Rice Cultivation and Uttarakahandi Folklore

The Hudki-Boll — Transplantation of paddy, Kumoani Songs and Hudki

With the onset of monsoon( June-September) in India, the sowing of the “Kharif crop” (paddy) has picked up yet again. One of the most cultivated Kharif crops in the hilly regions of Uttarakhand is rice (dhaan).

One of the main activities for a successful harvest is the transplantation (ropai) of the saplings from nursery to fields- rice is sprouted in a nursery and then is transplanted into a standing water, wherein the transplantation is done by hand and is a laborious affair.

In hilly regions of Uttarakhand, transplantation activity is festive — accompanied by songs, occasional dancing, and Hudki — a popular musical instrument. This hilly region accommodates multiple villages which are sparsely populated, tightly-knitted communities.

A typical village in the region has about 30 to 40 households and a few hundred people. The slopes of the hilly terrain of the area are cut into small size fields which imitate massive stair-like structures- this technique is called Step farming or Terrace farming. Considering the small fields, most of the heavy machinery farming is not feasible, therefore, the majority of farming is done via manual labor.

For the people living in the region, the transplantation of paddy — the most labor-intensive task of the entire process is a collective task usually done by women. Most of the women in the community collectively transplant the paddy into all the fields in the village. (For those curious about the role of men in this process — they prepare the fields before the transplantation, but let’s not get into it.)

Despite being the most labor-intensive and time-consuming task, it is one of the most awaited times of the year. The transplantation activity takes a few days (depending on the fields). You would find it interesting to know that the transplantation is performed to the beats of Hudki and the women singing to the beat — called “Hudaki Boll” in their regional dialect. The songs are fast, catchy, and energetic. The Hudaki Boll is accompanied by occasional dances by the women as celebrations to mark the completion of transplantation in a smaller segment of the area.

In my opinion, the aforementioned activity of enjoying while working, and working together as a team with people across generations and dialects is a learning experience in itself when witnessed. The “Hudaki Boll” is a part of the Uttarakhandi culture, and has all the elements of a typical “Team Building Excercise” we are forced to do in the corporate lifestyle.

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