“I wish no parent does what my father did to me. At least think about your children before you decide to end your life,” said 13-year-old Pallavi Pawar with an unmoved expression on her face and resolve in her voice.
It was around a decade ago that Pallavi’s father, a farmer in Maharashtra’s Jalgaon, decided to commit suicide, leaving behind his wife and four children. Ever since, Pallavi’s mother has been working on other farms to make ends meet.
‘Memories flash by’
“I don’t remember his face clearly, but there are moments that flash before my eyes. There are memories I have of my father when he was happy, when he didn’t show the turmoil brewing inside him. Looking at my mother and sisters today, I think he should have discussed things with his family. There is always a way out,” she said.
Pallavi was one of the over 40 children and widows of farmers from drought-hit Maharashtra who had gathered at Jantar Mantar on Wednesday. They had joined the ongoing ‘Kisan Mukti Yatra’, as part of which farmers have demanded loan waivers and fixing of standard prices for their produce.
Children dressed in white narrated tales of personal grief as placards reading ‘Suicide is not the answer’, ‘Save our farmers’, ‘Farmers, don’t commit suicide’ stood tall.
The stories of these families were a grim reminder of how farmer suicides in India might just be numbers for city dwellers, but are harsh reality for children and women living in the rural belt — something they see almost everyday because of government apathy.
‘Don’t bargain’
“When you buy vegetables and fruits from a farmer, you are quick to bargain for even ₹1. What you don’t realise is that this ₹1 can be the difference between his children eating dinner or going to bed hungry,” said Pallavi as she broke down.
She continued, “You will never know how much the heart of a father pains when he has to disappoint his children everyday; till one day he cannot bear it any longer and decides to end everything.”
Many such children who have lost their fathers stay at an ashram in Nashik, away from their homes, because their families cannot afford their upbringing.
Little did three-year-old Sanju, who was guarding an earthen pot covered with a red cloth and playing with other children around, realise that the pot contained the ashes of his father who had hung himself two weeks ago after local money lenders started threatening him to repay a loan of ₹50, 000.
‘Farming is risky’
Sanju’s uncle Raghu Ram, who was accompanying him, said that he was too young to realise the gravity of the loss. He couldn’t help but point out how Sanju’s entire life would be affected by the death of his father, who was the sole breadwinner for their family of eight.
“Farming is becoming a risky job. We do not want our children to live the lives that we are living. The government should think about the children and their future and do something to save our lives,” he added.
Eight-year-old Hari from Solapur said that he wants to be an engineer and help his mother escape the life of poverty.
“My mother tells me that if I study well I can help our family build a big house and buy a car,” he said.
Farmers from Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Punjab had also joined the protest with sacks of potatoes, demanding fair prices for their produce.
“We make a profit of ₹5 after selling a sack of potatoes. How can we feed our families and afford a basic living with this? The government wants us to store our produce, but the cost of storing is much higher than the return,” said Amir, who was leading the potato farmers from Uttar Pradesh.
Former CM present
Former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Digvijay Singh, who was also present at the protest, expressed his support for the farmers and their demands of remunerative crop prices and debt-free farming. “This is the time to rise above party politics and support the farmers in their fight for justice,” Mr. Singh said.
