Enable farmers to live better first

It is for the 'N' th time that the A.P., C.M., Nara Chandrababu Naidu is announcing Rs.100 crores award for anyone from A.P who wins a Nobel or Olympic Gold Medal. This time it is the turn of the 'Ryot to receive the promise'. (THI, Oct.,5,2018). Promise of largesse started with his address to the Centenary Session of the Indian Science Congress in Tirupati in the first week of January , 2016. (THI, Jan, 6,2016). A person earning a Nobel or a Gold Medal in Olympics needs no monetary assistance from anybody. He is self supporting. His services may be utilised for the larger benefits of the future generations. Institutions may be built in his name and his ideals and theme shall be given wide publicity, so that some more may earn the Nobel.

Though not a Noble Laureate, Yallapragada Subba Rao,a man born in Bhimavaram, in W.Godavari, (12 January 1895 – 8 August 1948) is hailed world over as responsible for the discovery of Tetracycline. Responding to the call of Gandhi he started wearing Khadi and due to that, he had a traumatic academic career in the erstwhile Madras Presidency. When he landed in Boston, USA, dame luck smiled on him and his life of rags in India turned out to be riches in the USA.

The Tetracycline, a large family of antibiotics, were discovered as natural products by Benjamin Minge Duggar in 1945 and first prescribed in 1948. It was a revolution in the medical treatment. He was working under Yallapragada Subba Rao at Lederle Laboratories. Not a single institution is named after him in India or A.P. He is not even remembered by the medical fraternity also. The first ever Indian Test Cricket Team was led by Catari Kanakaiah (C.K.) Naidu @ Cricket King Naidu of Machilipatnam. There were hurdles to install his statue. But one is found, since long in Indore, which adopted Col. C.K., as he was affectionately known.

This time Naidu's lip sympathy has flown towards the farmers at Anantapur. He wishes them to earn Nobel Prize. It is amusing. Tomatoes are thrown on the roads in Anantapur Dist and onions in Kurnool Dist as there are 'No takers'. If the promised hundred crores were to be spent for exploring the export market or other beneficial use of these agricultural products, it may cause a golden era in the lives of the Indian farmers. It is enough, if he prevents the suicides by the farmers. If the people of the country wear Khadi or hand-loom clothes for 65 days in a year, there will be no suicides by the cotton farmers. It will be a fitting tribute to the Father of the Nation if the Farmers' suicides are prevented. That is more than the Nobel for the families. If need be invest hundred crores every year for more subsidies.