‘Rais’ of Bareilly turn Swan riverbed green

Rajesh Sharma

Una, May 19

Amid the peak summer season, the sandy riverbeds of the Swan and stretches of the adjoining land have turned lush green with tonnes of vegetables and fruits being harvested here, catering to the needs of people in Himachal Pradesh and adjoining states.

Traditional vegetable cultivators from Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, have been toiling for generations on the barren land leased from locals. These cultivators are locally known as ‘Rais’ and have been living on the same plots of land in thatched roof structures sans electricity for generations.

Muhammad Saleem, a third generation farmer in Una, said, “In November each year, the water level in the river recedes and around 200 m of barren land on both sides of the river banks is available for cultivation.”

The ‘Rais’ dig trenches in the sandy soil and re-fill these with soil mixed with poultry manure.

Towards November end, they sow seeds of summer vegetables and fruits like cucumber, pumpkin, bottle gourd, sponge gourd, bitter gourd, aubergine, watermelon and musk melon.

The seedlings are later covered with polythene sheet rolls to protect these from the winter frost.

Another farmer, Mehendi Hassan, said the surrounding land was covered with dry vegetation to protect the creepers from damage during the scorching heat. The harvesting season begins in April and continues till the onset of the monsoon season.

Arif Muhammad, who has cultivated tomatoes, watermelons, pumpkin and bottle gourd this year, said as per rough estimates, there were about 3,000-4,000 Rai families in Una district.

“Our crops are highly dependent on weather,” said another farmer, Shahid Khan, adding that more than a half of the expected harvest was damaged due to hailstorm a few days ago. Untimely rains lead to decreased crop yield and increases pests, he said.

“We seldom go to our ancestral homes as all our relatives have moved from Bareilly to Una, Chandigarh, Haryana and other parts of Punjab to earn a living by doing our traditional work,” said Arif Muhammad.

Some progressive cultivators have moved away from the riverbed, taking alternative irrigated land on lease and are living in better houses and providing better educational opportunities to their children.

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