International Day of Forests,2015(Saturday) in Lucknow,India

The third International day of Forests was celebrated in Lucknow on March 15,2015.The chief guest was the Minister of state for forests,Sri Kidwai,the chairperson was Dr.S.P. Yadav,Minister of state for wildlife,U.P.I was invited as special guest in my capacity as APC and Principal Secretary ,Forests and Environment ,U.P.The PCCF , MD , UP Forest Corporation ,Preeti Knaujia of CEE, and a large number of distinguished guests and youth Environment leaders and teachers were present.Here below is what I spoke .

            In October ,2012 , UN General Assembly adopted a resolution to observe and celebrate March 21 every year as International day of Forests.The first such day was celebrated at international level , with UNO backing on March21 , 2013.Before  2013, world forestry day was celebrated on March21 , but on a lower scale.

          The theme this year is Forests and Climate Change.Sustainably managed  forests are the Frontline against climate change.

             Deforestation accounts for 17% of global greenhouse gas emissions that  contribute to climate change.13 million hectares of forests are destroyed annually in the world.We need to stop this deforestation .In addition ,we need better and sustainable forest management and prevent or slow down  degradation of forests ie, reduction in tree biomass density.

    One good news is that for the first time,FAO has come out with statistics and reports on the trend of deforestation and emission from forests.Total carbon emissions from forests decreased by 25% between 2001 and 2015 , mainly due to the slowdown in global deforestation rates(FAO,Rome).Slowdown in deforestation rate in the past one decade is about 20% .Brazil alone represents more than 50% of the overall estimated reduction in carbon emission between 2001 and 2015.

    To mitigate climate change through forests,we have programmes UN REDD and REDD + at international level.REDD stands for Reducing Emission  due to  Deforestation and degradation of forests.REDD+ goes beyond REDD.It includes role of conservation,sustainable management of forests and enhancement of carbon stocks.It includes afforestation , reforestation, and regeneration.

REDD+ is a climate change mitigation solution.

              In UP Jica assisted project, we have REDD+ project in ten forest divisions of Obra,Renukoot,Sonebhadra,Mahoba,Mirzapur,Jhansi,Lalitpur, Allahabad and Kashi.It has involved 100 Joint forest Management committees.It involves afforestation  and reforestation  thereby enhancing the forest stock.It involves participation of community in forest management, and improves income level of forest dependent community..It has been assisted by TERI and is at an advanced stage of implementation.

                I congratulate all Paryavaran youth leaders,their teachers and parents, who have come from all parts of the state and have got awards.I hope , these youth leaders will spearhead movement for a green and clean UP.

               I also congratulate MD and official

            s of   , UP  Forest Corporation  who have got  forest certification from Forest Stewardship council,Germany for sustainable forest management..Ten principles and criteria of FSC for certification includes maintenance of High Conservation Value forests,plantations and environment impact.I wish them all the best and hope they will continue the good work .
            Wesley Henderson of Canada., who wrote the biography (Under Whose Shade)of his father Nelson Henderson quoted the life motto of Nelson as below:
"The true meaning of life is to plant trees,under whose shade you do not expect to sit".Let this be motto for all of us.

International Women's Day ,March 8,2015(Sunday)

Empowering women,Empowering humanity:Picture it.This is the focus of today's Women's Day.I was one of the six speakers on the panel,invited at the event organized in Lucknow by The Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Lucknow  to celebrate International Women's day on march8,2015 in Lucknow.The  others were Mrs.Niloufar Pourzand,chief of Unicef,Ms. Sunita Aron,Senior Resident editor , Hindustan Times,Prof. Mohd. Muzammil,VC,Dr.Bhimrao Ambedkar University ,Agra,Prof. Roop rekha verma,former VC,Lucknow University,founder,saajhi Duniya ,and Prof.Geeta Gandhi Kingdon,president and chief Operating Officer ,CMS, Lucknow.Mrs. Farida Vahedi conducted the proceedings.
               I started my talk with the question whether we in UP and India are doing well on  gender equality front .Literacy data of 2011 showed that while male literacy is 79.2%, the female literacy is 59.2%.The gap is 20%.While in Kerala,the male literacy is 96%,female literacy is 92% and the gap is 4%. The child sex ratio ,which in 2001 was 927girls per 1000 boys , became 918 girls per 1000 boys in 2011.In Punjab , while normal nutrition status was  for 40% boys,it was  only for 20% girls.There was no data  available regarding separate toilets for boys and girls.
                 In skill development mission , when the targets for skill development were fixed , there no separate targets for boys and girls.Because the funds are allocated on the basis of number of persons given skills , and not separately for boys and girls.There is a need to allot separate targets as well as funds for boys and girls.Advancement of women and girls should be a priority on government agenda.Government websites and books on statistics should give gender specific information .Laws realted to violence against women - rape,domestic violence,female foeticide and dowry-should be firmly enforced.
            UP government has provided 20% reservation in government jobs for women , reservation of 1/3rd seats for women in three tier Panchyati Raj System,50% reservation in BTC courses as also in posts of shiksha Mitras.
        There are four aspects of gender inequalities as below:
1.Differences in Labour Market Participation .
2Differences in Occupational Status.
3.Wage discrimination.
4.Differences in characteristics.
 There are three major barriers in access to Labour Markets:
1.Domestic duties only on women .
2.Lack of child care facilities and support.
3.Social disapproval.
What is the role of men in gender equality ?
1.can men speak on women's behalf?Can a man know what it is to be woman?
2.What are the ethics and politics of men speaking for women?Why should men speak on women's behalf?
My answer to these questions is that like Abraham Lincoln  spoke and worked to abolish slavery , though he was a white man. men also can speak and work for eliminating gender inequalities.
                   It  requires a change in mindset of men and women .This requires sharing by men of household work and child care.Schools need to impart gender equal education .There should be gender equal environment at workplaces.We need to have women on selection panels for filling up of posts.
 We have a dream of equal society.It is a long march .But a  gender equal society is its first stage.Let us all work towards it.
             

Improving Agricultural Productivity and Livelihoods in Eastern UP

IRADe ,New Delhi organized this two day workshop in Lucknow on improving  agricultural productivity and livelihoods in Eastern Uttar Pradesh .I was the chief guest for this workshop, starting  on February 27,2015(Friday).Here below is what I spoke there.

                     I welcomed Dr.Kirit Parikh ,Chairman , IRADe , Dr. Jyoti Parikh , ED, IRADe, Mr. Abhay Gandhe , Senior Programme Officer,Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and Allied Trusts,Mumbai.Dr.Ramesh Chand,Director,National Institute of Agricultural Economics and Policy Research,ICAR , New Delhi.I congratulated TATA TRUST for  getting the vision  prepared for the  development of 28 districts of eastern UP .I congratulated IRADe  for having prepared the vision document as well as the district reports of the three districts of  Bahraich , Kushinagar and Shravasti..I welcomed all the NGOs working on the project as partners..

                     UP government is already in dialogue with Tata trusts for signing an MOU .Such an MOU will help Tata trust  to get suitable support from state government, State Agriculture universities, and other agencies, and also will help in formulation of policies for enhancing productivity and livelihoods in eastern UP.Vision document will go a long way in the development of eastern UP.

                    Due to inadequate staff and other constraints, government machinery is not in a position to reach interior villages ,often .With the involvement of Tata trust and partner NGOs , we hope ,we will get grass roots penetration and perspective.   In Jaica assisted  "UP participatory Forest Management and poverty Alleviation Project"   , we have found that results are good when partner NGOs work in close collaboration with JFMCs ,EDCs and Self Help Groups. We are happy that Tata trust has taken a lead in financing such a project now in eastern UP.

                      Vision document talks about Best Partner approach ,NGO-NGO linkages  and issues.The way forward mentions generally about policy changes required.It identifies areas to be explored like renewable energy and power,organic farming , market linkages, new technology in agriculture,farm mechanisation, improving credit in eastern UP, and post harvest management.

                We are in the process of making an agri vision 2025 for UP , and I hope , this vision document prepared for eastern UP will set the trend.

                Finally , words like cooperation, coordination, convergence , collaboration and partnerships are used very freely , but in real life , these need hard work and intelligent approach, to actually materialize for development.   

Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability

I admire Sri T.N. Dhar .Despite his 89 years,he carries on his responsibilities as Honorary Secretary of Indian Institute of Public Administration(U.P.).When he invited me to preside over  the inaugural session of a daylong of workshop on Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability, I readily agreed.The workshop took place on 21st February,2015(Saturday) at Jawahar Bhawan ,Lucknow,and I presided over the first session .I  anticipated that the audience would not be large ,but I went nevertheless,inspired by the tireless efforts of Sri Dhar  in  taking up  and deliberating  on worthwhile causes.I like his seriousness , professionalism , alertness , energy and leadership.I needed to learn from him .Here is what I spoke there.

   UP climate Change Authority was set up on November 11,2014 and has been registered as society under the Societies Registration Act.UP is the first state in India to set up such an Authority.It has an Apex Committee ,chaired by the Chief Minister of UP, and a governing body chaired by Chief Secretary of UP.It has been sanctioned Rs 5 crores by UP government to meet its expenses.Its main purpose is to work in UP for adaptation and mitigation of Climate Change.

                  Secondly,we have developed and prepared a State Action Plan on Climate Change.I handed over a copy of Plan to Sri Dhar.It has involvement of seven missions , and has projected a resource requirement of Rs 46945 crores for next ten years.It has identified 93 priority activities  for working on Climate Change.

1.Agriculture has 11  priorities including use of organic manures, research and development of biotic stress resistant varieties .

2.Solar energy including solar power generation and solar pumps in irrigation

3.Energy efficiency  including use of LED, energy audit of government buildings and reduction of energy losses.

4.Green UP  including tree plantation , agro forestry ,afforestation and reforestation.

5.Water mission including efficient water management and rainwater harvesting.

6.Sustainable habitat including water supply ,sewerage treatment ,roads , rapid transit systems and energy efficient street lighting.

7.strategic Knowledge creation , management including awareness creation, capacity building ,surveys and research.

                     I also wondered why our global system  failed to implement Kyoto Protocol.Do our world leaders really not have a global outlook?

Our real challenges are five:

1.Creating awareness in every citizen.

2.Developing an attitude that climate change crisis has to be given high priority.

3,We must develop and  have technical and administrative competence.

4.We should have will to govern.

5.We must allocate adequate resources to fight the climate crisis.

Solar by Ian McEwan

Solar is a novel ,written around the theme of climate change. .The protagonist is a Nobel Laureate in Physics Dr. Michael Beard.He is a man given to temptations of gluttony ,revenge and lust.Twenty two years ago,standing on the shoulders of Einstein , he invented a trailblazing Conflation Theory ,that won him a Nobel Prize. At the age of fifty plus(He turned 53 that July of 2000) , he tours around the globe,gives costly lectures and consultancies ,and sits as a member of a Board of a Centre for renewable energy in London.By the time  part three of book ends in 2009,Beard is past 62 years,still going "strong".
               Though a Nobel Laureate,  Beard is a philanderer.His four wives divorced him, one after  the other,after they all discovered that he was having multiple affairs  while married to them.He assured himself that this will not be the case with his fifth wife.Michael crushes people in his path without remorse but also without any vindictiveness                This 390 pages long novel left me puzzled in more ways than one.Is it a comedy,or a satire, or a reality? The author has done a lot of home work on Physics,Photovoltaics,Wind turbines,M theory,Betz's Law ,E8,String theory,climate change and global warming.As a result,he has been able to  keep it interesting despite lot of Physics and climate change in it.
                   Beard is a perfect reflection of our indifference to  global warming and climate change.He chooses to ignore the reality of global warming  in favour of personal comforts and temptations.After all,Nobel Laureates and "Great men" do have their own weaknesses.

The Source of Passion ...

For quite some time ,I  was looking for an answer to a question which I think  was very important :What is the source of passion for  anything ,any cause?Can this source be identified and can we  strengthen our passion , once it begins to weaken? My search led me to this book(328 pages) by Deepak Chopra :The Path to Love .. .Spiritual strategies for healing.

                                The book has 7 chapters ,and only one chapter (Number 6) deals directly with passion: Why we need passion? (Page 225 to 271).On page 230 , Chopra writes:"Passion is the energy that love creates with no object other than itself.The energy born of love is creative--it makes everything it touches new.To see how passionate you are,look around at what you have created.The source of passion is within yourself.When passion wanes,it must be rekindled at its source."Again on page 237:"Passion for another person has to fade ,but passion for life itself is eternal."Passion is the flow of  life ,in all its natural exuberance.Passion does not  just fade;it gets blocked,and you have to ask  why you blocked or suppressed it.We have an unconscious  censor inside our mind which decides whether it is permissible for us to feel passionate or not.

                        How do you open up the channels of passion?You want the return of spirit within you , which is the return of God.The passionate side of God is Shakti,the goddess.Passion was the wedding gift she brought when she  married Shiva.Go into the fear and hurt;practise letting go of your old beliefs; learn to forgive yourself;find moments when you can be kind to your inner being;claim what is good about yourself and not just what is bad;follow every enthusiasm where ever it leads you,since the source of enthusiasm is always passion .Reach for the infinite ,and you will never be lost.Spirit will carry you in her arms" from  fear to love"

                           The book traces the source of passion to Divine love .to rekindle your passion , you need to  know God and to serve God and His people.

":Wetlands for our Future."

Today is 2nd February , and we are observing World Wetlands Day,2015.We were at Lucknow Zoo,and we had Forest officials , school boys and girls,teachers and persons from electronic and print media.My turn came to deliver a talk as Chief Guest for the event and I said what follows.

                            In 1971,on 2nd February , representatives of 160 countries gathered at Ramsar in Iran for Convention on Wetlands , and signed the agreement .Since then ,we have been observing February 2 as World Wetlands Day.Every year , Ramsar secretariat gives a theme for this day .The theme for 2015 World Wetlands day is :"Wetlands for our Future."

                          I wrote a blogpost on February 2,2014(Last year) which I re-read today , after a gap of exactly one year.I  am afraid not much has really happened in one year .One previous speaker  said that we should not treat wetlands as wasteland .I am reminded of The Wasteland, poem by TS Eliot,where he compares this life with wasteland .I am afraid , we have wasted one year as far as conservation of wetlands is concerned.Eliot says :we wait without hope , we wait with faith .So , though I have no reason to hope , I have a faith that things can be changed.I have no hope because  since 1900,64% of World's wetlands have disappeared.loss is higher than 64% in Asia.
                            India  is among 168 states which have ratified the Ramsar Convention.India did it on February1,1982 and framed Rules for Wetlands(conservation and Management) in2010.Mission of Ramsar convention talks  of three things:
1.Conservation of wetlands.
2.Wise use of Wetlands.
3.Activities at local,state and national levels ,and cooperation at international level.
        Wetlands are shivering because of growing demand of agriculture for land use conversion, growth of cities and urban infrastructure,development of industry,climate changes,increasing pollution,sedimentation and siltation.19% estimated increase over current global agricultural water consumption is likely to happen by 2050 .This will put stress and demand on wetlands.If we have fewer wetlands , we will have less water for agriculture.
                       We must ,therefore:
1.Conserve wetlands.More funds are needed than 3.57 crores at present being made available under National Wetlands conservation Scheme.
2.Make inventory and get all wetlands recorded in Land records.
3.Do intensive research , training and awareness enhancement.
4.Ensure coordination of all the concerned departments like urban development ,drinking water,agriculture,ground water,irrigation,industry,environment and land records.
                    I do not ask you to take a pledge  to conserve wetlands.You will violate it tomorrow.But I ask you to think seriously and then resolve to spread  awareness about the importance and urgency of conserving wetlands, using them wisely , take steps to prevent pollution , and educate and make everyone around you  on this important challenge , to secure our own future.
               

The Summing Up by William Somerset Maugham

This  autobiographical  book was first published in 1938 ,when Somerset Maugham was 64 years old.I first read this book in 1979 when I was 25.It did influence me then , as it has done now.But I  believe,I have understood it better this time.In the book , Maugham  tried to sum up what he understood about life and its  meaning.Since most of his experience had been in writing dramas and novels ,   a large part of the book is about writing .But it is also the story of a soul struggling to understand what this life is all about.

             Precisely , Maugham sums up by saying that every life  should centre around goodness.One should be good and do good. Goodness is the only value that seems in this world to have any claim to be an end in itself.There is nothing more beautiful than goodness(Page 56).Life  should be all about right actions.The right action, according to Maugham , is acting in conformity with your nature and your business."Loving kindness(non-sexual love) is the better part of goodness.It lends grace to  the sterner qualities  of which goodness consists and makes it a little less difficult to practise those minor virtues of self-control and self-restraint,patience , discipline and tolerance , which are the passive and not very exhilarating elements of goodness."(Page 302).The value of  life  is not  beauty but right action .It  must strengthen your character and make it more fitted for right action.

                    Living for goodness requires self-realisation  which is "bringing to the highest perfection every faculty of which you are possessed."(Page 274).

                      Maugham has given many observations about reading and writing .One interesting statement:"The ageing writer does well to keep in touch with what the young do and from time to time ,I read their novels." Another witty observation:"Bored noblemen,axed officers,retired civil servants , fly to pen as one might fly to the bottle."(Page 176).

                I recommend you to read this book.

My favourite 100 books

The idea to prepare  a list  of my favourite 100 books came to me when I was reading William Somerset Maugham's autobiographical book The Summing Up.A stage comes in life when  you decide to do things that seem of importance to you , and you can no longer persuade yourself that you are not yet ready.For if you are not ready now, there is a small likelihood that you will ever do so .I have been an avid reader of books ever since I was  very young, and I have not really kept count of the books I have read .But often , when I liked a book very much , or I was  deeply influenced by a book, I had a desire to read such books more than once .But there was always a competition between the new books , and  old books waiting to be read again .The figure of 100 is purely arbitrary,and the list is the first list .It is possible that there may be some more books , which were my favourite when I read them , and I may modify the list .But I know that the changes will not be substantial.The list has a mix of fiction and non-fiction .So  here below is the list of my favourite 100 books  as on January 17,2015.:

1.Angela's Ashes   by Frank  McCourt.

2.The Fountainhead  by Ayn Rand.

3.A Mighty Heart by Mariane Pearl with Sarah Crichton.

4.The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank.

5.The Shadow Lines by Amitav Ghosh.

6.Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

7.Animal Farm by George Orwell.

8.Schindler's List by Thomas Keneally.

9.Steppen Wolf by Hermann Hesse.

10.The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon.

11.The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro.

12.Stoner by John Williams.

13.The Diving-Bell & The Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby.

14.The Journey to the East by Hermann Hesse.

15.The Color Purple by Alice Walker.

16.Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

17.Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison.

18.The Wizard of Oz by L.Frank Baum.

19.Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

20.Girl Meets Boy by Ali Smith

21.Heart of darkness by Joseph Conrad.

22.The Little Prince by Antoine De Sait-Exupery.

23.Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte.

24.Tolstoy and the Purple Chair ..My Year of Magical Reading by Nina Sankovitch.

25.The Stranger by Albert Camus.

26.Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse.

27.The Plague by Albert Camus.

28.The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes.

29.Beloved by Toni Morrison.

30 TheRazor's Edge by W.Somerset Maugham.

31.Infidel . . .my life by Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

32.Night by Elie Wiesel.

33.The White Castle by Orhan Pamukh.

34.Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

35.To Sir With Love by E.R.Braithwaite.

36.Saturday by Ian McEwan.

37.To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

38.The trial by Franz Kafka.

39.The Fall by Albert Camus.

40.Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino.

41.Notes From underground by Fyodor Dostevsky.

42.The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow.

43.The Truth by Michel Palin.

44.Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier.

45.A single Man by Christopher Isherwood.

46.Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler.

47Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie.

48.The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera.

49.Jonathan Livingstone Seagull . .a story by Richard Bach.

50.The English Patient by Michel Ondaatje.

51.Collected Poems 1909-1962 by T.S.Eliot.

52.The Bhagwad Gita by S.Radhakrishnan.

53.Long Walk to freedom by Nelson Mandela.

54.Globalization and Its Discontents by Joseph Stiglitz.

55.Motivation and Personality by Abraham H.Maslow.

56.The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B.White.

57.The Story of my experiments with Truth ..  .An Autobiography by M.K.Gandhi.

58.Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl.

59.The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran.

60.The Road Less Traveled by M.Scott Peck,M.D.

61.Obedience to authority by Stanley Milgram.

62.Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Friere.

63.A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking.

64.Free to Choose . .a personal statement by Milton Friedman and Rose Friedman.

65.I and Thou by Martin Buber, translated by Ronald Gregor Smith.

66.The art of war by Sun-Tzu.

67.The Mind of Mahatma Gandhi by R.K.Prabhu ,U.R.Rao.

68.The Complete Yes Minister  . The Diaries of a Cabinet Minister by the right Hon.James Hacker MP.

69.Love  . what life is all about  by Leo Buscaglia.

70.Illusions . .The adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach.

71.How People Change by Allen Wheelis.

72.In the Footsteps of Gandhi . .conversations with spiritual social activists by Catherine Ingram.

73.The Master as I saw him  by Sister Nivedita.

74.Letters of Swami Vivekananda Advaita Ashrama.

75.Markings . ..The Enduring Spiritual Classic by Dag Hammarskjold . .translated by Leif Sjoberg ,W.H.Auden.

76.The magic of Dialogue by daniel Yankelovitch.

77.The hidden words by Baha'u'llah.

78.The Imitation of Christ by Thomas A. Kempis.

79.The Different drum by M.Scott Peck.

80.How to be Invisible by J.J.Luna.

81.Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande.

82.On writing  . .A memoir of the craft by Stephen King.

83.How to Read a book  . . the classic guide to intelligent reading by Mortimer J.Adler & Chrles Van Doren.

84.Leading Change by John P. Kotter.

85.The Fifth Discipline  . .The art and practice of the learning organization by Peter M.Senge.

86.Thinking in Systems . ..a primer  by Donella H.Meadows.

87.Ageless Body ,Timeless Mind . .a practical alternative to growing old by Deepak Chopra.

88.Exit ,Voice ,and Loyalty by Albert O Hirschman.

89.Straight from the gut by Jack Welch with Johna A.Bryne.

90.Individuals ,Groups, and shared Moral responsibility by Gregory Mellema.

91.The Seven habits of Highly Effective people . .powerful lessons in personal change by Stephen R.Covey.

92.Good Strategy,Bad Strategy by Richard Rumelt.

93.On Becoming a Leader by Warren Bennis.

94.Mojo  ..how to get it ,how to keep it,how to get it back if you lose it by Marshall Goldsmith with Mark Reiter.

95.Getting Things Done  . .The art  of Stress-free Productivity by David Allen.

96.Quality is Personal. . . .A foundation for Total quality Management by Harry V.Roberts,Bernard F. Sergesketter.

97.Glow..How you can radiate energy,innovation and success by Lynda Gratton.

98.Emotional Intelligence  . .why it can matter more than IQ by Daniel Goleman.

99.Mindset   ...The new psychology of success . ..How we can learn to fulfill our potential by Carol S.Dweck.Ph.D.

100.The summing Up by William Somerset Maugham.

Out of Africa by Karen Blixen

This book is an autobiographical account of the years  Karen Blixen from Denmark   spent in Kenya.Karen Dinesan was married to Bror Blixen in 1913 , and the couple moved to Kenya , which was at that time a part of British East Africa.In 1914,they used family money to establish a coffee plantation there.The Blixens separated in 1921 and were divorced in 1925.The coffee plantation failed in 1931 , as a result of world wide economic depression in 1931.Karen Blixen was forced to sell the farm to a residential developer and returned to Denmark .She wrote her first book in 1934 .Out of Africa was her second book , published in 1937 and is her best known book .It established her reputation as a writer of acclaim.
                          Out of Africa describes  events of 17 years which Karen  spent on her coffee plantation  in Kenya.The book of 330 pages is divided into five sections as below:
1 .Kamante and Lulu.
2.A shooting Accident on the farm .
3.Visitors to the farm .
4.From an immigrant's notebook.
5.Farewell to the farm.
The style of the book is meditative and melancholy.It  captures the life of a white African colonist.She describes a world which is lost now,the world of huge  farms which were home to  herds of elephants,zebra , giraffes ,lions , hippos and leopards.Kenya at that time was a hunter's dreamland.Hunting safaris  depleted the wildlife of Kenya substantially.
                   It is a book which makes you have a  feel  for the life lived in partnership with nature.You  may like to read this book , if you want to know a different world, full of wild life, which existed not long ago.