Coup On Agriculture – Village Life And City Style – 4 [Farmers’ friendship with animals]

In agriculture, the co-operation of animals was must for the farmers. To kill the rats in the fields snakes were needful and in house cats were needful. To protect from the snakes, dogs were needful. To plough the fields, to carry the crops, bullocks and buffaloes were needful. To have milk, cows, she-buffaloes and goats were needful. To plough with oxen, it was tedious, time taking process.

By the tractors we can plough the fields with more efficiency and fast. To run the tractors, we need petroleum products for which we have to dig and hallow the earth. And in exchange, tractors are warming the earth, filling the smoke in the atmosphere. In the case of oxen, their fuel was only grass, they filled earth with their dung and fertile the soil. More over they love human beings and to do work with such talk less animals with co-ordination, we could enjoy the nature and divine love, and we could experience the real joy of working.

Here I’m not opposing the usage of machinery in agriculture. I know its advantages. I know that if we didn’t adopt mechanization, there will be the deficiency of food to this high population of the world. But I’m referring the divine love of animals that how much we are missing by the way how much distance we moved from the nature. Though we use tractors and bikes, for the sake of experience of affection and touch with native, why don’t we maintain the bullocks and horses, at least in minimum probability?

When I was 7 years old, I had gone to my grandfather’s house in a village. They were farmers in the village. There I had observed village life which had strong influence on me as per my memories. When our vehicle entered in to the village by crossing a small bridge on a water flow i.e. small stream, the servant of my grandfather noticed us. When we reached their house, immediately he followed there to attend his master’s guest. He didn’t wait for the call from his master. That was villager’s sincerity towards their work.

In return they used to take crops at the time of Sankranthi festival, after thrashing. Same case with every other service in those villages such as washer of clothes, tailor, doctor, barber etc. As per my father’s and mother’s information regarding their childhood, the services of all above tailor, weaver etc. throughout the year, they used to enjoy and the payment was through crops after thrashing at the time of Sankranti festival. At the time of festivals of crops i.e. Sankranthi from farmer’s houses, all other professional people could get their shares against their services to the farmers through out the year.

This barter system could keep the people beyond the pollution of money. Because, there was no immediate result or income, their relations were beyond the limits of money and with in the boundaries of co-operation, and bondage. At the time of crops sharing, the bamboo go downs in front of houses of every villager would filled with grains which were more than sufficient for their food all through the year. Such that the socialism was under current in the life style of Indians villages.

At the time of crops sharing, the other professionals i.e. service oriented of the village and artists like Hari Kadhakulu, Poojaries, dancers, musicians, Haridasas etc used to praise the farmers as Annadata, that means donor of food. This made the farmers to feel satisfaction and proud regarding their profession and motivate them towards more commitment of cultivation. The scholars, intellectuals used to bless them, which had served the same purpose. As well the farmers used to praise the co-operation of other service people. It leads them to improve their unity in life. If any in-satisfactions in work, in-services, the entire corrections also would take place at that time.

Totally, every body should have broad mind and work mind. The service oriented people used to refer the farmer as “You are the kings and able to harvest the crops. You should be broad while sharing the crops towards our service.” With such delicate restriction, the farmers used to think as “who were there to govern the other villagers and without their service, how could we cultivate the fields? Their service was ours and our crops were liable to them.”

Where are such feelings in villagers and farmers now? I’m not saying that people should not have self respect. And this is not the matter of self-respect. This is the matter of bondage, co-operation, co-ordination, unity, affection and mutual respects. Whatever the professions, whatever the money and service exchanges, instead of barter system among different sections of people, are there such affections, respects and harmony in the society now? Though we develop in to modern systems, mechanical systems, why should we drop out our natural human characteristics, feeling etc.? Can’t we manage the development and humanity in parallel?