Ima market of Imphal

Living at the edge: Border and Barriers in Anarul’s Life

Along with the whole country, Anarul Islam alias Babul, 47 years old small marginal farmer in landlocked border village Mahendraganj in South West Garo Hills in Meghalaya is finding it hard to cope up with the lockdown due to COVID 19. However his worries are different from the rest of the country. As a farmer his ‘lockdown’ will continue irrespective of the COVID 19 pandemic. His land situated outside the international border fencing restricting access to his land throughout the years. Each time Anarul goes to plough his land, he literally crosses an international border following a detail protocol and security check.

India and Bangladesh share a 4,096 km-long international border, the fifth-longest land border in the world. The state of Meghalaya shares 443 km of this long border and out of this 329 km border is fenced with barbed wire and concrete, a process initiated in the 1980s. Fencings are built anti-climb with gates at regular intervals and is extremely difficult for people to break or cross over. As per agreement between India and Bangladesh, a distance of 150 yards, a sort of ‘buffer zone’ is maintained along the fencing. Due to political pressure, international borders are highly militarised restricting movement and affecting live and livelihood of people at the border. Fencing further blocked the unofficial fluidity and movement across the border. 

                                                                Anarul Islam, always in smile

Being a farmer amidst the barbed wires

Anarul owns 7 bighas of agricultural land [7.5 bighas makes a hectre], located at the ‘buffer zone’. To access this, he has to register his name with a valid identity proof, [voter card in his case] and signature or thumb impression. The border gate opens strictly at 8 am and closes at 4 pm. Border Security Force (BSF) keeps record of every entry and exit. “ They are strict and female BSF are stricter. No entry without the ID proof is possible. If you forget to bring your ID proof along with your cows, you have wasted the whole day’, affirms Anarul. Throughout the day, the gate remains closed. “If I need to drink water, I have to come all the way, follow the process again. Often I have to wait a long time for the gate to be opened. Is it feasible for a farmer like me? Can I afford time?’. Anarul follows these rules through out the year. He carries enough food and water for the whole day. Security forces frisk everything in possession before entry is granted. Photpgraph of his cows are also needed. Each agricultural instrument, seeds, food box etc. are thoroughly checked. Seeds of jute, sugarcane is not allowed. Anything that grows more than 3 feet is barred from growing such that cross border visibility is not obstructed. That’s why Anarul grow only vegetables or rice. 

Now a days BSF has female cadres for last one year. ‘They are stricter compared to male BSF and desont want to open in between the timings’, said Anarul. They insist on entering exactly at 8 am and come back by 4 pm without fail. Farmers in Mahendraganj traditionally plough land early morning before sunrise. ‘After having fermented rice or left overs of dinner, we start work in our land at around 4 am and before the sun gets brighter we finish our work. But here it opens only at 8 am and I had to work in strong sunlight. This affects my health. I fall sick at times’, laments Anarul.

Despite this hardship, Anarul has made friendship with few BSFs. ‘They live far away from their family. So I empathize them’, he said. He offered food to them during Eid festival.

                                                Anarul has to cross this gate to access his land

Constrains and hurdles created due to fencing compels approximately one hundred farmers of Mahendraganj to give up cultivation of the lands outside fencing area. Anarul continues to cultivate because his area is not that far from the border gate. Additionally his emotional connection with the land has huge influence as he inherited this property from his fore fathers.

Generation after generation, his ancestors were dependent on this land for their survival and its only after the creation of border, access to their own land has become restricted. ‘My ancestors lived here for generations. It was a free land and vibrant like a big village. We were an influential family with a huge housing area known as ‘Dafadars Bhita’ [Native land of Dafadar]. This place is still known as so. About 50 households used to live here till 1980s and then they migrated. Lack of security and cross border robbery, theft and presence of security forces in close proximity compelled them to relocate to inner areas of Mahendraganj. The compensation amount promised by the government for construction of fence is yet to be paid in full.

                                         Dafadar's Bhita is 3 km away from Mahendraganj Bazar

Anarul currently cultivates only 4 bighas of land out of 7 bighas and the rest 3 bighas is given on lease on ‘crop sharing’ basis locally called ‘Bagi’ system. This is because of hard labour required to cultivate, border restrictions and difficulty in employing labourers.

Restriction along with the fencing has created enormous barriers for irrigation and drainage system. Anarul’s land gets fresh flood during heavy rains and there’s no way to drain the land. Keeping a pump in the plot is impossible due to the strict rules and fear of thieves. It’s a heavy machine difficult to move in and out. Heavy machines like JCB are not allowed to enter to flatten the land.

Employing agricultural labourer is also a big barrier since ID proof is required. This often force Anarul to work alone leaving him frustrated. Mobile phones are not allowed. He has to deposit it with the BSF and take it back on return.

Female farmers also face problem. They don’t have access to toilet or place to keep babies. So Anarul doesn’t employ them. In Mahendraganj, tasks of planting the seedlings, cutting the rice corps etc is traditionally done by the female agricultural labourers. Anarul has to manage these tasks with few helpers having valid ID proof.

Friends and Foes at the border

Faulty demarcation of borderline is another issue that bothers Anarul. ‘Two years ago, I was working in my land, a big fight took place between me and Bangladeshis when I tried to flatten a small high raised area in my plot’. Personnels of Border Guard of Bangladesh [BGB] reached immediately and asked Anarul to stop digging saying that the land belongs to Bangladesh. Anarul complained to the Indian BSF. Several rounds of ‘flag meetings’ and arguments between the security forces of India and Bangladesh finally fixed the borderline with a bamboo. ‘A few days later, the bamboo miraculously vanished and Bangladeshis took possession of the land again’, alleged Anarul. He lost about 2 bighas of land. He complained to the BSF and recovery of the land is still pending. A strong desire to get back his land is yet to be fulfilled. ‘ I want my land back and hope authority takes initiative. It’s a piece of my soul’. 

                                                                    Border fence

Anarul and Bangladeshi farmers work together in the field only a few metres away and separated by an invisible international border. ‘I avoid talking to them because BSF don’t like it.  Any suspicion may affect my access to the land. My interaction is limited. I pretend silence even if they ask simple questions’, admits Anarul. Anarul has no grudge against them and believes they are caring people and a farmer like him. However, he cant take risk of being seen as ‘their’ people.

Anarul cultivates mainly rice during summer and pulses in winter. Vegetables like radish, papaya, guard, beetle nut, drumstick, green leafy vegetables are grown throughout the year. Being a successful farmer is not an easy job. Anarul faces wrath for that. Often Bangladeshi farmers throw garbage and other wastes out of jealousy, he believes. Anarul has no regret because two bottle gourd plants grew out of this garbage and he earned a good amount by selling about 30 gourds last year. Two papaya plants also grew out of these revenge throws. ‘Thieves steal my vegetables. But I have no complaints. They don’t have imaan [integrity] and Allah is blissful on me’.

However the wrath is not limited to revenge throws. Bangladeshi farmers would allow their cattle to graze freely in his land destroying the corps. This happens several times a year and is not solved despite complains. BSFs at duty tell Anarul that they are not permitted to go beyond the fence and that’s why movement of cattle cant be controlled. Anarul has fight over straw as well. During harvesting time, Bangladeshis will come in groups, cut the paddy and took away the straw without bothering to take consent. ‘ They keep lots of cows and are desperate for the fodder’, Anarul claims.

Managing life with construction work

Anarul has six children: five daughters and one son. Finding it hard to earn hand to mouth for his entire family and children’s education, Anarul started working at the construction sites as mason. Due to various public and private development projects, construction work is easily available in and around Mahendraganj. In last three years Anarul had been to Himachal Pradesh once in search of work but he returned due to ‘dominating nature’ of migrants labourers from mainland India. ‘ I went there with a group of 15 labourers that include Garo people and myself. Whenever we spoke in Garo, other labourers would look at us and call ‘Junglee’ [wild]’. Anarul tried to mitigate the situation and asked his Garo co-workers not to speak in Garo language. However it didn’t solve the issue. He returned to Mahendraganj, worked hard and saved about 1 lakhs rupees. With this amount he managed to buy a second hand motorbike and gold for his daughter’s wedding. ‘Being a construction worker gives me instant income while to earn from my paddy field I have wait at least three months’, Anarul’s logic. He works few months in a year as mason and this helps to run the family smoothly. ‘ I am a senior person and I earn 700 rupees per day as wages which is a good amount’. Over a period of time, Anarul relies on construction work as more reliable income source, however, agriculture and his connection to the land is something he cherishes and is a source of his emotional strength.

Looking ahead

Anarul thinks rural social security schemes are making farmers lazy in Mahendraganj.  Agriculture is time-consuming and requires hard labour. People receives their basic requirements like staple food rice under Public Distribution System and they manage the rest of the needs through casual labour. Anarul believes that the Food Security and other social security schemes are discouraging people to continue rice growing tradition. His own family gets 40 kgs of rice under food security scheme of the government that covers fifty percent of his requirements. This year he is expanding his income sources and trying his luck in the business on cattle, beetle nut etc but construction work is most rewarding for him and he wants to continue it. All these plans are on hold due to COVID 19.

With anxiety and uncertainty, Anarul is now waiting for the lockdown to be lifted soon and to earn ‘something’ before the rainy season starts. The BSF informed him that border gate will remain closed to contain Corona Virus and he will not be allowed to go to his land even after the lockdown till further notice from government. Vegetables are rotting in his land and he made two failed attempts already to go to the land. In early May, after filing an appeal to the local authority, the BSF now agreed to allow the farmers to harvest for three hours a day.

The lockdown and COVID 19 crisis situation will get over someday, However, Anarul’s restricted access and troubled soul connection with his land amid the perennial ‘man made lockdown’ disguised as border fence will continue.