The fury of Nisha that fed on the warm waters off the state’s coast was more direct on the lives of people like Anbazhagan. In the mid-90s, this diploma holder in electrical and electronics engineering dropped out in the third year of BE and went to the Gulf after spending over Rs 1 lakh. “I returned this year when the going got tough there, thinking that I will try agriculture again. Who would have thought my fortunes will change like this in just three days,” he said, standing next to his 4.5-acre field.

Though paddy can to some extent resist damages causes by excess water, over five-six days of inundation would result in reduced yield at the time of harvest, said agriculture experts. “After the water level goes down, the plant will continue to have a vegetative growth with a strong, green look. The real impact would be known during harvest time, when more than half the grains will be chaff,” said Mayilvahanan, the Assistant Director of Agriculture in Mannarkudi. “They are like stillborn babies,” he added, putting the “colossal problem” in human context.

Many are worse off. When the waters finally receded from Dakshinamoorthy’s five acres, he was left with just decaying crop. “Today, four of us cut some firewood and got a bottle of rum in return.” Finishing it early in the evening, he is back at the local wine shop with borrowed money to drink more, apparently to drown his worries. He had spent Rs 23 on a kilo of seed, of which he had sowed 30 kgs per acre. Then there were other inputs like fertilisers and pesticides, besides hard work for several months.

... contd.