National Rice Day in Nepal is celebrated every 15th of Asar according to Nepalese calendar which coincides with 29th June. This day holds a big importance in the lives of farmers and also of the general people in Nepal. Rice being the staple crop of most of the people living in Nepal, this crop is the major crop and is also considered as good and tasty food. So, in a way rice symbolizes good economy and a well maintained lifestyle in Nepal.
Generally, National Rice Day in Nepal is celebrated by planting rice in the fields and eating dahi-chiura (beaten rice and curd). This year, in Dibyanagar-2, Majedi, Chitwan, Nepal, some more interesting programs were added up to the usual celebration by DADO (District Agriculture Development Office), Chitwan and Youth Eco Network (YEN), an organization working for agriculture and environment of which I am one of the founding members. The programs held for the 2013 celebration were;
- Farmers level quiz contest.
- Cultural program in which Tharu community presented their cultural dance and other local community presented their songs conveying messages like A good life is possible with Agriculture if you are ready to give your sweat to the land, Brother dont go abroad to earn money, Income is possible through Agriculture etc.
- Mud race competition in which male and female farmers participated separately.
- Prize distribution to the winners.
- Information on Rice cultivation techniques, relevant local organizations etc.
- Dahi-Chiura ( Curd and Beaten rice) eating program.
In the same program, I shared about YPARD and the wonderful job it is doing in agriculture to the members of Youth Eco Network and others present in the program. About a couple of months ago, I was selected as a local representative for YPARD Nepal by Mr. Dinesh Pandey (National Representation of YPARD). Knowing YPARD and getting a chance to be a part of it has given me more confidence and motivation to work in the field of agriculture and making a difference in the world we all live.
Above all, the program was successful in breaking usual hard-working schedule of the farmers and motivating them to love agriculture and try and improve it with all means. Cheers to another step taken towards agricultural development!