Window Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee
Agriculture in India
There is a saying in
Sanskrit: Banijye basati Laxmi, tatardhen
krishi karmane. Translated in English it would be: Laxmi resides in
business; farming yields half of that. But the condition of most of the farmers
in India seems to be much worse than this. Hundreds of them are committing
suicide in Maharastra, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and many other states. Odisha is
facing a grim situation now as farmers in Western Odisha are burning their
paddy fields fearing total loss of crop as pests ravage their standing paddy.
This is ironical considering
the fact that the history of Agriculture in India dates back to Indus Valley
Civilization Era and even before that in some parts of Southern India and India
is presently among the top three global producers of many crops,
including wheat, rice, pulses, cotton, peanuts, fruits
and vegetables. Its gross irrigated crop area of 82.6 million hectares (215.6
million acres) is the largest in the world. India exported $38 billion worth of
agricultural products in 2013, making it the seventh largest agricultural
exporter worldwide and the sixth largest net exporter. Indian
agricultural/horticultural and processed foods are exported to more than 120
countries, primarily in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, SAARC countries, the
EU and the United States. India’s food processing industry is one of the
largest industries in the country. Agriculture and allied sectors like forestry
and fisheries accounted for 13.7% of the GDP (gross domestic product) in 2013,
about 50% of the workforce. Though the economic contribution of agriculture to
India's GDP is steadily declining with the country's broad-based economic
growth, still, agriculture is demographically the broadest economic sector and
plays a significant role in the overall socio-economic fabric of India.
Though India produces enough
food for herself and exports, the country experiences double irony: there is
wide spread hunger and mal-nutrition on the one hand, and on the other-
agriculture largely remains non-remunerative. Farmers across the country are
demanding for better prices. There have been hundreds of cases of farmer
suicides. As a nation we must address the problems of the farmers on a priority
basis.
Fake News
Collins Dictionary recently named ‘fake
news’ as the word of the year. The UK based lexicographer found that the use of
‘fake news’ registered a 365% rise in the last 12 months. Earlier the committee of the Australian
Macquarie Dictionary has proclaimed ‘fake news’ as the word of the year. It
refers to deliberate, brazen misinformation with intent to mislead. It is
different from ordinary misinformation and disinformation in that it takes the
form of real news stories provided by what appear to be legitimate news
outlets. It is more dangerous because people tend to easily believe information
given to them in the name of news.
Fake news is not a new phenomena. In
fact fake news has been around longer than the organized news media itself. Some
historians cite ancient Greek writer Herodotus as the founder of
selective sourcing; others claiming fake news began in 15th century Italy
(where a Franciscan preacher named Bernardino da Feltre used a rumor to justify
the mass-arrest, torture, and execution of members of the Italian Jewish
community); and still more noting Orson Welles's 1938 radio adaptation of H. G.
Wells’s The War
of the Worlds, first
broadcast as a news bulletin.
Infact, The control,
presentation and manipulation of news has played a key role in the assertion
and subversion of power in colonial, totalitarian and radical societies
throughout history worldwide.
What is happening now is that
the manufacturing fake news and disseminating has become easier thanks to
development in ICT technology and Internet. Social Media has made it even
easier.
As a result, the role of news
media as intermediary of news is being increasingly questioned. When the
credibility of mainstream news media is questioned, there is a chance of fake
news to sneak in. It was difficult to find space in the mindscape of people as
mainstream news media used to occupy that. With social media gaining ground
fake news has an easy access.
One might question: Why
we tend to believe ‘fake news’? Recent and historical work in psychology shows
mere exposure to fake news makes it spread. To understand why — and the extent
to which false stories seep into our brains, we need to understand the
psychology of the illusory truth effect.
The more we hear a piece of
information repeated, the more we’re likely to believe it. “Even things that
people have reason not to believe, they believe them more” if the claims are
repeated, Gord Pennycook, a psychologist who studies the spread of
misinformation at Yale University, says.
And recent research shows the
illusory truth effect is in play when we hear or read fake news claims
repeated, regardless of how ridiculous or illogical they sound
Last year (2016) Oxford Dictionary legitimized an adjective:
post truth. It refers to dishonesty and deception in contemporary life, a
culture that plays on our emotions and personal belief and drugs us so that
perceptions, not facts, determine our actions.
Taken together it
points to a very grim reality. Credibility of news is increasingly
suspect. Media must take proactive steps
to engage with this. It is a question of survival of credible media.
Credible media is the mainstay of informed opinion, which drives democracy.
If the foundation is built on a pile of untruth then democracy is doomed.
The real danger lies there.
Tailpiece: Whom to Blame?
Girl (to God): I don’g want to marry. I am educated,
independent and self sufficient. I don’t need a husband. But my parents are
asking me to marry. What should I do?
God: You are my finest finest creation and undoubtedly will
acheve many great things. But some things...inevitable, will not go the way you
want. Worse, some things will fail. Whom will you blame? Yourself? No! You need
a husband to blame.
Boy (to God)...but then what will I do? Whom will I blame?
God: Your scope is much wider, Son. You can blame the Govt.,
the education system, the infrastructure, the environment, the economy, the
politicians, the bureaucrats...even me. But never ever blame your wife.
***
A journalist turned media academician Mrinal
Chatterjee lives in Dhenkanal, a Central Odisha hilly town. He also writes
fiction. mrinalchatterjee@ymail.com
