It was a something that stared everyone in the eyes in Chicalim for years. That was of
course of fields lying fallow for years. Agriculture was not an activity that
young people in the state were keen on taking up. It was hard back breaking
work. Politicians of course mouthed sanctimonious dialogues about the
importance of agriculture and made encouraging sounds. But it was a priest who
inspired a group of young boys and girls to make time from their busy lives to
do something that would be beneficial for the area and be an inspiration for
people in the state. Father Bolmax Pereira encouraged the youth to help till
the lands lying fallow for years in the area. All these young people are now
part of the club called the Chicalim Youth Farmers Club.
Youngsters like Valerie Afonso responded
to the call from Fr Bolmax. She said the club came up around last year during
the lockdown in April. The first issue they had to deal with was the campaign
to save tisreo. Some of the youth created a group called Save Tisreo. The
mentor of the group she said suggested the group be called Bay watchers. She
said “We went around requesting people to not pick up tisreo. We said we had to
do this so that our future generation would be able to have them too” After
this the call for an agricultural activity was given. The farmers said they
were not getting labourers and the youth were invited to go and till the land.
From this she said emerged the Chicalim youth farmers club.
The enthusiasm to do something for Goa was
visible in the face of Chelsea Fernandes. She said “Being a farmer was a very
exciting job, it was a fascinating job. I had to put in a lot of work and time
and also manage my studies. I think if I manage my time correctly I can do farming
as well. It is good to be part of the club. We have planted vegetables and I
hope we get a good harvest.”
She may look very petite but don’t be
fooled by it. Young Anasmriti Pai was in the forefront. She said they had
recently conducted the mechanical transplantation of rice saplings in 3 fields.
This was done with Goencho Shetkar who helped them with all the mechanical
farming. She said “A job that would have taken a couple of weeks was done in a
day.” The entire job she said started off with clearing up the field. The
tractor did its job followed by the mechanical farming. This kind of farming
she said speeded up the process and they were grateful to Goencho Shetkar. She
expressed the hope this had shown other youth in Goa who were busy in other jobs
would be able to do mechanical farming on the side. Ana Smiriti said it was
possible to do it on the side and speaking of her own experience she said she
and the group had learned a lot about working hard and importantly getting
their hands dirty. She said “This showed that farming need not be our primary
job, it can definitely be done on the side and should be done at least once in
every Goans life. It will show them what hard work is. It will be doing
everyone a world of good to wake up in the morning with sore muscles”. Oh yes
indeed.
Clifton Pereira who is also part of the club said he started off
with a padyatra to Save Mollem. He said “We met many people and received
encouragement to start the project which would ensure the land in Goa was not
spoiled. Cultivating the land is very important and it is not good. Many prefer
to sell the land and earn a pretty penny. They should not keep their land
fallow, it should be cultivated”.
Perhaps it would be unfair to talk about this club without
talking about the contribution of Father Bolmax Pereira. He said “The club is
now one year old and it was started during the pandemic when the PM gave the
call to become Atmanirbhar. This bunch of young people responded to the call of
the farmers in the area who were experiencing problems because of the migration
of the labourers who worked in the fields. They were worried how all the work
in the fields could be completed. I gave a call to the youth and they came to
the fields”.
It
is remarkable what one inspired man can do. Perhaps in that there is a message
for other individuals keen on effecting change in society. Just give the call,
they will be surprised at the response to that call.
