M A I N   N E W S

Drought-hit migrate to Punjab, Haryana
From Gurpreet Singh and Raman Mohan
Tribune News Service

ABOHAR, April 25 — Shepherds along with their cattle have begun migrating to Punjab and Haryana from the neighbouring Rajasthan which has been hit by a severe drought.

Water and fodder scarcity has forced many poverty-stricken shepherds to migrate to parts of Abohar in Punjab. A few shepherds are roaming along Sito Road here in search of pastures for their cattle.

Most of them are Muslims from Phauladi tehsil in Jodhpur district of Rajasthan, they began migrating to this part of the state some 15 to 20 days back. Although locals say they frequent Abohar whenever there is inadequate rainfall in Rajasthan, this time they are camping here in large numbers. With no early end to the drought in sight, more shepherds are expected to arrive here.

Speaking to TNS, most of these shepherds, found roaming near Kala Tibba, Sukhchain and Raipura villages, said they had come in search of water and fodder for their cattle, leaving behind womenfolk and children.

Allah Baksh, who has arrived here with over 1,000 sheeps and his companions, said their village wells had dried up and so had small drains. “There is no green fodder. It is for the survival of our sheep that we have left our wives back home”, he said.

Allah Baksh said Jodhpur villages were reeling under a grave water crisis and the people were forced to purchase water. He said they had boarded trucks to reach this part of Punjab. Although their sheep and ponies had enough shrubs and leaves to eat, the shepherds were virtually living at the mercy of the local people for food.

They often lent their sheep to local landlords for harvesting and in return got flour for food. As it was popularly believed that sheep excreta could be a substitute for fertilisers, the landlords were only willing to offer them flour in return for this obligation.

“Some of the shepherds have been forced to sell their sheep for money to buy food”, Wali Mohammad, another shepherd, lamented.

“We are forced to sleep in the open”, Adreem, a teenaged shepherd, said. A large number of shepherds from Rajasthan were expected to reach here in the next few days, he told TNS.

HISAR: Several districts of Haryana bordering Rajasthan are witnessing a sudden influx of refugees of a different kind — famished cattle from the drought-hit neighbouring state.

The herds include besides cows, oxen, calves, goats, and often a couple of sheep dogs and camels. Giving them company are men and women, both old and young, and even children who walk alongside with small sticks in their hands. They can be seen on all important highways grazing along roadside and drinking water wherever available.

The animals and their human companions have a strong bond that holds them together — they all face an uncertain future, hunger and thirst. The worst drought of the century has driven them all out of their homes in the parched lands of Rajasthan. And the land of the Mahabharata has thrown its doors open to them.

Resham Singh, who hails from a sleepy hamlet in Bikaner district, heads a family of 102 members, which entered Haryana two days ago. It includes his wife, two daughters, three sons, two brothers and 93 animals — 46 cows, 34 calves, nine goats and four dogs.

He said though the situation in his district was better than that prevailing in Jaisalmer, Jalore and Barmer districts, yet there was not enough food and water for them in their village or nearby areas. He had decided to leave for greener pastures of Haryana before the situation worsened further.

“These dumb animals are my only source of livelihood. If I lose them, I lose my bread and butter. So we don’t mind walking along with them. After all we are all family members. We live and die together”, he said.

He said their village was situated in the midst of sanddunes where gram alone could be grown provided it rained. “For two years, there had been no rains. So, there was no crop. All foodgrain and fodder stocked in the house was exhausted. Then the well — the only source of drinking water — dried up too, forcing me to take to the road”, he explained.

His is not the only family which has left home. In fact, hundreds of such families are on the move entering Haryana from all sides — Hisar, Sirsa, Bhiwani and Narnaul. But why Haryana? “Haryanvis understand us more than any other society. After all for generations they went through what we continue to face year after year. Haryanvis were lucky, the Bhakra canal changed the face of the desert here. But they have not forgotten their past. So, we don’t feel like outsiders here”, he said.

How long will he continue to stalk the roads? “When the rains come, we will begin the trek back home and that means another 100 days if we are lucky. Who knows whether there will be rain back home? But God will surely not be that unkind for the third year in a row”, he added wistfully.

Haryanvis may be hospitable to them, but that does not make life any easier for these migrants — men as well as animals. They have to halt their trek everyday from noon to sunset because of the scorching heat. They resume their journey a little after sunset and walk till well past the midnight. There is enough grass along the roads to keep the animals alive. The animals can also drink from the village ponds.

But what about Resham Singh and his family? They earn their food on the way. Many cows still give milk. They sell it to milkmen on the roadside. That ensures that they can buy their day’s requirement of flour. The chapatis are cooked on the roadside on a makeshift “chulha”. Wood collected from the roadside suffices as fuel. The chapatis are eaten with salt and onion. At times, farmers carrying vegetables to nearby mandis give some to them. That comes as an unexpected feast.

But, milk yield declines as the herd treks its way through the summer and drought. As time goes by, there will hardly be any milk to sell. What will happen then? It will be time to sell the goats. The money will help the family scrape through for a few more days.

Mahawar Singh’s family has come here from a village near Laxmangarh. At 55, it is not easy for him to keep on his toes. But that he says is better than staying put in the village and starving to death. “We come from a deprived land. Life has taught us to make do with whatever little is available,” he says.

But his 10-year-old grandson Jalawar Singh loves the trek — at least for now. “It’s great fun. There are so many canals on the way. Whenever I feel hot, I just jump into the waters. Back home, bath is something you don’t have often”, he says. A six-month-old mongrel he has for company appears to agree with him as he follows his little master into a canal on the outskirts of the town.

Where will these families go from here? There is no fixed route for them. They just live life by the hour — under a tree during the day and under the moon in the night. They will wander in Haryana till the raingod smiles on their village in the desert.