Dr. K R Hullunache Gowda, who was given an honorary doctorate by Jeeva Theological Open University, Chennai, for his work in farming, belongs to Srinivaspura village of Kolar district of Karnataka. Back in the 90s he finished his post-graduation in Sericulture and started his career as a lecturer in Chikaballapur University.

However,Dr. Gowda could see how Kolar, which was once famous for its mulberry, mango and vegetable plantation, was facing drought and shortage of rainfall year after year,resulting in huge losses for farmers.

The bore wells, the only source of irrigation,had all stopped working. The farmers had to shift from agriculture to some other sources of livelihood. Most of them started working as daily wage labourers and had to travel to Bangalore and nearby industrial areas every day for a living. He then decided to leave his job and find out the reasons behind the farmers’ problems and possible solutions.

Mulberry

In 1995,Dr. Gowda planted mulberry in a row system usingthe traditional method that all farmers followed. In this method 5,000 small mulberry plants were grown per acre and only 250 DFLS could be reared. This required plenty of water and the labour cost was also very high to look after so many plants.

After years of research Gowda finally came up with a technique that solved all the problems of the mulberry farmers. He implemented dry land cultivation techniques for mulberry plantation.

In his mulberry tree plantation technique, per acre 430 mulberry trees can be grown and 300 DFLS (EGGS) can be reared. By this way the quality of leaves and cocoons became excellent. The cost of cultivation was also reduced to 50% compared to old methods.

By this method the farmers were able to grow mulberry with ease with minimum water usage. One family could maintain the farm without much labour and they were able to earn a living. This technique was recognized by Central Silk Board, and is implemented now in many parts of Karnataka state. Mulberry farmers from various districts of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh visit mulberry farms that are under Dr. Gowda’s guidance.

You may also like – Ever Wondered How Much a Fair Price for an Indian Farmer’s Produce Should Be?

The technique has now been adopted by Government of Karnataka Sericulture department, which has given a target to all district sericulture departments to do mulberry tree plantation in 1,000 acres of land in their respective districts.

Mango Plantation

Dr. Gowda also started a mango plantation in 13 acres of his land back in 2000.He recognized that the decrease in quantity and quality of Kolar mangoes was due to the ‘Stem Borer disease’, which was a result of excessive chemical usage. He then researched for organic methods to tackle stem borer diseases in mango tree. Today under his guidance more than 500 acres of mango farms are grown organically and ripened naturally. These mangoes were of very good quality and the farmers were delighted to sell them at higher prices. Seeing the results, many mango growers are planning to grow there mangoes in a completely organic method.

Pomegranate

Bacterial Blight of pomegranate was first reported in India from Delhi in 1952 and was of minor economic importance till 1998. Presently, the disease occurs widely and outbreaks have been recorded in all major pomegranate growing states, including Karnataka, Maharashtra & Andhra Pradesh. Bacterial blight of pomegranate affects leaves, twigs and fruits.

The investments made by Pomegranate farmers are very high. If the farm gets affected by this deadly disease, the entire pomegranate farm is washed out and farmers suffer major loss.

Dr. Gowda wanted to get rid of this blight through organic methods. After years of research, he implemented the same in districts of Chitradurga and Davanagere. He noticed that these deadly diseases were being controlled through his methods. He not only witnessed recovery from blight, he also gave them a very good yield to earn premium prices. Moreover, the cultivation charges went down up to 50% and the maintenance of the field became much easier. This was a major achievement for K R Hullunache Gowda in pomegranate crop.

Similarly many organic techniques were invented by Dr. Gowda to tackle the common diseases in the crops like coffee, grapes, areca nut etc.

Dr. Soil

Dr. Gowda also invented a unique innovative product in the form of Liquid Organic Plant Food that helps in growth of plants while also maintaining the quality of land known as Dr. Soil.

By natural process of decomposition Dr.Soil balances the PH of land, reduces the acidic part and neutralizes the land. Once the land is neutralized the absorptions of carbon capacity is increased which reduces the carbon foot print, which results in carbon credit. This process is important to get natural crop in natural environment.

You may also like – Date Farming Changed This Vidarbha Farmer’s Life & He Can Help You Set up a Farm Too

The most important aspect of farming is biological Cycle (soil food web). But usage of chemical fertilizer, which produces sulphuric acid kills the earth worms and other microorganisms and destroy the entire biological cycle very badly.

According to Dr. Gowda use of Dr.Soil will create suitable environment and earth worms and biological cycle will be back naturally. So it will help to convert almost all physical nutrients matter into available form for plants.

“By natural decomposition method Dr.Soil produce required gases like Nitrogen, and Ammonia also. These are helpful for plant to grow and create distance between two particles of land which can help roots to grow and get proper oxygen. Hard soil automatically softens and water holding capacity increases,” says Dr. Gowda.

Villages adopted by Dr. Gowda

In the year 2010 Dr. Gowda started the Sasya Sanjeevini Grammen Abhivrudhi Trust and adopted savayava grama Venugopalapura from Kolar District and Chikkajajur village from Chitradurga District.

The trust plays a major role in the developmental activities of these villages. All the organic inputs in these villages are available at 50% cost, remaining 50% cost is borne by the trust. Farmers here are following organic techniques and the trust has appointed representatives to understand the various problems in the village and triesto give solutions for the same.

Mobile vehicle to spread awareness among farmers

A mobile vehicle was launched to educate farmers from the trust. The vehicle travels to almost all parts of Karnataka to spread awareness. The mobile vehicle has a big-screen TV, speakers, pamphlets, organic books, newsletters and innovative videos to make farmers understand the need of organic farming.

Presently, the vehicle has covered more than 15 districts in Karnataka and has successfully reached the farmers, spreading awareness about organic farming

“Earlier days farmers were experts in their field, they knew exactly what they had to do. Over the years they have been misguided to use all sorts of fertilizers and chemicals, which in the long run have destroyed the soil and affected crop yields. Even the younger generation believes that they can cultivate only after using these deadly chemical fertilizers. It’s a major task to change their mindset to understand how these fertilizers have affected the earth,” says Dr. Gowda.

Dr. Gowda has spent all his life educating and training various farmers across the state. Thousands of farmers are happy continuing his organic techniques. He wants to continue his work in the same way so that one day the entire farmer community will adopt organic farming and stop conventional ways of farming. He proudly informs us how in his training sessions there are at least 15-20 software engineers who want to get back to farming.

“In just two decades the temperature has risen almost 15 degrees. We need to plant more trees, increase biodiversity. All agriculture land should have at least border trees. Wasteland should be converted to forests. Let us not blame anyone. Every individual should be the change,” he concludes

You can write to Dr. Gowda at hngowda@microbiagro.com or call him on 8884677001 or 9740088770

Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
NEW: Click here to get positive news on WhatsApp!

Monsoons in India is a joyous occasion. If you happen to be in the west coast of India next to the mighty Western Ghats, you’d see how the Monsoon is indeed an emotion to the people living there. While the Ghats may run for 1,600 km from Maharashtra-Gujarat border and down south to Kerala, it is the portion in Karnataka that gets the highest amount of rainfall.

Thanks to the broad mountain range that is conducive to precipitation.

Hence, during monsoon, the colours in the towns and villages of Karavali/Canara (the coastal region) as well as the hilly regions of Malenadu undergo a transformation. The shade of green gets darker, the black tarred roads turn muddy brown and you’ll learn that only the surya-marked black umbrellas can withstand the force of the monsoons.

Monsoons enrich and disrupt life so much (depends on how you look at it) — your connection to civilization is hampered due to the river overflowing or trees/electric poles falling, and schools and colleges declare holidays every other day.

Monsoons show us despite all the developments we have made, nature is still the one calling the shots. Many of the beliefs and practices around the monsoons in the Western Ghats reiterate the idea that our ancestors indeed worshipped and had an inseparable bond with nature.

Menstruating Sea Goddess

In T.S. Pillai’s acclaimed novel Chemmeen, there is an instance where the author describes fishermen don’t go out into the sea when it turns red as “it was the time the sea goddess had her periods.” Though he doesn’t overtly mention that this period is during monsoons, it is assumed as such, for this is a practice that can be even found today in Karnataka as well as Kerala.

You may also like: Delhi University Researchers Discover 4 New Frog Species in Western Ghats

It is during the first rains of the monsoons that old water and new rain mix, turning the waters red. It is during the monsoons when fish breed, and hence, through this belief, the marine creatures are given a chance to repopulate.

Many of such beliefs remain within the lives of practitioners, looked at with curiously from a distance by others.

Shiny Harbingers of Rain

Reliance on Male-Nakshatra (literally translated to Rain Stars) is a common belief among the farming communities around the Ghats and beyond, majority of whom still depend on the monsoons for irrigation. Traditionally, it is said there are 27 rain stars, but only 12 of them bring rain.

Each star has a period of 15 days, where each spell of rain is  identified with its name, such as Punarvasu rain, Pushya rain etc.

Unlike other parts of the world, six seasons are recognized across India and Nepal, where every two months a new season (or rutu) is introduced from Vasanta (Spring) to Shishira (prevernal or late winter). Each of the stars is associated with the months and the seasons they represent.

The Monsoon season or Varsha Rutu is believed to range from Mid-July to Mid-September when the stars like Punarvasu, Pushya, Ashlesha, Magha, Pubba, Uttara etc., bring rain. Each of these stars have folk stories and other rituals that are characteristic of the kind of rain they bring. The Uttara rain is said to be the most trustworthy rain, (falls around September 13 to 26) since people believe that if this rain does not come, children would not feed their parents. Since this is so rare, this rain is seen as a certainty. Similarly, around the time of Mage rain (around August 17 to August 29) there’s a practice of sowing the Munduga (indigenous dryland paddy) just before the rain is scheduled to begin. This needs to be sowed before sunrise, and in some version, naked, to reap most benefits!

Since the belief is of 27 rain stars, at least 27 different stories exist where gods become angry and women become rain, rivalling any stories of magic realism you have ever come across. However, what is undisputed is the way they are connected to the practice of agriculture.

A Bitter Blessing

A South Indian version of Karva Chauth, Bhimana Amavasye (Literally, “Bhima’s New Moon Day”) falls somewhere around late July- early August that is celebrated in most parts of Karnataka, Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh. While the focus of the worship here is one’s husband, the people drenched in Monsoon showers (especially Tulu-speaking populace of the region), expectedly have their heads turned in the opposite direction: towards nature.

Calling it Aati Amavasye, people will go to the forest to make a cut on the Devil’s tree or the Milkwood Pine (Alstonia scholaris) to collect the juice from the bark. The bitter juice, which is believed to have medicinal property, is given to everyone in the family before sunrise on an empty stomach as a precautionary measure. Since the festival falls during the middle of a rainy season, the old rainwater mixes with the new rainwater, a high-risk time for water-borne diseases and other ailments, it is believed that the bark known as the ‘Dita Bark’ can treat everything from stomach-ache to Malaria. The same bitter juice is even given as prasadam at many temples in the region.

When you’re so close to nature that every year new species are being discovered in your backyard, your life is bound to be connected to its wonders. For every story told, there are probably 20 more. However, what can be said with certainty is that human history is incomplete without stories that bind us to nature.

Like this story? Or have something to share?
Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com
Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
NEW: Click here to get positive news on WhatsApp!

It is a well-known fact that Sarnath Lions was adopted from the Ashokan Pillar by Dinanath Bhargava and other artists to be the National Emblem of India. However, as if a testament to the independent identity of Indian states bound by the aspirations and constitution of a union, the states in India too have independent emblems, state seals and coat of arms.

As most of us may remember from lessons in our school days, the formation of Indian Union was a fascinating event. Just before the departure of the British from India, the nation as a complete entity did not exist. There were five major princely states, Baroda, Hyderabad, Jammu & Kashmir, Mysore and Gwalior apart from numerous other smaller states, which were ruled by provincial governments like Madras, Bombay, Punjab etc. when India achieved its independence in 1947.

In his book Emblems of Indian State, published by the Massachusetts-based Flag Heritage Foundation, David F Phillips give a thorough introduction to the state emblems of the erstwhile princely states of India. After all, these state emblems are from the coat of arms of princely states, which was a concept derived from the Europe, and especially the British, in the case of India. According to Phillips, the Coat of Arms is essentially a visual system of 12th century whose vocabulary of geometric systems and stylized images was decorated on shields signified a person, place or an institution.

Many of these emblems or coat of arms of the princely states still exist in one form or another, most visible as the emblems of the states, which were formed following independence, based on language and ethnicity of the people residing in the region. These emblems visually allude to the uniqueness of the state through animals, birds, Hindu deities or other objects like a crescent (if influenced by Islamic motifs) that are associated with the state.

For example, the coat of arms of two elephants guarding the conch of the deity Sree Padmanabha was adopted by the Kerala government from the erstwhile princely state of Travancore. While the use of Elephant is an obvious one, the conch of Sree Padmanabha refers to the Sree Padmanabha Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, the wealthiest place of worship in the world.

However, the coat of arms of Karnataka government consists of a figure that is not as obvious as an elephant. Because it is not real creature. Hence, unless you know its history you wouldn’t be able to make as easy a connection as you would do when it comes to Kerala and the elephant. But, like elephants in Kerala, this figure can be found everywhere in Karnataka.

This is Ganda Bherunda, a two-headed mythological figure, the emblem of the State of Karnataka and found in the state’s coat of arms.

It is also the symbol of the state’s transport system. Basically, if you have been to Karnataka you’re bound to have seen it, even if you did not know what it actually meant.

Though a similar “two-headed eagle” appears in western canon, the Ganda Bherunda specifically appears in the Vedas as a form of Vishnu, that took shape following his altercation with Sharaba, a mythological lion with an elephant head and a form of Shiva.

In the coat of arms of Karnataka, the Ganda Bherunda is surrounded by two Sharabas.

While the bird is known for its magical powers, the Sharaba has more than the combined strength of a lion and an elephant and is an upholder of righteousness.

Of course, the official Ganda Bherunda used today is much less ferocious than the historic depictions, where its talons clutch two elephants on either side, with a snake in its beak.

In some depictions, its feathers have close resemblance with the peacock’s colorful tail.

Though there has been reference to the scriptures and temples, it was first inscribed on coins during the reign of Vijayanagara Empire in 1510. But it has been the official seal of many kingdoms from the Hoysalas, Keladis and Kadambas among others, including the Mysore Kingdom, one of the princely states of British India, which gave Karnataka the Dsara Festival as well as many developmental works, including the Krishnaraj Sagar (KRS). Hence, in many ways it was apt that when the state of Mysore (later renamed Karnataka in 1973) was formed in 1856 this figure became the official emblem of the state.

Apart from the mythological allusions, the bird connects the people to all the empires and kingdoms that ruled the region, evoking a strong sense of history. Moreover, the overall story of state seals and emblems stand testament to the the hybrid nature of our post-colonial existence, much like the figures that we have encountered here.

Like this story? Or have something to share?
Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com
Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
NEW: Click here to get positive news on WhatsApp!

An entire village in Karnataka has gone cashless and is etching an example of keeping up with the digital age.

Vondaraguppe, a village falling short of 60km on the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway, apart from being a sericulture hub, has become the first cashless village in Ramanagara district.

With over 90 per cent of the village’s inhabitants embroiled in the silk rearing business, most had never even considered the possibility of giving up cash-based transactions.

“For many decades, I never visited a bank as my silk business was carried through cash transactions. Today, I have an ATM card and I walk to the bank whenever I need cash. I don’t accept cash when I sell my produce. We transact only through cheques. I know my money is safe in the bank”, said Srinivasaiah, a 74-year-old silk farmer.

He is one among the 350 families in the village who have put cash in their banks that can be withdrawn using ATM cards and carry their business transactions entirely through cheques.

Easier said than done, the transition, of course, didn’t happen overnight. “Going cashless and convincing villagers to open bank accounts was not easy,” Dr BR Mamatha Gowda, who is the deputy commissioner of Ramanagara, told TOI.

“We had to conduct workshops to tell them why it’s necessary for them to transact through banks. We demonstrated how to use RuPay, which is an an Indian domestic card scheme. The women in the village played a huge role in making this happen. They held awareness programmes and brought in confidence among all,” she added.

While RuPay is being used for minor transactions in the village, small-scale traders are putting swiping machines to use for their daily businesses transactions without using cash.

Also, the women in the village have taken the extra initiative of raising awareness and have formed small groups to inform people about the benefits of going cashless.

You may also like: This Tribal Village in Chhattisgarh Has Zero Mobile Network, but You Can Still Go 100% Cashless

“We tell the women that their money is safe in the bank, and that they must keep the bank or the group informed whenever there is some transaction,” said Anusuya D, who leads a small self-help group in the village.

Even on the village administrative level, the transactions are carried out through cheques and cards. “Various government allowances and pensions are transacted only through their bank accounts. All of them have an Aadhaar card too, so there is no scope for cheating,” said Bhagyalakshmamma, a Gram Panchayat member.

Featured image inset source: TOI.

Like this story? Or have something to share?
Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com
Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
NEW: Click here to get positive news on WhatsApp!