Sunday, January 24, 2010
ONE STRAW REVOLUTION
Masanobu Fukuoka (福岡 正信 Fukuoka Masanobu February 2, 1913 – August 16, 2008) author of The One-Straw Revolution, The Road Back to Nature and The Natural Way Of Farming, was one of the pioneers of no-till grain cultivation. His system is referred to as "natural farming", Fukuoka Farming, or the Fukuoka Method.
The essence of
The ground is always covered. As well as the clover and weeds, there is the straw from the previous crop, which is used as mulch, and each grain crop is sown before the previous one is harvested. This is done by broadcasting the seed among the standing crop. Also he re-introduced the ancient technique of seed balls (粘土団子,土団子,土だんご,Tsuchi Dango (Earth Dumpling). The seed for next season's crop is mixed with clay, compost, and sometimes manure, and formed into small balls. The result is a denser crop of smaller but highly productive and stronger plants.
Friday, January 22, 2010
kallumala samaram
The social revolutions and reformations that took place in Kerala during the past century and the uprising of the downtrodden and marginalised sections of society against caste discrimination also influenced the patterns of use of ornaments.
During the early days, precious stones and gold ornaments were the prerogative of the elites and the socially marginalised sections were not permitted to wear them.
`Kallumala samaram' is an agitationthat took place in Kanjaveli, near Kollam, where the Pulaya community members fought the caste elites by breaking their chains to win the right to wear ornaments.
According to historians, the rights enjoyed by the sections outside the caste system to wear ornaments were won after prolonged social struggles like the struggle by the lower caste women to cover the upper part of their body.