FARM charms

The crops failed and the farmers did not know how to recoup their loss. Naveen and Neeraja were sure that their father would have a solution.

Naveen and Neeraja were thrilled to visit their father’s village. They were used to city life and the thought of celebrating Pongal with their grandparents was exciting. Driving through the countryside they saw the paddy fields and the harvest being gathered in. They also noticed that village settlements had given way to modern houses.

Soon, they arrived at their thatha’s house. The house was being prepared for the grand day. Paati had drawn kolams around the house. Ravi their neighbour, a farmer’s son was of their own age and was bathing his cows and bulls. “This season we honour them for they toil for us all year long,” he said. Their horns were then smeared with vermilion and turmeric.

Sad plight

They overheard a conversation between their father and

thatha . “Let us not spoil the sanctity of the village. The effects of modernisation have already had deep effects on the village,” said thatha . Factories had sprung up in the village. Thatha felt that it spoilt the beauty of the village. He dreaded the city seeping in, in the name of industrialisation. Their father was a genetic engineer and his speciality was hybrids and mutations.

Ravi told them that because of poor rain and pests, crops had failed and now they had to sell their cows to repay their debts. Ravi said it was the same with many of the other farmers too.

Naveen and Neeraja knew that Ravi was fond of his cows and the prospect of not being able to see them was making him sad. The siblings wanted to help Ravi and decided that the best person to ask would be their father.

“Appa, you always wanted to do something for the village. We know that you wanted to build a school but the village already has one. We need to tell the farmers that selling off their cattle will not solve their problems. What they need is better farming techniques and modern practices so that their yields are higher,” said Naveen.

Their father realised that if he did not do anything then it was likely that farming land would soon be converted into housing plots. He thought about this and felt that with better training and education the farmers lot would improve. He decided they needed to change their approach and began to work towards that. He was sure that by the next harvest season, things would be different in his village. He would also use his vast experience in this field to make a difference in his village.