The History of Indian Agriculture

The History of Indian Agriculture  

The villagers live in the midst of natural surroundings. The charms of nature justify the remark of famous English poet Cowper that “God made the country and man made town.” In a village, as we rise early in the morning we can listen to the sweet songs of birds, enjoy the beauty of the rising sun and the sweet breeze of day's dawn, the flowing of the river with a murmuring sound; the beauty of the greenery of fields. These are the various pleasures that abound in the countryside.

The villagers pass a healthy and peaceful life. There is no smoke and noise of the city factories. They breathe fresh air which promotes their health. They also get pure milk, milk products and other fresh eatables. There is no hustle and bustle and no worry as in the modern city life. The villagers therefore are happy and healthy. They lead a simple life and their desires are few. They are satisfied with what they have and they usually never dream of those luxuries and comforts provided by modern science, this makes their life even more happier.

Most of the people who live in villages are farmers. They cultivate their farms situated in the neighborhood of the village. They go to their fields early in the morning where they work till evening plowing, sowing or reaping their fields according to the season. Weaving is one of the most important industries of villagers. It helps them to increase their meager income. Besides this, some people keep shops and keep the necessities of life of the villagers. Other works as pottery, carpentry etc. are the sources of livelihood in villages.

The villagers are socially bounded together. Their life is corporate and independent. They depend on each other for the supply of their daily wants. They always share the joys and sorrows of each other. They help each other in the time of need and they all combine as a single unit in times of troubles and obstacles. Their social sense is so strong that the guest of one is considered as the guest of all. In a town or city, one does not care to know even one's neighbors. But each villager is familiar even with the family histories of the other villagers. In the evening they assemble in the village Chopalwith their Hukkas (cigars) and talking goes on till late night. This is their simple recreation.

But village life has some serious drawbacks. The villagers are extremely poor. They live in one room mud houses which often fall to the ground in the rains. In the way they are put to great hardship. In spite of their hard work they are not able to earn enough to provide themselves with even two square meals a day. They are ill-clad and ill fed. As they are not able to serve anything in times of need they have to borrow from the village moneylender. They are frequently in debt which they are often never able to return. There is no doubt that much improvement has been made in this respect in recent times but it is not enough. 

The life in an Indian village comprises majorly of farmers. Agriculture is their main occupation. They work on the fields that are around the village. Indian economy is an agricultural one. So the importance of a farmer is very great. So, let's discuss, in brief, the life of an Indian farmer
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Hard Working :

 An Indian farmer is very hard working . He gets up early in the morning, takes his plow, and with his cattle goes to his field even before it is full daylight. E works there all day without caring for the hardships of weather. Winter, summer or rain, it is all the same for him. We find him working on his field sowing, plowing or reaping in biting cold as well as in the hot winds of summer.

He works till noon, when his wife or children bring mid-day meal for him. He takes his meal under the shade of some tree. After having is food and having washed it down with a glass of cool water of a flowing brook, he again resumes his work. He often sings a song or listens to the radio to break the monotony of his hard labor.

Village Chaupal :

 It is only with the approach of darkness that he returns back to home. At the door of his humble cottage, he is greeted by his children, some young and some bit grown up. Then he rests for a while and smokes his 'hukka' (a type of cigar). This is the happiest time of the day for him. Now he is the king of his humble cottage. After taking his dinner he goes to the village chaupal.

 There, he smoke, gossips and plays cards with his fellow farmers, who have also gathered there for some recreation. Many jokes and stories are narrated there. In this way, having passed an hour or two in laughing, talking and playing he returns home for his well earned rest.

Life : full of difficulties 

 Such is a typical day in the life in an Indian village. The life of an Indian farmer is full of difficulties too. In spite of his hard labor, he lives a life of extreme poverty. 'He is born in debt, lives in debt and dies in debt'. His crops are at the mercy of rains. Famines or floods often take away the fruits of his hard labor. Still he his contended and god fearing. When he falls ill, he finds that there are no medical facilities (but there is an exponentially rise in medical facilities at Indian villages nowadays and more work has been going on) for his treatment. Often he dies untreated and uncared and there are also only a few schools for the education of his children. Though the 'Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan' (Education for All mission) is doing very good, but still it will take some time to cover all the rural regions of India. The mud huts in which he lives are very vulnerable to natural disasters and they often fall down during rain and his humble belongings are all ruined.We, who live in cities, can not even imagine the hardships of hard life in an Indian Village .

Enjoys Nature's gifts : 

But the above mentioned was only one side of the picture. The life in an Indian village has a brighter side also. The inhabitants of a village enjoys fresh pollution free air and sunshine. Which the the two great blessings of god. Village people gets more wholesome food than those who live in cities. Moreover, the villagers are sympathetic and extend greater co-operation to each other in times of distress. Such fellow feeling and brotherhood are not heard of in the city, where even the next door neighbors do not know each other. They are far away from the stress and tensions of the thoughts of being richer, famous and popular. They just live their routine life in a happy manner despite of their hardships. This makes their life full with positive energy.

Need of Reforms – A number of reforms are needed to make the life in an Indian village happier and healthier. It is a good sign that the government is giving its utmost attention to the problem. Various programs of village upliftment have been taken in hand. Through the spread of education and awareness about the usage of scientific methods of agriculture, poverty is being removed and farmers are obtaining more profits. The prosperity of the farmer means the prosperity of the nation. In the near future, the conditions of the life in an Indian Village would surely be enhanced and improved.

The 'Jawahar Rozgar Yojna' was launched to improve the condition of the life in Indian villages and rural areas. 'Panchayati Raj' seeks to give power to the people to work out their own destiny. The central government promised that the loans of up to Rs 10,000 would be waived to the farmers. So, after 10-20 years the life in a Indian village would be completely different from the life pattern present today.

 Village people would be healthy, happy and prosperous. They would no longer be in debt, as at present, but would walk with their heads raised high. Good quality seeds, fertilizers and pesticides are already being provided to the Indian farmers. Tractors and other modern machinery have now become a common sight in villages of India. Improvements are day by day exponentially rising in the rural areas of India. So, the future of life in an Indian village is surely www.google.co.inHistory Of India