Four generations:
Three continents: Two world wars: One village
These are tales spanning four generations spread across three continents
in between and after the two world wars of people who set forth under different
circumstances from one small village called Agaramangudi.
The story line traverses through different time lines, locations or
incidents with no particular order. The only order being the
alphabetical one – A to Z meant purposefully for the A to Z challenge. These
posts can be read as standalone posts, but would be best comprehended if
you read them along with their prelude provided as a link.
R –
Ramanathapuram – 1969
Professor
Neelakandan had joined the Agricultural
Regional research institute at Ramanathapuram
when it was set up as a regional
unit by the central government in the ambitious post independence rush to achieve food
sufficiency and to promote the cultivation of high yielding varieties of Rice,
sugarcane, cotton, and vegetables all
over India. Through the 1950’s and 1960’s the Institute was where all the
action was.
The
Cauvery delta irrigated by year long water supply coupled with the monsoons
were a fertile area for the research institute to carry out its experiments on
not just varieties of Rice cultivation but also many other crops that were
hitherto unknown to the farmers of that area.
In those years of his association with Agricultural research instititute Prof. Neelakandan’s job took him across to various farms and farmers with whom
he worked on the latest breakthrough
research of high yielding hybrid variety of seeds. In
the 1950’s he struck a working relationship with a young Subbu who was eager
and filled with energy and enthusiasm to try and do something big in his own way and to strike out on
his own. It gave him a great adrenalin rush to do something
that could make his father proud.
In his
father’s and grandfather’s generation they almost always had one crop an year
and that was during the monsoons when the Cauvery would irrigate the fields and
inundate it with water that was required for Paddy cultivation.
Many other
indigeneous varieties of crops including
the black gram, Green gram and sesame would grow without any particular effort
required to grow them. As far as the
local food needs were concerned there would be plenty of gourds – the bottle
gourd, bitter gourd, the snake gourd, pumpkin and varieties of brinjal
available for their subsistence.
The
cattle, the goats and the poultry would freely roam around the farms . The cows
would give milk. The poultry would be
domesticated by the labourers for eggs and chicken, since the Brahmins in the
Agraharam were strictly vegetarian. There was plenty of supply than there was demand. The primary role of the
chicken roaming around freely was to fertilise the land with their droppings
and peck at the worms to keep them in check. There were other varieties of
domesticated animals that included deer, dogs, cats and parrots. They were never
caged, vaccinated or tied up. They were free to mate and reproduce when nature
permitted them to.
It was
a simplistic ecosystem that relied on vagaries of nature and hard human labour. But it just about managed to take care
of the basic necessities as most of the food and shelter needs were taken care
without the need for cash. It was only
when a grand marriage ceremony had to be pulled off or a house had to be built
that money needed to be saved.
The
green revolution brought with it the promises of three crops through the year
in the Cauvery delta. The cutting edge research at the Agricultural Regional research
institute in Ramanathapuram produced year after year, different varieties of
seeds that would reduce the time for the crop to mature. It was thus that the farmers could now harvest Rice soon after
the monsoons, maize or millet in the winter and cotton during the scorching summer.
The
agricultural co-operatives ensured a fair price for the produce. Cattle farms
and poultry sprung up as ancillary to the farm lands. High yielding Jersey cows were introduced inorder
to increase the production of milk by
the co-operatives and chicken varieties that matured and reproduced in a month
were introduced to increase egg and poultry production.
With the introduction of cash crops like cotton and sunflower, came the relationships with the banks. The banks had the capacity to lend for the initial investment to buy seeds and fertilizers. The cash crops were sold to the wholesale procurer at
a fixed price. The margins from cash crops were good and the flow of money helped the banks reap profits and made the farmer reasonably wealthy as well.
In the overall economic scheme of things it increased the consumption patterns and quality of life. The villages got electricity. The bullocks were replaced by the tractors to till the land. The extra cash from the
cash crops like cotton and sugar cane paid for the college education for the extended
members of the family. Aristrocratic
land owners of the delta could develop properties in towns and cities like Tiruchy,
Thanjavur and Madras. A good flow of money from bumper harvests of
cash crops also helped pull off grand weddings with hefty dowries for their
daughters. Over the years, with all the surplus money from the land that was
saved, they could send their sons abroad for higher education and
employment.
That
was only when the harvest from the cash crop was good. In the year when there
would be a slight unseasonal drizzle just before the cotton harvest, it would
bring the price of the cotton down drastically . Farmers would struggle to
break even their investment and would be at the mercy of the asking price from
the wholesale markets to pay off their debts to the banks who had lent them the
money to invest in the cash crops. The
seeds for the high yielding crops and the pesticides that kept them away from
various crop diseases could be purchased from the government subsidized seed
banks and stores.
When
unseasonal rains, drought or any other disaster struck, the government was benevolent. Successive governments formed with the political clout of aristrocratic landowners were known to write off
debts taken from Nationalized banks. The government owned Radio (and later
Television in the 1980’s ) beamed programs for the farmers where they gave copious
advice on the use of the right fertilizers to increase yield and featured success stories
of farmers who got the high yield using a particular strain of hybrid seeds in
their land.
Subbu
was on a visit to the the institute in Ramanthapuram. Prof. Neelakandan had promised him a new variety of
seed for the cotton crop that summer that would give a bumper yield as long as
some soil based nutrients were added to it. The seed primarily was a native of Africa and
needed 'Potash' which was not found much in the soil of the Cauvery delta. Experiments
with the new hybrid variety would need to be supplemented with addition of the essential
nutrients to yield a good harvest. So far the research had looked promising. If it
succeeded on a large scale and the yield was good, it would be a breakthrough
for Professor. Neelakandan in his career.
Subbu
arrived at the massive government building where Professor Neelakandan held office as the
head of department. He had given an
appointment to Subbu, however he was running late. He came out and apologized to Subbu and let
him know he had to finish an emergency meeting before he could meet him. Subbu
sat outside his office and listened to the conversation from the emergency
meeting that was going on inside.
A
member of his staff had stormed into his office and tendered his resignation.
Professor Neelakandan was trying to convince him in a calm and composed voice to
take back his resignation. He was
reasoning out with him to be practical. After a while of some heated conversation
he pleaded with him saying his hands were tied and it was absurd to take on the
might of a much bigger machinery.
The other
voice from the cabin was slow, measured, deep but firm. From what Subbu could figure out, sitting on
that bench outside the Professor's office, then was a disappointed scientist at the directions
the new research was taking shape. He wanted Professor Neelakandan to convince the center (Possibly central government or
some other authority) that the timelines and the proposition need to revised and
postponed until more details were available. Professor Neelakandan from his
side did not see why the project had to slow down. He was clear he would not go
back to the ‘center’.
The
discussion heated up. The voice from the
cabin accused the professor of being selfish, furthering his own career
interests.
Professor
retorted saying he dare not question his integrity and hard work he had put in
to reach where he was today.
The
voice from the cabin stopped and a man stormed out of his office. As he held
the door open, he asked Professor Neelakandan if he had any land of his own and children of
his own.
Professor
Neelandndan replied ‘yes’.
He asked
if he would conduct this research in his land.
Professor
Neelankandan reluctantly replied ‘Yes, why not...’
'Don’t' .. said the young man, if ever you do that, your children will never bequeath that land and your grandchildren will
never know the joys of tilling the land to make a living.
He said
that as if he was cursing the Professor, his children and grandchildren and stormed
out of the room.
Subbu
got a glimpse of the man. He had a long
flowing beard, a youthful gait and eyes that shone with anger and
passion.
He did
not know him then. He was not
famous. He was just a sub-ordinate working for Agriculture regional research institute
for Prof. Neelakandan.
His
name was Nammazhvar.
However
his predictions came true.
Unfortunately
it was for Subbu.
His son never bequeathed his land.
And his grandchildren
never knew the joys of tilling the land.
To be continued ... S- Srirangam -1969
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