Letters

Pastoral knowledge

Apropos "Pastoralists at the crossroads" by Ganesh Pangare and Richard Cincotta (ANALYSIS, December 15, 1993), there appears to be some confusion regarding the use of the word, Maldhari. In Gujarati, Maldhari literally means the possessor of animal wealth and it is applied to several pastoral communities of Kutch and Saurashtra. Maldhari communities include the Rabaris, the Bharwads, the Charans, the Jats and the Ahirs. The animals they rear are camels, horses, goats, sheep and cattle.

Another noteworthy fact is that the Maldharis possess considerable knowledge about the fodder value of indigenous plant species and traditional veterinary practices -- much of which remains undocumented. The end of pastoral nomadism would mean the end of detailed knowledge of grazing resources in large areas of arid and semi-arid land. With the last pastoral nomad, this oral knowledge will be lost to humankind. ...

Organ transplants

With reference to the article "Spare parts for sale" (CROSSCURRENTS, December 15, 1993), it may be relevant to note that the concept of donating the body after death is well accepted in Maharashtra. Life Foundation and Maharashtra Dehdaan Mandal have come up as public trusts for anatomical and pathological studies and organ transplantation. More than 4,000 donors have registered their wish to donate their bodies after death.

The Transplantation of Human Organs Bill can be understood to have been framed and introduced in the Indian Parliament following consistent representations by the people. Yet, the bill does not provide for people's participation. It has many other flaws, too.

The bill provides for live transplants from near relatives because of lower organ rejection rates between people who are genetically related. But this category includes wives, who are not genetically related to their husbands. And, because of social attitudes, this would mean wives would have to be donors always, never husbands.

The bill surprisingly provides for live kidney transplants, but only after approval by an authorised committee. This provision would defeat the very objective of the bill.

The bill is totally silent on people's initiatives and participation. The concept of organ transplants can never succeed unless organ or body donation is taken up as a people's movement. In the UK, organ transplantation is popularised and monitored by a citizens' group, the UK Transplant Coordinators Association, which also works with similar groups elsewhere in Europe. The UK government not only recognises the group but also underwrites its total expenses, which came to L28 million in 1992.

We learnt from the group that the rate of body donation among ethnic groups in the UK is highest among Indians. This goes to show that donating organs for transplants can be successful in our country, too. The response to both the Life Foundation and the Maharashtra Dehdaan Mandal is highly encouraging despite non-recognition from the government. ...

Smoking ban

I am in the process of filing public interest litigations to ask for a complete ban on smoking in India in all public places, including outdoors, and at the workplace.

I also propose to help pilot a private member's bill in Parliament to help protect non-smokers from passive smoking and the ill-effects of environmental tobacco smoke.

In the corpus of the writ petitions, as well as the private member's bill, I wish to include the latest developments on how multinational tobacco companies plan to enter the new and lucrative markets in Asia, Africa and Latin America, following the decline of tobacco consumption in developed countries.

I would appreciate information on organisations -- UN agencies and NGOs -- that can furnish data on smoking trends in North America and Western Europe and international tobacco company investments in developing countries. ...

Sustainable development

I find Down To Earth an outstanding contribution to our understanding of sustainable development issues....

Organic farming

With reference to Realising the virtues of organic farming (NETWORK, November 30,1993), I would like to dring to your notice that the Institute for Integrated Rural Development in Aurangabad is also involved in promoting organic agriculture through such activities as training, research and networking.

The institute is one of the earliest of Organic Agriculture Movements ...

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