It is not a ‘Happy Pongal’ for Gaja-hit farmers

The Pongal festival is filled with music, outdoor games— the bull-taming sport of jallikattu being one of them—and activities to entertain and engage the youth. Every year, the Cauvery Delta districts in the central region would witness busy schedules as people across the region would go about organising numerous competitions for young men and women, from cycling and swimming to designing kolams—traditional floral floor decorations made from colourful powder. The delicious ‘Pongal’ dish, mixed with jaggery and ghee before being served hot would then commemorate the festival. However, the people in the Cauvery delta districts are left with no homes to decorate and no harvest to celebrate the farmer’s festival.

The entire region is gloomy as the people are yet to recover from the disruption caused by cyclone Gaja. 

Around 65 per cent of farmers in the Delta region witness about small and medium-sized profits and all these farmers have been left with nothing and they are struggling for survival. The celebration of the farmers’ festival remains a distant dream to these farmers.

“Traditionally, farmers used to celebrate Pongal by decorating their houses. Even if they lived in a hut, their preparation for Pongal celebration would commence by white washing it. And almost all the farmers making small and medium-sized profits lived in tiny houses, but around 60 per cent of these houses were blown off in the cyclone, so they are left with no homes. Even the government compensation for repairing these houses is yet to be completed for around 25 per cent of people in the Gaja-hit region”, said Sami Natarajan, State Secretary, Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam. “It is a tradition to celebrate Pongal only in the house. Without a house, how can a farmer celebrate Pongal,” he asks.

Natarajan also said that the paddy had damaged many areas and the yield has been too low from the crops that survived. “Usually, we get at least 30 to 35 bags of paddy per acre, but this year we could get only upto 15 bags,” Natarajan said.

While the government estimated that 45 lakh coconut trees were destroyed  in Thanjavur district, the farmers in the district claim it would easily be around 75 lakh. “At least one crore coconut trees have been destroyed in the entire delta region. The coconut farmers in Peravurani, Pattukkottai and Orathanadu are still in the process of removing the fallen coconut trees,” Natarajan said.

He also charged that the government has fixed compensation of only 270 trees for a five acre crop. “But actually, the farmers have lost double the count in these regions, and the compensation is too low,” Natarajan further fumed. This apart, around 55 per cent of cash crops have been damaged in Pudukkottai, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam and some parts of Tiruchy district, he added.

The farmers suggested that the government should have diverted the fund allotted for the Pongal gift of Rs 1,000 per ration card to the farmers affected by the Gaja devastation. “The Centre had already allotted Rs 1,500 crore and this Pongal gift fund to all card holders would be more than Rs 2,000 crore. These funds would have made used for the gaja relief works but certainly, the non-affected people will never question this,” said Swamimalai Sundara Vimalnathan, Cauvery Farmers Protection Association.

Vimalnathan further said that the State, which has been waiting for the central fund, should have utilised the Pongal gift fund for the farmers’ support which would people recover from the present state of despair, he claimed. He also said that the farmers are still in depression caused by the cyclone’s havoc in the region and the celebration of Pongal would be a difficult one as they were not mentally prepared for it. “Though they may celebrate to maintain the custom, it will not be a happy Pongal for them,” Vimalnathan further added.