Paddy Fields Vanishing Amid Focus on Kambala, Says Narendra Rai Derla at Nirdiganta Utsava

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, March 2, 2025: Writer and columnist Narendra Rai Derla has raised concerns over the steady disappearance of paddy fields, which he called the "foundation of food for millions in the state." Speaking at the Nirdiganta Utsava 2025 at St. Aloysius College, Mangaluru, on Sunday, he criticized the lack of interest in preserving these agricultural lands, despite the enthusiasm for promoting Kambala in the name of culture.

"It is ironic that while there is great zeal for Kambala, no similar effort is made to save paddy fields. The survival of Kambala itself depends on the survival of these fields," Derla said during a session titled "Preservation of Life and Celebration of Culture."

He highlighted the neglect of farmers, whom he referred to as students of the "open university of agriculture," and lamented the shift away from farming practices that sustain humanity. "We are exerting excessive pressure on the land, forgetting that it exists to meet our needs, not our greed," he remarked.

Derla also criticized the rapid urbanization that has replaced fertile fields with skyscrapers. "Ploughs and sickles have been abandoned. The life of the land is being destroyed. Skyscrapers now stand where paddy fields once thrived, and those living in them are engrossed in their smartphones, detached from the realities of nature. We must act now to preserve the land for future generations," he urged.

The Nirdiganta Utsava, a theatre festival organized by the theatre incubation center Nirdiganta founded by actor Prakash Raj, is being held at St. Aloysius Deemed to be University from February 28 to March 3.