The long wait is over-the Monsoon has finally arrived bringing relief to all...

Report and Pictures by Eugene Moodubelle
Bellevision Media Network

Moodubelle, 11 June 2010: As I am writing this report at 5pm on Friday, 11 June 2010, with certain amount of certainty, can say that the long awaited monsoon has finally arrived bringing relief to practically everyone, especially those who have dared to cultivate their land. Right from the morning, the signs of monsoon were quite evident. It had been raining on and off and by evening the monsoon has decided to make its home in coastal Karnataka.

In anticipation of the monsoon, people had been preparing themselves in many ways. Towards the end of May, i was quite impressed by the heaps of manure baskets (kannadi-pudai) in front of Mr. Mukunda Kamath’s small shop. When enquired about the unusual merchandise, he informed me that every year just before the monsoon and agricultural activities, he gets the stock of these manure baskets and sells them within a week, and it was so. When i passed across his shop after few days, the manure baskets had practically disappeared.

Those who have been keen in catching the unfortunate fish that moves upstream to lay their eggs during the rainy season were also ready with fishing gears in anticipation of early monsoon and the excitement of fishing expeditions.

The farmers, who still manage to cultivate at least some portion of their land, had sown paddy seeds quite in advance with the belief that the monsoon would be in time. However, with the monsoon playing truant and proving the weather forecasters wrong, may be due to the cyclone ‘Phet’, the farmers were left in a lurch as their paddy saplings were getting matured.

 

Some of the cultivators did not want to delay transplantation of paddy saplings. In order to avoid the delay of getting a tiller machine as well as labourers, some of the cultivators ventured to cultivate their selected paddy fields hoping that rain gods will bless their efforts soon. As the rain delayed, these adventurous cultivators had no other option but to pump river water into their fields so that they could finish their agricultural activities in advance and relax later.

As I see around my place, the agricultural activities are at different stages of progress. While some of the cultivators have finished transplantation, some of them have just completed ploughing their fields while some are yet to spread the manure in their fields and get them tilled by the tiller machine. The absence of monsoon could be seen by the fact that the river is still shallow and the paddy sapling bed is quite dry.

With the onset of the monsoon, it is hoped that the already transplanted paddy fields will have enough water; those who had been eagerly waiting for the monsoon for cultivation will have no botheration of lack of water; those who had been sweating and fuming will have relief; those who had been worrying about the drying wells will be reassured of continued water supply and for those who enjoy the monsoon season with all its sound and charm would be happy that monsoon has finally arrived.