Grass harvesting for cattle is underway on a war footing in rural areas.

Shimla, November 1. Women in the Keonthal area are working day and night to collect grass to store fodder for cattle during the winter, ensuring they have plenty of fodder during the next four months of snowfall and rain. However, cutting the grass is now being done with a grass-cutting machine instead of a sickle.
Progressive farmers and senior citizens Dayaram Verma and Pritam Singh Thakur explained that in the rural areas, during the months of October and November, farmers are busy harvesting maize and pulses, not just grass. Women take their lunch with them and go to the grasslands as soon as morning arrives. In the past, village women would gather to cut grass, often taking turns cutting grass, a task known as “Gasai” or “Nalai” in the local language. During this time, women would also sing mountain songs and discuss various issues for entertainment, which promoted women’s empowerment. However, now all the grass-cutting is done by machines.
Dayaram Verma says that in rural areas, people do animal husbandry along with farming because advanced agriculture cannot be imagined without cattle. It is necessary to collect fodder for cattle in winter, for which farmers arrange for grass before the winter arrives. He told that rural women are so physically strong that they bring about one and a half to two maunds of grass and wood on their backs from four to five kilometers. After bringing the grass home, it is collected and kept in one place which is called Gomat in the local language. Let us tell you that the grass kept in Gomat remains dry from inside even when it rains.