JOIN USThe members of the Nava Chaitanya Yuvaka Mandala in Perampalli have been carrying out paddy cultivation on fallow land for the second consecutive year.
This time, the team has selected a three and a half acre land, which was left barren for the last couple of years.
The transplantation of paddy was carried out by not just 60 members of the youth forum, but also local residents, including children. The youth worked with enthusiasm, transplanting the seedlings all through the day.
Last year, the members of the youth forum had carried out paddy cultivation on one and a half acres of land and the cultivated paddy was offered to three temples at Perampalli for the annual fair. In addition, the paddy grass was donated to a cowshed as fodder for the cattle.
This time, the team is all ready to double the harvest reaped from its work, in comparison to last year. The team is also divided into various sub-teams, each of which is assigned a specific task, such as ploughing the land, use of manure on the land and transplanting the seedlings, among others. The manure was brought in from a cowshed in Kodavooru. The youth had been trained by professional workers to carry out the transplantation work.
The team has decided to offer half the harvest for Paryaya celebrations that will be held in Udupi in January. The rest will be offered to temples in the village.
After the paddy is harvested, the field will be used for cultivation of vegetables such as cucumber, sweet pumpkin and ash gourd, which will be also be given as offering during the Udupi Paryaya.
Vasudev Bhat from the Yuvaka Mandala said that the group aims encourage paddy cultivation in barren lands. “The attempt last year was a huge success. Hence, we planned to extend it to this year. The team wishes to carry out this activity as a campaign, especially as we do not wish to leave any land in Perampalli village barren,” he explained.
“Instead of organising marshy field events or even an ‘Aatidonji Dina’ programme – at an expenditure of lakhs of rupees – we found it more fruitful to carry out agriculture activities on barren land,” he added.