Kisan Diwas, or National Farmers’ Day is celebrated to mark the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister and farmer leader Shree Chaudhary Charan Singh. The idea behind celebrating this day is to express our gratitude to farmers who form the backbone of the country’s economy. Sh. Chaudhary Charan Singh, referred to as the “champion of farmers”, had enacted several laws and introduced policies to empower farmers during his brief tenure as PM between 1979 and 1980. He also authored several books on farmers’ upliftment. Some prominent titles are – ‘Abolition of Zamindari’, ‘Co-operative Farming X’, ‘Prevention of Division of Holdings Below a Certain Minimum’. Chaudhary Charan Singh followed the famous slogan – “JAI JAWAN JAI KISAN”, which was given to the farmers by Lal Bahadur Shastri, the second Prime Minister of India.

In 2001, the government decided to recognize Choudhary Charan Singh’s contribution to the agriculture sector and welfare of farmers by celebrating his birth anniversary as Kisan Diwas. Since then, December 23 has been observed as National Farmers’ Day. Generally, awareness campaigns and drives are organized across the country to educate people on the role of farmers and their contribution to the economy.

India is a country of villages and agricultural surpluses. Farmers or people who work in agriculture form the majority of the country’s rural population. A significant number of the country’s soldiers come from agrarian families. Farmers form the backbone of society. They are the ones who work around the clock to ensure that people don’t starve and die of hunger. There are many ways we can show our gratitude to the farmers. We can visit the farm land and  understand their work in a better way. We can try buying fruits and vegetables directly from a farmer.

Let’s come together on this and subsequent Kisan Diwas and show our gratitude towards the farmer community who are playing a important role in nation building. Here are below quotes on Farmers which remind us of their importance.

“If the farmer is rich, then so is the nation”

“If agriculture goes wrong, nothing else will have a chance to go right in the country”

“A farmer is a magician who produces money from the mud.”