ONCE UPON A TIME, IN 1955!
It
almost seems like a dream today, but about sixty years back, Maharashtra state in India, had many self-sufficient villages! Every farmer in the
village grew at least ten to fifteen types of various grains and cereals,
available throughout the year, in variable amounts. They had huge kiosks full
of jaggery syrup and jaggery. Liquid money wasn’t much available freely but
wasn’t even required so dearly! Every transaction would take place through the
exchange of grains and cereals. Slowly, groundnuts came to the fore, as cash
crop and slowly cotton exited from the region of Marathwada. In order to have
some money in hand, for festivals and the expenses following them, udid dal and
lentils were grown as cash giving crops. Ground nuts were sown and reaped
on such a large scale that even the laborers working in the fields, had one or
two jute bags of groundnuts, in their homes, throughout the year! In those
times, Maharashtrian families would add groundnut flour to all their curries,
making them tasty and delicious. During lunch and dinner, they would consume baskets
full of roasted groundnuts, a specialty of Maharashtrian food!
Enough
jowar and other grains for the whole family, throughout the year, enough food
for the cattle, enough money to buy new clothes at least twice annually during
festivals, for the whole family, was the minimum requirement and expectation of
a Maharashtrian farmer. People were happy, satisfied and content in those
times, with minimum requirements.
The
fields were lined with mud boundaries, which boasted of Mango (Mangifera indica), Tamarind (Tamarindus indica) and Jamun (Syzygium cumini) trees; wells had Bel
(Aegle
marmelos), peepal (Ficus religiosa),
Ramphal (Annona reticulata)
trees surrounding them; Umbar (Ficus racemosa ),
Gondan (Cordia myxa)
and Bhokar (Cordia dichotoma)
trees on the banks of streams; Amla (Phyllanthus emblica), Ber (Ziziphus mauritiana) and Babhul (Acacia nilotica) trees in green
pastures grown for cattle; one or two cash crops, Jowar (Syricum granum),
Bajra (Pennisetum glaucum ), oil seeds and other
cereals in green fields, was a very common sight and all were commonly
available. Prosperity prevailed everywhere. Human beings, pets, domestic
animals, other animals and creatures in nature were lucky to obtain anything
they needed from the surrounding environment!
But
as they say, every good thing has to end sometime! This pleasant picture
transformed gradually. In 1972, Maharashtra faced severe famine and all
prosperity collapsed. Western winds transformed cities and villages. Habits and
concepts of eating and sowing changed. Groundnuts were replaced by hybrid
jowar, which grew rapidly and in large amounts. The soil land available for
sowing of jowar constricted. Rotis made from hybrid jowar could not satisfy
hunger. Cattle wouldn’t eat the remains of hybrid jowar crop. Even though
farmers consumed stomach full of rotis, before going to the fields routinely,
they would be hungry again even before reaching. Cattle treasure decreased. The
same farmers, who prepared their own seeds for the next sowing, and their own
natural fertilizers, started depending heavily on hybrid seeds and chemical
fertilizers. They started borrowing and begging for money required for buying
these. A lot of wild type original crops of tur, ambadi, varai, sesame seeds,
flex seeds, bhagar, kardai, disappeared slowly.
Ropes
and clothes required routinely started being manufactured from nylon. Number of
sugar factories increased. Sugarcane fields started occupying maximum space, with
a great thirst for water. The environment was full of the smells of bagass and
spent sugar. People got addicted to crude alcohol, available cheaply. The
concepts of name, fame and greatness changed. Hybrid jowar appeared with a
flourish, in a very short time and disappeared with the same speed. But
whatever time it was existing, it weakened humanity and animals. Soybeans
appeared on the horizon, with a lot of government concessions and donations. It
flourished, replacing jowar and bajra. Food patterns changed. Wheat and rice
started being imported from other states. The same farmer, who at a time had a
lot of variety in his agricultural products, started producing just a single,
monotonous produce. Soybean wasn’t very popular locally, for consumption.
Initially, with three to four bags of jowar available at home, it could be
consumed in various forms, in emergency. With the exit of jowar from the
agricultural scenario, that support was lost!
Everything
changed, including feeds for fields and food for children but nutritional
values and biodiversity depleted. Ecological cycles and biological texture of
soils collapsed, because of continuous flocking of fields with chemical fertilizers.
Dung manure decreased because cattle decreased. As a result, water retention
capacity of the soil decreased. The chances of all produce going waste, because
of a single crop produce or all produce going waste, because of over production
and costs getting crashed, increased. As is the condition today, sugar
production has increased but tur or lentil crops have disappeared.
All
above reasons and changing life styles led to increased suicides of farmers.
Farmers started losing self esteem and self confidence, in the want of
concessions and government help! Old parents and old cattle started being
avoidable. A common man’s life was disturbed because of the bad influence of
politics in every field of life!
Vices
like alcohol and tobacco addictions, internal fights, jealousy corroded the
villages. Farming and agriculture were neglected. Farmers were caught between
the two blades of a vicious scissor namely moody nature and clever market
management. A farmer started selling his mother – the black earth. It was
bought by politicians and businessmen. Common man transported to cities.
Agriculture was in jeopardy because laborers were not available. People lost
all compassion for farmers.
Trees
have depleted; canals and springs have dried up; wild life has disappeared;
sweet tweets of sparrows have been replaced by loud roars of Dolby, assurances
by politicians, bribery and corruption. Agricultural land is getting barren;
farmers are disappointed and miserable whereas the remaining are non-bothered!
Today,
a situation has come when people pay a sumptuous tip to the waiters in a hotel
but they wouldn’t pay for onions, if they are priced high.
On
this background, the government has beckoned to all Indians for a
second green revolution. Though, one cannot but wonder, for whom and how this
green revolution will take place?
Farmers’
children are not interested in agriculture, but are more interested in being
around politicians, spending the whole day passing time and returning home late
at nights. On whose responsible shoulders will this second green revolution
rest? Who will take the initiative - corrupt servants, directionless education
system, social media or sleeping society?
Can
anyone find a way out?
Undisciplined
people, who have severed their relations with black soil, cannot be expected to
bring about the green revolution. Agricultural training must be made compulsory
for every citizen of the country. There may be some chances of revival then!!!
Picture will change, if mindsets change!!!
Green Blogger
