Factory of The Mind

Agriculture… A student of economics views agriculture & allied activities as ‘primary sector’ in the structure of a country’s economy. Industry is considered secondary and Services as tertiary. Developed economies are those in which the dependence on agriculture is miniscule (less than 5%). Lesser the % of population dependent on agriculture, more developed is the economy considered. Someone has taught this to the world and today it has become an almost an unquestionable law of economics. I view the ingraining of this thought as nothing short of systematic brain-washing. It’s probably nothing different from what happens with fundamental extremists. Agriculture and allied activities ensure survival. When we say that 70% of the population is dependent on agriculture, we’re assuming earning money is the only need. But for physical survival, every person is dependent on agriculture. Think of it, what constitute the secondary and tertiary sector are not life essential, but agricultural ...

Happiness Staying in Barkheda poses significant challenges to a city dweller. So many things we take for granted in a city are a struggle. The flip side is that many of these things, when accomplished, give genuine happiness. Procuring clean drinking water, being able to burn the  chulha , electricity, things we take for granted in a city, which give no happiness in a city, give tremendous happiness here. When I realized this, I thought it strange. Is this the kind of happiness I’ve come here to get? But on second thought, what the heck! Happiness is not this kind or that. If something makes you happy, just be happy. That’s all there is to it. Profession We in a city are so trained to match skills with people. For example, a doctor, a mason, a plumber, a mechanic, a cook, a carpenter, all are supposed to be people with special skills. So much so that we’ve even classified some work as something which only the maid can do! But in a village, almost everyone is able to do the basic wo...