Shivani
Shivani Kumari is from Jharkhand in the east of India. Her partial loss of sight made it difficult for her to keep up with mainstream expectations. But she found inner strength within nature. Shivani promotes natural agriculture, creates awareness regarding indigenous and uncultivated crops (native and free from biotechnology) and fosters harmonious living with nature. In her training, she also wants to integrate persons with chronic diseases, disabilities, and visual impairment.
Born to be WILD – Steppenwolf
Playing in the mud, jumping from one roof to another, climbing trees, plucking corn with grandma, chilling inside our mud house, planting seeds in my small garden, and looking at birds and butterflies… This was my life before I turned 11, it was then when I started losing sight in my left eye and started suffering from chronic stomach diseases. My confidence started to fade, nonetheless, talking with a guava tree in my garden gave me strength.Many people were telling me what to do: Do this exercise, worship this god, consult that doctor! My family tried to follow them all, but my sight couldn’t be restored. Well, I still had some sight in one eye, and at that time, it was okay.
Since my parents’ goal for me was to score good marks, I had to work extra hard, this however affected my other eye. When I told my family, they replied: “Oh, there are lots of people with eye problems, and they are still doing a good job, so why can’t you?”
My parents always urged me to be a topper. They expected me to become an IAS (civil service) officer or something more than that.
But the connection between me and nature always remained. I became angry while listening to the news of increasing pollution, trees being cut, and farmers migrating to the city. And then my one and only small garden was destroyed to make way for the expansion of my parents’ house. I used to travel long distances by bicycle, but I failed to inspire my family and friends to do the same.
While traveling, I came to know more about our harsh reality. Dark fumes engulfed the sky and homes. People were covered in soot. The nearby mines ripped the earth apart. There were traces of heavy metals in drinking water and an increase of deforestation. Was this my state? Jharkhand, the state which was known for its fertile soil, thick forests, and rich biodiversity? Now, the focus seems to only be on the well-being of the corporates that are extracting minerals and cutting down forests to construct concrete jungles. And all this at whose cost?
We, the residents, are paying the cost—suffering from asthma, low vision, ulcers, malnutrition, and many other diseases.
Although I cried in anger, I never had the guts to speak up or fight against this destruction. My family believed that it should not bother me. They said, “Focus on your studies! You cannot change anything alone by yourself. Keep quiet and get a good job”.
But destiny had other plans for me: During my college, I started suffering from severe eye pain while working on the computer. I lost interest in my studies and failed to fulfill my parents’ dream. Thus, I joined an NGO working in rural areas. I was longing to go back to nature, stay in a mud house, and eat healthy food.
But returning to the countryside shocked me. Forests had vanished; mud houses had been converted into concrete buildings; farmers had left farming because of loss, and chemicals were being sprayed on monoculture plantations.
I quit my job at the NGO and started learning more about natural farming by experimenting in my garden, volunteering at organic farms, and meeting with environmentalists across India.
Leaving my job was not easy. My parents told me: “How can you not support your family? We spent too much money on your studies!”, “A woman cannot be a farmer!”, “How will you find a good groom?!”
I trusted my inner voice and continued my journey. While working with nature, I almost forgot about my eye pain. On the farm, I could work for hours at a time. I enjoyed the touch and smell of wet soil, flowers, and fruits, and I loved the sound of birds chirping and leaves rustling.
In kanthari, where I am learning how to run an organization, I had to work with a laptop, which reminded me again of my sufferings in school and college, but here, I was allowed to admit that I was partially sighted. Here I met people who are confident despite being fully blind, who have proven to the world that there are no boundaries if one is passionate. If they can create a positive change in society, then even I must focus on my strengths.
Thus, I plan to start “WILD”. WILD is an organization that combines natural agriculture with afforestation, creates awareness regarding indigenous and uncultivated food, and fosters harmonious living with nature.
While we are concerned about nature, we also don’t want to forget those who are usually not part of the solution. Because I am partially sighted, my organization focuses on people with visual impairments along with physically disabled and other marginalized people.
WILD provides training in four phases:
- W = Wander: Participants will be taken for an exposure visit—to agroecological farms—to learn how to recognize plants and build an understanding of nursery making, beekeeping, processing, marketing, and living in harmony with nature.
- I = Imagine: While the sighted use drawings to visualize their plans, the visually impaired need to work with tactile models. With clay or wax, participants will build an imaginative miniature farm with all the sectors needed in a natural agricultural context.
- L = Learn: This phase is dedicated to practical learning through implementing activities on the ground. Participants will be exposed to value-added indigenous and uncultivated products, such as millet dumplings, herbal juice, tea, coffee, pickles, and jams. Also, they will work on a seed bank.
- D = Deliver: They will gain entrepreneurship skills like marketing and finance management.
We won’t be able to stop climate change, but if we move together, we can prepare our environment for future challenges. We are born to be in the wild, but we have lost touch with our natural wilderness. Together with the visually impaired and physically disabled, we will demonstrate that we don’t need sight or a ‘perfect’ body to fight for our right to contribute to a healthier environment.
NOTE THE DATES: on the 17th and 18th of December 2021: Shivani, as well as 15 other kantharis will share their personal journeys and solutions with the public during kanthari TALKS. Shivani will be the second speaker of the event.
More details about this event that will be live-streamed can be found on http://www.kantharitalks.org/ Thank you for sharing this post and this link.
