It’s a shame that a country which is 70 percent or more dependent on agriculture, fails to protect its farmers. The farmers’ march which took place last week in Delhi was an unpleasant sight to see.
Farmers marched barefoot, half-naked, with sadness in eyes, bones in mouth, skull in hands and holding flags of all colours. Farmers gathered across the city and marched to the Parliament street in the capital.
I too joined their march and protested for their rights. Actually, for my rights too.
I am the grandson of a farmer. So for me, this cause is personal. I still remember the way my grandfather would sow seeds in our farms in Almora, Uttrakhand. And after he had ploughed and sowed, he would look to the sky wishing for a good monsoon. He would pray that the year would be different from the last.
As a child, I remember how we would pray to the plough before the ploughing would begin on the field. Even today, when we visit our village, we always stop at our field, which is now derelict.
Life of a farmer is not an easy one and you can only understand it if you’ve lived it. It’s but natural that farmers will be demotivated if they receive no financial support from the government. This is one of the main reasons for farmers’ suicide.
I attended this march to capture the emotions of these farmers. The mere fact that the farmers had to gather like this in Delhi, tells us that something isn’t right. The politicians’ neglect towards farmers and their own promise to implement MS Swaminathan Commission just adds to fuel to the fire.
Ironically, at the time of election, the same politicians try to win farmers over by appeasing them with some new schemes. We need to remember the farmers and not just think of them as a voting bank.
Long live farmers.
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