953 Some Musings on Farmer Suicides, Alcohol for Poor, Alcohol for Celebrities

The allegation and observation made by Bachu Kadu alias Shri Omprakash Baba Rao Kadu, Independent MLA from Achalapur, Maharashtra, needs deeper analysis and understanding. Unbiased writing on this subject is difficult, as the current environment is highly vitiated, and yet an attempt is worth trying. To start with: Mentioning names of individuals may be dangerous, especially when negative comments are made. Such unintended errors can land the talkers/writers into libel / defamation litigations. It appears that Shri Omprakash Baba Rao Kadu has withdrawn/modified his comment about Ms. Hema Malini's drinking. It is good, to safeguard his own interest, if we see the experience of Mr. Arun Kejriwal, Delhi Chief Minister, who is facing Rs. 100 million defamation case from Shri Arun Jaitley, India's Finance Minister. Even when a person speaks truth, some times it may be difficult for a person to produce evidence in a court of law to produce what he says / writes. This is because those who indulge in things may not do them by standing before a video camera, or by distributing printed pamphlets. A comment may sometime become dry and 'juiceless' when it is not given by a solid example. Hence, whether lawyers or not, talkers / writers / journalists / film artists have to spend long hours and do a lot of home work of collecting evidence to prove what they say / write, when a need arises.

To start with, here are links for the news links about what Shri Omprakash Baba Rao is reported to have said: Click here to go to http://www.rediff.com/news/report/hema-malini-drinks-daily-maharashtra-mlas-bizarre-take-on-farmer-suicides/20170414.htm.

Kadu made the remark while speaking about farmers' plight at an event in Nanded district of Marathwada.

Congress leader Narayan Rane had recently termed drinking as one of the reasons for farmers' suicide, while Union Minister Nitin Gadkari had said excessive spending by farmers on son's or daughter's marriage leads to indebtedness in some cases.

Trying to rebut this perception, Kadu said, "75 per cent of MLAs, MPs, journalists drink... even Hema Malini drinks heavily... but have they committed suicide?

"Rs 4 crore were spent on the marriage of Gadkari's son, should we now wait for him to commit suicide?" he said.

As the comment drew sharp reactions, Kadu tried to defend himself. He was talking about Hema Malini's drinking "in films and not in her personal life," he said, speaking to reporters at Osmanabad on Friday.

ybdonkey's personal views which are not intended to be imposed on others

In India, millions of people take film actors and heroines as roll-models, and try to ape their screen life-styles, in real lives of citizens. It is a very dangerous trait. Everyone of us has to help others to get out of this dangerous weakness.

Why seggregate and single out 75% of MLAs, MPs, journalists, and of course Ms. Hema Malini whose habits we do not know / cannot prove? 75% of Indian male adults seem not only to drink alcohol, but also appear to be raising their 'litres / pints / bottle sizes' month by month, and year by year. We are going to enter the 'buckets / tubs / barrels / water tanks' era. By water tanks era, I mean, instead of drinking water which our Governments and Municipalities cannot anyway supply everyday regularly, different types of Indian Made Foreign Liquors (IMFL) can be supplied through pipelines. In this respect, our Governments and Municipalities will not fail, because they have already converted National and State Highways into Municipal and Panchayat Roads, so as to subvert the Supreme Court's Order to close the liquor shops on National and State Highways.

Question: Why alcoholic stars do not commit suicides, and why farmers commit suicides?

Ans: A farmer who makes Rs. 60,000/- per annum by selling his harvests, and gets that small amount in 2 or 3 instalments, and if he spends Rs. 25,000/- per annum, on alcohol, he cannot maintain his family without debts. He will not be left with 'Capital' to invest when the next sowing season comes. Hence, the parameter is: What percentage of his income (not only a farmer, any low income person) a person spends on alcohol will decide. If the percentage is more, the farmer will be surrounded by debtors. If the percentaqg is low, he can borrow from banks and repay them. If the percentage is high, he will not only be indebted to Banks, but also to private money lenders. Private Money Lenders initially lend to farmers on just approaching and asking. But gradually, they tighten the terms. They use filthy language to recover their loans. They insult not only the farmers, but also his family members to such an extent, even by asking the Head of the Family 'Why don't you consume pesticide or hang yourselves, so that we can get compensation from the Government and adjust to our loans? Thus, private usurious money lender is the provocatrr for farmer suicides, while alcoholism (along with many other reasons) contributes to the penury of the farmer.

On the other hand, a film heroine / politician / abc / xyz who makes Rs. 40 million per annum, and spends Rs. 4 lakhs per annum on clubs, pubs and alcohol, he-she will still be left with Rs. 39.6 million. There will be no need to worry, except that some roles may be lost, or some health may be lost. Doesn't the percentage of income spent on alcohol decide, the tendencies to commit suicide? If film stars are to commit suicides, there should be additional contributive causes such as: 1. Losses on film production / distribution 2. Losses on gambling. 3. Losses in other businesses. 4. Vexations with cheating by lovers 5. Other frustrations.

(Example 1: Husband of a film star in Mumbai, who happened to be a film director and producer, committed suicide by jumping from the roof of a building in Mumbai. But for such things, to generate depression, there should be surrounding causes such as financial incapacitation, monetary retardation. Loss of Money-earning capacity can lead to depressions.)

(Example 2: Hindi Star Meena Kumari's suicide. Extract from Wikipedia.org:

"...Meena Kumari portrayed of Pakeezah under Kamal Amrohi's direction became historical piece of document.[14] In her performances, beauty, aristrocracy, tragedy, personality all blended into one. Her role as Chhoti Bahu, in Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam is considered one of the best performances in Indian Cinema. Chhoti Bahu a role dangerously close to Kumari's own tragic life, like the character of Chhoti Bahu, in real life Meena Kumari also became addicted to alcohol.[15] Kumari life and prosperous career were marred by heavy drinking, troubled relationships, an ensuing deteriorating health, and her death from liver cirrhosis in 1972. ..."

Question: How Lavish Marriages by Rich do not lead to their suicides?

Ans: If Mr. Nitin Gadkari has performed his daughter's marriage spending Rs. 40 million (4 crore), still, such heavy expenditure may not lead to his suicide simply because it depends on: what percentage of his income/wealth he spent on his daughter's marriage? May be hardly 2% or 4%.

Question: How Lavish Marriages by SMALL AND MARGINAL FARMERS INVARIABLY LEAD TO THEIR SUICIDES

If a farmer who gets Rs. 100,000 by selling his crop, and if he spends Rs. 60,000 on his daughter's marriage, how will he subsist the remaining year, till the next crop comes? If he spends the remaining 40,000 on his family maintenance and remaining children's education, the farmer will not have anything to buy seeds, pesticides, inputs for the next crop. Ultimately he will fall into the hands of private money lenders who will force him to commit suicide.

Occupational Hazards of Metropolitan Money Lending Mafias

Private Money Lending mafias in Bombay can threaten debtor film producers/distributor and Mumbai politicians who lose elections, of dire consequences, while reminding them about moneys due. But the Lender mafias will never force them to commit suicides, because Govt. will not pay compensation. Film Producer/defaults defaults, Election-losing politician defaults, are occupational hazards for Money Lending Mafias in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, etc. They seldom come to light.

To continue to add / delete / modify / change substantially keeping in mind Readers views. सशेष. ఇంకా ఉంది.

926 Does Mr. Narendra Modi really love Indian farmers, particularly the marginal farmers and the tenant farmers?

Our Indian politicians, like their world counterparts, both the seasoned politicians like Mr. Narendra Modi, and the newbies and wannabes like Mr. Pavan Kalyan know nothing but political convenience, expediency, and opportunism. Clarification: I am not against agricultural debt relief measures or agricultural loan waivers in India, the country which tops in farmer suicides. But I feel sad when such a compassionate noble measure like agricultural debt relief is used as a tool for winning elections right from the days of the 'Thief Congress (as per Mr. Modi's view)' to the rein of 'Honest BJP'. Agricultural Debt Relief, like demonetization is not a 'Push button and speak to Nation' operation. Like demonetization, dozens of factors have to be taken into consideration, while drawing a scheme which is to benefit truly suffering farmers. Mr. Narendra Modi, in his hurry to win the Uttara Pradesh and Uttara Khand elections 2017 forgot to do his homework.

MR. NARENDRA MODI'S OWN GOVERNMENT CRITICISED AGRICULTURAL LOAN WAIVERS IN ANDHRA PRADESH AND TELANGANA STATES, AND ASKED THOSE STATE GOVERNMENTS TO MOBILISE THEIR OWN FUNDS!

To start with, those wish to have a look at /download some photos of Mr. Narendra Modi, wearing myriad caps. At this web page there are about 27 photos of Mr. Narendra Modi, wearing different types of headgear: Click here to go to https://www.scoopwhoop.com/inothernews/namo-wearing-hats/, and see/download 27 photos.

Telugu Star Pavan Kalyan, on whose support Mr. Narendra Modi and Mr. Nara Chandra Babu Naidu banked upon during 2014 General Elections, now fired Center on Loan Waiver Unequal Treatment among Indian States

Click here to see the youtube video of Pavan Kalyan, on NTV https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7W_zEL-SQs.

To continue adding, deleting, and modifying. This is a thousand page subject. सशेष. ఇంకా ఉంది.

542 How will you solve the problem of farmer suicides? किसानों के आत्म हननों को रोकने के लिये आप कैसै परिष्कार सुझाते हैं ? రైతు ఆత్మహత్యల సమస్యకు మీరేమి పరిష్కారాలను చెప్పగలరు ?

Quest: Six tenant farmers attempted suicide, and among them two persons died few days back, in a village in Guntur District, Andhra Pradesh, as the Government snatched away their livelihood, for auctioning them to maximise income. Telangana State is not lagging behind, in farmer suicides. One farmer by name Anjanaiah committed suicide in Godal Village, Balmur Mandal, Mahabubnagar District, Telangana. How will you solve this problem?

Ans जवाब జవాబు: Within the framework of Capitalism and Feudalism पूंजीवाद और भूस्वाम्यवाद परिथि में పెట్టుబడిదారీ మరియు భూస్వామ్యవాద పరిథిలో

Not possible to solve this problem. यह साध्य नहीं है। ఇది సాధ్యం కాదు.

Reason: Agriculture in India today, is highly monetised, and highly risky. Farmer has to buy all his inputs by paying money. Seed-quality, wageries of monsoons, pests, decide his fate. A week's dry spell is sufficient, to spell doom for him-her. Or a day's down-pour is adequate, to ruin him-her. Till 1947, farmers were not buying their inputs. Their farm animals, dairy animals, small animals (sheep, goats, etc.), biomass of trees in compounds, used to meet the needs of their manures. They used to produce their own seeds. For tilling their lands, they were not hiring tractors. They were either using bio-pesticides or no pesticides. As population was very less, their landholdings were large. Even after payment of 1/4, 1/3 of produce as taxes to State, they used to have surplus for consumption. All their daily needs used to be met by their farm, dairy and farm animals, small animals, domesticated fowls, vegetables grown in the home, etc.

Farmers were not incurring huge expenditures on children's school fees, electricity bills, cable TV bills, petrol for bikes, hospital expenses, cinemas, wineshops, domestic gadgets, cell phones. Today, everything is to be paid in Cash. Irrespective of crop failures, they have to generate cash for all these payments.

Consequently, borrowings both from institutional lenders, and non-institutional lenders, have become inevitable, at very high rates of interests. They borrow at rates as high as 60% to 120% p.a. from village money lenders. Our large industrialists make a hue and cry when Banks raise interest by 0.25% points. Our industrialists never borrow at rates of 60%, 120% p.a. It is a very profitable business for landlords in villages, who have good land records and land titles, to borrow from Banks and re-lend to small, marginal and tenant farmers, at usurious interest rates.

When the small, marginal and tenant farmers, fail to repay the loans, landlords and private money lenders abuse and insult not only the farmers, but also their family members. This ill-treatment, becomes unbearable, when there are series of crop failures and marketing problems, continously.

Of course, the Andhra Pradesh Government has announced an ex gracia of Rs. 500,000/- to the kith and kin of the deceased farmers. But this is post mortem, intended to subside media criticism and public outcry.



Question, प्रश्न, ప్రశ్న: Your knowledge seems to be bookish, and does not appear to be based on field-level facts.

Ans: I have worked as a Bank Field Officer both in Palnadu area (both dry and wet), as well as the Capital Region area (dry farming) of Guntur District and both dry and wet areas in Mahabubnagar District. I had also the fortune of working near Godal village, Balmur Mandal farmer suicide place, quoted above. Whatever I have written here, is based on hard realities learnt by me through close interaction with the farmers. Of course, it was about three decades back. But, the agricultural situation in India can only worsen year by year, as the population has doubled to 1.3 billion, and the lands got further fragmented.

Another unfortunate development during these three decades is: owners of lands have migrated to Cities for gainful businesses and occupations, like Government employment, trading, setting up industries, even for idle residence in the guise of children's education. In the process, they have become ABSENTEE LANDLORDS with passbooks and title deeds in their namess. Actual cultivation is done by oral tenants who do not have any written proof of their status. The Revenue Officials in the villages and the Mandals also do not change the names of the actual cultivators in the land records for three reasons: 1. The Revenue Officials cannot get proof of absentee landlordism. 2. They get annual bribes from the absentee landlords for continuing the land records in their name. 3. The village elders pressurise the Revenue officials to continue status quo ante. In the circumstances, tenant farmers become orphans in village unprotected by anybody, though they pay large amounts as rents for the land. The tenants cannot get Bank loans, as their names do not appear anywhere. The absentee landlords or the lazy landlords take the bank loans, showing the land records. When Govt. provides input subsidies, flood relief, drought relief compensations, agricultural debt relief, everything is pocketed by the land record holder, who has all the where-with-all to satisfy the bureaucrats administering the Govt. benefits.

Institutional lendings are misused by land-title holders and large farmers. Informal usurious lenders are none other than the absentee landlords and lazy landlords, who have a nexus with Banks and Govt. Officials.

Small and marginal farmers, as the quantum of lands in their own names will be very less (too small for sustenance), take more acres on oral lease. Thus small and marginal farmers often play a dual role of owner-farmer and tenant-farmer.

Summary: Existing feudalistic, Capitalistic system is not conducive to the welfare of small and marginal farmers, tenant farmers, and agricultural laborers in villages. Landholders do not reside in villages.


Question, प्रश्न, ప్రశ్న: How to solve the problems of small, marginal tenant farmers and agricultural laborers in a Total Socialist / Marxist set up, which you are keen on spreading?

Ans: All activities of production of goods and services both agricultural and non-agricultural sectors will be only in Government Sectors. There will be no private lands, businesses, industries, service institutions. Everything will be only in public sector. All risks in every activity are borne by the Government.


Question, प्रश्न, ప్రశ్న: You mean to say that there will be State Capitalism! State Capitalism failed in Communist countries and Socialist countries in the past!

There were no truly Total Socialist or Marxist countries in the past (also present). All those were dictatorships. Dictators will be interested only in their own luxuries and comforts. They have nothing to do with the welfare of the people, except when there were temporary crises and upheavals. For success of Total Socialism or Marxism, democracy of proletariat is an essential prerequisite. The proletariat should be sufficiently enlightened. The proletariat should be free from alcoholism, religion, and superstitions. Homogenization and paradigm uplift of proletariat needs to be developed at least for 20 years through enlightened teams of proletarians.

Radical changes such as removal of private property, abolition of currency notes, minimisation of number of private vehicles, abolition of private shares, abolition of banking system, have to precede or to be simultaneous with introduction of Total Socialism or Democracy of Proletariat. All this has to take place through ballots and elections only. There can be no place for violence. Every member of the proletariat should develop his awareness levels, and help other members to develop their awareness levels. Educational Institutions, Media, could have tremendously helped in this task, but they cannot do it, simply because they are owned by Capitalists and they have a stake in continuing the present exploitative set up. Why will they raise the awareness levels of the proletariat?

Question: Do you support the Andhra Pradesh Government's opposing the Palamur Project launched by the Telangana State?

AnsIn Total Socialism: This problem will not be there, as entire agriculture whether irrigated or unirrigated will be in Government Sector. Where to irrigate and where not to irrigate will be the headache of the Govt. There will be no private farmers.

Ans: In Capitalist Set up: Palamur Project need not be objected to, as long as the equitable distribution of water is managed by the Central Government, and not left to the hateful KCR & Co.

Central Government should have a clear policy on to how many kilometers distance from the River bank, water can be carried to. It should not under any circumstances allow the water to be carried to long distances, without first satiating the water needs of all the dry areas adjacent to the rivers. It will be immaterial whether they will be in Telangana or Andhra. For example without completely irrigating Wanaparti, Gadwal and Achampet areas, water cannot be taken to Ranga Reddy, Medak, Nizamabad, and Adilabad. In the same manner, without satisfying all the needs of Anantapur, Kurnool, Prakasam, Guntur adjacent to Krishna River Banks, water cannot be allowed to be taken to Cuddapah and Chittoor. Similarly without completely wetting Khammam and West Godavari Dt. dry areas, East Godavari dry areas, Visakhapatnam dry areas, Godavari water cannot be transported to Vijayavada, and then to Chittoor. Mr. Chandra Babu Naidu (his predecessor Rajasekhara Reddy) and Mr. Devineni Umamaheswara Rao (A.P. Irrigation Minister), KCR & Co. seem to have this selfish-motives, to take the River Waters to their own constituencies, while leaving all the fields near the River Banks to get scorched. River Banks should get priority. Earlier this was not possible because rivers were flowing in low vallies, and Telangana lands, Rayala Seema lands were in high-elevation plateaus. Now that, we have modern methods like Lift Irrigation, Tunnel Digging, we cannot continue the old method of releasing all the water only to Deltas. Conversely, the Delta farmers too have to discontinue their practices of wasting water. They have an erroneously belief that more water means more output which is not always correct. Even in Delta areas, the farmers who have their fields near to Canal bunds, do not show any mercy to farmers having their fields at tail ends. Consequently, tail end farming has become worse than dry land farming. A dryland farmer clearly knows that he must depend only on Rain God, and perform marriages to frogs. A tail-end farmer's life is haunted by uncertainities. We can write 1000 pages on this topic.

(To continue सशेष ఇంకా ఉంది.).