Narrated by R.Chandran, UD fellow-Pillur and written by Ramachandran K G
Pillurnadu is a land locked territory within the hills of eastern valley of Western Ghats. There are twenty plus Erula hamlets in the region. Erula people belong to one of the particularly vulnerable tribal groups of Tamil Nadu state. These indigenous community members are found across the Tamil Nadu section of the Nilgiris Bio-sphere Reserve. The traditional lands of the Erula had always appeared arid as they live in an area of eastern slopes of Western Ghats where rain fall is relatively low.
The Erula people are farmers by tradition and have a rich heritage of cultivating various grains and vegetables like Millets, mustard, peas, pumpkins, ash gourds and pulses. Agriculture in these villages was mostly rain dependent until people started growing banana pumping water from the Pillur dam. Land once used for cultivating millets has now been diverted for banana cultivation. The traditional knowledge of the use of different varieties of seeds is slowly eroding from the community people. The new farmers are becoming more market oriented and many of them are not interested in agriculture for a variety of reasons.
Under these prevailing circumstances, two elderly widows show a different path to people in the villages. They always remember to keep some of the traditional seeds with them. They grow different varieties of vegetables in their backyards and in the surroundings of their home. Rajamani is a community woman aged around 50 years living in Keelpillur village in the Pillur area. She found her interests in agriculture from her childhood onwards. At present, she grows Kathiri (Brinjal), Milagai (Chilly), Tomato, Peerkai (Ridge gourd), and Vendai (ladies finger) in her garden. She is willing to give seeds to those who want the seeds. She has shared seeds of Peerkai to many young women in her village.
Kannamal is the other widow farmer in her late fifties. She cultivates mixed varieties of vegetables in her own land. We can see a wide mix of vegetables like Pulicha keerai (a local variety of greens), Sorakkai (bottle gourd), Poosani (Ash gourd), Kumbalakkai (pumpkin) and Pudalai (snake gourd) in her garden. Apart from sharing the vegetables, she keeps the seeds for the coming years. This time, she has shared five different seed varieties with twelve young women in the community.
These women are perfect examples for taking the traditional knowledge forward. By sharing the seeds,they ensure the lives of indigenous seeds continue for the next period. Kanamamal and Rajamani are encouraged to continue their efforts for spreading the traditions through the support of the Using Diversity Network.
