Anarcho-environmentalism allegorised

The name Anaarkali in the present context has many meanings - Anaar symbolises the anarchism of the Bhils and kali which means flower bud in Hindi stands for their traditional environmentalism. Anaar in Hindi can also mean the fruit pomegranate which is said to be a panacea for many ills as in the Hindi idiom - "Ek anar sou bimar - One pomegranate for a hundred ill people"! - which describes a situation in which there is only one remedy available for giving to a hundred ill people and so the problem is who to give it to. Thus this name indicates that anarcho-environmentalism is the only cure for the many diseases of modern development! Similarly kali can also imply a budding anarcho-environmentalist movement. Finally according to a legend that is considered to be apocryphal by historians Anarkali was the lover of Prince Salim who was later to become the Mughal emperor Jehangir. Emperor Akbar did not approve of this romance of his son and ordered Anarkali to be bricked in alive into a wall in Lahore in Pakistan but she escaped. Allegorically this means that anarcho-environmentalists can succeed in bringing about the escape of humankind from the self-destructive love of modern development that it is enamoured of at the moment and they will do this by simultaneously supporting women's struggles for their rights.

Tuesday, April 30, 2024

Goatery

 Today, Tuesday, is the weekly market day in Udainagar town in Dewas district of Madhya Pradesh. The major trading takes place on these market days in the Bhil Adivasis homeland in Western India. Especially the trade in goats and chicken. Let us see what income this trade yields to the informal rearers of goats and chicken.

A herd of goats should be at least ten in number for optimum use of various inputs. Eventually, in one year two mature goats can be sold from this herd for about Rs 25000.
Similarly a backyard poultry of about 15 indigenous chicken will yield an annual revenue of about Rs 3000.
The value of the manure from the goats and chicken is about Rs 2000. Thus the total revenue is Rs 30000.
One person has to tend the goats and chicken daily and both have to be provided some additional feed apart from the grazing which costs another Rs 5000.
So the net income from informal goatery and poultry is Rs 25000 for a smallholder farmer which comes out to be a daily wage of Rs 70 only.

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