Bravo, farmers!

For pongal , it is tradition among tamils to tie a fresh turmeric plant and fresh ginger sapling around the neck of the cooking pot (now pressure cooker) while cooking pongal.

The green leaves symbolises prosperity, the turmeric of auspiciousness and ginger for the spice of life. These turmeric plants this year costed @RS.50 per plant. We usually buy in pairs. MIL had planted a tuber in one of the pots last year and this was the one we used it to tie around the pot( saved rs.50 :-)). It was such a pleasure to use the homegrown plant.

If this small plant could give me so much pleasure, what would be the pride of the farmers who reap such a huge harvest after their sweat, toil braving all man made and natural odds. Bravo farmers!

Hope this season brings them more farmer friendly loan facilities and aids from the government and we see less suicides amongst farmers. After all the hardwork, what they get in return is a paltry sum while the major amount is guzzled by the middle men.

It is nice to see the advt (Doordarshan) on Kisan call centers. They can ask and clarify their queries on farming by calling this toll free numbers. Hope more farmers avail this facility which offers 'technical know how and help' .