Born and raised in a farming circle of relatives, Mahan Chandra Borah began Annapurna Rice Library to offer protection to the vanishing legacy of his forefathers. He no longer handiest preserves the seeds but additionally stocks them with different farmers at no cost.
When you ask youngsters and teens the query, ‘The place does your meals come from?’ They’ll almost definitely solution, ‘the kitchen’ or ‘the grocer’. Mahan Chandra Borah, a 41-year-old rice farmer, used to be inquisitive about this and aimed to teach younger other folks in regards to the significance of agriculture in our nation.
“India’s soil is so wealthy; we now have masses of sorts of rice and different vegetation that individuals are ignorant of. This unawareness is likely one of the causes resulting in their extinction, and I sought after to do something positive about it,” recollects Mahan in a dialog with The Higher India.
Son of a farmer, Mahan did what he knew absolute best — farming. He began researching and rising other indigenous sorts of rice in his ancestral box.
The end result used to be the formation of Annapurna Rice Library — a hub of no longer handiest preserved indigenous seeds but additionally all issues ‘rice’.
“We these days have greater than 500 kinds of seeds preserved and grown organically,” he says.
A farmer’s boy on a challenge to save lots of indigenous seeds
Born and raised within the Jorhat district of Assam, Mahan used to be a curious reader.
“I used to be the center kid of 4 siblings and my father used to be a farmer. I at all times had a interest about issues and sought after to get a PhD,” he recollects.
Maximum of Mahan’s days had been spent studying and serving to his father out within the fields. “Running with him within the fields is the place I learnt all I learn about farming,” he says.
“Our circle of relatives used to be somewhat humble and we didn’t have some huge cash. Whilst I sought after to check extra and my circle of relatives sought after to enhance it, the cash used to be a subject,” he provides.
Monetary rigidity was even tougher when Mahan’s father passed on to the great beyond. “I used to be finishing my commencement and used to be heartbroken. On the other hand, I additionally needed to take care of my circle of relatives. Finding out additional used to be out of the query so I determined to do agriculture like my father for a dwelling,” he says.
However it’s stated that one can not prevent a curious thoughts. Mahan may have determined to head for conventional farming however as a substitute, he determined to investigate along.
“I at all times liked studying and I might go browsing to search for papers on farming and seed saving. I learn articles and papers on how there are lots of indigenous rice sorts which might be going extinct. I additionally spotted whilst India has a whole lot of assets in agriculture, no person used to be looking to save them,” he says.
Through 2008, Mahan had already began to arrange a ‘rice library’ in his house.
An affidavit of his father’s heritage
Recalling the times he spent at the box along with his father, Mahan says, “The ones had been the most efficient days of my lifestyles. I used to do the whole lot from taking good care of the farm animals and sowing the seeds. The seed financial institution is wearing my father’s legacy too.”
“For the library, I began off with some seeds from my father. These days I’ve greater than 500 kinds of seeds preserved within the library,” he says.
Mahan began to discuss with extra farms in Assam and learnt in regards to the kinds of seeds they sow and controlled to gather increasingly seeds.
“The library could also be a gene financial institution of indigenous seeds which might be rapid disappearing no longer handiest from Assam but additionally from different portions of northeast India; and the remainder of the rustic as neatly. Now we have quite a lot of sorts of rice corresponding to Bhao Dhan which has a cooling impact at the frame, Dol Kosu which will deal with fever and Navara — a rice selection from Kerala which has medicinal houses,” he says.
Mahan’s seed library boasts all kinds of rice seeds which might be fragrant, sticky, black, flood-tolerant and hill rice, even some with medicinal houses.
Speaking about his private favorite form of rice, Mahan says, “Whilst a majority of these rice sorts are my favorite, Bhao Dhan is superb. It is vitally tricky in nature and will adapt simply to the flood-prone nature of Assam. It may well continue to exist lengthy sessions of being submerged in water.”
On the other hand, the decrease yield according to hectare has been an element because the farmers don’t wish to develop the rice.
“However I consider that such sorts want to be stored. They had been grown and ate up through our forefathers sooner than farming used to be commercialised. They’re the legacy that must be secure,” says Mahan.
To take his reason additional, Mahan says that his library is open for any person to discuss with and take seeds of the rice.
“Farmers from northeastern portions of India come to the library and they’re unfastened to take the seeds and check out to develop them at their farms. After all, the seeds are given in smaller amounts as I do not need an way over them. Because of restricted area in my farm, a majority of these sorts handiest get a couple of sq. metres to develop,” he says.
The library additionally has information of details about every selection and the way they may be able to be grown. “All this knowledge could also be to be had without spending a dime. I additionally discuss with colleges in my district to unfold consciousness and host seminars to inform the more youthful generations in regards to the lifestyles of those sorts,” he says.
For the ultimate 15 years, Mahan has operated his library on his personal finances. “My fields produce sufficient for my circle of relatives and I promote the surplus out there. From the cash, I run my family and care for the library. Loss of finances has turn into a subject however I’m managing someway and I’m positive I will be able to stay the library alive for so long as I will,” he says.
When you discovered his paintings attention-grabbing, Mahan is these days searching for finances and volunteers for his library. You’ll achieve him at 91270 69446.
(Edited through Padmashree Pande)