Homeless in the Global Village English Chapter 5| B.com/BBA General English notes
Degree 1st year English|B com/B.Sc English notes| BBA English notes|
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Chapter 5
Homeless in the global village - Vandana Shiva
About the author
Vandana Shiva, is an Indian philosopher, environmentalist, author, professional speaker, anti-globalisation author and social activist. She has received the Right Livelihood Award in 1993, an honour known as an "Alternative Nobel Prize”. The present essay is taken from the book 'Ecofeminism' jointly authored by Maria Mies and Vandana Shiva. She argues how developmental activities uproot the ecological and cultural bonds with nature.
Short Answer Questions
The transnational corporation executive who finds a home in every Holiday Inn and Hilton, is homeless in terms of deeper cultural sense of rootedness.
2) How are the tribal people made physically homeless?
The culturally-rooted tribal is made physically homeless by being uprooted from the soil of her/his ancestors.
3) What has made homelessness a cultural characteristic of the late 20th century?
The cumulative displacement caused by colonialism,development and the marketplace has made homelessness a cultural characteristic of the late twentieth century.
4) Name the temples of new religion.
Dams, mines, energy plants, military basis -- these are the temples of the new religion
5) What is sacrificed at the altar of the new religion?
At the altar of the new religion ,nature's life and people's life are sacrificed.
6) The victims of progress and state perceived each sacrifice as not a big one for the larger national interest.
True/False?
True.
Both the victim and the state perceived each sacrifice as a small one for the larger 'national interest'.
7) The victims of progress have sacrificed their links with the soil to accommodate -mines, dams,
factories, and wildlife parks.
8) The forests of Gandmardhan are known for
i) a and b
The forests of Gandmardhan are known for rich plant diversity and water resources.
9) Who desecrated Gandmardhan? Why?
It has to be desecrated by the Bharat Aluminium Company (BALCO) to mine for bauxite.
10) What is the geological significance of Amarkantak
mountain?
Amarkantak is the source of the rivers Narmada, Sone, and Mahanadi. The region is rich in bio diversity endowed with dense forests along with a variety of medicinal plants .Destruction of Amarkantak was a high cost to pay for reserves.
11) Why are the tribal’s homelands in the Chotanagpur plateau being destroyed?
In Bihar, the homelands of tribals in the Chotanagpur plateau were being destroyed to mine coal and iron ore and to build dams on its rivers.
11) Give one reason for building Suvarnarekha dam.
The World Bank-financed Suvarnarekha dam was being built, primarily to provide industrial water for the expanding steel city of Jamshedpur.
12) Why did the Balliapal farmers reject compensation offers?
The Balliapal farmers have rejected compensation offers because cash cannot compensate for the broken links with the soil which has nurtured and sustained generations of Balliapal farmers.
Degree 1st year English|B com/B.Sc English notes| BBA English notes|
Paragraph Answer Questions
1) Which are the two classes of homeless emerging in the ‘global village’?
The two classes of the homeless seem to be emerging in the 'global village'are: one group was mobile on a world scale, with
no country as home, but the whole world as its property; the other had lost even the mobility within rootedness, and lived
in refugee camps, resettlement colonies and reserves.
2) 'Bullets, as well as bulldozers, are often necessary to execute the development project.’ Why?
Bullets, as well as bulldozers, were often necessary to execute the development project, because people who hold soil as sacred, will not voluntarily allow themselves to be uprooted.Development' required a police state and terrorist tactics to wrench them away from their homes and homelands, and consign them as ecological and cultural refugees into the wasteland of industrial society. So bullets, as well as bulldozers, were often necessary to execute the development project.
3) Why do we see the word 'mati' used in songs and slogans of protesters against development?
One word which was echoed and reverberated in the songs and slogans of Indian people struggling against 'development' was 'mati' - soil. For those people soil was not simply a resource, it provided the very essence of their being. For large segments of Indian society the soil is still a sacred mother.
4) Write a note on Gandmardhan movement.
Gandmardhan, one of the bauxite rich hill ranges, was regarded by tribals and peasants
as their mother who provides them with food, firewood, fodder and also water
for cultivation and drinking purposes. The forests of Gandmardhan are a source of rich plant diversity and water resources. They feed 22 perennial streams which in turn feed major rivers such as the Mahanadi.
Gandmardhan movement took place to protect Gandmardhan hill from mining operation of BALCO.' It has to be desecrated by the Bharat Aluminium Company (BALCO) to mine for bauxite. BALCO had come to Gandmardhan . To feed its 100,000 tonne aluminium plant at Korba in Madhya Pradesh, BALCO had moved to Orissa to begin the rape of the Gandmardhan hills. ' Mati Devata, Dharma Devata' -- the soil is our Goddess; it is our religion' 'these were the words of adivasi
women of the 'Save Gandmardhan’2 movement as they embraced the earth while being dragged away by the police
from the blockade sites in the Gandmardhan hills in Orissa.
Dhanmati, a 70-year-old woman of the movement had said,
'that they will sacrifice their lives, but not Gandmardhan and they want to save the hill which gives them all they need'. Any such mining projects would have an
adverse impact on the life and livelihood of the local and the environment of the
region. Therefore, in the local organisation of the agitations women’s groups
took an active part through picketing, processions and public hearings.
5) Discuss the geographical and mythological significance of Gandmardhan forests.
Gandmardhan, one of the bauxite rich hill ranges, was regarded by tribals and peasants as their mother who provides them with food, firewood, fodder and also water for cultivation and drinking purposes. The forests of Gandmardhan are a source of rich plant diversity and water resources. They feed 22 perennial streams which in turn feed major rivers such as the Mahanadi. According to Indian mythology, Gandmardhan is the sacred hill where Hanuman gathered medicinal herbs to save Laxman's life in the epic Ramayana; the saviour has now to be destroyed for 'development'. It has to be desecrated by the Bharat Aluminium Company (BALCO) to mine for bauxite. BALCO had come to Gandmardhan
after having destroyed the sanctity and ecology of another important mountain, Amarkantak -- the source of the rivers Narmada, Sone, and Mahanadi. To feed its 100,000 tonne aluminium plant at Korba in Madhya Pradesh, BALCO moved to Orissa to begin the rape of the Gandmardhan hills.
Degree 1st year English|B com/B.Sc English notes| BBA English notes|
Essay Questions
1) How has development destroyed the bonding between
man and nature?
Human beings live in the realm of nature.They are constantly surrounded by it and interact with it.Man is constantly aware of the influence of nature in the form of air he breathes,the water he drinks,the food he eats and the flow of energy and information.
Nature is necessary for our physical and mental health. Interaction with nature teaches us how to live in relation with one another without dominating over the other.But man, in the name of development, is actually breaking the ecological and cultural bonds with nature, and within society.In reality nature's life and people's life are sacrificed at the altar of the religion of development .The sacraments of development are made of the ruins and desecration of other sacred's, especially sacred soils. They are based on the dismantling of society and community, on the uprooting of people and cultures.
Soil is the sacred mother, the womb of life in nature and society, its security has been the organising principle for societies. The 'development' has declared this as backward and primitive. From the point of view of the managers of development, sacred bonds with the soil are obstructions which are to be shifted and sacrificed.
Humans require space for both farmland and for industries.The increased human population had resulted in the clear cutting of forests resulting in severely damaged ecosystems.With the shortage of enough trees to filter air,the carbon dioxide levels had increased causing potential damage to the nature and all living beings.The large amount of usage of fossil fuels also resulted in the rise of carbon dioxide thus adding to the threat of extinction of thousands of species.The change of climate is also related with the development of industry and technology
Ecosystems,species,water populations and many species of plants and animals are all vanishing due to destruction caused by development.Human development activity alone has attributed to the cause of huge extinctions in the last two centuries.According to an international data,approximately eighteen million acres of trees are cut every year for development projects and for making wood products. Over 40 years of
planned development, the planned destruction of nature and
society no longer appears negligible; and the larger 'national
interest' turns out to be embodied in an elite minority
without roots.
Fifteen million people have been uprooted
from their homelands in India during the past four
development decades . They, and their links with the soil,
have been sacrificed to accommodate mines, dams,
factories, and wildlife parks. But for
large segments of Indian society, the soil is still a sacred
mother. Wherever development projects are introduced, they tear
apart the soil and sever the bonds between people and the
soil:
Gandmardhan
is the sacred hill where Hanuman gathered medicinal herbs
to save Laxman's life in the epic Ramayana; the saviour has
now to be destroyed for 'development'. It has to be
desecrated by the Bharat Aluminium Company (BALCO)
to mine bauxite. BALCO had already destroyed the sanctity and ecology of another
important mountain, Amarkantak ---- the source of the
rivers Narmada, Sone, and Mahanadi.
In Bihar, the homelands of tribals in the Chotanagpur
plateau are being destroyed to mine coal and iron ore and to
build dams on its rivers. The World Bank-financed
Suvarnarekha dam is being built, primarily to provide industrial water for the expanding
steel city of Jamshedpur. These dams will displace 80,000
tribals. In coastal Orissa, the people of Balliapal are resisting the
setting up of the national rocket test range which will
displace 70,000 people from their fertile homeland.
Human beings should reset their relationship with nature by valuing its indispensable resource.Rather than destroying the natural world in the name of development, we need to apply nature based solutions to overcome our greatest challenges.
2) 'Though the destruction of natural resources is not
necessary, yet in India it continues'. Discuss with
examples narrated by the author.
It is a truth that though the destruction of natural resources is not necessary, yet in India it continues.The forests of Gandmardhan are a source of rich plant diversity and water resources. Gandmardhan is the sacred hill where Hanuman gathered medicinal herbs to save Laxman's life in the epic Ramayana; the saviour has now to be destroyed for 'development'.It has to be desecrated by the Bharat Aluminium Company (BALCO) to mine for bauxite.
BALCO had come to Gandmardhan after having destroyed the sanctity and ecology of another important mountain, Amarkantak - the source of the rivers Narmada, Sone, and Mahanadi. The destruction of Amarkantak was a high cost to pay for reserves . To feed its 100,000 tonne aluminium plant at Korba in Madhya Pradesh, BALCO has now moved to Orissa to begin the rape of the Gandmardhan hills. Since 1985, the trials of the region have obstructed the work of the company and refused to be tempted by its offers of employment. Even police help has failed to stop the determined protest.
The conflict and destruction were totally unnecessary.This was because India did not needed so much aluminium, as it already had surplus.The mining activity was dictated not by the needs of the Indian people but by the demands of industrialised countries .These countries are closing their own aluminium plants and encouraging imports from countries like India. Japan has reduced its aluminium smelting capacity from 1,200,000 tones to 140,000 tonnes and now imports 90 percent of its aluminium requirements. The same Japanese companies have proposed setting up joint ventures in Indian export processing zones to manufacture aluminium products with buy-back arrangements . The survival of the trials of Gandmardhan is thus under threat.This is because the rich countries want to preserve their environment, their economies and their luxurious lifestyle.
Japan has reduced its aluminium smelting
capacity from 1,200,000 tones to 140,000 tonnes and now
imports 90 percent of its aluminium requirements. The
same Japanese companies have proposed setting up joint
ventures in Indian export processing zones to manufacture
aluminium products with buy-back arrangements . The
survival of the trials of Gandmardhan is thus under threat
because the rich countries want to preserve their
environment, their economies and their luxurious lifestyle.
In Bihar, the homelands of tribals in the Chotanagpur
plateau are being destroyed to mine coal and iron ore and to
build dams on its rivers. The World Bank-financed
Suvarnarekha dam is being built, with a US$127 million
loan, primarily to provide industrial water for the expanding
steel city of Jamshedpur. These dams will displace 80,000
tribals. In 1982, Ganga Ram Kalundia, the leader of the
tribal anti-dam movement was shot dead by the police.
Seven years later, his fellow tribals continue to resist the
building of the dam because it will tear them away from the
soil of their birth, the soil which has provided them
sustenance which links them to their ancestors.
Thus the destruction of natural resources in India continues even though it is not necessary only for the demands of industrialised countries.
3) How are "the soil and society, the earth and its people"
intimately connected?
The soil and society,the earth and its people are intimately connected.Soil is the sacred
mother, the womb of life in nature and society, its security from violation has been the organising principle for societies.This is declared by the 'development' as backward and primitive.
But these people are our contemporaries,having a
different concept of what is sacred, what must be preserved.
The sacred is the bond that connects the part of the whole.
The sanctity of the soil must be sustained; limits must be set
on human action. One word echoes and reverberates in the songs and slogans
of Indian people struggling against 'development': 'mati'
used ---- soil.
For these people soil is not simply a
resource, it provides the very essence of their being. For
large segments of Indian society the soil is still a sacred
mother.
'Development' has meant the ecological and cultural rupture
of bonds with nature, and within society, it has meant the
transformation of organic communities into groups of
uprooted and alienated individuals searching for abstract
identities.
What today called as ecological movements in
the South are actually movements for rootedness,
movements to resist uprooting before it begins. And what
are generally perceived as ethnic struggles are also, movements of uprooted people seeking social
and cultural rootedness. These are the struggles of people
taking place in the ruins wrought by development to regain
a sense of selfhood and control over their destinies.
Soil
For communities who derive their sustenance from the soil
it is not merely a physical property situated in Cartesian
space; for them, the soil is the source of all meaning. As an
Australian aborigine said, 'My land is my backbone. My
land is my foundation'.
Soil and society, the earth and its
people are intimately interconnected. In tribal and peasant
societies, cultural and religious identity derives from the
soil, which is perceived not as a mere 'factor of production'
but as the very soul of society. Soil has embodied the
ecological and spiritual home for most cultures. It is the
womb not only for the reproduction of biological life but also of cultural and spiritual life; it is a perfect example for all the
sources of sustenance and is 'home' in the deepest sense.
The Hill Maris tribe in Bastar see 'bhum', or soil, as their
home. 'Shringar Bhum' is the universe of plants, animals,
trees, and human beings. It is the cultural spiritual space
which constitutes memory, myths, stories and songs that
make the life of the community. 'Jagha Bhum' is the name
for the concrete location of social activities in a village.
The soil is thus the condition for the regeneration of nature's
and society's life. The renewal of society therefore involves
preserving the soil's integrity; it involves treating the soil as
sacred.
4) Ecological destruction and industrial development are a
threat to everyday life. Elaborate.
'
Ecological destruction and industrial development are a threat to everyday life.Development' has meant the ecological and cultural rupture
of bonds with nature, and within society, Ecological destruction is caused by the increasing human population, who are constantly expanding development, by means of natural asset exhausting and polluting technology.Particularly since the industrial revolution,the humans have exerted a greater influence on natural resources and ecosystems.The rapid economic growth and the rising standards of living in many parts of the world had dramatically increased the use of natural resources and energy consumption.
Humans require space for both farmland and for industries.The increased human population had resulted in the clear cutting of forests resulting in severely damaged ecosystems.With the shortage of enough trees to filter air,the carbon dioxide levels had increased causing potential damage to the nature and all living beings.The large amount of usage of fossil fuels also resulted in the rise of carbon dioxide thus adding to the threat of extinction of thousands of species.
The change of climate is also related with the development of industry and technology .Pollution of atmosphere by greenhouse gases is now considered as one of the major global environmental issues.It occurs largely as a result of combustion of fossil fuels,emissions from agriculture and land use changes that accompany the destruction,clearance and burning of forests.
The impacts of climate change can lead to changes in global mean temperature,changes in sea level,changes in the ecosystem function,changes in the distribution of species,changes in the climatic zones etc.
Another serious threat of ecological destruction and industrial development is the depletion of ozone layer due to the pollution of atmosphere by CFCs. This is a significant concern as the lack of ozone layer at higher altitudes will result in increased level of harmful UV-B radiations reaching the surface of the earth.This can cause a a series of ecological and health related impacts on nature and all the species on earth.
Next threat due to industrial development is the degraded quality of air and water Many air and water pollutants are responsible for the degradation of quality of air and water.Worldwide estimates show that about one billion people inhabit areas around industrial cities where unhealthy levels of air pollution occurs.Similarly water quality is also seriously contaminated by waste from industries,oil spills,accumulation of plastics,mining processes, fertilisers from agriculture etc.These degrade and damage the marine environment and also give rise to a range of health related effects and also cause ecological effects such as damage of coral reefs.
Land contamination is another threat which occurs as a result of chemical pollution.It may cause a great level of ecological effect and also presents serious constraints to development.Soil erosion and soil degradation also has became a major factor of concern as these also affect the functioning of ecosystems.
The loss of biodiversity in the serious and major threat as many species of plants and animals are threatened with extinction due to spread of diseases,direct exploitation or destruction of their habitats.Threats to biodiversity is not confined to terrestrial ecosystems but to marine and coastal wildlife species also due to result of pollution,acidification of ocean and seas and also due to over exploitation.
Scarcity of fresh water for drinking is the next threat faced in many parts of the world due to over abstraction of water and due poor water resource management methods.Improper irrigation practices have also lead to depletion of local water sources.
Thus ecological destruction and industrial development have become a threat to everyday life.
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