Not By Bread Alone
Diocesan Press Service. June 23, 1975 [75238]
Priti Ghose
A laden lorry toils in low gear on a strip of metalled road which snakes its way through small patches of rice fields standing out bravely among the engulfing tracts of fallow land. It soon reaches its destination, a makeshift storehouse in the heart of the West Bengal countryside. The lorry carries a precious load. Food. Wheat from the bursting granaries of Middle America to pour into the empty bowls of villagers like Badal Das or Romesh Pramanick and hundreds of thousands like them. Once, their fields had yielded good crops, Nature had been kind and there was enough food to go round. Then, drought and floods ravaged the land, the population spiraled to dizzy figures, food stocks dwindled to an all-time low. Now, their still-born hopes for a good harvest has given way to the anguished cry of a starving multitude.
The food, which is made available to the Lutheran World Relief and the Church World Service, comes to India under the provisions of the U.S. Public Law 480 Title 11 (Food for Peace). A scheme has been devised by social planners so that the supply of gift food from affluent countries can be used for a two-fold purpose. First of all, it helps to meet the immediate needs of a suffering community where crop failures, unemployment and numerous crises have brought the spectre of starvation in their midst. Secondly, the programme is directed to encourage self help; community development projects providing ready employment for those without work. Since the work is, primarily, directed towards rural upliftment, it also serves to increase the Nation's food production so that, eventually, this external flow of food is not required. The activities include excavation of wells, tanks canals; irrigating the land; building and soil conservation projects and the building of roads to give ready access to markets.
The echo of unloading these wheat bags have reached the most remote villages in this area and long queues of villagers are now taking part in this extraordinary Food-for- Work project. Nothing could be more beneficial to a community of people who have lost all hope in a worthwhile existence than to 'help them to help themselves' and the Food- for-Work scheme achieves this with undeniable validity. The scheme arranges for the payment of work done in terms of food. Apart from achieving the two essential goals of providing food as well as work, there are added long-range benefits which become noticeable as the project gets under way. It is the upliftment of human dignity, a sense of achievement, individually and, together as a team; the feeling that they have contributed to the betterment of themselves, their children and their fellow beings. This attitude will, in itself, cause ever-widening ripples till the idea is adopted by neighbouring areas who have witnessed the rewards that have been garnered wherever these projects are being undertaken.
The flow of wheat starts in the Great American Plains where the sun shines on bountiful harvests year after year. Hard work and modern technology have established successful harvests as a way of life to the American farmer. He goes to bed secure in the knowledge that even though early frost, drought or torrential rains may result in grain shortages and high prices, it would not bring his food consumption to starvation level. On the other side of the globe, it is a grey dawn for the West Bengal farmer. His land needs irrigation, seeds, fertilisers; oil shortages have pushed fertiliser prices beyond his reach and there is scarcity of electricity. There is no grain in his barn, no work, no hope, no joy. His land lies fallow, his cattle die and his children face starvation.
An appeal for food reach out to the affluent nations and the gift is on its way from West to East. The U. S. Department of Agriculture transfers the food to Lutheran World Relief and Church World Service in the U.S. who arrange for shipping it to India. When the ship carrying the cargo noses its way along the treacherous sand banks at the mouth of the Hoogly River and disgorges its load at the Calcutta Docks, the Port officials heave a sigh of relief. The food had arrived and would soon be on its way to the most affected areas. The Government of India, represented by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) receives the shipments at each port and arranges for its despatch to the Consignees, USAID/Delhi is responsible for monitoring the Food for Peace commodities to the point of consumption. The Church Activity for Social Action (CASA) offices at Bombay, Calcutta and Madras make out the despatch orders and work with the FCI in clearing the despatching the food. The Consignee receives the food at the railhead and sends it to the distribution centres. About 5,000 distributors in India form the basis of the network to the whole food programme for they shoulder the responsibility of distributing the food to the people for whom it is intended on the strength of surveys and plans submitted and approved by CASA.
The Consignee, who receives the gift supplies is directly responsible to CASA. He is generally chosen for his qualities of integrity and leadership and, often, has a standing in the community. This enables him to carry out his duties with close co-ordination with the Local Advisory Committee to make the programme as broadbased as possible. His functions and responsibilities are varied and include such duties as maintaining records, visiting distribution centres, being responsible for the correct operation of the centres, reporting irregularities and sending reports to headquarters when the food becomes unfit for human consumption. He would also be in charge of storing the supplies and arranging for its despatch to approved distributors.
As food commodities are highly perishable, special attention is paid to careful handling and proper storage facilities. Needless to say, it is the responsibility of the Consignee to ensure that the foodstuff reaches the needy with the minimum possible delay, damage or deterioration.
A few miles to the south of the metropolitan area of Calcutta, brick and mortar mammoths give way to mud walls and thatched roofs. On a visit to a project site, the Jeep bumped its way to a standstill in a clearing where a small, two-roomed, brick construction housed the distribution centre for certain areas of the 24 Parganas district. Mr. Das, who is in charge of the distribution at this centre, came forward and conducted us to the site where the Community development project comprising of canal excavation, was being carried out. A chemistry Professor in one of the district colleges, Mr. Das seemed eminently suitable for this job as the warmth, camaraderie and enthusiasm that he infused in his dealings with the villagers ensured their unequivocal trust and cooperation. A blazing, summer morning had brought about a certain langour in man and beast out in the fields, but the villagers intent on digging the feeder canals were as engrossed in their jobs as they would have been had they taken part in an important enterprise. It was, indeed, of paramount importance, as the canals, when completed, would irrigate 24,000 acres of this very fertile delta land that, years ago, filled the granneries of West Bengal. Already, 17,000 acres have been brought under irrigation and hopes are high for a bountiful Rabi crop to be harvested in May. A robust lad shoveling the soil that had accumulated and spilled over into the roadway, looked up and smiled at Mr. Das with ready recognition. The Jeep stopped and the boy came forward to speak to us. Yes, he had studied in a school. In fact, he had completed nine years of schooling but his job was more important to him. He is working for the benefit for the village; he would like to go back to school when circumstances improved. This sense of achievement seemed to prevail everywhere and made the Food-for-Work project immensely successful in the Bishnupur and Keorapukur districts. It has made every villager in the area aware of the fact that the cycle created by the food --- work --- more food --- more work project has been one of the very worthwhile programmes in recent years.
According to the Scheme, the villagers are 'paid' depending on the work completed by each person in a six-hourly shift. Approximately 60 cft of earth can be excavated in this six-hour period by the average worker and the work entitles him to 2 kgs of wheat which he receives as his wages. Badal Das and Romesh Pramanick, who were interviewed were forthright in their replies. Yes, they, and their families had, indeed, benefitted by the scheme. Prematurely old, Romesh spoke about his home and his family of four children, wife and mother, who were dependent on the earnings of one man. The past few years had been difficult to live through but things were looking up now. He was ensured of a steady food inflow, his health had improved and his spirit had revived. He had been able to cultivate his tiny patch of land as he could now manage to invest in seeds and fertilisers. Now that the irrigation project was nearing completion, it would facilitate not only successful harvests but numerous ones -- at least three in a year where none were properly forthcoming in the last few years. Professor Das mentioned that, as a man of integrity and character, Romesh Pramanick was hard to beat, -- an ideal son, husband, father, friend and citizen of a country where so much needs to be done. He was glad that Romesh, with the assurance of food and employment had been able to remove want and starvation in his family. He was the best example that could be set before the villagers to emulate. Badal Das was young and enthusiastic and spoke with a zest that was appealing. He had his parents, wife, a couple of children and younger brothers at home. Granted that 2 kgs of wheat was not enough to feed the entire family, but the situation was much better than what it was a few months ago. Now, the menfolk, and sometimes the women could hope to get employment in the Food-for-Work project and their quota of wheat was assured. Most villagers here have their own tiny holdings which they tend when they are able to, in addition to working as sharecroppers in bigger farms.
Years ago, West Bengal was Rice-Country. It produced some of the best rice in the world and the granaries were full. Small wonder that rice formed the staple food of the people of Eastern India. The ponds and tanks abounded with fresh-water fish and the Bengali diet of rice and fish gained precedence. Now, there is never enough rice to go round and twenty five years of short supply has made them accept, and eventually prefer their changed staple diet of wheat. Badal Das admitted that practically every worker kept aside 500 gms of wheat a day from their quota so that at the end of the week they could sell it in the open market and buy a measure of rice. This served a twofold purpose. It helped to stabilize the open-market prices of wheat, and, often, lowered them from the inflationary rate which was brought about by the short supply. And it helped them to indulge in a once-a-week feast of rice and fish.
Romesh Pramanick and Badal Das can now hope to sit down to a proper evening meal after a day of honest labour in the fields. The wheat stalks which waved in the American sunshine has travelled more than half the world to end up as 'chappatis' (a kind of tortilla) in an Indian home. The cycle is complete but not without the overtones of better things which are to follow -- irrigation of the land that leads to plentiful crops, roads, wells, schools -- a better life. Romesh Pramanick had spoken with undisguised pride when he mentioned that his children were attending the district school. He hoped that education would help them to discover more meaningful solutions to problems of agricultural development and increased production. Programmes would have to be launched to conquer livestock disease, use better-yield seeds, and bring about a moderate sense of well-being for those who provide food for the nation.
The problems which confront the drought and flood-ridden parts of the world should be correlated to the fortunes of all countries for the interdependence of nations cannot be denied. Social experts feel that the time has come when only global cooperation can stem the tide of escalating crises that threaten to sweep the world. A special effort has to be made to overcome the hunger of millions that would, eventually, give rise to more harrowing problems. This could only be achieved, one feels, if the nations of the world can join hands in a 'mutual survival pact.'