When anyone hears the name of the village of Moira, the first thought that comes to mind is that of the famous Moira bananas. Moira in fact was a typical village until recently with large tracks of fertile agricultural fields. It is in these fields that our ancestors connected with nature and produced bountiful gifts of the land through which they earned their bread and butter.
Apart from the bananas, the Moiddecars grew tenddli, chilies, vegetables. The plateau called Gavar located somewhat in the centre of the village was the land where they cultivated kattaconggies (a rustic crop) and nachne (millet) during he monsoons. I myself, now in my twenties, had the opportunity to witness my grandparents working very hard manually in our fields. Most of the cultivation was done manually -- drawing of water with the latt (a traditional instrument to draw water) was both an amusement and a tiresome task. People now have unfortunately abandoned their agricultural lands. This means that the village loses its charm and the people, their food. Increasingly, Moira is becoming a suburban area, and is no longer a productive village. Encroachments in the field are noticeable. Something should be done to improve the situation. Elroy da Gama.