Patna,(BiharTimes): Marking the end of the month long harvesting of the Organic Rice, Tarumitra students from five large schools gathered to celebrate a Threshing Festival in Digha. Cultivating Organic rice varieties of Mirchaiya, Manipuri and Jhilli for the second consecutive year, the students sent a message of change to the countless farmers of the State known as a Rice Granary of the country.

Hundreds of students who participated in the festival shouted slogans like Jaivik Khethi Zindabad as they carried the sheaves from the field to the threshing grounds. Each group vied with one another to thresh more bundles of grains in the process. Richa Kumari of May Flower said that it was her first experience of threshing in a farm, “It was so much fun! All of us enjoyed the work. It was my maiden rendezvous with organic cultivation!” said Richa.

A.K Mishra, the teacher who accompanied the students said he was taking a walk home back to his childhood. Another teacher from Government Girls’ Digha Meena Kumari agreed with him and said she was sad that only 25 students had the luck to participate in the memorable event.

The Co-ordinator of the Organic Farming, Ms Molomoo from Darjeeling explained the many steps the students took to control the pests. Avoiding any use of pesticides, she got dry branches oftrees planted all over the field to attract the Drongo birds which ate up the many insects and thus controlled the pests.

“The many visiting students who used the specially constructed Ecosan toilets probably did not know that they were adding manure to the fields!” said George Lakra who assisted Ms Molomoo in the farm. Students from schools also helped out many a time to collect dry leaves to dump in the fields to increase its fertility.

Another farmer on the team, Kanchan Kumar Pathak told the students as how the dry hard mud of the rice filed has changed into soft and tender in a period of two years. The celebration concluded with plateful of freshly made chura “flattened rice” with coconut and jagiri.

Student groups from May Flower, Govt. Girls, Mother India mission, Gyanjyoti, Govt Middle and Don Bosco Academy participated the festival today. Present also were Prof. Vijay Yadav, Brajesh Kumar, Anuradha, D.N Prasad and Lalita Devi.