Kohima — In an effort to revive the legacy of helping senior citizens and farmers who are unwell, members of the Khulazu Basa Baptist Church (KBBC) youth department, on Wednesday, went from fields to fields transplanting paddy in Khulazu Basa village.
The youth members comprising over 30 members were divided into different groups and deputed to the paddy fields.
The director of KBBC youth department, Nuvotalu, told Eastern Mirror that the main idea was to extend help (free service) to the senior citizens, sick people, widows as well as to reduce the burden on farmers, who are often short of labour during the transplanting season.
She said they chose to carry out the relief work around this time as paddy cultivation is a major source of livelihood for the village population.
Comparing with the previous years experience, she said that most farmers in the village have completed transplanting the fields this year.
The participating youth members carried their own lunch box, water bottle, and materials required for the work during the programme. Since the members were divided into groups, it was not convenient for the department to prepare lunch for the members, she said.
During the event, each group spent an hour or two working in one field and moved on to another fields in order to help the farmers. Their task included collecting the sapling, while some prepare the terrace fields for sowing and followed with sowing of the saplings.
In one of the fields, the youth members had to literally clean the path leading to the field and uproot plants that were overgrown since the owner did not attend to the paddy for a long time. From clearing weeds, digging land, ploughing, collecting seedlings and sowing, the youth members completed the works.
It may be mentioned here that the youth department used to carry out the relief works once in a year but was stopped for some sometimes now. They resume the good works this year and able to extend help to many people in need.
In 2022, the Khulazu Basa Students' Union had undertaken the relief work.
Interestingly, the practice of helping the people in need has been going for decades after the then Christian Endeavour of Khulazu Basa village started it in mid 1970s.