Bamboo, Rats and Famine

Long back in a family dinner I remember my parents telling me the when the bamboo flowers emerge it brings along destruction. The red flowers which is said to erupt together all over India at the same time brings looking more like forest set ablaze. 

The flowers are known to attract rodents which feast on these flowers and multiply at startling rates. The increased rodent population means the next to fall is the food stock bring with it wide spread famine. Its not just the famine they are suppose to bring along immense bad luck which is said to have destroyed kingdoms and countries. 

I remembered all this while reading a forwarded mail a friend sent across in which a similar belief was echoed in Mizoram.....

The mautam of Mizoram is a cyclical event that occurs once in 48 years when the Melocanna baccifera, a species of bamboo, blossoms. This attracts a particular species of rats, whose numbers increase rapidly. Last time this happened in 1959, and after having the feast, the rodents turned their attention toward the crops and granaries. This created a famine situation. This was also one of the reasons why India had to look towards west for food grains. One of the US dailies reported that Indian PM comes begging. 

Though this famine actually strengthened India and then came the revolution in food grains, known as the Green Revolution. 

While the situation in Mizoram turned other way round and saw the formation of Mizo National Famine Front which later took up arms as the separatist Mizo National Front. This resulted in separate statehood.

Though last year was the year of mautam, the Mizo National Front suffer defeat in the recent Nov-Dec 2008 elections. This time rats were also defeated thanks to better planning, tribal support and the Indian army.