Scarce Resources

Thanks to the unremitting focus on the geophysical changes churning around us all the time, people are getting an avalanche of information as to what is getting depleted in the world.  What with the newspapers and TV channels screaming about Antartica-like situation in Kerala, Australia experiencing Saharan temperatures, lakes in Ooty freezing like the great lake of Chicago and the serious likelihood of 50C in Wales, people should be alarmed of dire consequences.  I am sure a huge majority of common folks, when asked what they thought are scarce resources at this point of time, would promptly respond with one of these - `oil', `forest cover', `water' and the like.  The more scientifically inclined would have probably bamboozled the common man by saying something like `Scandium', `Lathanum', `Serium'.  These are rare earth metals used in aerospace components, nuclear batteries etc, which most of us are blissfully and justifiably ignorant of.  What we don't know exists, cannot be scarce in our estimate, even if they really are certified as rare and scarce.  Against this background, let me explain what's happening around us in this context.

A few days back, a very hassled woman, who happens to be my dear wife, was sitting crestfallen, immersed in some thought, but seeming thoughtless.  She looked harassed and irritated and as a dutiful and concerned husband, I skirted well around her and went my way, without disturbing her or getting in the firing line.  Or so I thought.  I was the lonely, bulky target within a few metres, so she apparently could not ignore me and very wistfully asked  `What are we coming to! Life is a struggle nowadays'.  I certainly was not remotely guilty of dereliction of duty of any sort and had no knowledge of willfully causing any deprivation in her life. So, I was cautiously emboldened to ask her what her problem was, knowing fully well that this time the answer would not be a blunt `You'.  She said in a pained voice `You know I have been searching the whole locality with a sieve to find a good stay-in nurse for Amma and have drawn a blank from all known and unknown sources'?  She proceeded to detail her agonising and fruitless hunt and the travails and tribulations along the way.  The following day I discreetly asked a few of the ladies in the community some questions to find out that scarcity of water, oil, rare earths are nowhere in the vicinity of their thoughts.  The top seeded scarce resource was indeed a good maid of any description.

The second item that surfaced as scarce really surprised, nay, shocked me -- STP water, yes, Sewage Treatment Plant water for the lawns and backyard gardens.  It seems we were producing less STP water than earlier -- people are wasting less, how can that be?? -- and this quantity was not sufficient to take care of the needs of the 200 houses in our community.  Consequently, gardeners and some uncaring residents were using good water instead.  One wise, grey-haired man in the community even suggested that we should waste more water, so that this issue could be addressed forthwith! Personally, I do not see any scope for a solution to this conundrum, as usually is the case with many thorny issues which emerge, defying logic.

Our home environment, which used to be a bountiful orchard, abounds in coconut trees.  And obviously coconuts.  But, for some reason, those trained coconut-tree-climbers, who bring down the booty and also spruce up the trees, seem to have vanished into thin air as a breed.  Now, culling the coconuts is not matter of preference or an option because people are acutely aware of and averse to the dire consequence of some casualty due to a falling coconut or frond. Even if we are willing to pay whatever is demanded to get the coconuts down, there is no resource available.  Last heard, a resolution has been passed to get a monkey-trainer to visit us and train some in-house monkeys (am not referring to anyone specific, no offence, but real ones) to do the job.  Hopefully the trained monkeys will not migrate and will stay put.

A recent visit to my native village educated me in many ways.  One striking feature was that there were no young men around.  The average age of the village had climbed steadily to fifty plus, due to the tendency of youth (with or without education) to move out, in search of jobs, money, whatever.  So, young people are the scare resource in this context.  And my village is not an isolated case.  Some experts reckon that in a way this is preferable because in order for agriculture to be a viable industry, more people have to be taken out of it and more efficient mechanized systems have to be used.  They opine that this might even reduce farmer suicides eventually by spreading the income among lesser number of people.  I think we should reserve judgement on this and hold our breath to see if this exodus of youth from villages results in scarcity of food products for the rest of us ultimately - that would be an unmitigated disaster.  Hope not!

The other thing that was scarce in the village was water in the river to even take a decent dip, forget swim.  One heard that ankle-level water was the modern equivalent of a flood in the river and people generally take a bath, ironically, by scooping muddy water up in plastic mugs.  There is an offset, though.  A lot of sand there, but brings with it the ugly menace of the sand mafia! There is no scarcity of rogue elements waiting to indulge in relentless exploitation of all sorts.

Recently a few other things became scarce for known and unknown reasons.  Tomato was missing from the market because angry farmers, peeved with the low prices fetched by a bumper crop, crushed tons of them on the roads, using their tractors and feet.  Next few days, the prices magically climbed up, but that was obviously temporary.  But the scarcity of Cold Storages which can help keep the produce in good condition for longer is the primary problem.  This, combined with the paucity of any meaningful political and agrarian leadership means this cycle would never end.  Too many things scarce here for a single, collective solution to emerge in quick time.

If people are watching Indian sitcoms, regardless of the language, the one virulent presence that keeps them hooked on TV is that of the scheming, villainous women, whose objective is to make as many lives unhappy as they possibly can.  So, the scarce material here is the presence of a bunch of good, strong, happy women who can help spread joy and goodness around.  I see no chance because producers and directors would not risk it as no one will probably watch the sitcoms after that.

Two things I personally count as scarce are melody in current generation's film songs and a somewhat sane TV anchor who would conduct a half decent, logical debate on any subject on earth.  Again, the current situation, completely bereft of decency and some thought for the viewers, does not lend itself to any hope of betterment.  A friend of mine, during a phone call recently, lamented on the non-availability of goli-soda (soda in a bottle with a marble at its neck, which needs to be pushed down for the soda to flow).

With such dominant scarce materials in routine life, who can looking beyond, to the scenario of dearth of rare earths and such outlandish things!!  God bless us all.