I’ve just read a fine post from the excellent Women’s eNews network, covering the aftermath of the (usually male) farmer suicides. Unfortunately, they’re a little restrictive on copyright at Women’s eNews so I can’t post the entire article here, but under the principles of Fair Use and common sense, here’s a snippet.
Kharif–the first crop after the monsoon season spanning from July to October–has mainly been harvested and the second crop is now coming along.
As many farm widows do what they can to keep up with these demands, they and their families are apprehensive about the debts their deceased relatives left behind. Many don’t know the size of those debts or even who will come to collect or when.
“I will just accept what they say,” says Chandrakala, referring to moneylenders. “The man is gone. How can I fight with anyone now?”
Read the full article here.