Scarecrow. A very common and historic term.
And With the arrival of the monsoon, this 'Sow' or 'Jumuthi', as it is popularly called by locals is going to be a very common scene in the agricultural fields in Assam.
Why?
Well, according to Wikipedia, Scarecrow is a decoy often in the shape of a human. These scarecrows are placed in open fields to scare away birds from feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops.
Culturally, Scarecrow also symbolises farming in country sides where from it was actually born.
However, we all have seen drastic changes and development in farming over the ages. Farming in modern world is extremely technical. It can be done even without Sunlight, which we have been considering as one of the most essential part in growing crops. As farming nowadays has become high-tech, so does its tools. And Scarecrow too have seen its technological development over the years. It is no longer the straw man from 'The Wizard of Oz' or that scary figure made out of earthen pot and old torn clothes hanging on a stick.
The word 'Kakashi' is very familiar to today's youth, especially those who are huge fans of Japanese Anime 'Naruto'. But did you know Kakashi in Japanese meant Scarecrow? Fun fact is 'Kakashi' is now a high tech electronic scarecrow that does more than just shooing away birds. Scarecrows now work on iPads. Yes, you read it right. This is an Asian Technology from Japan that has made life of modern farmers easier than our grandparents can even imagine about.
This e-kakashi works via smartphones, tablets and wearable devices and even offers crop-raising recipes for rice, strawberries, tomatoes and citrus. Based on past data, the system advises farmers on when to plant seeds, how much fertilizer and water to apply, and when to harvest.
Grabbing the attention of youths in our society towards farming has become one of the biggest challenges. However, these e-kakashis, or high tech scarecrows can call for attention and make farming hugely fun.
There are also few other high tech Scarecrows that has made life of modern farmers easier.
There is the Cry Fowl which is a digitized recording of specific bird distress calls. When a bird hears a distress call coming from its species, it panics, flees and avoids the area.
Devil Dogs are solar-powered, Japanese-made Super Monster Wolf robots designed to scare wild boar, deer and other animals. It has also got 65-centimeter-long deterrent boasts flashing eyes and fangs and howls to prevent invaders.
Smart water shock is also another high tech scarecrow that hurl water at any intruder that strays onto their area. The devices are made by innovative firms like Havahart and Orbit.
With all these new technological Scarecrows introduced in the market, life of new age farmers has indeed eased out. However, these High Tech Scarecrows have also slowly contributed in the extinction of the age old traditional and historical Scarecrows which have been a major essential tool for the countryside farmers in the long run.
