Celebrating the Annaddata - National Farmer's Day Dec. 23

 A Day for the Annadata  - The Teenager Today, Dec. 2023 pp. 36-37.

It is not many days since the world has begun to follow the practice of creating and celebrating ‘holidays’ to honour people and to highlight causes.  It has become an industry in itself, besides each of such occasions being promoted by various segments of the almighty market.  Now there are holidays dedicated to all sorts of professions and all roles people play – teacher, doctor, nurse, lawyer, engineer, father, mother, woman, child…but I observe with regret that there is no day dedicated to ‘farming’ or the farmer. There are any number of days dedicated to various segments of agriculture spanning the year –

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

the farmers. My impression of him as a teenager was that of a maverick politician who by hook or crook wanted to get the prime minister post.  But my search after Kisan Day revealed his law-maker-people's leader-visage.  In the pre and post-independence times, he proposed several legislations in favour of the farmers, noted among them were the radical land reforms intended for the benefit of the farming community, during his tenure as the revenue minister and chief minister of UP. He has the distinction of having founded a political party with farmers as the focus ‘Dalit Mazdoor Kisan Party’ which was later renamed as Lok Dal.

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 3^rd. 

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.