Not High Growth. But Sustainable Quality Growth

As our software industry is getting tapered in the growth and job layoffs are knocking doors of almost everyone, I wondered how it all works. May be the growth was very fast and the industry expected the same run for some more time. But the dream run is over & hence a correction happening. And this dream run has taken many of the people in their 40s to the CxO s of even large companies. What does tapering the growth mean for them? Either come out & relax or do the same for 15-20 more years with job loss fear hanging overhead always. Both are scary proposition. Great professional run to the top, but on the personal front still in the middle, with lots of responsibilities laying ahead.

Now I thought let me ask my father who served state government in Agriculture department for 36 long years about his career. Some interesting things we talked and found out about the world and India in general. So I thought of jotting it down for reference. Here are my excerpts:

Me: Anna, I think my growth in company had been rather fast. I got promotion every 2-3 years and I got my first one in 1.5 years and an abroad assignment within 9 months. Was it like this in your career? When did you get your first promotion?

My Father: I think my first promotion was rather late. I got it after 16 years of service. After that it got fast. About every 5 years I got promoted to the next level.

The last promotion was not expected or expected to come later. But it is funny in Government. Some guy of same Jati of the Director of the department was awaiting promotion. The minister was of same Jati at that time. So the director pushed for his promotion before the Minister changes. So since that guy was junior to me, they had to promote me along.

Me: So why the first promotion so late? And then subsequent were so fast or rather consistent?

My Father: Mostly due to the World Bank intervention and advice to restructure the department. All graduates first joined the department as Assistant Agri Officer posted at village level. Then there were no Taluk level office nor District level offices nor posts. Only some 4-5 zonal offices for entire Karnataka.  And the reporting was to the BDO or Tehsildar. No direct reporting to the Zonal Agri office.

But all that changed with World Bank recommending Taluk level office, district level office, Zonal level office etc., More posts got created. The promotions became regular.

Me: What were you doing in your first 16 years?

My Father: Going around villages, meeting the farmers, advising them on the crops, what to sow, when to sow, when to water, how much to water, when to harvest etc.,

Me: Why would they listen to a fresh graduate with no field experience?

My Father: (retorting angrily) they are dumb, they are complete illiterates. They don’t know anything.

Me: What has literacy got to do with farming? His father will guide him.

My Father: No. They don’t know anything. What seed to buy. When to sow. How to sow. What fertilizer to put. When to water, how not to water etc.,

Me: Why should they buy seeds? They only grow it. Some portion they eat, some they sell and some they sow it back right?

My Father: No. That will not work. There are so many hybrid seeds in the market. It goes by acronyms, code words etc., It was so complex for the farmer, that department stepped in to buy the seeds and distribute it to the farmer. And the yield from those was not regenerating. So the farmer had to buy it again for the next season of sowing.

Me: Oh! So it was for advising on the Hybrid seeds. So was it part of the Green revolution?

My Father: Yes. That’s exactly it was.

Me: But you know now that Green revolution is criticized? It made soil stale. It made fields flooded. It made heavy chemical use on the food production and unhealthy for producer and consumer?

My Father: Yes. Now it is being questioned. The father of the Green Revolution Mr. Swaminathan says now “It is so unfortunate that the life giving agriculture has become life taking now”. Now he is a big proponent of Ever-Green Revolution which is family farming as per old methodology of organic farming, small land holding, multi cropping, etc.,. During Green revolution, he preached Mono Cropping, Chemical farming, Large land holding etc.,

Me: Why did India embrace Green Revolution then?

My Father: Oh! It was an absolute necessity. There was shortage of grains. India imported grains. Low quality grains came in from America, Russia & even Pakistan. There were even big land lords standing in queue in the ration shops for grains.

Me: Even I remember standing in Queue in ration shop. In fact we were waiting for items to come to the shop monthly. And many days I used to see it out of stock.

My Father: Exactly. Even government employees, salaried people, middle class people were dependent upon the rationed grains distribution. India was reeling under poverty. Our agriculture scientists looked at the Green revolution as a saviour. And under Indira Gandhi, India had to experiment with the Green Revolution techniques, newer Rice and Wheat varieties etc.,

Me: So now what? Not only did the soil health gone & local varieties gone; but even the farmer’s mentality is to depend on government for everything. Are they corrupted?

My Father: Yes. The farmer today is dependent completely on government for seed subsidies, loan, fertilizer, pesticides etc., Mono cropping, large farming, leased farming, all are problems. He is leasing his own land, working as a labourer in his own land and doesn’t have any rights over his own produce. The farmer is dependent further on Government for procurrement, storage, transport etc., the middlemen are as usual making a killing leaving the large farmer populace in lurch.

Me: So, Isn’t the department changing any course?

My Father: The funny thing is – I started as a trainee pushing chemical farming; my last assignment after 35 years of service was to start the research centre on the organic farming in coordination with the University.  So it took us to go in one direction for 30 odd years & wipe out our ancient knowledge & seed varieties. Now it may take another 30+ years to revive it back. It is inevitable; it must happen. Some modern techniques may remain for the good, but the essence of healthy farming has to come back. The biggest challenge is to change farmers mindset as it has become politics of appeasement & doles. They are lured by the short term gains. Also consumer’s pattern will dictate. It is going to be long and arduous journey. But it will happen and it must happen for the good of the humanity.   

It was a good conversation, deep in some aspects though. Not able to cover everything in writing here. But what I realized is, the dream run of fast promotions and super growth will taper, super-fast exploitation of earth to produce more in less time taught man a lesson. Everything has its own pace in the universe. My father started a very slow career and it picked up pace fast. Mine started super-fast and don’t want to say more.

It is better we learn to respect & love earth and the elderly!! Happy Father’s Day!!!