Author Late : Teddie J Rodrigues
Posted By : Ashley D'souza
Mid April light shower known to the natives as Cha-It-Re Kamle indicates that the monsoon will be on time there are about 10 phases of a complete monsoon of which the native Christians East Indians gives importance to about 6 according to which their planting and crop tending is done , These phases are connected to the Nak-Shet-Ra’s Rausa or Stars dominating the monsoon , The natives though also connected the crop tending along with the feasts of saints of the catholic church , The first fall lasting about a fornight when really good rains are expected continuously is called the Rohini , These Rohini’s also indicate whether the monsoon will be Good One , The next is the Mruga followed by Ardra , Punarvasu , Pushya , Ashlesha or Purva then Magha then Utra and finally the Hasta or Hathi as commonly known which should last about 5 to 7 days with monsoon season going out with a bang of thunder and lightening and strong winds every evening
Ploughing the fields starts immediately after the first rains and Perni or Pairnee seed planting is done in limited 1 or 2 fields depending on acreage , The Transplanting is done called AWN-NEE after the 24th St John Baptist Feast and continues up until St Anne’s Feast on 26th July , By which time all work with rice planting is completed and the farmers could rest
By 15th August the Feast Of Our Lady Of Assumption The Farmers notices the first Grain of Rice Popping out , Then again the Rice is nearly ready and full grown by 8th Sept for The Feast of Our Mother Mary’s Birthday , And now with strong sunlight it will be ready for harvesting by the first week of October for Agera Feast , This Agueirra Feast first started at Bhayander in Salsette , There after it is celebrated in most of the other parishes all over Salsette , Bassein , Thana District and all over the North Konkan From Chaul to Dahanu
At this festival of the Agera the parish priest of most parishes in Salsette was conducted in procession to the fields where he would bless all the Corn and with a sickle cut few stalks , Then return to the church to celebrate the High Mass in Thanksgiving after which Stalks of the Blessed Rice were distributed to each and every parishioner ,
Even to this day most parishes in Salsette Bassien and all over Thana The Rice is blessed in the church on AGERA Sunday and distributed to the parishioners , Who Kiss the Rice in thanksgiving and put it on their Altars at home where it remains till the next year , There is no transplanting for PATNI & RATHI Rice thick grown rice grown in Khar Lands were the PATNI & RATHI Rice , These were ready for harvesting in early September
When the Rice fields are being harvested the farmers prepare a KHA-LE a special ground circular in shape which is smoothened by applying cow dung , This is where the Threshing of the Rice is done KHA-LE means the Threshing Floor , Rice which is fallen in the fields during harvesting is not picked up , This is left by the Reaper for the poor people the Gleaners who will pick it up for their own use , After Winnowing was done the Rice was brought home
In places like Bassien One PAI-LEE measure of rice is given to the church by every farmer of the parish , This Rice was loaded in a bullock cart which went round all over the parish and collected the rice , This was the farmers offering to the church done immediately after the feast of AGERA ,
On 2nd November the ( All Soul’s Day ) The East Indians of North Konkan prepare a sweet called AT-AV-LA Or ATOLA Which is made from the New Rice Sweetened by Jaggery , coconut and Chawli , This was also called Ne Ya Che Gaur Ah Che Meaning new rice sweetened by jaggery and chawli also the Sweet PETHI-CHA-LAROO & Famous DHO-DHOL made from RATHI Rice
After the Rice threshing was done the PEANDA / Rice Stalks is heaped up systematically in bundles and Bales in the fields itself . And this is brought home whenever required for feeding the Cows as fodder , It was also sold from the fields itself to those who required it for fodder to feed their cattles
The paddy collected at harvest was brought home to the house of the farmer and stored in huge Bins called Kanga . The kanga was a storage bin made from bamboos matting the ground was first prepared in one of the rooms of the house , And smoothened by cow dung SA-RAVED evenly spread this was the base and on this base the kanga or bin circular in shape was placed , The kanga was strengthened by tying round it an Ayra Made by plaintain palm leaves into a rope paddy was stored in this kanga and so that it should not bulge at the central part another Ayra was tied round it This stored paddy was removed as per the requirements of the household for 4 to 6 months , it was then husked and the rice then cleaned and stored in wooden bins , The rice husk is called Thuss which was used in hen and duck cages to enable them to be cleaned easily , The powder that came off while husking the rice in the Ukhli or by means of the Danthni a special grinding stone was collected , This is called the Bushi which was fed to the pigs and ducks to increase their fat , with Bushi the ducks not only fattened but also gave eggs regularly for atleast 30 days at a stretch after which there was a lull of this activity the Thuss was also used for other purposes like preparing Masheri or Tooth powder it was burnt and the black grainy powder obtained , this was mixed with salt and pounded to make an excellent tooth powder
If the pigs became too fat by eating too much of Bushi then they were given Peand or Oil cake meal so as to reduce their fat and get more meat , when the rice which was husked is taken to the polishing mill , The powder residue after polishing the rice was collected , this was called Kunda and was also used to feed the pigs
When the cows or bullock become sick due to constipation the juice of the Creeper called Gha Roli was given to them by the means of a Bolus . The Patni was always mixed with Rathi Rice as the Patni Rice was not strengthening Chavlachi Handmade Rowty , Always Make Rice Rowtys with this mix .
The Vadvals of the East Indian community were always Horticulturist by profession these people have the art of garden cultivation and growing fruits bearing and flowering trees whereas the Panchkalshies and Prabhu’s of the community were by profession administrators and advisors of the kings , They held high offices in administration of the kingdoms , But when the Portuguese had left the British deprived them of their rights and high offices in their administration North Konkan they were compelled to take up other professions to earn their livelihoods and hence they took up farming agriculture and carpentry , they already owned a considerable amount of land and this helped those who took up carpentary and Joinery became excellent in the trade making exquisite furnitures house fittings and other works in wood some went into business
The Wadis and plantation where the Vadvals work produced bananas , plantains , vegetables pan sopari , sugarcane , rose flowers mogra and sailee flowers especially the Badami gulabi which are no longer seen today , They also grew coconuts and turmeric , irrigation was done by means of the use of ( Rahatt ) which was a water wheel known as the Persian wheel driven by the bullocks power , A large wheel was connected through the means of gear moved by the bullock moving continuously in a circular motion on prepared ground this in turn moved the huge water wheel that had Bandees or Earthen Pots attached that dipped into the well water and empty the water on its downwards journey into the water channel that led to the fields , The bullock had its eyes closed by means of leather eye patches so that it should not see and it would not feel the sensation of whriling and the tendency to fall down with the giddy sickness , Actually this method originated in the Nile Valley Of Egypt where the water of the River Nile was drawn to irrigate the vast fields , The method reached india around 200 BC just like the art Brick making which came from the Babylon Civilization
The agriculture grew Rice during The monsoons as well as vegetables like lady fingers , cucumber , snake gourds , pumpkins , shirale gonsala , Tel Gonsala and fruits like Mash melon , there were the monsoon seasons vegetables from the kasha , the planting of rice was called Shethi and that of vegetables Kashi Sweet potatoes and onions were grown after the monsoon was over , the East Indians made a sweet called CHACH from sweet potatoes on Maundy Thursday
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