A Day for the Annadata - The Teenager Today, Dec. 2023 pp. 36-37.
Pulses (February 10), forest (March 21), water (March 22), carrot (April
4), rice (April 19), earth day (April 22),
seeds day (April 26), biodiversity day (May 22), milk day (June 1 –
India November 6)), environment day (June 5), ocean day (June 8), microbiome
day (June 27), fruits day (July 1), chocolate day (July 7), nutritional week
(September 1-7 India), coconut day (September 2), coffee day/vegetarian day
(October 1), egg/chicken day (October 2), rural women’s day (October 15), food
day (October 16), Agricultural education day (December 3 – India), soil day
(December 5), tea day (December 15), Farmer’s day (December 23).
I feel good that the
absolute backwardness of the farmers notwithstanding, India is one among the
few nations that have dedicated a day to the farmers!
Farmer’s Day (Kisan Diwas) is observed on the birthday of the former Prime Minister of India (for 23 days!), Chowdhary Charan Singh (1902-87), referred to as Champion of India’s peasants, one of the few politicians who, drawing from his own peasant experience, stood unambiguously for the cause of
However, the most striking
slogan India ever put forward in favour of the farmers was ‘Jai Jawan, Jai
Kisan’ a call by the second prime minister of India, Shri Lal Bahadur
Shastri, stressing the equal importance to be given to food security as we give
to border security.
Slogans apart, the truth
today is that while the efforts in line of budget, benefits and perks for
border security are well in place, that of the food provider (annadata)
is languishing in papers and files. While India has become food secure as per
the statistics, the status of the Kisan has become very vulnerable and
insecure, to which thousands of farmer suicides in the past 3 decades of
development bear witness.
Agriculture as the Basis of
Annual Calendar
It is interesting to note
that agricultural cycles are one of the crucial factors that lead to the
formulation of a calendar (others being vegetational changes - leafing of trees,
migration of birds and the changes in the sky - sun, moon or stars). The early
Roman calendar is said to be indicative of the predominant role agriculture had
in determining human activities. It had just ten months, 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.
Farmer’s Day – A Celebration
of Freedom from Hunger
In the state of Keralam, the
regional new year (Kolla varsham) begins with the month of Chingam
falling in August/September. It was
introduced in the year 825 AC, likely with the intent of energising the people
of the region who usually got crushed under the heavy monsoon rains, especially
of the last month Karkidakam (which is qualified with the term
‘kalla’ – thief, 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 produces including paddy, ready for harvest 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.
Of late, the Kerala
government has been celebrating Chingam 1, the new year day of the state as the
farmer’s day. It is relevant as it is
the month of harvest, it is symbolic (perhaps, unintentional) that the first
day of the year is being celebrated as the farmer’s day, indicating the
importance given to the foundational production activity.
Jai Kisan - Celebrating
the Farmer, Celebrating Agriculture
Kerala state is a case
study of the plight of farmers and farming against the background of modern
development. One of the most advanced states in India in the development
indices, it is totally dependent on the neighbouring states for its sustenance
whether for the staple food rice, or for vegetables or fruits. The present
development paradigm is making us ‘free from planet-dependence'! And, in
general, the earth has become human-dependent! Its sustainability appears
totally at the mercy of human hands!
The day Kerala has chosen to
celebrate farmer’s day appears better suited to celebrate the farmers, 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.
The farmers and farming still
remain in India the most deprived, insecure and neglected community and
occupation. And any of the reforms introduced have generally benefitted
the large and medium farmers who own large tracts of land, whereas, the
millions of marginal farmers, and farm labourers still suffer the worst form of
economic insecurity.
No government, no political
party, no established religion and hardly any development organisation has been
there to support the farming sector and the farming community. That farmer is
doing 'God's own creative work' 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.
In my interactions with
students all across the country, I have rarely found a student thinking of
farming as one’s future career or profession. I wonder if any of the farmer
would be happy to consider his/her child taking up agriculture as one’s future career,
unless it is agricultural engineering for a job with the government departments
or some industry.
Nobody stands up for a
farmer - physically or figuratively! Whereas, for all other segments of
engagement there is organisation, bargaining, security and safety, for the farmer there is none. You stand up
in reverence for a teacher or a priest, 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, farmer’s day –
whether on December 23 or any other regionally chosen day, is an occasion to
revive the most divine culture - agriculture, not merely by praising the
farmer, but also by 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)
Celebrating ‘Farmer’s Day’
is also an occasion to stress that food production - in all its phases -
preparing the soil - sowing - harvesting - processing - storing - and cooking -
becomes a necessary part of the school curriculum. In honour of the first
President of India, who was also the first minister of agriculture India
observes ‘agriculture education day’ on December 3rd.
Almost all of the seventeen
global sustainable development goals (SDG) - No poverty, Zero
Hunger, Good health and well-being for all, Quality education for all, Gender
equality, Clean water and sanitation, Affordable and clean energy, Decent work
and economic growth, Infrastructure, industry, innovation, Sustainable cities
and communities, Responsible consumption and production, Climate action, Life
under water, Life on land, Justice, peace and strong institutions and Collaboration
for attaining the goals - are linked to this vital sector.
Some of the activities, a school or college should take in this direction are:
(i) Celebrating one or more of the days dedicated to the various aspects of farming.
(ii) Experiencing farming activity in the neighbourhood
(iii) Interacting with the farmers and honouring their contributions and innovations at the school.
(iv) Familiarising with and appreciating food crops of the region and their diversity.
(v) Having a campus farm involving the students – from preparation of the soil and manure to seeding, tending, weeding and harvesting, all from an experiential learning perspective.
(vi) Making farming an item of the annual projects or science exhibitions; and also of skill contests with innovation to make the sector sustainable stressed.
It is heartening to see that many schools have begun
to introduce some of these at least as a token. I am glad that some of my
erudite colleagues in the ivory tower of knowledge, post-retirement have
deliberately entered into the realm of producing food in this manner - from
small to medium scale. Today, one of them is leading a campaign for the
well-being of the agriculturists! I have also seen a few young
professionals turning to the land, and producing food (rice), using scientific,
but earth-friendly methods, enjoying what they do, and earning well.
For a World Where Agriculture is Respected and the
Farmers Live with Dignity!
All said and done, even as we are celebrating
the farmer thus, the vibrant Malayalee poet Murukan Kattakada's lines resonate
in the heart with foreboding :
Itu paadamallente
hrudaymaanu - This is not a plot of
field, but my heart
Nel katiralla kariyunna
mohamaanu - Not a sheaf of
paddy, but my desires in smoke
Iniyente Karalum parichchu
kolka - Now you may pluck
out even my heart
Puzhayalla
kanneerinuravayaanu - It's not a river,
but the well-spring of my tears!
Vatti varalunnatuyirinte
Yamunayaanu - It’s the Jamuna of
life that’s drying out!
I hope this situation changes and the day when the
farmer is recognized for the great divine task s/he undertakes is not far
off.
Salutations to the great men and women who feed the
world – Jai Kisan!
P.S. Even as I concluded making these notes I got the news from Keralam on November 11, that a farmer, K.G. Prasad, 55, Ambedkar Colony, Thakazhi of Alappuzha Dt., committed suicide because he was not even able to raise a loan he required linked to non-payment of paddy procurement receipts by the government.
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