What’s going on at Annapurna Farm?
When running into people in Auroville this is the most common question I get. And the answer is; “We are busy like usual with all the normal stuff; the rice planting season is on which means a lot of work.”
After the initial bomb which fell on us in the middle of August, and a meeting with some of the AVFO constituted groups where some details were shared (see link), it has been quiet for some time now.
We have visited one land parcel (presumably 11 acres) which was totally unsuitable because of size and proximity to the Irumbai lake and gets for a big part flooded in the monsoon. We have asked farm service to show us another location but have not heard from them since.
We have sent a very rudimentary relocation plan to ATDC few weeks back but have not gotten any response as of now.
It was interesting to see for us to make this plan, because we tried to imagine how a relocation plan for Annapurna farm would look like. We did realize, if they really are serious about relocating this farm, it will take a lot of land, time, planning and energy, and money to do this.
As mentioned above we are actually very busy with the farm right now. Transplanting rice seedlings with a machine (see picture above) is not just that. Many things change when one introduces a new tool like this in the operation. Every year Annapurna is cultivating rice on approximately 20 acres. This is a very intense operation which needs to be coordinated well to make it work properly. The season for planting is short and needs to be completed in around 2.5 months because our traditional paddy varieties are very time bound and the monsoon is very short. We realized that using the transplanter we need more seedlings than when planting manually, fields need to be less sloshy to have proper planting results, weeds compete faster since there is a bigger time gap between field preparation and planting… and more considerations which I do not want to bother you with.
But as you can imagine there is a lot of learning and adjusting because of changing one part of the cultivation. It is very interesting and it takes a lot of our attention right now.
Top: the seedlings to be transplanted + Kowshik carrying the seedlings to be loaded on the transplanting machine. Bottom: paddy transplanter in action
From the beginning we have decided that we do not want to get caught in the lies and slanderous allegations which are flying around Annapurna. Right now, we see some claims being sent around which have really nothing to do with our reality. Some of the allegations are:
Annapurna farm has been repacking outside purchased rice and sold as Annapurna product. A most ridiculous allegation. We never repacked and sold under the Annapurna name. In fact we are under strict IMO Control one of the better organic certification bodies in India and have regular inspections to see that we are keeping to high standards and total transparency is a must.
Another allegation which I just read recently is that we have been cultivating marijuana for 40 years at Annapurna. Such an allegation is so ridiculous that I even cannot really muster the energy to react on it.
Someone mentioned that we have been enjoying all these acres long enough and it is time we move… There is some truth in that one, since we enjoy the work on the farm it has become what it is; the best equipped farm of Auroville. We will surely move when the right conditions are there, but the current vision does not look like the right one…
All this and much more, makes one wonder under what spell Auroville is right now. The work on the farm, together with the local villagers, being in contact with the elements, the earth, plants and animals keep us grounded and positive.
We are getting a lot of support from many people in and outside Auroville and that keeps us going with a purpose and the feeling that we are in it together.
Top left: grain storage at the Granary – right: Velu milking Mari
Bottom left: Workshop – right: Selvi and Manjula spreading out parboiled paddy for air drying