By RK Lakhi Kant<\/p>\n
Out for an early afternoon walk
\nI saw the man who operates
\na septic tank cleaning vehicle;
\nhis chin resting on his hand,
\ndejected, as the tanker
\nemptied at the roadside gutter.
\nIs there a less punishing
\nmethod to handle household
\ngarbage and sewers?
\nThey remain known to us
\nonly for this need, when
\nwe can`\u2122t manage by ourselves.
\nThe farmhouse fad `\u201c a nice
\nway to live; but why do
\nthey run short of farmlands
\nfor the common people.
\nLand for agriculture and
\na home to live life by
\nnature`\u2122s plan is a modest
\naskable need.
\nManageable toilets
\nconveniently placed away
\nfrom the main building;
\nthe simpler the better for
\nanyone in the family
\nto handle the localized
\nsewer within the farm complex;
\nand garbage taken care
\nby a fire lit in the
\ngarbage dump; a source
\nfor manure too.
\nNo hiring of help for
\nmenial works: the helpers
\nbeing free to take up
\na vocation of their choice.
\nWith a few cows and bulls
\nmilk, grains and vegetables
\ncan be produced;
\nfruit gardens only for
\nseasonal fruits with no
\nworries for off season
\nstorage and sales is possible,
\nwithout a greed for more
\nas is happening with
\ngenetically modified products.
\nFlourishing green lands
\ninstead of scary houses
\nwith high fences `\u201c seclusion.
\nThe rich nations have more,
\nbut every place has
\nmagical moments and also
\ndisplay stark animalism
\nlike the A-bombing of Japan.
\nBe careful what you take
\nfrom them `\u2122cause their
\nhearts respond not to
\nsincerity but only to recovering
\nthe money you take from them.
\nHousing lots are climbing up
\nvertically instead of
\nspreading out proportionately
\non the ground.
\nIts not safe too; avoid
\nthe lifts and escalators;
\nwe should need to climb
\nto a height reachable by
\na common bamboo ladder,
\nnothing more.
\nSizeable farmlands can provide
\nfor us everything.
\nElectricity is a small
\nproblem; we fear what
\nwill happen if the
\nlights go out `\u201c cook
\nearly, eat early before
\ndusk and sleep early
\nto wake up very early
\nthe next morning `\u201c
\ncan`\u2122t get healthier than this.
\nCandles or material for
\nwooden torches is
\navailable in the villages
\nfor odd jobs after dark.
\nOtherwise sunlight is there
\nlong enough to finish any work.
\nThe natural clock ticks by
\nwithout causing any anxiety.
\nHoney from the honeycombs
\nin the garden and the bright
\nsunshine is much healthier
\nthan life otherwise.
\nWater too managed by digging
\nwells and reservoirs for
\ndrinking and bathing
\nunder an open sky.
\nYoung people in their twenties
\nhair graying, with weak
\neyesight, and blood lazy
\nand frozen without any
\nwarmth in it`\u2122s tracks.
\nIn nature`\u2122s system hardly
\nan eyesight problem and
\ngraying only late in life.
\nYou don`\u2122t have to! Really!
\nThere`\u2122s no need to ascribe
\nto ways and values in the west.
\nThere is more love and care
\nin the simplicity grandfather
\nlived in the previous age.
\nAspire for less of matter, so
\nthat less is also more than
\nsufficient for unshackling
\na common man from the
\nblatant errors economists
\nand decision-makers
\nmake at their ease.<\/p>\n\n