Letters

Biomass rewards

I recently came across your article "Who will help her to learn?" (Down To Earth, November 15, 1992) and read it with great interest. It is clearly working towards the finding of a basis for enabling the poor "to rebuild their devastated ecological capital". I am intrigued by your idea to offer a "biomass reward" to keep female children in schools. This is precisely the new kind of incentive that needs to be developed to reverse the damage that has been done upto now.

I also find the questions that you raise concerning the history of Europe right to the point. I have not read anything concerning those questions, but some research work that I have been engaged in recently concerns the history of the opening up of the western United States in the second half of the last century.

Terribly ecologically destructive polciies were followed and some are still in force. For example, laws that govern mining in public lands in western United States were enacted at that time and financial and political vested interests have kept them unchanged since.

If there is a common story, it would be one that shows how financial, political and legal forces work against the small farmer trying to make a simple living off a piece of land. The populist political movement arose from this, but it has never really formulated a viable alternative to the dominating industrial-capitalistic model.

SOCRATES LITSIOS, Geneva ...

Defending Mt Everest

The article about using lasers to obtain the exact height of Mt Everest (Down To Earth, May 15, 1993) needs to be updated.

The scientists who made the measurements say Mt Everest is 8,846.19 m above sea level. This means the mountain is 2.03 m lower than when it was measured last by Chinese scientists in 1974. Even so, Mt Everest continues to be the world's highest peak.

PRAKASH KHANAL, Kathmandu ...

Fulfilling a need

I enjoy reading my copies of Down To Earth. I hope that the public at large have accepted your publication because it definitely fulfils a long-felt need in the Indian media. Hopefully, Down To Earth will raise public consciousness and begin to make a difference in our national life.

RAVI CHELLAM, Dehra Dun ...

Very stimulating

I have read your story on Chipko (Down To Earth, April 30, 1993), and found it very stimulating and comprehensive. The interview with Gayatri Devi was quite poignant and well done. The comparison and contrasting with the ongoing Uttarakhand struggle seems most appropriate. I am sure there are other readers like myself who would have been happy to read even more about the Uttarakhand movement.

I must say I am becoming more and more impressed by Down To Earth.

INDRANIL CHAKRABARTI, Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar ...

Varahi Parichaya Report

We are happy to announce the release of the Varahi Parichaya Report, which is based on the findings of the 10-day trek last December from source to the mouth of the River Varahi in South Kanara district (Down To Earth, October 31, 1992). The trek was undertaken to highlight the integral and causal relationship between human suffering, economic deprivation and environmental degradation.

We have also made a film Julu Julu Andolo (She gurgled) that is woven around the relationship between a little girl and a river and explores the issues raised during the parichaya.

CAROLINE WESLEY, The Concerned for Working Children, Bangalore ...

Underestimated crowds

I have just read the report of the March 31 rally (Down To Earth, April 30, 1993) held in Delhi by supporters of the so-called Dunkel Draft.

The figure of 6,000 that you give as attendance at the rally is far too low.

GAIL OMVEDT, Kasegaon (Maharashtra)

News editor Anupam Goswami states:

Estimating the size of a crowd by sight alone always results in widely varying figures. The estimate of 6,000 was given by senior police officials at the scene to the Down To Earth reporter covering the rally. ...

Letters Letters