Editor,
Turmeric lovers all over the world owe a debt of gratitude to Trinity Saioo whose name has become synonymous with turmeric in India. Lakadong turmeric grown indigenously in the Jaintia hills of Meghalaya, is believed to be the gold standard in commercially sold turmeric. Lakadong Turmeric owes its genesis to Ms Trinity Saioo but the story of Lakadong turmeric is also the story of a group of impoverished women coming together to create a sustainable economy for themselves through farming.
Trinity Saioo is from Mullieh Village, West Jaintia Hills District, Meghalaya. She initially started farming to support her family. In addition to being part time farmer, she is also a teacher at a village school in her district. Initially it was a Lakachin variety of turmeric that was grown in Mullieh Village. However, when Saioo came to know of a much superior quality of turmeric i.e. Lakadong turmeric, she started putting more effort in creating awareness among the farmers of the importance of cultivating this particular variety. And in 2003 , this Lakadong turmeric variety got a boost through the subsidies received under the Spices Board. The Spice Board of India made a major contribution in helping her to educate , preserve and promote the growth and cultivation of turmeric in the region through the provision of training programs, seminars, study tours etc. Presently, she is also a member of the Spices Board since 2013 till date. Trinity Saioo realized that to attain a profitable income from turmeric, she had to engage the women of the village in the grading , processing of turmeric and eventually through the subsidies received under the Spice Board it led to better marketing of Lakadong turmeric. And today because of her there are about 100 self-help groups associated with the life spice federation led by Saioo. She also holds the post of Assistant General Secretary for the Spice Federation and she was honoured with the excellence in Horticulture award by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. The Government of India also honoured her with the Padma Shri in 2020 for leading in turmeric farming
Thanking you
Yours etc.,
Larimon Shylla
Is Father’s Day a significant occasion?
Editor,
On every third Sunday of June the whole world commemorates ‘Father’s Day’. To have a perfect father is impossible but having a caring and loving one is a blessing. For all these years I’ve keenly observed how we solemnise this day. To my dismay I’ve likely found the same thing being repeated over and over. again. The result is that the face of our fathers in the family is always put behind the curtain. Our fathers or perhaps men lose their respect from their own kids and their kith and kins. We tend to neglect their sacrifices and hard-work. Does it happen because of our matrilineal customs and practices?
How sad and pathetic it is when Women’s Day or Mother’s Day comes the entire community and society observes the day animatedly. Even the churches do so. On Mother’s Day most of us would proudly put statuses about our mothers and stories to share about our mother’s love. However, with regards to our fathers and men in general we tend not to even know what the day is about! The fact is that we as a family and society lack respect for men. The idioms that label men as ‘khat-ar bor’ v/s the ‘shi bor’ (power of twelve versus power of one) are sometimes unpleasant too. As society we fail to recognise that men too have their weaknesses and the mental and emotional disturbances they would be going through. Often that is the reason that they fall prey to alcohol, substance abuse and more.
My intention is to convey that we as society must learn to understand the weak moments of men and the sacrifices that our fathers have made. We must stand for gender equality. Henceforth let’s give a big shout out to our fathers out there who are responsible and respectful, and who had always given their best in every aspect of their roles as fathers.
Yours etc.,
Aiban B Nongrum,
Via email
Mother’s Day?
Editor,
We widely celebrate the occasion of Mother’s Day on the 2nd Sunday of the month of May every year. This day denotes the importance of being a mother and the supreme love, sacrifice and contribution she makes for her children, to firstly bring them into this world and then for their upbringing and well- being. But as we blindly celebrate Mother’s Day so fondly with photographs, selfies, day outs, competitions, gifts, events, social media posts and so on, should we also not introspect and question the very concept of “Mother’s Day?”
How can we as children have the audacity to observe just one day in 365 days as Mother’s Day, while we have always been at the receiving end of her divine love for each and every moment of our lives? A mother becomes a mother the day she is told that she is pregnant. Immediately there is a paradigm shift in her life as she happily sacrifices all her personal aspirations which she dreamt to become right from her early childhood as she now embraces the era of motherhood in the larger interest of her family. Some mothers are not even able to pursue and resume their professional careers with the same intensity as their primary responsibility is the best upbringing for their kids. She might get a lot of appreciation from her family for that sacrifice but can any amount of appreciation in this world buy her those golden years which she has unilaterally dedicated to motherhood? Despite all of this, she continues to dedicate every bit of her life for her children through their lifetime and I believe even after that.
Hence if we are blessed with that Godly figure whom we call as our Mother whether or not she lives with us, do we have the courage to wish her “Happy Mother’s Day” on just one particular day of the year? If there is no Universal God’s Day in this world, there cannot be a Mother’s Day too.
Yours etc.,
Raghav Bajaj,
Via email