Village Stories: Sun-scorched Paddy and People's Endless Labor

Recently, I had the opportunity to capture some scenes that touched my heart very much. The pictures show a piece of our familiar rural life, where the work of threshing paddy is going on after harvesting. Seeing these scenes gives me a strange feeling – that old, deep relationship between the soil and people comes to mind.

You can clearly see in the pictures, some people are working under the open sky. The first thing that comes to mind when you see these scenes is – hard work. In our country, paddy is not just a crop, it is the main driving force of our lives. Many of us from the city may not fully understand how much trouble the farmers go through to grow this paddy. As you can see in the pictures, after the rice is harvested, it is being threshed. After threshing, a pile of dry rice has been created, and next to it, the rice may be drying in the sun or being prepared for threshing. Everyone, regardless of men or women, is working together. Some may be putting the rice in the threshing machine, some are sweeping, and some are spreading the rice in the lock to dry. Working like this in the sun day after day is not something to talk about. Seeing the people in these pictures makes me want to pay tribute.

Seeing these scenes reminds me of my childhood. When I used to visit our relatives' houses in the village, I would see a lot of work being done. Back then, there was not much use of modern machinery. Everything was done by hand or with the help of very simple machines. People would work from morning to evening. But they would have a tireless smile on their faces. The special compassion they had for the crops they grew with their own hands could be understood just by looking at their work. And when the fruits of this hard work came home, a strange satisfaction could be seen in their faces. Nowadays, many things are done with machines, but there is a different soul to the work done by hand, which can be understood by looking at these pictures. It seems as if every grain of rice smells of the tireless labor and genuine love of our farmers. These people are the ones who feed us. We should always be grateful for their continuous hard work.

These pictures are not just scenes of rice threshing, they are a reflection of our rural culture. Here, family members are working together, neighbors are helping. There is a strange peace hidden in the simple lifestyle seen in these pictures. Amidst the hustle and bustle of the city, looking at these pictures, one finds a little space to breathe. It feels like, oh, if only one could spend some time in such a peaceful environment!

This process of growing crops with hard work and then bringing them home is a part of our lives. We too suffer so much in life, so much work to get something good. When we see these works of farmers, it seems that their patience and perseverance are really worth learning. Even in the face of a natural disaster or crop damage, they do not give up, but start again. This mentality of theirs can be an inspiration for us.

I think that those of us who are busy in urban life should sometimes see such scenes. This hard work of rural life and at the same time their simple lifestyle – both can bring peace to our minds. These pictures have reminded me that the real beauty of life is hidden in being in touch with nature and the basic hard work of people.

Since these pictures were taken, whenever I see rice, I remember these hardworking people. It seems as if there is a story of so many people's sweat and labor hidden behind each grain of rice. We may forget their contribution many times, but it is because of them that our daily food is guaranteed.

I hope you like these thoughts of mine. I am very happy to share this piece of my feelings and experiences with you at Esteem.

May everyone be well, healthy and respectful of the tireless efforts of our farmers. Thank you all.