Tehri crowns its ‘fodder queen’

AKHORI: As far back as Vimla Devi from Chilyal village in Tehri district could remember, she had followed the routine every day - Quietly slipping out of bed at 5am every day, while the rest of the family remained in deep slumber, and navigating the treacherous forests to cut grass for fodder. The daily ritual earned the 40-year-old much praise and admiration on Thursday, when she was announced the ‘fodder queen’ in a contest held at Akhori village in Tehri.
The tiny hamlet transformed into a battleground as armed with sickles and wilful determination, sturdily-built women vying for the ‘Ghasyari (grass cutter)-Best Ecologist’ award were seen trudging with stacks of hay. The frenzied beating of drums in the background seemed to mirror the state of mind of the participants. The stakes were high, with the winner poised to get Rs 1 lakh and a crown of silver. To reach this stage of the competition was no mean feat. The 31 finalists had competed with over 2,000 women from 250 villages. To win the coveted prize, women had to cut maximum quantity of grass in two minutes, earning 10 points for each kilogram of fodder collected.
“I did not have a strategy for this. It is something that I have done all my life,” said Vimla Devi after she managed to collect 4.1 kg of fodder and bag the award. Adjusting the crown of gleaming silver, which weighed all of 160g, on her head, she said, “I will use the cheque of Rs 1 lakh that I received for medical treatment for my husband who works at a hotel in Chandigarh.”
The women were judged on several parameters. The participants were awarded points for quality of fodder collected, their knowledge of medicinal herbs for the livestock and possession of cattle. The competition also included an interview round.
Gyansu Devi, 50, of Dhansani village in Tehri, was the first runner-up and won Rs 51,000 and a 130g silver crown. She said that she would use the money for education of her six children. The third prize of Rs 21,000 and a silver crown weighing 110g went to Indira Devi from Akhori. “Being a Ghasyari to me means protecting our natural resources and I will continue to do so,” Indira Devi said.
Trepan Singh Chauhan, convener of Chetna Andolan, which organizes the award, said, “It is the women in the hills who have preserved the ecology. These are the true ecologists and we wanted them to feel proud of their skills and hard work which often goes neglected.”
The contest was earlier held in January this year at Tehri’s Bhilangana block.