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Library - Sri Lanka
Working
in the paddy field
Self help is an important aspect in village life. People in the village help
each other in their tasks whether it be preparing the fields, thatching the roof
of the house, a wedding or any other occasion where labour is required. They
don't accept money for the services. It's more for friendship and goodwill. They
believe in helping each other in an hour of need.
In preparing the paddy field for sowing, the cultivator would select an
auspicious day to start work and inform fellow villagers. The numbers would
depend on the extent of the work involved. Invariably each will come with his
own mammoty and the plough because each household has the necessary agricultural
implements. Usually buffaloes are used for ploughing and even if they are not
found in each household, a few can be collected from the neighbourhood.
There are several stages in the preparation of
the paddy field. The first stage is to clear the field by removing the weeds,
which grow when the field is allowed to rest after harvesting. During this
stage, commonly called 'puran keteema', the clearing is first done by using the
mammoty and then the plough drawn by the buffaloes is used. This is done to turn
the sods of earth. After a few days, the earth is broken into smaller bits with
the mammoty and feet. During this stage (`devana keteema') the mud is levelled
with the feet and a flat board which is drawn from one end of the field to the
other. Now the field is ready for sowing ('vepireema').
In certain areas, prior to the commencement of
the work, it is customary to invoke the blessings of the deities. They also pray
for rain and for a rich harvest. A small structure on four sticks is made at the
corner of the field using 'gokkola'. Betel and flowers are kept and an oil lamp
is lit.
Those who help in the work are given tea and
meals in the field itself. This is looked after by the females in the family led
by the 'govirala's wife. Tea is brought in a 'kala gediya' (clay pot) and served
with either a piece of jaggery or a spoonful of sugar served to the palm. By
lunchtime they bring the 'ambula' - a tasty rice and curry meal served not on
plates but on 'nelum kola' or 'kehel kola'. A betel chew follows.
Traditionally, the farmer prepares his own seed
paddy for sowing. A selected portion is generally kept aside for this purpose
after each harvest. Today most of them buy the seed paddy from government
stores. Seed paddy is chosen depending on the time it takes to mature. This
depends on the availability of water, which again depends on whether the water
is received through irrigation channels in which case there will be a regular
flow, or whether the farmer is dependant on the rains. The farmer would thus
select either 'vedimal vee' , which mature at the end of the full period or 'baala
vee' which take lesser time to mature. Prior to sowing, the seed paddy is kept
for two or three days in water until the seed begins to sprout.
Although paddy is generally known as the lazy
man's crop because once sown, he doesn't have to worry much, in actual fact,
there is a routine to follow. Sowing may take one of two forms.
One is to sow the entire paddy field and once
the plants come up, the gaps are filled by planting new ones. The other is to
sow a portion of the field in a thick layer of plants and to remove them and
plant in the entire field when they are a little big. The latter is being
practised more now with the hope of getting a better yield.
It enables an even spread of plants at regular
intervals with adequate space to grow. Planting is done by females who flock in
numbers to help. They form themselves into a single line and singing 'goyam kavi'
to ease the burden of the task, start planting in rows.
Next comes weeding where again the females
assist. The fields have to be protected by pests and although pesticides are
used today, the traditional farmer would prefer to follow native practices used
over the ages to protect the fields.
Certain kinds of leaves are used to keep flies
and other pests away. As the fields begin to mature and the golden sheaves begin
to appear, the birds arrive, usually in numbers, to enjoy a good meal. It's
quite an operation to chase them away. And when they are chased away from one
field, they land in another. So it becomes a continuous operation of singing and
shouting to scare the birds away.
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