Trust: A Heartbreaking Tale of a Farmer’s Undying Hope

Shailendra Bhatia (Officer of the Indian Administrative Service)

The sand-filled banks of the Rapti river and their vast expanse looked like heaps of dry clouds in the far distance. It was a scorching afternoon in the month of Jeth; mirages appeared in rhythm and then vanished in rhythm, a cycle that repeated continuously. Ramgarh was just like any other riverbank village, where scars of flood damage were visible here and there. It was a traditional flood-prone village in eastern Uttar Pradesh. Ram Bharose was a farmer from Ramgarh. He was walking along a parallel footpath at the bottom of the embankment that connected Ramgarh to the town. He looked sometimes at the river, which appeared like a thin, zigzag black line narrowed by the sands, and sometimes at the embankment standing to his right. This footpath would also disappear with the floods and then rejuvenate with the footsteps of people like Ram Bharose. This cycle had also been going on for years. As he walked, Ram Bharose would look at the embankment, take a deep breath, mutter something, and then suddenly his pace would quicken; this continued incessantly. The dam he was looking at was not in line with the vision conceptualized in the Five-Year Plan, but it was certainly an example of democratic effort. Often in the month of August, showing kindness, this dam would give way to the flow of the Rapti river, and the entire Ramgarh would be surrounded by floods and marooned. Floods come to India, but they also leave gracefully; there are no instances of floods staying forever. Floods make the land fertile, bring new soil, expand the delta, naturally develop the irrigation department's engineers, place boulders and fences on the broken dam, fully utilize the government budget, and increase the chances of the dam breaking at another spot the following year. But from the floods, the Lekhpal records the names of people like Ram Bharose in the list of affected families. This process has been going on for many years, or rather, ever since the dam was built. The river, the dam, and Ramgarh had been meeting each other for years, cooperating in this manner.

Ram Bharose's brisk pace finally halted at the broken dam due to the pacing of engineers. It is a strange irony; the government makes flood relief plans every year. From the animal husbandry department to revenue, irrigation, health, PWD, etc., responsibility and budget are allocated with the anticipation that floods will come, so all preventive preparations should be completed beforehand and the budget should be utilized. But sometimes, during the golden month of the financial year, March, the withdrawal of the budget reveals that preventive measures against floods were indeed undertaken by the departments. Walking along, Ram Bharose reached near the broken dam where he anticipated the arrival of the irrigation department engineer. Stopping short, Ram Bharose said to the engineer, "Sahab, what is the matter after all? Is this a dam or a papaya tree? It breaks again and again without any reason. Do you know, last year's flood swallowed four large clay pots of grain, half of my house which was mud-built collapsed, and everything I had was washed away. With great difficulty, Budhni and I managed to survive, stayed in the Junior High School camp for four days, and only then did the water recede from the house. The Lekhpal sahab wrote down everything and took it, but the check hasn't been received yet. Met him one day, and he said it will be distributed during the Minister ji's program one day."

The engineer sahab said, "Ram Bharose, there is a deficiency in the soil of the dam, there is a deficiency in the flow of the river, there is a deficiency in the destiny of Ramgarh, that is why the dam breaks."

Interrupting in between, Ram Bharose said, "A farmer has no destiny, sahab. He gets ruined again and again. But he can never separate himself from his soil. This soil makes him stand up time and again. The grains of food that grow from the union of body sweat and soil are what satisfy your hunger, and that is due to the hard work of these very destiny-less hands. We are doing what we can, but what about you?"

After stopping for a few moments, Ram Bharose spoke again, "Now you tell me, have you come in the month of Jeth to repair the broken dam? Couldn't you have come earlier?" The engineer sahab said, "The government creates the budget, then the budget is passed in the legislature. The budget does not come on its own, one has to go to get the budget, only then does the budget slowly move from the headquarters. After being distributed across the entire district with great difficulty, it has reached Ramgarh. That is why we could come in Jeth for the dam repair. We had to work very hard to reach here."

Ram Bharose said, "Not a penny's worth of work has happened on the ground, and you are saying you had to work very hard."

The engineer sahab said, "Now you tell me, the Lekhpal hasn't given you the check yet, why?"

Ram Bharose said, "Does it mean there is no budget?" The engineer sahab replied, "You understood correctly."

Ram Bharose said, "Sahab, you don't know, votes and elections make all this happen. If it weren't for the votes, the Lekhpal would have given the check long ago. Now don't make me open my mouth. I know everything. Development happens only at the time of votes, relief happens only at the time of votes."

Let me tell you one more thing—

"No one is greater than the public in a democracy, yet the public becomes the smallest."

This time the engineer remained silent. While leaving, Ram Bharose said, "Sahab, if the dam breaks this time, I will break. I don't know anything about budget-wujet. For God's sake, do something."

The engineer sahab remained speechless. A farmer's few light words felt very heavy. Remaining silent, he nodded his head.

Ram Bharose looked at the engineer, folded his hands in respect without speaking, and left for Ramgarh.

Ram Bharose had walked only ten steps when the heavy voice of the engineer sahab came from behind, "Ram Bharose, have faith in me this time, the dam will not break."

Ram Bharose turned, smiled gently, and folded his hands again. Ram Bharose's smile was like the smile of Buddha. It had a lightning-like effect on the engineer sahab. The engineer sahab, who was earlier inspecting only as a formality, now began to inspect in reality. He started calling out to the laborers, supervisors, and foremen. Now he truly engaged in the repair of the dam.

Words that pierce yield results. If they have a positive rhythm, they act as an inspiration. If they have a negative rhythm, they cause conflict. Valmiki and Mahabharata are examples of this. Floods came in August this year, but the dam did not break. Walking slowly on the dam, Ram Bharose was looking at the river, the dam, and Ramgarh. Muttering softly and talking to himself, he said, "The destiny of these three was indeed bad until now. Now I have faith, it will not be bad anymore."

Evening had fallen, the river was joyfully making ripples against the dam, and amidst a light drizzle, Ram Bharose, placing his traditional towel on his head, started walking towards Ramgarh... carrying trust.