Chapter 1.3 The Call of the Soil Brainstorming | Maharashtra Board English English 11th digest pdf

Maharashtra Board English Yuvakbharati Digest Chapter 1.3 The Call of the Soil Brainstorming, Balbharati solutions English 11th digest pdf, The Call of the Soil Brainstorming Question and Answers, Class 11 English Textbook, English Yuvakbharati 11th full digest pdf, 11th English textbook pdf

Maharashtra Board English English 11th digest pdf – नमस्कार विद्यार्थी मित्रांनो ! आजच्या या पोस्टमध्ये आम्ही तुमच्यासाठी 1.3 The Call of the Soil Brainstorming घेऊन आलो आहे.

• Discuss the following with your partner and complete the following sentences. One is done for you.

(a) Before eating apples brought from the market, I wash and peel them off.

(b) In a farmers’ market, we find

(c) Food adulteration means

(d) Organic food is grown by using

(e) Organic fertilizer means

Answer:

1. Before eating apples brought from the market, I wash and peel them off to stay away from any sort of contamination as far as possible.
2. In a farmer’s market, we find rice, pulses, vegetables, fruits, dairy items, eggs, etc.
3. Food adulteration means an addition of another substance to a food which may result in the loss of actual quality of food and its natural composition.
4. Organic food is grown by using fertilizers made with natural ingredients, renewable resources and conservation of soil and water.
5. Organic fertilizer means a type of fertilizer derived from animal matter, human and animal excreta (manure) and vegetable matter, that is, compost and crop residues.

• Complete the following web diagram :

Answer:

• (i) Find out from your grandparents or parents the names of vegetables and fruits they had eaten in their childhood and mention how the vegetables and fruits are different from the ones today.

Answer:

1.3 The Call of the Soil

(ii) You might have learnt about organic farming. Make groups and discuss the difference between conventional farming and organic farming and write it down.

1.3 The Call of the Soil

1.3 The Call of the Soil Brainstorming

(A1) (i) Read the extract and state whether the following statements are true or false. Correct the false statements.

(a) Growing in abundance is more important than the quality of the crop.

Answer:-  False. The quality of the crop is more important than growing in abundance a lesser variety of crop.

(b) The author wanted to grow the desi variety of rice.

Answer:- True

(c) The author did not succeed in finding Kasbai.

Answer:- False. The author was successful in finding Kasbai from an Adivasi woman at Boripada, a remote village.

(d) The aroma of the ‘desi’ rice would spread around the village.

Answer:- True

(e) Newer hybrid crops have a great appetite for chemicals.

Answer:- True

(f) The author is an example of ‘reverse migration’.

Answer:- True (‘Reverse Migration’ is a new trend of shifting from bigger cities to nearby smaller towns or suburbs)

(ii) Complete the flow chart. Consider this to be an example of Note-Making.

Answer:-

(iii) Read the text and fill in the blanks. One is done for you.

1. The author wanted to grow ______________.
2. Moru Dada wanted to spray __________ on the moong crop.
3. Baban’s father and some elders mentioned the name of __________.
4. “Hybrids need more _____________”, said Devu Handa.
5. The author bought _______________ kilos of rice from an Adivasi woman who lived in remote hills.

Answer:
(a) The author wanted to grow organic moong.
(b) Moru Dada wanted to spray pesticides on the moong crop.
(c) Baban’s father and some elders mentioned the name of Kasbai.
(d) “Hybrids need more water, fertilizers and pesticides”, said Devu Handa.
(e) The author bought ten kilos of rice from an Adivasi woman who lived in the remote hills.

Chapter 1.3 The Call of the Soil Brainstorming | Maharashtra Board English English 11th digest pdf

(A2) (i) List the reactions of the agricultural officer to the author’s inquiry about Kasbai rice seeds. One is done for you.

(a) He had not heard of Kasbai.

(b) ___________________________

(c) ___________________________

Answer:
(a) He had not heard of Kasbai.
(b) He felt that the villagers were fooling the author.
(c) He mentioned the names of the latest hybrids and also offered to give him some, free of cost.

ii) Go through the text once again and note down Devu Handa’s fond memories of Kasbai in your exercise book. One is done for you. Devu Handa has fond memories of Kasbai. They are as follows.

(a) It needs ______________ rain.

(b) _________________

(c) _________________

Answer:
Devu Handa’s fond memories of Kasbai are as follows:

1. It needs no protection from rain
2. It has an alluring aroma
3. It has no hunger for chemicals like fertilizers and pesticides

Chapter 1.3 The Call of the Soil Brainstorming | Maharashtra Board English English 11th digest pdf

(A3) (i) The writer says he grew ‘an awful lot of moong’. Explain the word ‘awful’ in this sentence.

Answer:
“An awful lot” is an Idiom meaning ‘a very large amount’. Everyone known to the writer did not expect a good yield of moong since he refused to spray any chemical on the plants. In spite of that, Nature did her job and the writer could get three hundred kilograms of moong which was not only ‘awful’, that means ‘large number’ but also a confidence-builder for a first-timer.

(ii) The word scent is different from its synonyms ‘aroma’, ‘fragrance’ or ‘perfume’. Explain how the word ‘scent’ in the subtitle ‘Scent of the Rice’, has a deeper meaning than ‘perfume’ or ‘fragrance’. Tick phrases having a similar meaning from the following:

Answer:
(i) The word ‘Scent’ in the subtitle ‘Scent of Rice’ has a deeper meaning than its usual meaning of‘fragrance’ or ‘perfume’ in the context of the text and for the author because he was trying to revive the tradition of Kasbai rice which everyone agreed had an alluring aroma. The modern farmers are forgetting conventions and have fallen a prey to hybrids. The natural ‘scent’, that is ‘flavour’ of Kasbai had drawn the writer towards real India, unspoilt by progress. The ‘scent’ was largely responsible for his quest.

(ii) Phrases

(a) In pursuit of : a quest in order to achieve something
(b) To smell a rat: to believe something wrong is happening
(c) To be keen : interested in some activity one often does and enjoys
(d) On the trail of: Trying to find someone or something by getting information about it
(e) To feel under the water : feel emotionally overwhelmed The phrases having a similar meaning of ‘A Scent of Rice’ are:
(i) In pursuit of
(ii) On the trail of

Chapter 1.3 The Call of the Soil Brainstorming | Maharashtra Board English English 11th digest pdf

(A4) Read the following sentence:

(i) She muttered in reply and we looked at Jeevan for a quick interpretation.

(ii) These are two complete sentences underlying the above sentence.

(a) She muttered in reply.

(b) We looked at Jeevan for quick interpretation. These two sentences are put together by using the co-ordinating conjunction ‘and’.

Such sentences which are joined by co-ordinating conjunctions (and/ but/ either…or; neither…nor) are called compound sentences.

Sentence ‘a’ and ‘b’ are Simple Sentences.

Each of them has only one subject and one predicate.

Sentence ‘a’ and ‘b’ can be written in another way. ‘As she muttered in reply, we looked at Jeevan for a quick interpretation.’

This sentence begins with a subordinating conjunction ‘As’.

This is a complex sentence.

Two simple sentences joined by subordinate conjunctions are called complex sentences. The subordinate conjunction need not always be in the beginning of the sentence.

Make pairs and groups and find out some more simple, complex and compound sentences from the text.

Prepare a list of subordinating conjunctions.

Chapter 1.3 The Call of the Soil Brainstorming | Maharashtra Board English English 11th digest pdf

(A5) (i) Planting and growing more crops a year seems to be progress by normal standards; but the chapter makes a case against it. Give reasons.

Answer:
Definitely planting and growing more crops a year need to be the target of the farmers but that should not be done at the cost of health hazards due to spraying of chemicals on the plants, using hybrid seeds and most importantly, forgetting our own tradition. Progress is always welcome but it should go hand in hand with safety of health and environment, importance of tradition and sentiment and last but not the least care for the rich biodiversity of our land.

(ii) Describe in about 150 words your experience similar to the writer’s when you pursued something and reached your goal.

Answer:
I believe “A man without an aim is like a ship without a radar”. I have been taught from my childhood to set a goal for myself. The choice of my ambition was left to me only and I was never forced to do anything.

I had multiple interests like playing football, drawing / painting and also writing about my various experiences. I started writing blogs on different social topics of my interest as well as of my own experiences in multiple walks of life. Gradually, after getting positive responses to my blogs, I got the confidence of writing short stories which were quite well accepted too by my friends and relatives. That gave me immense faith to choose writing as my profession.

One day, I saw an advertisement of ‘Crossword’ bookstore asking young writers to take part in a story-writing competition. About forty stories will be published as a book titled “ I want to be an author” without thinking twice, I took part in the competition and the rest is history. Today, I am one of those forty-one young story-tellers.

(iii) The writer goes in search of an invaluable indigenous variety of seeds. List three reasons for the importance of keeping records of our indigenous agricultural practices.

Answer:
The reasons for the importance of keeping records of our indigenous agricultural practices are:
(i) (a) Reducing environmental stress by channelling water from mountain peaks to areas of demand and this practice has been going on for centuries.
(b) Using natural fertilizers made from cow dung, cow urine, evaporated cane juice of raw sugar and water to save sick plants. This practice has been mentioned in the vedas.
(ii) Traditional techniques like crop rotation, erosion prevention, systematic use of composts and manures lead to natural agricultural practices and promise better yields.
(iii) (a) Chemical fertilizers lead to degraded soil condition, deterioration in the health of quality of crops and livestock.
(b) Organic agriculture combined with tradition, innovation and science, benefits the health of the soil, people and the environment.

(iv) Write a blog in about 100 to 150 words on organic farming.

Answer:
Organic Farming – A Blessing or Curse

Early 20th century saw the birth of organic farming which is an alternative to agricultural system in reaction to rapidly changing farming practices. It encourages the use of naturally occurring substances and strictly prohibits synthetic substances. Organic farming allows organically made fertilizers like compost manure, green manure and bone meal manure. Though they do not stop the use of some naturally occurring pesticides but synthetic fertilizers and pesticides are strongly prohibited. They are in favour of techniques like crop rotation, biological pest control, mixed cropping and nurturing insect killers.

Organic farming methods are internationally regulated since it has proved advantageous for health and food safety, food security, soil fertility and most importantly sustainability and biodiversity. That is why, the demand for organic farming has been steadily growing and is being encouraged all over the world. Organic farmers believe that agriculture was practised for thousands of years without the use of chemicals. If it was possible then, nothing should be impossible now.

(v) Write a short paragraph in about 120 words, to be used as Counter-View for the following topic. ‘Buy a bigger cloth for your coat’. View Section:

(a) We cannot survive by the dictum ‘Cut your coat according to your cloth’ in today’s world.

(b) In the mordern world we should ‘Think Big’.

(c) Think of increasing your income instead of reducing your needs.

(d) We connot deny ourselves, what the new world offers us.

Answer:
Counter-view:
Today’s world is full of attractions. But we need to he careful about spending according to our means. We have to be prudent (wise) enough to save for the rainy days so that we don’t have to beg or borrow during emergency. It is, of course, essential to think big but at the same time over-ambition should not lead us to a point of no-return.

We should be well-aware of our capabilities and try to reach our goal judiciously instead of foolishly increasing our demands. We must make “slow but steady wins the race”, the motto of our life. Even if the new world has lots of offer, we must develop the quality of patience to wait for the right thing to come at the right time.

(vi) ‘Organic farming is the need of the time’. Write your views in favour and against the statment.

Answer:

1.3 The Call of the Soil Brainstorming

(vii) Appeal to your classmates to say ‘No to Junk Food’. Write an appeal to prefer organic food over junk food.

Answer:
Attention! Attention! Attention!

My Dear Friends

Do you know what you’re putting in your mouth? You surely know, you are what you eat.

I’m here to advise you not to use your stomach as a trash can! Please Say ‘No’ To Junk Food.
But, what is a junk food? They’re all your favourites – yes, they are ! French fries, chicken nuggets, nachos, taco burgers, chips, chocolates, pizzas, cakes – Ah! all are mouth-watering, aren’t they? But they are also slow-poisoning us everyday causing obesity, various liver diseases, diabetes, blood pressure at a very young age — the list is long but the choice is yours!

Remember: Healthy organic foods bless us but junk foods mess us. Junk food which is rich in calories, fat, sugar and salt are yummier, I do agree with you. But are you ready to take such a big risk of spoiling your health and youth? Eat fresh, local and seasonal food because ‘health is wealth’, my dear friends!

Friends, you must eat to live and not live to eat. Let’s all have a healthy mind in a healthy body. It is my call, your call – our call!

Chapter 1.3 The Call of the Soil Brainstorming | Maharashtra Board English English 11th digest pdf

(A6) Projects:

(i) Plant the seed of a flower or fruit of your choice in a pot or in your garden. Note its growth every day and maintain a diary recording its progress.

(ii) Find out more career opportunities in the field of agriculture, organic farming, sales, storage, distribution and marketing research.

Balbharati solutions Class 11th Chapter 1.3 The Call of the Soil 11th Questions and Answers [Important]

1. Find words related to agriculture,
Answer:
The words related to agriculture are:

foliage of moong
pods
crop
land
farming
plant
sow
season
seeds
tractor
plough
leaves
bloom
field
ground
pesticide
yield
chemicals
farm
harvest
fertile
hybrids
fertilizers
farmers
rice

2. The writer disagreed with Moru Dada because –
Answer:
The writer disagreed with Moru Dada because he suggested the use of some pesticides on the plants. The author was absolutely clear in his mind not to use any chemical which will be harmful for the soil, the plants and ultimately for human health. But for Moru Dada and his friends who were used to the conventional farming, this decision of the author was unthinkable.

3.The writer wanted to grow the traditional variety of rice because –
Answer:
1. It did not need very high variety of fertilizers
2. This variety is quite strong and is able to resist pests.

4. The write almost gave up hope of finding the desi variety of rice because –
Answer:
1. In spite of his regular visits to the villages around in search of a good desi variety, he was not successful,
2. Most of the farmers, especially the younger generation, in and around the village of Peth had switched over to hybrids and looked down upon the ‘desi’ variety, as they called the local scented variety of rice.

5. Mention the varieties of rice from the passage, “Most of the farmers…disappeared”
Answer:

Kasbai – local long-grained scented variety
Basmati – more aromatic than Kasbai
Hybrids – the latest craze of the farmers.

6. List ways in which the Government officer cooperated with the author.
Answer:
1. The agricultural officer felt that the villagers were fooling the author as they had no rice by the name ‘Kasbai’ and offered to give him some latest hybrid seeds free of cost for a trial.
2. The officer-in-charge of Adivasi Mahamandal at Kasa informed the author that he remembered buying Kasbai rice a few years ago.
3. The second gentleman definitely had more knowledge of rice which he shared with the author.

7. Find synonyms of the word ‘insipid’.
Answer:
The synonyms of ‘insipid’ are:

tasteless
flavourless
bland
Comprehension:

Maharashtra Board Solutions English Yuvakbharati Digest Chapter 1.3 The Call of the Soil Brainstorming

Read the extract and complete the activities given below.

Global Understanding:

1. Pick out the sentences that are true.
(i) The author thought that he would have some time to get familiar with farming.
(ii) Moru Dada was not at all sure about sowing moong in that season.
(iii) The moong seeds were brought from Gujarat.
(iv) The author did not own the land where he started farming.
Answer:
(i) True
(iii) True

2. State the advantages of the varieties as you find them in the extract.
Answer:

Variety Advantages
1. Hybrid varieties Short duration crop so can have two crops a year
2. Traditional Rice Good quality rice with alluring aroma

3. Match the pairs to complete the sentences / phrases in A with the alternatives in B.

‘A’ ‘B’
1. Tales of Kasbai (a) was enlightening
2. Visit to agricultural officer (b) made us more determined to get it
3. Ex-sarpanch (c) devu Handa
4. Hybrid (d) insipid
Answer:

‘A’ ‘B’
1. Tales of Kasbai (b) made us more determined to get it
2. Visit to agricultural officer (a) was enlightening
3. x-sarpanch (c) devu Handa
4. Hybrid (d) insipid

Maharashtra Board Solutions English Yuvakbharati Digest Chapter 1.3 The Call of the Soil Brainstorming

Say whether the following statements are true or false. Correct the false statement.

1. The old woman weighed 10 kg of rice and gave it to the author.
Answer:
False. The old woman did not have a weighing scale.

2. The author and his friend did not know the local dialect very well.
Answer:
True

3. The people at Boripada village were well-aware of the modern way of farming.
Answer:
False. The people at Boripada never heard of hybrids, fertilizers or pesticides.

4. The old woman was unhappy to get the price of the rice.
Answer:
False. She was very happy and nodded her head with a smile of approval.

Maharashtra Board Solutions English Yuvakbharati Digest Chapter 1.3 The Call of the Soil Brainstorming

Complex Factual:

1. Supply Information from the passage,
1. I stood in the middle of lush green field of _______ and _______ .
2. Around me were rows of _______ and below a dense _____ .
Answer:
1. Moong (green gram), looked around me
2. Chikoo trees, foliage of moong

2. Mention any two changes that have occurred in farming of rice.
Answer:
1. Most of the farmers in and around the village of Peth had switched over to hybrids.
2. Kasbai which is a traditional long grained rice variety with distinct aroma being a long duration crop is not preferred by the farmers.

3. Mention any two difficulties that the author faced in tracing Kasbai.
Answer:
1. The Agricultural officer didn’t know Kasbai existed. So he couldn’t help the author in procuring it.
2. He couldn’t get the seeds as farmers resorted to hybrid varieties which gave quick yield.

4. The only people who still grew Kasbai rice were –
Answer:
The adivasis in a hamlet at the foothills of the mountains in the village Asarvari.

5. Each year they had to increase the quantity of urea and pesticides as –
Answer:
The hybrid varieties had insatiable appetite for chemicals and fertilizers.

6. How was the old lady’s world unspoilt by progress?
Answer:
The old lady, who, according to the write, represents real people of India, holding on to the biodiversity of Indian land. They have been able to do this as they have never heard of hybrids, fertilizers or pesticides.

Maharashtra Board Solutions English Yuvakbharati Digest Chapter 1.3 The Call of the Soil Brainstorming

Inference / Interpretation / Analysis

1. Explain.
“I was grateful to have taken Moru’s advice”
Answer:
The author was not sure about planting moong in that season as he wanted to get familiar with the process of farming. But Moru Dada insisted that the season was right for planting moong seeds. He was right and the author was thankful for listening to his advice since he had a good harvest of moong.

Complete the following sentence.

1. The author decided to not plant hybrids because –
Answer:
The hybrid had given him low yield the previous year.

2. The seeds of Kasbai wasn’t easily available because –
Answer:
It is a long duration crop and farmers could grow two crops in that duration.

3. A visit to agricultural officer was not useful.
Answer:
The agricultural officer had not heard of the traditional long duration varieties of rice. He was aware of only the hybrid varieties that gave quick yield. So visiting the agricultural office was not useful.

4. People didn’t grow Kasbai.
Answer:
The market didn’t recognize Kasbai anymore as a variety of rice, it had lost its popularity. If they grew it they wouldn’t be able to sell it. So people didn’t grow it.

5. Write a small paragraph on the new shift to hybrid plants.
Answer:
With advent of irrigation farmers have resorted to new hybrid varieties of rice. The long duration crops are now replaced by short duration hybrids as they can plant two crops in one year. The traditional varieties have lost its existence as it requires more duration for its harvest and also will attract cattle for its pleasant aroma unlike the hybrid crops.

6. Interpret the statement: “It was difficult to keep a straight face …”
Answer:
The author was very happy to know that the old lady had Kasbai rice with her. He was unsuccessful in his search for this particular aromatic rice for months and suddenly this revelation from the old lady was very exciting for him. But he had to control his feeling since the lady had not given him the seed till then.

7. Guess why the old lady nodded her head in approval.
Answer:
The old lady did not have any clue how much to ask for a basketful of seeds which she had given to the writer. She, even did not have a weighing scale to know how much she had given. But the author gave her hundred rupees which probably she did not hope for. She happily accepted the money which might be unexpected but was definitely welcomed by her.

Maharashtra Board Solutions English Yuvakbharati Digest Chapter 1.3 The Call of the Soil Brainstorming

Personal Response

1. Name any two reasons for destruction of foliage in India today.
Answer:
Reason 1: The trees are cut to clear the land for construction of buildings.
Reason 2: The growing industries also demand deforestation.

2. Frame any four questions that you would ask a farmer if you interview him.
Answer:

What do you usually grow in your farm,
What are the challenges you face while pursuing farming as your sole occupation,
What do you do on a daily basis?
What sprays do you use?

3. Mention any four rice varieties that you have heard of.
Answer:
There are many varieties of rice in India. The most common types rice and parboiled rice. are white rice, basmati rice, emperor’s.

4. According to you how can we develop sustainability in Agriculture.
Answer:
The sustainability can be attained by the following practices.

Rotating crops
Planting cover crops
Applying integrated pest management
Embracing diversity

5. Why do you think, the author was grateful to the old lady who was ‘unspoilt by progress’?
Answer:
I think, progress has its pros and cons. It is true that we cannot sit idle when the world is progressing by leaps and bounds. But we need to recognise the adverse (ill) effects of ‘progress’ and keep them away as much as possible. That is why, the author was delighted to see the old lady who had carefully kept the tradition alive by preserving the seeds of Kasbai rice.

Maharashtra Board Solutions English Yuvakbharati Digest Chapter 1.3 The Call of the Soil Brainstorming

Language Study

1. The author thought that he would have some time for farming.
(Rewrite using the Infinitive of the underlined gerund)
Answer:
The author thought that he would have some time to farm.

2. I was trying to figure out how we should go about it.
(Place the modal auxiliary with another showing obligation)
Answer:
I was trying to figure out how we must go about it.

3. The hybrid had given him low yield the previous year.
Answer:
The hybrid had not given him high yield the previous year.

4. Kasbai is a traditional long grained rice variety.
Answer:
Kasbai is a traditional long grained rice variety, Isn’t it?

5. The entire area would have this heady aroma. (Rewrite in past perfect tense)
Answer:
The entire area had this heady aroma.

6. His eyes turned dreamy as he drifted to the past. (Make it compound sentence)
Answer:
His eyes turned dreamy and he drifted to the past.

7. “If my field alone has Kasbai it will be a treat for the cattle.” He explained
(Rewrite in reported speech)
Answer:
He explained that if his field alone had Kasbai it would be a treat for the cattle.

8. The only people who still grew it were the adivasis. (Rewrite removing ‘who’)
Answer:
Only the adivasis still grew it.

9. Her world was unspoilt by ‘Progress’.
Answer:
Progress did not spoil her world.

10. She nodded her head in approval.
Answer:
She nodded her head as she had approved.

Maharashtra Board Solutions English Yuvakbharati Digest Chapter 1.3 The Call of the Soil Brainstorming

Vocabulary

1. Match the words in column ‘A’ with their synonyms in column ‘B’.

Words (A) Synonyms (B)
1. Foliage (a) Careful
2. Gingerly (b) Moist
3. lush (c) Leaves of a tree
4. dump (d) Thick
Answer:

Words (A) Synonyms (B)
1. Foliage (c) Leaves of a tree
2. Gingerly (a) Careful
3. lush (d) Thick
4. dump (b) Moist

2. Write antonyms of the words from the given extract:

Appear
Wise
Short duration
Modern
Answer:

Disappear
Crazy
Long duration
Traditional
Question 3.
From one word for:
1. mixed varieties
2. a different type of something
Answer:
1. hybrids
2. aroma
3. variety

4. From the odd words from each group of words.

Reminisce, Remember, Think, Speak.
Mourn, Wail, Delight, Lament.
Appeasable, Insatiable, Satisfiable, Satiable.
City, Hamlet, Town, Village.
Answer:

Speak
Delight
Insatiable
City

5. Match the words in column ‘A’ with their synonyms in column ‘B’.

Column‘A’ Column ‘B’
(a) biodiversity 1. chemical used to kill harmful insects
(b) hybrid 2. plant food
(c) pesticide 3. existence of wide variety of plants and animals on earth
(d) fertilizers 4. mixed-breed
Answer:

Column‘A’ Column ‘B’
(a) biodiversity 3. existence of wide variety of plants and animals on earth
(b) hybrid 4. mixed-breed
(c) pesticide 1. chemical used to kill
(d) fertilizers 2. plant food

Maharashtra Board Solutions English Yuvakbharati Digest Chapter 1.3 The Call of the Soil Brainstorming

Grammar:

1. Find out some simple, complex and compound sentences from the text.
Answer:
(i) Simple Sentences

At that point, I could not have asked for anything more.
Moru Dada rented his tractor to plough the land.
We started to look for a good variety of traditional rice.
The officer-in-charge here had more knowledge of rice.
(ii) Complex Sentences

Kasbai is a traditional long-grained rice variety which has a distinct aroma.
My bare feet were muddy as I walked around gingerly.
We were clear that we would not use any chemicals.
Even when there were flash floods in the sixties, Kasbai had stood its ground.
(iii) Compound Sentences.

They just grew their rice and ate what they got.
It was just before sunrise and the sky was turning a bright orange.
I made a quick trip to Surat and bought around 10 kilograms of moong.
Nature did her job and she needed no bribes.

2. List of subordinating conjunctions.
Answer:
All wh-words like, who, what, when, whom, where, why, how though / although unless since, as, that, because, while, whereas before, whichever, whoever, after, etc., are subordinating conjunctions.

Maharashtra Board Solutions English Yuvakbharati Digest Chapter 1.3 The Call of the Soil Brainstorming

Glossary:

lush – dense / thick
damp – wettish / moist
dense – thickest
pods – shells
exhilarated – very happy
plough – cultivate
thrilled – excited
hibiscus – a type of flower
yield – amount produced
convincing – persuasive
fertile – productive / rich
morale – confidence
booster – uplift / encouragement
hybrids – mixed breeds
aroma – scent / smell
pleasantries – polite talks
tremble – shiver / shake
alluring – attractive / fascinating
fall in line (phr) – agree
rued – regretted bitterly
hamlet – small village
ditches – watercourses / canals /drains
scrambling – climbing / moving with difficulty
gravels – pebbles / stones
wrinkled – covered with lines
muttered – whispered/spoke in an undertone
scowled – looked angrily
nestling – naturally / pleasantly located house
hustle and bustle (phr) – excited activities
biodiversity – all the varieties of life on earth, their communities
habitat fuzz – a soft covering

Chapter 1.3 The Call of the Soil 11th [Class 11 English Textbook]

Venkateshwaran (Venkat) Iyer : Born in 1966, Venkateshwaran (Venkat) Iyer is a science graduate and a certified project management professional. He last worked with IBM in Mumbai as a project manager for software implementation. After seventeen years in the IT industry, he quit in 2004 to live on his organic farm in Peth village in Dahanu Taluka, Palghar District, Maharashtra. His book ‘Moong over Microchips’ traces his transition from techie to farmer, over a period of 15 to 17 years. “It was not a career change, but a life style change I was looking for,” he says about his decision to shift to the quieter environs of a village. He insisted on practising organic farming from the outset. He was resolute inspite of numerous challenges which he faced. Today not only does he deliver lectures on organic farming, but also has joined hands with organic farmers and NGOs working in the organic field to propagate organic farming to “ensure that the land at least is not ravaged while they try to make a living out of agriculture.”

The Call of the Soil

A Scent of Rice

The First Crop It was April 2004. I stood in the middle of the lush green field of moong (green gram) and looked around me. It was just before sunrise and the sky was turning a bright orange. The ground was damp and the leaves were shining with dew. My bare feet were muddy as I walked around gingerly, inspecting the plants.

Around me were rows of chikoo trees and below a dense foliage of moong. At that point, I could not have asked for anything more. The moong plants, not more than two feet tall, had green pods hanging out. The pods were not yet ripe and there was a light fuzz growing on them. There was still some time before the harvest. I felt exhilarated.

I stood watching the sun rise above the towering trees across the fence and slowly made my way back to the house, a white structure in the middle of this greenery. I could not believe that I was the owner of this land and that I was looking at my first crop as a farmer. After I had paid the advance money for the land, I thought I would have some time to get familiar with farming. But Moru Dada, the broker who got us the land, had other ideas. He was keen that we plant moong at once. I was not prepared for this. I was still reading books and trying to figure out what we could sow and how we should go about it. Moru Dada was quite firm. He said the season was right for sowing moong and the best seeds were available in Surat in the adjacent state of Gujarat.

I made a quick trip to Surat and bought around 10 kilograms of moong. Moru Dada rented his tractor to plough the land and quickly planted moong all over the place.

A few days later, we were overjoyed to see tiny green leaves. I had never seen moong growing before and was thrilled at the sight. It was the same thrill I had felt as a young boy when I saw the first of the hibiscus I had planted bloom at the Railway Quarters in Vile Parle in Mumbai. I was grateful to have taken Moru’s advice.

The next thing Moru Dada wanted to do was spray some pesticide on the plants. He claimed that it would give a higher yield. This was something we did not want to do. We were clear that we would not use any chemicals and tried to explain it to him. He reacted as if we had suggested hara-kiri. It took a lot of convincing to ensure that Moru Dada and his friends did not use any chemicals on the farm. They refused to understand how crops could grow without sprays.

Contrary to what everyone had told us, nature did her job and she needed no bribes to get the work done. Soon it was harvest time and we managed a respectable 300 kilograms. An awful lot of moong and with it a lot of confidence. Now I was certain the land was fertile and that it was possible to grow crops without chemicals. It was a major morale booster.

The Scent of Rice The first year I was late for the rice-sowing season and had to resort to growing the GR4 variety that was short term and recommended by the agricultural officers at Kosbad. The next year we decided that we would start early and try to find some good traditional variety of rice to grow. We had read about traditional varieties of rice and knew that they did not require very high inputs of fertilizers. These varieties were also quite strong and resisted pests. We were sure that it was this type of rice that would grow well in our farm where we did not use any chemicals at all. Our previous year’s experience and low yield had taught us a lesson and we were sure we would not plant hybrids this year.

In April 2005, we started to look for a good variety of traditional rice. It was one of our neighbours in the village, a businessman from Mumbai who owned land, who suggested that we plant a local scented variety of rice. Most of the farmers in and around the village of Peth had switched over to hybrids. The younger generation of farmers thought I was crazy to ask for the ‘desi’ variety, as they called it. My regular visits to the villages around searching for a good traditional variety also did not yield any results and we were almost giving up hope.

I decided to give it one last try and spoke to Baban’s father and some other elders. After many meaningful conversations, they mentioned the name of Kasbai.

Kasbai is a traditional long-grained rice variety which has a distinct aroma, though much milder than Basmati. It’s a long-duration crop and most of the older people remembered growing it years ago. But they all shook their heads when I asked them about the seeds and told me that it had ‘disappeared’.

The tales of Kasbai made us more determined to get it. We decided that if we did manage to get some seeds this would be a great rice to grow. I thought the government may know something about it. A visit to the agricultural officer was enlightening. He had not even heard of this rice variety. He said the villagers were taking me for a ride and there was no rice by This time it was the Adivasi Mahamandal at Kasa which buys rice from the Adivasi villagers on behalf of the government. Kasbai did not figure in their files. A good indication why people did not grow it any more. The market itself did not recognize the rice, so if you grew it you would not be able to sell it. However, the officer incharge here had more knowledge of rice and did remember Kasbai being sold to him a few years ago. So when I in Dhanivari, Baban and I started looking for Devu Handa and found a greying old man wearing a cap, sitting outside his house on a charpoy. An ex-sarpanch of the village, he had acres of land, a huge house and a large family. After exchanging the usual pleasantries we came to the topic of Kasbai. The mere mention of Kasbai and Devu Handa drifted into the past. His eyes turned dreamy and with a tremble in his voice he told us how the entire village at one time grew only Kasbai. He said, “There was a time when people passing our village during lunchtime would be forced to stop and ask for a meal. Such was the alluring aroma of Kasbai.” The entire area would have this heady aroma hanging in the air as all the houses cooked the same rice. Today, he said, no one grew Kasbai and everyone had shifted to growing the new hybrid varieties. He claimed he had to force himself to eat this rice that was so insipid! With the advent of irrigation, farmers were tempted to grow a second crop and Kasbai, being a longduration rice, was replaced by the shorter duration hybrids so that the harvest could be done earlier. This ensured that the farmers could take up a second crop. I asked why he had shifted if he was so unhappy with the hybrids. No one forced him to, did they? He smiled and replied that their fields did not have fences and once the harvest was over the cattle were released into the fields. ‘If my field alone has Kasbai it will be a treat for the cattle,’ he explained.

‘Sometimes, we have to fall in line with the community,’ he lamented. Hybrids need more water, fertilizers and pesticides. He said that yields were good initially but of late, had reduced a lot. Besides he said that each year they had to increase the quantity of urea and pesticides they used. It was as if the newer hybrids had an insatiable appetite for chemicals. He told us that even when there were flash floods in the sixties, Kasbai had stood its ground. He fondly remembered how the rice was still standing when they all returned to the village after the floods had receded. ‘Such was the strength of the rice. But look what we have done,’ he rued.

As he went on reminiscing about the rice, we gently guided him back to the reason for our visit, the Kasbai seeds. He was sure that there was not a single villager in his area who would have the seeds of Kasbai. According to him, the only people who still grew it were the Adivasis in a hamlet at the foothills of the mountains in the next village Asarvari. We bid farewell to Devu Handa who lovingly blessed us and said, ‘Mahalaxmi, the local Goddess, will give you the seeds of Kasbai.’

In Asarvari village, we asked the sarpanch to help us as we were not very fluent with the local dialect. He sent his assistant Jeevan with us into the hills. After a half-hour walk through thick vegetation, crossing numerous streams and ditches and scrambling over rocks and gravel, we reached the sleepy hamlet of Boripada. There were just two ramshackle houses in front of us and we wondered if this was the right place. A wrinkled old woman sitting before one of the houses looked at us with curiosity. As we approached her we signalled to Jeevan to ask the crucial question. She muttered in reply and we looked at Jeevan for a quick interpretation. He broke into a smile and informed us that she did have the rice and wanted to know who we were and why we wanted it.

It was a difficult task to keep a straight face and I had to control a strong desire to hug her. After searching for months, we had found the elusive Kasbai. We explained to her that we were from Peth nearby and we needed the seeds to grow it. We asked for 10 kilograms of rice. She muttered and scowled. Jeevan interpreted that she had never heard of Peth village and also did not have a weighing scale. She was willing to give the seeds only in baskets. We asked for a single basket of rice and Jeevan told us to pay her something. I handed over a 100-rupee note and for the first time in the last ten minutes, her face broke into a smile. She nodded her head in approval.

As we walked back, against the fading sunset, leaving behind a smiling old lady, I couldn’t help but wonder that here, nestling in the foothills of an unknown mountain away from the hustle and bustle of the road or the city, were the real people of India. These were the people who still held on to the rich biodiversity of our land and no one even cared about them. They had never heard of hybrids, fertilizers or pesticides. They just grew their rice and ate what they got. The old lady we met had probably never left Boripada. Her world was unspoilt by ‘progress’. And for once I was grateful for that.

निष्कर्ष

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