Autobiography of a Farmer – Essay in Marathi (शेतकऱ्याचे आत्मवृत्त निबंध)

This is the English version of our Marathi essay on Autobiography of a Farmer.

Points / Outline

• Introducing the farmer – village, farm and family
• A hard-working day that starts before dawn
• Sowing, rain and waiting for the crop
• Drought, unseasonal rain and worry about market prices
• The bond with the soil and pride in the work
• The wish to learn new technology
• What the farmer expects from society, and conclusion

Essay

I am a farmer. I have a three-acre farm in a small village at the foot of the Sahyadri hills. My grandfather tilled this land, then my father, and now I do. My wife, my two children and a pair of bullocks are my whole world. Today I am going to tell you my story.

My day begins even before the rooster crows. After giving fodder and water to the cattle, I set off for the field. In summer I plough and prepare the land. When the month of Jyeshtha arrives, I sit with my eyes fixed on the sky. When the smell of wet earth from the first rain spreads, waves of joy rise in my heart. Then the sowing begins.

After the seeds go into the soil, I visit the field every day until they sprout. When the green shoots begin to sway, I feel as if my own children are growing up. Weeding, adding manure, protecting the crop from birds and animals – the work goes on all day.

But my life is not always happy. Sometimes the rain does not come on time and the land cracks. Sometimes unseasonal rain falls right at harvest time and a whole year's hard work is washed away before my eyes. Even when the crop is good, it does not always get a fair price in the market. At such times, worries about repaying loans and paying for my children's education keep me awake all night.

Still, I do not give up. My black soil feels like a mother to me. She has never let me go hungry. The thought that the grain I grow reaches lakhs of homes in the cities fills my chest with pride.

Now I am learning new things. My son taught me to check the weather forecast on the mobile phone. I have also understood that drip irrigation gives more crop with less water. I try to test my soil and use only as much fertiliser as it needs.

I have only one request for society – do not waste even a single grain of food, because my sweat is behind it. Respect the farmer's hard work. I am proud to be the one who feeds the world, and I will keep tilling this soil until my last breath.

10 Lines

1. I am a farmer and my farm is near the village.
2. My day starts very early in the morning.
3. I plough, sow and weed in my field.
4. I feel very happy when the first rain falls.
5. My heart fills with joy when I see the green crop.
6. Sometimes drought and sometimes unseasonal rain cause me losses.
7. I worry when my crop does not get a fair price.
8. Even so, my soil is as dear to me as my mother.
9. I am now learning new technology.
10. I am proud that I feed the world.

Writing tips

• In an autobiography, write the whole essay in the first person ("I"); do not switch to "the farmer" in between.
• Include both happy and sad moments, so the essay is full of feeling.
• Use expressions like "the smell of wet earth", "pearls of sweat" and "eyes fixed on the sky".
• Keep the ending hopeful, for example: "The soil never betrays; it only needs the company of hard work."