Illiterate Lalitamma teaches trainee IAS officers
‘You are the maker of your own destiny’ ~ is an adage…..
what do you think on seeing the photo below …. … of a woman walking on the fields – may be
green and well grown and that is why the photo and perhaps the woman is a
farmer or owner of the land.
But the title of the article in ‘The Hindu’ which featured
this photo mentions of her teaching IAS Officers. As you know, the Indian Administrative Service [IAS] is the administrative civil service of the
Government of India, producing Officers who hold the key positions in the
Government and thus run the bureaucracy.
The Constituent Assembly of India intended that the bureaucracy should
be able to speak freely, without fear of persecution or financial insecurity as
an essential element in unifying the nation. The IAS officers are recruited by
the Union government on the recommendation of the Union Public Service
Commission (UPSC) and posted under various State governments. The officers
carry high respect and stature in the society coupled with the significant task
of administering public offices, making it one of the most desirable jobs in
India
.
Reading it fully, the caption of the article posted by R
Avadhani is ‘Illiterate Lalitamma
teaches trainee IAS officers’ – is there not an innate contradiction… we speak
of the trainees who are to become the most powerful bureaucrats and they being
taught by an illiterate woman…. Something wrong – or something great to be
known – as
India
,
the Maha Barath is known for scholars and great people and culture of
respecting people’s wisdom, need not necessarily be arising out of formal
education.
Villages are the backbone of
India
and there are many rural
villages, far cry from what the people of metropolis know their country to
be. Medak is one of the districts in
Andhra Pradesh with Sangareddy as its district headquarters and Siddipet being
the most populous. Like any other
district, it consists of various villages, tiny dots, much of these places not
being known to other parts of
India
,
especially to those elites in the cities.
This place was once under the vast Mauryan empire during the rule of Ashoka,
followed by Sathavahanas and then by Kakatiya empire. . The fort built at Medak
was called the Methukudurgam (and the area as Methukuseema), from the Telugu
word Methuku - meaning cooked rice grain. In 20th century Medak district was a
part of Nizam princely State before independence and merged into
Hyderabad
State
in Independent India and presently
a part of Andhra Pradesh.
Now getting to the news of an illiterate taking class to
trainee IAS officers? [below is the reproduction from The Hindu of date – 5.4.13]
- Click here to read the article in The Hindu
That’s what has been accomplished by Aaidala
Lalitamma of Raipally village, about 50 kms from the district headquarters. But
one may raise eyebrows at the thought until he/she converses with Lalitamma who
more than willingly shares that she was the one to impart knowledge on non-pesticide
management methods (NPM) to trainees. Meet the 45-year-old Lalitamma who
recently went to Lal Bahadur Sastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA)
at Mussoori to take classes to the trainee IAS officers for one day.
Ms. Lalitamma is an active farmer who has been
practicing NPM for the past five years in addition to following rain-fed
harvesting system. She not only prepares her own seed and organic fertilisers
and pesticides, but also sells it to others based on their requirement. She has
been active in spreading NPM methods in the district and trains others in
preparing required liquids and solids for their farms using cow dung, cow
urine, neem leaves and other organic materials. Her income grew after shifting
to organic farming and she even has constructed a house. She had an income of
Rs. 70,000 by growing leafy vegetables for three months.
“It’s a great experience to have an opportunity
to teach NPM methods to the trainee collectors at their institute. I have
explained to them on how I am into this, the advantages I am enjoying, the cost
reduction in cultivation and being self-reliant in seed, fertiliser and
pesticide requirements,” proud Lalitamma told The Hindu while sharing her
Mussoori experiences. Did she fear to speak with them? “No. I felt as if I was
speaking with my children and I was happy to share my knowledge with them,” she
said, who has been cultivating 13 varieties of crops in her farm. She was taken
in a flight from
Hyderabad
to
New Delhi
and then to Mussoori. Earlier, she
had gone to
Delhi
to receive an award from the Union Government for her initiative in NPM
practice.
A web search reveals that ‘The Hindu’ on Apr 18, 2011 had carried
out an article on the same person under the caption ‘Farmers reap rich
dividends’ – also contributed by Mr R Avadhani.
in fact Apr 18, 2011
New techniques like digging trenches around
fields, farm ponds and furrows introduced Soil condition of the agricultural
land has changed and yield has almost doubled. Rayipally [Medak Dt] - A. Lalitamma of this small village near the
Mumbai highway in Zaheerabad mandal is a happy farmer today. She had procured
two milch animals from a relative with a promise to repay the amount shortly.
With a good harvest, she was able to pay the money without delay.
Lalitamma's farm land had undergone
tremendous change in the last one year after she was introduced to new
techniques, including a trench around the farm, conservative furrows, farm pond
and tank silt applications. About Rs. 45,000 was invested by the government to
change the nature of her farm land, which would benefit in the long run. A
trench was dug around her farm which has stopped flow of water out of the
field. Furrows dug in the field had also increased the potential of land to
preserve the moisture.
Water storage : The farm pond dug at a corner
of the land has also stored water for a long time during the rainy season. Silt
transported from a nearby tank was spread across the farm and then it was
tilled. In addition, she has practiced Non-Pesticides Management (NMP) which
has reduced her input cost and the yield has more than doubled. “More than two
hundred farmers in five villages had followed the new system. The soil
condition of almost all agricultural farms has changed and the farmers are
witnessing the change,” says Shashikala, an employee of DRDA supervising the
farm activities in that area.
There are people like Lalitamma who are doing
yeomen service to the Nation and upholding the rich culture, tradition and
heritage of this great land…… Hail
Lalitamma.
With regards –
S.
Sampathkumar
.
5th April 2013.