REVOLUTIONISING INDIAN FARMING WITH ISRAELI TECHNOLOGY

Vertical farming, drip irrigation, soil solarisation etc. were terms that mystified 40-year-old farmer Deepak Khatker till a few years ago.

But thanks to the Indo-Israel Centre of Excellence for Vegetables in Gharaunda, Karnal, Khatker today uses the once unheard methods and skills to earn a hefty profit for his crop by a manifold increase in the production of his yield.

Situated 145 km from the state capital Chandigarh in Gharaunda, the centre opened in Jan, 2011 and is spread across six hectares of land, built at a cost of Rs. 6 crore by the Indian government. It was set up following the signing of the Agriculture Cooperation Agreement between India and Israel in 2008.

Experts from Israel visit the centre regularly and organize free training sessions for farmers, teaching them ‘protective agriculture’ and expand their crop yields while using fertilisers and water optimally. The experts also visit the farms personally if needed.

In addition, corporates and professionals are also taught ways to produce quality vegetable seedlings at a nominal fee.

I got a chance to visit the centre on Feb 28. Initially, I was a bit skeptic about the whole “goodwill of Israel” and “Indo-Israel friendship” statements by the officials that were repeatedly being thrown at my face.

But once I interacted with the locals and saw the technology and its benefits in person, I returned a happy man for my country’s farmers will see happier days ahead if this project is successfully implemented all over the country.

Khatker, a resident of village Sheikhpura Khalsa, a few kms away from the centre had traditionally grown wheat and barley in his fields but the techniques he learnt at the centre convinced him to give vegetables a try.

Of the over seven hectares of land that Khatker owns, around three hectares is currently being cultivated for vegetables like cherry tomatoes, seedless cucumbers, brinjals, coloured capsicums etc. using Israeli techniques.

The production is four to five times when compared with other farmers not using these technologies, said Khatker.

At present there are 10 Centres of Excellence for vegetables and fruits with a special focus on mangoes, pomegranates and citrus fruits. By 2015, the number of centres will increase to 28 and deal with flowers, bee keeping, dairy as well.

S.K. Yadav, project manager of the Gharaunda centre said that over 60 farmers, not only from Haryana but from states like Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and even Tamil Nadu visit the centre daily and last year over 16,000 farmers received training at the centre.

For 50-year-old Bijender Phor, another farmer from Khatker’s village who has been gradually making a shift from growing grains to vegetables, the centre is playing an important role in transforming the lives of farmers.

Methods like vertical farming help saves space on the ground by growing the crops vertically while drip irrigation save almost 90 percent of water. These methods are revolutionary, he said.

Though the concept of ‘protective agriculture’ is expensive as it requires setting up of green-houses and poly-houses for protective farming, drip lines, machines etc., government subsidies have ensured that interested farmers are not hesitant to take the plunge.

The government gives 90 percent subsidy in installing drip irrigation as well as automatic irrigation system for the crops, while for poly-houses there is 65 percent rebate.

Bhor and many others like him are now selling their produce directly to chains like Mother Dairy, courtesy the Centre of Excellence which provides the retail chains with the list that contains the name of farmers, their contact details and the crop they are growing so that the chains can contact them directly without leaving any room for intermediaries.

The centre is also improving the quality of seedlings by providing valuable feedback to seed companies.

It tests the samples of seedlings by growing it and then displaying it to the farmers. The feedback along with steps to improve the seedlings is then sent back to the companies.

GET YOUR CLEANED AND POLISHED WHILE AT THE MALL!

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon when a couple of friends landed at my place unexpectedly. Their demand? Drive us to DLF Promenade Mall (in south Delhi's Vasant Kunj) and feed us Nando's peri-peri chicken.

I happily agreed because I had never been to Nando's and always wanted to try their chicken but not before ensuring that they would pay the bill in return of chauffeuring them to the place.

Forty minutes later we entered the underground parking and as soon as we got out of the car a man with a booklet approached me offering "waterless car cleaning and polishing."

I wasn't interested at first but after he provided the details and the price, I decided to give it a try.

The service included:

** Interior panels dusting and cleaning with a wet wipe followed by a polish.

** Seats and mats cleaned with a wet wipe but no polish applied.

** Exterior body cleaned with a soapy spray followed by polish, all small scratches removed with a special spray.

** Tyres and alloys cleaned with soap and polished.

All this for just Rs. 200/-

Front tyre before

After

Now I know that not everybody has the time for this because you go to a mall to eat, shop and have fun not to get your car cleaned.

But I stayed back for just ten minutes till the guys were doing the interiors. As soon as they were done, I locked my car and left. (My friends had in the meantime managed to get a table in the restaurant which was bursting at seams as it was a Sunday afternoon)

And if you are thinking that what if I don't like the job once I return?

Well, you get a receipt of payment which carried the number of the company. If you are not satisfied, call them up and just give them the pillar number near which your car is parked and they will return with their sprays and polishes to make you happy.

I actually tried it, just to check and they did come within 5 minutes.

Overall, I was thoroughly impressed with the work they did. It was money well spent.

I have never come across a similar service at any other mall in Delhi.

Honestly, I would be heading to Promenade more often now as it saves my time of spending hours at a service station because first you need to visit the place, then wait for your turn and then to get the job done.

P.S. The peri-peri chicken was scrumptious and so was the Portugese lemonade. 

LIFE WITHOUT SOCIAL NETWORKING!

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In the last over 20 days, I have had no access to Whatsapp or BBM or Facebook or Twitter or E-Mail on my mobile phone thanks to Arvind Kejriwal’s Janata Darbar, held earlier this month where a pickpocket  stole my precious BlackBerry Bold 9900—one of the few phones that I really loved.

As my hunt continues for a new phone (Iphone 5 being the top choice) the last three weeks, I have survived on a five-year-old Nokia C5, lying in my drawer unused.

Though it supports internet and Facebook,

I am sure it’s not meant for surfing the net or posting pictures etc. on FB.

With access to just phone calls and SMS, the first few days were chaotic. Sun-consciously, I would pick up the phone to check for BBM updates or a Whatsapp message but only to realize that I no longer had the “privileges.”

I felt helpless. No group chats on Whatsapp, no awesome games, no daily dose of news from Twitter and to top it all no check-ins on FB when out with friends.

Suddenly, the life had become boring. I felt like I was not connected to the world.

But as they say, there’s a flipside to everything, this situation, that was forced upon me by the blessings of Baba Kajriwal and the Aam Aadmi read thief, there were some upsides as well.

I had developed a habit of checking my phone at regular intervals for any updates. Borderline fidgety I would say. That gradually faded away. I was calmer than before.

No e-mails meant that when I left office, work was the last thing on my mind until I went back the next day. 

Because, official mails kept pouring in all day long and even at nights—as I work for a 24-hour newswire.

The best part though was the battery life. I am charging it ONCE and I repeat ONCE EVERY TWO OR THREE DAYS. Can you believe it?

Since the advent of smartphone, we’ve simply forgotten how the earlier phones would continue to run on and on without needing a recharge. My BlackBerry needed to be charged twice everyday and from what I’ve heard, the Iphone needs it even more.

But at the end of it all, after these three weeks, I’ve had enough of this serenity and calm. I guess we all are dependent of social networking and vice-versa. We are hooked to it like a drug.

And, just like a vacation to Mussoorie is a welcome break, in the end you do have to return to your home, your office, your routine life.

A SULKING GOEL: BJP's BANE AHEAD OF DELHI POLLS

President of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) state unit, Vijay Goel has changed post Oct 23 when the party elected former state health minister Harsh Vardhan as Delhi’s chief ministerial candidate instead of him.

Although nothing was official, but everybody had assumed that Goel would be the CM candidate including him. He had started campaigning actively and was visiting even the smallest districts of the city.

But the announcement left him shocked and upset.

A miffed Goel then threatened to resign from his post if Harsh Vardhan was selected as the chief minister but had to comply with the decision following orders from the party high command.

Days later, BJP leader Rajnath Singh said that Goel had “accepted Harsh Vardhan's candidature” and that all was well in the state unit of the party.

But that was not to be.

The once feisty Goel hardly smiled and seemed disinterested. The situation was made worse by reporters who were now more interested in getting a quote or a byte from Harsh Vardhan instead of Goel.

Meanwhile, as the countdown began for Dec 4, instead of intensifying his campaigning as party president, Goel restricted himself to just holding press conferences in the party office and issuing press releases.

The party then directed Nitin Gadkari to take over and do Goel’s job.

In fact, in one of the rooms at the party headquarters, where press conferences are held regularly, there is a hoarding of Goel in the background and some party workers had asked senior leaders to replace it with a new one showing Harsh Vardhan and Goel together.

But the party turned down the proposal as they knew that would aggravate the matter.

Similarly, in the party’s manifesto, Harsh Vardhan and BJP’s the prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi were shown prominently while other national and local leaders including Goel got little space.

Days later, Goel’s close aide—Ashok Goel contesting from Model Town came out with a manifesto for his constituency which had prominent pictures of Malhotra along with Goel, Rajnath Singh and Modi.

This time Harsh Vardhan was in the background along with other leaders.

It is evident that Goel is not quite comfortable in the presence of Harsh Vardhan and that is why he is seldom seen alongside the chief ministerial candidate leave alone talking or discussing issues with him.

In the wake of the party announcing names of its 62 of the 70 candidates Nov 6, supporters of some leaders who did not get a ticket protested at the party's state headquarters.

The workers of one such candidate-- Sarita Choudhary, mayor of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation, stormed the conference room in the party office and broke a couple of chairs as they raised slogans and climbed atop tables.

Instead of tackling the situation together, Goel along with party leaders Vijender Gupta and V.K. Malhotra fled the scene while Harsh Vardhan, left alone to fend for himself was heckled by the crowd.

The only saving grace for the BJP, according to party members is that Harsh Vardhan is a non-confrontational leader.

Meanwhile, there is also a belief amongst many, that Goel is largely responsible for the situation he is in at present as he wanted to set up a parallel structure in the party with his own people and this did not go down well the high command.

Assuming that he would be the CM candidate when there was no official declaration was just one of the many slip-ups and his wings had to be clipped.

Now it would be a matter of great interest to see if this infighting will hurt the party in Dec 4 assembly polls, the results of which will be announced Dec 8.

MULANA ABUL KALAM AZAD: INDIA'S FORGOTTEN HERO

Its red sandstone boundary walls are defaced with posters and betel juice marks. Shopkeepers hang cases full of clothes and jewellery on them. Inside the walls the dry fountains gather dust and filth. This is the state of the maosoleum of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, independent India's first education minister, whose 125th birth anniversary will be observed tomorrow.

Situated in the heart of the bustling Meena Bazar, the garden-tomb of India's prominent independence leader and close associate of Jawaharlal Nehru, the country's first prime minister, the mausoleum is surrounded by numerous shops selling food, mobiles, CDs, clothes and other knick-knacks. Open sewers and a dump yard nearby tell a tale of unbelievable civic and governmental neglect.

Apart from the apathy of the authorities in maintaining the site, what stands out is that even most residents are not even aware about the mausoleum of a leader who established a national education system and modern institutes of higher education, including the Indian Institutes of Technology. His birth anniversary is also observed as National Education Day.

Walking down the winding by-lanes in search of the mausoleum, one is startled to learn that most of  the locals are oblivious of his name, leave alone the location of the memorial. It's indeed ironic how the man who persuaded thousands of Muslims during partition to stay back in India is now a forgotten man.

The boundary walls of his mausoleum have become billboards for local politicians, quacks and restaurants, while the temporary stalls adjacent to these walls have further damaged it by hammering nails and creating deep holes in places.

As you enter the small black iron-gate, a short staircase leads to a garden where people, mostly shopkeepers, are having lunch or a siesta.

It is perhaps the only place offering peace and tranquillity in the midst of a maddening market and has thus become the resting place for many. That is another reason why the mausoleum  is at least still maintained, though empty packets and wrappers of eatables and plastic bottles are scattered around the boundary walls.

In one corner is the mausoleum made of white marble with a patch of green grass on top. A canopy and a short boundary wall, both made of white marble, cover it from rain and sun - and more importantly, bird droppings.

The fountains and pools, on the front and on the sides of the mausoleum, are empty and full of dust and filth, while the garden has patches of grass. Lichen covers the trunks of many trees.

The famous Urdu Park in front of the mausoleum, where Azad along with Sardar Patel, independent India's first home minister and now much in the news,  and C. Rajagopalachari, India's first governor-general, delivered the historic 1942 Quit India address, is a playground for amateur cricketers during daytime and a haven for drug addicts and drunkards at night.

Sadly, it seems no one cares.

For the locals, the mausoleum was just what it was - a mausoleum.

Similarly, tourists who come in droves to visit the nearby Jama Masjid and Meena Bazar, famous for affordable women's apparel and accessories, give the memorial a miss as they are oblivious of its existence and importance.

Azad was a freedom fighter and a nationalist leader known for his secular thoughts and was one of the few Muslim leaders who strongly opposed the partition of India.

SIDELIGHTS OF MODI'S DELHI RALLY!

Whether the 'historic' Delhi BJP rally resurrect its fortunes in Delhi where it has not been in power in the last 15 years is a question that only time will answer. Following are the sidelights of the rally which I got a chance to attend.

When the rain gods smiled on Modi

As the sky grew overcast and strong gusts of wind started ripping off the Modi posters and buntings, BJP leaders and organisers had their fingers crossed that the impending rain should not wash away the first ever public rally by the party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. And the weather gods smiled!

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had made preparations on a grand scale for the rally in north Delhi's Japanese Park - that included a sophisticated sound system and 20 giant screens around the venue to show the event live to the lakhs gathered.

The rally began around 10 a.m. As Delhi BJP leaders started addressing the rally ranging from anywhere between two to five lakh people, the sky started getting darker by the minute.

Moments later, a strong gust of wind accompanied by light rain ripped apart a 100-feet high poster of Modi, and sent banners and buntings rolling around the podium.

But as Modi took centre stage, the rain and dark clouds disappeared. The strong wind gave way to a gentle breeze.

Several parts of the city were lashed by rain Sunday.

Even Modi mentioned and thanked the god for the pleasant weather.

***

Bollywood style welcome for Modi

As Narendra Modi arrived on the stage, music composer A.R. Rahman's 'Vande Mataram' was played in the background followed by the blowing of conch shells as the enthusiastic crowds cheered, clapped and whistled.

Prior to his arrival, popular Bollywood songs like 'Mehengai dayan khaye jaat hain' (Inflation is killing us) from the movie 'Peepli Live' and 'Aarambh hai prachand' (Begun with a bang) from "Gulaal" were being played since early morning at the venue.

***

Painting the town saffron

Saffron banners and hoardings of all shapes and sizes with the images of Narendra Modi and BJP's local leaders as well as thousands of party flags made of plastic, paper and cloth were put up across Delhi Sunday for the mega rally.

Metro pillars, bus stands, sidewalls of flyovers, trees and even traffic signal poles - every advertising spot had the posters of the Modi rally, especially on the roads leading to Japanese Park in north Delhi where the rally was held.

***

Modi a successful crowd manager too

People were waiting since morning to hear Narendra Modi, and when the BJP's prime ministerial candidate got up to deliver his speech at around 12.40 p.m., the impatient crowd could not hold back their emotions and stood up, chanting "Modi, Modi, Modi".

Some even climbed atop poles that were holding the marquee together as well as poles to which the huge speakers were tied and waved party flags and continued the chant.

Modi politely asked them to be seated so that people at the back could see and hear him. The crowd obliged.

Sometime later when Modi attacked Pakistan over the killing of Indian soldiers, the crowd started its chant again, louder than before.

This time, Modi in a firm voice asked his supporters to stop and let him carry on with his speech.

"The media has registered your support, now let me continue as this is an important matter," said Modi as he continued with his attack on Pakistan.

***

When gluttony took over some media persons

The over 100 media persons, including many from the electronic media, were treated to a feast by the rally organisers.

At a separate media enclosure adjacent to the dais, chilled lemonade followed by breakfast consisting of sandwiches, dhokla, wafers, sweets and a mango drink were served.

An hour later, boxes of chhole bhature (chickpeas and fried bread) were distributed as snacks. At noon, thalis with dal makhni, shahi paneer, mixed vegetable, parantha, pulao and gulab jamun were served to media personnel.

Most were satiated by the breakfast and snacks and had no appetite for the lunch. But the sumptuous lunch served by the popular Bikanervala restaurant chain was too much to resist for some journalists.

ON TEACHERS DAY, A TRIP DOWN THE MEMORY LANE

Ahhh! Sep 5.

I will always remember this date. It holds a special place in my heart due to the turn of events that took place in the days leading up to Sep 5 and to top it all the grand climax exactly ten years ago!

I was 2003 and I was in class 11^th. A group of my friends decided to stage a play on teachers’ day—Sep 5 in the school auditorium as part of a day long cultural programme on the occasion.

Our play ridiculed the Indian education system and was set up in a Delhi school. My friends wanted me to play the part of the principal, which was a pivotal character but I was reluctant and refused.

However, when I realized that two dames in my class on whom I had a huge crush were part of the play, I decided that it was time for me to showcase my acting skills and in turn enrich and touch people’s lives.

So, we started the rehearsals two weeks before the play was to be staged. We would practice during the lunch breaks and even stayed back after school.

One of my classmates, let’s call him Mr. X, was one of those who always wanted to be under the spotlight and because he had heard rave reviews about our play from those who saw the rehearsals, he wanted to be a part of it.

However, it was too late and our play was almost ready, with no scope of adding a new character or replacing an old. Moreover, everyone was miffed with the fact that he was literally forcing us to let him be the part of the act. Why should we budge? Thought everyone and he was given a polite sendoff.

As we were giving the final touchups to the play, just two days before it was to be staged, BOOM!!! A bomb dropped.

Mr. X came to us and told us that our play had been cancelled as it was too long and would not fit in the limited time slot for the programme.

The jealous Mr. X has actually approached the head girl of the school who was senior to us was managing the event. Apparently, the girl, let’s call her Ms. Y had a crush on X’s brother who too was in our school and was senior to Y.

So, Y was doing what X was telling her to do to impress his elder brother.

We went to our vice principal as we didn’t have the guts to complain to the principal.

Apparently our case was weak because we had no school teacher directing our play and everything right from direction, costumes, dialogue etc. was done by us- the students.

This sadly went against us as the vice principal refused to take us seriously and just like a sarkari babu spoke the golden words: “I will look into the matter,” followed by an evil laugh. (Kidding)

We knew she was on X and Y’s side. May be she was not supporting them but definitely shared their view.

Gathering courage we presented our case to the Principal, fondly called Hitler. For a change, she treated us gently and immediately called upon the Vice Principal who gave the silly argument that our play was too long.

After a round of discussions, it was decided that our play would be given a slot of 14 minutes as against 20 earlier and that we would have to stage the play in front of the Vice Principal and Ms. Y the same afternoon before the D Day.

But as we were in the VP’s office, the time was further reduced to 12 minutes keeping in mind the entrances and exits on stage. X and Y had a smirk on their faces.

However, the two were bitch slapped minutes later when we completed our play in 10 minutes flat instead of 12.

Our play was given the green signal by the VP and the dejected duo looked on.

In the meantime, Mr. X too got compensated somewhat as he landed a small role in a period play being staged by our arts teacher.

The D Day came. September 5, 2003. Our play was the second after a dance performance.

We started to a lukewarm response but as soon as I entered, I don’t know why the whole auditorium erupted with cheers and hooting. I was being cheered even before I opened my mouth to speak. God knows why.

The decibels rose further as soon is spoke my first line which actually mocked our principal but in a funny, harmless way. Even Hitler had a hearty laugh when I mimicked her.

12 minutes later, the curtains came down to a rousing applause and boy were we charged. I still get goose bumps when I think of that day.

The next item was Mr. X’s play. Being a period act it was ought to be boring unlike our play which was humorous and quirky.

Minutes later, Mr. X entered dressed as a King. He started speaking and the throne on his head fell off as the crowd burst into laughter. Two lines later he exited. That was it. That was the 15 microseconds of fame that Mr. X got.

I still remember juniors came up to me calling me Mr. Principal even weeks later. That was how popular our play and my character became.

However, the story hasn’t ended yet.

The icing on the cake was the evening of Sep 5 when I was supposed to get my first ever spanking new motorcycle—the Hero Honda Karizma, which was the most expensive and beautiful indian bike of that time with everybody drooling over it.

It was trendsetter of sorts as it was the first bike in India to have alloy wheels, digital meter, parking lights, self-start etc.

The black beauty—DL 9 SJ 8935 was brought home on the evening of Sep 5, 2003. I could not have dreamt of a better ending to such a magnificent day.