Salaam: Dr. Borlang

[By L.Keivom*, Inpui columnist]

Lives of great men all remind us We can make our lives sublime, And, departing, leave behind us Footprints on the sand of time.
-H.W.Longfellow

Harsatna le thil dang danga inthoka mihriemhai sansuoktu ding le thruoitu dingin a cháng chàngin khawvela hin mi chungchuong le mak danglam an hung inlang hlak niin ziektu hmingthang Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) chun a lo hril a. Chuonghai laia pakhat chu kum 95 mi, September 12, 2009-a kansar leia a umna Dallas (Texas) a thi Dr. Norman Ernest Borlaug kha a nih. India hmar saka cheng eini rawiin mautam trampui lai khom buchangrum ei la bàr tuom tuom hi a san bul tak ei sui chun ama zâr ei zo pei lei a nih. Buchangrum ei beng zat hin Pathien le ama chungah lawmthu hril ding ei nizie le thil thra thaw pei mi fel pakhat lei ringot khoma khawvelah malsawmna le thawvengna a tlung nasatzie ei hriet zuol theina dingin hi artikul hi ka ziek a nih.

Ama hi ka mi ngaisang le inza tawp a nih. A hminga inthok ringot khomin English mi amanih, Asia rama inthoka hung amanih a ni nawh ti chuh hre thei nghal ei tih. A pi le puhai hi Norway-a inthoka USA-a inpema Iowa hmar sak Saude-a umhmun khuor an nih. Chu hmuna chun March 25, 1914 khan a hung pieng a, chu chu Manipur simthlang biela mission hmasa tak Thado Kuki Pioneer Mission (TKPM) ngir tran kum a nih. Minneseto University-a inthokin ka pieng hma 1937 khan BA, ka pieng kum1939-ah MA le nene ka la nek lai 1942- khan Ph.D a zo hman der tah a nih.

Ama hi sikul a kai laia inthok khoma thlai ching dan (plant pathology) tienga inhnik mi a ni a. Bu le bal tharsuok tam thei dan ding zongin a thiemna le theina po po a hmang leiin, fak le dawna khawvel kalchawi dan a thlak danglam top thei a nih. Thiemna le remhrietna thar hmangin, kha hmaa bu trin khat an tharnaa khan trin sawm inthar dan a hmu suok a, chu chu ‘Green Revolution’ tia hriet hi a hung ni a, ama hi ‘Father of Green Revolution’ tia ko a hung ni tah hiel hrim a nih. Tràm le a bebawm hri le hraia thi ding mihriem maktaduoi tam tak a san suok bakah ran vai tieng a let tamin khawvelin hma a hung sawn a, bawngnene a hung pung a, mihriem hriselna nasa takin a hung siem thra pha a, ram hnufuolhai khom fak le dawnah an hung intodel ve tran a, chu zâr chun kong hrang hrangah hmasawnna lampui an hung sat tran ve thei a nih. Chu hamthratna a tlampuia dongtu ramhai laia pakhat chu India hi a nih.

Kum 1944 khan Rockfeller Foundation chun Mexico-a an prawzeka thok dingin Dr. Borlaug hi an fiel a. An thiltum chu huit (wheat) tharsuok rawn dan ding zong a nih. Kha hmaa Mexico rama an fak tak chu vaimim a ni hlak a. Spanish-haiin a ram an hung lak hnungin huit ching dan an inchuktir a. Chuong anga kum 400 lai an thaw thaw hnung chun intodel tieng pan loin, an mamaw a zatve chu ram danga inthoka lak lut a hung ngai ta a. Dr. Borlaug chun thaw dan dang zongin, kum khata voi khat chauh bu an thar hlak kha voi hnih inthar dingin tuipui kam hnai hmarthlanga le chu taka inthoka mel 800 vela hla sim tieng Mexico Khawpui hnai tlangramah a ching bok a. Kum li sungin Mexico chu huit-ah ama le ama a hung intodel hman tah a nih.

Mexico huit hi a kung sei a ni leiin hnuoi thratna leh an thaw pha a kung a tliek a, ra thra a suok thei naw a. Chuleiin, Japan huit, a kung inhnuoi chi le Mexican huit kung sei chi chu inthlapoltirin (crossbred) huit chi thar a siem suok a. Chu huit chi chun hri a ngam bakah a let sawma tam a tharsuok thei bok a. Chu chu hrein, thrangpuitu dingin India le Pakistanin an fiel a. Kum 1965 khan India le a sè vel ramah bu tharsok hlawk lem ching dingin nasa takin kampen a thaw a. Hi lei hin kum nga sungin, India le Pakistana bu tharsuok a let sawm velin a hung pung a, bu le balah ei hung intodel tran tah a nih. Chuong lai zing chun International Rice Institute (Philippines) chun Dr. Borlaug thaw dan hmang chu zuiin bu (rice) kung tawi chi, sienkhom a ra hlawk deu el chi an hmu suok a, South East Asia-ah Green Revolution a hung intran ve tah a nih. Chu zoah thrang hni sung zet Latin America ram 6, Middle East ram 8 le Asia khawmuolpui ram 2-ah beipui a thlak a, bu le balah an hung intodel tah vong a nih.

Bu tharsuok sukpung dan ding zonga hma a lak tran lai hin khawvela mihriem tam zat chu tlukledingawn (billion) 2.2 chauh a la ni a, chu chu a thi hin 7 billion vel a kai hman tah a nih. Hnuoi thratna hmanga bu hlawk chi le hrisel lem ching naw chun thaw dan pangngai ringot tharsuok chun khawvel hi inchawm thei lo hulhuolah a ngai a. Chuleiin a hma lakna hi thaw lo thei loah a ngai. Environmentalists hai ruok chun hnuoi thratna le damtûr (pesticides) hrang hrang a hmang nasat chu hani tlumin an soisel ve thung a. An soisel san chu, hnuoi thratna (fertilizer) hmang rawn hin hnuoi hàngna a sukfèp bakah a tharsuokhai chu damdawi hmanga thaw a ni leiin mihriem hriselna kong hrang hrangin a tawk poiin an ngai a. Chun, zuva le thil hrik thatna damtûr (pesticides) hi tûr trium a ni leiin, thlaia kop mihriemin a fak chun a hriselna nasa takin a nghong buoi thei bakah tûr chun hnuoi a sukporche a, vadungah a luong lut pha tui dawn ding chen a sukporche bok a, chu chun mihriem, ran, ram sa, vate le tuia cheng nga le thilhringhai hringna nasa takin a sukpoi niin an ngai bok. Dr. Borlaug ruok chun a thilthaw kaltuhai chu mihriem changkangna dinga hrietna le thiemna thar hmang hlawk pei tumna daltuah a ngai tawl ve thung a nih.
Fak le dawna hnienghnar, tlaksam umzie an hriet nawna USA-a chu Dr. Borlaug hin mipui hriet a hlaw rak nawh.

Amiruokchu, ram hnufuol Asia ram hrang hrang, abikin India, China, Pakistan le Philippines dam, Middle East le Latin America, abikin Mexico-a dam chu Pathien dottu deuthawa an ngai a nih. Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture (A & M University,Texas) a director Edwin Price-in Russia rama Dr. Borlaug inzin a zui trumin Moscow sim tienga Wheat Research Institute an sir a. “Dr. Borlaug hmèl a tak ngeia an hang hmu chu an lawm taluo a, chu taka thok scientist po po chu an trap vong a nih” tiin Price chun a hril. Chuong neka Dr. Borlaug ngirhmun chel ropuizie hang hril fie dan chu a vang hle ka ring.

Dr. Borlaug hi pa inngaitlawm tak el, a sina inbûr ngut mi, mi inpak amanih dem amanih khom ngaisak loa a tum chu sukhlawtling ngei dinga thrang la mi a nih. Kum 1970-a khawvela chawimawina insang le inzaum taka ngai Nobel Peace Prize an inhlan ding thu a nuhmeiin a hriet charin a tlân a, loa a sin thaw lai chu a va hril a. Ama chun, “An fiemthu mei mei a ni chuh” tiin a nuhmei chu kutin a lo zàp kir. Chu chawimawina thuchei (citation) a chun, “More than any person of this age, he helped provide bread for a hungry world. We have made this choice in the hope that providing bread will also give the world peace” (Tu laia mi tu nêk khoma bu pea khawvel tram domtu a nih. Khopkham inpek hin khawvelah remna le muongna intlun a tih ti beiseiin hi thutlukna hi kan siem a nih) tiin an ziek. USA sorkarin Presidential Medal of Freedom le Congressional Gold Medal an inhlan bakah India sorkar khomin vantlang dong thei chawimawina insang tak dottu Padma Vibhusan an inhlan bok a nih.

A sùnna thucha Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh ziek hin India ram ta dinga Dr. Borlaug thaw nasatzie le ei inpamzie chu a hril fie hle: “With the passing away of Dr. Norman Borlaug, an era has ended, in which he spearheaded a scientific revolution in agriculture. At a time in the sixties when the country was facing the spectre of severe food shortages, the introduction of Dr. Borlaug's high yielding varieties of seeds set in motion a technological revolution in Indian agriculture that led eventually to the country achieving self-sufficiency in food grains. The Green Revolution lifted the spirits of the Indian people and gave them new hope and confidence in their ability to tackle the country's daunting economic challenges. Dr. Borlaug's impact on India's science and economy went much beyond the Green Revolution. A science-based approach to the problems of agriculture was a fundamental tenet of his thinking and the success of the Green Revolution spawned other successful interventions in areas such as animal husbandry, dairying and agriculture. Dr. Norman Borlaug's life and achievements are testimony to the far-reaching contribution that one man's towering intellect, persistence and scientific vision can make to human peace and progress. One of Dr. Borlaug's favourite quotations was to 'reach for the stars'. In doing so, Dr. Borlaug helped millions of people escape from a life of hunger and deprivation. On behalf of a grateful nation, I convey my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Dr. Norman Borlaug.”

Salaam, Dr. Borlaug!
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[*Editor's Note: INPUI columnist Pu Keivom is a retired Indian foreign diplomat and a respected Hmar Mizo litterateur.]