Imagine that it is 1950 and you are a 60 years old Raika herder living in post-independence India. You are telling your granddaughter about the changes which have taken place in your lifestyle after independence. What would you say?
After the independence, our life has changed a lot. Since now, there is not enough pasture for our animals to feed, we had to reduce the number of cattle in our herds.
We have to change our grazing ground also, as we are not allowed to go to Sindh and graze our camels on the banks of the river Indus because it is now a part of Pakistan. The political boundary between India and Pakistan prevents us to go there. Then we have found an alternative grazing ground in Haryana. In recent years, our cattle go there and can graze on agricultural fields after the harvests are cut. The animals also fertilise the soil with manure from their excreta.
Your father did not like a herder’s life and decided to become a farmer. I gave him some money to buy land and he bought the land. We built our present house in this land and your father is now cultivating food grains in the remaining parts of the land. We became farmer community.
I think you will have a much better life that what your father had. I hope you will be serious about your studies and do well in your life. Your father tries to give you all the facilities which he did not get. You must respect his sacrifice and try to achieve something in your life.