If you want to understand the other you need to be in that person’s shoes. I learnt it the hard way how a farmer felt when he sees his crop wilt due to the blight of drought. How he feels robbed and cheated. And curses destiny for it.
For over a month and half my fig, mango, banana, jackfruit, coconut and other fruit trees have not been watered and it’s showing. Though the river is just couple of meters away I have not been able to water my plants ever since the monsoon ended. My farm is at the mercy of a common watering facilities which we farm owners share. First the pump motors were not working. They had to be rewired and oiled. It took a fortnight. We were dogged with another problem: the pipelines which brought water to the farm were broken at places because someone had run an earthmover. New pipelines had to be laid. That took another 10 days. I counted each day and prayed that it would be the last day of drought. Worried I could not sleep properly. But my restlessness was not helping.
Today, when Vermaji, my neighbour, informed that at last water had reached our plots I was overjoyed. I instantly thanked someone up there.
“Do ghanta pani aaya aaj(We had water for two hours running),” he said.
I felt like sharing this good tiding with my friends and sent text messages without realising how many of them would share my enthusiasm. But I just felt like sharing my happiness and joy. And I did what my heart said. Having gone through this I can now empathize with a farmer who shouts out with joy as the first showers of the rain arrives ending a period of drought.
This post ought to turn our attention towards nature. Does it not make one wonder at the lush evergreen quality of our forests even long after the monsoon?. How does the forest sustain it self even during the harshest summers? I am very eager to know the answer. I hope some reader will provide it.
Hi,
I suggest you to put some barrels in your land. May be some 5 – 8. The blue ones which are being reused. The used ones costs around Rs 400 – 500.
To this you can connect Gravity Irrigation, nothing but drip pipes connected to these barrels. This comes handy at times like this.
You can know more about it at http://www.fpil.in
Regards
Murali
Hi,
Yes, your mail and the mail of Raja is thought provoking, I feel sad for all those farmers who are dependend on rain and who do not have the financial capability to sustain themselves in case of draught.
Yes, Nature is the first guru of man and we have to learn a lot from Nature. We take pride in our learning, but Nature is the first and the best teacher.
Regards
Leeladhar