A new year out of the blue
It's the new year for Malayalees! Appears to be a year beginning out of the blue! Most of humankind today follows the Roman calendar which has a very interesting history and evolution of its own.
I was fascinated to learn that some crucial factors that lead to the formulation of a calendar are said to be: 1) vegetational changes - leafing of trees 2) migration of birds 3) agricultural cycles - seeding and harvesting and 4) the changes in the sky - sun, moon or stars. Calendars across the world indicate dependence mainly on Sun (Solar cycles) or Moon (Lunar cycles).
It is said that the early Roman calendar had just ten months in the calendar, and the rest of the time, a little more or less than 2 months were considered off - the winter months which did not permit any productive (agricultural) activities. Caesars Julius and Augustus are credited to have contributed to the stabilisation of the calendar (around BC 45), referred to as the Julian calendar, to which the modern calendar is deeply indebted. A major rehaul happened in the 16th century under the leadership of Pope Gregory, to accommodate the Christian feasts appropriately. Thus the final shape of the calendar, as we have it today, owes much to the Church. It is appropriately referred to as the Gregorian calendar.
However, several regions have their own regional calendars, with a traditional new year happening during the course of the Roman or modern calendar. They are generally found to be linked to the crop cycles of the region. Thus, in most parts of India, we have a regional new year beginning around mid-April: Baisakhi (North of India), Poila Boisakh (Bengal), Rongali Bihu (Assam), Pana Sankranti (Odisha), Gudi Pavda (Maharashtra-Konkan), Ugadi (Andhra and Karnataka), Puthandu (Tamil Nadu). Apparently, this is typically agri-based, and in most cases, they are either harvesting season, sowing season, or a combination of both.
I thought Keralam, with its new year starting with Chingam 1 (August - September) was a peculiar one and an exception to the rest of the peninsular region. But not so: the Gujaratis have 'nutan varsh' in October-November, Sikkim 'Losoong/Namsoong' in December, Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim Mha Puja in October-November (Bhutia, Lepcha), Gyalpo Lhosar (Sherpa - February-March), Tamu Lhosar (Gurung - December-January), Sonam Lhosar (Tamang - January-February), and Pateti of Parsis in August. Thus Sikkim, with its sparse population of just about 610000, presents the utmost diversity in this matter.
It is said that prior to the Malayalam calendar of Kolla varsham which is attributed to the initiative of Udaya Marthanda Varma in 825 of the modern calendar. I read that even for this region, there was a tradition of the new year being celebrated around the harvest/sowing season of April, around the festival of Vishu.
Celebration of Freedom from Hunger: Food - Harvest - Abundance
The new year of Chingam was introduced, likely with the intent of energising the people of the region who usually got crushed under the heavy monsoon rains, especially of Kalla Karkidakam (the usurper Karkidakam) which tended to take all mirth away from life. With the Sun appearing again, the vegetation blooming, and a set of seasonal produce ready for harvest - mattan, kumbalam, vellari, paval, padaval, chena, chempu, kaaya, (pumpkin, ash gourd, cucumber, bitter gourd, snake gourd, yam, colocasia)ash gourd and wherever possible, paddy, it was the ideal time to celebrate life's newness, and perhaps, it was decided to start observing the year with the month in which the legendary benevolent king of the region, Mahabali, was celebrated.
Beginning with Chingam, this regional calendar also has 12 months, based on the solar cycle - the rest are kanni, tulam, vrschikam, makaram, kumbham, minam, metam, etavam, midhunam, karkitakam. I am glad that I am able to recall all of them by heart. We were never taught these in the school, or even in the home atmosphere, we hardly got to hear anything about these, except about the month of Chingam, and perhaps, some bit about Karkitakam, and from some literature perhaps, a little about makara masam for its 'severe cold' and mina masam for its 'severe heat'.
However, with my gradual initiation into the field of food production, health and agriculture, I have become familiar with many others, especially of kumbham, where it is told that, if we plant elephant yam in kumbham it would abound in size, of an earthen pot - kumbhattil chena kutattolam; or kumbhattil nattaal kuppayilum maanikyam (planting in kumbham yields diamond even from the waste dump) etc. In the traditions, some would even exaggerate saying, if we sliced our finger and planted it, it would sprout in kumbham.
All this is said about a state, where the feeding of the vast majority could be described in a tradition which goes thus:
taalum takarem mummasam, angnem inganem mummasam
(three months on yams - September to December, another three on jackfruit and mangoes - January/February to April/May; some insignificant vegetations for another three months, and somehow or other, the rest of the time).
Jai Kisan - Celebrating the Farmer, Celebrating Agriculture
Such experience is no longer that of a Malayalee. Even the poorest of the poor today would not know such a situation or such dependence on the earth and its produces. We are free from the planet-dependence! Rather we have become Tamil Nadu and Andhra-dependent! (And, in general, the land has become human-dependent! Its sustainability appears totally in their hands!)
It is heartening for me to notice Kerala government has begun to celebrate the new year day as Karshaka Dinam (I believe a delayed wise tokenism). Nationwide, however, farmer's day is celebrated, on Dec. 23rd, more to remember Chowdhary Charan Singh, rather than the farmers themselves. During his terms as the union minister for agriculture (1967-70) and as Prime minister (19799-80) he is said to have contributed to the welfare of the agriculture or farming community.
The day Kerala has chosen appears apt, though the fact remains that the farmer is hardly ever celebrated, but rather neglected, denied, desiccated and decimated by the heartless, visionless policies and laws of the changing governments that come into power. Jai Kisan is a mere slogan, with hardly anyone to support the farmer. From my observation, no government, no political party, no established religion has been there to support the farming sector and the farming community. That farmer is doing 'God's own work' (deiva vela) of feeding the people, is rarely recognized. Rather they are put to such extreme pressures and ignominy that hardly any child of a farmer would aspire to be a farmer, rather they would all try to escape from the farm and farming. No sector appears dedicated to the noble task of producing safe, healthy and sufficient food.
Nobody stands up for a farmer - physically or figuratively! Whereas, for all other segments of engagement there is organisation, bargaining, security and safety. You stand up for a teacher or a priest with reverence, you do the same for a professional - health or engineering or law with deference, you stand up for the police and politician, lest they create hindrance for your life; but for a farmer - you just don't care; s/he is non-entity, or at times, a nuisance!
Hence, Chingam and Onam are occasions to revive the most divine culture - agriculture, not merely praising the farmer, but ensuring that those who produce food are justly paid, and that there is an assured means of livelihood for them. And that food production be such that it does not put the source of all food, the earth, into trouble!
Agriculture and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)
It is high time that food production - in all its phases - preparing the soil - sowing - harvesting - processing - storing - cooking - becomes a necessary part of the curriculum.
The sustainable development goals no. 1 No poverty, 2. Zero Hunger, 3. Good health and well-being for all 4. Quality education for all 5. Gender equality, 6. clean water and sanitation 7. affordable and clean energy 8. Decent work and economic growth 9. infrastucture, industry, innovation, 11. sustainable cities and communities, 12. responsible consumption and production 13. climate action 14. life under water 15. life on land 16. justice, peace and strong institutions and 17. collaboration for attaining the goals are all linked to this vital sector, which still remains in Kerala the most deprived and neglected sector.
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