Samba failure makes it a bitter Pongal

But, this year the festival is a damp squib in the Delta region, which is termed as the rice bowl of Tamil Nadu. The drought has also resulted in the death of more than 110 farmers.

“Most unusual of the festival this year is that we are waiting for free rice, distributed through the PDS outlets to make Pongal. What to do, we have to celebrate it in a humble way as the entire crop in our fields have wilted”, said S Elangiam (45), a woman farmer from Keezha Kallukudi in Samayapuram, Tiruchy. Samba was cultivated in 400 acres in this village but the entire crop has withered due to non-availability of water. 

“We have taken loan at an interest rate of 24 per cent from private parties as the bankers had stipulated too many conditions. The monsoon failed and the crops withered. We spent of sum of Rs 40,000 per acre including labour. We have already pledged jewellery. We have no idea about how we are going to repay the money borrowed. Actually we have not yet decided whether to celebrate Pongal or not”, said Lakshmi another farmer who had undertaken samba cultivation on three acres. Her husband Selvam said, we were optimistic till the crops were planted. But we did not receive rains and the crops dried, he said. 

It is not just paddy, farmers who cultivated millets and vegetables are also equally affected due to the drought. Most of the wells are drying up fast and rain-fed agriculture has been wiped out without timely rains. Entire rain-fed green gram and black gram cultivation has been lost for the year and the millets have also dried up, said Selvam. 

“Pongal is usually a happy occasion for us. But worry has taken over the celebrations. There is no water for irrigation in the wells too,” said A Radhakrishnan of Tirupattur. He said their family has 10.64 acres of land in which they had cultivated vegetables on two acres, banana on one acre, cotton in two acres and maize in four acres. “To save the crops, we tried to purchase water from private water service operators but it proved to be costly. Finally we gave up the idea and lost everything,” Radhakrishnan said. 

Most of the farmers in the Delta region, who are frustrated, said that the Pongal festivities would be a low-key affair this year. There is no joy among the farming community. 

Black flag atop houses: A section of farmers who were vexed due to failure of monsoon and the crops, have decided to place black flag atop their houses to symbolise that they were mourning as the compensation has not yet been announced so far. Durairaj (47) a farmer from Koththamangalam in Pudukkottai said the state and union government has not provided any compensation to affected farmers so far.” 

Our crops wilted due to non-availability of water and we have to bear the loss. We have appealed to the government to provide a crop compensation of Rs 25,000 per acre but so far, no announcement has been made. Just now, they started assessing the damage and it will take time for making any decision. So, we plan to skip Pongal this time. There will be no celebrations, it will be mourning, instead,” Durairaj stressed.