Mangaluru : PU II students of Kittel Memorial PU College watched with interest as farmer Vaman poojary Kambalkodi prepared the ‘mudi’– a traditional basket made of dried paddy shoots, used for storing rice.

Mr. Poojary weaved the dried shoots to form a tight ball-like structure, and slowly began to pour into it the rice grown by the students. Slowly, he poured nearly 40 kg of unpolished brown boiled rice into the mudi. Students clapped as he finished this work.

It has been nearly four months since the students have been involved in the process of growing paddy. They started from sowing, followed by removing weeds and then harvesting the yield in the one-acre plot of Dhananjay Bangera in Parende in Konaje, about a km away from Mangalore University. All 130 students of Kittel PU College were involved in the process from the beginning to the end. “We wanted them to understand the rigours of agricultural activities, enjoy farming and understand the problems of the community,” said principal Vittala A., who cultivates land in Bantwal.

Under the guidance of farmers Ratnakka and Muttakka, students planted paddy saplings on a one-acre plot in July. In September and October, they visited the farm and removed the weeds. In the last week of November, they used sickles to harvest the paddy.

The paddy was dried in the farm house of Dhananjaya Bangera’s neighbour Sudharshan Bhat. It was then separated from the shoots and boiled. On Sunday, the boiled paddy was beaten by students before it was packed in the mudi.

Dhananjaya Bangera said about 1,200 kg of rice was produced by the students, which is the normal yield that they get from an acre of land. The help from students in growing paddy was immeasurable at times when it was hard to get assistance for growing paddy, said the elderly Dhananjaya Bangera.