Strange as it might seem to urbanites, birds don't flock to the cotton fields of Heggadadevanakote. That's mainly because of the invasion of Bt cotton - birds have lost their space, symbolizing the crisis we're facing.

Unsustainable technologies are being pushed through, and simple methods backed by traditional knowledge are under threat. Small and marginal farmers are led up the garden path of higher yields by the genetically modified crops lobby. The next government should see they don't yield to the false propaganda of GM MNCs who have overt and covert spokespersons well entrenched in the system. It shouldn't kowtow to a few MNCs trying to tighten their stranglehold on agriculture.