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Village diary

Nazrul Islam
AS the present caretaker government completes its first anniversary on January the 11th, it seems that a huge gap has been created between the government and the rural masses. I was convinced about the distance after visiting my village over the weekend.
In the absence of any mechanism to elicit opinions from the rural society or masses, the vibrant press that has been existing in the country might be an effective tool for the government to read the people's sentiment.
Rice price: Coarse rice was being sold at Tk 32 a kg at local bazaar on the day I reached my village. A farmer, after selling a maund (37-kg)ofpaddyatTk720, told me that poor people would
find it hard to survive if the price of paddy and rice did not come down. It was a surprise as well as shock for him and many others that a maund of paddy cost so much.
"No..no... It can't continue. If the price stays at this level, those who have paddy stock would not be able to protect themselves. The poor would simply loot those in broad day light," said the farmer named Mofazzal of village KaramjaofBogra.
It's beyond the comprehension of van-puller Abdul Hamid (50) of my village that the price of rice could go up to Tk 32 fromTk 24 per kg within a week Where did the rice go? Referring to the flood of 1988, 1998 and 2004, he questioned: "Did the flood this year cause greater damage than
in 1988?" Hamid, who keeps up-to-date knowledge of almost every current affair, then answered his own question, saying that the flood damaged crops in the whole north Bengal, except at a few areas of Sirajganj and Kurigram districts.
"The crisis is certainly artificial, and directed towards making more money by some rice traders," Hamid concluded. Giving statistics of fanners of my village, he said about 25 percent of the people of the village are purchasing rice at present. After a month, another 25 percent, and after two months more 25 percent would join them. Only 25 percent people of the village would have paddy in stock up to the harvesting of boro paddy.
Fertiliser, fuel and electricity supply: Three challenges: After having a poor harvest (on an average 12-15 percent less) due to fertiliser shortage, farmers of my area are preparing their lands for boro cultivation. Seedlings are ready on the seedbed. Some have started to erect makeshift houses for irrigation pumps. Within a week, they would start preparing their land for transplantation of boro seedlings. But all depended on the availability of fertiliser. The hassle of collecting urea during Aman season is still haunting them. The high price of TSP (Tk 1,400 a 50-kg bag) and MoP (Tk 1,350 a 50 kg bag) is also a headache for the marginal farmers.
"How can we cultivate boro paddy if we don't get adequate quantity of fertiliser in time. Without proper dose of fertiliser high-yielding boro cultivation is impossible," said Saiful Islam recalling his bitter experience of getting meagre quantity of urea during Aman season.
"Bury your hope of getting desired quantity of fertiliser. 1 came to know that the BS (Block Supervisor) prepared the list of farmers of the area, and 3 kg of urea will be allocated for each bigha (33 decimals) of land." informed Thanda Mia.
"What is the problem in making urea available in the open market? Why the government does not make up the short fall of urea in advance? Demand of fertiliser is almost same every year," asked another farmer NantuMia.
We are talking in front of a tea stall at the local bazaar. Within a few minutes, it turned into a small gathering. Everybody wanted to know from me about the plan of the government to supply fertiliser during boro season.
During the conversation, another issue -- supply of electricity and diesel -- also came up prominently. Half of the land is irrigated by power-driven
pumps, and the remaining by diesel-driven ones. Any disruption of electricity or supply of diesel, like last year, would be a disaster not only for the farmers but also for the country, they opined.
Crime increases: Our area is generally a peaceful area. The law and order situation was very good. Except some land-related dispute, other crimes like theft, robbery and mugging were hardly recorded during the last 10 years.
But the scenario abruptly changed since last week of December. During the two-week time, dacoits looted three rickshaw-vans, killing one of its pullers and severely wounding two others, in three separate incidents. Another van was stolen from my village during my stay in the village. A number of mugging incidents also took place during the period.
T stopped plying my van after sunset. There is no guarantee that you would come home back alive at night. The price hike of essentials has made people mad." said Abdul Hamid while taking me in his rickshaw-van from the bazaar.
Politics: There is a notion that rural people are indifferent to politics, and they have little knowledge of national politics. But, in fact, every citizen of the country is very conscious about politics. The arrival of TV and newspapers in rural areas keeps people up-to-date about all day-to-day happenings. Those do no have access to the media, also come to know the hot news from others.
In fact, I was totally disconnected from all media during my stay at home. I did not even, carry my cell-phone with me. I wanted to pass the time in total peace. But every big news of the capital and elsewhere, including disturbance at garment factories at Mirpur and Kenya's post-election violence, came to my knowledge
when I went to the bazaar. People exchange news at any gathering, or during their travel from one place to other.
"Do you think, corruption has been subdued? I paid Tk 30,000 for getting a single-phase electricity connection for my irrigation pump. The government stopped providing any new connection. But I desperately needed it for the sake of cultivation and they gave it. charging high amount," said Raja Hossain, a resident of the local bazaar.
The arrest of the university teachers and students also broke the hearts of the rural people. Many of those present at the gathering saw’ the teachers in police custody in TV news. They couldn't accept the arrest of the teachers. "They are our pride ...they teach our children .. why should they be arrested?" were the comments of the illiterate or half-literate rural people.
Nazrul Islam is a freelance contributor to The Daly Star