When I stand on the balcony of our palm-fringed home in Kerala, taking in the cool breeze blowing in over the paddy fields — which, alas, are being encroached upon by double-storeyed houses mushrooming by the dozen — my mind races back to my younger days when the fields were the stage for a myriad of activities.
My father-in-law, a hardworking simple soul, retired and took over the mantle of farming from his father. He put his heart into it. In the following years, there was grain aplenty in the granaries. It was a time of abundance on the food front, that too pure and unadulterated. Rice came from the paddy fields, oil from the coconut grove on the property, and pepper by the sackful, picked painstakingly. The surplus was sold for a good price and we didn’t have to look outside for our food. Life was not easy but the fruits of labour were sweet.
How I long for the sight of humongous loads of hay being carried in to be made into a haystack for the cows, of rice being boiled in cauldrons before laying it out in the sun to make Kerala-style brown rice. And the coconuts laid out to dry for oil! The sight of cows grazing, being bathed and fed with hay and fresh grass was soothing to the eyes.
The cleaning of the dung-filled and urine-smelling cowshed was all part of a day’s work. Thanks to the help, things moved with clockwork precision. My father-in-law, not one to take rest from his chores, barring the few winks he stole post lunch while sitting in his favourite armchair, would set off almost immediately, after sparing an indulgent word for his favourite quadrupeds who would be looking at him with their big bright eyes.
During harvest time, the house would be abuzz with activity. One had to supervise the various activities and also keep watch during the night.
Looking back with mixed feelings, though we were ‘outsiders’ in the activity, I feel an emptiness in the environment around now. People are engrossed in themselves, mostly stricken with myriad ailments. ‘Have money, will buy’ seems to be their only guiding force. Blame it on the paucity of labour and exorbitant wages, the agricultural sector has come to a standstill. But I believe that miracles do happen even in this age.
Meanwhile, let us say with the ad man, ‘Why look for gold elsewhere when we have it in our house?’ Yes, let our fields produce ‘gold’, not only for us but also for the health of generations to come.
Elizabeth Koshy
Email: kitty.koshy@gmail.com