Techculture overshadowing Agriculture?

A banner in a village in Maharashtra- India reads:
"This village is ready to be auctioned. Permit us to commit mass suicides."

While every Indian is proud of the continuing economic rise of India- let's not make the same mistakes that some of the 'developed' nations have made in the past few decades. We do need an economically strong India- but not at the cost of self-sufficiency. India has always been and should be a strong agro-based economy, and that's the secret of our strength. If we can feed our billion natives without borrowing a morsel- we can call ourselves a super power one day (though that's not the goal). Nuclear weapons, information technology, and industrial technology alone cannot do the wonders.

As millions and millions of acres of farming land are being sold off to developers and builders, we are slowly but steadily losing the soil beneath our feet. The farmers are helpless because if the economic policies of the nation continue to ignore them- they are left with no choice but to give up the profession of their ancestors. Why can't our brilliant minds come up with solutions to create Tatas and Birlas behind the wheels of our tractors?

Several decades ago, Mahatma Gandhi said- "Independence must begin at the bottom." He envisioned a strong India built on the foundation of strong villages powered by self-governance, and self-sufficiency in every regard.

Read more on the plight of our villages today... 'The end of Gandhi's dream: India's economic boom and bust' [Link]

Have we forgotten those beautiful words?

• "mere desh kee dharatee, sonaa ugale, ugale hire motee"

India is probably the only nation in the world that has fed generations after generations through farming. But our ancestors have not just been taking from our lands, but giving back too. No wonder Mother Nature has blessed our lands with an evergreen fertility- let's stay true to it forever and treat it with due reverance. Read more ... [Link]