The rice mandala

Regular readers will have noticed some of the visual changes to New Mandala. Some of you may be interested in the mandala logo itself. In fact, it is a neatly arranged pile of rice seedlings, ready for transplanting into ploughed and flooded fields. Here is a brief photo essay on how this fascinating – and fundamentally important – process works in the north of Thailand.

First ingredient – one seedling bed, with the seedlings about 30 days old.

Second ingredient – a shelter from the sun and a team of labourers. If you can’t get enough friends, neighbours and relatives to come and help (you will have to help them too) hire some more.

Step one – pull out the seedlings.

Step two – tie them into bundles with short bamboo ties.

Step 3 – trim the bundles with a knife wedged in a short bamboo pole (don’t fall on the kinfe!).

Step 4 – arrange the trimmed bundles in a neat pile.

Step 5 – carry the bundles to the flooded field and toss them in (distribute evenly for best result and try to splash pretty girl or headman).

Step 6 – make offering to resident spirits. Even a minor offering like this should do the job, but a grander offering would be welcome.

Step 7 – the crucial step. Arrange labourers along the edge of field (fastest to slowest) and start planting.

Step 8 – sit back and enjoy the finished work (but not too much – it starts again tomorrow in someone else’s field). Like farmers everywhere, discuss the lack of government interest in agricultural matters. Enjoy the hospitality provided by the owner of the field.