Kandul, Harhar etc. varieties of oil like coconut, mustard, Til, Methi, etc., varieties
of Masala and vegetables. Millets in our country linked directly with portentous
food basket, food security and ecological protection. Crop failures occur due to
Lack of irrigation facilities, scanty rainfall, natural calamities and crop diseases.
Nowadays there is no other alternative provision for farmers in the occurrence of
crop failure of paddy and wheat. The population of this region suffers from high
morbidity on account of under nutrition as well as endemic, malaria and other life
threatening diseases. The people living in this region lack in their awareness on
various aspects of life including lack of access to various amenities and opportunities created and also to the natural as well as environmental resources around
them. Ignorance and inadequate purchasing power to access the resources may have
tremendous affect on their health and nutritional standard.
It is worth mentioning that despite the secular decline in its contribution to
national income, the centrality of agricultural growth development cannot be
de-emphasized. Agriculture continues to hold the key to higher GDP growth,
employment expansion, reduction in poverty and equitable distribution of income.
Despite the sustained growth of some 6 % years, the non-agricultural sector has not
been able to siphon off surplus labour from the agricultural sector. This is in sharp
contrast to the empirical experiences of developed countries. Such configuration of
circumstances places agriculture and rural development in pre-eminent position in
the development agenda of any Government. Further, since time immemorial
people observed Nua-Khai,
2 Cher-Chera,
3 Paus-Purnima.
4 Nua-Khai is observed
in the month of Bhadraba Sukla Panchami, which is the season of food insecurity.
This festival as a ritual festival played a major role in promoting agriculture as a
way of life. Like farmers who have already sown all their grains in agricultural
fields, it is believed that even birds do not get food during this starvation period.
Only ‘Saria Dhan’
5 a short period paddy variety is harvested during this time. The
ancient origin of “Nua Khai” traced back at least to vedic times, when the rishis
(Sages) had talked panchayajna, the five important activities in an annual calendar
year of an agrarian society
6 (Jamiullah 2014).
2
‘Nua Khai’ is such a food festival that nobody becomes underfed on this day. The festival “Nua
Khai” is observed by the people in the month of September (Bhadraba in Odia Calender) where
farmers even the animals and birds face difficulty to get their food. The people of Western Orissa
give the “Prasad” prepared by new rice (Cultivated in Aatt) to their Adhistatri devi/Esta devi of
the locality. They believe that God (Adhistatri devi/ Esta devi) will not deprive them to get food
throughout the year.
3
‘Cher-Chera’ deals with food distribution among ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’.
4
‘Pausa-Purnima’ is only food festival where no deity is worshipped. The concept ‘Nara hi
Narayan’ is true in this sense. People only take varieties of dishes after harvest.
5
‘Saria Dhan’.
6
These five activities have been specified as sitayajna (the tilling of the land) pravapana (the
sowing of seeds) prabalambana yajna (the initial cutting of crops), Khala yajna (the harvesting of
grains and prayayana). In view of this, ‘Nuakhai’ may be seen as having evolved out of the third
activity, namely ‘pralambana yajna’which involves cutting the first crop and reverently offering it
to the mother goddess.
270
D. Chand and R. Gartia
of Masala and vegetables. Millets in our country linked directly with portentous
food basket, food security and ecological protection. Crop failures occur due to
Lack of irrigation facilities, scanty rainfall, natural calamities and crop diseases.
Nowadays there is no other alternative provision for farmers in the occurrence of
crop failure of paddy and wheat. The population of this region suffers from high
morbidity on account of under nutrition as well as endemic, malaria and other life
threatening diseases. The people living in this region lack in their awareness on
various aspects of life including lack of access to various amenities and opportunities created and also to the natural as well as environmental resources around
them. Ignorance and inadequate purchasing power to access the resources may have
tremendous affect on their health and nutritional standard.
It is worth mentioning that despite the secular decline in its contribution to
national income, the centrality of agricultural growth development cannot be
de-emphasized. Agriculture continues to hold the key to higher GDP growth,
employment expansion, reduction in poverty and equitable distribution of income.
Despite the sustained growth of some 6 % years, the non-agricultural sector has not
been able to siphon off surplus labour from the agricultural sector. This is in sharp
contrast to the empirical experiences of developed countries. Such configuration of
circumstances places agriculture and rural development in pre-eminent position in
the development agenda of any Government. Further, since time immemorial
people observed Nua-Khai,
2 Cher-Chera,
3 Paus-Purnima.
4 Nua-Khai is observed
in the month of Bhadraba Sukla Panchami, which is the season of food insecurity.
This festival as a ritual festival played a major role in promoting agriculture as a
way of life. Like farmers who have already sown all their grains in agricultural
fields, it is believed that even birds do not get food during this starvation period.
Only ‘Saria Dhan’
5 a short period paddy variety is harvested during this time. The
ancient origin of “Nua Khai” traced back at least to vedic times, when the rishis
(Sages) had talked panchayajna, the five important activities in an annual calendar
year of an agrarian society
6 (Jamiullah 2014).
2
‘Nua Khai’ is such a food festival that nobody becomes underfed on this day. The festival “Nua
Khai” is observed by the people in the month of September (Bhadraba in Odia Calender) where
farmers even the animals and birds face difficulty to get their food. The people of Western Orissa
give the “Prasad” prepared by new rice (Cultivated in Aatt) to their Adhistatri devi/Esta devi of
the locality. They believe that God (Adhistatri devi/ Esta devi) will not deprive them to get food
throughout the year.
3
‘Cher-Chera’ deals with food distribution among ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’.
4
‘Pausa-Purnima’ is only food festival where no deity is worshipped. The concept ‘Nara hi
Narayan’ is true in this sense. People only take varieties of dishes after harvest.
5
‘Saria Dhan’.
6
These five activities have been specified as sitayajna (the tilling of the land) pravapana (the
sowing of seeds) prabalambana yajna (the initial cutting of crops), Khala yajna (the harvesting of
grains and prayayana). In view of this, ‘Nuakhai’ may be seen as having evolved out of the third
activity, namely ‘pralambana yajna’which involves cutting the first crop and reverently offering it
to the mother goddess.
270
D. Chand and R. Gartia