Spiritual Soil for Agricultural Revolution

K.R. Jyothilal, I.A.S. is the Director of the Department of Agriculture, a high official in the Indian Administrative Service, a government body covering all of India. Improvement of the productivity and quality of agricultural production is high on his agenda, yet he is not only focused on technological innovations, he tells us just after receiving Amma’s darshan on the last day of the Thiruvananthapuram program of Amma’s 2004 South India Tour.

On Amma’s suggestion we are working on a plan to develop some 30 acres of land close to Vallickavu. Together with Dr. P. Venkat Rangan, Vice Chancellor of the Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore, and Dr. Lakshman from the California Agricultural Conservation Service , we will develop this piece of land as an example of new agricultural technology with an emphasis on export. We will train people in new managing skills and new technology.”

'Kerala is one of the best parts of the world. We are located next to the Western Ghats and have many valuable resources. We have the highest bio-diversity in the world. We have fertile soil and plenty of water. We could easily have three crops a year if we wanted to. Where in the world would you find that?

Yet in society, working in agriculture is generally perceived as low-skilled labour where you can hardly make any money. Only people who cannot go anywhere else go to work on the land. Yet with the proper technological and biological improvements it could be our core-industry with great export opportunities. Then we can feed the hungry masses of this country. It could bring great welfare to the people of Kerala. But people don't see it. It is a dull time in agriculture. To change this we need a transformation of the mind of the people, and that is where Spiritual Leaders come in; the government cannot do that. We need a spiritual transformation to happen. Only after that can technological transformation take place.'

There are three steps in our agricultural policy and the first is a spiritual one. Firstly we need to transform the minds of the people to see that we can improve and innovate on. Only after the mindset of the people has changed will we be able to bring in step two, and that is agricultural innovation. The third step would be to improve biotechnology. This also means that we have to work in harmony with nature, otherwise we lose all. We must bring conservation and nature-friendly methods into our agricultural efforts. We must meet the need, not the greed.”

Being a spiritual man, Mr Jyothilal is fully aware of the need for transformation of the heart and the mind as a key to a better society. But, how does this work?

"We don't know. That is a matter that goes beyond the mind. Some people will be transformed by Amma's darshan, some by the positive vibrations coming from the Spiritual Leader. But I am convinced that all our efforts are in vain if we neglect this. What will happen to the world is the effect of all our cumulative thoughts. All the scriptures underscore this."

Everyone has a unique perspective on Amma and how She is impacting the world. Mr. Jyothilal brings us an agricultural view. Amma has often mentioned the need for a healthy relationship with the land, which is the source of our material sustenance. She says that even if you have only a few cents of land that you should not sit idle and expect to be fed by someone else’s labour – make the effort and cultivate those few cents of land!