(***Acknowledged with thanks the permission given by Chief Editor, Pasumai Vikatan)

(Centre has announced December 23rd as FARMERS’ DAY.This spl. Article is released as an open letter addressed to our Prime Minister from a farmer in TN - Edtr.)

Honourable Prime Minister Shri Man Mohan Singh ji
Namasthe ji.

A very poor farmer writes this from Tamil Nadu state.

-“You studied in Oxford and had been working in America. There is nothing in the world that is not known to you. Even then, for all that we suffer, we can wail and weal before no one else but you only.

Sir, now you have been often repeating the words-“second Green Revolution”, “second Green Revolution”. Whenever we hear these words, our hearts thunder and flutter. Why , you know…………………………….

Like this only 30,40 years back, while we were all leading a simple life grazing our sheep, goat and cattle and eating whatever available within our means,
all dreams /hopes of the seeds of ‘Green-Revolution’ were sown in our hearts. Lots of pure urea, compound fertilizers was all liberally supplied . Then burden of loans on machineries-Tractor, Thrasher, De-weeding machine…. and such others was loaded on our heads. Thinking that it’s loan from our Govt. we were also enticed to receive them right, left and centre. It resulted in a situation of having left with no money to spend on base fertilizer and top dressers and we had no option but to borrow from local moneylenders on huge interest rates. Planting Sugar cane, paddy, wheat and rearing Cattle, sheep and goat ….we raised the deficit food grain production from 100 million metric tons to 200 million metric tons. Though the nations food scarcity vanished albeit the falling prices & its instability had uprooted us.
Sir, with all loan burdens the farmer cultivated and brought out bumper crops of sugarcane, resulting in all sugar mill owners flying fast in their cars to relax in their cosy bungalows. Paddy farmers produced bumper paddy crops and all rice-mill owners harvested richness. Cotton crop touched its record yields and so all ginning /spinning mill owners, cloth merchants, pesticides /fertilizer manufacturers, traders all started living in comforts. Whereas the farmers were not even capable of huddling under the comfortable shades of bullock carts that were seen lying at the street corners.

Thereafter we were told that there won’t be any expenses for disease and pesticides etc and with this promise we were given Bt cotton. Since Govt. gave this, all farmers blindly purchased all Bt cotton seeds and cultivated simply. Dreaming to count currencies in lakhs and crores enriching themselves, all farmers jumped sky high. Finally now, what had happened, rather than counting currencies they count now the corpses of farmers committing suicides every day. Sir, you had also announced, sympathising with farmers deaths, a relief fund- farmers’ death relief fund- to the extent of 17000 crores of money. Despite all these, there is no end for the episode of farmers’ deaths. After death… relief and sympathy! - Is it of any use? Preventive measures for farmers’ death should have been taken well ahead of everything- is it not?
Poor man’s words never reach any corridors of power; anyways, even you cry appealingly in front of a rock whenever in trouble, my grandmother often used to advise me, it would help to get relieved off your mental stress and so we wail in front of you.
Once the GDP contribution from Agricultural stood at 55% which thanks to your predecessor’s “Green Revolution” has very astonishingly(!!) grown to 18% of country’s GDP –is not a tremendous performance by worlds one of the largest agrarian economy-with 70% population depending on agriculture and allied activities for their livelihoods. As one of the eminent economist in the world, you would claim India has grown consistently with 8.5% growth rate during your tenure; but you alos know that this growth represents development of the already grown rich population of 5% at the cost of rest 95% becoming poorer day by day.…thus widening the rich vs. poor divide.
It is only when a few among us died consuming all polydol /DDT like pesticides and had gone on funeral pyre your Govt. woke up from its eternal sleep like that of Kumbakarna.

Even this time your great disciple P.Chidambaram the taxation– wizard FM, has come down from his high-echelons to throw some merciful look at us. “It’s almost 9 years since the perverted Satan (one of the Navagrahas) entered & sat down in Farmers’ house and to drive him out, I’m not Hanumanji” –thus quoted your great FM. At least he endorsed the view that Satanic effect was there for 9 years henceforth.

Sir, pl. take note of yet another jostler in your cabinet, the great Agri. Minister Sarat Pawar ji-who comments – Can all those who died of illicit liquor consumption be added to the list of ‘farmers-suicide’, ironically Vidharbha major part of his home state Maharastra has the biggest toll. Darker irony is that one who sheds tears for the defeat of Indian Cricket team at South African tournament, had no time even to think of mass suicides committed by bunches of farmers from his own motherland-Vidharbha for a minute.

You need not be confused over what these wretched souls –farmers’ demand exactly from you –what do they say really? “Provide us alternate jobs once we quit en masse- agriculture for our livelihood?” Is it their demand? -
“We do not seek, like an eccentric lunatic- an appointment in your cabinet so we may become millionaires thro’ hefty packets passed on below the tables. For our livelihood, of course we do have our limping pair of lame bullocks and short plough with us! That’s enough for us to earn our livelihood in agriculture…but allow us to do agriculture.
Those days, it’s a matter of pride to think whenever our grand-pas, great grand-pas walk thro’ field-bunds, majestically fondling their richly grown moustaches, onlookers used to praise and venerate them saying -”Beckon the great man who caressingly keeps going the lives and livelihood of so many village –folks”. Those were the golden days of Agriculture. But alas! , Today even good for nothing fellows giggle, “Behold the debtor, one who has not repaid his loan, why goes shamelessly with a moustache on his face, he can better commit suicide gracefully.

“Land is not an asset given by God but its bunds are the bondages tied on the farmers arms”- thus quoted then Karl Marx, the great social scientist. But we never listened to him. On the other hand, -“Farmers, the backbones of the nation!!!”- We were enticed by the sweet talks, at all street corners, done by our local political leaders. “Today all those backbones are broken Dump into dustbin all those back-bones broken Indian Farmers, American Australian backbones are stronger .We give you all Rice, Wheat, Dhal, etc.”-They say and we say,” It’s OK, no harm to get from them,” Shame on us, should we say so, Sir? Tell me, after burying en-masse all 700 million farmers, what great nation are you going to develop, sir? …
How loan crept in and ‘debt’ trapped him who was leading a normal life as peasant? Somehow, it’s because of some defects in Govt’ plans and policies. Sir, they killed the life of our r villages with one atom bomb-i.e. “Green Revolution”. Having lost our lives in villages, we crave worse than beggars in all town corners for the gruel bowelled out by Govt. It’s not enough to make agriculture green but it’s essential to transform lives of peasants greener –that’s what real Green Revolution! That’s reason why when you mentioned ‘second green revolution’ we all felt thunder-struck into our already weakened hearts.
The first green Revolution has already been converting our cultivable lands into good for nothing wastelands. The harvest we had seen 20 years back could not be taken despite applying any amount of urea, fertilizer compounds etc. When we tested our soils to find the reasons, they say” there is no life in the soil. You have given ‘death sentence’ to your soil and hence killed its life. In order to bring back the life to your soil, apply farmyard manure, green leaves compost, cow dung, sheep/goat droppings, and bio fertilizer to enliven it”- is the treatment suggested by Soil Scientists. Like a house full of moaners of death, all peasants do blink deaf and dumb at each other not knowing what to do next. At this hour, you have taken the funny role of a ‘Tormentor King’ and keep chanting “Second Green Revolution” often. We pray with folded hands before you –“In your globalisation-greed, do not kill us enmasse. Do not pour poison into sacred womb of mother earth’, please leave some of these land to our next generation children/grand children also.

Even the great Indian Agri. Scientist Dr.M.S.Swaminathan is keeping mum about your ‘Second green revolution’.’ ‘Plan for exclusive Agriculture five-year plans’ –was his reiteration. Pl.keep that also in mind, Sir. Thank you , Sir”- Nalla Gounder -A poor farmer of TNstate