AGRICULTURAL  ART  OR  ARTISTIC  AGRICULTURE  ?   -  BOSCONET  THOUGHTS

Sam Van Aken is associate professor in Syrcuse University’s art department. He grafted over forty varieties of stone fruit trees on to a single tree. Among the fruits are peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines and cherries. In spring the tree displays its marvellous beauty by producing a variety of flowers in different colours, shapes and sizes.

This is not the first successful work or art of this type for this professor. In a previous project called ‘Eden’, he had grafted vegetables and flowers together. Then he came up with a large project for a great orchard growing over forty varieties of stone fruit trees. When he could not find the money to support such a large scheme, he came up with the idea of having just one tree, but producing all these varieties of fruits on it.

It is great that an ART professor has mastered the technology for this type of grafting. Could ‘art’ of this type be also of great practical and commercial value to poorer farmers with only tiny plots of cultivable land?

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STRANGER  THAN  FICTION   -   BOSCONET  THOUGHTS

A man on a bike, with a lady as his pillion rider. He is driving fast. They come to a point where the road splits off into two – one rising up as a flyover and other a road at the ground level. He hesitates on the choice of road to take. At the last second he takes the flyover. The turn was so sudden that he loses control of the bike. They hit the wall of the flyover. Both of them fly forward, off the bike and down on to the road below the flyover.

The boy hits the road and falls unconscious (later, at the hospital, he is declared brain dead). The girl falls on to the roof of a van parked on the road below. She rolls over its windshield and falls to the ground. She picks herself up and shakes some dust off her clothes. She walks over to the boy and sees that he is unconscious (perhaps dead?). She searches the pockets of the man, takes his purse and mobile phone and coolly walks off the scene!

This is reported to have taken place in Chennai on Tuesday, 5 August.

What sort of relationship did these two people have? What made the girl go pillion riding with this boy? What sort of a human being would do what this girl did?

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R  U  +ICTED ?   -   BOSCONET  THOUGHTS

India now has two centres for the rehabilitation of those suffering from what could be called “IT addiction” – uncontrolled use of the internet, video games, smart phone, social media, etc. The first centre was at NIMHANS, Bangalore, and the second started functioning three weeks ago at Sarvodaya Enclave in New Delhi.

A study by NIMHANS says 73% of teenagers in Bangalore are suffering from psychiatric distress. Victims of the addiction have eye strain; serious negative impact on their studies; difficulties with the family and with their social life; and neglect of recreational activities. Some suffer from insomnia, inability to concentrate and constant irritation.

When addiction reaches the level where a child will not even touch her food if the wi-fi is not working at home, there is every reason to be concerned.

Like most other excellent things in life, the products of IT are so fantastic when used responsibly, but so harmful when abused !

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TEAM  WORK  IS  THE  ONLY  WAY   -   BOSCONET THOUGHTS

I have been doing a course in ayurveda for a few days. In parts of its practice, two people are working on you, standing on either side. If you keep your eyes closed, you can imagine that they are just one being with four hands controlled by one brain. The speed, rhythm, pressure, direction, …. of the four hands are so beautifully synchronised.

The team that wins is the team that works as a team – almost like one single organism. The captain of the German team in the World Cup in Brazil said it beautifully. “We did not have the best player of the tournament. The best player does not win; the best team does.”

Even a sport which is as much a one-man show as it can get – chess – is actually a team sport. BOSCONET’s brand ambassador, Viswanathan Anand is accompanied by a full team of assistants, specialised in various aspects, who help him win.

The days are far gone when a single person, a genius, a hard worker, could lead the pack in a contest. Even Nobel prizes are shared achievements these days. Success in innovation is the result of the joint efforts of a well-knit team.

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WOMEN  IN  THE  WORKFORCE   -   BOSCONET  THOUGHTS

In rural India participation rate of men in the workforce is 54.3% against 24.8% for women. In urban areas the corresponding figures are 54.6% and 14.7%. Overall, in our country, the participation of men and women in the workforce is 54.4% and 21.9%.

If women are not at work because they are giving their full attention to their children, how lucky our children are! Perhaps it is also because they are less educated and have less skills. Perhaps men refuse to allow their women to have a career of their own. Perhaps employers have sexist prejudices and do not want women among their staff.

If these latter are the reasons, it is unfortunate. What a loss to the economy; what a waste of human resources; what a speed-breaker to the development of our country. Above all, what disrespect and injustice towards half of humanity!

I am also wondering what the exact definition of ‘workforce’ is. If it includes all those who work, what exactly are more than half India doing? – studying? Growing up? Gallivanting? Living as parasites on the work of others? Enjoying the fruits of the sweat of their progenitors?

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PAY  ONLY  WHAT  YOU  WANT  TO   -   BOSCONET  THOUGHTS

It would be so wonderful if we could pick up something in a shop and pay only what we sincerely thought it was worth. Would that shop be able to survive? We do have the tendency to overvalue our products and services and undervalue other people’s goods and work – a version of “The grass on the other side is greener!”

At the initial stages of BOSCONET the director inducted five new staff. There was a three-day process that offered them opportunities to show their knowledge and skills. At the end the group was asked to suggest in writing what each of them should be paid – for oneself and for the others. The salary was finally decided using a series of calculations based on their suggestions.

In a second similar exercise, for the self-assessment of the staff this year, the director asked all the staff whether they themselves were being paid enough and to mention who, in their opinion, was being paid too high and who too low. Each one wrote that he/she was paid well and that everyone else was paid also the right amount as per their knowledge, skills, responsibilities and contribution to the organisation. It is, of course, not easy to say whether they were all being honest or only trying to please the director!

Well, five hotels in Paris, France, have decided to leave it to their clients to decide what they will pay for the facilities and services they received, according to their own calculation of what they were worth. Wish them well. Let’s hope, it works and the hotels can stay in business. Wish them success.

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A  10 –YEAR  OLD  MAY WORK  -   BOSCONET THOUGHTS

The law in Bolivia used to allow children to start working from the age of 14. A new law passed this last week allows children as young as 10 years to start working under parental supervision provided they also go to school. From the age of 12 they may work under contract.

A sponsor of the bill says, “Child labour already exists. Rather than persecute it, we want to protect the rights and labour security of children.” The president of the country also worked as a boy, herding llamas. He says there is no alternative in a society where half the population is poor.

The opposite opinion is that “Child labour may be seen as a short-term solution to economic hardship, but is actually a cause of poverty.”

It is a pity Bolivia has decided to march in a direction directly opposite to that of the rest of the world. May all children all over the world have opportunities to study and be allowed to enjoy their childhood.

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