The Dancing Time Of Paddy

The Dancing Time Of Paddy

‘Kuruvai’ and ‘Samba’ are like the two hands of delta farmers. No farmer in the delta will miss ‘Kuruvai’ and ‘Samba’ in the coming years of regular watering in the Cauvery. Agriculture is their identity and Code of honor. They cannot accept the blame for leaving the land barren.

The value and respect that delta farmers give to this agriculture cannot be put into words. It should be mentioned as a continuing reverence for agriculture.

What’s more, the field is full of weeds and thorns in the drainage ditches but the Chappel -wearing farmers can’t be found. They will even steal a bundle of paddy but, will not steal the spade. They have a special respect for the tools used in agriculture. They start the work by touching and bowing the tools.

They will be in the field with their family during the sowing and harvesting. The field is often referred to as the ‘kaadu’ by the meaning of forest. The word may even be the nostalgia of destroying the ‘forest’ and creating the field.

The first step of the harvested paddy is measured to the temple. The bunch of paddy is neatly arranged and hung on the top of the threshold of the house. They will hang in the temple with a little more artistic nature.

Paddy has a special place in any home festival time. They do not sell or give paddy on Tuesdays and Fridays. It is amazing to know the beliefs and traditions of the people of Delta who are intertwined around the paddy.

When measuring paddy, instead of starting with one, they start with ‘Laabam’ by the meaning of profit and count to two, three and four. At the end of the measurement, a few grains are placed on a measuring utensil called as ‘Marakkaal’.

They do not wipe the paddy, whether it is from a warehouse of paddy, whether it is from a rice pot or a mug of rice. They will point out that wiping is a bad habit. A little paddy or rice said to be in the storage place. No matter what the famine, they will not boiled the seed germinate.

They will not allow anyone to drink alcohol and go to field based agriculture work. If they drink alcohol, they will keep it only after finishing agriculture work.

No one will sell the land so easily that it will continue for generations. Rarely do lands change and come up for sale. Even then the land sales were written on paper and fixed. The deed and registration process for sales are less. They give so much value to word of mouth. After voting for one to sell, they will not agree to another saying how much the price will increase.

They will not charge money for every house for the temple festival. They will line up the paddy. Everything from giving to buying is related to paddy. The salt seller buys paddy instead of salt.

There are those who donated bundles of paddy during school renovation conferences. That was the time when paddy was in everyone's house. There is so much to say in the lives of delta farmers. Can't say more in one breath. Let’s say one by one.

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