During my last visit to
Paro, I scurried quite a long distance of the valley; and one thing that
amazed me was the vast land of rice fields. Then I strongly felt the reasons
why the locals objected the government’s decision to convert it into a throm. It would be a disgrace to transform
this beautiful farmland into a concrete jungle.
But this post is not about the
farmland and throm. It is about one
more thing that amazed me in Paro, scarecrows. To tell you, I see them
everywhere in and around the rice fields, thousands in number, guarding the
crops. Most of them resemble human shape.
The Bhutanese farmers are
simply clever in designing and erecting the bird-scarers to scare away crows
and wild animals. Some are very frightening, others cute and funny, and few
threatening with bows and arrows. They are dressed in some of the old shirts
and trousers, torn plastics and caps. Some have highly reflective films and CDs
and bottles tied to their hands to create shimmers from the sun.
I know the locals make
scarecrows to protect their crops, but at the same it is a creative centre
piece for one’s crops. Amazing creative works!
On my own, I studied about
the scarecrow online. I have come across very interesting findings though;
indeed, I am quite surprised. The straw-man has a huge impact in some
countries.
In Japan, there are many
fascinating tales and legends surrounding the use and character of scarecrow,
known as kakashis, in the rice fields.
In Kojiki,
the oldest surviving historical chronicle of Japan, a scarecrow known as Kuebiko appears as a deity
of agriculture and wisdom. Till this present day, it is worshipped, and the
Kuebiko Shrine in Sakurai is dedicated to the deity.
In the United
Kingdom, the use of scarecrows as a protector of crops date
from time immemorial and it has huge cultural impact. Many
villages in England have annual scarecrow festivals where there are many events
like display of hand-crafted scarecrows, scarecrow sculpting, scarecrow trails
and scarecrow contests.
In
the USA, different villages host annual scarecrow
festivals which attract thousands of people and they also raise money for
charity. Besides scarecrows, the festivals have live entertainment, art and
craft show, carnival, foods, eating competition and children activities. The
festivals are truly a family festive fun.
Bluntly speaking, I am not
aware of the origin and any tales of scarecrows in Bhutan. But I assume there
should be, looking at the rich history of our culture and the prevalence of
scarecrows in Bhutan. I feel it would be nice that we study and record about
scarecrows of Bhutan.
Like in other countries, we
can also initiate scarecrow festivals in Bhutan, especially in a place like
Paro. This can encourage the farmers to be a creative and smart person who
understands the historical significance of our agricultural practice. It would
provide an opportunity for the locals to earn revenue by exhibiting their
products and skills and to create awareness on importance of farming.
Through participation in
this event, they would not only learn to protect their crops from birds and
animals, but also learn to protect and preserve their farmlands from the
aggressive and encroaching town planning.
Some pictures of Paro scarecrows here: