SOUL OF THE SOIL

 

SOUL OF THE SOIL

Dr. Yam Bdr. Kshetry

Writing essays is an art. But art is not always for art’s sake. It is for the sake of human life. So, it should be so contrived as to create certain impressions about human life. In the modern world, essays should offer something valuable to readers. They need to be the sources of some sort of knowledge about science, plant life, the animal world, and the human world.   

Mr. Chhabi Subedi, writing essays in his mother tongue Nepali, partly fulfills the above objectives. In some of his essays, he pleads with the rich to offer a handful of rice or corn every day so that the poor would find relief; such ideas may be romantic but not realistic. Though he is basically a writer, making the readers aware of their weaknesses, he advises them to reap the benefits of modern science and technology and avoid the demerits that are likely to result from them.  

Here is an essay in which he ponders over the process of birth and rebirth of living things and living beings. Soil already has its sense that is attributed to the creation of living organisms on the earth. With this philosophical concept in mind, he tries to prove that Soil, too, has a heart, mind, and brain which are characteristics of mankind. He says, ‘Believe it!’ In his essay ‘Soul of the Soil’ (Matako Man), he speaks thus: 

“That the wide expanse of ocean-like nature on this earth appears as a mysterious phenomenon is crystal clear at every bit of its manifestations. This is the reason why it is essential to have a better understanding of nature and nature’s creations. However, it is too difficult to understand the reality of nature. It is a subject of mysterious limitlessness, and it is continuing in its natural process. If we try to understand a bit of its language, it has, of course, manifested a lot of education for the most sensitive minds. Nature contains a wide range of biodiversity, the full examination of which is not possible even by eminent scientists and investigators. But they should try even more to see the unseen and to know the unknown. With the beginning of creation on earth, the diversity, that has been found at present, might not have come into existence at one single time. It might have taken millions and millions of years for the formation of the earth alone and at present, it appears as a gift to human beings who have consciousness and conscience and who have to do more and more research about nature and the universe too. Let us now make a guess on how the earth could have received the seeds of all the biodiversity that we have found today. It is a very interesting thing to all of us in the 21^st century. 

It has to be realized that the soil contains the germs or seeds of all hearts and minds that human beings have. Can it be that the soil or the earth itself is the brain (mind) of the whole universe? Since the time immemorial, it has been producing millions of new things. Creation, destruction, and recreation are a continuous process. If we carefully examine the search for the creations that are visible around the surface of the earth, everything appears strange and artistic. Everything seems growing and moving restlessly indeed. Let us take an example of a man and a tree called ‘Bar tree’ and then analyze it at length with all our mental capacity. The ‘bar tree’ grows and develops spreading its roots to various directions under the ground. Surprising is the fact that certain roots also grow out of their branches and lean down to reach the ground so as to give support to the bigger branches. Thus, the roots gown out of the branches protect themselves from being broken down by wind and storm. In order to keep the large tree erect, the roots of the tree spread round and round up to a long distance. In order to keep the whole tree alive too, the roots absorb whatever elements it requires as food from the ground and the tree stands for hundreds of years. Always standing in the same place, the trees have always been serving only the living beings on earth and not a single tree has been heard to say, “My feet got tired of standing and I would like to rest”. 

For this type of natural liveliness, there has been a never-ending but meaningful struggle for existence among the living trees and plants. We can make it further clear with some more examples of trees like Bar, Pipal, Sami, etc. The seed of all these trees is too small to see but such tiny bits of seed have the power to give birth to trees of such a bigger size. Isn’t it a great surprise for people like us! Well, in that tiny seed, there is the whole tree, and there is still another bit of new seed well protected within the heart of the same tree. 

Chhabi Subedi: The author and poet.

My experience! Well, sir, one day I went to a shop for agricultural equipment. On the advice of the shopkeeper, I bought the seeds of American maize bearing as much as 4/5 pods when sown and tendered in a fertile piece of land. I had it at an expensive price. I sowed them as directed but two-thirds of them did not grow at all. I cared a lot for the remaining third in the same plot but the result appeared surprising for the mind of a sincere farmer! Not to speak of pods, the maize plants did not produce even the podling (Sutlo, the sign that shows the arrival of the pods). In another plot, maize plants of local seeds had flourished well. From this evidential fact, it became clear that soil b=too has its interest and disinterest! Linking and disliking! If we were able to understand the language of the soil, it might have given us a voice like this: “Give me that portion of seeds that is adaptable to me (the soil) and my natural surroundings.” 

From this point too, it is verified that soil has its own consideration that experimentally decides which one to accept and which one to reject, as they happen to sink into the heart of its own. This process of acceptance and rejection is continuously going on for the sake of living. This being a natural process, one should try to go against it. 

When did he appear on earth? The date of his appearance has not been known to anyone as yet. How I came to the surface of this earth is not known to me as well. The book containing the knowledge about it has not been available to me. I am still ignorant of it. I was born when my father’s semen reached the womb (embryo) of my mother. I guess I knew it. Apart from that, I could not understand the process and its composition. How is that work being led ahead? All this looks mysterious. I could not read a book that contained so much knowledge about it. Millions of semen were poured into the wombs but only one remained active to give birth to me and as a result, I have been able to write an essay for our reading. I hope I will still be able to compose more and more during my life. 

Now, I am a grown-up man. I realize that within the smallest semen of my father all my organs, (which can be identified as head, eyes nose, ear, mouth, teeth, mustache, hair, secret organs, hands, feet, skin, etc.) already existed in their unknown preliminary form. I know I am basically the result of the so-called five elements of the earth. Of the five elements, the soil has a major role in shaping me up to this present form and condition. This is why I am convinced that I have been able to get my heart out of this earth. Soil created living beings and the living being not only created the mind but also reared and appreciated it as a precious thing in the world. The soil created a body of its own and crowned it with all the art looking bright, strong, and efficient not needing anything more for its further beautification. From this fact (point of view) it is to be learned that soil is north just the soil that we usually regard as inanimate but it is like an animate having its own power to rear, and it bears a living and fertile heart to bring up its own living creation. 

I am greatly surprised to have found the whole of my being and its organs or parts that are exactly where they are needed and that are there according to their exact requirement. Well, I am a strange being! I frequently ask questions to myself. I wonder how often the creator might have held its meetings before it brought me here on earth as a fully developed, purified, and complete being. How much time and effort it might have taken to make me a complete being to make me able to move wherever I like? Being alive, we come out of the wombs of our mothers. After living an allotted period of time we become dead and disappear from earth. We get mixed into the soil, why and how? Why is it still a mysterious thing for us? Giving me no knowledge and information about this mysterious truth, why was  I brought into this world and why am I to be taken away from here? How did I happen to have my birth on Nepalese soil…? Is it also that I was thought to be a lucky one and brought here to be a son of Mount Everest (the highest mountain in the world)? If it is so, I must say I am really a lucky man? How often did the process get repeated? Who is the master who has conducted this game? If there is a being (a Supreme Bing!) to conduct it, let me have my rebirth here, let my request be heard! I implore you! 

Is there any significance in asking questions that are unanswerable indeed? Scholars and philosophers can ask questions. If they go on investigation for ages to come, they will find out some sort of reality in it too. Some active scholars and investigators will never regard it as an impossible and inessential explanation. They will never cease their effort to find it out. Anyone who is engaged in digging out a yam in the forest must follow the actual route leading to the depth it exists. As he goes on following the root portion and digging the earth, he is sure to get a kind of yam deep down into the soil and rocks. The route of investigation may sometimes be lost, but if tried again it may be found and it can lead to a proper result. A man, who is not active enough to be in the forest, not brave enough to carry the lever and digger (Gainchi, an iron rod), cannot also taste the flavor of yam or the fruit of any other kind of investigation. One who cannot cut off thorny bush and one who cannot experience the thirst and sweet also cannot taste the same flavor. 

What might be the actual number of animate things, plants, and trees in the whole world of creation and distinction? What is the role of Nature? The meeting or the union of the two gives birth to the third of its own type. This principle fully applies to the creations of all beings on earth. With the mixing (sprinkling) of pollens of two different types of flowers, a third type of flower with a different color develops in the flower plant vegetation. This has been proved and this is the reason for being different and dissimilar faces of so many animals and human beings on earth. 

When two colors are mixed together, a different color appears in the existential world. This principle applies to the world of land and water. It is through this principle that thousands of various types of biodiversity have come into existence. This is why men have the responsibility to preserve the natural heritage and biodiversity in their social surroundings. The soil is even ready to set them all in their proper quantity, quality, and natural surroundings. My mind too, so to say, the very spirit of the soil is pleased to go ahead with all its skill and techniques. In order to prove it, let us take the example of a cucumber and the support it takes. When the seed of the cucumber is thrown into the soil after a few days, it grows into a plant. Gradually developing it produced its hands from every joint and they firmly support whatever they find around them. The cucumber plant leans with its hands in a direction in which it finds its supports and the rays of the sun as well. Not only the cucumber, yam, Githa, and Bhyakur are also seen developing upward, always taking some kind of support and twisting toward the right of their supporting object. Such examples are common to us, but they are very interesting. They deserve serious thinking and scientific investigation indeed. 

At first looking into himself, modern man has made an investigation about things that remained mysterious to him but what he could have done on this line still more efficiently has not been done as yet. In the vast universe, planets like our Earth are just tiny orange-like objects! It is guessed or learned that at the heart of the universe, innumerable families have been moving in a disciplined way. Nobody knows where the remote controller of the universe lies. If means that the whole universe is apparently mysterious but actually systematic. The earth belongs to that Great Family (that is, the planetary world) that is running on its own. For this reason, too, living beings, living things, land, ocean, etc. all seem mysterious to our eyes! The sun, the sky, and the air have given protection to it. Realizing it, the soil is ever grateful to them, and as a result of its gratefulness it has given its love and heart to all living things. 

By enjoying the food, which is the Amrit, and a result of soil, which is again the gift of Nature, we are ever enjoying our lie. Do we know anything about the being that has provided such a perennial source of life to mankind who having passed crores of generations has come to the present stages of development? Food is available to all from tiny insects to whale fish. We, the human beings alone, have become ambitious and do exploit the sweat and blood of the helpless and the orphans…? Nature being quite generous has given food to us and then we express a wish ‘I alone may have it, we alone may enjoy it’ and accordingly we behave; who we are! Are we human beings? We, the humans, have got food from Mother Earth but we have not been about to enjoy it by equally dividing it among ourselves. For generations and generations, Nature seems to have spent its time and the process of creation is still continuing. On this earth, millions of things spread and disappeared, and with such reactions and destruction, nature maintains its balance. According to the law of Nature, everything is going on. 

The sense of the soil has invented thousands of tastes only for the sake of all beings. Let us take the examples of birds, animals, human beings, and a few species of trees. When we deeply and individually examine their organs and parts, we find that they are wonderfully set in their own respective makeup. Being patent if we seriously try to explore the process of creation a bit, is not it highly surprising? There are some trees that hide their roots and bear the fruits on their branches and twigs. There are some others that simply display the branches but bear the fruits at the rots either outside or under the ground. How interesting is the process of creation? Technically the creation is made beautifully joining the required bits of organs, and thus the plant world and animal world seem complete! To keep the whole creation intact and run it in its usual course, how often did they have to hold their meetings…? 

To run the democracy in Nepal, the inexperienced lots might have held their meetings thousands of times, and still, good governance has been a distant goal! Why? Individually, they all are so ambitious; collectively speaking they lack what may be called genuine love for the soil (the country of their own.) So many lads of this land do not have the sense; whereas even the soil too has got, apparently, its own sense and heart! The Himalayan Mountains and hills, which have worn out millions and millions of years, have never been tired of standing in their allotted part of land. For thousands of years, the trees have been standing and serving to maintain the ecological balance in Nature. Millions of generations along with the increase in their numbers have been providing seeds and plods as keepsakes for their fertile land. But the trees are never tired of providing them. In the same way for ages and ages, the rivers are incessantly flowing in their directions and ringing the voice of consciousness to human beings! They too have never got tired and slowed down their speed. But it is a great pity that our leaders who have been exercising themselves in democratic norms seem to have gotten tired of themselves during the 12 years of their democratic rule! Is not it a great surprise for us…? 

There is an unearthly heaven of human consciousness that has recently developed and which is also distinctive. Let us search and follow it! Shortly, the hegemonic leaders of this earth will be there to claim a share of their own. And one day the place that is so often called a heaven will be realized. At that time, let us think of our leaders (the poor souls!) But why is man, (so conscious, so judicious and so prudent) heading towards irrationality that he had inherited from his primitive stage? Oh, the leaders of the world! The intellectuals of the world! Kings and Emperors! Earth lovers and destroyers! Let us think about it. Once again, turn over it! Well, soil too has its own heart. “The soil does weep and the soil does smile! “That is the reason why, we should not forget that human beings have got a duty of their own at every step of life. Let it be fully realized that the heart of the soil has given birth to all of us here on earth! If we forget this aspect of truth, the Soil and its Heart will ever remain weeping and it will ever be cursing us.” 

It is to be noted that Matako Man is a collection of 21 essays published in 2004. The one given above is the tone of them. Amusingly enough in the style of Subedi, mountains, and other objects that are really inanimate and fixed become fluid and personified. This style may not be realistic and scientific; still, it sensitizes the readers ‘minds in a plant and argumentative way. 

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