Mehboob Saithu, who is my neighbor, is a successful rice farmer. He produces around 50 tons of rice each year. Through his initiative, some uncultivated farms have been brought under cultivation. Here is an excerpt from an interview I had with him.
Interviewer: Mr. Mehboob, please tell us something about yourself.
Interviewee:
You already know my name. My parents are Mr. Saithu and Mrs. Khadeeja. I am married and I have two children, a boy and a girl. My wife Kunjumol is a homemaker and she supports me in all my farming activities. My son is a student in Singapore, doing a degree in sound engineering and my daughter is studying for her MBA.
Interviewer: What are your educational qualifications?
Interviewee: I have only completed my Pre Degree Course. I was very reluctant to join college, although my father wanted m%Jo study further. But I refused to go to college. Instead, I started helping him in his electrical shop. The shop was running reasonably well at that time. I had a nice time in the shop as I could make some money for my needs.
Interviewer: Then how did you become a farmer?
Interviewee: I had an inborn desire to be a farmer. I love watching plants grow and produce. We had some fields which were not cultivated because my father thought agriculture was a loss because of high labour cost and low returns. Soon my father became very sick and a lot of money had to be spent on him. He was treated in different hospitals. As I was going round taking care of him, there was no proper supervision in the shop and slowly the business was running at a loss and those who bought things on credit did not pay up. The shop had to be closed down in due course. It was then that I turned my attention to farming.
Interviewer: Are you happy with farming?
Interviewee: It is a difficult question to answer. Indian agriculture, as you know, is a gamble on monsoons. A good harvest depends on many factors. Once we sow the seeds till the harvest is marketed we are worried. Questions like ‘Will there be enough rain?’, ‘Will there be too much rain?’ etc. keep worrying us. But once the harvest is in the barn, we are happy. On the whole, I would say I am happy. I am able to produce food for others. I am able to give jobs to many people and this way I am doing my part for the development of the nation.
Interviewer? What are your future plans?
Interviewee: I am not a very ambitious man. Soon my daughter will complete her MBA. I have to get her married. My son will have his engineering degree and he will have, hopefully, a good job. Then he too should get married. Then it would be time for me to rest a little and spend my time with my grand children. I hope, Insha Allah, to succeed in my plans.
Interviewer: Thank you Mr. Mehboob for talking to me.
Interviewee: Thank you, too!