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Readings from the Fringes

7
Essay

Everything I Need to Know

I Learned in the Forest
Vandana Shiva

INTRO
Vandana Shiva is an Indian activist, ecologist, and writer.
This essay, penned in 2012, traces Vandana Shiva’s the ecological journey in fighting
against the exploitation of nature. She says she learned about the value of nature from the
uneducated peasant women of Garhwal Himalaya. She tells us about her roots, the Chipko
movement, the Himalayan forests, her evolution of ideas, the Navdanya farm and the Earth
University, inspiration from Tagore – all these that taught her to see nature as the best source
for harmony and perfection.

SHORT ANSWER
1. What were the themes of the songs and poems of our mothers?
The themes of the songs and poems of our mothers were the protection of trees and
forests. They also sang about India's forest civilizations.

2. What was the real value of forests, according to women of Garhwal Himalaya?
According to those women, the forests bear soil, water and pure air. These things
sustain the Earth and all that she bears.

3. What were the changes that Shiva observed when she revisited her favourite forests
and stream in 1973?
When she revisited those places in 1973, Vandana Shiva found that the forests had
disappeared and the stream had become a mere trickle.

4. Where did Vandana Shiva learn about ecology?

Vandana Shiva learned about ecology in the forests of the Himalayas. Her father was
a forest conservator and her mother, a farmer.

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5. What is eco-apartheid?
Eco-apartheid is the illusion of separateness of humans from nature in our minds and
lives.

6. What does the Earth University teach us?

The Earth University teaches Earth Democracy. It is the freedom for all species to
evolve within the web of life. It also refers to the freedom and responsibility of humans as
members of the earth family, to recognize, protect and respect the rights of other species.

7. Name the two most popular courses taught at the Earth University?
Two most popular courses taught at the Earth University are "The A-Z of Organic
Farming and Agro-ecology" and "Gandhi and Globalization".

8. Where and when did the Navdanya farm start?

The Navdanya Farm started in the Doon Valley located in the in the foothills of the
Himalayas in Uttarakhand in 1994.

9. Why did Tagore start Shantiniketan as a forest school?

Tagore started Shantiniketan as a forest school to take inspiration from nature and to
create an Indian cultural renaissance.

10. What power, according to Francis Bacon, does science and technology have over
nature?
According to Francis Bacon, science and technology have the power to conquer and
subdue nature and to shake her to her foundations.

11. What is Earth Democracy?

(Answer to SQ 6 above)
Earth Democracy is the freedom for all species to evolve within the web of life. It also
refers to the freedom and responsibility of humans as members of the earth family, to
recognize, protect and respect the rights of other species.

12. Who are the participants of Earth University?

The participants of Earth University are farmers, school children and people from across the
world.

PARAGRAPH
1. Describe the childhood experiences of Vandana Shiva that bonded her to nature.
Vandana Shiva's ecological journey started in the Himalayan forests. Her father was a
forest conservator, and her mother, a farmer. She learned most of what she knows about
ecology from there. The songs and poems her mother composed for children were about
trees, forests, and India's forest civilizations. Her involvement in the contemporary ecological
movement began with Chipko, a nonviolent response to large-scale deforestation in the

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Himalayan region. It had led to floods and landslides, scarcity of water, fodder, and fuel. It
affected women most. So, the peasant women came out in defence of the forests in the
1970’s.

2. What is Chipko Movement?

The Chipko Movement is a contemporary ecological movement started by Vandana
Shiva. It is a nonviolent response to the large-scale deforestation that took place in the
Himalayan region in the 1970s. The peasant women from the Garhwal Himalaya region came
out in defence of the forests. Logging had led to landslides and floods, and scarcity of water,
fodder, and fuel. For women, it meant longer walks for collecting water and firewood, and a
heavier burden. So, they decided to act. When the loggers came, they would hug the trees.
They told those people to kill them before they killed the trees.

3. Write a note on Navdanya Movement.

Navdanya is a non-governmental organisation that promotes biodiversity
conservation, organic farming, seed saving, and the rights of farmers. Started by the
environmentalist Vandana Shiva in 1984, it provides direction and support to environmental
activism. "Navdanya" means "nine crops" that represent India's collective source of food
security. The Navdanya Farm was started in the Doon Valley located in the in the foothills of
the Himalayas in Uttarakhand in 1994. It conserves and grows tens of hundreds of varieties of
rice, wheat, and other species. It has worked with farmers to set up more than one hundred
community seed banks across India.

4. Discuss Robert Boyle’s concept of nature.

Robert Boyle was a famous seventeenth century chemist. He was the governor of the
Corporation for the Propagation of the Gospel among the New England Indians. To him, man
was the centre of the universe, the roof and crown of creations. All other species would be
inferior creatures of God. The earth is merely dead matter. People were free to dig into the
earth for minerals like gold, iron and copper. They could also do whatever they liked with her
to collect fuel like coal and to mutilate her body by cutting down trees for timber and
firewood.

5. How did Robert Boyle attack the native people's perception of nature?
Robert Boyle was a famous seventeenth century chemist. He was the governor of the
Corporation for the Propagation of the Gospel among the New England Indians. For the
natives, nature was “a kind of goddess." Boyle wanted to rid the native people of their ideas
about nature. He attacked their perception of nature. He found that the natives were imbued
with veneration for nature. Such veneration has been a discouraging impediment to the
creation of an empire with man at its centre. To him, man was the centre of the universe, the
roof and crown of creations. All other species would be inferior creatures of God.

6. Comment on the idea of Earth University.

We are facing a lot of problems due to globalization. So, we must move away from
the idea of nature as dead matter. We must move to an ecological paradigm. For this, the best

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teacher is nature herself. That is why Vandana Shiva started the Earth University at
Navdanya farm. It teaches Earth Democracy, which is freedom for all species to evolve
within the web of life. It also means the freedom and responsibility of humans, as members of
the earth family, to recognize, protect, and respect the rights of other species. Participants at
the university include farmers, school children, and people from across the world.

7. Comment on Tagore's view about nature.

Tagore’s Shantiniketan was a forest school to take inspiration from nature and to
create an Indian cultural renaissance. To Tagore, forests are the sources of water and the
storehouse of biodiversity. They teach us lessons of democracy such as leaving space for
others while drawing sustenance from the common web of life. Unity with nature was the
highest stage of human evolution. India's best ideas have come where man was in
communion with trees and rivers and lakes. The peace of the forest has helped the intellectual
evolution of man. The culture of the forest has fuelled the culture of Indian society.

8. What ideas of Tagore inspired Vandana Shiva to start Earth University?

Tagore’s Shantiniketan inspired Vandana Shiva to start the Earth University. To
Tagore, forests are the sources of water and the storehouse of biodiversity. They teach us
lessons of democracy such as leaving space for others while drawing sustenance from the
common web of life. Unity with nature was the highest stage of human evolution. India's best
ideas have come where man was in communion with trees and rivers and lakes. It was the
source of beauty and joy, art and aesthetics, of harmony and perfection. It symbolized the
universe. Tagore said that the forest teaches people union and compassion.

ESSAY 1
1. Vandana Shiva's "Everything I Need to Know I Learned in the Forest" is an attempt
to highlight the integration of humans with nature. Discuss.

Vandana Shiva's essay "Everything I Need to Know I Learned in the Forest" is an

attempt to highlight the integration of humans with nature.
Vandana Shiva's ecological journey started in the forests of the Himalaya. Her father
was a forest conservator, and her mother, a farmer. It is from the Himalayan forests that she
learned most about nature and ecology. The songs and poems her mother composed for
children were about trees, forests, and India's forest civilizations.
Shiva's involvement in the contemporary ecology movement began with Chipko, a
nonviolent response to the large-scale deforestation in the Himalayan region. In the 1970s,
the peasant women from her region in the Garhwal Himalaya had come out in defence of the
forests. Logging had led to landslides and floods, and scarcity of water, fodder, and fuel.
Since women work for the basic needs, the scarcity meant longer walks for them for
collecting water and firewood, and a heavier burden. So, the women decided to protect the

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trees. When the loggers came, the women embraced the trees telling the loggers that they can
cut the trees only after killing them.
Vandana Shiva's ideas about eco-centrism culminated in the establishment of the
Earth University at the Navdanya Farm. One of the subjects taught there is Earth Democracy.
It is the freedom for all species to evolve within the web of life. It also means the freedom
and responsibility of humans to recognise, protect and respect the rights of other species.

ESSAY 2

2. Discuss Tagore's views on forest as a source of beauty and joy, of art and aesthetics,
of harmony and perfection.

Rabindranath Tagore is India’s national poet and a Nobel Prize laureate. Tagore had
his own unique views on forest as a source of beauty and joy, of art and aesthetics, of
harmony and perfection.
To Tagore, the forests are sources of water and the storehouse of a biodiversity. They
teach us the lessons of democracy. They tell us to leave space for others while drawing
sustenance from the common web of life. Tagore sees unity with nature as the highest stage
of human evolution.
Tagore says that India's best ideas have come where man was in communion with
trees and rivers and lakes, away from the crowds. The peace of the forest has helped the
intellectual evolution of man. The culture of the forest has fuelled the culture of Indian
society. The unifying principle of life in diversity, of democratic pluralism, thus became the
principle of Indian civilization. The forest is a unity in its diversity.
Tagore sees forest as not just the source of knowledge and freedom. It is the source of
beauty and joy, of art and aesthetics, of harmony and perfection. It symbolizes the universe.
The forest teaches us union and compassion. The end of consumerism and accumulation is
the beginning of the joy of living.
The conflict between greed and compassion, conquest and cooperation, violence and
harmony that Tagore writes about continues today. The forest also teaches us enoughness: as
a principle of equity, how to enjoy the gifts of nature without exploitation. It is the forest that
can show us the way beyond this conflict.

Prepared by:
Prof. MURUKAN BABU C.R.
(formerly) Associate Professor of English
Panampilly Memorial Govt. College
Chalakudy

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