Comical and illogical...Page 4 SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2016 INTERNET EDITION : www.dailyexcelsior.com/magazine Why disrespect....Page 3 TALWARA goes organic

Dr. Banarsi Lal Jammu and Kashmir is a mountainous state in which Jammu region is predominantly sub-tropical while Kashmir and Ladakh regions are temperate. The total geographical area of Jammu & Kashmir state is 2, 22, 236 sq. km and its population is 1, 25, 48,926 as per 2011 Census. Agriculture is the mainstay of Jammu and Kashmir state. This sector provides employment to about 70 per cent of the state population. Agriculture contributes about 65 per cent of the state revenue which signi- fies the overdependence of the state on agriculture. The average size of land holding of the state is only 0.67 hectare against 1.33 hectares' land holding size on national basis. Organic farming is picking up pace in the state and there is need of awareness and trainings of farmers for organic farming. J&K has huge potential for organic farming as the large area in the state is already under semi- organic cultivation in hilly districts of the state due to the lack of availability of chemical fertilizers in these areas and the farmers of these areas avoid to apply the chemical fertilizers. Basmati rice of R. S. Pura, rajmash of Bhaderwah, pota- to of Gurez and Machil and red rice of Tangdar, Kupwara, ginger and turmer- ic of Pouni, Reasi are major exportable organic products in the state and have the potential to fetch more returns in the market. Organic farming means holis- tic production systems which refer earth friendly methods for cultivation and food processing. It differs from other systems by the certification procedures, specific standards and a specific labeling scheme. Organic farming respects the environment by friendly practice of weeds, insect-pests and diseases control. Talwara village is situated around 6km away from Reasi town of Jammu Agriculture scientists in an organic vegetable farm. and Kashmir. It is located on Reasi- Shiv Khori road. The village is constitut- ed of two parts one is Lower Talwara and other one is Upper Talwara.59 fam- tification of their products was done by the InterTech Agency through Agricul- insect-pests and diseases. Now, the farmers of the village getting extra income ilies reside in Lower Talwara. All the families of the village are depending on tural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA). by growing the organic vegetables under polyhouse. By observing the results agriculture. The village is known for organic farming. Baseline survey of vil- Now the farmers of the village are commercially selling the organic vegetables. of polyhouse the farmers of the nearby villages also show curiosity for the pro- lage Talwara was done by the KVK experts and it was found that the farmers Their vegetables are marked as organic vegetables and they are sold in the local tected vegetables growing. of the village were interested for the organic farming especially vegetables and market and also in Jammu at a good price. There are 8 farmers' clubs and one By growing the organic vegetables, the farmers are fetching more prices. spices. Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Reasi scientists repeatedly approached to the Self Help Group(SHG) of women who are working for the organic vegetables By observing the successful results of organic vegetables growers in Talwara farmers of this village and motivated them for the organic farming. The KVK production. KVK, Reasi has also established an Integrated Farming village, the other farmers of the adjoining villages are also showing keen inter- scientists frequently visited the village and trained the farmers for the organ- System(IFS) model in the village which attracts the other farmers of the area est for organic vegetables growing. With the introduction of polyhouse tech- ic farming emphasizing on organic vegetables growing. The farmers' for the IFS system. This IFS model is producing the organic crops and also has nique of vegetables growing the farmers are able to generate extra income by a high tech dairy farm. By this entrepreneurship the farmers generate the extra clubs'/SHG formation was initiated in the village with the co-ordination of growing the vegetables even in the off-seasons. With the introduction of ver- income which develops the confidence and gain reconisation. NABARD. The farmers' clubs were encouraged for the organic vegetables grow- micompost units the farmers are able to fulfil the need of the required soil nutri- Farmers of this area were lacking the awareness on protected vegetables ing in the village. In the beginning the farmers were advised to avoid the agro- ents in the vegetables growing. With the generation of extra income organic chemicals in the vegetables so that that the can be organically grown. The farm- growing. As the hilly district Reasi is prone to frost in winters which has inverse vegetables growers developed confidence to mitigate their basic problems. A ers were guided for the establishment of vermicompost units in the village so impact on the growth of vegetables causing a huge loss to the vegetables. Also self- reliance and entrepreneurial spirit has been developed among the organ- that the soil nutrients requirements can be fulfilled. They were also guided for the farmers were unable to produce the off -season vegetables. So, there was ic vegetables growers. Their new attitude for organic farming has been devel- use of organic chemicals, green manuring crops, compost, crops rotation etc. dire need to introduce the protected cultivation in the area. KVK experts guid- oped. With the increase in the income of the organic vegetables growers their for the organic farming. In the beginning the farmers faced lot of problems as ed the farmers for the protected cultivation of vegetables. Low cost poly hous- respect and reconisation have also been increased in the society. They exhibit they were not getting the desired yields of the vegetables. The management of es are established at the farmers' fields which have changed the way of their their organic farm produce in different farmers' fairs organised by SKUAST- insect-pests and plant diseases was done by using the organic inputs. The qual- traditional method of vegetables growing. Under polyhouse the farmers' area J& allied departments and recognised by the different organisations. ity vegetables seeds were provided to the farmers. After a long practice the cer- able to grow the vegetables seedlings and that too without the infestation of (The writer is a Scientist and Head of KVK Reasi (SKUAST-J). Times are a-changing style and approach in a way cre- ated the Bollywood gangster hero. Fran Mason in his study of gangster films in America writes: “During the 1970s the iconogra- phy, narrative structures, and ideological or cultural parame- ters of the gangster film were established as part of critical methodology, very often along- side or in contrast to the Western, because of shared concerns with individuality, masculinity, and social concerns.” In Hollywood, gangster films evolve around the sinister actions of criminals or gangsters, partic- ularly bank robbers, underworld figures, traffickers of arms, women and drugs, or ruthless hoodlums who operate out- side the law, stealing and vio- From depicting romance to anger realise his dreams of making it from rags to riches, never lently murdering their way through life. mind the graphic violence and bloodshed the screen was He is usually a materialistic, street-smart, immoral, and then to the raging revenge of bathed in. megalomaniac and while destroying others, some his This is a bit of a reversal of the box office formula of juniors and peers and some his foes, becomes self- the don, the Bollywood hero has the ‘happily ever after’ ending because one pre-supposes destructive, sadistic and masochistic. that the gangster hero would meet with a violent death in Bollywood has changed this theory to construct its changed over time. This is also the end, anyway. Yet, films like Parinda, Vaastav, Sathya, own. The gangster-hero in films like Sathya, Once because of changing values and Company, Once Upon a Time in Mumbai and Gangs of Upon a Time in Mumbai and Vaastav are portrayed as Wasseypur (Parts I and II) have had excellent runs at the victims of circumstances. They became gangsters and circumstances, analyses box office. While the end justifies the ‘crime never pays’ subsequently turned leaders of their own gang, hold- theory, the narrative goes against this because it does pay ing their fiefdom under persistent threat to life and Shoma A. Chatterji. till the protagonist is trapped in a spidery web of his own property of innocent people only to end up being making and cannot come out of it. killed by the very powers-that-be that used them to Time was when women would swoon over every crinkle This ambivalence in the audience is a reflection of the fight their own battles as front men and soldiers- of Rajesh Khanna’s eyes and his lip-synching of romantic basic contradiction in the Indian mindset today, caught in-reverse. He is basically a kind-hearted guy who songs. Then came the angry young man Amitabh Bachchan between the horns of a dilemma of whether to go the lives in a family setting, helps the poor in his to be followed by gangster protagonists. straight way to succeed in life or to take a short cut through neighbourhood and generally lives in a slum. The changing face the Bollywood hero, at least that crime and reach there fast. The hero does not think he is The script fleshes him out in such a way that caught the eyeballs, has happened not only because val- doing any wrong because he often has a ‘sad story’ to ratio- the audience begins to empathise with him, ues began to change with the pressures of materialistic nalise his misdeeds. Does “success” translate into ethics, feels sorry that he dies in the end. aspirations, the lust to make a fast buck within the short- hard work and moral integrity? Or does it really mean A brilliant example of the true-blood est time possible, but also because there was a time when financial success and the power that this brings where the gangster film Gangs of Wasseypur I the underworld funded films in Bollywood, directly or sub- means adopted to gain such riches does not matter? and II. This two-part film that uses tly, dictated the norms of the story and the script. Ram Gopal Verma laid the foundation of the gangster- as much graphic violence as sex In retrospect, the metamorphosis from idyllic screen heroes with Sathya (1998). The film tracks a young man and adultery set a new bench- romance then to the angry young crusader out to right all who comes to Mumbai in search of a job. A series of events mark for gangster films. the wrongs in the society, and to the underworld don a per- pulls him unwittingly into the underworld. An impressive The films focussed on the ceived victim of circumstances seems almost in the natu- screenplay, fine camera work, good editiong, remarkable coal mafia of Dhanbad and ral order of things. Though the protagonist as gangster pos- Having said this, one nagging question remains – what performances and a realistic portrayal of the underworld got wonderful reviews. Telling the story of war between sessed the classic characters of the villain, the audience does it say about audience taste today? Would we cry for made it a stand-out film. In the process it gave birth to a criminal dynasties, Anurag Kashyap’s gripping narrative tended to develop an ambiguous stance towards him. the young and dashing Sooraj of Aradhana or the angry new genre of film that came to be known as the Mumbai and thrilling plot dynamics took the gangster film to a dif- Instead of being angry with him, the audience admired the Vijay of Deewar or, would we rather wince at the terrible noir. The Bollywood gangster film might have taken Hol- ferent level altogether. It was a box office hit , of course, grit and the courage with which the mafia hero set out to lywood as its inspiration but veered away in treatment, blood and gore Raghunath splatters in Vaastav – The Real- and won many awards in the film festival circuit. ity or Sathya does in Sathya?