The sight of sunset from the beautiful paddy field, the burgundy paddy juxtaposed within the myriad shades of green truly takes your breath away. Imagine growing food, and above that creating beauty- paddy art!
Growing paddy organically requires commitment and passion, a marriage of science and art in the crucible of patience. And the farmer amidst that creates art, stopping people in their tracks. Admired, watched, photographed, the field displays this ephemeral art till the paddy grows and the lines are blurred and the plants fall over & then harvested. The artist, farmer, the teacher creates it again next year.
He does it to bring paddy back into people’s consciousness, to wake us up to its beauty. Everything in nature is ephemeral…And to connect with food, farmer, seasons and nature have to be one of most illuminating acts.
This paddy art was created by organic farmer Johnson mash (honorific for teachers). Mash teaches underprivileged children in his paddy field in Wayanad.
Paddy art originated in Japan when farmers in the Inakadate prefecture created the first art piece in 1993 with different coloured paddy to get people interested in paddy again. This was to commemorate the 2000 year history of paddy cultivation in the village and to revitalize the dying village. Over the years it has become an annual ritual with fields featuring elaborate scenes with diff coloured paddy.
Every time you buy from Bio Basics, you support such wonderful farmers! Interested in some of the Wayanad rices? Check out the link below-
