HAVE NO OPTION BUT TO WAIT PATIENTLY

“Shraddha aur Shaburi” (Faith & Patience) is what Sai Baba always told His devotees to maintain... while most of us have great faith in Him, sadly though in this high stressed life, we tend to lose patience and hence all the miseries follow. When I started my journey in the unchartered territory, I had many plans and must confess, I had perceived many things even before they were implemented on ground. That was my greatest mistake because the ground realities were completely different from what I had perceived... it also taught me that I should not be in a hurry to get results and that it is patience and perseverance which will see things to happen in due course of time.

Today, when I look back I realize that only patience and perseverance will see me through in this journey... while I was building up my base interacting with various people in Vidarbha, I realized that the complexities of the farmers’ suicide issue is far more complicated than what we all read in newspapers. However, while doing research, meeting widows in villages and interacting with farmers in villages... all have been fruitful in many aspects and they have taught me a great deal about the real problems of the poor farmers of the nation.

Implementation of small-small units for widows surely needs a lot of funds to start up and without getting the Trust register things will not be possible at all... since August 2010, I have been running around to get the Trust registered and finally on 20th December 2010, I managed to submit the Trust papers... the first date for an interview with the Assistant Commissioner is set in March... I really don’t know how many more months will see the Trust being registered... I have no option my citizen of the world but to wait patiently for the Trust registration to get over... once the Trust is registered, the fund raising process will start and only then the unit will be established. These are the ground realities of my movement that I had not seen coming when I started...

I really don’t wish to give false hopes to the poor families by only talking to them and do nothing... and at the same time, I want everyone in the urban cities to please note that things will roll slowly and steadily in the right process and systematic ways... yes, for every small unit, the Trust will need a good amount of money so that widows are paid properly for their hard work and thereby continue to establish their respective units in a profit making unit to enjoy the fruits of their hard labour. I am here for life as my destiny wants... so the journey is currently in a standstill process... yes, I have the patience to wait for things to happen accordingly because I or one must say, no human can force his / her ways against destiny...

I know there are as many as 60 plus countries following the movement and wondering and hoping for miracles to happen... and to happen real fast... I am sorry to say to dear citizen of the world, I am here in Vidarbha to help the poor suicide farmers’ families in a way where they will become self-reliant to lead a life that they are wishing in their dreams and thoughts... we all need to support them to achieve that and fulfil their dreams into reality.

Meanwhile, the long wait is surely testing how much patience I have for this work... I have full faith in my Sai Baba and certainly patience will see me through the tough times... Sai Baba blesses you all!

MY JOURNEY SO FAR – CONCLUDING PART (1st Feb 2011)

I am here not by choice to be very frank but destiny brought me here... in my life I have suffered a lot and had never imagined that one day I would leave everything and move to a place to serve humanity in such a way. I must also confess that so far, I haven’t been able to do anything worthy or concrete except forming my base strong... an endeavour like this cannot be done at a break-neck speed, overnight or like the fast food... but the expectation of the world is in too much of hurry. I have to tread my path slowly and steadily and yes, firmly with results being achieved in nearby future.

The long wait for the registration of the trust is on...

There are many people from various parts of India and abroad, who are keen to help the movement in their own ways and I request them all kindly to wait for the trust to form. Their encouragement and solidarity are indeed praise worthy. Why a farmer commits suicide is still so complex to understand that no one can really give or provide the main reasons for such a phenomenon... debt, consumption of illicit liquor, family feud, depression, love affairs, nature’s fury, non-availability of employment opportunities, no proper irrigation infrastructure, middlemen lobby, political influence, media hype, MNCs exploitation, micro finance effect, money lending sharks, farmers’ will to excel in life, cash crops, high cost of investment in cultivation, labour problems & high wages, government policies... well, the list goes on and on and on... However, I strongly believe the day a farmer decides to grow food for his family like any other selfish urbanite (who is worried only about his family’s need & requirements), the problem of suicide will subside... it is the selfless attitude and nature of the farmers that has allowed the whole world to exploit them and kill them in a systematic way... one can surely say... the ploy of the government is to kill them all by various schemes... by providing them poisonous chemical fertilizers and pesticides, high cost GM seeds, low MSP – Minimum Support Price, controlling market price before and after crops are ready, WTO policies... snatching away their fertile lands in the name of development and what not...

... be it financing the community with all the comforts of life like motorcycles, dish connection etc etc..., enticing them with various loan waiving schemes year after year under political influence, providing ample of money as loan through micro finance... however, no one is teaching them how to save and generate money through saving... because all the loans taken by farmers are either invested in buying motorcycles, spent in daughters’ marriage or building cement houses, buying seeds & fertilizers but rarely the loan amount is being invested in money generating units or buying cattle. In the earlier days, in a village almost 95 per cent of the villagers used to have cattle... today, hardly 10 per cent possess good cattle for their field work, milk and manure... one can say, the globalization effect has surely made the farmers’ community to suffer the most. The rich are becoming richer because of farmers... the vicious cycle of loan has made everybody in today’s modern era to slog all through the life to pay the principal amount, so the rich can eat them sitting in their ivory towers.

There are many-many miles to be covered and walk... the journey of my life in real sense has just started...

MY JOURNEY SO FAR – PART III (25th Jan 2011)

Farmers’ suicide continues to haunt Vidarbha region as usual and during monsoon there are many villagers who die because lightening strikes in the open vast field. I use a bicycle to travel to nearby villages. During my first trip to Khurjadi (Fort), as I was nearing the village (30 kms from Wardha), dense dark clouds surrounded me while I was drenched completely in heavy rain... lightening were striking at will with loud sound of cloud bursting in open fields. I was scared and for a second thought of turning back... the thought was in my mind for less than a second when I said to myself – ‘Johnny you have not come here to go back...’ I prayed to Sai Baba and requested – ‘Baba please don’t kill me in this way... there are things I have to do before you take me...’

Baba listened to my request and kept me safe in HIS grace... the farmer widow requested me to stay because it was already dark and still raining heavily and the village entrance was cut off by deep gushing waters. It was surely the divine intervention for such a loving hospitality I received that night... even though I was wet completely, I was amazed by the love and affection the mother and son gave me. It was my first stay in a village in Vidarbha. Even without electricity in the village, I was full at ease... the sumptuous dinner of garma-garam bhakri, dal, thecha, kanda and kairee served under the kerosene lamp light was an experience that will always remain with me all my life. That night I slept the best sleep of my life and early morning I woke up fresh and totally in bliss. The experience also taught me that I should not risk my life in such an extreme situation, especially during monsoon.

So far, there are four widows who are ready to work and earn but time is the greatest factor for them to spare. After the monsoon season, the festival and harvesting season starts and all the widows work in their respective farms... I am left with no option but to wait for them while I was making repeated trips to get the trust registered... finally in December, all the required papers were submitted. I am told that it will still take couple of months before we will get the registration papers to start our activities. For five long months, it was a trying times for me because of which my plans for 11 Districts Vidarbha Run to cover 200 villages in 45 days (supposed to commence on the 1^st of February 2011) had to be postponed. The run was supposed to generate awareness among farmers in Vidarbha and also raise funds for the movement... as destined it will have to wait for the next available time. Once the trust is registered, the run will be planned accordingly in next couple of months.

Yes, there are many people who expect me to perform a miracle out of nowhere... they wonder how things are going to work... what are the small units that will be established for the widows... but they all seem to be in a hurry to see results rather than wait patiently before things are done in a proper way to benefit the suicide farmers’ families for life. I know they will never understand the ground realities and yes they want to see miracles happening fast. However, through my earlier posts and this post I wish to inform one and all that I am going to live here in Vidarbha for life and do my best to achieve whatever little I can do for the affected families. Results will be seen after couple of years for sure and the trust would need a lot of contributions from everyone, so that we are able to achieve what we have set out for.

The long journey which started with a blog and a single step is being supported by many kind people from all around the world... more than 55 countries are following the movement and there are many eager souls who wish to be part of the movement. To be very frank, I had never imagined one single step would unite the world in such a strong way... after all, food is the necessity that affects one and all... farmers all over the world should get their rightful dues as they have been serving the nation with their selfless hard work and dedication... no one realises what will happen when there will be no farmers and farmlands left in the world... what the future lies for the generation of today is really very-very DANGEROUS even to think of... and every single year is bridging this gap at a much faster pace... the greed of the rich is increasing at the faster pace than ever it has in the history of mankind... the poor... well, till the last drop is sucked... the few beasts will not stop their hunger to accumulate to kill them!

.... to be continued...

MY JOURNEY SO FAR - PART II (23rd Jan 2011)

It was in the month of April that I visited Vidarbha for the very first time. The soaring high temperature touching 49 degrees with hot winds blowing was an experience that didn’t affect me at all. One may call it a miracle or the hands of divinity, I didn’t feel the heat on my body since then and the surprising part was that throughout my stay (15 days) I was calm, cool and composed roaming around villages interacting with farmers’ families. Heartening it is and it certainly wasn’t an easy task to get to know the truth behind each farmer’s death... however, I must say I have been blessed by Sai Baba because I was readily accepted by villagers... discussions at gram panchayat’s offices (village committee) with the members to know problems of the farmers were enlightening.

There were many ground realities and complexities that surprised me about farmers’ suicide in Vidarbha. For one, I was surprised to know that there are more than 7000 listed NGOs in Vidarbha region and many dedicated and devoted individuals who are doing their best to achieve whatever little they can, to provide succour to the farmers’ community of the nation. The biggest surprise of my visit was the irrigation canal near Deoli (on the way to Yavatmal) that has taken more than 23 years to complete... the construction is still incomplete after 23 long years... it shows how callous the State and Central Government are when infrastructure facilities for the agriculture sector are concerned. Even though Vidarbha region is the richest when it comes to rivers, ironically, the fact that all the water that should be used for irrigation purposes, are being diverted for rich corporate industries and generating power. Another ironical factor is that even though Vidarbha generates and has the biggest Thermal Power Station (CSTPS) in the country, there are many villages in the region, where villagers are still living in darkness. I wonder how the Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh can talk about growth of the nation! Is living in darkness without proper drinking water THE SIGN of the nation’s GROWTH?

May and June in Mumbai, I prepared self to shift once for all to Vidarbha. There were various personal problems I had to face during this period that delayed things. However, I must thank from the bottom of my heart the ‘Ten Angels’ who were kind enough to support me financially for a year to pursue and continue the movement in Vidarbha. Once the support system was in place, I shifted base in August permanently in Wardha. When I came here, I must confess without realizing the ground realities and monthly schedule of the farmers’ community, I had loads of plan to execute. However, things are not easy as it may seem from the other side of the reality... I had to unlearn all that life had taught me because I had entered a complete new territory and it was back to school again.

Farmers were succumbing to suicide and every day when you open the newspapers, the dreaded column used to give me a sense of helplessness. Emotionally I was fighting a war with the everyday situation that had never bothered to me to such an extent earlier. Things were not easy and many times, I went into deep depression... at times, I used to cry silently lying on my bed with tears rolling down for hours feeling so-so helpless and not able to save another precious life of another farmer... at times, I would just go on a silent bout with my Sai Baba demanding WHY? Why HE cannot stop such a phenomenon where poor are dying for the sake of others... for days and even month-long depression became a way of life for me. I realized things are going to be more difficult with each passing day and every day I prayed to Sai Baba to give me strength and be strong. For many who are reading this post, may feel that how can I be so weak hearted to cry and go in depression... well, these bouts of depression are the outlet for me being all alone in my journey of life... things none of my friends would like to discuss at length because each one of us have their own problems of life... however, Sai Baba has been very generous to send amazing angels from nowhere to encourage me and give me moral support. Such support system came from unknown people who have been following the movement and I was surprised to know that I was not alone any more...

... to be continued...

MY JOURNEY SO FAR – PART I (22nd Jan 2011)

From the streets of Mumbai to the villages of Vidarbha, the journey so far has been full of challenges and traumatic experiences. Amidst farmers’ death all around the 11 districts of Vidarbha each month of the year, the challenge to establish a strong base in a steady manner is perhaps one of the biggest challenges I have faced so far. With all the kind and encouraging support from many kind-hearted souls from all around the world, I have managed to set my base in Wardha in few months’ time.

Support 4 Suicide Farmers Families is a life-long journey that I have undertaken to support at least few farmers’ families to better their lives in coming future. Research, interaction, discussion and investigation to understand the complexities of farmers’ suicide in Vidarbha have been an experience that has opened my eyes wide... towards disbelief and hard ground realities. However, there is still so much to learn, do research and understand about this man-made calamity that has been created rather than a way of life for the poor farmers. Do you really think a human would love to die on his/her own? Please ask yourself this question and the answer would be... we want to live, live a decent dignified life and live in peace...

Last March (18^th) I started this movement as a one-man-crusade after having blogged on the issue for more than two years. The realization that the coming future without farmlands and farmers... what does the future holds for the coming generation... I was struck hard by the force that we all often call as destiny. Yes, it was in my destiny otherwise I really wouldn’t be here shifting with bag and baggage from the dream city Mumbai to settle down in the small town city Wardha in Vidarbha. My first visit in April 2010 was an eye-opener in many ways to interact with some of the farmers’ families in Vaigaon, who have suffered the loss of their near and dear ones. The first ever interaction was the most traumatic experience for me in my life... and each session with the suicide farmers’ families have drained me emotionally time and again... it is not an easy task to understand and make the victim’s family to talk about the horrible incident that has changed their lives forever for worse.

Children have been an inspiration that fills the void and trauma with little joy for a while with their innocence, antics and ever-wanting to know about me and the mission. There are many children, who don’t even remember if their fathers had really pampered them when they were alive... all they know is they are fatherless now or else have lost their grandfathers to suicide. The pain of the widows and the grit and determination of these brave women are indeed an exemplary state of surviving against all odds for the society at large to get inspired in our everyday lives. They are fighting the war every single day after their husbands have left them with almost nothing to survive and responsibilities of multiple children to look after... each story is same yet they are different in many ways and each time in my heart I salute these brave widows for being so brave to look after their fatherless children by slogging hard round-the-clock to see their innocent children smile and eat two-meals-a-day somehow.

.... to be continued...