मलीनगर · खेती-बाड़ी · बूढ़ी गंडक की मिट्टी

खेती-बाड़ी
What our soil grows

"हम अपने ही खेत के अन्न पर जी सकते हैं।"

Malinagar sits on the silt the Budhi Gandak and the Bagmati have been laying down for ten thousand years. Three seasons, twenty-odd crops, the gachhi and the baari, and the cattle that tie it all together. This page is the village's farming year, crop by crop, the way a father explains it to a son who left for the city.

Mitti aur paani

The land between two rivers

The village stands on the north bank of the Budhi Gandak, the "old Gandak", a slow river that floods its silt into the fields most Sawans. The soil is a deep alluvial loam: sandy toward the diara, heavy and clayey in the low chaur fields that hold the paddy water, light on the bhith uplands where the mango, the maize and the tobacco go. Groundwater is a hand-pump away; every tola has its borings, and a pumpset and a length of pipe can take water to any field in the dry months.

3seasons: Kharif, Rabi and Zaid (garma)
22+crops in this page, from dhaan to tambaku
2 riversBudhi Gandak and Bagmati, whose silt made the soil
1 universityacross the river: the varieties, the seed and the advice come from Pusa
KharifRabiZaid / GarmaBagh-bagichaNakdi & pashuCalendarPusaWords of the field

Mausam 1 of 5

Kharif · खरीफ

Asadh to Kartik (June to November). Sown with the monsoon, harvested after it. The Budhi Gandak decides how this season goes.

Dhaan (Paddy)

धान

Kism · Varieties
Rajendra Mahsuri, Sona Mahsuri, Swarna (MTU 7029), Rajendra Bhagwati; long-duration local Katarni-type scented rice in a few fields
Buwai · Sowing
Nursery (bichda) in Jeth, 15 May–15 June; transplanting (ropni) with the first rains, late June–July
Katai · Harvest
Kartik–Aghan, October–November; the new rice is offered first as Nava-anna
Paani · Water
Standing water through the season; the Budhi Gandak flood helps or drowns it depending on the year
Upaj · Yield
18–25 quintals per bigha in a good year (one Malinagar bigha ≈ 0.6 acre as reckoned locally)
Kaise ugate hain · How it is grown
  1. Nursery: a small, well-puddled plot near the house; seed soaked, sprouted and broadcast; 25–30 days to the seedling.
  2. Field: ploughed wet (kadwa) two or three times with tractor or bail, bunds (aari) repaired to hold water, levelled with the patela.
  3. Ropni: women transplant in lines, two or three seedlings per hill, a hand's width apart. The ropni songs are sung here.
  4. Weeding (nikai) twice by hand; urea in two splits; water kept standing till the grain fills, then drained for harvest.
  5. Harvest by sickle (hansua), bundled, carried to the khalihan, threshed by thresher or by bullocks walking in a circle (daun), winnowed in the wind with the soop.

Kaam aata hai: The year's rice, chura for Sankranti and Chhath, murhi, rice straw (puaal) for the cattle and the roof

Makai (Maize)

मकई

Kism · Varieties
Rajendra Hybrid Makka, Shaktiman, Pusa hybrid; kharif and a growing rabi/winter crop
Buwai · Sowing
Kharif: with the first rain, June. Rabi maize: October–November on the higher fields
Katai · Harvest
Kharif: September–October. Rabi: March–April
Paani · Water
Needs drainage; drowns in standing water, so it goes on the upland (bhith) fields
Upaj · Yield
12–20 quintals per bigha; rabi maize yields more
Kaise ugate hain · How it is grown
  1. Ploughed dry, lines two feet apart, seed dibbled by hand or seed drill.
  2. Earthing-up (mitti chadhana) at knee height so the stalk stands in the wind.
  3. Two irrigations for rabi maize; kharif lives on rain.
  4. Cobs picked when the husk dries; shelled by hand or sheller; stalks (dantha) fed to cattle.

Kaam aata hai: Bhutta roasted at the chowk in Bhado, makai ka sattu, makai roti in winter, and most of it sold to the poultry-feed traders at Pusa

Arhar, Urad, Moong (Pulses)

अरहर · उड़द · मूंग

Kism · Varieties
Rajendra Arhar 1, Pusa 9 arhar; local urad and moong
Buwai · Sowing
Arhar in June–July on bunds and field edges; urad and moong in July, and moong again in Zaid (March)
Katai · Harvest
Arhar: Phagun–Chaitra, after eight months. Urad/moong: 70–90 days
Paani · Water
Rain-fed; arhar needs none after establishment
Upaj · Yield
Arhar 3–5 quintals per bigha; moong 2–3
Kaise ugate hain · How it is grown
  1. Arhar sown along the aari (bund) and as a border to the maize so it uses no field of its own.
  2. Urad and moong broadcast after one ploughing and left; one weeding.
  3. Pods picked by hand as they dry; pulse threshed with a stick on the khalihan.
  4. The arhar stalks make the year's jhadu (brooms) and kindling.

Kaam aata hai: The dal of every meal; moong for the Kharna kheer in some houses; arhar dal with bhaat is the Bihari plate

Patsan (Jute)

पटसन · पाट

Kism · Varieties
JRO 524 (tossa), local white jute; grown less every year
Buwai · Sowing
March–April on the low, moist fields near the river
Katai · Harvest
July–August, 100–120 days, before the paddy needs the land
Paani · Water
Needs the pre-monsoon moisture and standing water afterward for retting (sarna)
Upaj · Yield
6–8 quintals of fibre per bigha
Kaise ugate hain · How it is grown
  1. Broadcast thickly, thinned by hand.
  2. Cut at the base when the plants begin to flower, tied in bundles.
  3. Retted (sadaana) in the pokhar or a ditch for two to three weeks under water and mud until the bark loosens.
  4. Fibre stripped by hand standing in the water, washed, dried on the bamboo and sold at the Samastipur haat.

Kaam aata hai: Rope, sacks and the stalks (jute sticks, pat-katiya) for fences, roof lining and Holika's fire

Sabzi, Kharif (Monsoon vegetables)

बरसाती सब्ज़ी

Kism · Varieties
Nenua, jhingi, kaddu, lauki, karela, parwal, bhindi, bodi (long beans), ol (elephant-foot yam), kachu (taro), saag
Buwai · Sowing
May–June on the machaan (trellis) by the house and the baari
Katai · Harvest
July–October, picked every second day
Paani · Water
Rain; the machaan keeps the fruit off the wet ground
Upaj · Yield
Household scale; the surplus goes to the Pusa haat on Tuesday and Friday
Kaise ugate hain · How it is grown
  1. Seeds set in the compost by the cattle shed; creepers trained onto a bamboo machaan.
  2. Ol and kachu planted in Chaitra, dug in Kartik; ol is the Diwali vegetable.
  3. Saag (noni, poi, lal saag) broadcast in the baari and cut repeatedly.
  4. Nothing is bought: the vines and the chulha ash are the fertiliser.

Kaam aata hai: Kaddu-bhaat for Nahay Khay, jhingi and noni saag for Jitiya, ol for Diwali, parwal all season

Mausam 2 of 5

Rabi · रबी

Kartik to Chaitra (November to April). Sown in the cool after the rice, watered from the boring, harvested before the loo. The season that fills the granary.

Gehu (Wheat)

गेहूँ

Kism · Varieties
HD 2967, HD 3086, PBW 343 (old favourite), DBW 187, Pusa and Rajendra varieties from the university
Buwai · Sowing
Kartik–Aghan, 1 November to 25 November for the best yield; late sowing after paddy runs into December
Katai · Harvest
Chaitra–Baisakh, late March to mid-April, before the loo
Paani · Water
Four to five irrigations from the boring (tube-well): crown root, tillering, flowering, grain filling
Upaj · Yield
12–18 quintals per bigha
Kaise ugate hain · How it is grown
  1. The paddy field drained and ploughed three times as soon as the rice is off; the clods broken with the patela.
  2. Seed treated and sown by seed drill in lines, or broadcast behind the plough on smaller plots.
  3. DAP at sowing, urea with the first and second irrigations.
  4. Harvested by sickle in the heat; the women cut, the men bundle; threshed by the thresher at the khalihan in Baisakh; the bhusa (chaff) stored for the cattle's whole year.

Kaam aata hai: The year's atta, the thekua for Chhath, pua for Holi, pedakiya for Teej

Sarso / Rai (Mustard)

सरसों · राई

Kism · Varieties
Rajendra Sufalam, Pusa Bold, Varuna, Rajendra Anukul; toria as a short catch crop
Buwai · Sowing
Kartik, mid-October to early November, on the lighter uplands
Katai · Harvest
Phagun, February–March, when the pods rattle
Paani · Water
One or two irrigations; mostly on the residual moisture
Upaj · Yield
4–6 quintals per bigha
Kaise ugate hain · How it is grown
  1. Sown thin in lines after one ploughing; thinned to a hand's width.
  2. The field turns yellow by Makar Sankranti; this is the Vasant Panchami field, and the bees from the Pusa apiaries come to it.
  3. Cut before fully dry to save the seed; dried on the khalihan, beaten with sticks.
  4. Pressed at the kolhu or the mill into mustard oil; the cake (khalli) goes to the cattle.

Kaam aata hai: Mustard oil for the whole year, sarso ka saag in winter, the oil in the Diwali diyas, and the paste of every Bihari fish curry

Masoor, Chana, Khesari, Matar (Winter pulses)

मसूर · चना · खेसारी · मटर

Kism · Varieties
Local masoor and Pusa Vaibhav; desi chana; khesari on the heavy low land; local matar
Buwai · Sowing
Kartik–Aghan, October–November, often as utera, broadcast into the standing paddy before harvest so it grows on the moisture
Katai · Harvest
Phagun–Chaitra, February–March
Paani · Water
None; this is the crop of the residual moisture
Upaj · Yield
Masoor 3–4 quintals per bigha, chana 4–5
Kaise ugate hain · How it is grown
  1. Utera: seed broadcast into the ripening paddy; the paddy stubble shades it until it establishes.
  2. No ploughing, no irrigation, one weeding; the cheapest crop a farmer grows.
  3. Green chana (hora) roasted in the field on the stalk in Magh is the children's festival.
  4. Pulled by hand, dried, threshed with the stick.

Kaam aata hai: Masoor dal, chana for sattu (the Satuani crop), hora in Magh, khesari for the cattle and the poorest years

Aloo (Potato)

आलू

Kism · Varieties
Kufri Jyoti, Kufri Pukhraj, Kufri Chandramukhi; seed from the cold storage at Pusa and Samastipur
Buwai · Sowing
Kartik, mid-October to November
Katai · Harvest
Magh–Phagun, January–February, 80–100 days
Paani · Water
Three to four light irrigations; the field must drain
Upaj · Yield
60–90 quintals per bigha; the most profitable rabi crop when the price holds
Kaise ugate hain · How it is grown
  1. Ridges (mend) made with the ridger or by hand; cut seed pieces set a foot apart and covered.
  2. Earthed up twice; the haulm cut ten days before digging to set the skin.
  3. Dug by hand or by the tractor digger; sorted on the field into seed, table and small.
  4. Stored in the cold storage at Pusa or sold straight from the field to the Muzaffarpur traders.

Kaam aata hai: Aloo chokha, aloo-baingan for Sankranti khichdi, the dum aloo of every wedding

Pyaaz, Lahsun, Mirch, Haldi (Onion, garlic, chilli, turmeric)

प्याज़ · लहसुन · मिर्च · हल्दी

Kism · Varieties
Local red onion, Pusa Red; local garlic; Pusa Jwala chilli; Rajendra Sonia turmeric
Buwai · Sowing
Onion nursery in Kartik, transplanted in Aghan; garlic cloves in Kartik; chilli nursery in Bhado, transplanted in Ashwin; turmeric rhizomes in Baisakh
Katai · Harvest
Onion and garlic in Chaitra–Baisakh; chilli from Magh onward; turmeric in Magh–Phagun after nine months
Paani · Water
Light, frequent irrigation; turmeric lives on the monsoon and shade
Upaj · Yield
Household plots mostly; onion 30–40 quintals per bigha on the commercial plots
Kaise ugate hain · How it is grown
  1. Onion and chilli raised in a nursery bed by the well, transplanted in lines.
  2. Garlic cloves pushed into the ridge by thumb, a hand apart.
  3. Turmeric planted under the mango and banana shade, mulched with leaves, dug in winter and boiled and dried for the year's haldi.
  4. Chilli dried on the roof in Phagun; the red of the thatch in spring.

Kaam aata hai: The masala of the year; the haldi of every wedding's haldi ceremony comes from the baari

Sabzi, Rabi (Winter vegetables)

जाड़े की सब्ज़ी

Kism · Varieties
Gobhi (cauliflower), patta gobhi (cabbage), tamatar, baingan, mooli, gajar, matar, palak, methi, bathua, dhaniya
Buwai · Sowing
Nurseries in Ashwin–Kartik, transplanted in Kartik–Aghan; root crops and greens broadcast
Katai · Harvest
Aghan to Phagun, November to March
Paani · Water
Light irrigation every week from the boring
Upaj · Yield
The surplus goes to the Pusa haat and the Samastipur mandi; cauliflower is the main cash vegetable
Kaise ugate hain · How it is grown
  1. Raised beds along the field edge, compost from the gobar pit.
  2. Transplanted in the evening and watered by hand the first days.
  3. Picked at dawn for the haat; cauliflower and cabbage go by tempo to Samastipur.
  4. Bathua and methi grow themselves in the wheat and are picked as a weed-crop.

Kaam aata hai: Gobhi ki sabzi all winter, mooli-dhaniya chutney, saag of every kind, and the Vivah Panchami wedding feasts

Mausam 3 of 5

Zaid / Garma · गरमा

Phagun to Jeth (March to June). The short hot season between the two, for melons on the river sand, summer vegetables and a quick moong.

Moong and Urad, Zaid

गरमा मूंग

Kism · Varieties
Pusa Vishal moong, SML 668; local urad
Buwai · Sowing
Phagun–Chaitra, March, immediately after the potato or the mustard
Katai · Harvest
Jeth, late May–June, 60–65 days, just before the paddy nursery
Paani · Water
Two or three irrigations; it is the crop that uses the boring in the hot season
Upaj · Yield
2–3 quintals per bigha, and the field is left richer for the paddy
Kaise ugate hain · How it is grown
  1. Sown in lines in the moist potato field without further ploughing.
  2. One weeding, one spray at flowering if the aphid comes.
  3. Pods picked in two rounds; plants turned into the soil as green manure before the paddy.

Kaam aata hai: Moong dal, moong sprouts in the loo, and nitrogen for the rice

Kheera, Kharbooja, Tarbuj (River-sand melons)

खीरा · खरबूजा · तरबूज

Kism · Varieties
Local kharbooja, Sugar Baby and local tarbuj, local kheera and kakdi
Buwai · Sowing
Phagun, February, in pits dug in the sandy bed (diara) of the Budhi Gandak as the water falls
Katai · Harvest
Baisakh–Jeth, April–June, until the river rises
Paani · Water
None; the roots reach the river's water table
Upaj · Yield
A diara plot feeds the family and the Pusa chowk
Kaise ugate hain · How it is grown
  1. Pits a yard apart in the river sand, filled with gobar and a handful of soil; three seeds to a pit.
  2. Watched day and night from a machaan against jackals and boys.
  3. Picked at dawn and sold cold from a wet gunny sack.
  4. The first tarbuj is cut on Ganga Dussehra.

Kaam aata hai: The only sweetness of Jeth: kheera for Ganga Dussehra and Satuani, tarbuj for the whole village

Lauki, Bhindi, Parwal, Kaddu (Summer vegetables)

गरमा सब्ज़ी

Kism · Varieties
Pusa Naveen lauki, Pusa A-4 bhindi, local parwal (pointed gourd, a perennial vine), Pusa kaddu
Buwai · Sowing
Phagun–Chaitra, February–March; parwal vines planted once and kept for years
Katai · Harvest
Baisakh–Sawan, April–July
Paani · Water
Irrigated from the boring every four or five days
Upaj · Yield
Household and haat scale
Kaise ugate hain · How it is grown
  1. Lauki and kaddu on the machaan or the roof of the cattle shed.
  2. Parwal: root cuttings planted in Magh on raised beds; the vine fruits every year from Baisakh.
  3. Bhindi picked every second day before it hardens.
  4. The vines are let run over the thatch where there is no machaan.

Kaam aata hai: Parwal-aloo for guests, lauki ki sabzi through the loo, the kaddu that becomes Nahay Khay's kaddu-bhaat

Mausam 4 of 5

Bagh-bagicha · बाग़-बग़ीचा

The gachhi and the baari: the trees that were planted by grandparents and fruit every year without being asked.

Aam (Mango)

आम

Kism · Varieties
Malda (Langra), Jardalu, Bombai, Sipia, Dudhiya Malda, Sukul, Kalkatiya, Zardalu; and the old seedling trees nobody can name
Buwai · Sowing
Grafts planted in Sawan–Bhado; a tree gives after five or six years and for seventy more
Katai · Harvest
Jeth–Asadh, late May to early July; the manjar (flowering) in Phagun is itself a festival
Paani · Water
Young trees watered in the hot months; old trees live on the water table
Upaj · Yield
A good tree gives three to five maunds; a bad year, aam ka manjar washed off by hail, is remembered for decades
Kaise ugate hain · How it is grown
  1. Gachhi (orchard) blocks on the uplands around every tola; the trees planted by grandfathers.
  2. Phagun: the manjar sprayed if the hopper comes; nothing else done.
  3. Jeth: the gachhi is where the village sleeps, the boys guard from the machaan, the kachhi tori (raw mango) stolen for the chutney.
  4. Picked with the long bamboo (lagi) and a cloth bag at the end; ripened in straw in a dark room (paal).
  5. Aam ka achar, amawat (sun-dried mango leather) and aamchoor made from the surplus.

Kaam aata hai: The Jeth harvest that brings sons home; achar and amawat for the year; mango wood for the Chhath chulha; the leaves on every wedding and puja gate

Litchi

लीची

Kism · Varieties
Shahi (the Muzaffarpur litchi), China, Bedana, Purbi
Buwai · Sowing
Air-layered (gooti) plants in Sawan; bears after four or five years
Katai · Harvest
Jeth, late May to mid-June, a window of three weeks
Paani · Water
Needs the humid heat and a wet root zone before harvest; the Budhi Gandak basin is its home ground
Upaj · Yield
A mature tree gives 80–120 kg
Kaise ugate hain · How it is grown
  1. Grown in the same gachhi as mango, in the lower, moister corners.
  2. Trees netted or guarded against bats and parrots in Jeth.
  3. Picked in bunches with the leaves on at dawn, packed in baskets with leaves and sent by tempo to Muzaffarpur and Pusa the same morning.
  4. The first litchi of the year is eaten on Bat Savitri.

Kaam aata hai: The pride of the district; litchi honey from the Pusa apiaries; the Jeth wedding fruit

Kela (Banana)

केला

Kism · Varieties
Chiniya (Chini Champa), Malbhog, Alpan, Dwarf Cavendish (Robusta) for the market
Buwai · Sowing
Suckers planted in Sawan–Bhado or Chaitra
Katai · Harvest
Twelve to fourteen months later, year-round; the stem is cut and a sucker replaces it
Paani · Water
Needs regular water and the gobar of the cattle shed
Upaj · Yield
A bunch of 10–15 hands per plant; Chiniya smaller and sweeter
Kaise ugate hain · How it is grown
  1. Planted in pits with gobar a yard apart in the baari behind the house.
  2. Side suckers removed; one kept as the next plant.
  3. Bunch cut green and ripened in the dark with straw; the stem split for the cattle.
  4. The leaf cut fresh for every puja, every Chhath soop, every wedding feast.

Kaam aata hai: The Chhath and Chaukchanda fruit, the leaf plate of every bhoj, the kela ka kofta and the kachcha kela ki sabzi of fasting days

Katahal, Amrood, Nimbu, Bael, Chakotra (Jackfruit, guava, lemon, bael, pomelo)

कटहल · अमरूद · नींबू · बेल · चकोतरा

Kism · Varieties
Local seedling trees in every baari; Allahabad Safeda and Lucknow 49 guava; Kagzi lemon
Buwai · Sowing
Planted once, rarely tended
Katai · Harvest
Katahal Chaitra–Jeth; amrood Kartik–Magh; nimbu year-round; bael Baisakh–Jeth; chakotra Kartik
Paani · Water
None after the first years
Upaj · Yield
Enough that nobody counts
Kaise ugate hain · How it is grown
  1. Katahal: the green fruit cut in Chaitra for the sabzi, the ripe fruit in Jeth; the seeds roasted.
  2. Bael: the pulp made into the Satuani sharbat; the leaves are Shivratri's offering; the tree is never cut.
  3. Amrood: the winter fruit of the school lunch; the leaves chewed for a toothache.
  4. Nimbu: the achar and the sharbat; chakotra (grapefruit/pomelo) eaten with salt and chilli on the roof in Kartik.

Kaam aata hai: The free fruit of every baari and the leaves of several festivals

Mausam 5 of 5

Nakdi aur pashu · नकदी फसल और पशु

The crops that bring cash rather than food, and the cattle that make every other crop possible.

Ganna (Sugarcane)

गन्ना · ईख

Kism · Varieties
CoP 9301, CoSe 95422, Rajendra Ganna 1; the thin local eekh kept for Chhath
Buwai · Sowing
Phagun–Chaitra, February–March, setts of three buds laid in furrows; a ratoon (peri) kept for one or two more years
Katai · Harvest
Kartik to Phagun, November to March, cut for the mill at Pusa or the kolhu
Paani · Water
Five to six irrigations in the dry months; the monsoon does the rest
Upaj · Yield
250–350 quintals per bigha; the mill pays by the quintal, late
Kaise ugate hain · How it is grown
  1. Furrows two and a half feet apart, setts laid end to end and covered; germination in three weeks.
  2. Earthed up in Jeth so the cane stands in the Sawan wind; the leaves tied together (bandhai) in Bhado.
  3. Cut at ground level with the gandasa, stripped of trash, bundled and sent by tractor-trolley to the Pusa sugar mill, or crushed at the kolhu for gur.
  4. The ratoon (peri) sprouts from the stubble and gives a second crop with less work.

Kaam aata hai: Gur from the kolhu in Aghan, the sugarcane stalks lifted in the Chhath soop, and the mill cheque that pays for the wedding

Tambaku (Tobacco)

तंबाकू · सुरती

Kism · Varieties
Local chewing tobacco (surti) types; Pusa was a tobacco farm before it was a research station
Buwai · Sowing
Nursery in Bhado–Ashwin, transplanted in Kartik on the well-drained upland
Katai · Harvest
Magh–Phagun, January–March, leaf by leaf (priming) or whole plant
Paani · Water
Two or three light irrigations; cannot stand waterlogging
Upaj · Yield
8–12 quintals of cured leaf per bigha; grown in smaller patches every year
Kaise ugate hain · How it is grown
  1. Seedlings transplanted two feet apart, topped (the flower pinched) to thicken the leaf.
  2. Suckers removed weekly by hand; the hands turn black with the gum.
  3. Leaves cut, wilted in the field, then sun-cured on bamboo racks and in heaps.
  4. Sold to the Samastipur and Hajipur traders for khaini and surti.

Kaam aata hai: Samastipur's old cash crop and the khaini of every chowk; the women of the village have long wanted it gone

Doodh (Dairy)

दूध · पशुपालन

Kism · Varieties
Desi cows, Murrah and local buffaloes, a few crossbred (Jersey) cows since the Pusa dairy programmes
Buwai · Sowing
A calf is a year's event; the gowshala by every house
Katai · Harvest
Milk twice a day, year-round, to the Sudha (COMFED) collection point at the chowk
Paani · Water
The pokhar for bathing the buffaloes; bhusa, puaal, green maize and the mustard khalli for feed
Upaj · Yield
A good buffalo gives 8–10 litres a day
Kaise ugate hain · How it is grown
  1. Cattle shed (gowshala) cleaned at dawn; the gobar goes to the compost pit and the gobar-gas plant where there is one, and into uple (dung cakes) for the chulha.
  2. Milking by the women at dawn and dusk; curd set every evening in the clay handi.
  3. Govardhan Puja after Diwali is the cattle's festival: bathed, horns painted, fed first.
  4. Sudha milk van collects at the chowk; the rest is the house's dahi, ghee and the Kharna kheer.

Kaam aata hai: Dahi-chura, ghee for the diya and the thekua, kheer for Kharna and Kojagara, the gobar that fertilises every field above

Kisan ka saal

The farming calendar

Twelve months, as a Malinagar farmer counts them, from Baisakh to Chaitra. Read a row left to right to follow one crop through its year.

बैसाख
Baisakh
Apr–May		जेठ
Jeth
May–Jun		आषाढ़
Asadh
Jun–Jul		सावन
Sawan
Jul–Aug		भादो
Bhado
Aug–Sep		आश्विन
Ashwin
Sep–Oct		कार्तिक
Kartik
Oct–Nov		अगहन
Aghan
Nov–Dec		पूस
Poos
Dec–Jan		माघ
Magh
Jan–Feb		फागुन
Phagun
Feb–Mar		चैत्र
Chaitra
Mar–Apr
Dhaan
Makai (kharif)
Gehu
Sarso
Masoor / Chana
Aloo
Moong (garma)
Tarbuj / Kheera
Ganna
Aam
Litchi
Tambaku
sowing / plantinggrowingharvestnurseryflowering (aam ka manjar)

Months follow the Bihari calendar; the English months shift by a fortnight either way from year to year.

Us paar

The university across the river

Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University at Pusa is the reason half the varieties on this page carry the names Rajendra and Pusa. The research farm has been on the south bank since 1904; the university since 1970. For Malinagar it is a neighbour more than an institution.

Seed

The university's seed sale counter and the Krishi Vigyan Kendra are where the certified wheat, paddy, mustard and maize seed comes from, and where the potato seed is booked for the cold storage.

Advice

The KVK's kisan mela in Phagun, the soil-testing lab and the field days are open to any farmer who crosses the bridge. A soil health card tells you what the field actually needs instead of what the dealer sells.

Litchi and makhana

The National Research Centre on Litchi at Muzaffarpur and the makhana research at Darbhanga are both within an hour; the Shahi litchi grafts and the litchi honey of the district come through them.

The mill

The Pusa sugar mill takes the village's cane by trolley from Kartik; the Sudha dairy van takes the milk from the chowk every morning. Both pay late, both are still the village's steadiest cash.

Samasya aur rasta

What the farmer worries about

Baadh · The flood

Some Sawans the Budhi Gandak stays in its banks and the paddy is the best in the district; some years it walks into the chaur and the tolas near the bank move the cattle to the road. The silt it leaves is the same silt that makes next year's wheat.

Chhote khet · Small plots

Every generation the fields are divided among brothers; a family that farmed ten bighas now farms two in five places. The tractor and the thresher are hired by the hour, and the boring is shared.

Mazdoor · Hands

The sons are in Delhi and Bengaluru, so ropni and harvest depend on women and on labour from the next village. The combine harvester has started to appear on the big wheat plots.

Daam · Price

Potato and cauliflower prices swing between loss and windfall; the sugar mill and the dairy pay late. The safest income is the one that never leaves the house: rice, wheat, dal, oil, milk and the gachhi.

Khet ki bhasha

Words of the field

The vocabulary every Malinagar child knew before school, for those who grew up elsewhere.

हल · बैल · hal, bail: the wooden plough and the bullock pair, now mostly a tractor and a rotavator
आरी · aari: the field bund that holds the paddy water; repaired every Jeth
बिचड़ा · रोपनी · bichda, ropni: the paddy nursery and the transplanting
निकाई · nikai: hand weeding
खलिहान · khalihan: the threshing ground by the tola
दौन · daun: threshing by bullocks walking in a circle over the sheaves
सूप · soop: the bamboo winnowing basket, also the Chhath basket
भूसा · पुआल · bhusa, puaal: wheat chaff and rice straw, the cattle's year
बोरिंग · पंपसेट · boring, pumpset: the tube-well and the diesel or electric pump
उतेरा · utera: broadcasting a pulse into the standing paddy
पेड़ी · peri: the ratoon sugarcane
मचान · machaan: the bamboo platform for vines, and for guarding the gachhi
बारी · baari: the kitchen garden behind the house
गाछी · gachhi: the mango orchard
दियारा · diara: the river's sand bed, where the melons grow
कोल्हू · kolhu: the sugarcane crusher for gur
हँसुआ · गंडासा · hansua, gandasa: the sickle and the cane chopper
बीघा · कट्ठा · bigha, kattha: 1 bigha = 20 kattha; reckoned locally at about 0.6 acre
मन · क्विंटल · maund (40 kg) and quintal (100 kg), the two ways the harvest is counted
गोबर · उपले · gobar, uple: dung for the pit and dung cakes for the chulha
सुधा · Sudha: the COMFED dairy cooperative that collects the village's milk
पूसा हाट · Pusa haat: the Tuesday and Friday market where the vegetables go

अन्न जहाँ से आता है

आपके खेत में कुछ और उगता है? कोई पुरानी किस्म, कोई तरीका जो यहाँ छूट गया?
बताइए, यह पन्ना उसी से बनेगा।

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