If you have a great idea we have the landhellip

Uma Shankari Oct 9 2018

There used to be an advertisement for Titan watches a few years ago lsquoIf you have the inclination we have the timersquo I would like to say lsquoif you have a great idea we have the land a house a village and a history to offerrsquo Someone may ask lsquowhat about moneyrsquo I feel there is no dearth for money in the country what we need are persons with passion for an idea and the patience to carry it through

After about 30 years of living and working in the village I want to lsquohang up my bootsrsquo as they say but not before handing over to a new personteam to continue innovate and energize the rural economy and society in tune with the times Our land house and our history (of our work in the village and the district) are there on offer free of cost to anyone with noble dreams for our country and our planet I will be happy to assist during the transition with guidance and resources if needed

What we have tried to do in the last 30 years can be accessed from the links to our writings I have provided at the endHere just a line or two about what we did by way of introduction My husband (Late GNarendranath)and I went to live and work in his ancestral village called EPalaguttapalle in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh around 1985 Around 1995 Aparna and Nagesh joined us and we worked together and individually on several ideas and activities We also linked up with many broader forums to voice our concerns such as National Alliance for Peoples Movements Human Rights Forum Patriotic and

1

Residential House

People Oriented Science and Technology Foundation South Asian Dialogues on Ecological Democracy Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture-Kisan Swaraj etc

In particular we have pursued

1 Organic farming and agro-ecology

2 Mobilization of the farmers and advocacy for the right policies- concessional power better prices subsidies etc

3 Forest regeneration involving the SCST community and the farmers

4 Water resources mapping revitalization of local ponds and lakes and sustainable use of ground water

5 Eco-friendly life style around the concept of swadeshi- local to global

6 Land rights for Dalit agricultural workers and elimination of untouchability practices

7 Human rights and civil libertiesndash fact finding investigations on human rights violations and bringing them to the notice of authorities

8 Value based politics around concepts of ecological democracy- Harit Swaraj

9 A womenrsquos initiative to stitch cloth carry bags to replace plastic bags

10 An Ayurvedic nutrition management effort for children 11 Value addition to forest produce like Amla through pickles

To persons concerned involved in revitalizing rural economysociety the following areas may be of interest

2

Organic farming and agro-ecology establishing and operating training centre for farmers

Sustainable use of ground water resources Organizing the farmers into farmers producer organizations (FPOs) Organizing the farmers for their rights and for right policies (land

rights remunerative prices markets etc) Value addition to mango milk and millets Dialogue and exchange of issuesideasinformationtechniques with

the broader society Eco-tourism Character building and internal transformation of self through yoga

and meditation

The history and the village situation

My husband and Iwere managing a joint family property of about 36 acres but after his death we have partitioned and I have 10 acres of agricultural land in thevillage out of which 7 acres are under mango and coconut trees and 3 acres are under field crops Aparna and Nagesh have about 5 acres of land under mango trees They were engaged in forest regeneration ground water resource mapping and regeneration and eco-friendly life style along with organic farming in their fields and gardens The region was a thriving agricultural area till the mid-nineties Due to back-to-back droughts after the mid-nineties and excessive exploitation of ground water water resources got so depleted that farmers lost many crops and trees and farming of field

3

Well when it is empty (above) when it is full (below)

crops became risky Climate change has added to these difficulties Due to lack of work and income from farming and lack of non-farm opportunities in the village etc farmers and agricultural workers have migrated to Tirupati Bangalore Chennai and other cities The remaining

farmers are living from the income of milk and mango Mango trees were planted on a huge scale in the district and the state under the MNREGA scheme

Cattle-cows (and other livestock) have also been savior of farmers giving them a meager income on a fortnightly basis Fodder crops have become more common than food crops in the gardens and fields The Handri-

Neevawaterproject canal runs through the village When the water comes through it (in about 2 to 3 years) the farmers are hoping that there would be no water shortage

Possibilities

There are several possibilities and uses to which both our lands as well as the village lands can be put for regenerating the rural economy For instance the lands can be re-generated into growing viable rainfed crops or put into agro-forestry regenerate ground water

4

The hut for meetings

The cattle pond made in 2016

Coconut cum mango garden with dead stumps due to drought

resources lands under lakes and ponds (which are now dry) can be doubled up for solar panels the entire district has become a mango monoculture- value addition for mango beyond pulp (there are already several pulp factories in the district)and pickles can be thought of even in the most drought conditions the kanuga(pongamia) tree flourishes-we can do a massive agro-forestry plantations with local species of trees especially since most of the farmers have already planted their lands with mango Farmer Producer Organizations involving milk milletsand mango farmers can be organised We can also use the land for school clinic crafts or theatre dialogue forum training centre or any other purpose

Anyone with good ideas is welcome to contact me at phone no +91 9989798493 or email umanarendranathgmailcom I will be happy to support you with the resources (material connections etc) which we have built up over the years

Links to our writings

1 Uma Shankari 1991 ldquoMajor Problems in Minor Irrigationrdquo httpwwwepwinjournal199139review-agriculture-uncategorisedtanks-major-problems-minor-irrigationhtml

2 NarendranathG et al ldquoTo free or not to free powerrdquo httpwwwepwinjournal200553review-agriculture-review-issues-specialsfree-or-not-free-powerhtml

3 Uma Shankari ldquoWhat is happening to Cows and bulls of Sundarapallerdquohttpwwwepwinjournal198921special-articleswhat-happening-cows-and-bulls-sundarapallehtml

4 2010 G Narendranath ed Uma Shankari Dilemmas in Agriculture A Personal StoryVasudhaivaKutumbakam Delhi httpwwwarvindguptatoyscomarvindguptadilemma-narenpdf

5

5

People Oriented Science and Technology Foundation South Asian Dialogues on Ecological Democracy Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture-Kisan Swaraj etc

In particular we have pursued

1 Organic farming and agro-ecology

2 Mobilization of the farmers and advocacy for the right policies- concessional power better prices subsidies etc

3 Forest regeneration involving the SCST community and the farmers

4 Water resources mapping revitalization of local ponds and lakes and sustainable use of ground water

5 Eco-friendly life style around the concept of swadeshi- local to global

6 Land rights for Dalit agricultural workers and elimination of untouchability practices

7 Human rights and civil libertiesndash fact finding investigations on human rights violations and bringing them to the notice of authorities

8 Value based politics around concepts of ecological democracy- Harit Swaraj

9 A womenrsquos initiative to stitch cloth carry bags to replace plastic bags

10 An Ayurvedic nutrition management effort for children 11 Value addition to forest produce like Amla through pickles

To persons concerned involved in revitalizing rural economysociety the following areas may be of interest

2

Organic farming and agro-ecology establishing and operating training centre for farmers

Sustainable use of ground water resources Organizing the farmers into farmers producer organizations (FPOs) Organizing the farmers for their rights and for right policies (land

rights remunerative prices markets etc) Value addition to mango milk and millets Dialogue and exchange of issuesideasinformationtechniques with

the broader society Eco-tourism Character building and internal transformation of self through yoga

and meditation

The history and the village situation

My husband and Iwere managing a joint family property of about 36 acres but after his death we have partitioned and I have 10 acres of agricultural land in thevillage out of which 7 acres are under mango and coconut trees and 3 acres are under field crops Aparna and Nagesh have about 5 acres of land under mango trees They were engaged in forest regeneration ground water resource mapping and regeneration and eco-friendly life style along with organic farming in their fields and gardens The region was a thriving agricultural area till the mid-nineties Due to back-to-back droughts after the mid-nineties and excessive exploitation of ground water water resources got so depleted that farmers lost many crops and trees and farming of field

3

Well when it is empty (above) when it is full (below)

crops became risky Climate change has added to these difficulties Due to lack of work and income from farming and lack of non-farm opportunities in the village etc farmers and agricultural workers have migrated to Tirupati Bangalore Chennai and other cities The remaining

farmers are living from the income of milk and mango Mango trees were planted on a huge scale in the district and the state under the MNREGA scheme

Cattle-cows (and other livestock) have also been savior of farmers giving them a meager income on a fortnightly basis Fodder crops have become more common than food crops in the gardens and fields The Handri-

Neevawaterproject canal runs through the village When the water comes through it (in about 2 to 3 years) the farmers are hoping that there would be no water shortage

Possibilities

There are several possibilities and uses to which both our lands as well as the village lands can be put for regenerating the rural economy For instance the lands can be re-generated into growing viable rainfed crops or put into agro-forestry regenerate ground water

4

The hut for meetings

The cattle pond made in 2016

Coconut cum mango garden with dead stumps due to drought

resources lands under lakes and ponds (which are now dry) can be doubled up for solar panels the entire district has become a mango monoculture- value addition for mango beyond pulp (there are already several pulp factories in the district)and pickles can be thought of even in the most drought conditions the kanuga(pongamia) tree flourishes-we can do a massive agro-forestry plantations with local species of trees especially since most of the farmers have already planted their lands with mango Farmer Producer Organizations involving milk milletsand mango farmers can be organised We can also use the land for school clinic crafts or theatre dialogue forum training centre or any other purpose

Anyone with good ideas is welcome to contact me at phone no +91 9989798493 or email umanarendranathgmailcom I will be happy to support you with the resources (material connections etc) which we have built up over the years

Links to our writings

1 Uma Shankari 1991 ldquoMajor Problems in Minor Irrigationrdquo httpwwwepwinjournal199139review-agriculture-uncategorisedtanks-major-problems-minor-irrigationhtml

2 NarendranathG et al ldquoTo free or not to free powerrdquo httpwwwepwinjournal200553review-agriculture-review-issues-specialsfree-or-not-free-powerhtml

3 Uma Shankari ldquoWhat is happening to Cows and bulls of Sundarapallerdquohttpwwwepwinjournal198921special-articleswhat-happening-cows-and-bulls-sundarapallehtml

4 2010 G Narendranath ed Uma Shankari Dilemmas in Agriculture A Personal StoryVasudhaivaKutumbakam Delhi httpwwwarvindguptatoyscomarvindguptadilemma-narenpdf

5

5

Organic farming and agro-ecology establishing and operating training centre for farmers

Sustainable use of ground water resources Organizing the farmers into farmers producer organizations (FPOs) Organizing the farmers for their rights and for right policies (land

rights remunerative prices markets etc) Value addition to mango milk and millets Dialogue and exchange of issuesideasinformationtechniques with

the broader society Eco-tourism Character building and internal transformation of self through yoga

and meditation

The history and the village situation

My husband and Iwere managing a joint family property of about 36 acres but after his death we have partitioned and I have 10 acres of agricultural land in thevillage out of which 7 acres are under mango and coconut trees and 3 acres are under field crops Aparna and Nagesh have about 5 acres of land under mango trees They were engaged in forest regeneration ground water resource mapping and regeneration and eco-friendly life style along with organic farming in their fields and gardens The region was a thriving agricultural area till the mid-nineties Due to back-to-back droughts after the mid-nineties and excessive exploitation of ground water water resources got so depleted that farmers lost many crops and trees and farming of field

3

Well when it is empty (above) when it is full (below)

crops became risky Climate change has added to these difficulties Due to lack of work and income from farming and lack of non-farm opportunities in the village etc farmers and agricultural workers have migrated to Tirupati Bangalore Chennai and other cities The remaining

farmers are living from the income of milk and mango Mango trees were planted on a huge scale in the district and the state under the MNREGA scheme

Cattle-cows (and other livestock) have also been savior of farmers giving them a meager income on a fortnightly basis Fodder crops have become more common than food crops in the gardens and fields The Handri-

Neevawaterproject canal runs through the village When the water comes through it (in about 2 to 3 years) the farmers are hoping that there would be no water shortage

Possibilities

There are several possibilities and uses to which both our lands as well as the village lands can be put for regenerating the rural economy For instance the lands can be re-generated into growing viable rainfed crops or put into agro-forestry regenerate ground water

4

The hut for meetings

The cattle pond made in 2016

Coconut cum mango garden with dead stumps due to drought

resources lands under lakes and ponds (which are now dry) can be doubled up for solar panels the entire district has become a mango monoculture- value addition for mango beyond pulp (there are already several pulp factories in the district)and pickles can be thought of even in the most drought conditions the kanuga(pongamia) tree flourishes-we can do a massive agro-forestry plantations with local species of trees especially since most of the farmers have already planted their lands with mango Farmer Producer Organizations involving milk milletsand mango farmers can be organised We can also use the land for school clinic crafts or theatre dialogue forum training centre or any other purpose

Anyone with good ideas is welcome to contact me at phone no +91 9989798493 or email umanarendranathgmailcom I will be happy to support you with the resources (material connections etc) which we have built up over the years

Links to our writings

1 Uma Shankari 1991 ldquoMajor Problems in Minor Irrigationrdquo httpwwwepwinjournal199139review-agriculture-uncategorisedtanks-major-problems-minor-irrigationhtml

2 NarendranathG et al ldquoTo free or not to free powerrdquo httpwwwepwinjournal200553review-agriculture-review-issues-specialsfree-or-not-free-powerhtml

3 Uma Shankari ldquoWhat is happening to Cows and bulls of Sundarapallerdquohttpwwwepwinjournal198921special-articleswhat-happening-cows-and-bulls-sundarapallehtml

4 2010 G Narendranath ed Uma Shankari Dilemmas in Agriculture A Personal StoryVasudhaivaKutumbakam Delhi httpwwwarvindguptatoyscomarvindguptadilemma-narenpdf

5

5

crops became risky Climate change has added to these difficulties Due to lack of work and income from farming and lack of non-farm opportunities in the village etc farmers and agricultural workers have migrated to Tirupati Bangalore Chennai and other cities The remaining

farmers are living from the income of milk and mango Mango trees were planted on a huge scale in the district and the state under the MNREGA scheme

Cattle-cows (and other livestock) have also been savior of farmers giving them a meager income on a fortnightly basis Fodder crops have become more common than food crops in the gardens and fields The Handri-

Neevawaterproject canal runs through the village When the water comes through it (in about 2 to 3 years) the farmers are hoping that there would be no water shortage

Possibilities

There are several possibilities and uses to which both our lands as well as the village lands can be put for regenerating the rural economy For instance the lands can be re-generated into growing viable rainfed crops or put into agro-forestry regenerate ground water

4

The hut for meetings

The cattle pond made in 2016

Coconut cum mango garden with dead stumps due to drought

resources lands under lakes and ponds (which are now dry) can be doubled up for solar panels the entire district has become a mango monoculture- value addition for mango beyond pulp (there are already several pulp factories in the district)and pickles can be thought of even in the most drought conditions the kanuga(pongamia) tree flourishes-we can do a massive agro-forestry plantations with local species of trees especially since most of the farmers have already planted their lands with mango Farmer Producer Organizations involving milk milletsand mango farmers can be organised We can also use the land for school clinic crafts or theatre dialogue forum training centre or any other purpose

Anyone with good ideas is welcome to contact me at phone no +91 9989798493 or email umanarendranathgmailcom I will be happy to support you with the resources (material connections etc) which we have built up over the years

Links to our writings

1 Uma Shankari 1991 ldquoMajor Problems in Minor Irrigationrdquo httpwwwepwinjournal199139review-agriculture-uncategorisedtanks-major-problems-minor-irrigationhtml

2 NarendranathG et al ldquoTo free or not to free powerrdquo httpwwwepwinjournal200553review-agriculture-review-issues-specialsfree-or-not-free-powerhtml

3 Uma Shankari ldquoWhat is happening to Cows and bulls of Sundarapallerdquohttpwwwepwinjournal198921special-articleswhat-happening-cows-and-bulls-sundarapallehtml

4 2010 G Narendranath ed Uma Shankari Dilemmas in Agriculture A Personal StoryVasudhaivaKutumbakam Delhi httpwwwarvindguptatoyscomarvindguptadilemma-narenpdf

5

5

resources lands under lakes and ponds (which are now dry) can be doubled up for solar panels the entire district has become a mango monoculture- value addition for mango beyond pulp (there are already several pulp factories in the district)and pickles can be thought of even in the most drought conditions the kanuga(pongamia) tree flourishes-we can do a massive agro-forestry plantations with local species of trees especially since most of the farmers have already planted their lands with mango Farmer Producer Organizations involving milk milletsand mango farmers can be organised We can also use the land for school clinic crafts or theatre dialogue forum training centre or any other purpose

Anyone with good ideas is welcome to contact me at phone no +91 9989798493 or email umanarendranathgmailcom I will be happy to support you with the resources (material connections etc) which we have built up over the years

Links to our writings

1 Uma Shankari 1991 ldquoMajor Problems in Minor Irrigationrdquo httpwwwepwinjournal199139review-agriculture-uncategorisedtanks-major-problems-minor-irrigationhtml

2 NarendranathG et al ldquoTo free or not to free powerrdquo httpwwwepwinjournal200553review-agriculture-review-issues-specialsfree-or-not-free-powerhtml

3 Uma Shankari ldquoWhat is happening to Cows and bulls of Sundarapallerdquohttpwwwepwinjournal198921special-articleswhat-happening-cows-and-bulls-sundarapallehtml

4 2010 G Narendranath ed Uma Shankari Dilemmas in Agriculture A Personal StoryVasudhaivaKutumbakam Delhi httpwwwarvindguptatoyscomarvindguptadilemma-narenpdf

5

5

Uma Shankari 2015 ldquoCow and Bull Story of Venkatramapuramrdquo in Knowledge for Change In memory of Dr NK Sanghi WASSAN Foundation and Permanent Green Hyderabad

6 Uma Shankari Agrarian Crisis A Ringside ViewmdashI | Economic and Political Weekly

httpswwwepwinjournal20187notesagrarian-crisishtml

Agrarian Crisis A Ringside ViewmdashII | Economic and Political Weeklyhttpswwwepwinjournal20188notesagrarian-crisishtml

6