Social, financial, environmental issues discussed at book club meet

Members of the Ludhiana Book Club during the monthly meeting discussed the book, ‘Punjabian de Athah Te Fazool Kharche’, edited by Gurpreet Singh Toor.

The keynote speaker at the meeting was former vice-chancellor and renowned agro scientist Dr MS Aulakh. The author himself and dozens of other scholars viz professors, scientists, bankers and environmentalists also discussed the predicaments which the state is facing. Dr Aulakh quoted extensively from Toor’s book and his own experiences. Later, a pained Toor sought cooperation of intellectuals to sensitise people to the state’s issues.

All the scholars echoed the sentiments of Aulakh and Toor that Punjabis were wasting money, mindlessly succumbing to the western culture and forgetting their own in the process.

“On occasions like childbirths, marriages and other family ceremonies people have started spending exorbitantly and many poor families, just to follow the trend, have been raising debts which is ruining them ultimately,” said Aulakh.

“Punjabi farmers are wasting water resources extensively as tubewells are in excess and cropping patterns are not being changed. Agricultural implements are never pooled as small farmers are not following cooperative systems to function,” said Toor. The participants cautioned farmers against falling into debt traps.

The gathering agreed with Gurpreet Toor when he said that another baffling development was the selling of fertile lands to build costly residential villas. Toor also explained, as in the book, that the state’s people were spending extensively on costly motor cars and adding to vehicular pollution. He asked people to beware of these corporate strategists that had understood the buyer’s psyche.

Ludhiana