Our Farmers: Shout to Silence

  India is one of the oldest civilizations that exists on earth, was abound with the vast alluvial fertile plains on which world's oldest and most advanced civilizations of that time saw their peaks and downfalls. The main source of economy and income of the people of ancient India was agriculture. Even today the fertile plains, rivers and water bodies and a favorable climate provides a wonderful scope for agricultural produce in the country.  India was 'The Golden Bird'. Our conventional wisdom of agriculture dates back to thousands of years when the first plants were  cultivated. Right from the ancient civilizations of India like Indus Valley, the Aryan civilization, Mauryan Empire, Gupta Empire, Muslim rulers and most other dynasties India's economy largely rested upon agricultural produce. Such a mighty agricultural economy started deteriorating once we started strategic trade relations with the outsiders and allowed them to exploit our weak social and political structure. The advent of British, French , Portugese and many others on indian soil started the economic breakdown. Many revolts, Peasant and civil uprisings happened but never culminated in long term and everlasting reforms. 

  Peasants have been fighting for their legitimate rights since time immemorial across the globe. Indian peasantry started seeing its dark ages during colonial empire. The Hope that Indian pesantry will once again enter into its golden age after the independence is gradually fading away. It's a shame on the face of an Agrarian and so called democratic country with around 60% of people directly or indirectly depending upon Agriculture  that lack of proper policies and failure in their proper implementation by the goverment, exploitation by middlemen have been leading a series of suicides committed by peasants across india. Since past 16 years, on an average 47 farmer/peasant suicides occur every day. According to a survey around all the 70 million of our farmers are being exploited by middlemen direclty or indirectly. These middlemen usurp most of the profit earned by a farmer. The lack of proper storage has forced the farmer to sell his product to the middleman at low cost. As the products perish soon, the farmer sells it at the offered price. 

  Recently BBC news highlighted the pitiable plight of cotton farmers in western states. My heart was engulfed with grief when i heard the story of such a victim lady whose husband and brother-in-law both committed suicide leaving behind two widows and four children under the same roof. In western states' suicide cases, half the widows are between the ages of 19 and 25 and have two to three children. In states like UP, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh Goverment, Beurocrats and middlemen have left the farmers to their fate.  More than 17,500 farmers a year killed themselves between 2002 and 2006, according to experts who have analyzed government statistics. More than 2.50 lac farmers have committed suicide in India in last 10 years. As per a report of 'The Hindu', On average, one farmer committed suicide in every 32 minutes between 1997 and 2005. From 2005 this average is one suicide in every 30 minutes. Consequently these suicides bleak the future of their kith and kins, therefore millions of children and widows are left to starve. Few years back in Jhansi i saw another story of a farmer family where two children were eating a thirty two days old peice of bread after softening it by water. There was nobody to earn and feed the children as their father already committed suicide or say smothered under the heavy loans. Other farmers showed the cheques issued to them as compensation worth Rs 20 and odd. Are Government and Beurocrats making a mockery of democracy. When the questions come to them, instead of taking the onus they point fingers at each other till media itself gets bored of telecasting the same news over and over again.

  Farmers sorry plight in india is so old and being incessantly clamoured about that seems our government and we all have made ourselves accustomed to it. Every day dozens of farmers are committing suicide and Mr. Pawar who is heading agriculture ministry, in a live television interview said that “100,000 farmers' suicide per year is a normal thing that we have been seeing for a number of years”. Its really tragic to see that the so called backbone of our country is paralyzed. He was more concerned with the extravaganza of world cricket and not with the plight of the farmers. The policies of privatisation and globalisation may have worked for our industries but have always wreaked havoc on our farmers. Industrial hegemony is suffocating our farmers to death.

  The influence of our current prejudiced policies and ignorance will surely render India totally dependent on western capitalist countries to meet the demands of food grain. Those countries are giving very high subsidies to their farmers but refraining the developing country's farmers for the same. Recently India announced a $500 million aid to Afghanistan. My conviction is, look inward at our own home problems. Its ridiculous fixing the tiles on others roof whilst at home ours is leaking. Our farmers are truly in deep crisis. 

  A government-owned bank will give you loan at six per cent interest rate if you are buying a Mercedes but if a poor farmer wants to buy a tractor, it charges him Fifteen per cent!. Sixty-seventy per cent of India's population is living on less than Rs. 20 a day, cost of just a drink for us. Its really unfortunate seeing government showering land and crores upon indian cricket players after the world cup. People jumped, screamed, had gallons of beer and no wonder that to very near of our celebrations, in villages our farmers committed suicide.

  The rosy pictures of GDP growth rate and per capita income which are being used by the governments for their propaganda of election campaign cannot reform the indian agrarian crisis. We must understand that government's intervention in salvaging this crisis should never be a one time scheme. It has to be a sustained policy. Boisterous cacophony in Parliament in the name of policies will not help. Recently in Noida farmers were pushed to their limit of tolerance when they were not paid the legitimate compensation after the acquisition of their fertile land which was later sold to builders at very high rates. They went berserk and clashes with government was inevitable. Well Noida uprising is neither the first one nor the last. In a Democratic India where the government propagandize the slogan of "JAI JAWAN JAI KISAAN", where government is chosen by its very own people on a free will basis, still the hands who were meant to drag the chisel plough and feed the millions are hurling weapons and fighting for their rights. Farmers turned belligerent by force and not by choice. Conditions are worst to this extent that after seeing the plight of farmers in Noida a prominent leader of ruling party couldn't help saying " I'm ashamed to be an Indian ".

  Famous American author Bill Brayson once said, " There are only three things that can kill a farmer: lightning, rolling over in a tractor, and old age". But when our farmers are unable to hold the burden of privatisation and industrial hegemony i would like to add few more words:  "There are only three things that can kill a farmer: lightning, rolling over in a tractor, and old age unless circumstances lead him to take his own life." 

  I cannot resist to share the story of a Roman emperor 'Nero': 

    Centuries ago, there was a Roman emperor, called Nero. He was a strong ruler and also very fond of parties, art, poetry, drinking and a life full of pleasures. Once he decided to organise a grand party and invited all poets, writers, dancers, painters, artists, intellectuals and thinkers of society. Everybody was having a great time eating, drinking, laughing, and socialising. The party was at its peak when it started getting dark. Nero wanted the party to go on. So he ordered and got all the arrested criminals, who were in his jails, around the garden and put them on fire! Burnt them alive, so that there was enough light for the guests to keep on enjoying! The guests had a gala time though they knew the cost of their enjoyment. Now, what kind of conscience those guests had? Tacitus, continuing his above quote, goes on to say of the Christians that:

Besides being put to death they were made to serve as objects of amusement; they were covered with wild beasts' skins and torn to death by dogs. Some were crucified, others set on fire to serve to illuminate the night when daylight failed, fastened on crosses, and when daylight failed, covered by inflammable matter, were set on fire to serve as torches during the night. Or tied to stakes in Nero's gardens while he drove around in his chariot, naked, indulging himself in his midnight revels, gloating over the dying agonies of his victims. The Roman Christians, accused by Nero of setting the city on fire, were massacred in a spectacular fashion on the Vatican Hill.

  Whenever i come across the sad plight of our farmers and government being silent and giving false hopes only thought that bothers me is, Is our government, clearly not competent enough in reforming our farmers' conditions and prevent them from committing suicides, different than Nero himself? and We, the middle and elite class, young, well earning, mall hopping, 'First day first show' movie crazy, IPL-watching and celebrating-junta are Nero's guests watching the gala of burning farmers!  

                                                                                                       -  Saurabh
"The world suffers a lot. Not because of the violence of bad people, but because of the silence of good people."