Siri Gandhada Naadu – The Story of Sandalwood

Sree Gandha or the sandal wood is a very special & unique species of Karnataka. Although it is grown elsewhere in India too, Karnataka takes the richest share of it. The western ghats is conducive home to it. In that also specially in our Shivamogga region, Madikeri and Mysore regions, it is grown naturally in the forests. It is the highest priced wood. So it is highly vulnerable for smuggling. The forest brigands are usually after it. The forest department has special watch on it if it is found anywhere. Every one of such tree is a National treasure; it doesn’t belong to you even if it is in your garden.It belongs to the state. It gives its unique fragrance only after it ages more than 75 years. Till then it is just a tree.

Once it used to be in abundance in our forests are now extremely rare to find. The story of Sandalwood traces the human behavior and the decline of humanity. Lets turn a few pages of our history. 

The Golden Age of India

During the Golden age of India, the Rajahs used to give lot of importance to art and craft. The sandal wood is one of the favorites for the craftsmen to produce some of their finest arts.

The crafts men had free access to the forests where these trees were naturally grown. Gudigars are one such community who carried out this artistry as family profession for hundreds (may be thousands) of years. They sculpted Krishna, Geethopadesha, Dashavatara, Ganesha and all Hindu deities. They produced the crafted idols for the temples, chariots, houses & for the palaces. The Rajah used to support by purchasing the best and costliest product. It used to be a symbol of the richness of the region.

Another important use of sandal wood was of sandal paste. Even today, in the temples and orthodox Brahmin houses, the sandal paste is produced manually by grinding the wood on a small granite slab (saane kallu in Kannada). This is then applied onto the temple deity as Alankara. After it is taken out from the idol, it is applied as Naama or Mudra on our body. It gives a cooling sensation & soothing fragrance through the day.

All ways of utilizing the Sandalwood was manual. Hence it was not getting overly chopped, hoarded or consumed madly. So the forest richness was managed locally by the local communities by forming guilds & some rules of self-governance. There was not much smuggling recorded in the history. 

The British loot

The British famously destroyed the Indian independence by killing its indigenous industries. All our industries were cottage industries and family based. Each family working in a profession had 3 main things:

-          Easy and free access to the raw material

-          Full freedom to produce artistic, family/ community/ region specific unique products

-          Encouraging friendly local markets; Travelling merchants to take the ‘excess produce’ across oceans and continents through their established silk route

The British when they took over governing India, systematically killed all industries by attacking these 3 main points of freedom.

For example, in the case of textile industries -

  

-          They denied access to the finest cotton & Indigo grown here to the local weavers by exporting them

-          They levied heavy taxes on the weavers to make their produce costly & uncompetitive

-          They denied market access by dumping in foreign cheap clothes manufactured in the mechanized factories.

The steel industry was also a cottage industry with each family running kilns producing finest quality steel ingots. Hundreds of villages & thousands of houses in the Chirtradurga, Bellary, Raichur region had family run kilns. Richard Buchanan during his survey in 1800s has recorded the finest quality of Iron & steel produced in this region in large quantity utilized for Swords, spears & other war materials, and also agricultural tools.  This was also systematically destroyed by the British following similar means:

-          They denied access to the forests and hills to the nearby villagers; While they looted mining it indiscriminately

-          They levied heavy taxes on each family kilns making their produce uncompetitive

-          They denied market access by dumping in the foreign steel manufactured in their mechanized factories.

British eyed on the sandal wood along with other richness of the western ghats. They found its unique fragrance very appealing. They put their science of destruction to innovate oil extraction from the sandal wood. The oil thus extracted was used in making scent and was used in the beauty industry.

But for producing a small 100ml bottle of scent almost a full grown tree has to be sacrificed. Thus the massive loot started.

Indian Forest Department

Most of us know Indian forest department is for managing and protecting the Indian forests. But do you know, it started as a department by the British to plunder the Indian forests systematically? The government being the custodian of the nation’s natural resources created this department. Its primary purpose was to extract the forest produce, measure it & transport it.

For that it measured the forest area, marked it out and kept the public out of it. The tribals were driven out. Their uprising was quelled without mercy.

Lets come back to our Sandalwood story. Essentially our craftsmen, families, communities who were wholly dependent on this important forest produce were denied rights. They were denied access to it. So again the 3 principles applied

-          No access to the raw materials

-          Heavy taxation on their produce

-          No Market. The Rajahs were dethroned. Silk route and all trades, trade routes were cut off; locals were impoverished. Temples were denuded.

So where would these communities go? Rajah is the Praja Palaka. So they went to the British Raj. The Brits essentially in the forest department had 3 types of jobs –

1.       Wood cutter

2.       Wood transporter

3.       Accountant

These craftsmen had reverence to these wood as their GOD only. They couldn’t think of indiscriminately cutting and transporting their gods!! And counting the loot was even worse. So they left their family profession & joined the destitute population of the British Raj.   

Today’s situation

Today the situation is not entirely different.

The forest is still in Government hands. Government is not exactly looting but is not preventing the loot by miners, brigands etc.,

Hardly any raw material for the craftsmen available.

The main market being temples and Rajah. Both are Government only. And Government still is looting temples & not giving anything back;

There are few artisans surviving still on this. They have to work for Government emporiums only if they have to produce anything from Sandalwood. Individual buyers have to buy through controlled emporiums run by the Government.

We cannot expect the glorious past. If we leave the forests so open as it used to be, nothing will remain.  

One simple thing is at least to put the uniqueness of the Indian flora and fauna in primary education. So that some patriotism and pride in children about our nation can be developed. This is my sincere hope.

Recently my 5^th standard son was mugging up the flora & fauna of Democratic Republic of Congo with much difficulty. I don’t know what to do. He has to score marks. So I left him & told him this story outside it.

So the whatsapp, facebook and blogs are more educative these days. Formal education is crass. That’s a pity.

Swami Vivekananda had told way back – The British education is but a lump of information. Not any bit useful for Man Making Mission.

Today we still follow the same. Nothing nation building in today’s CBSE, ICSE or State board syllabus. Pity us. 

Europeans formula to dominate the world

Europeans started exploring the sea routes all over the world around 15^th, 16^th century. Then they over threw all forms of civilization, tribes in America and Australia by their brutal force. Some remnants of the old civilization and tribes remain completely confined and controlled in those continents today. The original inhabitants of these continents are confined in areas “ranges”. They are completely relegated as just museum pieces. They have nothing of their own country, constitution, leaders, and ruling. They are at mercy of the occupied Europeans completely.

In Asia and Africa also Europeans took political power. They controlled for most part of 18^th and 19^th century. Their greed to control earthly resources all over the world created conflict and flared up into 2 major world wars in the 20^th century. It was centered in Europe but spread to include others due to their Imperialistic ruling all the world. After 2^nd world war by 1945, they realized their own people are suffering due to fight for perishable and limited resources. Also India exemplified, concerted synchronized “Indian National movement” by both armed resistance and non-violent mass movement. The Indian Independence in 1947 triggered a series of successful ‘National Independence Movement’ across the Asia and Africa. Today almost all countries across Asia and Africa are politically Independent. They have their own leaders governing. They have their own constitution, laws, property rights and controls over their resources.

In spite of this political independence, the Europeans dominance is still persistent and in fact increasing in all countries in all spheres of life. It is an important study for sociologists and economists to delve. Firstly all the universities, institutions, think tanks & intellectual lot are modernized. That means westernized or Europeanized. And these institutions will carry forward the legacy of European intellect. In this article we’ll just scrape the top surface of their deep rooted dominance.

Global and Local

One concept which Europeans have conveniently used to dominate the world is – Global Vs Local. By terming something as local they belittle it. Generally they market their ideas as anything European is Global. All others are local.

The local things are considered as not job generators and economically unviable. So it is relegated as last resort for poor performers in academics. For example: Study of language, study of art & architecture, study of water management, study of local economics, local administration & governance, local medicine, local food & agricultural practices etc., Everything is relegated as backward now.

Medicine & Medical Science

For example, the Tulsi leaves, Curry leaves are miraculous medicinal plants. But they are local perishable medicine. So no global market, no big industry, no money circulation etc., but if you extract chemical out of it, add preservative chemical, package it as tonic or tablet then it becomes globally marketable. Then it takes the global status. Money cycle will be there. Economics counter will be there. So Globalization means money cycle. Money cycle means measurable economics.

But anything locally grown and consumed doesn’t create an economic cycle. So these local things will stay relevant still due to the passion of the general people. But the Government, administration doesn’t fancy it. Now, only after Independence Ayurveda is studied as Science. There are institutes, degrees, universities in Ayurveda studying it as medicinal science. But still government support for chemical Pharma industry, Pharma institutes, degrees, medical degrees aligned with allopathic medicine is dominant. Because there are global players in that. It has global industries with global markets. The research funded by Government in this rather destructive science can be diverted to more harmonious science for people friendly areas. But they don’t; because, it is not global. It doesn’t attract money by Global standards.

Even in cold countries and continents like Europe, America there are medicinal plants and other means to handle medicinal needs. But there is not enough focus and research. They are also relegated as local, tribal etc., by vested interests.

Administration & Finance of Local Resources

In pre-british era we had Rama Rajya conceptualized by all Kings all over India which was more of “Grama Swarajya”. The administration was local. The financials were completely localized. There was no Central loan, state loan, World Bank loan for tank building, road building. They had to manage their own resources. Because they had rights over their land, forest, river etc., Kings were asking what people wanted and let them use it if it was in their territory. For example Chitradurga, Bellary, Kolara are rich in minerals. They were rich then also, and are rich now also. During that time, the locals made their own rules of how to extract gold, aluminum, iron etc.,. They had caste based professions for these work. The communities had access and rights to these resources accordingly. There was local demand and market for them to extract, manufacture and sell. The locals made their own guild, community, rules, regulations, etc., King approved their self-made rules. If the King was cruel and levied wrong rules and taxes, then people used to revolt and depose him with their own leader who gives equal rights to all communities.

Today, if a locality is rich in minerals, it belongs to some state or central government. They don’t give it to locals. They auction & contract it through complex tender and other underhand means to ‘Individuals’. The giver of land doesn’t have any local interest; the taker doesn’t have any local people’s interest. Both have money as the only common interest. So with an Iron hand they handle local unrest through police, paramilitary etc., they extract local resource and export globally. Then it will be considered Globally acceptable norms of the trade and manufacturing. The ‘Individuals’ involved become rich leaving the locals lurching for rights & basic needs.

Manufacturing by large destructive Industrial means is considered Global. Mining & Mineral extraction by large earth mover machines is considered as Global standard.

In the ancient India metallurgy was far superiorly developed. Large scale metal & alloy manufacturing & export are recorded in history studying Silk routes. This was made possible by people’s guild’s, communities etc., And also it was due to people’s ant like culture of working together contributing small ways for a big cause together. So they could construct large edifices, bridges, tanks, dams, forts & temples. Also they could export quality metals. It was harmonious and people friendly. Now it is completely ignored due to Globalization in which Individual interests over rule people’s interests.

Tribal, Local, Regional, Colloquial, Dialect, Cult etc.,

The above are some of the words to describe anything indigenous, locally developed culture, science, methods, processes or theories by the Modern educationists and Intellectuals.

By describing such they would put a stop for any further studies, interests or investments in those areas. By these descriptive words they would give a special emotional status, putting it on a pedestal and putting away from the common living.

So in every area the European stamped Global standards & processes over rule the local way of dealing things. We can observe this in Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Economics, Sociology, Legislation, Judiciary, Philosophy etc., In every one of these areas there is rich heritage which can harmoniously meet People’s needs. We just have to find our roots and enhance it.

But unfortunately we are in this vicious Globalization cycle. This helps some individual entrepreneurs, business men to become exorbitantly rich. It will widen the gap between the rich and the poor. Those rich will influence Government & Politics. And ultimately they even influence institutions, research, by pumping money further into destructive science and engineering rather than harmonious science, philosophy etc.,. And they in turn stamp Global markets, Global economy, Global markets, Multi-National Companies only as the savior of any country.

So that’s how today we, which means, the entire world’s all sovereign countries are under the grip of European (neo-American) idea of Globalization. This will further the “Money” (economic) Interests of those few ‘Individuals’ & MNC s.

However it is detrimental for the people of the countries. It is high time now, the people across countries lead by India to drive another Independence Movement to find their roots in every area for harmonious people oriented theories and practices.