Punching Bag For A Punch-Line

Dear readers, a few days back we wrote about Mr.Radhakrishna S. Bhadti's column in Vijaya Karnataka. If you remember, in that column he wrote about water resource experts and the seminars they attend. He seemed to know a lot about them including the type of toilets they use. However, when it was time to name the names, alas the words failed him; he failed to name a single person or seminar he so vigorously railed against.

This week [Vijaya Karnataka, January 27th, 2006] Mr.Bhadti has written about Laavancha aka Vetiver, the fragrant grass grown in many parts of India -especially in the coastal regions of Karnataka.

Vetiver [Vetiveria zizanioides]is known to control soil erosion and also block water runoff. In addition to these, the roots of this grass are very fragrant and is used in many ways.

Mr.Bhadti writes about Vetiver and how an essay written by an expert called Richard Grimshaw has led to interest across the globe for this grass.

In his last column if Mr.Bhadti was bashful to name the comic villains who use flush-toilets. Not this time. He names the name. Yes, the NAME!

Of course it is the global villain America.

Here is what he writes:

ಬಹುಶಃ ನಮ್ಮ ಹಳ್ಳಿಗಳ ಇನ್ನೂ ಅದೇಷ್ಟೋ ಮನೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಇಂಥ ಅಸಂಪ್ರದಾಯಿಕ ಪದ್ಧತಿಗಳು ಸದ್ದಿಲ್ಲದೇ ನಡೆದುಕೊಂಡು ಬಂದಿರಬಹುದು. ತೀರಾ ಸಣ್ಣಪುಟ್ಟ ಸಂಗತಿಗಳೂ ಅತ್ಯಂತ ದೊಡ್ಡ ವೈಜ್ಞಾನಿಕ ಕ್ರಾಂತಿಗೆ ಕಾರಣವಾಗಬಹುದು. ಅಂಥವನ್ನು ಹುಡುಕಿ, ಪ್ರೋತ್ಸಾಹಿಸಿ ವ್ಯಾಪಕ ಬಳಕೆಗೆ ಮುಂದಾಗದಿದ್ದರೆ ನಮ್ಮ 'ಹಿತ್ತಿಲ ಗಿಡ ಮದ್ದಲ್ಲ' ಎಂಬ ನಿರ್ಲಕ್ಷ್ಯ ಧೋರಣೆಯನ್ನು ಬಳಸಿ ನಮ್ಮದೇ ಇನ್ನಷ್ಟು ಸಸ್ಯ, ಪ್ರಯೋಗ, ಪದ್ಧತಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಅಮೆರಿಕದಂಥ ಬಂಡವಾಳಶಾಹಿಗಳು ಪೇಟೆಂಟ್ ಪಡೆಯುವಲ್ಲಿ ಅನುಮಾನವಿಲ್ಲ.

Earlier in the article when Mr.Bhadti writes approvingly about Richard Grimshaw, he does not mention about Mr.Grimshaw's country. Yes folks, Richard Grimshaw is an American. He runs an organization called The Vetiver Network to promote the usage of Vetiver. Yes, the same usage that Mr.Bhadti says that must be promoted.

However to end his column Mr.Bhadti was looking for a punch-line. Of course, is there a better punching-bag than the capitalist USA?