Letters

 
Published: Friday 31 May 1996

Let's get together

Let me first point out that we at the Arya Vaidya Pharmacy in Coimbatore, enjoy reading your magazine and find it very useful and informative. We are regular subscribers. Down To Earth (Vol 4, No 15) carried an article called "Tribal rights to the fore" about arogyapdcha and the Kani tribals. We welcome your comments on such issues.

The Arya Vaidya Pharmacy has always been careful about preserving the rights of tribals. We have undertaken the task of educating them on more efficient ways of collecting herbs and a large number of them have been interacting with us for over four decades. The print media can sometimes convey negative impressions, but your magazine has the potential to do a lot of productive and constructive work. If there is anyone interested in the kind of developmental work that we undertake, please do let me know.

P R KRISHNA KUMAR
Managing Director
The Arya Vaidya Pharmacy (Coimbatore) Limited
Coimbatore - 641018...

It's all in the mind

This is with reference to your Editor's Page (Down To Earth, Vol 4, No 18). Spirituality is a branch of science and our ancestors, the yogis, saints and siddhas of yore were actually scientists. They possessed knowledge on human anatomy and the structure of the atom. Meditation is a technique bringing the body and the mind together. Using EEG or electro -encephalography, scientists have discovered that different conditions of the braiii result in the emission of electrical waves of various frequencies.

When the brain is active, it emits beta waves with a frequency of 14-40 cycles per second (cps). When one is asleep, alpha (eight- 13 cps) and theta (four-seven cps) waves are emitted. The frequency of the brain's electrical discharge reduces drastically in a comatose state. Delta waves (one-43 cps) are discharged. These low frequencies give the mind total rest and can help cure many diseases. I have observed many patients attaining these low frequencies through meditation, and getting cured of their ailments.

A PONRAJ
Coimbatore...

You can do it too

Your Editor's Page (Down To Earth, Vol 4, No 21) made interesting reading. I would like to make some observations on the subject. In my opinion, mainstream, or establishment science at first Yi@ewed the environmentalist movement as one that was retrogressive and hostile to development. The movement was later seen as being exotic and activist. Today, however, it has been accepted and is also considered relevant by the scientific community. This change which has occurred abroad in a span of 50 years' will occur in India - like many other things - after a time lag, in 10 to 15 years time. The bias against the movement is actually diminishing.

Your organisation's role as a watchdog of science and technology, and its stand on pollution, may have left an impression among Indian scientists. But as you rightly pointed out, the Indian scientific c6mmunity remains a closed society, rather inward-looking. If not shed its links, it should at least make its association with its mentors abroad equitable. There should be an urge to venture and engage in more original research.

AJAY PATWARDHAN...

Stop it, Mitsubishi!

Rainforest Action Network (RAN) is pleased to announce the Third Annual Haiku Project, a call for people around the world to express their support for the Earth's forests through poetry, drawing or any other medium of art. The project is specifically designed to pressurise Mitsubishi Corporation, the world's worst corporate destroyer of forests, to adopt ecologically sound practices. Haiku, a Japanese form of poetry comprises three lines of five, seven and five syllables each, and is a particularly appropriate format for students to voice their feelings. Haiku has traditionally been employed to comment on nature, and its brevity promotes clarity of thought and expression.

Mitsubishi runs enormous logging operations scattered across the globe, right from Malaysia and the Amazon, to Siberia, Canada and the us. Millions of hectares of forests are destroyed every year by or for members of the Mitsubishi corporate family. The project provides a forum for people of all nationalities, ages and walks of life to creatively and forcefully tell Mitsubishi that they care deeply about the world's forests. RAN works to protect the world's rainforests and their inhabits through educating, organising campaigns at the grassroot level and direct non-violent action.

.Recent public pressure, including lAt year's Haiku Project - which invited over 15,000 responses - appears to be having some effect on the company. Following extensive publicity of the corporation's environmental misconduct, Mitsubishi Motors and Mitsubishi Electric formed a group to look into the possibility of reducing the use of wood and joined the Future 500 group. In addition, Mitsubishi Corporation sold its controversial Malaysian logging operations.

We urge educators to encourage their students to express their support for a greener planet through their creativity. Poetry and craftwork can be sent to RAN'S offices. Contributions could also be sent directly to:
Minoro Makihara, President, Mitsubishi Corporation, 6-3, Marunouchi 2-chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100, Japan

RAINFOREST ACTION NETWORK
450 Sansome street #700,
San Francisco CA 9411
California, USA...

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