Thanks Mridul, > In fact if you happen to visit the lower assam side, there are ricksaw > pullers who are assamese.
That only goes to show that the situation probably now has become acute. Some decades ago, I remember in Palasbari, or even in Nalbari (visiting Pokua gaon), all the richshaws pullers were Assamese. At that time, I thought, that the reason for that was because there were fewer jobs available in the rural areas, and so some enterprising young men wanted to pull rickshaws. On 5/25/05, mridul bhuyan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > Dear Ram, > > BTW: I did make a reference to this in my reply to Mridul, as to why > >Assamese do not take menial jobs. I think, that they do not, because > >there was never a need to do so before (it just wasn't worth it to > >pull rickshaws for the small payoffs) If it becomes expedient, that > >some Assamese will have pull rickshaws, they will do so. Of course, > >there are other reasons. > > > In fact if you happen to visit the lower assam side, there are ricksaw > pullers who are assamese. > > Regards > > Mridul > > > > > >From: Ram Sarangapani <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >Reply-To: Ram Sarangapani <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >To: Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >CC: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [email protected] > >Subject: Re: [Assam] Logistics of Growing Two Rice Crops Etc. > >Date: Wed, 25 May 2005 08:44:09 -0500 > > > > >C'da, > > > > >*** I was surprised to see you staying away from the philosophical > > >discourse on this matter Ram. But if I remember correctly you used > > >to be a card-carrying member of the 'Assamese-are-the-Lazy-Bums' > > >club. But glad you are not an active one at the moment. > > > >You remember wrong.I think all these posts going back and forth has > >you completely confused :-) > >You may had read too much into whatever I have written, but I do not > >label people as being lazy or ortherwise, and that too a card carrying > >member? > > > >I have my own pet theories about this. But one question does bother > >me. Why is that only the Assamese are concerned about this label - > >whether they are lazy or not? I don't know of any other ethinic group > >which is trying to fight this label. > > > >Is it because they are more introspective, or is it because some of > >them feel that they have to defend it? But I have heard this for so > >many years,I feel its some kind of obsession. > > > >BTW: I did make a reference to this in my reply to Mridul, as to why > >Assamese do not take menial jobs. I think, that they do not, because > >there was never a need to do so before (it just wasn't worth it to > >pull rickshaws for the small payoffs) If it becomes expedient, that > >some Assamese will have pull rickshaws, they will do so. Of course, > >there are other reasons. > > > >--Ram > > > > > > > > > > > >On 5/24/05, Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > At 6:21 PM -0500 5/24/05, Ram Sarangapani wrote: > > > >C'da, > > > > > > > >>Too bad you don't know of these things, nor do all those > > > >> hardworking, god's-gidft-to Kharkhowadom NRAs in Assam Net like Ram, > > > >> Rajen etc. who are ready to brand their fellow men lazy at the > > > >> slightest opportunity. > > > > > > > >heh!heh!heh! I may be God's gift to Kharkhowadom (kinda like that), > > > >but I certainly did stay clear away from whether the Assamese are lazy > > > >or hardworking discussions. That discussion was/is cornered by two > > > >other stalwarts of Kharkhowadom. Guess who they are? :-):-) > > > > > > > >--Ram > > > > > > *** I was surprised to see you staying away from the philosophical > > > discourse on this matter Ram. But if I remember correctly you used > > > to be a card-carrying member of the 'Assamese-are-the-Lazy-Bums' > > > club. But glad you are not an active one at the moment. > > > > > > c-da :-) > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >On 5/24/05, Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > >> Hi Mridul: > > > >> > > > >> Here are some answers to your questions on why you do not see too > > > >> many lazy Assamese growing two rice crops. This however is not all. > > > >> I will be pleased to answer anything that raises questions in your > > > >> mind. Too bad you don't know of these things, nor do all those > > > >> hardworking, god's-gidft-to Kharkhowadom NRAs in Assam Net like Ram, > > > >> Rajen etc. who are ready to brand their fellow men lazy at the > > > >> slightest opportunity. > > > >> > > > >> c-da > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> Status: U > > > >> X-Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > >> Date: Sun, 9 Feb 2003 09:42:52 -0600 > > > >> To: Saurav Pathak <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, > > > >> Prafulla Barooah <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > >> From: Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > >> Subject: Re: river interlink and AGP > > > >> Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [email protected] > > > >> > > > >> >this was the crucial point which you tried to slip in. punjab did > > > >> >not lead the green revolution. you kept on insisting that punjab > > > >> >produced an ms, whereas assam cannot. it seems you knew it all > > > >> >along, and yet tried to mislead us. > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> PRECISELY the point! > > > >> > > > >> Not to take anything away from the accomplishments of Punjab or the > > > >> Punjabis, but let us look at how the path to their successes were > paved. > > > >> Where does the Bhakra-Nangal dam fit into the picture? How did it > enable > > > >> Punjab's green rev. > > > >> by providing irrigation? Where does the reliable availability of > power, > > > >> electricity, fit into the picture? And what about fuel? How did > affordable > > > >> fuel change the picture of farming? What are the patterns of > landownership > > > >> enabling > > > >> erstwhile 'zamindars' carve out new farming empires, while the > landless > > > >> destitutes remain invisible to the agro-economic experts? > > > >> > > > >> Milk production and nutrition are interlinked here as well. > > > >> > > > >> These are issues that are integral to understanding the needs of the > rural > > > >> Assamese farmers. As an UN expert ( from the sounds of his > assertions) > > > >> Barooah must have looked into these issues before he delivered his > verdict. > > > >> It will be nice to hear about these. > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> Why I bring these out are: > > > >> > > > >> 1: The landownership patterns in Assam are quite different from that > of > > > >> Punjab. I don't know much anything about Punjab or N India. but am > familiar > > > >> with rural Assam's. The suibsistence farmers of Assam are required > to FENCE > > > >> off isolated plots of 'hwla', low lying rice planting areas, each > season. A > > > >> formidable task, taking a huge amount of time and effort. A 'jewra' > needs > > > >> replacing every two years, and requires repairing every season. > > > >> > > > >> 2: Cattle ownership, a fundamental need for surviaval --> milk. And > not to > > > >> discount dung either. During the main rice crop season, cattle have > no > > > >> place to graze but the 'saaporis', 'grezing' reserves, or reserve > forests. > > > > > Over the decades all of these have shrunken, putting added > pressures of > > > >> survival to the subsistence farmer. > > > >> > > > >> Now look at the demands of the hot-shot agri-experts who demand to > know why > > > >> the Assamese farmers do not attempt to grow a second crop in the > winter: > > > > > Where do their cattle go now, with the rice paddies fenced off for > the > > > >> second crop? A new fence, a place to take the cattle to feed, > irrigation, > > > >> fertilizer ( without which the second crop would be a flop) not to > mention > > > >> pesticides. Where do all these come from? After haaving to pay for > all that > > > >> what is the expected return on the excess rice crop ? > > > >> > > > >> Has Barooah priced fertilizer in rural Assam? And its availability? > What is > > > >> Indias source of phosshates(BTW India HAS little or none--bulk of it > is > > > >> imported) . And take a wild guess WHO gets the lions share of this > > > >> precious,subsidized, imported nutrient? Punjab or Assam? > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> 3: Irrigation for dry season is dependant on shallow wells, which is > just > > > >> becoming available. Most still cannot afford it. First cost wise, > and then > > > >> for maintenance. Fuel cost, reliable source of electricity. Where > is the > > > >> Bhakra dam (and funded by whom?) to subsidize the Assam farmers? > > > >> > > > >> 4: The ability to send the excess rice crop and/or farm produce to > > > >>the market > > > >> where a decent return could be obtained to justify the extra work: > Where > > > >> are the roads,the transportation infrastructure, the cold storage > > > >> facilities , the fuel to run the trucks? Who is subsidizing the > repair of > > > >> roads and bridges after every rainy season in Assam? > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> *** My question here is this: Are these relevant to weigh before we > compare > > > >> Punjab farmers with Assam farmers, and pass verdicts writing off the > > > >> latter's woes as rooted in laziness? And if we did, would it not > point to > > > >> OUR intellectual lethargy and OUR own feeble-mindedness? > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> cm > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> At 8:08 AM -0500 2/9/03, Saurav Pathak wrote: > > > >> >Prafulla Barooah said on AssamNet: > > > >> > > > > >> >+ Saurav: > > > >> >+ > > > >> >+ The pros and cons of green revolution (GR) have been extensively > talked > > > >> >+ about and researched in the media and scientific literature. I > > > >>believe the > > > >> >+ only other comment on GR you made that I didnot address was that > it was > > > >> >+ funded by rockefeller foundation. This is known and is part of > the GR > > > >> >+ history - so there is no argument on this. > > > >> > > > > >> >this was the crucial point which you tried to slip in. punjab did > > > >> >not lead the green revolution. you kept on insisting that punjab > > > >> >produced an ms, whereas assam cannot. it seems you knew it all > > > >> >along, and yet tried to mislead us. > > > >> > > > > >> > > > > >> > > > > >> >+ The term GR was coined by the > > > >> >+ media, just like the White Revolution with milk in Gujarat > > > >>(started by Dr. > > > >> >+ Kurien) - but basically it was/is increased production using > > > >>various means > > > >> >+ - science, political will, environment, and people. So I have > > > >>no argument > > > >> >+ to offer because this is not a subjective topic - but based on > facts of > > > >> >+ recent history. So one can read the wealth of material already > > > >> >available in > > > >> >+ the libraries on these topics. > > > >> > > > > >> >well, when you want to make an argument on the internet, make one. > > > >> >donot pass on the job to the library. there are enough material to > > > >> >refute your arguments too. > > > >> > > > > >> >i have already made my observations on the green revolution. it is > a > > > >> >model that would be disastrous to assam. because of the investment > > > >> >it requires, and the fact that it supports and promotes big > farmers. > > > >> >recall, assam consists mainly of susbsistence farmers. moreover, > > > >> >the green revolution has itself given rise to a system of corrupt > > > >> >distribution system. it is not in the interest of this > > > >> >distribution system to see assam grow self-sufficient in food. > > > >> > > > > >> >if you have an argument against this, provide one, instead of > > > >> >launching rhetorical angsts. > > > >> > > > > >> >i, otoh, do think the white revolution is relevant to assam. > > > >> >cooperatives have a better chance of success in assam, imho. a > > > >> >network of farming cooperatives can even address the flooding > > > >> >problem, at the local level, without daming the brahmaputra, but by > > > > > >controlling the tributaries. of course, one cannot replicate the > > > >> >gujarat cooperative milk marketing federation in toto in assam. > > > >> > > > > >> >-- > > > >> >saurav > > > >> _______________________________________________ > > > >> Assam mailing list > > > >> [email protected] > > > > > http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/listinfo/assam > > > >> > > > >> Mailing list FAQ: > > > >> http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/assam/assam-faq.html > > > >> To unsubscribe or change options: > > > >> http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/options/assam > > > >> > > > > > > >_______________________________________________ > >Assam mailing list > >[email protected] > >http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/listinfo/assam > > > >Mailing list FAQ: > >http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/assam/assam-faq.html > >To unsubscribe or change options: > >http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/options/assam > > ________________________________ > MSN Careers! 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