Ecological Wisdom | Social Justice | Holistic Thinking | Positive Action BANGALORE VOLUME 7, ISSUE - 2, APRIL - JUNE, 2016 INR. 80/- Analogue or Digital Learning Luc Sala Declaration of Dignity from Jerry Mander Mythology and Stories Indigenous from Tribal Traditions People April - June 2016 Eternal Bhoomi 1 The Great Spirit Prayer Oh, Great Spirit Whose voice I hear in the winds, And whose breath gives life to all the world, hear me, I am small and weak, I need your strength and wisdom. Let me walk in beauty and make my eyes ever behold the red and purple sunset. Make my hands respect the things you have made and my ears sharp to hear your voice. Make me wise so that I may understand the things you have taught my people. Let me learn the lessons you have hidden in every leaf and rock. I seek strength, not to be greater than my brother, but to fght my greatest enemy - myself. Make me always ready to come to you with clean hands and straight eyes. So when life fades, as the fading sunset, my Spirit may come to you without shame. (translated by Lakota Sioux Chief,Yellow Lark in 1887) Eternal Bhoomi is printed on wood-free paper (excepting the cover) using soy-based inks 2 Eternal Bhoomi April - June 2016 Mauricio Romero Mendoza Mauricio Romero Photo: Photo: Learning from Indigenous People Thoreau expressed his contempt Almost. Derrick Jensen, who has contributed for mankind when he said, “It appears an article on how the indigenous Over the past centuries though, to be a law that you cannot have a deep perceive the world around them, says lands of the Indigenous have been sympathy with both man and nature.” that the stories we are told shape the invaded and exploited to the extent Woody Allen put forth his biophobia way we see the world and that we that most of them are now close to by proclaiming, “Nature and I are experience the world accordingly. He extinction. Be it the Bo tribe from the two.” A cursory glance at the quotes says in his article, “If when you look at Andamans or the Nenets from Northern may suggest diametrically opposite trees, you see dollar bills, you’ll treat Siberia. Hence, the need of the hour perspectives but the implicit axiom them one way. If when you look at is to focus on the immediate survival, connecting the two seems to be that trees, you see trees, you’ll treat them revival and long-term sustainability of human beings and nature are primarily differently. If when you look at this the indigenous way of life. distinct and separate entities. particular tree you see this particular The greater need now however, is tree, you’ll treat it differently still.” Indigenous cultures on the other to help ourselves re-imagine a way of With that in mind, we also bring hand, have been built on a holistic view life which connects us back to Nature. you stories of Indigenous people of the universe where everything is So in addition to the preservation of the from around the world that exemplify intimately connected to everything else. cultures of indigenous people, we need their belief in a living universe whose On an expanded view of community in to honour and learn from their wise which humans, animals, plants, rocks wisdom lies in maintaining long-term and grounded way of living. and rivers are all biologically and relationship with the animals, plants spiritually fused together. The planet In this issue, Jerry Mander takes a and the land. then in such a system does not just look at the UN Declaration on the rights come alive, but turns sacred as well. of Indigenous and how the landmark The Indigenous have over thousands documentis a significant step towards of years, become “biospherically the recognition of the importance of conscious” and continue to live safeguarding indigenous culture and Adil Basha harmoniously with all life around them. the value in preserving its knowledge. (Guest Editor for this Issue) April - June 2016 Eternal Bhoomi 3 EternalBhoomi Issue No. 26 April - June 2016 Eternal Bhoomi is committed to bringing you holistic perspectives on Nature and sustainability from renowned writers and thinkers as well as practical ideas and examples of earth conscious living from people around the world. Indigenous People To revere the Earth, to be mindful and responsible is a way of life for the indig- enous around the world. Articles in this issue focus on what we can learn from them to reconnect deeply with the planet. 22 Is traditional wisdom a key to combating climate change? Sabita Kushal 24 The Difference between my Psychiatrist and my Shaman Dylan Charles Vantage Point 14 Ziro-ing on a tribe in Arunachal Pradesh where 6 Analogue or Digital: A man and nature co-exist in Dichotomy - perfect harmony on why we need to maintain Richa Gupta a balance between digital and analogue in life. 17 You have seen Warli Luc Sala Paintings before... now get ready to visit Warli tribe Declaration of Dignity Indigenous Stories 8 and listen to their music Jerry Mander Gangadharan Menon 28 Mythology and Stories from Tribal Traditions Indigenous Wisdom 20 Forest Foods of Indian Tribes can overcome Playing for Keeps 12 nutrition crisis Book / Movie Reviews Derrick Jensen Venus Upadhayaya 32 Six must-watch films Preeti Prakash Adil Basha is the guest editor of this issue. Adil has been a flm curator and now treads an alternatve path by writng of stories on ecological and social 34 The city is not a concrete initatves. He has also been part of the Bhoomi Magazine team and supports jungle but a human zoo Bhoomi Network in multple ways. Manu Sharma 4 Eternal Bhoomi April - June 2016 Bhoomi’s Panel of Advisors: Shri Satish Kumar Eco-philosopher, co-founder of Schumacher College and Editor, Resurgence & Ecologist Magazine www.resurgence.org Dr. Vandana Shiva Scientist, Eco-activist and Founder of Navdanya www.navdanya.org Dr. Madhu Suri Prakash Author and Professor of Education, Pennsylvania State University Expressions Social Justice www.yesmagazine.org Indigenous world of 36 44 Power in India: Radical G.Gautama the Unknown Pathways to Local Self- Director, Chennai Education Centre, Reva Malik rule Krishnamurthi Foundation of India Ashish Kothari & Pallav Das www.pathashaala.tcec-kf.org Holistic Thinking Shri Narayana Reddy Organic farmer and promoter of 37 Systems Thinking and Economics sustainable agriculture the Cobra Effect 46 Do not believe the Ashish Kothari Barry Newell and Budget Hype: Farmers Founder of Kalpavriksh, activist Christopher Doll have been short- and author of books on bio- changed again diversity and globalisation Devinder Sharma www.kalpavriksh.org Agriculture Dr. R. Balasubramaniam Founder of SVYM (Swami 40 It is time we make Ecological Wisdom farming renewable Vivekananda Youth Movement) www.svym.org Vandana Shiva 48 If we live well, all shall be well Shri Devinder Sharma 42 Far from the Madding Satish Kumar Author and Food Analyst; Chairman, Forum for Food Security Crowd www.devinder-sharma.blogspot.in T. Vijayendra Recipes Dr. Harish Hande 50 Little Millet Delicacies Magsaysay Award Winner, Founder Arun Kaulige of SELCO, a pioneer in rural solar electrifcation www.selco-india.com 52 Announcements Helena Norberg Hodge 54 Bhoomi Programmes Founder and Director of the International Society for Ecology 56 Bhoomi College and Culture (ISEC) www.localfutures.org /BhoomiNetwork Eternal Bhoomi is a magazine published by Bhoomi Network, a unit of K.N.A. /bhoomicollege Foundaton for Educaton, a Public Charitable Trust registered in 1995. /channel/bhoomicollege Cover page Image: Banni woman from Kutch. Photo Courtesy: Chris/flickr /bhoomicollege April - June 2016 Eternal Bhoomi 5 Analogue or Digital: A Dichotomy VANTAGE POINT Luc Sala on why we need to maintain a balance between the digital and the analogue in life. Photo Courtesy: Guian Bolisay/flickr Courtesy: Photo These days most people think These days most people think that while very complex structures can that digital is the way to go. Digital that digital is the way to go. be constructed with digital, achieving is progress, and analogue is old- Digital is progress, and analogue is beauty through it remains problematic. fashioned, even out-of-date. But the One of the essential differences difference between analogue and old-fashioned, even out-of-date. between analogue and digital can be digital should be understood, as it is But the diference termed as the distinction between love fundamental in a practical as well as a between analogue and digital and truth. In our digital age, making such philosophical context. should be understood, as it is a distinction can help us to understand The digital age is not new. It started fundamental in a practical as well as the direction of human evolution. The when God commissioned Adam to a philosophical context. digital creeps up on us. Slowly all our name all animals and birds (Genesis media are becoming digital, and the 2:19). Thus the process of ‘naming is that poses restrictions. Writing is thus tool most used these days to escape the framing’ started. Applying a limited set digital, while speaking is analogue. We analogue is the smartphone. Texting is of symbols like the names of species need both. obviously digital. For many, clicking on is essentially digital, a good way to their digital pocket-secretary replaces organise things, but it also restricts. There are clear advantages for using the analogue medium of speech. ‘Analogue’ refers to continuous, digital. It has made modern computers The advocates of digital assert unlimited, unsynchronised, non- and communication possible. Error that, with the limited set of symbols discrete phenomena, something reduction and elimination of noise are and exponential reduction in error, we beyond name and measure – things where digital excels.