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3 The Call of the Soil (The Scent of Rice)

By Venkat Iyer
About the Author
• Born in 1966
• Science graduate and a certified project management professional
• Worked with IBM in Mumbai as a project manager for software
implementation for 17 years
• Quit his white-collar job in 2004
• Started organic farming in Peth village in Dahanu taluka, District Palghar
• Wrote the famous book ‘Moong over Microchips’
• The book depicts his journey from a ‘Techie to a Farmer’
• Calls it a ‘Lifestyle Change’ and not ‘Career Change’
Meaning of the title
The word, ‘call’ means the power a place or a way of life has to attract someone.
The word, ‘Scent’ in the subtitle ‘A Scent of Rice’ has a deeper meaning than its
usual meaning of ‘fragrance’ or ‘perfume’. Modern farmers had switched over to
hybrids and forgotten the desi or traditional varieties of grains like Kasbai rice. The
author was trying to revive the tradition of Kasbai rice which had an alluring aroma.
The natural ‘Scent’ and flavour of Kasbai had drawn the author towards the real
India, unspoilt by progress. The ‘Scent’ was largely responsible for his quest.
Summary and Analysis of the chapter:
The present text is about the writer’s attempts to find a good variety of traditional
rice to grow, as against the hybrids used by the farmers. He pursues the matter till
he ultimately reaches his goal i.e. finding Kasbai rice. The writer propagates organic
farming to ensure that the land is not ravaged and laid barren by farmers trying to
make a living out of agriculture. The use of harmful chemicals in agriculture is
extremely dangerous to mankind as the chemicals are poisoning us slowly leading
to many serious health problems and polluting the earth at multiple levels. We
should promote the use of traditional crops cultivated without any harmful
chemicals in farming.
Major Highlights:
• In April 2004, the author visited his lush green field of moong. (Green gram)
It was just before sunrise and the sky was turning bright orange. The ground
was damp and the leaves were shining with dew. Author walked around the
field very carefully with muddy bare feet. Moong plants had green pods
hanging out. The author was looking at his first crop as a farmer.
• Advice of Moru Dada, the broker of the land was that the season was right
for planting moong, buy best seeds of moong from Surat city in Gujarat,
Spray some pesticide for higher yield.
• The author refused Moru Dada’s second suggestion and wanted to grow
organic moong without any chemicals or pesticides. He did not believe that
spraying pesticides would lead to a higher yield. He believed that the land
was fertile and it was possible to grow crops without any chemicals. The
author successfully harvested 300 kg of organic moong and gained a lot of
confidence in growing crops without any chemicals.
• In the first year, the author grew GR 4, a short-term variety of hybrid rice
recommended by the agricultural officers at Kosbad.
• In the second year he wanted to grow traditional variety of rice because it
did not require very high inputs of fertilisers. It was strong and resisted pests.
The writer did not want to use any harmful chemicals for farming.
• Difficulties faced by the author in tracing Kasbai
He found it difficult to get seeds of the rice variety because...
1. The agricultural officer did not know Kasbai existed so he couldn’t help
the author in procuring it.
2. He couldn’t get the seeds as farmers were growing hybrid varieties which
gave quick yield.
3. The market did not recognize Kasbai as a variety of rice, it had lost its
popularity.
4. The long duration crops like Kasbai are replaced by short duration hybrids
as the farmers can plant two crops in one year.
• Devu Handa, an old local farmer and the ex-sarpanch had memories of
Kasbai.
He shared the following qualities and memories of Kasbai rice…
 1. It needs less rain.
2. People passing through the village would stop due to aroma of rice and ask
for a meal.
3. The entire village would grow Kasbai at one point of time.
4. It needs less fertilizers and pesticides.
5. Even when there were flash floods, the Kasbai crops had survived.
6. He claimed he had to force himself to eat hybrid variety of rice that was so
insipid (Tasteless, flavourless) and missed Kasbai rice a lot.
• Discovery of Kasbai rice by the writer:
1. In April 2005, the writer started his search for Kasbai rice.
2. The elders in the village told him about Kasbai rice whose seeds
weren’t available now and no one around could help him in finding
them.
3. Mr. Devu Handa told him about the specialities of Kasbai gave him the
information about the possible place where Kasbai seeds might be
available.
4. The sarpanch of Kasarvari village guided them about the Adivasi
hamlet where Kasbai rice was available and sent his assistant Jeevan
to help them.
5. The writer bought Kasbai rice from an Adivasi woman in a remote area.
Message of the chapter:
Through his personal journey of a ‘Techie to a Farmer’, the writer gives us a very
strong and important message. He is trying to say that sooner or later, we all need
to understand the importance of organic food and farmers need to stop using
harmful chemicals in farming. We should promote the use of traditional crops
cultivated without any harmful chemicals. Organic farming is the only way to
sustainable living, healthy life and green planet.