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All that reminds me to go back to Telugu, to the AMS women of Addakal, one of the poorest regions of India: total
area 19,397 ha, 15% irrigated, 60% dryland, 25% wasteland; 37 villages, 46,380 people, mean literacy rate 49%;
75% of workers in crop and livestock production (icrisat.org/vasat).
A farmer visits a Village Information Center (VIC) with a question – and he speaks only Telugu. It’s his birds. At the VIC,
one of three AMS volunteer Village Network Assistants (VNAs) talks with him. I understand his concern goes like this:
VASAT has a language all its own.
Not Telugu, not English, not sign
language, not programming.
Science is language. Science
with a human face. In VASAT, a
scientist speaking English with
a farmer speaking Telugu
understand each other very well.
‘@LóRiLi?¿?[xqsVN]??sV;?’ Not all lay eggs. All 21 weeks old.
All hybrids.
The VNA inputs the question into an electronic format an expert
understands. The question becomes this (my sentence, my
formulation):
What are the possible causes of poultry not producing eggs at
the age of maturity?
A paradigm shift if ever I saw one. The VNA sends that question
through the Internet to any of 2 Para-Extension Workers (PEWs)
stationed at the central hub in the AMS building somewhere in
Addakal. The PEW then communicates with any of the Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) through a Web-enabled
Learning Content Management System (LCMS). Here are two possible LCMS-delivered poultry husbandry responses:
‘Some birds are male.’ ‘You’re not giving them the right feed at the right time.’ Imagine hearing that in Telugu!
‘@LóRiLi?¿?[xqsVN]??sV;?’ The bird farmer now understands. The service is free, if not instant.
VASAT has a language all its own. Not Telugu, not English, not sign language, not programming. Science is language.
Science with a human face. In VASAT, a scientist speaking English with a farmer speaking Telugu understand each
other very well.
Science with a human face begins – and ends – with understanding.
‘@LóRiLi?¿?[xqsVN]??sV;?’ That’s Telugu asking you: ‘Understand?’
The Telugu Paradigm