Farmers Of India (1949)

[music] [music] The great Indian Peninsula, which lies between the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, is about half as large as the United States. Yet, it is the home of nearly 400 million people, almost 1/5if of the population of the world. In the north, the peninsula is separated from the rest of Asia by the Himalayas, the high mountain ranges on Earth. From the melting snow of the Himalayas, and from the summer moons, which sweep far inland from the sea come the waters of the Ganges River. Thous flow into this broad river. Over the ages, the rich soil washing down from the mountains has built a vast fertile plane along the Ganges. This plane is over a,000 m long and 200 m wide. In the middle valley near the city of Beneris, the soil is rich and deep. Here, the summers are very wet and the winters are sunny and dry. All through the year the air is warm. Most of the children in India have to work every day but some of us are fortunate enough to be able to go to school. My name is Shal. On my way to school I pass neighbors who are cutting sugarcane. Sugar cane and rice are the two most important crops in the middle Genjis Valley. When our rainy season ends, crops which have grown during wet summer months are harvested. At this time, farmers begin to prepare the fields for the winter crops. Barley, wheat, and millet grow well during our dry winter months. The school is not far from my home. >> Only boys may attend it. >> In my country of so many millions, only about 12 people in a 100 know how to read and write. While I am in school, the others of my family have work to do at home and in the fields. In the Genjis Valley, there are almost no trees. In order to have fires in our stoves, we must prepare a supply of dried cattle manure, which we use instead of wood. My sister Krishna and a cousin help do this work. My father does his autumn plowing as soon as the summer crops are gathered. Although in our tropical country, we harvest two crops a year, India's farmers cannot raise enough food for so many millions of people. Only one farmer in seven has enough land to raise food for his own family. My mother follows the furrows of my father's plow and sews the winter wheat. There is so little food in India that millions of people are always hungry and a great many starve to death each year. Until the rainy season begins again next June, we shall have to bring water to the dry fields. With the help of the bulocks, water is drawn from the well in a bucket made of leather. In India, many farmers water their land in this way. If all the farmlands of our country could be irrigated, we would be able to produce food enough for all our people. In a land where every kernel of grain is needed for food, we cannot afford to waste even a drop of water. One of our summer crops is a plant called maze. Today, my grandmother is harvesting this crop. The kernels of grain are threshed from the tops. The stalks and leaves will be fed to our animals. We raise sheep in the Genjis Valley. But in many parts of India, farmers cannot raise animals because there is nothing for them to eat. While I have been in school, my mother and father have put in a long day in the fields. For as soon as one crop is harvested, a new one must be planted. Three4s of the people in my country live by farming as our family does. And to any of us, a crop failure may mean starvation. Although my mother has been working in the fields all day, she still has work to do at H. When the workday is over, the bulocks must be rested and fed. After threshing the maze and saving the grain for us, grandmother chops up the stalks which will be given to the animals. We eat only two meals a day. Our meals are usually made of rice with lots of fresh vegetables which my mother slices with a curved knife. The Hindu religion forbids us ever to eat meat. While my mother prepares the vegetables, grandmother helps by grinding grain for bread. The Little Stone Mill has been owned by our family for hundreds of years. It is part of our religion to keep our bodies scrupulously clean. We bathe at least twice a day. Father and I wash at the well before eating. >> [snorts] >> In the warm dry air, we need no towels. Our unleavened bread is baked in flat cakes. When the vegetables are ready, the cakes are toasted next to the open fire. >> In our country, it is the custom to serve the men of the family first. After my father, my mother serves me. Rice is very nourishing and is the basic food for the millions of people in our country. It is cooked with fresh vegetables and flavored with spices. >> Nearly every week my father makes a trip to market. Usually he will go to the village near our home but when he has crops to sell he will take them all the way to the city of Benaris. If we did not own a camel, we would have to hitch our slowmoving bulocks to a wagon. By loading the camel with grain, we will make the trip in a shorter time. Whenever we go to Banatus, my mother has us take a special brass jar. We will bring it back filled with water from the sacred Genja. On the way we pass through the flat rice patties on which in the wet season the people of our village raise much of their food. After a time we come to the river which we call mother Ganges for it is still building the great valley plane on which we live. Finally, we reach Benaris, which is a holy city to all who are Hindus. Benaris is both a holy city for the Hindus and one of India's great business and educational centers. A quarter of a million people live here. My father and I must pass through part of the business section on our way to the grain market. People with the same trades have their shops in the same part of the city. Because of this, a customer can compare prices before buying. In the street of the tin merchants, only articles made of tin are sold. There are other streets for goldsmiths and brass workers and weavers. The grain market where we are going is near the railroad yards so that trains can take the crops to other parts of the country. The men who deal in wheat and rice and other grains all have their places of business near the grain market. Our grain must be weighed before it is offered for sale. Many farmers have brought their grain to the market today and the freightard is very busy. When our grain is weighed, my father tells the merchant he wants a fair price. Naturally, father wants to get as much as he can and the merchant wants to pay as little as possible. But in the end, they strike a bargain. Because we have other errands to do, we leave the camel until we are ready to start home. First, we go to the riverfront. Along the banks of the river are landing places and steps. These are called gats. We have come to the guts with thousands of other Hindus to bathe in the holy waters of mother Ganges. The city of Benis has been a religious center for 5,000 years. The monuments and statues on the guts are important in the Hindu religion. Among the crowds of pilgrims who come to the Ganges are those we call holy men. They spend all their lives in prayer. My father observes the Hindu ritual of purification. Before leaving the river, father fills the brass jar with holy water to take home. Our next stop is at a barabas. Here, my father gets a shave every time he comes to the city. In Benadus, there are more than 1500 temples and shrines. We Hindus believe in one god. We believe that he exists everywhere and may be worshiped in many forms. We have some shopping to do in the street of the cloth makers. Cotton cloth is something every Indian needs because nearly all of our clothing is made from it. Our country has big cotton mills but some of our cotton cloth is still woven on hand looms. Indian handwoven cotton cloth is considered the finest in the world. The silk embroidery made in Benatus is very beautiful. The embroiderers are proud of their fabrics, some of which are partly made with threads of gold and silver. Our brocades have seldom been surpassed in either quality or beauty. It is time to return for our camel and start the trip home. We have done everything we plan to do in the city. My father has sold his grain for a good price. We have purified ourselves in the holy Genjis and said our prayers at the temple. We have also bought presents for the rest of the family. On Camelback, the journey home seems shorter than when we walked all the way to Benetus in the morning. Mother is glad that we have brought back the brass jar filled with holy water from the Genjes. The cotton cloth we bought will make a new dress for grandmother. Krishna too will have a new dress and she is much pleased because we have brought her some candy from the city. >> In our home we have a shrine before which we say our prayers. My family lives in much the same way as thousands of families live on the Indian peninsula. The home of almost 1if of the people in the world. Of all these millions, only a few have had a chance for education. But now, more of us are going to school every year. And even my sister has opportunities our mother never had. Education will help us to solve our most serious problem. how to provide enough food for the millions of hungry people who live on the great Indian Peninsula. Do you know