JOIN USNear Vanaranga at Rangayana premises, several children participating in ‘Chinnara Mela’ had gathered around a patch of land. Organic farmer, Swami Anand was guiding a few students inside the patch to till the land and sow the seeds, while the rest marvelled at the skill required for the same.
After the land was prepared, with the active participation from the children, Anand guided the participants to sow the sesame seeds, asking them to chant ‘Ellu hecchali, ellu hecchali’, what the children did with great gusto. It was a rare opportunity for the participants of the Mela to have a hands on experience on the basics of farming.
At the Mela, Wednesday was dedicated for learning about agriculture and the various methods to it. During the day, apart from involving the participating children in agriculture, they were also made part of an interactive session regarding the diversity of seeds in the country. The kids marvelled at the variety of seeds during the ‘theory’ classes, before engrossing themselves in practicals, where they planted sesame seeds.
Anand said that planting sesame seeds was an integral part of agricultural tradition in the country, as farmers could harvest the crop in a short span of time. “Especially in regions where farmers grow Ragi, sesame is the first crop generally. That is why, we taught children how to sow sesame,” he said.
Director of Rangayana, H Janardhan said that since sesame seeds sprout and grow within a week, it would be easy for children to understand farming, from sowing to harvesting.