Rayees Ahmad Kumar
The valley of Kashmir is undoubtedly famous across the globe, for it’s lush green meadows, dense forests, suitable climate, lofty mountain peaks and crystal clear fresh water sources. It is also an abode of hundreds of noble saints, whose guiding light continues to inspire and impact our lives.
Besides this, Kashmir is also known for it’s diverse and varied crop seasons. Kashmiri saffron is matchless in the whole world, grown in Pamopre and Kishtwar, Kashmiri saffron is world famed and now GI tagged. It’s apples, walnuts, apricots, cherries and grapes have unique savour and aroma. The different seasons, in which these varied crops are grown, aren’t merely celebrated as seasons, but as much as cherished festivals.
Among all these, Theij-kad – the paddy growing season in Kashmir, is most vibrant and colourful. It begins in mid-May each year and lasts till third week of June and by 21st of June, almost entire agricultural land gets paddy saplings planted.
However, according to official records, it has been revealed that much of the agricultural land, especially that which is exclusively meant for paddy cultivation, has shrunk considerably. Construction of commercial apartments, factories and housing is thought to be the main reason, besides switching over to horticulture sector, as the fruit yield pleases farmers more economically. Despite clear cut orders and laws in vague to conserve the agricultural land, it is shrinking unabatedly due to reckless constructions and illegitimate attitude of people.
Theij-kad – the season of paddy cultivation begins early summer in valley. With much transformation in it’s past and present practices, this season is still a celebrated one. In past, it would be relying more on our women folk, who worked in vast open fields from dawn to dusk, preparing the land for cultivation and then planting the seedlings. It was traditional to invite women from the neighbourhood, who converged in large numbers and helped each other in planting seedlings. The paddy fields presented an enchanted picture, as women engaged themselves in planting seedlings, chanting popular Kashmiri songs of noted and eminent poets and poetesses like Mehjoor, Rasool Mir, Mehmood Gami, Shams Faqir, Habba Khatoon, Arnimal and Lala Ded. Besides some contemporary poets, like Sagar Nazir have composed some melodic lyrics, which while sung by the women in paddy fields rejuvenate their passion and enthusiasm to work alongside their male counterparts.
Male members of the family would keep themselves busy in ensuring an adequate water supply, applying fertilizers and pulling seedlings from dapog nursery for transplanting in main fields. Male members of the family, days after planting, keep themselves busy in hand-weeding. Hand-weeding, helps in removing undesirable weeds from the fields, which compete with the main crop, for nutrients, water and sunlight, thus helping in ensuring a plentiful crop production.
However over the past many years, a changing trend reigns our agricultural practices, instead of hiring local women or inviting from our neighborhood, people choose to hire non-local labourers, who plant the seedlings, do hand-weeding and also at the time of harvesting, these non-locals are preferred. It has not only diminished the charm and fascination of this age old festival like season, but also adversely impacted our economy.
In past, our children enjoyed this season most, as they would accompany their parents, while carrying specially prepared milk-Kehwa in samavors or pink salt tea for women planting seedlings. At night, all the women were invited to a feast at dinner after a day’s arduous task. Three to four varieties of homemade beef and a couple of vegetables were prepared and served to pray for a good crop during harvesting time. Sometimes, married daughters alongside their children were too invited, which turned the gathering into a momentous and blissful one. Whenever, a wedding ceremony would be finalized or an engagement was arranged, the date was fixed either day’s before Theij-kad or weeks after it.
Though we have shifted to other crops, the essence of Theij-kad – the paddy growing season in Kashmir, still holds significance, as foundations of our economy largely rely on agriculture. Beyond looking for a good crop yield of paddy – our main staple food, It is a time for joy, togetherness, and strengthening our familial ties.
(The author is a freelancer. He hails from Qazigund and can be reached at [email protected])
