Seedlings, Songs & Sisterhood

It's a misty morning, and there is a spray-like drizzle. Kamalu Veyathullam sits beside a tree, waiting for her comrades-in-arms to begin their day's work.

- TNIE reporter Krishna P S and lensman A Sanesh

Her friends Leela, Radha, Shantha, and Mahila can be seen walking from far away along a narrow road. All are armed with raincoats and plastic covers carrying water and other essentials for the day.

Excited chatter soon fills the air, punctuated by a few leg-pulling jokes that make everyone laugh out loud. Amid the chitter-chatter, they change into their workwear—an old shirt, a lungi, and a headgear fashioned from folded raincoats.

The scene reminds one of frames from cinema. A paddy field where Malayali women laborers toil for the yield. Quite a rarity these days. "Farming generally is on the decline, and nowadays, everyone is hiring migrant laborers," says Kamalu as she descends into a slushy field.

In fact, here in the picturesque Karumalloor panchayat, only one farm owner has hired local hands. "Paddy is farmed thrice a year here. We are hired for the 'njaru nadal' (sowing seedlings) and harvesting," says Thankamani.