Yes, this year(2014-05) alone farmers’ suicides have gone up to a record 26 per cent, says the National crime Record Bureau, also quoted by noted agri expert and commentator Devinder Sharma. Rahul Gandhi had paid a mandatory visit to the suicide-victim family of Punjab.
The media highlights news only when it can catch the viewership of much-overloaded viewers. Who has the time these days? Even the Prime Minister and his friendly Chief Ministers have all the time to organise massive rallies of Yogasanas.
What is the big deal in this yoga business?
May be for the sake of reminding Mr.Modi and his colleagues and whoever joined his bandwagon in this Yoga day show here are some additional inputs. First, even Pandit Nehru and Indira Gandhi were Yoga practioners, in modern day jargon; they were the original yoga buffs before the BKS Iyengar of our nearby native Kolar village made the Indian yoga an international brand. So, today we have a long list of international celebrities like HTYehindu Menuhin and other European royalties and film personalities who took to yoga in right earnest.
So, we have now Mysore as the yoga capital of the world. There is a steady stream of travellers to Mysore almost everyday, round the year. So yoga tourism along with medical tourism is a foreign exchange earner.
The real job for the Prime Minister of India, a leader of the 1.25 billion people and as such a great spokesperson for the Asian continent and why even for the entire globe is to sit down, spend time and think of really globally impacting issues.
Farmers’ suicides in India are a great shame for every one of us. Before we hope to play a role on the international stage, we have to remove from the country this human tragedy of mass scale, almost this is mass scale now, this great untold sufferri9ng in which the body of the Indian farmers’ population is severely stuck.
There must be action on many fronts. Agriculture is no more the domain of the AGRI UNIVERSITIES nor of the bureaucratic style agri experts holding for in seminars and public forums or winning prizes and other medals from the establishment.
Nor is agriculture amenable anymore for the economist experts. In fact, the very many experts seem to have become quiet after the Modi government. Where are the experts? And by the way who are the experts?
At least for a change some of them at least much come out and speak out.
As things stand as issues emerge, we have to create and sustain employment opportunities for some more time in the agri sector and also in the rural areas.
So, we suggest, please, expand and decentralise powers, financial and administrative powers down to the district and panchayat level.
That could cushion off the severe impact the rapid urbanisation that is also creating lots of new problems. When we read that Mr.Siddaramiah, the Chief Minister of Karnataka, along with his colleagues was participating in the mass yoga exercise piles and piles of garbage was accumulating even in the most affluent parts of Bangalore city like Indira Nagar. Indira Nagar (where we live) have days of accumulated garbage along with much of the other wastes, lying uncollected and the stink is coming out in this part of such high rise, even affluent and foreign restaurants on the nearby 100 feet road, a street where you can buy all the international brands. Just near us is located some of the world known brands. There is a Body Shop right across our road! What an irony, we wonder.
This contradiction of the rich and the poor divide right in front of your eyes.
We seem to be living through a great illusion of self-deception. We seem to be saying to ourselves that politics is all about grabbing power. Once grabbed, let the people go to dogs and we will live through the self-reflected glories, man-made or brought about by circumstances.
We read the states where there are still no information commissioners. Even those appointed are most of the ex-bureaucrats. What is the message?
Also, we have the irony of accumulating court cases, thousands of under trials are languishing in jails and meery go the incumbent ministers and others. We are also witness to the total insensitivity, from the Delhi Deputy Chief Minister who runs away from the law and he has to be chased by cops to stop his speeding car and arrest the driver! What a message this?
Also Mr.Kejriwal and L.K.Advani confabulating?
Who has the time or the very sense to think of the poor and the marginalsied, Let alone the farmers who are on the verge of more suicides?
A whole series of farmers issues cry for attention. Sugarcane farmers to ordinary farmers who grow crops, grains and yet they don’t find a secure price. What Mr.Modi must be doing?
The whole country knows. He must sit in his office and meet all the experts, why ordinary souls who have something to say to him as to how to solve the problems. Does the PM conduct a janata darshan? We like to know. About the details about the problems of the oridinary men and women.
In short, governance is weak now. In fact, it seems to have taken a beating. As for government. It seems everywhere. A bureaucratic state? Yes, that seems to be emerging.
Let us remind ourselves that ours is a democracy. Democratic norms are the most critical.