The Farmer and the Mathematics of Zero

Even though our ancestors discovered zero, today we have forgotten its true meaning. The entire system of the world runs on the mathematics of zero.

So, what is this mathematics of zero?

If we borrow ₹100 from someone, the account isn’t complete until we repay it. Only when we subtract 100 from 100 do we get zero. Without reaching zero, the equation remains incomplete. Those who fail to reach zero remain in debt.

This is exactly the situation of farmers today. Instead of repaying the debt of water taken from Mother Earth, they spend lakhs on borewells. Yet, the water level keeps falling. One day, there will be no water left in the account. Fertile land will turn into desert.

Farmers harvest crops from the soil but often burn stubble, leaves, and organic waste instead of returning them to the soil as natural fertilizer. They don’t return animal and human waste to the soil as fertilizer. As a result, the debt taken from the earth is never repaid. The mathematics of zero fails. And when zero fails, wealth does not emerge from farming. The farmer falls into debt, poverty, and sometimes even suicide.

How do we repay water to the land?

In the Dwapar era, Krishna showed the way by creating 99 lakes in Brij to repay the earth’s debt. To make people understand the importance of lakes, ancient sages-built pilgrimage sites near them and gave them religious significance.

Earlier, every village had a lake. Even Delhi had over 500 lakes before 1947 for a population of just 4 lakh. The Gond kings of Bhandara district built more than 10,000 lakes. In the past, there was a complete system to repay the water debt. People understood the mathematics of zero.

Now is the time for the government to act. Farmers who burn stubble and waste must face strict action. Urban waste can be turned into compost and returned to the soil. The government can easily provide subsidies for this. Instead of chemical fertilizers, subsidies should be given for organic manure.

In Buldhana district, the village of Hiwre Bazaar built more than 40 lakes through collective effort and solved the water crisis. Farming, livestock, and living conditions improved. They understood the mathematics of zero.

If other villages follow this model, we won’t need massive dams in the mountains.