A moment of Silence for West Bengal Farmers
Post date: Feb 9, 2012 5:14:47 AM
Now it's West Bengal's turn.
In the last four months, at least 32 farmers have committed suicide in the state due to mounting debts.
Even with the most positive mental state, it's hard to digest such events without the Heart bleeding. Every state seem to have its own reasons for the suicides. In all the states, such suicides happen in waves. A few suicides trigger a lot more. It tells that the Farming community is well connected. It tells that Farmers live in communities in which Self-Pride is of paramount importance. It tells the farming community is completely delineated from the 'regular' societies - because, in regular societies, nobody kills themselves for not able to repay their debt.
Not sure, if only the good ones become farmers or farming makes one good! Read on.....
West Bengal faces agrarian crisisAt Rasulpur village in the Bardhaman, countless hand-woven shacks, overflowing with paddy, dot stretches of farmland. Defying the prosperity, is the family of 45-year old Amiya Saha, a farmer, who walked up to his own paddy field in the wee hours of the new year to commit suicide by consuming pesticide. Steeped in debt, Saha had taken loans from multiple sources, including, Rs 6,000 from the nearby cooperative society for paddy and potato cultivation, but failed to sell even a fraction of the produce.....