MARGAO
Rachol seminarians kept their annual date with nature as they all descended in the paddy fields along with people from the neighbouring villages for the paddy sowing operation on Tuesday.
The seminarians joined hands with the youth and people from the villages of Rachol, Shiroda, and Arossim, besides Borda as they went about sowing paddy manually in the sprawling fields at the seminary.
Fr Jolison Fernandes, Administrator of Rachol Seminary looking after fields and estate, said God has given the gift of lush green fields at the seminary which are being cultivated annually by the seminarians with the help and assistance of people from the surrounding villages.
“We feel happy that the fields are being cultivated with a spirit of togetherness as the people have joined the seminarians in the sowing operation,” he said.
He added: “Though modern techniques have been adopted in agricultural cultivation, we continue to adopt the traditional mode so that the younger generation can see the traditional way of agriculture, the system of sowing manually and how the entire operation is executed by following certain norms while transplanting the paddy.”
Fr Jolison said the paddy yield helps to sustain the seminarians throughout the year, adding that the surplus rice is sold in the market. “We keep the yield for our consumption and the surplus is sold in the market,” he added.
Crispiano Fernandes echoed similar sentiments when he pointed out that agricultural activity is being carried out at the Rachol seminary in a traditional way. “After the paddy is harvested in October-November, we go for the cultivation of a local variety of vegetables. We also grow fruits such as pineapples and papayas in these fields. At the Rachol seminary, the seminarians not only study and pray, but they join hands to cultivate the fields,” he said while sending a message to Goans to wake up and bring all fallow agricultural fields under cultivation and protect the heritage handed down by the ancestors.
Benny Fernandes, studying third-year theology at the Seminary said he has been involved in cultivating the fields at the Rachol seminary since the time he was studying in Std. IX. “I loved to work in the fields since my childhood days. After joining the seminary, I continued to work in the fields”, he said.
