Rains might have created havoc across India but in parched Bundelkhand, it has kindled the hope of good crops and facilitated homecoming of people who had left this rugged region in search of employment after facing a famine-like situation.
“The rain has brought my son back to village. The trains and buses that had taken our children to distant places is bringing them back. They are here because of rains. We hope that this year we will have good yield and our children will not have to go out to eke out a living,” said Suraj of Sanam village in Orai district.
His son Ashok Kumar had taken his wife and two children with him to Delhi where he worked as minial labourer at various construction sites for two years. But after speaking to his father a week back and on learning aboutgood rains, he decided to return after two years.
Suraj named six to seven families – all young – from Sanam village, who have returned in the last three weeks. “In almost all the villages the trend is the same. The children are coming back. How long can they can stay away from their mitti (land),” Suraj said by way of questioning.
The Bundelkhand faced a famine-like situation due to deficient rainfall in 2014 and 2015. The region faced continuous droughts between 2003 and 2010 and then there was floods in 2011. In 2012 and 2013, there was deficit rain which was followed by drought. Subsequently, all the reservoirs of the region dried up.
“We faced a very bad time babu,” Ashok Kumar, who had migrated to Delhi during the drought said with a tinge of Punjabi accent.
“life in Delhi was not easy. We initially lived under ITO bridge and then moved to SN Market area. My 10-year-old son, who was enrolled in Government school here, was forced to leave studies and work with us. When I heard about good rains, I decided to return to my village. My son is back to school and I am back to helping my father in the field,” he said witha wide grin.
The family owns six acres of land, spread in patches. They have grown makka (corn), dhan (paddy) and urad (black gram). “We are expecting good crops this year. The pond in our village has filled with water after three years. This water helps us irrigate the farms across the village. Because of rains, there is prosperity in this village,” Ashok said.
Another villager Mahendra latoria has sown arhar or pigeon pea and paddy. “The scenario of the village has changed from May when the cattle were let off by farmers as they were dying of hunger. Drinking water had become a scarce commodity as canals and ponds ran dry. The rains came on June 23. Now the village ponds are brimming with water. Children now hold diving competitions there,” he said.
Almost 80 per cent of Bundelkhand’s population lives in rural areas (2011 census) and much of this is dependent on agriculture for livelihood. Approximately 60 per cent of the population are workers, and of them, nearly 60 per cent are working as cultivators and agricultural labourers, according to a report by the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM).
“The rains this year has given us a new lease of life. But more importantly, it has brought our people back to village. The laughter is back in our lives. The villages are full of life now,” Suraj said while playing with his six-year-old grandson.