FATORDA: Agriculture Minister Vijai Sardesai’s launch of the pilot project of Shivyog Cosmic Farming that requires a farmer to meditate and channel “flow of cosmic energy” by chanting a mantra for at least 30 minutes for better yields may have made him a media figure across the globe, but has raised the hackles of a section of people in his constituency.
“Instead of making subsided fertilizers and seeds available to the farmers and focusing on giving them the right price to make it profitable for the farmers, the agricultural minister is asking farmers to chant mantras to hide his failures while promoting his government’s Hindutva agenda,” accused Dr Francisco Colaco, a prominent citizen of Fatorda.
Dr Colaco and other prominent citizens have raised the red flag over the Agriculture Department backing chanting of mantras for better yield as a backdoor entry of Hindutva into secular Goa.
“On what scientific basis is the agriculture minister asking farmers to chant mantras for 20 minutes,” asks Dr Colaco of the agriculture minister who claims to hold a degree in agriculture.
“He must know that such pseudo-science is dangerous and disaster to our farmers. We ask (him) to prove that chanting mantras increases production and requires fewer fertilizers as claimed by him. Is he willing to provide crop insurance to farmers who use this method instead of using fertilizers?” quips the celebrated cardiologist from South.
Agriculture Minister’s fielding for mantras for better crops has raised quite a few eyebrows especially in Catholic dominated Xaxti where many farming traditions have spun off festivals such as Konnsachem Fest.
“The Fatorda MLA is trying hard to be one of the Hindutva coalition that he belongs to,” quiped social activist Ethel Lobo. Lobo wondered why MLA Vijai Sardesai didn’t extol the virtues of Catholic traditions and the effect of prayers on the bumper crop yields all these years.
The Citizens of Fatorda had earlier issued a joint statement holding Vijai responsible for the flooding of large tracts of farmlands in Fatorda and loss to farmers thereof.
The statement lambasted Vijai for indulging in photo-op and promoting superstition by asking farmers to chant mantras claiming that this increases their production and reduces the need for fertilizer and can make the fallow land fertile.
