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PAU’s virtual Kisan Mela leaves farmers dejected
With coronavirus cases decreasing, several farmers from remote areas of the state came to the university to attend the farmers’ fair, only to return dejected after being told that it was a virtual event.
Known for drawing large crowds, the biannual Kisan Mela organised by the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) was held virtually for the third consecutive year on Friday.
With coronavirus cases decreasing, several farmers from remote areas of the state came to the university to attend the farmers’ fair, only to return dejected after being told that it was a virtual event.
A famer, Gurpyar Singh of Khiva Khurd village in Mansa, who came to the PAU campus with other villagers, said, “We did not attend a single virtual kisan mela over the last two years. We came here to attend the mela after reading about it in a vernacular newspaper. On arrival, we were told that the Kisan Mela was being held online. We do not know how to attend the sessions on our mobile phones.”
Enumerating the benefits of an offline event, Gurmeet Singh, a resident of Sardulgarh, said, “One gets to interact with scientists, and buy high quality seed and fruits during the offline events. This time, we had to walk 8km to fetch fruit saplings from a nursery.”
The fair was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid outbreak, and was held virtually in March and September during the kharif and rabi season.
Usually, the Punjab chief minister inaugurates the fair, and addresses the farmers, but the online event was low-key affair. During the inaugural session of the two-day mela, PAU vice-chancellor and Punjab additional chief secretary DK Tiwari addressed the farmers.However, the farmers kept dropping messages, urging authorities to hold offline fairs.
Tiwari assured the farmers that if the conditions remained favourable all future events would be organised in the offline mode as Covid restrictions were all set to be removed after March 31.
Progressive farmer and Organic Farmers’ Club president Manpreet Singh Grewal condemned the PAU authorities’ decision to hold the even online.”When elections and rallies can be carried out, what is the problem with offline melas?” he asked.
Offline mela in Bathinda:
PAU extension education director Dr Ashok Kumar said next time, the mela will be organised offline. He urged the farming community to participate in large numbers in Kisan Mela to be held offline in Bathinda on March 29. “After two years, an offline mela will be held in Bathinda,” he said.
