 Yuan perkg. Tangshugang thought that thecultivation of this fungus in the cornfields could give lucrative yields. In2000, he read about some peoplecultivating Dictyophora in Gutiantown of Fujian province. He thenwent to Fujian to study this kind oftechnology. Since the techniqueswere considered as trade secret,people there were not willing to sharethem. After three months in Fujian,he acquired only some simpletechniques of Fungi production. Buteven this helped him a lot.

Tangshugang said, “I own a piece ofbamboo field where several wildDictyophoras grow. Excavating withhoes myself, I observed the directionof mycelium growth, especially theway of hyphae growth.” Afterobserving and experimenting for threeyears, Tangshugang eventuallyachieved success in cultivatingDictyophora in a greenhouse in 2003.This needs bamboo as a basematerial. People may gain 30,000 to50,000 Yuan per acre by cultivatingDictyophora in greenhouse. And theproduction cycle is of three years.But the returns, in comparison to theinvestment and efforts put in, werenot sufficient.

Experiment

After visiting the cultivation ofDictyophora in Tangshugang’s

greenhouse, Yongtiangui found thatthe main function of the greenhousein the cultivation was providingshade. Dictyophora is a kind offungus, which prefers moist andshady environment. Having plantedcorns for several decades, Yongconsidered that the leaves of the cornswould perform similar function as thegreenhouse did in the cultivation ofDictyophora. Because the sunlightwas blocked by corns’ leaves, othercrops were not planted in the cornfield (Though in many countries,farmers intercropped beans withmaize: Ed). Yong wondered if he

could cultivate something likeDictyophora whose growth did notneed sunlight in corn field.

Yong first planted Dictyophora in asmall piece of field. He inoculated andcultivated mycelium. In April wheneverything was ready, he transplantedthe bags of cultivated mycelium inthe corn field. With worries andanxiety, he waited for four months.In August, the cultivated Dictyophoraeventually grew out of the corn field.

However, Yong discovered a strangephenomenon several days later. In thefield with grasses, the myceliumgrowth was better and thus also the

When did you last confess to your children that you did not know the answer to their question?


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fungi. No Dictyophora grew in the fields wheregrasses were weeded completely. Yong waspuzzled. Through observation and consultation,he concluded that it is good to weed the grass formost crops, except Dictyophora. If the grasses

are weeded completely, the direct exposure of thesun will dry and hurt the exposed mycelium. Apartfrom that, weeding may damage the mycelium of

Dictyophora, which is not good forthe growth of Dictyophora as well.

According to the expert opinion, thecultivation of Dictyophora does nothamper the growth of the corn. Itscultivation in the corn fields requiredthe investment of only 1,000 Yuan.More and more people have begun totry its cultivation. By making use ofcorn leaves to provide shade, theproduction of Dictyophora could be50 kg per acre and the output valuemay be 5,000 Yuan or more. The localfarmers constantly did research in thecorn fields in order to improve theirtechnique of planting theDictyophora, and finally they gaineda great success in the year 2004.


Now Dictyophora’s cultivation is oneof the major industries in China. Froman individual to a community,from a village to the whole country,the practice of cultivatingDictyophora in the corn field hasspread quickly. Yongtiangui andTangshugang have changed their andother ’s fortunes through theirinnovative insight.

NATIONAL INNOVATION FOUNDATION, INDIA

The competitionThe NIF, set up by Department of Science and Technology,GOI, seeks entries of unaided technological innovations andtraditional knowledge developed by an individual or groupcomprising farmers, artisans, fishermen and women, slumdwellers, workshop mechanics, students, local communitiesetc., in managing natural and/or other resources. Theinnovations can be in machines, gadgets, implements, orprocesses for farm operations, household uti l i ty,transportation, energy conservation or generation, reductionin drudgery, creative use of biodiversity, development of plantvarieties, generation of herbal remedies for human or animalhealth or developing new or any other low cost sustainablegreen technology related to various aspects of survival inurban and rural areas. Creative ideas for innovativetechnologies which have not yet been reduced to practiceare also welcome. Communities developing People’sBiodiversity Register (PBR) or People’s Knowledge Register(PKR) are encouraged to register/link their knowledge basewith the National Register at the NIF.

The awardsThe best three innovations and traditional knowledgepractices will be awarded Rs 1,00,000, Rs 50,000 and Rs25,000 each in different categories. In addition, individualsand/or organizations that make extraordinary contributionsin scouting grassroots innovations and traditional knowledgemay also get awards worth Rs 50,000, 25,000 and 15,000respectively besides recognition to many others. There willbe several consolation prizes of Rs 10,000 each in differentcategories depending upon the number of entries andincremental inventiveness and potential social andenvironmental impact. Three most outstanding innovative ideasmay be given prizes of Rs 50,000, 25,000 and 15,000 inaddition to consolation prizes of Rs 5,000 each. There arespecial prizes for innovations by or dealing with, physically

challenged people. The innovations /ideas of professionallytrained persons are not considered for award or financialsupport. There are special awards for journalists writing aboutgrassroots innovations and/or traditional knowledge andcreating greater awareness about NIF’s missions. The awardmoney may be revised in due course.

StudentsYoung inventors and innovators are invited to send their ideasor innovations for a special category of awards for them.These should be unsupervised, an outcome of their owncreativity, without any support from their teachers or outsiders.There will be prizes worth Rs 15,000, 10,000 and Rs 7,500 forthe best three entries and several consolation prizes of Rs5,000 each in this category.

How to participateIndividuals or groups may send as many entries as they wishon plain paper providing a) genesis of the innovation andtraditional knowledge b) its background and c) educationalqualification and occupation, accompanied by photographs and/or videos if possible and any other information that may help inreplicating the innovations/traditional knowledge. Herbal entriesmay be accompanied by dried plant samples to enable properidentification procedure. The Seventh National Competitionstarted on February 1, 2009 and the entries will beaccepted till December 31, 2010. Every entry should includethe full postal address to facilitate further communications.

Where to send entries?National Coordinator (Scouting & Documentation), NationalInnovation Foundation, Bungalow No. 1 Satellite Complex,

Premchand Nagar Road, Ahmedabad 380015, GujaratToll Free No 1800 233 5555 Fax: (079) - 2673 1903

email: [email protected]; www.nifindia.org

The Seventh National Biennial Competition for Green GrassrootsUnaided Technological Innovations and Traditional Knowledge

Co-sponsors

Honey Bee Network

CSIR

SRISTI

IIM-A


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When Jyothi does not want to let heat energy fromher traditional wooden fuel based hearth go waste,she develops a three-tier energy harvesting system.Near jungle, with enough wood around, why doesan innovation emerge like this? She has a shelfabove the fire made of bamboo strips. The paddyis kept on the shelf for drying and heating. Thismakes it easier to thrash them. Less drudgery andfaster output are the bonus along with harnessingthe energy. The third tier is a bag of seeds, smokedand mildly heated everyday so that pests are keptaway. Have we come across such a three tiersystem of energy harnessing anywhere else in thecountry? Has any R&D institution done researchto find out whether drying the paddy with panicleson fire would make it easier to thrash? May bethe desire to be frugal is imperative among severalcommunities, it is not a choice.

Most people whohave not learnt orseen this innovation,pound the paddygrains in the holes orpits made in the stoneon the ground: atechnique that musthave evolvedthousands of yearsago. There was nota single paddythrasher, even a pedal

driven one that we had seen in Shodhyatra in Purulia,West Bengal. Why should State be so indifferentto the genuine needs of the poor people in ArakuValley?

There was tremendous richness of knowledge aboutbiodiversity among the local communities. About70 people from different parts of the country walkedtogether to learn about this richness for around100 km from Borra village in Araku valley, toTitingvalsa in the district Visakhapatnam over six

Agony in Diversity: Will Patience Persist?

In Araku Valley, near Visakhapatnam, a region affected by extremist violence and extreme deprivation, with history oftribal unrest and also a tourist destination, the 21st Shodhyatra took place from 2nd to 8th June 2008. This region, whichis about 700 km away from the state capital Hyderabad, is rich in biodiversity. The tribal area still lacks in the basicamenities like education, health, transportation and communication. It is thronged by the tourists, looking for peaceand plenty in a hill station. The Shodhyatris, walked through the interior villages, for eight days, not only to find justunderdevelopment and unrest, but also creativity and some innovations.

Shodhyatra was organized by Honey Bee AP with the support from SRISTI, NIF, TERDS, Samata, Sanjivini, AdivasiMitra, etc.

days. There were farmers, innovators,students, professionals and NGOvolunteers from USA besides, a

television crew from a Franco-Germanchannel.

Araku valley is rich in natural andmineral resources. There are trees ofjack fruit, custard apple, and tamarind.Shodhyatris saw single jack fruit treeswith 100-150 fruits. There were smallplantations of curry leaves, green tea,adusa, and coffee. These contributeonly a little to meet livelihood needs.Paddy, ragi (finger millet), corn andturmeric are the main agriculturalproducts. The tribal use the water ofthe waterfalls for irrigation. Thousandyears old design of ploughs are stillin use. People here do not use the milkof the cow and goats, leaving it forthe calves. They use the bullock cartsfor agriculture, without using ropesto mind cattle while ploughing.

A Walking Library

When we honored DwarapudiAppalanaidu in Borra village, local

community also appreciated thatsomeone who had cared for theirhealth by collecting herbs from junglesaround, at least got recognized. Itseemed that creativity of ancientcultures expressed in 50000 year oldcaves near the point where the riverGomukhi originates, got connectedwith the contemporary communitiesthrough such healers. A VillageKnowledge Register was given to theVillage Chief to catalogue localknowledge. Vani Rupela, a Shodhyatrifrom Hyderabad was intrigued by theRegister’s concept. So far the tribalstruggles had been waged around Jal(water), Jungle (forest) and Jameen(land). The Honey Bee Networkthought it necessary to add the fourthdimension that is Jankari (Knowledge).Struggle for the right to knowledge,lies at the root of creating ‘VillageKnowledge Register’. This could alsobe a means for erecting ‘knowledgecheckdam’ or ‘gyan ka bandh’ to stemthe erosion of local knowledge.

A centenarian couple viz., Sara Sampaand Sara Sundar, was felicitated inSisaguda village. Sirgam Raghu, aherbal healer was honored inMulyaguda village. Raghu is carryingthe tradition of healing people using

21st SHODHYATRA

When did you last meet an innovator ?


10

Reminisces of Rallavalasa

Bauxite mines are located beyondvillage Rallavalasa. The road linkingRallavalasa and Damuku situated onVizag-Araku state highwaycommenced in 1996 by BorderRoads Organization (BRO). Theycut the hills, razed many trees andforests to ground, and used the localmaterial indiscriminately. Samata gotthe court stay on Road constructionin 1998. The road constructionstopped at Nimmalapadu village andthe bridge over the streamconnecting Rallavalasa andNimmalapadu was the last piece ofconstruction before the roadbuilding was abandoned. Even todayafter ten years, no government, busplies on it. This two lane road is notbeing used by the Govt to providelocal transport for the adivasis tocommute to near by towns. Are theybeing punished for their fight forrights?

We saw a practice of branding theskin at selected places on stomachwhich is believed to make childrenimmune, from many diseases.

No Poverty of Ideas

At Valasi, the Shodhyatris werewelcomed by impromptu recital ofsongs. Konda Babu, a young boy sanga Telugu song about the importanceof Science and Technology. Anotherboy sang about the paradox in society,about how the present education andtechnology can even ruin us. Bothsongs had been composed by a teacherof the village, who could not be presentfor the meeting. He was doing his bitto spread awareness of science andtechnology and again teaching theyoung children not to be swayedby it.

An idea competition for studentsbrought forth some bright ideas likewater-operated bike, on-demandmemory system, manual washingmachine, and fan operated withwalkman motor, etc. A herbal healernamed Sirgam Sanyasi Naidu and fivestudents with distinctive ideas wereawarded. At Rallavalasa after themeeting, there was a recipe contest.

Struggle Without and Within

The morning of June 4, started withbrainstorming session for theShodhyatris. Humbled by the toughterrain, uncomfortable and patheticconditions, they came up with novelideas like Idea wall in the metro cities,light weight kit for Shodhyatra, asolution which can clean the personin single dip while bathing to save thewater, sliding platform in the vehicle

for physically challenged and foldingbag. Before we left Rallavalasa, wewere told by the villagers that they alsohad Naxalites as their guests in the nightwho stayed few hundred yards awayfrom the place where Shodhyatris slept.

While the meeting was going on, a manwielding a stick suddenly startedscreaming at us. He told us that thereis only one stop in life, that goes toGod, and that we had no right to stopin their village, on their land, near theirtrees, and their hills. He appeared tobe drunk, but a further analysis provedthat he was disturbed. His name wasBoyina Rama Rao. He had been a veryvaliant worker of Samata during theirprotest against a road in the region formining purposes. But, Boyina RamaRao lost his balance reportedly due totorture and other hardships. Anincomplete road stood as a testimonyto the struggle of local people.

Two students who had represented thedistrict at state level in volley ballcompetition were felicitated in


the herbs available in the hills around. His sourceof knowledge is a book of leaves (tala patra) onwhich complete details of each likely disease inthat area, its symptoms, treatment, medicine andits doses were written in Oriya. He proudly showedus around hundred such books in his home. Whenasked how he plans to pass on this knowledge tothe next generation, he said he had no idea as hischildren are not keen to continue his profession.We suggested him to teach anyone in the village,boy or girl, who wants to carry on the traditionof herbal healing. While passing through this village,a different design of a wooden flour mill wasspotted with slight conical base to grind the localmillet grains with very low pressure. MostShodhyatris had not seen such a grinding mill ever.The multimedia database of innovations was shownin Medarparthi village after devouring a veryinteresting range of recipes made by local womenfolk as a part of recipe competition. Jack fruit

found abundantly in the region, was a commoningredient. Sugar Gangamma had prepared a sweetand sour curry from the seed and the pith of jackfruit which everybody considered as the mostdistinctive recipe, winning her a prize. VantalaBudhu, a herbal healer was recognized for sharinghis knowledge with the local communities. He hadbeen to Nagaland and learnt from north easterntraditional knowledge systems as well.

While going to Peddabayulu, Shodhyatris observeda rich diversity and honored Boyina Sanyasi, atraditional knowledge holder in the village. This isalso the village where Jyothi had developed herthree-tier energy harnessing system.

In Boddapudu village, a biodiversity competitionwas organized in which Shodhyatris alsoparticipated. Everybody was supposed to bringleaves of plants and narrate their names and uses.As expected, village children surpassed theknowledge base of Shodhyatris, particularly, theurban ones. The children and the local healerswere recognized for their distinctive knowledge.


11

dish called ‘ambali’ made out of ‘ragi’that looked like cheese in Kothavalasavillage. Children also shared theirknowledge of local diversity. Shodhyatrisalso saw a rope swing tied to the roofof cow shelter which enables the childrenon swing to live closely with cows andmay be talk to them

The next village Kodipunjulavalasa,changed the way we looked at therelationship between diversity andcommunity learning processes. Aftervisiting a check dam, Yatris were sittingon the steps of newly built community

meeting place. During a biodiversitycompetition in the village all otherchildren brought mostly common plantsand that too numbering five to ten. ButJyothi (8), surprised everybody (Coverstory of HB 19(2)2008). She hadbrought 25 different types of plants andnarrated their names and uses. On beingasked to call her parents, she just criedfor her dead mother and apatheticfather. Brought up by her grand parents,her soul mates must have been thoseplants.

The villagers also played volleyball withShodhyatris. Local community in thevillage Sirgam shared the knowledgeabout a fruit called ‘Jampra’ (Bixaorellana L) used for making natural dyesand edible colour out of it. The fruitswere purchased at very low rates butif value was added with in the village,there could be better gains for thevillagers.

Due to the apathy of the Govt towardsthe conditions of tribals, living in

Majjivalasa village. Joining Dhimsa dance withvillagers in Burja village after dinner, to the dinof special drums played by villagers, helpedShodhyatris get over their fatigue.

From Burja the journey proceeded downhill. PhilipBrachet and Elsa Mager, the Franco-GermanTV channel crew commented that the Shodhyatrisseemed like a sight of pilgrims visiting knowledgetemples residing at grassroots. Kiran Bhai, retiredgovernment professional, Ram Bhai, teacher atschool for deaf, Alag Natrajan, NRI now settledin Delhi, Kameshwari, faculty at GB Pant Univ,Ramakrishna, software engineer, Vinit and Udaywho had come from USA, were few of theShodhyatris pursuing their individual as well ascollective search along with scores of farmersand artisans.

After a three km walk, the yatris reachedBarringbandar. The elders also got involved inthe biodiversity competition held for childrento help in naming the plants. Two hour stop inthe village witnessed a unique open sharing ofknowledge experience by the Shodhyatris andthe villagers. The villagers informed thatpreviously the rice grains used to be big andthe plants small. But now it was the opposite.They also informed that once there used to beblack rice grains.

After stopping for a while at Kindangiguda,Madagada and Chompi, Yatris tasted a fermented

When did you last consume organic food ?

Araku valley, Peoples War Group(PWG) and left extremist (Naxalite)organizations had become active inmainly three neighbouring districtsencompassing tribal communityhabitats. On 5th June, 2008 in a policeencounter, commander of“Korukonda” Force of PWG was killed.Randev aged 28 years was consideredby local communities, a ‘martyr’. Wegot the message about the encounteron June 5th night and were alsoinformed about the impending two daysbundh following the encounter,which might lock us up in the valley.We were advised to move out of theAraku valley before 7th June night. Wehad to cut short the Yatra by a daydue to this development.

Shodhyatris used this opportunity tolearn from Samata’s experience. MrsBhanu from Samata informed that theyhad filed a court case against the leasingof calcite mines in Rallavalasa,Karakavalasa and Nimmalapadu ofAnantagiri mandal to a large privatecompany. And thus, we learned, whatappeared in the media later, “a majoritybench of the Supreme Court had givena historic judgment in 1997 against theleasing of mines in tribal areas to private

companies under Fifth Schedule of theConstitution (also called locally asSamata judgment). The judgment hadresulted in the annulling of all miningleases that were granted inVisakhapatnam, agency till then”. (TheHindu, Jul 08, 2008). The court had

Biodiversity contest winner: Jyothi Contd.. on page 21

Jampra


12

I want a high tech school buswhich can give alert signal asit approaches my bus stop. Iwould not miss my bus this

way!!

Why can’t we havnewspapers withvideo and audio

clips for illiteratewho cannot read?

Prashant, Class VII

Srishti Madan, Class IV

I a

I want to integrate thegait of a person with a mobile. As walking style diffe

person to person, the software will be able to identifythe signals based on the body movements while wa

If the mobile will sense a different movement once actwill lock itself and send a message about its locatiopredefined number. The system will also have a pas

option so that in cases of emergency, theoriginal user can unlock it.

sChOOL!KOOL

Why pierce skin toget a blood test done?

I wish to make a blood testing systemthat would do the required test byscanning the skin surface or testing

the skin excretions.

Pallavi, Class IX

Police DAV Public School,Jalandhar Cantt.

Contributed byPrincipal

Dr. Rashmi [email protected]


13

I want a weighing scale

and alarm attached to my

piggy bank, to check and

prevent any theft.

Gursimreet Kaur, Class IV

We want our schoolbags to have touchsensitivity so thatwhen anyone else

tries to open it, itsends alarms.

Deepanjali,Class VII

I want solar cells andlight bulbs in my

goggles so that theyget charged during day

and give light duringnight.

Why not a device to record

the intensity of pain in humans?

This will help the doctors

recommend the exact dose of

the painkiller, thereby

minimizing side effects.

Sukhman Deep Kaur,Class IV

Abhav, Class IV

Anurag Rathore, class IX

Manmeet & Aastha,Class IV & VII

sh my alarm clock hadd that would wake mejust like my granny.

fromd storeg.

ted, itto aord


14

Honey Bee


19301 Banyan Relieves Bloat in Animals

Due to overeating, animals often suffer frombloat. They experience intense abdominal painand have problem in breathing. To treat this

condition Balwantbhai takes ash of two – threekg of banyan (Ficus benghalensis L.) leaves,mixes with 500 ml of groundnut oil and makesa smooth paste. He gives it to the animals twicea day.

Balwantbhai Kanti Patel, Limkheda,Dist.Dahod.Scouted by Chandra Singh Patel

Use of Ficus benghalensis for gastricailments is well reported (Sanyasi Rao M. L.;Varma, Y. N. R. and Vijaykumar (2008):Ethno-veterinary Medicinal Plants of theCatchments Area of the River Papagni in theChittoor and Ananthapur Districts of AndhraPradesh, India, Ethnobotanical Leaflets, 12:217-226).

19302 Guavas for Diarrhea in Goats

For treatment of Diarrhea in goats, Narvat Bhaigrinds the bark of guava (Psidium guajava)and adds a pinch of alum and 100 ml of edibleoil to it. He strains the mixture and gives it tothe animals every three hours.

Narvat Bhai Versingh Bhai Kohli, Limkheda,Dist. DahodScouted by Chandra Singh Patel

The efficacy of Psidium guajava incontrolling pathogenic bacteria(Salmonella virchow, Shigellaflexneri and Enteropathogenic E.coli) and reducing gastrointestinal

motility is well studied (Lin, J.;Puckree, T.; Mvelase, T. P. (2002):Anti-Diarrhoeal Evaluation of SomeMedicinal Plants Used By ZuluTraditional Healers, Journal ofEthnopahrmacol, 79: 53-56).

19303 Healing Maggot infestedWounds

Animals having maggots infested,bleeding wounds, suffer from acutepain. To treat such wounds,Narsibhai takes 200 gm of tender

branch of kerda (Capparis sp.) andmakes a paste by adding castor oil.He applies this paste on the woundtwice a day for four days. Thereare no side effects.

Raghubhai Masharbhai Rabari,Dist. Banaskantha.Scouted by Narsibhai Parmar

The genus is well reported for its anti-ulcer and would healing properties(Jiang, H. E.; Li, X; Ferguson, D. K.;Wang, Y. F.; Liu, C. J. and Li, C. S.(2007): The Discovery of Capparisspinosa L. (Capparidaceae) in theYanghai Tombs (2800 Years B.P.), NWChina, and its MedicinalImplications, Journal of Ethnophar-macology, 113 (3):409-420).

19304 Pongamia for TermiteControl

In winters, the termites infest the fields,causing great harm. Dhanabhai takes 20kg of dry leaves of Karanj i.e Pongamiaglabra Vent. (synonym – P. pinnata L.)and 20 kg of goats’ excreta, puts thesein the 2x2 feet ditch and covers with soil.Adding water to the mixture

intermittently, he leaves the mixture todecompose for three-four days. Afterproper mixing, he pulverizes the partiallydecomposed mixture. During sowing, hemixes four kg of the mixture with 20 kgof seeds. This saves the seeds fromtermites and also augments the fertilityof the soil.

Dhanabhai Manabhai Damor, Dist.Dungarpur.Scouted by Ajmal Kumar N. Damor

The use of Pongamia glabra is well knownfor termite control (Bunders Joske;Haverkor Bertus and Hiemstra Wim(1996): Biopesticide Biotechnology,Building on Farmers’ Knowledge, Londonand Basingstoke, Macmillan EducationLtd, pp. 52-79).

19305 Kala Tapka (Black Spot)Disease in Turmeric

During the winters, turmeric plantsdevelop dark spots on the branches,

Contd.. on page 20

Banyan Relieves Bloat, Guava helps Goat

Em


15

Murugan, 36 (Thangachiammapatti, districtDindigul), has been practicing herbal treatmentof ailing animals for the last 20 years. He learntthese from his father who was also a wellknown animal healer. Following are few of hispractices:

19306 Elumburukki (Bone Emaciation /Loss of body weight)

Murugan treats bone emaciation / loss of bodyweight in animals with the herbal preparationof 100 gm of Akasa kilangu (Corallocarpusepigaeus Benth. ex Hook. f.), a handful of leavesof Urikkathalai ( Aristolochia indica L )., 100gm Amukkilan Kilangu ( Withania somniferaL.) and two leaves of Sotru katralai i.e. Aloevera (L.) Burm.f. He grinds them together,prepares half a liter of extract and administersit orally for three days.

The plant Corallocarpus epigaeus is reported tocure rheumatism (Sankar, S. R; Sinha, B. N. andSukumar, E. (1993): Pharmacological Studies onCorallocarpus epigaeus tubers, Fitoterapia,64(2):171-173). Withania somnifera is known toenhance bone marrow cell proliferation. Aloevera is reported for promoting liver health andalso as a cooling agent. The plant Aristolochiaindica is used to cure indigestion and worminfestation (Girach, R. D.; Aminuddin; Siddiqui,P. A.; Khan, S. A. (1994): Traditional PlantRemedies among the Kondh of DistrictDhenkanal(Orissa),International Journal ofPharmacology, 62 (3):209-214).

19307 Prolapse

Prolapse can be basically defined as an abnormalrepositioning of a body part from its normal

anatomical position; sometimes organs,such as uterus, fall down or slip out ofplace. Two distinct types of prolapsesoccur in the reproductive tract of cattle:vaginal or uterine.

For its treatment, Murugan grinds fiveplants (whole) of Thottal surungi

(Mimosa pudica L.) and administers thepreparation orally to animals.Alternatively, he also uses fruits ofKadukkai (Terminalia chebula Retz.).For this, he pulverizes the fruits into apowder form after removing the seedsand sprays over the exposed placenta.During the application, he holds theplacenta for maximum of three minutesand then places it into its originalposition.

Thottal surungi (Mimosa pudica) isreported for its gynaecologicalproperties (Coe, F. G.; Anderson, G. J.(1996): Screening Of Medicinal PlantsUsed by The Garifuna of EasternNicaragua for Bioactive Compounds, JEthnopharmacol, 53: 29-50). It is alsoknown for its antiestrogenic properties(Alsala, S. V. (2000): Estrogenic andAnti-Estrogenic Activities of Mimosapudica on Rattus Norvegicus, Journalof Ecotoxicology and EnvironmentalMonitoring, 10 (1): 25-29). Thisindicates its potential role for curingprolapse in animals. The plantTerminalia chebula is found to reduceedematous swelling (Lama, S.; Santra,S. C. (1979): Development of TibetanPlant Medicine, Sci cult., 45: 262-265).The formulation had a potent roleagainst estrogen, a gynecologicalhormone and to reduce inflammation

indicating its efficacy for curingprolapse.

19308 Anorexia

For animals not taking feed properlyand behaving in a dull manner, hetakes handful of each ofAduthinnapalai (Aristolochiabracteolata L.), Nilavarai (Cassiaangustifolia Vahl.), Avaranthalai(Cassia auriculata L.) leaves, grindswell and administers orally.

Aduthinnapalai (Aristolochiabracteolata) is reported for curinganorexic properties (Rao, M. L. S;Varma, Y. N. and Vijay Kumar (2008):Ethno veterinary medicinal plants ofthe catchments areas of river Papagniin the chittoor and Ananthapurdistricts of Andhra Pradesh, India,Ethnobotanical leaflets, 12: 217-226).Nilavarai (Cassia angustifolia) iswidely used in Ayurveda for curingindigestion and constipation.Avaranthalai (Cassia auriculata) isreported to cure constipation(Chhabra, S. C.; Mahunnah, R. L. A;

Mishiu, E. N. (1987): Plants Used InTraditional Medicine in EasternTanzania.I.Pteridophytes and Aloevera is reported to act as anemmenagogue (Saha, J. C.; Savini, E.C.; Kasinathan, S. (1961): Ecbolic

Making Dull Animals Agile, Others more Fertile

Contd.. on page 17

When did you last meet an innovator?

Email: [email protected]


16

Prof Kanti Bhusan Sen, aveteran innovator of Assamtriumphed over the mostunfavorable circumstances.He encouraged the study ofscience and kindled spirit ofinnovative research in theremote and often strife-torn

part of India, Silchar, headquarter of Cachardistrict of Assam. It is a town of tea gardens andindustry.

Born on September 10, 1924, at Silchar to middleclass parents, Shri Kamini Kanta Sen and SmtSuhasini Sen, he received his early education fromSarat Kalimohon Practicing School, Silchar andmatriculation from Narsingh High School, Silcharin 1941. He completed B Sc from BangabashiCollege, Kolkata in 1945.

In deference to his parents' wish, he left hislucrative job in Kolkata and joined the post ofScience teacher in a school at Borkhola villageabout 15 kilometers from Silchar. Here he tookan initiative to establish a Science laboratory.After his brief stint at that School, and thenCachar High School at Silchar, he joined thePhysics Department of Guru Charan College,in 1950 and worked there until his retirementin 1984. The first ever Science Course in thiscity was started at Guru Charan College in theyear 1949, but without proper laboratoryequipments. Prof K B Sen joined the collegeand taught Applied Physics and AppliedElectronics with the help of modestinfrastructure.

A Science Aficionado

He spent a lot of his hard-earned money inpurchasing expensive foreign books and journalsand in setting up a small laboratory at his homewhere his innumerable scientific modelswere developed. At the age of 33, he receivedattention of the people outside the Northeast for amodel popularly known as ‘Sen’s SlaveBox’ (1956).

Taking Science from Pedagogyto Common Man

To popularize science Prof Senalways tried to design models forthe public display of scientificconcepts. He would alwaysemphasize that his models wereonly designed out of his curiosityand to let the people know about

the versatile use of the roboticsand wireless technology. Hisexhibitions were popular time-outs for the local people.

Some of his popular innovativemodels were:1) Slave Box:- a robotic device,2) Steam Car (1955) - non-

PROFILE

Kanti Bhusan Sen – A Doyen Among Innovators

During ‘Shodhyatra’ in Kashmir, Honey Bee team came across a saying written on a school wall - “God bringsyou to the earth; teacher takes you to the sky.” Prof Kanti Bhusan Sen was said to be such a teacher in Assam.This profile is based on the contribution by Surajit Sen, Lecturer, Gurucharan College, Silchar. ([email protected])

electrical model in which kerosene wasused as fuel, 3) Bazooka (1958) - pistolwhich explodes pieces of flowers, 4)Robot (1959), 5) Wireless transmitter(1962) - predating the concept ofcommunity radio station by at least fourdecades, 6) Very High Frequency (VHF)Oscillator (1967) - it can become luminouswithout any connection, 7) Magic Prism(1968) - displays two different

photographs through the same viewingwindow for different tilted positions, 8)Hat Walkie-talkie (1970) and 9) Null-pointFinder (1972) - measures null point withhigh accuracy.

His creativity can also be gauged throughsome more models like Solar Battery,Transistor based radios for the kids,



17

Green Living, Green Death

The range of the innovations made by Prof Sen touched notonly the lives but also the deaths. He invented the Druta DahanChulli or Fast Burning Furnace in 1989 which can also becalled a green furnace for cremation. It is an environmental-friendly alternative to the traditional furnace for cremationamong the Hindus.

The heart of this ‘Druta Dahan Chulli’ is an electric blower,which is run either by electricity or by generator with properregulation. The fundamental improvement of this chulha isthe fast and uniform burning of the corpse.

The success of the ‘Druta Dahan Chulli’ in the crematoryground of Silchar for the last two decades is atestimony of Green Consciousness spread by Prof Sen. Hewas given a fitting finale in this furnace after his demise onJune 9, 2004.

When did you last talk to your grandparents?

Contd.. from page 15

Thank-you box, Electronic Siren that was used in theBangla Desh War, an Automatic Tea maker and Speak-o-phone.

A Philanthropic Physicist

Science was never a minting vocation for Prof Sen. Heextended his activities in the social sphere also, workinguntiringly for the civil rights and healthy civic life, also trainingunemployed youth of Silchar.

He was posthumously nominated as one of the distinguishedrecipients of the honor of the Physics Academy of North-East(PANE) for the year 2004. Prof Sen’s last and hallmark creationwas the designing of the electric-blower based ‘FastBurning Furnace’ (1989) (Druta Dahan Chulli, as popularlyknown) for the municipal cremation ground of Silchar. It hassaved energy and made the last departure perhaps morepeaceful!

Properties Of Indian Medicinal Plants, Part 1, Indian Journal ofMedical Research, 49:130-151). Emmenagogues are substanceswhich have the ability to provoke menstruation.

_______________________

Joseph, an agricultural laborer and cattle rearer, is eighty sixyears old and hails from Nellai district. He has learnt traditionalhealing practices from his mother. A few of his practices aregiven below:

19309 Animals not conceiving / Infertility

To cure the infertile animals, Joseph takes half kg of Neemkernels and grinds them in a country pounding unit called ‘Ural’.He soaks these overnight in five liters of water and filters thepreparation next day. About 100 ml of the decoction isadministered orally on empty stomach. During the treatmentJoseph feeds only dry fodder.

One time administration of this preparation is sufficient foranimals not conceiving or for repeat breeder. This treatmentenhances milk yield immediately, after calving, cures indigestionand anorexia. He normally collects Rs 50 from each animalowner after giving this treatment.

The use of neem as emmanagogue is well documented. It enhancesmilk production (Raghavendra, B.; Shinde, A. K.; Sankhyan, S.K.; Verma, D. L; and Vaithiyanathan, S. (2002): Effect of FeedingTree Foliage on Milk Yield and Composition of Lactating Goatson Semi-Arid Rangeland, Indian Journal of Animal Sciences, 72(1): 84-86).It is also effective against worms (Costa, C. T. C.;Bevilaqua, C. M. L.; Maciel, M. V.; Camurça-Vasconcelos, A. L.

F.; Morais, S.M.; Monteiro , M. V. B.; Farias, V. M.; De Silva, M.V.; and Souza, M. M. C. (2006): Anthelmintic activity ofAzadirachta indica A. Juss against sheep gastrointestinalnematodes, Veterinary Parasitology, 137 ( 3-4): 306-310).

19310 Poisonous bite

Joseph treats the animals suffering from poisonous bite withhuman urine, pepper, garlic and betel vine leaves. He takes 50

gm of betel leaves andgrinds them well alongwith 10 gm pepper and50 gm of garlic anddilutes in 100 ml ofhuman urine. Headministers thedecoction orally.Alternatively he usesKannupoolai chedi(Aerva lanata Juss.),betel leaves, garlic,pepper and human urineto make it moreeffective.

The medicinal herbs pepper (Piper nigrum L.), garlic (Alliumsativum L.) and Betel leaves (Piper betel L.) are reported asantidote to poison (htpp//www.informaworld.com). Aerva lanatais a very good diuretic (Vetrichelvan, T.; Jegadeesan, M.;Palaniappan, M. S.; Murali N. P. and Sasikumar K. (2000):Diuretic and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Aerva Lanata inRats, Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2000 Jul-Aug.,62(4): 300-302).


18

Ancient Wisdom (Sayings and Proverbs ofLadakh)K. Asfandyar Khan,Deputy Commissioner, Rajouri,Jammu Division. Kacho Publishers,Kargil (Ladakh) 2003. 116 pages

Ladakhi axioms have beencompiled in a handbook for agraceful life. It is said thatproverbs are easy to tell but hardto forget. They kind of spice upthe conversations and also helpin convincing others of therighteousness of our thinking

because they carry the wisdom of our forefathers.K Asfandyar Khan through his book AncientWisdom (Sayings and Proverbs of Ladakh) bringsto print the ancient, valuable knowledge of theintriguing land of Ladakh. He has encapsulatedthe insights of the past for the future generations.

Nostalgic about the Ladakhi culture, on which hehad done his Post Graduate dissertation but wasnot allowed to do doctorate because of his serviceconditions, he has brought to light its sereneculture. The author’s father himself has been awell-known authority on the Ladakhi civilizationand history.

The book has two parts. The first has introductionand the other part has 173 sayings with translationand commentary.

In the Introduction, he explains, the region as ageographical puzzle with its “…jumble ofstupendous mountains, narrow gorges and a windswept barren high altitude plateaus.” Vast barrensof pure ice would hardly foster a rich culture.But Ladakh has defied all topographical andclimatic conditions to evolve as “Wisdom of theEast”. The human population has survived theoddities to present a unique bio-human existence.Even the sayings reflect how Nature and man aremingled in this tiny, terrestrial beauty.

Brothers share the property of their father,Valleys share the water of its mountains.

Nature and family share so much in common.The truth of one stands as an example for theother. It also hints at the so much missingcompassion for Nature and the empathy betweenhuman beings in the modern society.

The battle of survival in the most averse climaticconditions has made the Ladakhi culture rich and

exemplary. The life in general is takenup as a struggle for survival. Theproverbs and sayings have evolvedout of those efforts. The authorshows how they teach us to livepragmatically and gracefully.

A long day has Three spells ofcoldness and warmth,A long life has Three spells ofplight and pleasure.

In a mountainous region like Ladakh,weather changes its moods severaltimes during a day. Life too, presentsmany shades of happiness andsadness and one should be preparedto face them.

The Ladakhi society is primarilybased on agri-cum-animal husbandry.Surviving the adverse climatic andgeographical conditions meantexperiencing different facets ofnature and life. From their sufferings,evolved their sayings. They offer aformal insight into their ways ofliving. For instance the followingadage reminds how even a mealneeds to be hard earned.

One requires an iron jaw, to chewThe food offered for service.

One needs to earn every morselespecially in the region like Ladakh.

The sayings quoted by AsfandyarKhan are a battery of related virtues:wisdom, discipline, prudence,discretion, knowledge, guidance, andunderstanding. They offerreadymade solutions to thegeographical, climatic and socialtribulations of life. The institution offamily has the utmost importance.The Ladakhi society seemed like anexample of a honeycomb where allthe divisions have an important taskto perform. Emphasis was laid uponthe loyalty to family and nation. Oneof the sayings goes:

One who does not know hispedigree is no better than abastard,

One who does not know thehistory of his country is no betterthan a refugee.

The maxim emphasizes to haveknowledge of the family traditionsand customs together with the historyof one’s native land. It gives senseof identity, individuality andresponsibility towards that society.

To emerge as a survivor in thecompelling circumstances, it wasnecessary for the Ladakhis to bracethemselves for the winters. The shortsummer months posed challenges forstocking grain, fuel and fodder. Thefollowing maxim makes a verypractical suggestion:

One must sow the Rabi crop firstthen attend one’s father’s funeral

With a short sowing season the elderstalk of sowing the next crop withoutwasting even an hour. Pragmatismscores over blind pursuits ofceremonies.

Treatment and Style

The sayings have been presented ina lucid manner. They have poetic andcolloquial qualities to them. Thefollowing aphorism rings in a fact oflife through alliterative sense:

A wiff of wool in water.

If wool is put in water, it shrinks involume. Same is the condition of thedepressed person. Sadness makes aheart heavy, but body light.

Universal Appeal

The earthly adages are meant not onlyfor the English readers but also forthe Ladakhi people, some of whomhave adopted other languages also.The author has preserved theoriginality of the axioms by using theLadhaki script as well as the Urduscript. The transliteration haswidened the reach of the book. Thus

BOOK REVIEW



19

it is not meant for the outsider tourists only butalso for the locals, particularly, the youth whohave spread their wings far. They have to remainrooted as the following proverb goes on to say:

One may forget one’s native landBut never forget one’s mother tongue.

The maxim reminds us to be attached to our originand culture in spite of moving away from thebirthplace. Without conserving linguistic diversity,we can’t maintain our cultural or even thebiodiversity.

The collection of the sayings is aimed at theEnglish speaking youth who often have little timeto pay heed to their ancestral knowledge.

Every child will experience maturityEvery foal shall become a riding horse.

With age, they themselves might yearn forattention and sweet nothings from children.

The sayings quoted are so interesting that thebook can be finished in a couple of hours. Theonly interjections that come are the grammaticaland spelling mistakes. But they appear trivial inthe gush of exciting treasure-hunting. And oncedone you will feel like you have hoarded thewisdom of ages. The author should be applaudedfor his efforts of bringing the Ladakhi culturethrough the words and spaces between thesayings. They are a bank with the safety depositsfor the ancient knowledge and ATM for thepresent and future wisdom seekers.

Tillers of The GroundMarion I. NewbiginMacmillan and Co. Ltd., London 1910

Today, science is just at the clickof mouse, but at the beginningof the last century, it was stillbeing researched and writtenabout. Published in 1910, thisbook is scientific literature in itsnascent stage. The authorrecreates the history of

agriculture around the necessities, fulfillment,changes and advancements. The book has been

written with the belief that inspirationand not information should hold keyto the narrative in the books beingwritten about science.

The ingenuity of the natives in makinguse of the last drop available for theirrigation finds mention in a vividpicture of a family mansion, that apartfrom the furniture has water jars,“One of the jars leaks a little, so theprudent Indian has planted threespears of Indian corn under the drip– this is “irrigation” on the smallscale.” The skilled British farmer hadvery little land for tilling so he movedto United States, Canada, NewZealand, and India and spreadagricultural practices almost all overthe globe, beating the natives (It is adifferent matter that whileproductivity did increase in manycases, sustainability declined.Further, this is no apology forcolonial expansion. Ed).

Agriculture today owes everything tothe workers as well as numerousscientists, botanists, travellers whotoiled for years to get the desiredresults. There is an interestinganecdote of Tajima Mori, a Japanesefor whom it took nine years to getthe citrus plants from nearby China,some 2000 years ago. Again it took19 years for farmers to experimentwith the cultivation of Smyrna fig inAmerican desert successfully. Thiscould happen only because thefarmers did not remain content withthe ignorance and agreed to spendlives in toilsome instead of the directproductive work. Yet the task is notfinished, and (in the words of theauthor) “… it is ours to aid it eitherby our work or by our sympathy withthe workers. Only thus we can carryon the work which the men of theStone Age began.”

After spreading the Agriculture, thetoilers started plant breeding, hybrids,grafting. The author also conjures thepicture of baffled farmers wonderingwhat connection barberries and

mildew had in the wheat field.Fighting, defeating, recovering fromthe diseases, became an additional stepin the development of agriculture.From the hard toiler, man has becomethe controller of agriculture. Thereis an example of gardeners in Paris,who regulate the yield of the flowersand the fruits according to festivitiesthat might change dates every year.

Treatment

The style is narrative and lucid. Eachchapter arrests the attention and leavesyearning for more. Explanations withthe help of the examples add to thezing. All through the tone is inspiring.History of agriculture is dotted withthe people who worked hard for years,failed, yet restarted. “We have failed;we must begin again.” Burbank spenttwenty six years on his experimentswith lilies (lilium sp.) to improve themby crossing. After crossing the lilies,he would wait for a long time till theyflowered, as lilies grown from the seeddo not flower for some years. Withtime and patience any type of plantcan be made (or modified), as wasproved by the great Dutch botanistde Vries. On an excursion in Hollandhe spotted a ‘four- leaved’ clover plant.He brought the plant and cultivated itfor “three long years” to get higheryield of four leaved plants. Collectingthe seeds of these, he then plantedmore of them and continued theexperiment for nine generations. Hesucceeded in procuring clover plantswith four, five, six, and seven-partiteleaves.

When a farmer laments over hisblackened potatoes the man ofScience steps in to say, “Courage!.....We can perhaps prevent the samething happening again.”

It would be wise for our generationto venerate and preserve the age oldefforts of tilling the land and add onto the goodness of the Earth.

And that is also the message of HoneyBee Network.

Will you stand for the IPRs of peasants ?


20

NEWS & VIEWSIGNITE 08

The national competition of idea and innovationsof school and college students was launchedat IIM Ahmedabad on 14th July by NIF inassociation with Central Board of SecondaryEducation (CBSE), SRISTI, and the otherpartners. In the segment one and two ofIGNITE 08, original, creative and innovativesolutions developed by the children were invitedalong with other ideas/innovations that solvedday to day problems. NIF received 961 ideasand innovations from 62 districts of 19 states.These ideas/innovations ranged from sectorslike transport, energy, environment, to generalhouse-hold utility items and some even addressedsocietal problems. Volunteers in Chennai helpedin organizing the campaign in the Southernstates. The launch was held on 23rd July inChennai. The awards for the same were to bedeclared on 15th October, the birthday of DrAPJ Abdul Kalam, which is celebrated as theChildren’s Creativity and Innovation Day byNIF. The award function will be held at IIMAhmedabad on 26th November 2008.

Beyond Borders: Creativity at the Line ofControl

Innovation Workshop at Tithwal Karnah(Actual Line of Control), J&K

In cases, such as in Kashmir, where part ofthe families live on one side and part on theother, ripples of any change in one partinvariably reaches the other. The Honey BeeNetwork volunteer, S.F.Ahmed took the initiativeto organize workshop in schools and villagesinvolving Tithwal community, having about10000 people. For almost six months in a year,this region is cut off from the rest of the worldbecause of heavy snowfall at Sadnah top. Majoroccupation here is pastoralism involving nomadic

or semi-nomadic lifestyle. Giventhe very weak situation about thepublic infrastructure for humanand animal health, the reliance onlocal knowledge and innovations isinevitable. It was to recognize sucha knowledge system, which playsa crucial role in survival of thepeople that the Honey Bee Networktook initiative.

Ahmed organized a three daysworkshop including introduction toNIF, SRISTI and GIAN, on the spotidea competition, biodiversitycompetition, prize distribution, etc.More than 200 students participatedin the activities and became awareof the NIF’s missions forrecognizing creativity and traditionalknowledge systems all over thecountry. It is hoped that peacefultriggers will radiate from suchinitiatives by enthusiastic volunteersin different parts of the country also.

HBN’s Scouting &Documentation Workshop

Honey Bee Network partners fromseventeen states across the country



gathered from 3rd to 5th September2008 at SRISTI for ameeting cum workshop organisedby NIF to discuss and deliberate onScouting and Documentationprocedures, problems andstrategies.

Regional Dialogue on Biodiversity

A Regional dialogue onImplementation of BiologicalDiversity Act and priorities forbiodiversity conservation, sustainableutilization and benefit sharing will beheld on February 1, 2009, IIMA.There will be interactionwith Chairperson, NBA and otherstakeholders in the field ofconservation and sustainableutilization of biologicaldiversity, ensuring fair benefitsharing. The outcome is aimed tobe a position paper on new initiatives,which NBA could take to strengthenits activities, engage with civil societyand the knowledge rich,economically poor conservatorsof biodiversity living in theforests, coastal areas and otherhabitats.

which retard their growth. This disease is called ‘Kala tapka’. To treat0.40 ha land Dhanabhai takes a tractor-trolley (six to seven quintals) fullof castor cakes and 100 kg of Karanj(Pongamia pinnata (L.) Pierre)leaves. He irrigates the field after spreading these. After the field dries, heploughs it twice and then sows the turmeric. Such treatment prevents theKala tapka disease as well as termite attack on the turmeric plants. Theyield is also comparatively better. Dahayabhai learnt this technique fromhis grandfather Kababhai.

Dahayabhai K Katara, Dist. Dungarpur.Scouted by Ajmal Kumar N. Damor.

Black spot disease is caused by fungus. Castor is reported to have anti-fungal property (Khan M. R.; Ndaalio, G.; Nkunya, M. H. H.; and Wevers H.(1978): Studies on the rationale of African traditional medicine: Preliminaryscreening of medicinal plants for anti-gonococci activity, Pakistan Journalof Scientific and Industrial Research, 21 (5/6):189-192). Pongamia pinnatais also known for its antifungal properties (Bhakuni, D. S.; Goel, A. K.; Jain,S.; Mehrotra, B. N.; Patnaik, G. K. and Prakash, V. (1988): Screening ofIndian Plants for Biological Activity, Central Drug Research Institute,Lucknow, U.P., India, Indian Journal of Experimental Biology, 26 (11): 883-904).


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Hairless Shaving BladeSudam Khade,[email protected]

There is problemof hair stickingespecially in thetwin blades whileshaving. Thehandle can bemade hollow andanyway we dowater through.The water in the

hollow handle can be diverted to remove hair fromblade.

Natural Insulation SystemVirendra Singh,[email protected]

In Rajasthan especially in the western part it getsvery hot during the summer and the buildingsdesigned today are less in height and follow a singlewall system which is thin. This heats the roomsfurther. If the walls are designed in such a waythat the outer thin wall and the inner thin wall hasan air gap (kind of insulation), the rooms will heatto a lesser extent and also if the height is increasedfrom usual 10 feet to about 14 feet, the lowerpart of room will remain cool. It will imporve thecondition to a great extent without an air

conditioner. (This is how ancientstructures used to be built. In Agra fortand many other such places suchdouble walled structures have beenused: Ed)

Pen for the DisabledDr [email protected]

Suppose a person’sfinger has beendamaged by accident orparalysed and he/shecannot hold the pen but

movements are stillthere, then alsoshe/he can write.For it we can make

a pen having rings on both side toput fingers into for writing.

Glasses in ClassesAkshat [email protected]

Wi-fi enabled spectacles which havea LCD screen, can project powerpoint presentation on one lens, toavoid lack of projection screens andalso allow weak eye sight person, togive instantaneous presentation.

Glasses With Wake-up AlarmTanmay [email protected][email protected]

To pull the students out of sleep beforeor during the classes, he has an ideaof sunglass with photoelectrical cell,light source and an earpiece whichcan make a loud beep. On the glassin one side there will be a light emittingsource and in the opposite side aphotoelectric cell as a receiver. In anormal condition, the light ray (faint)

Please gift a subscription ofHoney Bee to anyone you loveand care for;What could be a better wayto celebrate creativity anddemonstrate your love.

IdeAS!

Budding Bureaucrats Imagine Solutions!

As a part of workshop on creativity and innovation organized by Prof Anil Gupta for budding administratorsof India of the Elite Indian Administrative Service (IAS) in 2007, a spontaneous idea contest was organized atLBS National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie. Some of the distinctive ideas are given here.

will pass in the line of normal positionof eyelid, will be obstructed by eyelidand hence will not reach the cell. Insleeping condition the eyelid will remainin down position for a long time andhence the cell will receive light, sendan electric signal to the ear pit andmake loud sound to make the personawake. The setting of the photocellwill be such that due to winking ofeye it will not get activated i.e. it willneed constant exposure of say at leastfive seconds to get activated.

further ruled that, “only cooperativesocieties solely run by the ScheduledTribes could mine in such areas,subject to compliance with the ForestConservation Act and the ForestProtection Act. The Andhra Pradeshgovernment was directed to stop allprivate mining within the ScheduledAreas”, Frontline (21(19)2004).

But the deprivation has persisted; theregion seems to have been punishedfor not falling in line. Efforts wereon to amend the laws to circumventthe Samata judgment. How wouldthe tribal keep the low productiveland and yet not fall into debt trapsis another dilemma. Will they conservediversity by remaining poor? Shouldnot value addition in local knowledgethus become most urgent priority?Samata’s slogan of “Heath of Hillsis wealth of Plains” couldn’t havebeen truer.



22

DIALOGUEChildren’s Creativity across Borders

Hemlata [email protected]

I am Hemlata Ramsohok from the NationalProductivity and Competitiveness Council,Mauritius. We are currently working on theInnovEd (Innovation for the Education sector).The aim of the project is to promote criticalthinking, problem solving, creativity andinnovation among students, so as to catch themyoung.

The project has run successfully over the last foureditions. InnovEd 2008 registered a participationof 389 schools, more than 15000 students and1007 facilitators from the Republic of Mauritius.

I would like to know if there are possible areas ofcollaboration, since we are working in the samedirection.

(SRISTI/NIF will be very happy to help inencouraging visit of creative children fromMauritius to meet Indian creative children that isone possibility and perhaps vice versa. Please dolet us know if you think we could support yourwork in any other way, we will be most happy to doso. With best wishes and compliments for such anexcellent coverage of children creativity in yourschools. Ed.)

An Initiative

Radhika [email protected]

It was a pleasure to be part of Honey Bee’s thoughtprovoking session at MindTree. I have been afrequent traveler to the Himalayas and last yearwhen I was sitting under a tree at Jyothirmath, amother came and told me: “You people come, see,and enjoy the beauty of the mountains and go. Wehave absolutely nothing at all in ourschools……….. And so on”.

I want to contribute something somewhere, inwhatever way I can. I would be very happy if Ican enter your fold and be part of the network. Ido believe in the saying “Knowledge unharnessedis an affront to the Gods”.

Kindly suggest a way forward. I have been doingmy bit at a micro level, but was awestruck whenI saw the magnitude of SRISTI.

(Very nice to hear from you. I am happythat you feel motivated to get involvedwith Sristi and the grassrootsinnovation movement. Ed.)

Students’ Contribution

[email protected]

We just want to bring you up to datewith the progress made by theBrainstorming India students atStanford. They have been thinking alot about SRISTI’s role as a platformfor spreading and valuing indigenousknowledge and innovation.Specifically, they are interested inprototyping some new ways forSRISTI to share this knowledge onthe web.

They are thinking about developingsome website prototypes that wouldallow for the customized sharing ofknowledge. It is clear that there arevery different users and audiences-we have to see how to customize aninterface for farmers who may beilliterate vs. potential investors orother people interested in adapting orsharing innovations in other regionsof the country, even abroad?

(I think you have identified veryrelevant challenges, like the issue ofregular inputs from students fromdifferent language cultures will be veryuseful as an ongoing input. Ourdatabases must be accessible to localcommunities struggling with similarproblems around the world. Ed.)

Affordable Technologies

Chris [email protected]

I listened with great interest to yourinterview on the BBC’s Radio FiveLive program. I look forward tokeeping up to date with developmentsin affordable technology developed bythe people for the people. (It always helps to build links withthose who share our ideals and are

willing to bring new supporters in ournetwork. Ed.)

Wonderfully Simple

[email protected]

My name is Rajshree Prakash and Iam a research fellow at LancasterUniversity Management School,Lancaster, UK. I recently read a BBCpiece by Peter Day on the Honey BeeNetwork initiative that you have beenan integral part of.

Well, first I wanted to let you knowhow inspiring your initiative is!Wonderfully simple in thought, but Iimagine the execution could not havebeen easy at all.

(Thanks for finding inspiration in us.You could find a lot of information atsristi.org and sristi.org /anilg,nifindia.org., indiainnovates.com,gian.org. Do write back. Ed.)

US to India

Milind Makwana

I saw the video about NIF and itsinventions on IBN Live. As an Indiancitizen living in US for the last 5years, I would like to congratulateNIF and its whole team for all theseinventions.

I had goose pimples while watchingthe video and the inventions. Youguys are doing a great job andmaking India proud.

Thanks NIF!!!!

(Thank you for your appreciative andencouraging words that inspire us todo more and better. Tell us, how canyou get involved. Ed)

Looking for Linkages

Cyril [email protected]

I was one of the auditors of theManthan Awards workshop on social



23

entrepreneurship that Osama Mansar hadrecommended me to join. I was very impressedby the database about social innovations and yourinput about the link between social innovators, newtechnologies and social finance. I had launched inFrance a social venture fund dedicated to youngand innovative enterprise, in Paris Region.

I feel very concerned by the issue of the linkbetween social innovations, social entrepreneursand social funds and would like to go further onthis way. I would be of course very happy todiscuss these issues with you, benefit from yourexperience on these topics and have a betterunderstanding of the activities of NIF, GIAN andHoney Bee informal network.

(We appreciate your concern for our commonpurpose of social justice. Be in touch and let us knowthe areas where we can synergize. Ed.)

Volunteering

Amrita [email protected]

I am a student of BBA in PTU Jammu. I happenedto visit Gandhi Memorial College and attended theworkshop related to EntrepreneurshipDevelopment, grassroots innovation and innovativeideas. It was organized by University of Kashmirand NIF Volunteers. I was just surprised to knowthat organization like this is working in our state.

Such organizations like NIF can make a lot ofdifference in our state. I was restless to contactyou. I don’t want anything in return. I simply wantto be pure volunteer to do some thing in rural areasof Jammu.

(Your spirit of volunteerism is very impressive. Youcan certainly join the Honey Bee Network bysharing the information among your other friends,persuading them also to volunteer, send mails toyour friends in other cities and bring them also intofold. I hope you will also encourage students to domarket research for local innovations so that theycan expand their business and solve problems ofothers. Ed.)

Thanks Readers

Thanks to all our readers and well-wishers whohave been writing to us. We have receivedencouraging letters from Mr Daniel Spitzberg,Shruthi Rao from BBC, Ankush Vengurlekar, Azaru

When did you last consume organic food ?

Ii

Y.L. NeneChairmanAsian Agri-history FoundationSecunderabad

I read with interest an article on “Pumpkin-Bottlegourd Vine Fusion…”published on page 4 of the recent issue of Honey Bee (Vol. 19(1), January-March 2008). The information given under the item reminded me of afew verses in our publications,Surapala’s Vrikshayurveda (C. 1000 A.D.)and Lokopakara by Chavundaraya (1025 AD).

Excerpt from HB 19(1)5-7, 2008

Pumpkin-Bottlegourd Vine Fusion: Bijay Pramanik, villageKenda, Purulia, West Bengal.

I planted a bottle gourd and a pumpkin sapling closely andthen fused them at one place and after that both plants haveyielded more fruits.

He realized that pumpkin flowered a month earlier than thegourd. So when pumpkin needed more nutrients, it took fromthe gourd vine and vice versa.

I am reproducing these verses for the information of Honey Bee readers

Surapala’s Vrikshayurveda1. Verse 265: “If bulbs of various types of lotuses are uprooted, tiedtogether firmly with threads, smeared with melted butter and honey andthen planted, they produce those respective lotuses on a single creeper.”

2. Verses 25286. “If thick stem of cucumber and ash gourd plants aresmeared with honey and melted butter, then tied together with strawrope and then covered with cow dung they become one. If the stem iscut keeping the order of the root and the tip, cucumber too, bears fruitsof ash gourd size.”

From LokopakaraChapter Vl. Verse 22

Take two different species of bough or seeds. Cleave and join themagain. Anoint honey and ghee to the grafted bough or the seed and plantthe same immediately. When this grafted plant is well grown, it will havea different root bough and fruit bough.

In addition, the Mughal Prince, Dara Shikoh, who had compiled “NuskhaDar Fanni-Falahat” (c. 1750), claimed successful grafting betweenunrelated plant spescies, such as per and mulberry, orange etc.(Thanks Dr Nene, it is our privilege to hear from you, given your rich insights.But don’t you think joining two living plants keeping their own root systemintact and fruiting their typical way but drawing nutrients is a slightlydifferent variant of what you describe? Has some recent research takenplace on this idea, distinct from grafting. We look forward to hear from you,as ever. Ed)

Parmar fron CEE Jasdan, AdityaJhunjhunwala, an IIM Alumnus,Harpreet Singh from Madd,

Tarishraj Shah from Ocean Internationaland Sushant Thakur from theideaworkscompany.

july-sep 2008

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