O Mother Earth! God bless my country. We, farmers, are the umbilical cord who connect mankind with you, Mother. What a high position we held in this country. We and our profession have been the central theme of many poets. My grandfather used to quote Tiruvalluvar, the great Tamil sage, who has dedicated 10 couplets to us — agriculture was considered the noblest of professions as the world was dependent on the farmer and his till. We still have great pride in feeding our brethren though we ourselves go hungry. But what is our status now? We are seen as untouchables by the government and its officials. Is it because we are not rich and because we belong to the lower strata of society? Or, is it believed that other than growing crops, we are of no use to this country?
O Mother Earth! Recently, the government snatched my neighbour's lands, citing some law. The compensation it gave was a pittance. Why do they target agricultural land when barren land is available aplenty? To whom are we to turn to against this injustice? What is being achieved by snatching land from us and donating it to rich companies? The government may earn money in the long run and everybody may have pockets full of money. But what about food? Unless we have lands to grow crops, how will my countrymen satisfy their hunger? Import every grain of food? What an absurdity!
O Mother! When our loan and other applications gather dust for months together, big companies are able to get all clearances in a matter of weeks. Also, they get all help from the government — be it electricity, good roads or security — whereas we are seen as expendables. The government showers monetary incentives on big companies like tax concession, whereas farmers are struggling to repay even small loans of a few thousand rupees. Every time the creditor comes, we are put to shame. He hurls abuses at us and even resorts to violence. He shames our families and snatches our belongings. Unable to bear such insults, thousands of my people have committed suicide. Sometimes, the government wakes up from its deep slumber and writes off our debt. What is the use of it when the family has lost its breadwinner? The king is dead. Long live the king?
O Mother Earth! You know our needs. They are very minimal. We need good seeds and fertilizers. We need uninterrupted power supply. We need flexible loans from the government. We need protection from middlemen. We need a reasonable price for our produce. Above all, we need good guidance. When other countries are able to grow more using minimal land, why is my country, which has a large extent of agricultural land, not self-sufficient yet? Something is amiss.
O Mother! Every time our politicians disclose their assets, their wealth has grown by leaps and bounds. I feel giddy reading it. How do they do that? If that secret is revealed to farmers like me, we will wipe out our loans and look after agriculture peacefully. Recently, when Anna Hazare went on fast against corruption, we rejoiced. We, farmers, are huge sufferers due to corruption. We were happy that so many people joined him and at last, the mighty government has agreed to accept the wishes of the people. We wish there is someone like Mr. Hazare to highlight our problems too.
O Mother Earth! My tribe is fast vanishing. You are supreme. Help us survive. God bless my country.
(The writer's email ID is:taraj2804@gmail.com)
