BEED, MAHARASHTRA: He lived with honour, till the killer droughts in Maharashtra’s Marathwada region over the past few years took all he had, his self-respect and ultimately his own life. Embarrassed at not being able to repay a loan of Rs. three lakh, a cotton farmer, Kailash Dambare, hanged himself in Beed district.
The suicide note found in his pocket after he killed himself at home in Nandur Ghat village, details the distressed farmer’s agony.
“I lived with honour but see no alternative. How do I repay my loans? I have no respect left in society,” Mr Dambare wrote, adding, “It’s foolish to commit suicide but is there no other option.”
The note was addressed to his son, Atul, who struggles to explain why his father would end his life. “His honour was dear to him. The drought took his honour and life both,” said Atul.
Another family mourns just two kilometres away.
A 50-year-old farmer Kalyan Khomane, took his life after being burdened with dues over Rs. two lakh. Had the monsoon not failed his field would have boasted his cotton and soya bean harvest. But today his own cows are surviving by feeding themselves on his dying crop.
According to local journalist, Amol Jadhav, the drought situation in this remote cluster of villages is so severe, that in the past eight months, six farmers have committed suicide.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who just concluded his three day visit to the region, has promised relief, assuring drinking water, cattle fodder, employment under government schemes and waiver of higher education fees.
However, in spite of intense pressure from farmers and the opposition, the BJP-Shiv Sena government has refused to offer loan waivers. Experts have also reiterated that waiving off loans is not a permanent solution.
But with the severity of the drought worsening in September itself, will Mr Fadnavis be able to resist what’s largely been seen as a temporary but economically unviable measure.
