MORE ON UPAPANDAVAS

My previous blog on Upapandavas ignited the interest of many and so naturally raised quite a few questions. Honestly I did not have all the answers so I had to do some research and was able to come up a few.

Our friends were right is asking that when Lord Krishna had the power to bring back to life Parikshit, son of Abhimanyu, who was killed in his mother’s womb by a Brahmastra hurled by Ashwatthama, why did he not use the same power and save the Upapandavas? There were reasons for both – saving Parikshit and not saving the Upapandavas including Abhimanyu.

Why was Parihshit saved?

He was saved because he was destined to succeed Yudhishtira to the throne of Hastinapur.  Parikshit was one of the greatest kings of India who helped rebuild the country after the Kurukshetra war along with his son Janmejaya. It is said that until he was alive, Kalyuga did not commence and Hastinapur was the most peaceful and righteous kingdom. But the choice of Parikshit as the successor of Yudhishtir is no less baffling. After all he was not the eldest son of Pandavas, he was their grandson. So why was one generation deprived of the opportunity to rule? Yudhistra had a son from his first wife Devika named Yaudheya who survived the war. Then there was Vrishketu son of Karna. Why were they ignored?

Originally, Yudhishthira intended to make Vrishketu the ruler of Hastinapura. However he declined this offer as he believed that the throne by right should have belonged to Abhimanyu had he been alive (since he was the most capable) and hence the throne should go to his son. Vrishaketu was then made the ruler of Anga and Indraprasth.

Why didn't Shree Krishna save the five sons of Draupadi?

This is an interesting story. In Satya Yug there ruled an honest and noble king named Harishchandra. His subjects enjoyed prosperity and peace. He had a queen named Shaivya (also called Taramati) and a son named Rohitashva. Once, while on a hunting expedition, he heard the cries of a woman asking for help. Armed with a bow and arrow, he went in the direction of the sound. The sound was an illusion created by Vighnaraja, the lord of the obstacles. Vighnaraja was trying to disturb the Tapasya (meditation) of the sage Vishvamitra. When he saw Harishchandra, he entered the king's body and started abusing Vishwamitra. This disturbed Vishwamitra's Tapasya and destroyed all the knowledge that the sage had acquired during this Tapasya. When Harishchandra came to his senses, he realized that the sage was extremely angry with him, and apologized. He promised to fulfill any of the sage's desires to get rid of his guilt. Vishwamitra demanded Dakshina (donation) for the Rajasuya Yagya The king asked him what he wanted in payment. In response, Vishwamitra said "Give me all that you have except yourself, your wife and your child." Harishchandra agreed to the demand. He let go of all his possessions – even his clothes. As he readied to leave his palace with his family, Vishwamitra demanded dakshina. Harishchandra said that he did not have any possession left, but promised to arrange for the dakshina within a month.

Harishchandra started living in penury with his wife and his family. His loyal subjects followed him. When Vishwamitra saw the king with his subjects, he started cursing Harishchandra for taking along his subjects (who were a part of the kingdom donated to the sage). The king then decided to leave the kingdom with his family. To make them go away sooner, Vishwamitra started beating the queen with a stick. When the five guardians of the directions saw this, they condemned Vishwamitra. The sage cursed them to take birth as human beings. These guardian deities were born as the sons of the Pandavas and the queen as Draupadi. So as the the Upapandavas were cursed celestial beings, they could not stay on Earth for a long time. Hence they were not saved by Shree Krishna.

Why didn’t Lord Krishna save Abhimanyu?

Abhimanyu was the incarnation of Varchasa the son of Chandra. During the Mahabharat period, most Gods / Devtas were asked to either incarnate themselves or have their sons incarnate. It wasn't practically possible for the moon to leave its abode and hence, his son had to incarnate. However, Chandra Dev was really attached to his son and was reluctant to let him go. After much persuasion from the other Devas, he allowed Varchasa to incarnate but kept three pre-conditions - he would only live for 16 years, his bravery on his last day on Earth would give him eternal glory and after Varchasa, his son would succeed to the throne of Hastinapura. So Lord Krishna could not bring Abhimanyu back to life.

UPAPANDAVAS – THE LOST SONS OF PANDAVAS

Mahabharata, the epic, as was brought to us by Sri Anant Pai’s Amar Chitra Katha and later by Sri B.R. Chopra’s epic television series, did not do justice to the second generation of Pandavas and except Arjun’s son Abhimanyu and Bhim’s son Ghatotkach, nobody finds a mention till the unfortunate 18^th night after the slaying of Duryodhan when Ashwathama killed all the five sons of Draupadi along with Dhrishtadyumna and Shikhandi when they were fast asleep. This naturally left me yearning for more and so I did some research.  I went through the version written by Vishnu Sitaram  Sukhthankar, published by the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute in Pune, "Mrutyunjay" by Shivaji Sawant and 'Yuganta' by Iravati Karve and “Jaya” by Devdutt Pattanaik and now I can tell you something about them.

Draupadi had five sons. Their order of birth is Prativindhya, son of Yuddishtir, Shatanika, son of Nakul, Sutasoma, son of Bhima, Srutsena, son of Sehdeva and Srutkarma, son of Arjun. This is because Pandu had two queens Kunti and Madri so to balance both the generations after Yudhishthira, who is the eldest son of Kunti, it was Nakula's turn, the eldest son of Madri to enter Draupadi's chambers. After him came Bhima, second son of Kunti and after him came Sahadeva, second son of Madri. Arjuna was last as he was the last son of Kunti. All five of them fought the battle of Kurukshetra on the side of the Pandavas, and all were single Rathis as said by Bhishma and they find only fleeting mentions during the battle.

Prativindhya,Yudhishthira and Draupadi's son was the eldest of the Upapandavas. Some folklore holds him as the Avatar of Chitraratha the Gandharva. In the Kurukshetra War, on the 15th day, he stopped Ashwatthama's advance towards Dronacharya to disprove the news of his death. He killed Chitra, the king of the Abhiras, on the 16th day. In the Indonesian Mahabharata, there is reference to "the son of Yudhishthira and Draupadi" dying to save his father against Drona on 12th day of the battle. Now this complicates the situation because then who killed Chitra and who was killed by Ashwathama?

Shatanika, Nakula and Draupadi's son was the second of the Upapandavas. He was named after a famous Rajarshi in the Kuru lineage who had that name and he was considered to be an avatar of Visvadevas. He being the second youngest in the Kurukshetra War was also nominated as a deputy commander-in-chief of forces under Dhrishtadyumna, in charge of Vyuha planning. He killed the Kaurava king / ally Bhutakarma on the 12th day of war.

Sutasoma, Bhima and Draupadi's son was the third of the Upapandavas. He played a major role in the battle by nearly killing Shakuni. Sutasoma, on the 15th day, stopped the advance of the mighty Kaurava Vivismati, towards Dronacharya, thus isolating him. He was favored by Arjuna, who gave him a bow, and horses for his chariot.

Srutsena, Sahadeva and Draupadi's son was the fourth of the Upapandavas. In the Chatahurdi analysis of the Mahabharata, he was defeated by Shakuni during the battle; he killed Shala, the younger brother of Bhurishravas on the 14th day of the war. He also killed Dushasana's son in the war, thus avenging his cousin Abhimanyu's death, in which Dushasana’s son was also involved.

Srutkarma, Arjuna and Draupadi's son was the youngest of the Upapandavas. His horses were supposed to bear the colour of kingfishers. He fought against Dushasana and Ashwatthama in the battle. He also killed king Chitrasena on 16th day of the war along with his brother Prativindhya. 

On the 11 th and 14th day of war all five brothers were single handedly defeated by Karna's son Vrishasena. However on the night of the last day of the war Ashwatthama killed all the five Upapandavas during their sleep. In some versions of the story he believes them to be the five Pandava brothers; in others, he purposefully attacks the Pandavas' heirs in order to hurt the Pandavas emotionally.

In the Jataka tales version of the Mahabharata, Sutasoma, Prativindhya, Shrutakarma, and Shatanika are also shown as wounded not dead. Then whom did Ashwatthama kill? In this version it is implied that Ashwatthama killed other children, like: Yaudehya, Sarvada and Nirmitra along with Dhrishtadyumna and Shikhandi. Some legends mention only the 5 brothers, sons of Draupadi,  as Upapandavas, but that would be unfair because they had other illustrious brothers too.

Yaudheya (Devaka) was Yudhishthira's son by Devika. Yaudheya founded the Yaudheya dynasty. That tribe's coins from 1st century AD reveals they believed they were descended from Yudhishthira just as the Malavas were thought to be Bhima's desendants and Arjunayanas were thought to be Arjuna's descendants.

Sarvada, Bhima's son by Valandhara.

Nirmitra, Nakula's son by Karenumati.

Arjun had 4 sons

Iravan from Ulupi, the Naga Princess born during his 12 year exile. He is is regarded to have fought quite valiantly in the Kurukshetra war. He battled the princes of Gandhara (brothers of Shakuni) and defeated several others as well.

Babruvahana from Chitrangada, the princess of Manipura, was again born during Arjun's 12 year exile. He was the only surviving son of Arjuna after the war and its aftermath as he did not participate in the great war. He was heavily encouraged by Ulupi in archery and emerged as a great warrior and a good king. When Arjuna wandered into his kingdom while following the horse during the Aswamedha Yagna, Babruvahana challenged him, battled him and killed him. Arjuna was later revived by Ulupi using a gem stone.

Shrutakirti or Shrutkarma from Draupadi, born after Arjuna’s 12 year exile

Abhimanyu from Subhadra, Krishna’s sister was one of the greatest warriors of the second generation in the Mahbhrata and a legendary figure. He was the incarnation of Varchas, the son of Soma. He was the husband of the Matsya kingdom's princess, Uttara, and the father of Parikshit, who was born after his death. Trained in the martial arts by his father Arjuna and uncle Sri Krishna and the latter’s son Pradyumna, he matured into a great warrior at an early age and was only 16 when he fought in the battle of Kurukshetra.

Abhimanyu inherited both courage and fighting ability from his father, Arjuna, and his grand-father, Lord Indra. He was considered to be an equal to his father owing his prodigious feats. In the absence of Sri Krishna and Arjuna, Abhimanyu was obliged to break through the cakravyuha, the wheel-formation of the Kaurava army. Though he fought valiantly, he was surrounded by a multitude of Kaurava warriors including Drona, Karna, Kripacharya, Ashwatthama, Duryodhana and Dushasana. He was killed in this battle as he was ignorant of the technique of extricating himself out of that cakravyuha. However, before laying down his life, he fought bravely against the greatest of the Kaurava warriors who only managed to kill him unfairly. 

Abhimanyu's son, Parikshit was the sole heir to the Pandavas and succeeded Yudhishira to the throne. It is also for King Parikshit, that the holy Bhagavata Gita was first recited. 

Ghatotkacha was the son of Bhima and Hidimba. His maternal parentage made him half-Rakshasa / Asura, and gave him many magical powers that made him a formidable fighter in Kurukshetra. He got his name from his head, which was shaped like a pot. He made himself and his followers available to his father Bhima at any time; all Bhima had to do was to think of him and he would appear. Like his father, Ghatotkacha primarily fought with the mace. His wife was Ahilawati and his son was Barbarika.

In the Mahabharata, when Ghatotkacha was summoned by Bhima to fight for the Pandavas, invoking his magical powers he wrought great havoc in the Kaurava army. In particular after the death of Jayadratha, when the battle continued on past sunset, his powers were most lethal. Badly bruised and battered by him the Kaurava leader Duryodhana appealed to his best fighter, Karna, to kill Ghatotkacha as the whole Kaurava army was coming close to annihilation due to his ceaseless strikes from the air. Karna possessed a divine weapon, or shakti, granted by the God Indra. It could be used only once, and Karna had been saving it to use on his arch-enemy, the best Pandava fighter, Arjuna. He had to use that on Ghatotkacha. This is considered to be the turning point of the war. After his death, the Pandava counselor Krishna smiled, as he considered the war to have been won for the Pandavas now that Karna no longer had a divine weapon to use in fighting Arjuna. 

Ghatotkacha’s son Barbarika too was an interesting character. When before the war Krishna asked how long the war will last Bhishma said 20 days, Dronacharya said 25, Karna thought 24 and Arjuna opined 28 days, but Barbarika said 1 minute! He had a boon from Lord Shaiva, Teen Ban or three arrows. By the first he could mark all the things that were his target, by the second he could mark all those targets he wanted to save and by the third he could destroy the rest. Lord Krishna killed Barbarika before the war but that is another story!

But by the end of the battle of Kurukshetra it was known to all that Karna was the eldest son of Kunti and the eldest brother of the Pandavas. It is only fair to talk about his sons along with the Upapandavas.  

Vrishasena was the eldest son of Karna. He had successfully staved off a challenge from Nakula during the Kurukshetra war and even unseated him from his chariot. Nakula then mounted the chariot of Bheema. When he saw Arjuna nearby, he called out to him and urged him to kill Vrishasena. Arjuna then requests Krishna, his charioteer, to go towards Vrishasena. "I will slay him under his father's gaze", he said. Vrishasena was undeterred by Arjuna's reputation as the foremost archer of the time. He showered Arjuna with many arrows and some of them pierced his arms. But when he targeted Krishna and pierced him on his arms, Arjuna was enraged. He called out Karna in anger, "You killed my son Abhimanyu in an unfair combat. Today, I will kill your son". He then shot ten arrows at Vrishasena weakening him even as his father Karna watched on helplessly. The next four razor headed arrows, cut off Vrishasena's bow, his two arms and then his head. 

Vrishaketu was the only son of Karna to survive the Kurukshetra war. The Pandavas then took him under their wing. Vrishaketu accompanied Arjuna in is military campaigns against Sudhava and Babruvahana. He also participated in the Ashwamedha Yagna conducted by the Pandavas. Arjuna had great affection to Vrishakethu. Krishna too was affectionate to him. Vrishaketu is believed to be the last mortal on earth to understand and know the use of  Brahmastra, Varunastra, Agni and Vayuastra. This knowledge died with him as Krishna ordered him not to reveal it to any person

Karna’s wives Vrushali and Uruvi again fails to find a mention in the epic. Kavita Kane in ‘The Outcast’s Queen’ narrates the story of the Mahabharata’s much loved hero Karna through his wife Uruvi’s perspective. Many of us perhaps know little or nothing about Karna’s wives, family life and children and the effect war of Kurukshetra had on them. Not many of us know about Vrushali, Karna’s first wife and their 7 children! 

Except Ghatotkacha and Abhimanyu the other Upapandavas did not get a fair deal in Mahabharatas just as the 98 brothers of Duryodhana and Dushashana.

YEARNING FOR A VILLAGE LIFE – AN URBAN FANTASY

Most of us living in the cities have no idea of the hardships faced by people living in the villages in India. As electricity, broadband connectivity, healthcare and commuter services reach our villages I have seen the living standards improving tremendously in the last 3 decades, but life is still not as rosy as in the picture postcard villages of Europe. Still city folks have long dreamt of a cottage in a village, a fully furnished air-conditioned one naturally, by the side of a flowing stream with a large flowering garden and a rich vegetable patch and lots of chirping birds and a wide variety of butterflies!

Yes all this can exist in reality but it will also come with barking stray dogs, wandering stray cattle and at times wild boars and a rampaging herd of blue bulls (Nilgais). We have a small farm at the outskirts of Lucknow in a place called Bakshi ka Talab. We have had this farm for almost three decades and though we may not know all the villagers in our village by name, but they all know and recognize us and our children. The fact that Neeta, my wife and I are both doctors also helps and we become their nodal persons in Lucknow for any health problem, particularly health emergencies. 

Jack fruits on a tree

We have 3 ½ acres of cultivable land where we grow wheat, paddy, vegetables and fruits. We also have 58 mango trees and 2 jack fruit (kathal) trees in our mango grove. These are massive trees, all more than 40 years old, and offer an excellent canopy for family picnic and summer mango feast. We also have a massive Banyan tree on one side, 10 Eucalyptus trees and a skirting of 50 Poplar trees, which we have planted and which have gone up in no time to kiss the sky. Everyone who understands farming advises us to cut these trees and sell the timber and plant new ones, but we simply love these trees and they were never meant for earning money, and so they stay.

We also have a pond, and initially had fishes in it. We purchased tiny carps in hundreds from Kolkata, got them delivered in Lucknow by train and set them free in the pond. We enjoyed seeing them grow in size for some time and also sold them in the market, but three years of successive drought caused the pond to dry up and this adventure of fish farming had a sorry ending.

While life in cities ground to a halt in recent weeks, a social media trend known as "cottagecore" has been thriving online, drawing a young, cool crowd to the English countryside. At its heart, cottagecore is a romanticised interpretation of countryside life. These new influencers are girls dressed in gingham who frolic among bluebells, knead bread in moss-covered boltholes and tend to organic vegetable patches. In the cottagecore universe, there are no phones pinging constantly with updates, no urgent work emails, no evenings spent responding to the onerous demands of a tyrannical boss. In fact, there is no labor beyond domestic, and workaday tasks are completed with a gauzy sense of fulfillment. Each pie appears to emerge effortlessly from the oven with immaculate golden brown lattice crust.

A picture postcard cottage from Instagram

Cottagecore has really found its niche since lockdown began, with the hashtag currently garnering 245,000 posts on Instagram. A common theme running through the posts is self-sufficiency. A TikTok user called @realstadt_ has posted a series of dreamlike videos: one making dandelion honey, a vegan alternative to beeswax; another, kneading a "braided bread loaf" from scratch to the backdrop of tinkling harp music.

While in recent years, platforms such as Instagram have become a breeding ground for millennial foragers, bakers and farmers alike, all keen to spread the pleasure of living simply, it seems time spent in lockdown has fast forwarded this hankering for "The Good Life". Real estate agents in U.K and Australia are reporting an increase in enquiries for rural properties, as people start to think about alternative lifestyles now home working has become the norm.

Ms. Abigail Janine is a 24-year-old cottagecore influencer. After dropping out of university, where she was training to be a nurse, she found solace in the cottagecore community, and posts regularly to her 10,700 Instagram followers from her home in rural Colchester, UK. "It's the idea of living in what you create – escapism from the fast-paced environment we all live in," she said. "My mental health has improved enormously after making the slow lifestyle a priority." This lady has a style which attracts me; one of her posts is a video entitled "the art of slow living", a 15-second clip of a small snail atop a sun-drenched rock – a reminder to "rebalance your energy and remember relaxing is far from a waste of time" – while a soothing piano melody chimes in the background.

There are many like Abigail who crave for her lifestyle but don't have access to the natural world. The urban middle class in India is trying to buy this! You too can dream of this but before that remember getting some natural air flow and sunlight in your home by opening curtains and windows and potting some indoor plants can help improve air quality, lift your mood and reconnect you with nature. Try this as the first step, don’t rush to buy a farm patch.

We have purposely refrained from constructing a farm house in our farm because the purpose of this project as not to have a holiday home. We wanted our children to understand the journey their food takes from the farm to their dinner plate and to appreciate the effort that goes into this process. We were not planning to bring up an enviable property, nor were we planning to grow crops and trees. We were planning to bring up two children and let them grow into sensible and compassionate human beings, deeply rooted in the realities of life and yet aiming for the sky. This farm, I must say, has served this purpose admirably and so every Diwali we go there in the morning to offer puja and distribute sweets and gifts to all those who work there and toil it out. This is our way of saying ‘thank you’ to all these guys.

In all the hustle and bustle of daily life, we may not regularly visit the farm but it remains an ideal stress buster in our life. It is certainly not a profit making venture, but it sustains itself and the people who work in it. And it gives us a lot of joy!

ATMANIRBHAR BHARAT (SELF RELIANT INDIA) CANNOT BE ANTI GLOBALIZATION

Do you remember the time when we would go out in the evenings to our colony playground to play games with our friends? There were occasional tantrums and skirmishes and we would have a fight, vow never to play together again and rush home. But by the next evening all that was forgotten and we were playing together once again. Why do you think we were prepared to forgive and forget then? We did so because we knew if we don't we will miss the fun; the game will continue even without us! This is exactly what international business is all about! It will continue even without us.

So after being ravaged by COVID19 when the world wakes up to do business once again the call for isolationism and the call against globalization is very concerning. Whether it is Trump's rhetoric of ‘making American great again’ or it is Modi's ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ the call for self reliance is good and highly motivating but it should not be isolationist and protectionist. Isolationism and protectionism kills competition and hinders growth and development. We have experienced this for far too long till 1991and if it would not have been abandoned we would still be driving Ambassador cars and would have missed out on the dot com revolution. 

The spinning wheels of global trade have come to shuddering halt; an intricate global web of supply chains is broken into pieces. According to the International Monetary Fund the volume of goods and services traded globally will shrink 11 per cent this year in response to the global COVID-19 shutdown. But the fact of the matter is that globalization hit the skids a few years ago. Even before COVID-19, trade volumes grew just 0.9 per cent last year, and 3.8 per cent the year before that. The corona shutdown is simply giving us a glimpse at a future we were heading towards anyway, as a trade war between the world’s two largest economies, the US and China, threatened to bring global trade to its knees.

It’s only human, after all, to use a crisis to reinforce our biases and that is what we are doing. We are rediscovering the value of self-reliance. But self reliance should neither be exclusionary nor isolationist and there should be absolutely no fear of ’the foreign’ if it is beneficial for our economy. We should aim to improve efficiency and compete with the best in the world and not be paranoid and suspicious about it. True we have a large market and our industry can survive if it manufactures only for the domestic market, but it certainly cannot thrive and prosper. For that it needs to compete with the best in the world and export. It is time to summon our national resolve, mobilize our resources, tidy up our laws and acquire skill sets that will prepare us for the fourth industrial revolution. This will only happen when a change is seen not only in our economy but also in our mindset.

Though we have historically believed in ‘Vasudaiva kutumbakam’ and have been a source of world trade since ages why have we started looking inwards of late? India was the largest economy in the world for most of the two millennia from the 1st until 19th century. India experienced de-industrialization and cessation of various craft industries under British rule, which along with fast economic and population growth in the Western World resulted in India's share of the world economy declining from 24.4% in 1700 to 4.2% in 1950, and its share of global industrial output declining from 25% in 1750 to 2% in 1900. Due to its ancient history as a trading zone and later its colonial status, colonial India remained economically integrated with the world, with high levels of trade, investment and migration. All that changed with Nehruvian model of socialism which felt great to keep us poor and insulated from the world. All that changed once again by the foresight of Mr. P.V. Narsimha Rao in 1991 and the liberalization that was ushered in, reintegrated us with the world.

A cleaner and greener version of the global trading system must be turned back on as soon as possible. With millions of Indians suddenly unemployed, it is imperative we do not turn our backs on one of the best paths to prosperity ever conceived: that of restored mutually beneficial trade – of both goods and people between nations. We should not give in to fear-mongering and turn inwards as a nation. We cannot huddle behind high tariff barriers designed to protect chosen industries. There is a direct correlation between India’s degree of economic globalization and our productivity and that should not be sacrificed at the altar of protectionism.

Trump’s America would never have been great in the first place if they had not opened the global floodgates, imports of cheaper goods and services, and allowed the inflows of highly skilled labour in their migration intake. It is this openness that has turbocharged their productivity and helped fuel their rising living standards. He has no hope of making America great again by abandoning this time tested route.

Higher productivity always opens the way for higher wages growth. It is important that we continue to embrace the benefits of global trade – of both people and goods – if we are to come out of a very deep recession post-COVID-19. We have to get integrated with the world economy and be an active and useful partner for the world to take notice of us. Closing our gates, doors and windows in the name of self reliance will be suicidal.

No one ever said free trade has to be unfettered, that the distribution of benefits should not be fairly spread, or that we shouldn’t have a back-up plan for when things fall apart, as they will, from time to time. But, if we’re going to save jobs and kick start our economy again, it is important that we restart the global trading system and rediscover our place in it. With China losing the goodwill of the world we have an opportunity to offer better alternatives to the world. Let us do that. Domestic reforms, such as tax reform, land reforms, labour law reforms and waking up the slumbering judicial system also have a place to help reinvigorate our economy. Let us do that too.

The five pillars of Atmanirbhar Bharat as mentioned by our Prime Minister are Economy, Infrastructure, System, Vibrant Demography and Demand. Special economic and comprehensive package of Rs 20 lakh crores - equivalent to 10% of India’s GDP and package to cater to various sections including cottage industry, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), labourers, middle class, industries, among others are providing the main thrust. Bold reforms across sectors have been promised to drive the country's push towards self-reliance, and that is surely welcomed, but it should not be misinterpreted as pathological Swadeshi. The PM has made a clarion call to become vocal for our local products and make them global. We have to create our own brands, not only for India but for the whole world.

KEUKENHOF – THE DUTCH HEAVEN OF COLOURS

The most beautiful spring garden of the world Keukenhof in the Netherland will not open this year. The flowers will bloom but the beauty will not have its countless beholders. Many of you must have seen this garden in the past and like me have been mesmerized by its beauty. The only garden in the world which can match its grandeur is perhaps the Butchart Garden in Vancouver Island, near Victoria, off the coast of British Columbia in Canada.

Though it is famous for its tulips and is often referred to as Keukenhof Tulip Garden but daffodils, crocuses, roses, lilies,carnations, irises and hyacinths are all show stoppers at different parts of the flowering season. Every year, over a million tourists visit Keukenhof, one of the largest and most magnificent flower gardens on the planet. This year everything is different, and very few people will be able to lay their eyes on the beautiful flowerbed arrangements of the world-famous park, as it, too, closed its gates for the first time in 71 years to meet quarantine guidelines. Luckily, the park’s governance arranged for Albert Dros, a famous professional landscape photographer from the Netherlands to visit and photograph the gardens, so that you, too, can take a sneak peek of the striking beauty of Keukenhof this year. Be sure to visit his website https://www.albertdros.com/ and be blown away by both the genius of the photographer and the pristine beauty of the garden.

Blue River (Source: www.albertdros.com)

Also known as the Garden of Europe, the stunning flower garden is situated in the country most well known for its dreamy landscapes featuring windmill and tulips - the Netherlands, in a town called Lisse. Keukenhof Park takes up an area of 32 hectares and includes a man-made stream, a windmill, a castle, and a forested area. A mind-boggling 7 million flower bulbs are planted at Keukenhof every fall.

Two of the world-famous annual features of the park are the so-called Blue River, an alley of blue grape hyacinths emerging in-between the trees and the Keukenhof windmill, the standout element of the famous Dutch garden.

History

The history of Keukenhof dates back to the 15th century. Countess Jacoba van Beieren [Jacqueline of Bavaria] (1401-1436) gathered fruit and vegetables from the Keukenduin [kitchen dunes] for the kitchen of Teylingen Castle. Keukenhof Castle was built in 1641 and the estate grew to encompass an area of over 200 hectares. The history of the beautiful garden starts in 1857, when Baron and Baroness Van Pallandt, the owners at the time, tasked landscape artist Jan David Zocher and his son Louis Paul Zocher, who also designed Amsterdam's Vondelpark, to create a park around the Keukenhof castle. That park, in the English landscape style, still constitutes the basis of Keukenhof and later became the foundation for the gardens. The attention to detail in every flowerbed and the intricate designs they create when seen from above is truly captivating.

In 1949 a group of 20 leading flower bulb growers and exporters came up with the plan to use the estate to exhibit spring-flowering bulbs, signaling the birth of Keukenhof as a spring park. The park opened its gates to the public in 1950 and was an instant success, with 236,000 visitors in the first year alone. 2020 will be the 71th edition of Keukenhof, with ‘A World of Colours’ as its theme. Alas there will be no visitors!

A man-made stream, parts of which can be even explored by boat, is another beautiful feature of the garden. There are also several sculptures scattered throughout the gardens, which become selfie points for the visitors whose numbers increased to 1,500,000 in 2019.

Serious business with pleasure

Keukenhof is not merely a pleasure garden but a lot of business is happening here. It is the international and independent showcase for the Dutch floricultural sector, with a special emphasis on flower bulbs. In the space of eight weeks Keukenhof shows what the Dutch floricultural sector has to offer. The park’s focus is on the 7 million spring-flowering bulbs, which allow the 100 participating companies to show their living catalog. 500 flower growers present an enormous variety of cut flowers and pot plants at the over 20 flower shows. That's what makes Keukenhof an excellent opportunity to network and meet business contacts. Trade events for growers are also organized regularly. Keukenhof has strong ties with all the relevant organizations in the floricultural and tourist sectors.

Almost 100 Royal Suppliers send their best range of spring flowering bulbs to Keukenhof. The garden’s landscape artists create special design for each exhibitor taking into consideration the colour, the height and the flowering time of the bulbs.

When to visit?

The garden opens from mid March to mid May and 2nd and 3rd week of April is busiest. As the flower bulbs are planted in different layers in the park, the flower park is great every day during the season. However, there are three different periods.

First period – From the opening the park will have lots of blooming flowers. There are some great indoor flower shows with many blooming tulips. Outside there are daffodils and crocuses in bloom.

Second period – After the daffodils and crocuses it’s time for the hyacinths and the early tulips to bloom in the outdoor gardens. The indoor flower shows are still amazing with great colors.

Third period – In the last period the tulips will bloom in the outdoor gardens. The trees will be green and the indoor flower shows are still showing amazing flowers.

Tickets are available online. The garden is run by a charitable trust and receives no government aid. So ticket sale and sale of food, beverages and memorabilia are the real source of its upkeep. Your trip to Europe, specially the Netherlands is incomplete without a visit to this heaven. 

TOO MANY AND TOO SMALL ECONOMIC UNITS CANNOT MAKE A LARGE ECONOMY

Historically, India was the largest economy in the world for most of the two millennia from the 1st until 19th century. India experienced de-industrialization and cessation of various craft industries under British rule, which along with fast economic and population growth in the Western World resulted in India's share of the world economy declining from 24.4% in 1700 to 4.2% in 1950, and its share of global industrial output declining from 25% in 1750 to 2% in 1900. Due to its ancient history as a trading zone and later its colonial status, colonial India remained economically integrated with the world, with high levels of trade, investment and migration.

 The Republic of India, founded in 1947, adopted central planning for most of its independent history, with extensive public ownership, regulation, red tape and trade barriers. After the 1991 economic crisis, the central government launched economic liberalization, allowing it to emerge as one of the world's fastest growing large economies. While agriculture remained the largest employer, MSMEs or Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises became the second largest employer with more than a million jobs created annually. There are 65 million enterprises in India but only 4 million are formally registered and so the informal segment which forms the bulk source of employment is unrecognized.

As if this alone was not big enough a problem, the composition of this MSME sector is most disadvantageous. About 42 million or 72% of all enterprises are microest of micro, the OAE or Own Account Enterprise which employs no one but the entrepreneur himself or herself. The average value created by these micro units can barely sustain a family if it can steer clear of any crisis. Even if we leave aside these OAEs only 9% of our work force is employed in units which have more than 20 workers! So medium, sized industries which employ 20 to 50 workers are very few and larger industries are fewer still. Our MSMEs are providing employment no doubt but they are not creating wealth and are leaving the workforce hand to mouth. Only when medium and large industries prosper can we solve the problem of unemployment and create assets by driving growth and productivity. 

A similar crisis prevails in the agriculture sector as well. We do not have large farms like there are in the western world. 70 million or 48% of our land holdings are less than half hectares and average land with a farmer is quarter hectare. How can a family sustain on the produce of such small farms? And if floods or droughts or hail storms strike they are ruined!

So, whether it is agriculture or it is MSMEs the individual units of economy are very small with little scope of employment and wealth generation. They are just keeping a major section of our population barely surviving and offering a hand to mouth existence. No wonder the incidence of mortality and reporting sick is also high among MSMEs as well as among farmers. They do not have deep pockets to withstand any stressful condition – draught, floods or lockdowns.

Now if majority of our MSMEs are micro in size how can they dare to dream big? Today they should be focusing their attention on technology adoption, access to finance and market access, for optimal results. There is a need to strengthen the entrepreneurial skills including their resource management ability and other soft skills such as analyzing market trend to respond to market changes, communication, problem solving and others. But they have neither the money and nor unfortunately the aspiration to do all that. To make things worse policies are often found to have incentivized firms to remain micro and small by giving them preferential treatments, subsidies. Thus, the potential to reap productivity through economies of scale from the expansion of firms is also often held back. So a micro industry never becomes small and small never graduates to medium and this unorganized sector suffers perennial stagnation.

So long as the major employers in the unorganized sector are small economic units that employ fewer than five workers we will neither create wealth nor employment. This important part of the economy is where a total of 69.5% of the employed workers in India are concentrated. Another 9.3% of workers are employed in firms between six to nine workers. So nearly 80% of these firms employ all workers of the unorganized/informal sector. The transition to the formality of informal economic units requires an understanding of the multiple causes and dimensions of informality in the private sector. An integrated approach is necessary to create the right environment with appropriate incentives and enforcement of regulations. Only in this way, it will be possible to enhance the creation of more employment and improving working conditions. As firms grow in size, they can achieve this growth potential. When the benefits of formality outweigh the costs, rates of informality are likely to decline.

This problem of small size of individual enterprises has been laid bare by the lockdown following the COVID 19 pandemic. It is estimated that at least 25-30% of the businesses would not survive the crisis.  The biggest worry is, of course, a liquidity crunch, followed by a disrupted supply chain and labour availability. MSME units usually have small premises. How will they adopt social distancing? The sector employs almost 12 crore people, making a large number of the country’s households dependent on the 63 million MSME units. It also accounts for a third of India’s manufacturing output and 45% of exports. The government not only needs to support this sector with an immediate help package but should make structural changes in its policies to incentivize them to grow in size and employ more people.

We cannot become a large economy if our individual units of economy do not increase in size. In agriculture these units are shrinking with every passing generation and MSMEs will have to spread, increase in number and size to absorb the spillover from agriculture.