Rice Cultivation in Nepal: From Paddy Fields to Plate

‘Did you eat rice?’ This is a common question we all ask when we meet. For most of us, the day starts with rice and ends with rice. But does everyone know where this rice comes from? How is it prepared? When I asked some of my friends living in the city, they said, ‘We buy it from the shop, it comes from a sack.’

Some small children are even heard saying that rice is made in a rice mill. In reality, the story of rice is not that simple. It begins from the paddy field, from the farmer's hard work, and from the transplanting in Asar. Rice is the first grain of rice. There might be many children who haven't seen paddy. Paddy is a crop that is grown in a water-filled field. First, farmers sow paddy seeds in a small area, which is called ‘byad’. After a few weeks, small green seedlings sprout there, which are called paddy seedlings or ‘berna’. These seedlings are later transplanted in a large field, and this process is called ‘ropai’ (transplanting).

As soon as the month of Asar begins, farmers are seen busy in the fields. The field has to be plowed, watered, and made into proper mud. Transplanting is not possible without mud. Then the seedlings are uprooted and planted in lines. A person who transplants is called a ‘ropahar’. But nowadays, transplanting is also done by modern machines. A person who digs and levels the sides of the field and makes the bunds is called a ‘bause’. Thus, different people have different roles in the same work.

Especially, Asar 15 is celebrated with great enthusiasm in Nepal as Transplanting Day or Paddy Day. On this day, farmers across the country gather in the fields from early morning and transplant paddy. Fun activities like playing in the mud, singing Asare songs, and splashing water on each other are done. In some large transplanting events, there is also a tradition of putting a ‘bhakari’ (granary) with music, which makes the transplanting even more festive. City dwellers, students, and representatives of various organizations and leaders also come to the fields on this day to experience transplanting.

Nowadays, with the development of technology, transplanting has started to be done by machines in some places. This saves time, but the fun of our traditional transplanting is definitely decreasing. In villages, people still transplant together, laughing and singing. This increases mutual cooperation and affection.

There is also a special tradition of eating yogurt and beaten rice on Asar 15. After working in the field, everyone eats yogurt and beaten rice together. It is said that this cools the body, gives strength, and removes fatigue. The fun of this day has established transplanting not just as work but as a festival.

You might have also experienced planting paddy and digging fields. But in the city, it is mostly formal and only for fun. In cities like Kathmandu, schools conduct programs to give information about paddy, fields, and agriculture by letting small children step in the mud. This gives students practical knowledge, but it is only a little experience and a lot of fun. The situation is different in the Terai and hilly regions. Students there sometimes have to take leave from school to participate in transplanting. Because agriculture is their main source of income and livelihood. Children outside the city understand the importance of fields, paddy, and transplanting from a young age. Therefore, they do not need to be taught where rice comes from; they learn it by working themselves.

After transplanting, the paddy grows gradually. The green field looks very beautiful. After a few months, mostly in Kartik and Mangsir, the paddy ripens and turns golden. Then it is harvested, dried, threshed, and made into rice. Only then does it reach our kitchens packed in sacks. Therefore, in every grain of rice, the sweat of friends like us and farmers is mixed.

Children living in the city also need to understand that food does not easily come from a sack. There is a lot of hard work behind it. If we do not value food, it is an insult to the hard work of the farmers. Therefore, we must develop the habit of not wasting food. Rice is not just food; it is also the fruit of labor. To my friends who have not seen paddy, I want to say, once go to a village or a place near the city where agriculture is practiced, see the transplanting, go into the mud and plant paddy, and then understand the true importance of rice.

Friends, there is also a deep connection between transplanting and studies. Just as farmers work hard in Asar and get good results in Mangsir, similarly, we students will get good results at the end of each year only if we work hard in our studies on time. We can do well in the future. The patience, regularity, and diligence that transplanting teaches are equally necessary in studies. Therefore, we should learn from farmers and advance our studies with hard work and discipline. Go and plant paddy this year.

Shivanshi Khadka, Class: 5, Reliance International Academy, Milan Chowk, Kathmandu.