Friday, December 15, 2006

Nellu Koythu – The Harvesting of Paddy in Wayanad


I made a promise to my dear readers when I published the article Njattumkandam that I would be back with the photos of the harvest season. See Njattumkandam here ==> Njattumkandam



Finally the time of paddy harvest for the farmers of Wayanad is arrived, December; the season of fog, the season of beautiful clear sky, the season of Christmas, the season of happiness, the season of waiting for the new year and so on. The slanted sun rays during this winter season, fog, happiness in the hearts of people - everything makes Wayanad's beauty tenfold during December.


The night time too turns beautiful with a clearer sky with more starts visible than during the other eleven months. Off course the decorations of cities and individual houses for Christmas adds to the peak.


In most of the paddy fields, harvest will be over before Christmas, making the cattle farms filled with hay ready for the rebirth of Jesus. For the tribal people who alone have the expertise of harvesting the paddy, it is the end of “Pathambu”. The word Pathambu means a whole cycle of the paddy cultivation. A group of tribes will take the responsibility of cultivation of paddy from Individual land owners starting from growing the seeds till the paddy is harvested. The profit for the above process for the tribes was given to them as a share of the result of the cultivation.


Katta

“Nellu” as the paddy seeds reaped are called has become the name of a very famous old time Malayalam movie, which mainly described the story of a race of tribe in Wayanad. The famous song from this movie “Kadhali Chenkathali” sung by Lata Mangeshkar will be in the heart of every true Keralite.


Katta

On tenth of December, I woke very early in the morning and reached the paddy field owned by us at 6:00 am. The harvest in this field was about to start the same day. I enjoyed the wonderful morning before sunrise with dew drops hanging from the paddy plants and the spider web created on them, making it astounding.


The sun slowly peeped through the fog covered sky on the top of some coconut trees in distance. The golden rays of the sun made the paddy field also golden as well as the fog turned golden. Wav! Such a nice chance for photography! After taking a few more snaps I returned home to have my morning tea and breakfast.


Later around noon time I went again to the field and got some more photographs. The hay with the seeds in them is made as a bunch and carried on head by tribes to the ground where the seed will be separated from the hay. This hay bunch is called “Katta” and the process of separating the seeds from the hay is called “Okkal”. In olden days this was done by hand manually by beating a bunch of hay on the ground repeatedly of with the help of OX pulling a stone above the hay spread on the ground.


When technology progressed most of the work is done using a tractor. It starts right from ploughing the field to harvesting the rice crop and separation of the crop from the hay.

19 comments:

  1. Thank you Renju for visiting and for the comments.

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  2. Hi Deepu,
    you have became a professional photographer. The pictures are really beautiful keep it up
    praise Antony

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  3. Thank you for the support Dear Praise. Will try to come up with more photographs that I wish you all will like

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  4. Great Article!!Great Photographs!!..

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  5. Dear Anonymous Reader,

    Thank you for visiting and leaving the comments in my blog.

    Come again.

    --Deepu George V

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  6. undakkunnundallo!!! - 'Koythu' is a real festival in itself. the 'okkal' used to happen in the night. Okkal panikkar used to come with a few bottles of 'vaattu' for keeping them energetic through out night. I have seen night long okkal with he-buffalos and the mere an hour effort of tractors.

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  7. Undakkikondeeeee Irikkum... Nirthilla...
    I have seen "Kala and Okkal Kallu" but never had seen them really doing the Okkal.
    I remember in my grandfather's home at Nadavayal, they had that big cylindrical stone “Okkal Kallu”.
    But I have seen something else, “Vaikol katta kettiyathu alukal Nilathadichu Nellu verthirichedukkunnathu”.
    I think you know that it only using that hay bundle we can do the thatching of roof.

    I tried Okkal for some 20 30 minutes with tractor last time when it happened in my house.
    This time I was unlucky, it already happened last week when I was here in Bangalore.

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  8. Thanks for the comments Dileep.


    I like I could visit your district now, the Winter Season.

    --Deepu George V

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  9. Excellent dear!
    Nice Photographs

    Don't you nave any other work at office.
    Don't missunderstand, I'm not even getting time to finish my office jobs.

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  10. Hi Shibu PB,

    Thanks for visiting and leaving the comments.

    There is no point in spenting the short life span which we feel as very long - just for working and earning for something through out. No software professionals will be work without sleeping, eating, going for movies, party, etc.. Similary blogging and photography is another activity of mine, like a hobby or what ever it is.

    --Deepu George V

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  11. Hi Shibu,

    Can I know where exactly are you from?

    --Deepu George V

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  12. Awesome pics Deepu. I am also a great fan of WayanAd. I just love this place. I prefer riding in my bike..

    Some pics are there
    http://picasaweb.google.com/ashwinrajt
    and
    http://picasaweb.google.com/ashwinrajt1

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  13. Thanks Rocky for the comments. I too like bike trekking a lot...

    --Deepu George V

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  14. Dear Deepesh,

    I visited your wonderful blog, It is a treasure. I will be visiting again to read more.

    Thanks for commenting on my blog. Please visit again.

    --Deepu George V

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  15. hi, u 've done realy a great job.. ur blog was realy helful for me to xplain bout our village to ma frnds..

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  16. Dear Nithin,

    Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving the comments. I saw your profile, but could not leave comments since there was no postings created.

    All the best for blogging activities.
    --Deepu George V

    ReplyDelete